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 Flora Springs Soliloquy White Wine (Napa Valley): New blend, but classic mix of the rich, friendly, serious, and flowery. $50 A-
• 2017 Gary Farrell Russian River Selection Chardonnay (Sonoma County): Like Stacy’s mom, it’s got it all going on. $38 A-
• 2018 Sidebar Kerner (Mokelumne River): Quaffable enough to quench your thirst; unforgettable enough to factor into your wine dreams. $26 B+
• 2013 VIK (Millahue): Very serious Bordeaux imitations only need apply. $160 A-
• 2018 Southern Right Pinotage (Hemel-en-Aarde Valley): That time when that burly grape got sooooooooo freakin’ pretty. $30 B+
• 2016 Ashbourne Pinotage (Hemel-en-Aarde Valley): How deep can “tangy” get? Sip this one to find out. $50 A-
• 2017 Leopold Aumann Wiege Rotgipfler (Thermenregion): All that honey and lemon, and so little room in your waiting mouth… $NA B+
• 2017 Alphart am Mülbach Rotgipfler Reserve (Thermenregion): You’ll still be remembering – and tasting – those white peaches long after you’re staring at an empty glass. $NA B+-
• 2017 Biegler Zierfandler Ried Badener Weg (Thermenregion): Making you pine for the warm days of next Summer already. $NA B+
• NV Dow’s 20 Year Tawny Port (Porto): Caramel and Mexican dark chocolate. For daaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyysssss. $65 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!

• 2015 Assaf Winery ‘4 Seasons’ Pinotage (Golan Heights): Chewy, tangy, leathery, smokey, tasty, zesty, pretty, and unexpected! $37 B+
• 2013 Tabor Single Vineyard Tannat (Golan Heights): Madiran and Uruguay, as a couple, vacationing near the Mediterranean. $37 B+
• 2013 Tabor Marselan Single Vineyard (Judean Hills): Spicy, plummy, fruity, grippy, and very easy to love. $NA B+
• 2015 Golan Heights Winery Yarden Pinot Noir (Galilee): Tea-like tannins anchoring a high-elevation effort that has its bright berry fruit feet planted solidly on the ground. $30 B+
• 2017 Muster Poschgan Sauvignon Blanc Brut Sekt Klassik (Steiermark): Eating exotic fruits with a splash of pepper, after having just cut your grass. $NA B+
• 2016 Alois Zimmermann Riesling Brut Sekt Reserve (Niederösterreich): Bring out the apricot jam, bring out the toast, bring out the white flowers, and bring out the fun. $NA B+
• NV Muller Riesling Brut Sekt Grosse Reserve (Niederösterreich): Carrying itself with elegant, intellectual buoyancy. $NA A-
• 2018 Alois Lageder ‘Terra Alpina’ Pinot Bianco (Dolomiti): Pleasant congruence of both body and zest. $NA B
• 2017 Yalumba Samuel’s Collection Syrah (Barossa): Nailing the bouncy / bombastic balancing act. $19 B
• 2016 Dutton-Goldfield Fox Den Vineyard Pinot Noir (Green Valley): Like a stroll through an Asian spice market in some exotic locale. $60 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 Golan Heights Winery Yarden Gewurztraminer (Galilee): Shrugging off its ‘semi-dry’ tag with a racy, focused, impeccable demeanor. $20 B+
• 2011 Alexander Winery ‘Alexander the Great’ Grande Reserve (Galilee): More like ‘Alexander the Very, Very, Very Large and Oaky.’ $150 A-
• 2013 Golan Heights Winery Yarden Malbec (Galilee): Offering coffee, cocoa, tobacco, and dark fruits, all with distinct and subtle edging between them. $27 B+
• 2014 Golan Heights Winery Yarden Cabernet Sauvignon (Galilee): Flinty, minty, and full of self-assured sexiness. $35 B+
• 2016 Marques de Casa Concha Carmenere (Rapel Valley): Those fresh herbs are a bit burly, and lookin’ for a fight. $25 B+
• 2016 VIK ‘Milla Cala’ (Cachapoal Valley): Speaking in only slightly incoherently dark, herbal, and gritty tongues. $40 B+
• 2013 VIK ‘La Piu Belle’ (Cachapoal Valley): Think Bordeaux’s class-act 2nd wines, only with a little Syrah that goes a long, tangy way. $85 A-
• 2016 J Vineyards & Winery Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley): For when you just need to get faaahhhhhhrrrreewwwwwtaaaayyyy! $38 B+
• 2017 Plow and Stars Cellars Chardonnay (Napa Valley): Making most of the acidity disappear isn’t the kind of magic trick most of expect at this price point… $35 B
• 2018 Bonny Doon Vineyard Vin Gris de Cigare Rose (California): A pleasant song, and the singer is still hitting all of the right notes for us. $18 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!

• 2015 Recanati Winery Carignan Reserve (Judean Hills): Where Geeky, Tangy, and Fantatic all happen to intersect. $45 A-
• 2016 Covenant Wines ‘Blue C’ Viognier (Israel): The vines might back up to barbed wire, but there’s no negative tension in this floral, delightful batch of peachy-ness. $28 B+
• 2017 Domaine Seror Claude Seror L’Or Rose (Israel): Gris-style Grenache, guaranteed to give you garrigue-envy. $NA B+
• 2013 1848 Seventh Generation Cabernet Sauvignon (Judean Hills): Stewy, savory, structured, solid, spicy, & probably lots of other superlatives. $38 A-
• 2015 Kishor Vineyard GSM (Galilee): A bistro-style sipper that delivers the leathery, herbal complexity goods over a generous portion of brambly red fruits. $26 B+
• 2018 Eberle ‘Mill Road’ Viognier (Paso Robles): At this mill, they’re working overtime to bring you fresh flowers. $25 B+
• 2015 Cambria Estate Winery Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir (Santa Maria Valley): Forward, but not without focus; burly, but not without beauty. $27 B+
• 2017 Cartograph Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley): Long, lingering, structured dark cherry tea, served in fine china. $48 A-
• 2013 Cartograph Leonardo Julio Vineyard Brut Rose (Russian River Valley): A little nutty, a little rich, a little playful, and more than a little elegantly mature. $68 A-
• 2012 Julio Bastos Dona Maria Grande Reserva (Alentejo): doing a fabulous imitation of an entire meal, from dried herbs, to juicy sour fruits, to savory meats, to dark chocolates. $50 A-