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 Grgich Hills Estate Grown Fume Blanc (Napa Valley): Still one of the standard-bearers of the style; and that standard is emblazoned with a graphic of grilled pineapples. $31 A-
- 2014 Frank Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Because sometimes, you just really, really want to see a gratuitous sex scene in your blockbuster Summer movie. $53 A-
- 2016 ZD Wines Reserve Chardonnay (Napa Valley): Big, bountiful, bold, and perhaps just a touch too boisterous in its fondness for toastiness. $77 A-
- 2015 Rodney Strong ‘Upshot’ Red Blend (Sonoma County): There’s nothing here – including the impressive label – that isn’t well-designed, well-crafted, and fun. $25 B+
- 2014 Bending Branch Winery Tannat (Texas): Exactly how it’s supposed to be done, folks; the Lone Star state just might have found yet another star red grape. $30 A-
- 2016 Duchman Family Winery Vermentino (Texas): Temporarily transporting the Tuscan hillsides to the Texas High Planes. $20 B+
- 2014 Allegrini Palazzo della Torre Veronese (Veneto): Without a doubt, stuff will most definitely be strut, my friends. $23 B+
- 2017 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough): That day when it feels like *all* of your neighbors are simultaneously out cutting the lemon-grass. $18 B
- 2016 Mud House Pinot Noir (Central Otago): No frills, capable perkiness, with a side of affability and a pinch of good humor. $18 B
- 2015 Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard ‘Trueman’ Cabernet Sauvignon (McLaren Vale): Sexy, complex, herbal, and like a card deck, sporting just the right mix of the red and the black. $80 A-
