2008 Carlisle Zinfandel Sonoma County

2010 Altesino Rosso di Montalcino

2007 Wild Hog Vineyard Petite Sirah Cache Creek

2002 Elyse Cabernet Sauvignon Tietjen Vineyard

2008 Carlisle Zinfandel Sonoma County – $17.50

Year after year one of the greatest values out there. This is absolutely the best zinfandel you can get for $20 or less, in my opinion. Mike Officer deserves a mountain of credit for holding the line on price increases even though his wines constantly sell out and get great reviews and ratings. If you’re on Carlisle’s mailing list you know what I mean, if you aren’t, you need to become friends with someone who is.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark, ruby color. The sexy and inviting nose has black raspberries, white pepper, melted licorice, violets, dried herbs, and lesser notes of baking spice, dark bittersweet chocolate, and underbrush. This has fairly full body, moderate ripe tannins, and outstanding acidity. The palate starts off with solid black raspberries and pepper with the dried herbs and dark chocolate building quickly, on the back end a floral note and some earthiness come into the picture adding even more depth and complexity. The long, lingering finish showcases the juicy berries, chocolate, and earthiness with the acidity giving a lot of lift and brightness. This is just entering a nice drinking window, and the tannins and acidity will keep this alive and kicking through most of the decade. (92 pts)

2010 Altesino Rosso di Montalcino – $24.33

I like Altesino’s Brunello wines, when the local store stocked this Rosso on their shelf, I had to grab a few bottles. When done right, a Rosso is just a half notch below a Brunello in quality but sells for a fraction of the cost.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium ruby red color with a touch of brick. The bright nose has cherries, strawberries, raspberries, dried herbs, tobacco, minerals, and a touch of underbrush. This has medium body, light to moderate tannins, and very nice acidity. On the palate the red fruit and spice hit first with dried herbs, minerals, and tobacco coming in on the back end. The finish has nice length with the tobacco and minerals closing the show. Not a wine to contemplate over, but a very tasty Rosso to enjoy over the next few years. (89 pts)

2007 Wild Hog Vineyard Petite Sirah Cache Creek – $9.50

A few years ago the local wine store ran this wine as an e-mail special. It was a pretty easy decision to grab a case for well under $10 a bottle. How often can you find a single vineyard Petite at that price? I don’t know the specifics but according to the winery’s website this was the last vintage for the wine. I know for a fact they made some in the 2008 vintage, since I have a case in my cellar. At least I bought a case but I have opened a few bottles.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark, inky purple color. The very masculine nose is loaded with blackberries, fresh ground black pepper, smoke, vanilla, eucalyptus, cherries, and wild flowers. This has a fairly full body, moderate to solid tannins, and very nice acidity. On the palate the peppery berries kick off the show with some smoke and vanilla coming in on the back end. A faint herbal note peaks out on the fairly long finish as well as some earthiness. This tastes marvelous today and should hold for at least a couple more years. (90 pts)

2002 Elyse Cabernet Sauvignon Tietjen Vineyard – $35.00

Elyse (including their Jacob Franklin label) is one of the wineries on the very short list of my favorites. Across the board, Elyse churns out some of the most delicious red wines coming out of the Napa Valley at killer prices. I usually love this wine, but it is actually my third favorite cabernet they make behind the Elyse Morisoli Cab and the Jacob Franklin Hoffman Lane Cab. If you ever make it to Napa, I highly recommend paying them a visit.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly deep ruby red color. The absolutely stunning nose has cassis, cigar box, warm baking spices, minerals (I’d say Rutherford dust but it’s not quite in Rutherford), black cherries, eucalyptus, dried herbs, rose petals, dark bittersweet chocolate, and melted licorice. This has medium body, soft, integrated tannins and very nice acidity. On the palate the cassis and spice lead off with minerals, dried herbs, and a touch of toasty oak building up in the background. The finish is long and leans on the savory elements with cassis adding some nice sweetness from the sidelines. This is in a perfect drinking window and extremely smooth and rich. Probably one of the best Elyse Tietjen Cabernets I have consumed. This wine is stunning today and should hold for a few more years, but why wait? (94 pts)

* Shameless Self Promotion *

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

Breaking news from Klout:

Wines bought or received this week

2010 Altesino Rosso di Montalcino – 3 bottles for $24.33

2011 Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc – 6 bottles for $15.78

2010 Purple Hands Pinot Noir Stoller Vineyard – 3 bottles for $18.16

Remember to support your local wine store!

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Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines. I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar. I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com. Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear. There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase. I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive. I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount. Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges. None of the prices include the sales tax.

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.