Mollydooker The Scooter 2013 Merlot

Mollydooker The Scooter 2013 Merlot,
 $18.39-$24.99, 88 points, was an opaque black currant purple/red, more ruby at the clear rim where droplets of wine clung to the glass wall.
Interesting smells of caramel and crème brûlée accented with a floral red cherry were unusual.
Heavy-bodied (heavy-plus), carried fair acidity and moderate tannin dominated by the 17% alcohol.
Flavors of plum, black currant, butter, and hints of red raspberry were good.
Finished hot and long with the alcohol and spice.
Others involved in the tasting scored this wine 91 and 92 points with interesting flavor notes of kiwi, oaky-whisky, bourbon, coffee, tobacco, and pink pepper-corn.




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Kunde Sonoma Valley 2012 Chardonnay

Kunde Sonoma Valley 2012 Chardonnay, $13.99-$17.99, 92 points, poured a lustrous gold color.
Aromas of  mellow creamy butter and orange with a hint of honeysuckle and sweet apple were good.
The medium body carried fair acidity with clean flavors reflective of the nose with a kiss of warm-wet-stone.
Finished well with white pepper, ginger notes, and an easy 13.8% alcohol.
When using the descriptor "balanced" many mysterious interpretations arise, but take my word for it, this is a most and beautifully balanced Chardonnay! Not as nuanced or complex as some will demand, but for pure delicious simplicity, I've had few better.
When people say they love Chardonnay, I think they must have tasted the Kunde Sonoma Valley 2012 Chardonnay!
Paired nicely with spiced fried pork chops in penne and alfredo sauce.

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Cavicchioli Extra-Dry D.O.C. Prosecco

Cavicchioli Extra-Dry D.O.C. Prosecco, $9.59-$14.99, 88 points, poured a light brass color with a good head of foam, but which quickly dissipated.
The neutral aroma was fringed with lemon zest.
Body light, crisp, appropriately dry, acidic, fizzy, and food-perfectly-neutral made for a very good table wine (baked haddock and buttered spinach).
Finished fair on the 11% alcohol and easy white (Glera) grape notes.
Almost always a QPR wine is why so many of 'us' have come to appreciate the value of Prosecco.


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Bonny Doon Vineyard 2009 and 2013 Vin Gris De Cigare Rosé Wines

Bonny Doon Vineyard 2009 Vin Gris De Cigare Rosé, $11.89-$15.99, 91 points, was a light salmon color with an orange cast.
Elusive floral and citrus notes on the nose were pleasant.
A creamy near medium body carried good acidity with flavors of hibiscus and strawberry.
Finished very long on gentle orange pekoe, cool key lime, and easy ginger notes with a well integrated 13.4% alcohol.
Varietals were 83% Grenache, 10% Grenache Blanc, 5% Roussanne, and 2% Cinsaut.

Bonny Doon Vineyard 2013 Vin Gris De Cigare Rosé, $9.99-$19.99, 91+ points, was a light salmon color with a slight peach pink.
Beautifully subtle smells of peach, pear, and blossoms were fragrant.
The light-plus body was oddly creamy and crisp with good acidity and gossamer flavors of watermelon, strawberry, and rhubarb.
Finished long on the 13% alcohol, strawberry ginger-ale, and tangerine.
Varietals were 55% Grenache, 23.5% Mourvèdre, 10% Roussanne, 7% Cinsaut, 2.5% Carignane, and 2% Grenache Blanc.


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Cecchi COEVO 2009 I.G.T. Red Wine

Cecchi COEVO 2009 I.G.T. Red Wine, $42.49-$54.99, 92 points, poured core black trending rosewood red, a red that trailed onto the legs past the clear sliver of a rim ring (a bit unusual).
Roses and violets with lush ripe blackberries and a hint of cedar made for a lovely bouquet.
This lush full-bodied red wine was firmly supported with good acidity and potent tannin.
Flavors reflected the bouquet with hints of bay-leaf and dried herbs.
Finished bone-dry with accelerating tannin, a well integrated 13.5% alcohol, a hint of bourbon and mellow spice notes.
Varietals were 50% Sangiovese, 30% Petit Verdot 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Merlot.



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Hall Napa Valley 2013 Sauvignon Blanc

Hall Napa Valley 2013 Sauvignon Blanc, $20.99-$24.99, 90 points, was a bright brass color.
Smells of fresh-cut grass, lemon zest, cantaloupe, and a toasty floral component were good.
The light body carried good acidity with intense flavors reflective of the nose.
Finish strong on the 14.4% alcohol, escalating ginger notes, and hints of apricot.
In the world of Sauvignon Blanc, this is a 'big' white wine, robust, and which dominated my fried white fish; just maybe a better pairing would have been oysters on the half-shell, crab, or lobster.

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Don't like a review--a wine rating? Let it alone!

  Wine reviewers by egocentric necessity seem to require equally egocentric iconoclastic crusaders; think Lamprey attached to a Rainbow trout.

  Certainly there are better writers, better reviewers, and those less polemically challenged to contend for Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast, and all the wine reviewers (weighty or not) than moi, but why this constant effort to deflate not only an industry, hobby, and service, but a right (at least for now)?

  For one thing, speaking for myself, my advice is: Don't like reviews and distain scores and those that ply the trade of quantifying  opinions, from movie reviews to the quality of a hotel, then let it alone, but why the basically singular and constant effort on the part of some to besmirch wine scores?

  As for me and my. . . we choose to honor those initials of ST, JS, RP, JL, and SH, etcetera, though requiring their services less and less the more we develop and experience our own senses and before we hoi polloi plunk-down our hard earned pesos for a wine that just might suck. 

  Good writing doesn't presuppose good ideas.

2007 Opus One

RP-95 points and ST-94 points

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