I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.
 
They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

• 2018 Marco Felluga Russiz Superiore Sauvignon Collio (Friuli-Venezia Giulia): Making a compelling, authentic case for FZG being your go-to spot for refined SB. $29 B+
• 2017 Schloss Johannisberg Gelblack Riesling Feinherb (Rheingau): The kind of ginger-tinged awesomeness that you should – and very well could – drink all day long. $NA B+
• 2018 Chateau Roubine Cotes de Provence La Vie en Rose (Cotes de Provence): Basically, as cute and as lovely as its eye-catching packaging. $23 B+
• NV Weingut Fred Loimer Brut Rose Reserve (Niederosterreich): A duality in waves and bubbly particles of peachy loveliness. $24 B+
• 2017 Troon Vineyard Vermentino (Applegate Valley, $16): The whole predictably over-achieving package, from vibrant to nutty, from a not-very-predictable place. $17 B+
• 2016 Le Cadeau Vineyard ‘Merci’ Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley): Ahhhhhhh, merci, mercy, me, this is how bigger WV PN is supposed to beeeeeeee…. $80 A
• 2017 Beckmen Vineyards Cuvee Le Bec (Santa Ynez Valley): Sweet oak, big plums, and even bigger flavor. $25 B+
• 2017 Beckmen Vineyards Estate Grenache (Santa Ynez Valley): It’s hard to resist a bold mover with violets in hand. $32 B+
• 2014 Mount Peak Winery Sentinel Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma County/Napa County): Big, black, gritty, sporting dried herbs and a very austere, stern attitude. $62 A-
• 2017 Eberle Cotes-du-Robles Red (Paso Robles): All yumminess, mostly juciness, and absolutely no reservations. $34 B+

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.
 
They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

• 2018 Yalumba Bush Vine Grenache (Barossa): Friendlier than your neighbor’s Labrador retriever. $20 B+
• 2018 Cantine Argiolas Serra Lori Rose Isola dei Nuraghi (Sardinia): Fun-loving, seeking salmon burgers, prefers bitter, sarcastic jokes. $18 B
• 2016 Chateau des Capitans Julienas (Beaujolais): Perkiness that belies a decent amount of backbone grit. $22 B+
• 2016 Georges Duboeuf Domaine des Rosiers Moulin-a-Vent (Beaujolais): A little too much iron in its blood, but it’s still got plenty of energy. $24 B+
• NV Domaine Mittnacht Freres Cremant d’Alsace Extra Brut (Alsace): Quaternity of apples, pear, vibrancy, and deliciousness. $24 B+
• NV Volage Cremant de Loire Brut Rose Sauvage (Loire): A misnomer, for sure; there’s hardly anything savage or boorish about its stylized, earthy purity. $29 B+
• 2015 Alloro Vineyard Riservata Pinot Noir (Chehalem Muontains): Savory black cherry goodness awaits, if you’re willing to open up the pocketbook – and fancy a bit of a treasure hunt. $50 A-
• 2017 Left Coast Cellars Queen Bee Bubbly (Willamette Valley): A gimmick probably shouldn’t be this juicy and interesting… but it is. $36 B+
• 2017 Dutton-Goldfield Dutton Ranch Chardonnay (Russian River Valley): Walking a fine line, balanced between buttery and lively, and not slipping even once. $40 A-
• 2016 Dutton-Goldfield Angel Camp Vineyard Pinot Noir (Anderson Valley): Uncharacteristically large, but also full of largesse – the deep, dark, balanced, intriguing kind. $58 A-

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.
 
They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

• 2017 Duchman Family Winery Trebbiano (Texas): Crowd-pleasing perkiness from where you might just have least expected it. $20 B+
• 2017 Duchman Family Winery Viognier (Texas): Oily breadth, citric bounce, and floral breath. $18 B+
• 2016 Pedernales Cellars Texas Albarino (Texas): Topping off your tropical fruits with candied ginger and honey? Count me in. $30 B+
• 2016 Pedernales Cellars GSM “Melange” (Texas): Rollin’ tobacco in the bramble, and striking the match on a well-used block of flint. And doin’ it all sexy-like, too. $35 B+
• 2015 Bending Branch Tempranillo (Texas): Sweet pipe tobacco, sultry plummy plumpness, and leather boots just tailor-made for kickin’ ass. $30 B+
• 2015 Bending Branch Winery Tannat (Texas): See, you though that crowd-pleasing Tannat only came up out of Uruguay. And see, you thought dead wrong. $30 B+
• 2016 Brennan Vineyards Tempranillo (Texas): Showing off the savory, feminine side of the red grape that Texas should be showing off after all. $28 B+
• 2017 Le Cadeau Vineyard Diversite Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley): Painting with substantive, rich strokes, yet with a deft, light hand. $50 A-
• 2017 Le Cadeau Vineyard Rocheux Pinot Noir (Willamette Valley): And then things got very, very, veeeeeerrry serious around here… $50 A-

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.
 
They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), and are presented links to help you find them, so that you can try them out for yourself. Cheers!

• 2016 Pierre Amadieu Cairanne Les Hautes Rives (Rhone): Fruitiness, finesse, freshness, and a f*ck-load of fresh pepper. $20 B+
• 2015 Pierre Amadieu Vinsobres Les Piallats (Rhone): Chewy smoked game meat, topped with raspberries, dried herbs, and spices. $20 B+
• 2016 Pierre Amadieu Vacqueyras La Grangeliere (Rhone): Grab this bargain by the case if you like your S. Rhone grippy, gritty, and graphitic. $25 A-
• 2016 Pierre Amadieu Gigondas Domaine Grand Romane (Rhone): A mountain of mineral impenetrability now, rewarding the patient in… well, some time that’s a long time from now. $32 A-
• 2016 Domaine Saint Gayan Sablet Blanc (Cotes du Rhone Villages): For when you *need* your almonds garnished with white flower petals. $NA B+
• NV Pasqua ‘Famiglia Pasqua’ Prosecco (Veneto): Things don’t get a whole lot more easy-going than this; the only difficult thing will be waiting for it to chill. $15 B
• 2017 Niner Wine Estates Grenache Blanc Reserve (Paso Robles): Tropical, rich, long, and with an ample supply of the “WOW!” factor. $30 A-
• 2016 Newton Vineyard Unfiltered Chardonnay (Napa Valley): Not the brightest, but certainly among the downright yummiest. $55 A-
• 2016 Newton Vineyard Unfiltered Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): An unflinching gaze in a stare-down contest that says more in nuanced glances than words ever could. $59 A-
• 2014 Priest Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Sexy, silky, dark, and already wearing its advancing age better than most people predicted. $42 A-