Category: Tasting Notes

Textbook example of the Tempranillo aromas and flavors you anticipate in a Rioja. It is 100% Tempranillo made to be relatively simple on your palate and easy on your pocketbook. Nothing to write about with exclamation points in your wine journal, but no need for frowning emojis either. Good weekday tipple from a consistent maker. Typically $14-18. Continue reading →

Is there a better way to finish a quality meal than enjoying a glass of Porto (authentic port wine from Portugal)? I don’t think so either. Continue reading →

Rich Saperavi wine aged in qvevri (clay amphora) in Georgian tradition dating back thousands of years. Georgian winemaking has made a spectacular comeback from its dreary days of Soviet plonk pushing. This is a crowd-pleasing example of that revival at a bargain price. $12-20 Continue reading →

Texas riff on Spain’s Rioja reds, “Tioja” being a play on the Spanish name. Tempranillo is the dominant Rioja grape, and dominates Texas’s Tioja, too, with a blending assist from Primitivo, Dolcetto, Pinot Noir, and Mourvèdre. Meat-friendly crowd pleaser worth finding. $30-37 Continue reading →

Next level of San Felice’s Chianti Classico bottlings. Clean, affable tannins, helpful accompanying acidity. Chianti made darker and more interesting with the rare, revived Pugnitello grape. Delicious, palate-pleasing pour. Worth finding. $30-35 Continue reading →

Very dark, somewhat rustic wine made from ancient Otskhanuri Sapere grapes thought to be a transitional variety between wild and domesticated vines. This example displays a gamey, savory edge. At the same time, it is smooth with noticeable but amenable tannins and works well with hearty, umami-driven fare. $15-24 Continue reading →

Features fruit rather than sharpness thanks to excellent ripe grapes, partial fermentation in oak, and three months on the lees. This presents another facet of sauv blanc, not the grassy sharpness of New Zealand or the flinty minerality of a Loire effort. $35-40 Continue reading →

Rich, well-made pour from the Monson Family, one of the major players in Washington State and Pacific Northwest wines. Dark fruits. Its tannins have mellowed after four years, but this still has a bit more bite than expected from a mid-shelf Merlot. That is offered as praise rather than criticism. Good value at $18-22. Continue reading →

Smooth, juicy GSM, a simple, pleasing dark-fruit pour that works at its lower price point. You can do better in the GSM lane if you go for something priced $20 or more—and Jean-Luc Colombo has many such options—but there are times when good enough is good enough. Continue reading →

Excellent, affordable pure Pinot play from Alsace backed by a rich history of vineyards and winemakers. You typically think white with Alsace, but the region produces cool-climate reds, too. This presents somewhat more substantial red fruit and mouthfeel than expected from Alsace Pinot Noir while still delivering typicity of France’s northeastern wine region on the border with Germany. Very nice value. $19-22 Continue reading →