New Hampshire Wine-man: September 2020

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Charles Krug Napa Valley 2016 Merlot

Charles Krug Napa Valley 2016 Merlot, $17.84-$24.99 (same price as three years ago), 91 points, poured a deep ruby red with a broad clear meniscus and copious stained and hanging legs.

Aromatic with black-grape, plums, loam with hints of clove, cinnamon, and lavender (restrained, but quite lovely).

Full-bodied round red wine with good acidity, robust tannins, and rich flavors reflective of the aromas with a touch of spearmint and fennel.
Finished long with a fair amount of spiced-infused alcohol (15%) and anise.
Paired perfectly with my spice-rubbed tenderloin.

This was a great value red wine with a high QPR.

A bit of trivia below, and provided by Vinsanity.

True Wine Lover 13 and The Oldest Winery in Napa

Index Of Reviewed Wines

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Friday, September 25, 2020

Rose Rock "Drouhin", Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, 2017 Chardonnay (Oregon)

Rose Rock "Drouhin", Eola-Amity Hills, Willamette Valley, 2017 Chardonnay (Oregon), $28.89-$36.99, 90 points, was a lovely light to medium light yellow gold color with but a clear wine ring.

Aromas of lemon and Clementine zest, a sunflower floral note, and a hint of fennel were soft, but very nice.

Medium-bodied (very clean) dry white wine showed a great deal of minerality, a bit tart on nuanced Pomelos and lemon; appropriately acidic.

Finished fair on the fading palate and a spot-on 13.9% alcohol.

An excellent old-world Chardonnay.

Paired okay with my spinach pie with feta cheese, but was wonderful with my Japanese crab rangoon, honey roasted chicken wings, and Baklava for dessert.

Index of Reviewed Wines

2010-2020 Copyright Dennis Tsiorbas.

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Bartenura Kosher 2018 Moscato (DOCG)

Bartenura Kosher 2018 Moscato (DOCG), $15.99, 90 points, was the lightest brass color, almost water clear and a bit fizzy.

The nose was near "dumb", but gentle aromas of orange, sweet apple, and pome blossoms were lovely.

A not quite medium-bodied white wine, sweet, but not cloyingly so, a tad fizzy but not quite frizzante and more fizzy than Vinho Verde, and showing bright flavors of candied apple, pear, apricot, and a hint of fig.

Finished long on the trailing palate with no surprises, and with a tiny 5% alcohol.

Paired great with my Habanero chili.

Index of reviewed wines

Monday, September 21, 2020

Wild grapes are good, but for what?

Fox grape (V. labrusca), Summer grape (V. aestivalis), and Riverbank grape (V. riparia) are wild grapes, tough, and bitter, but oh how lovely and floral their smell wafts when ripe sunlit berries fill the valley; I'm told that they make a fine jelly.

As for me, on a hot sweaty hike the fruit is tasty, but tough, and spitting out the seeds is no problem; the skins at first are a bit bitter, though tasty, but soon morph into a tannic storm as to make any Bordeaux blush.
I've always noticed and "eaten" wild grapes (thank you God), but this year they are ubiquitous and in some places overwhelming to other species of plants; well, better than purple loosestrife.

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Neal Napa Valley 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon

Neal Napa Valley 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon, $29.74-$55.99, 91 points, poured a deep ruby red with a garnet red cast, sticky stained legs, and a thin clear wine ring.

Aromas of plums, hints of prune, earthy underbrush, cinnamon and clove were quite good.

This was a full-bodied red wine with medium acidity, dry, mostly softened tannins, but still supportive, and showing more than competent flavors reflective of the aromas with nuanced anise, coffee, and Black cherry.

Finished long on the trailing palate, mint, and a warm 14.5% alcohol.

Paired well with my bone-in spice-rubbed rib eye.

2014 California Cabernet Sauvignon wines tasted

INDEX of REVIEWED WINES

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Friday, September 18, 2020

TOHU Marlborough, New Zealand 2018 Sauvignon Blanc

TOHU Marlborough, New Zealand 2018 Sauvignon Blanc, $14.99-$16.99, 91 points, was the lightest of yellow-gold colors, but water clear toward the glass shallows.

Aromatic fresh-cut grass, sweet hay, lime, ripe pear, and floral citrus zest were outstanding.

Light-bodied white wine, crisp, spicy, desirably tart, dry, acidic, and bestowed a straight forward unabashed grassy flavor.

Finished long and warm on a 13% alcohol-inspirited ginger and green melon rind.

Paired perfectly with my Gulf of Maine lobster in drawn butter, as well as salt and vinegar marinated chicken wings.

It's been eight years since I tasted the last TOHU SB, but this one was outstanding from stem to stern.

2018 SB NZ

Index of Reviewed Wines

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Christophe Patrice 2019 Petit Chablis

Christophe Patrice 2019 Petit Chablis, $16.99-$19.99, 89 points, was a medium yellow gold color which transitioned to a light grey toward the rim-shallows.

Smells of tart apple, sun shimmering Chardonnay grape skin, orange peel, and a hint of white chocolate were rich.

A medium.-bodied white wine with mouth-puckering acidity and steely flavors accented with Granny Smith apples, and melon rind.
Finished long on the fading palate, a bit sour, very lean, dry, but not bone dry, and a balanced 12.5% alcohol.
Paired only okay with my rotisserie chicken with buttered mashed potatoes.

Index of Reviewed Wines

Friday, September 11, 2020

Franciscan Oakville Napa Valley 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon

Franciscan Oakville Napa Valley 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon, birthday gift from Lori, my cousin, but prices range from $17.99-$22.99, 90 points, poured an opaque purple/red with dense hanging legs, and a cranberry-red meniscus transitioning to a clear meniscus.

Rich aromas of dusty black cherry, booming cassis, and more subtle chocolate, plum, sun-heated black grapes, and licorice notes were excellent.

Full-bodied dry red wine with massive heat, medium tannins, good acidity, and flavors that well reflected the the aromas were rewarding, long lasting, and paired well with my spiced-rubbed Porter-house steak.
Finished a bit chalky, but well balanced on the trailing palate (rich black fruit), Damson plum, and a 14.5% alcohol.

2015 California Cabernet Sauvignon wines tasted

Index of Reviewed Wines

Sunday, September 6, 2020

La Moussiere Alphonse Mellot 2018 Sancerre

La Moussiere Alphonse Mellot 2018 Sancerre,

$21.24-$24.99, 90 points, was a very light brass color with yellow highlights.

First smells were apple notes rear-ended by subtle oak/vanilla, ginger ale, and a Champagne-like yeastiness.
A light crisp (acidic) white wine descriptively flavored with a tad of cream soda, apple cider, and shadowed by citrus.
Finished long on the trailing pallet, a bright 13% alcohol, and a bit of ginger.

Paired perfectly with my steamed Gulf of Maine lobster in drawn butter.

Index of Reviewed Wines