Selene – Chesler 2004 – Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon – Napa Valley, California
Cost: $60/Bottle
Interesting; I would have pegged it as an Italian wine if I hadn’t known it was made from the fruit of Napa Valley. It has an aromatic profile with raisin, ripe prunes, mild black cherries, subtle fresh tobacco leaf and tea notes— but in the mouth, it’s bold and strong on density, overpowered with fruit and teeth-coating tannins. A whale that doesn’t smack its tail on your taste buds but sits their on your mid-palate letting its weight say it all. Give this wine more time to age— at least another 3 to 4 years. It should evolve nicely, and hopefully with more complexity on both the nose and palate. There’s good substance in this wine that only very few wines on the market can hope to sustain.
Rating: 92
Antinori Solaia 1997 – Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, and Cabernet Franc – Tuscany, Italy
Cost: $85/bottle purchased in early 2000 (vintage 2006 currently about $175/bottle)
Amazingly dark ruby/purple color for a slowly maturing wine that is 12 years off the vine. Full-bodied and rather inky in texture. The nose is slow to emerge, almost as if it’s still quietly waking up after resting about 9 years in my wine cellar. The Solaia performed exceptionally well (but only after about 40 minutes of aeration) offering a bouquet of blackberries, black currants, premium cigar tobacco, sandalwood, and licorice. But its true calling in life and overall quality seem to show more in its huge concentration of fruit, most notable on the mid-palate, backed by a wall of tannins. Clearly this wine is still youthful and its structure is just barely allowing consumption at this stage, and only with plenty of air time in the glass. This wine could have benefited enormously from decanting, but I admit I was remiss.
Rating: 92
Clos La Coutale 2007 – Cahors, France (dry red wine)
Cost: $10/Bottle
Browsing at a wine store, they give this bottle to me and say, “just try it and see what you think.” At $10/bottle, how could I go wrong? And I certainly didn’t. It does indeed have good value with its dark opaque purple color and medium-bodied package— but with its rich color, it really looks heavier. Its nose is dark cassis, cherry preserves, herbs, menthol, with a slight hint of heat that gives it a sherry-like fragrance. It remains smooth and firmly tannic on the palate. A dry finish, suggesting a little age would help this come along, with a good level of fruit that could meld better with time. I don’t believe I have ever had a wine from the Cahors region in France, but this truly looks promising.
Rating: 87
(I may pick up 2 or 3 bottles and allow it to rest on its side for a year. Will report on its progress over time…)
Bangin Red 2006 – Napa Valley, California
Cost: $11.99/bottle
Shopping at one of my favorite liquor stores, the manager recommended an $11.99 bottle of Bangin Red, made of a blend of 6 grape varietals: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec, petit verdot, plus a scant 2% of zinfandel— a blend I couldn’t help but find intriguing. And I’m glad I succumbed to the temptation.
An amazing nose of red berries and cherries greeted me immediately, and in another 20 minutes or so emerged a wonderful scent of rosemary— yes that sweet smelling nose. A slight hint of eucalyptus (but mostly rosemary) accompanied, with a twinge of cherries and berries. Very impressive. In the mouth, the 14.2 % alcohol seemed tamed (but it’s there), taking a back seat to the fruit and supple tannin textures. Very juicy, ripe, and quite nice, perfect for an easy relaxing night.
Rating: 90
Hartley Ostini – Generation Red 2006 Central Coast – Santa Maria, California
Cost: $20.99/bottle
An interesting red combination of cabernet franc, merlot, syrah, and refosco grape varietals. Santa Maria is best known for their pinot noir and chardonnay; this Hartley Ostini red blend pulls no punches. Big, with its 14% alcohol and plenty of complexities, including hickory smoke barbeque sauce, herbal tea that blends nicely into cherries and blueberries, and a subtle hint of pepperiness thanks to the syrah. It’s silky smooth on the palate with plenty of juicy glycerine and fruitiness at the middle and back of the mouth. Good finish (and fairly priced at just over a $20).
Rating: 89
Rustenberg – John X. Merriman 2005, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch, South Africa
Cost: $26.99/bottle
A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, and some dollops of the remaining Bordeaux varietals, this dark, saturated, ruby-colored wine exhibited a silky smooth medium body with perfume-like scents of cedar, black currants, black cherry, dark Godiva chocolate, and subtle toasted oak. In the mouth, very polished with good inner presence of flavor and fruit, ripe and rich with currant. Dark chocolate flavors unfold easily. There are some wonderful things coming out of South Africa, and Rustenberg is undoubtedly one of them.
Rating: 90
Quintessa 2004 – Bordeaux blend – Napa Valley, California
Cost: $250/bottle restaurant retail or app. $125 store retail
A bit of a splurge on the Quintessa 2004, a wine made predominantly of cabernet sauvignon, but with dollops of other red varietals. Nose of liquid Snickers, and mocha-java coffee that lingers above the blackberries and blueberries, with mild oak, anise spice, and just a touch of underbrush. The wine was carefully decanted to allow maximum air and it was worth it. In the mouth, so creamy smooth, decadent and alive, powerful lush dark berries with chocolate ganache. This is a voluptuous wine, and perhaps the finest Quintessa I have ever been privileged to enjoy. I will look for this wine, and lock down a couple of bottles to relive the moment. It’s just that good.
Rating: 97
Oreno – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sangiovese – 2006 Tuscany
Cost: $80-$85/bottle
A dark opaque purple wine, moderately full-bodied with rather elevated acidity and tannins. Granted, it is young (recently released, that is). Its nose is already revealing— with great black cherries, black raspberries, violets, cedar, graphite, and a touch of vanilla bean. In the mouth, it’s quite layered and velvety, loaded with black fruit and dark tannins. It should rest at least 5 to 7 years, but there is plenty of fruit to support its evolution into something rather special. Despite its youth, I still enjoyed the wine very much; its nose was quite inviting. A solid example of a Super Tuscan at its finest.
Rating: 94
Amizetta Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 – Napa Valley, California
Cost: $22.99/bottle
It’s quite a surprise to find an 11 year-old California cabernet at a wine store these days— but I came across this for just a penny under $23 and thought it certainly worth checking out. My palate tends to prefer older more mature wines for their complexity and intrigue which, personally, I find a most exhilarating experience. This Amizetta exhibited telltale typical mature California fruit. The nose is initially dominated by spearmint, ripe currants and black cherry notes. The wine evolves over time in the glass revealing cola notes while maintaining its mintiness. In the mouth, it remains moderately full bodied with supple tannins, at a virtually low acidity (but with plenty of fruit that wraps the tastebuds). It was quite easy to drink and remains soft on the palate, which one wouldn’t normally expect of an aged wine— but it’s possible this wine may have seen better days early on, and perhaps I caught it on the tail end of its peak drinkability. For $23 a bottle, it’s a decent value, and I may look for more recent vintages of this wine in the future.
Rating: 89
Karl Lawrence – Aldin Red Table Wine 2006 – Napa Valley, California
Cost: $29/bottle
Just released by the Karl Lawrence winery as an adjunct, this is really an experimental blended wine of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc. Notes of cherry, Flintstone’s vitamins, sweet oak and berries are consistent on both the nose and palate. However, I must add that it tasted quite young and in need of rest for a few more months, as it appeared very monotone and unevolved. Still it is medium-bodied, with fair levels of fruit that need to settle for it to bolster the structural integrity of the wine. I opened the wine not 24 hours from taking it out of the box, which was shipped the prior day to my home. Will have to explore this further, perhaps later in the year.
Rating: 87
Francis Ford Coppola – Director’s Cut 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
Cost: $18-$24/bottle
Dark purple opaque in color. Very young, almost fresh pressed juice but still with a tannic presence. Nice fruit content showcasing notes of toasted oak, vanilla extract, black and red currants and a touch of Read more…
Bilton Wines – Matt Black, 2006 – South Africa
Cost: $14/bottle
After tasting a whole bunch of mediocre red wines, I came across this one from South Africa, a red blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petite Verdot… kind of a Bordeaux blend with that juicy Shiraz to spike it up. The nose was impressive with its sweet floral violets, spicy black cherry, vanilla oak, and a haunting aroma of “funk” — somewhat like a combo of horse sweat intermixed with black fruit. Truly the Shiraz was showing its pizzazz around the cabernet and merlot fruit. In the mouth, moderately full bodied with a nice genuine creamy texture— full of ripe fruits, and glycerine with soft tannins to enjoy consumption early on. At $14 a bottle, I will pick up a case.
Rating: 90
= "personne extraordinaire"