Quick Reviews
Errazuriz Estate Series Carmenère – Chile – 2013
Remarkable carmenere at an insanely low price, your wine snob pals will never know you paid under $15 for this. Smoky nose leads to incredibly balanced tannins, fruit and low sugar. Palate is dark berries and more smoke, but not too much of the latter. Finishes strong and should drink well by itself or paired with any traditional red wine pairing. Carmenere is proving to be a more reliably fantastic wine for me even over cabs. First wine tasted in 2018 won five stars, full review here.
Winepisser Best Wine 2017 announced!
Winepisser announces its annual Best Wine winner for 2017! Click here to read the final result.
Alfredo Roca Chenin – Chardonnay – Argentina – 2016
Really interesting blend where the chardonnay dominates but the chenin Blanc adds a fantastic floral note. Just a tad bitter before the CB kicks in. Intriguing though. Paired well with baked corvina in garlic sauce.
Bodegas Salentein Reserve Chardonnay – Argentina – 2013
Bright fruit but a bit too much vanilla, chardonnay fans will enjoy this but other folks, not so much.
Château Lassègue – Les Cadrans de Lassègue Saint-Émilion Grand Cru – France – 2015
A bit understated but OK if you like that sort of thing. I frankly was expecting more. Nose was slightly medicinal like grandma’s pillcase, but it was imbued with smoothish tannins. Finish just crumbled quickly though. Unimpressive.
La Spinetta Ca’ di Pian Barbera d’Asti – Italy – 2015
Another Italian that doesn’t stand up on its own and requires a spicy pasta dish to make it at all interesting. Wine should be as food alone as when paired, and this one ain’t that. Won’t improve with age, so go ahead and throw it in the gravy and then call your mother.
Seven Falls Merlot – Washington – 2011
Chocolate, cherry and a whiff of salt water mean this is a winner. Lackadaisical mouthfeel keeps this from a higher rating, but serve with a robust meaty dish and you may not notice. Smooth tannins.
Frei Brothers Reserve Zinfandel – California – 2016
Jam but not jammy, so don’t freak, jamophobes. This is an awesome zin full of fruit and gooey goodness but without becoming a mess of berries. Semimooth tannins if you let it sit a bit, and flavor notes of black cherry and German chocolate cake are present. Moderate finish. Slightly weak texture keeps this from 5 stars but only by a smidge. From the Dry Creek Valley of North Coast CA.
Villa Thanisch Riesling Old Vines – Germany – 2015
A fine reez but nothing stands out to make this any better than the rest.
Georges Duboeuf Pouilly-Fuissé – France – 2015
Another French chard that schools those Cally posers. Nearly imperceptible oak keeps the grapes first, which goddammit is what wine is supposed to taste like. A hint of tartness keeps this lively, while a definite mineral undertongue makes it downright intriguing. Rarely can you go wrong with DeBeouf and here’s another example of why that is.