Author: gusclemens

Dark ruby color; spice, minerals, touch of menthol nose; cherry, raspberry, dark plum on the palate; Continue reading →

Cab or merlot—vino version of “Ginger or Mary Ann?” Continue reading →

Garnet color with some translucence; beautiful nose of blackberry, violets, raspberry; ripe cherry, blackberry, spice, plum on the palate; bright fruit, lush in the mouth, superb acidity, firm tannin, wonderful minerality and chalk on excellent, long finish. Continue reading →

Dark, inky garnet color; blackcurrant, dark cherry, raspberry, menthol nose; black cherry, raspberry, blueberry, plum, spice, chip of chocolate on the palate; silky, lush in the mouth, medium tannins, nice acidity, full bodied, long finish. Somewhat awkward at first, but opens up with air and lives up to its 90-plus ratings by Wine Spectator, Parker, MacLean, and Raynolds; it is not a pop-and-pour. Continue reading →

Dark purple color; clean, restrained nose of black, red fruits; cavalcade of black and red fruits, Italian and French grapes on the palate—blend includes cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, barbera, and sangiovese, all from Washington State. Cab gives backbone and structure, merlot adds chocolate and smoothness, syrah blackberry and plums, barbera spice, sangiovese red fruits and anise/licorice notes. Quite a lot going on, and the wine benefits from some air to come together. Continue reading →

Inky purple-ruby color; rich, very pleasing black fruits, cherry, spice nose; black fruits, dark cherry, blackcurrant on the palate. Tasty tannin, reserved oak, full fruit and spice; tasty, extremely nice-for-price cab from Argentina. Continue reading →

Deep purple with some translucence; berries, plum, light earthiness on the nose; cherry, plum, blueberry, some cedar, spice and black pepper on the palate. Continue reading →

New World. Old World. What’s with those wine categories? Continue reading →

Inky color; berries, raspberry, red cherry, eucalyptus nose; black fruits, blackcurrant, blackberry, tart cherry, mocha, jam, pinch of pepper on the palate.

Relatively restrained sweet oak, tannin, balancing acidity, 15.2% alcohol. Lake County Catfish Vineyard vines more than a century old and deliver a concentrated load of brambly, rustic flavor. The wine actually is a field blend that also includes small amounts of carignan, alicante bouschet, cabernet sauvignon, petite sirah, and cinsault. Continue reading →

Dark purple-red color; dark fruits, black cherry nose; blackberry, black olive, chocolate, plum on the palate; not jammy, even somewhat austere, medium-plus tannins and acidity, smooth, full body, oak, minerals. Continue reading →