Château Vrai Canon Bouché Canon-Fronsac 2010 Bordeaux Red Wine, $32.29-$37.99, 92 points, poured deep crushed black currant purple/red up to the leggy glass wall and the transparent rim.
A beautiful dominant aroma of cedar with clove, cinnamon, earth, and roses impressed.
On the palate, the velvet-like full body had a near perfect balance of acids and layered-sweet tannin.
Anise, flowers, mushrooms, with damson plum, black currant, and tart pomegranate hardly describe the flavors of this impressive dry red wine.
Finished very long on the trailing palate with an intensifying tannin, warmth of the 14% alcohol, oak, and muted black pepper.
Varietals are 95% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Malbec.
Just a quick comment: This wine drinks fine right now, but with rich cuisine: stews, wild red meats, spiced grass-fed beef, and lamb. I loved this wine by itself, but the tannins were a bit rough, and if you have time, hide this one for five to ten years. I'm certainly glad I bought two, but wished I could have purchased a case.
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Shannon Ridge Lake County 2010 Petite Sirah, $8.49-$22.99, 89 points, was dense and mostly black except at the edge of the glass where crushed black currant purple/red appeared before the clear rim.
A very warm cedar and clove with a hint of licorice on the nose were pleasant.
Near full bodied with moderate acidity and stridently persistent tannin will be too wooly for some, but I'm a fan of tannin and appreciated the rough structure, but I see improvement in cellaring.
Flavors of plum, coffee, and wood, though not particularly complex were quite good.
Finished long on a trailing palate, mostly tannic with spice notes and the warmth of its 13.9% alcohol.
This is the second wine I've tasted from Shannon Ridge, and I must admit it is a winery I would not hesitate to buy wine from; the quality and price has been exceptional. Their 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon was much better, in my opinion, than the scores I found on the internet. Tasting is believing, and you can't go wrong for the few pesos it will cost you.
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Weingut Johannishof Kabinett Johannisberg 2011 Riesling, $18.69-$22.99, 92 points, appeared as several shades of brass and transitioning clear toward the glass wall.
Red-delicious apple, lemon, with a hint of flowers on the nose were beautiful.
Near medium bodied, a bit creamy, mirrored the aroma onto the palate with subtlety, and represented the lemon more as a meringue than tart fruit.
Finished on the trailing palate, but percolating slate, kumquat, and ginger with a well balanced 9% alcohol gave a lovely climax to an exceptional off dry white wine.
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Gabbiano 2010 Chianti Classico, $5.94-$12.99, 88 points, was a bright cranberry red trending ruby at the core, and having a broad clear rim.
Aromatic toasty strawberry with just a hint of vanilla and earth were pleasant.
Barely medium bodied (almost a rich Rosé ), and having bright acidity with moderate and persistent tannin.
This rather one-dimensional red wine is blessed with a lovely flavor of strawberries, watermelon, and just a hint of hibiscus.
Finished fair with a trailing palate with a well blended 13.5% alcohol.
January's sale is over, but still a great value as a general table wine; might not wow, but certainly will please.
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Achaval Ferrer Mendoza 2010 Malbec, $19.54-$22.99, 91 points, appeared inky black all the way to the crushed black currant purple/red shore of the clear circumferential rim.
The nose is very Bordeaux-like: earthy, plum, black pepper and black fruit with a hint of tobacco and mint.
Near full bodied with bright acidity and moderately persistent and noticeable tannin.
Flavors of tart plum, cola, mulberry, a hint of bell pepper, and coffee notes were a tad astringent, but the early palate was velvety smooth, and the finish was an accentuated coffee with spice notes, and some warmth from the 14.5% alcohol.
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Polka dot Washington 2012 Riesling, $8.49-$11.49, 90 points, had a bright and bold gold color, while the nose was subtle toast and petrol with a floral note.
Medium bodied, medium acidity, and near sweet, this white wine carried an amazing array of flavors, with peach, green melon, sweet apple, black pepper, and wet gravel all of which were nicely balanced and trailed long into the finish with a surprisingly "high" alcohol of 11.9%.
Paired perfectly with Deb's salty spinach pie (buttery, with eggs, feta cheese filo dough, etc.)!
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CIMS Del Montsant 2010 Red Wine, $12,74-$14.99, 87 points, was opaque ruby at the core trending a brighter crushed blackberry purple/red toward the broad clear circumferential rim.
Aromatic with spiced red cherry with gardenia on the nose.
Medium bodied with bright acidity and moderate-plus, but persistent tannin carried rich plum and mulberry flavors which paled in comparison to its perfume notes (not uncommon with Garnacha). Varietals are 63% Garnatxa ( Garnacha) and 37% Carinyena (Carignan).
Finished long on the trailing palate with coffee, spice, and alcohol (13.5%) notes.
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