New Hampshire Wine-man: June 2026

Saturday, June 6, 2026

Battle Creek "Unconditional" Oregon 2023 Chardonnay

Battle Creek "Unconditional" Oregon 2023 Chardonnay, $20.99-$24.99, 91 points, was a light brass color with a broad graying meniscus.
Aromas of sweet apples, stone fruit, and lime juice notes were clean and lovely.
Battle Creek "Unconditional" Chardonnay was a lovely balanced white wine with a threshold good acidity, complex flavors of citrus, tropical and stone fruit, with apricot finding its way into the long finish nuanced with ginger, lemon peel, and a well-balanced 13.5% alcohol.
Paired perfectly with my own Greek Spanakopita.

INDEX of REVIEWED WINES

Monday, June 1, 2026

Castello Di Albola 2023 Chianti Classico DOCG

Castello Di Albola 2023 Chianti Classico DOCG, $14.00-22.00, 86 points, poured ruby red with amber highlights, a broad clear meniscus, and glass sheeting.
A panoply of red fruit aromas dominated the masked black tea and cocoa notes.
I believe this Chianti needs to age a bit, as it was quite astringent, very acidic, and with rather bitting tannins, the barely medium body was bone-dry and flavors struggled to get past all the previous observations.
Finished tense, spicy, herbal, and with an ostensibly balanced 13.5% alcohol.
Actually, paired nicely with our spaghetti in a grass-fed beef tomato sauce.
Judging this wine had me torn between its rash youthfulness and its potential.

INDEX of REVIEWED WINES