by Winepisser | Apr 28, 2018 | Quick Review
Spanish white blend of Viura and Malvasia grapes. Surprisingly light on any wood notes despite the barrel fermentation marketing; were the barrels made of steel? Citric tangy fruit dominates. Didn’t pair with simple white sauce pasta dish.
by Winepisser | Apr 28, 2018 | Quick Review
Tanninless and lacking as much joy. Nose of linens and black tea. Typical lack of depth suffered by these pinot noirs. Nose is nice, but that’s it.
by Winepisser | Apr 28, 2018 | Quick Review
Nose is peach, palate is honey and more honey. Perhaps too much reminiscent of cough drops. No raisins here thank goodness. Slightly bitter finish,but despite all this it was not an overall bad glass. Dessert wine blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and...
by Winepisser | Apr 28, 2018 | Full Article
Totally out of the blue I received an invite for an invent at a local micro-winery in San Juan de Lurigancho, a district outside of Lima Peru. I wasn’t even aware of Bodega y Viñedos Candela, and certainly had never tried any of their wines, but suddenly I was...
by Winepisser | Apr 28, 2018 | Quick Review
You’d be excused for confusing this Argentina cab for a California pinot blend. It’s foot-stompingly fruit forward with only hints of the wood used in the process. Very faint nose and a deep red color with a brownish hue. Improved with some air but only...
by Winepisser | Apr 28, 2018 | Quick Review
Bracing tannins and dark cherry notes make up for an otherwise young-tasting wine. Much better than the other reviews would have you think, but still lacking some structure. Paired fine with traditional surf and turf plate.
by Winepisser | Apr 28, 2018 | Full Article
Faced with a business trip to Texas — shudder — I opted to make the week a bit brighter by stocking up on some German rieslings to test against each other. I intentionally chose three budget reezies, each at $15 or less. These are readily available in the...
by Winepisser | Apr 3, 2018 | Quick Review
This was slightly less raisiny than the winery’s red table wine offering, but only by a bit. Again, the raisin notes overpowered anything else, and given the terroir — someone’s roof — there are no other ways to introduce any additional nuances. I’d put this at...
by Winepisser | Apr 3, 2018 | Quick Review
Local Peru wine, so yes, it tasted like raisins. There’s just no getting around that when you use grapes intended for eating to make table wine. As for the “semi seco” part, it’s just not true. This is sweet as hell, and I would put this at 100 g/l RS at least. I’m...
by Winepisser | Apr 2, 2018 | Quick Review
Carmenere has quickly surpassed pinot noir as my reliable red wine choice for drinkability. This one carries on that job well. It’s mostly black cherry but with an impressive finish that brings up some smoke and spice.
by Winepisser | Mar 18, 2018 | Quick Review
Extremely tart Torrontes with notes of maracuya and green apple. Paired well with fish and pickled onion plate but didn’t drink particularly well on its own. No year on the bottle, but the unreliable Vivino reported this as 2017.
by Winepisser | Mar 17, 2018 | Quick Review
Middling SB with bright fruit notes and some salty mineral afterglow bit nothing that makes it special. Good but not particularly memorable.
by Winepisser | Mar 16, 2018 | Quick Review
Cheap merlot that fails to rise above the preconceptions its price telegraphs. Wonderful nose of black cherry, spices and some wood, but once past the lips it fades astonishingly fast. Medium tannins don’t help. The flavors that are there are very nice, but just...
by Winepisser | Mar 15, 2018 | Quick Review
Chiantis can be a bit too loud, like an Italian kitchen on gravy day. This one is anything but: a markedly shy chianti but nonetheless delicious. Very timid tannins and not much finish, but the flavors here are nice and friendly: subtle cherry (not too fruit forward)...
by Winepisser | Mar 7, 2018 | Quick Review
Jammy like jelly jam jammed with jelly, jammit. If you tried this without the label you’d almost not recognize this as a pinot noir, except for the characteristic shallow depth. It’s okay but maybe should be paired with peanut butter and Wonder white...
by Winepisser | Mar 6, 2018 | Quick Review
(No year noted.) Classic NZ SB, salt and rocks and iron make this the wine of ancient mariners. Dry and slightly tart, this keeps the fruit at the door and instead revels in its flinty origins. Only the hardiest SB lovers will drink this unpaired.
by Winepisser | Mar 5, 2018 | Quick Review
Surprisingly not-sweet given the label, with an uncharacteristic minerality that rarely applies to a Qualitätswein riesling. It’s good, for sure, but the misleading expectations coat this a full star. Almost comes off as a blend.
by Winepisser | Mar 5, 2018 | Quick Review
Very nice golden color. Nose of pear and spice almost invokes a gewurtztraminer. Flavors are soft green apple with just the right tartness, with a rush of other fruit following behind: pear, melon and lemon. Finish is a bit abrupt given the potent flavors. Really...
by Winepisser | Mar 5, 2018 | Quick Review
Boring and nearly bitter, like your angry uncle that won’t shut up about millennials.
by Winepisser | Mar 5, 2018 | Quick Review
For a spatlese this isn’t as sweet as you’d imagine, but it has enough sugar to prevent it from being called dry. Honey nose, with gentle apple and green tea on the palate. Low acid, so there’s no bite here, which I rather liked. Finish goes on for...
by Winepisser | Mar 4, 2018 | Quick Review
Grass on the nose but otherwise this is a glass of tart green apple. I didn’t get this the citrus that other tasters noted, but was slammed hard with the apple, which overwhelms everything else. Finish is nice, however, and floral sweetness lingers for some...
by Winepisser | Mar 3, 2018 | Quick Review
Light fruit forward, low acid red from Spain. Some interesting notes of tobacco and dark cherry but they fade fast. No finish. Still, the overall effect is pretty lively, and it paired well with red meat dish. A blend of Tempranillo, Mazuelo and Graciano. The Marqués...
by Winepisser | Mar 2, 2018 | Quick Review
Pleasant and smooth with overpowering truffle notes on the nose and palate; that’s a good thing. Silky sulky tannins and lush acidity ensure this won’t overwhelm whatever plate you pair it with. Fruit notes are currant and plum, but dipped in leather and...
by Winepisser | Mar 1, 2018 | Quick Review
Given that the Zuccardi Q tempranillo won 5 stars last year, I had high hopes for this cab. Unfortunately it did not reach higher than three stars. Even allowed to decant this never opened up much. Mild tannins with strong notes of blackberry and black tea, but...
by Winepisser | Feb 28, 2018 | Quick Review
I was distracted by the misspelling on the label but apparently it happens so often that “gewrztraminer” is deemed acceptable. The next offense, though, was an oppressive sugar level. Getting a sweet Gewurztraminer right is difficult, and this bottle...
