2011 La Crema Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

2010 Margarethenhof Ayler Kupp Riesling Spätlese

2010 Sandler Wine Company Grenache Boer Vineyard

2009 Borgo Scopeto (Tenuta Caparzo) Borgonero Toscana IGT

2012 Bedrock Wine Co. Mourvedre Ode to Lulu Rosé

2009 Villa Creek Willow Creek Cuvée

 

 

2011 La Crema Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast – $18.99

We had a couple glasses of this wine a few weeks ago at a local restaurant.  When I saw it on the shelf at the local wines store, I had to grab a couple bottles.  I didn’t take notes on the wine at the restaurant, but I remembered it having nice red fruit and some subtle earthiness.  It will be nice spending a bit of time with a bottle to see how it performs over the course of an evening.  This is a nice, middle of the road, California Pinot Noir.  It’s not a big, overly ripe style of Pinot, but it’s also not a delicate, nuanced version either. 

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright red to ruby color. The very enjoyable nose has cherries, baking spices, strawberry, lilac flowers, and a touch of earthy underbrush. This has medium body, moderate ripe tannins, and very good acidity. Spicy red fruit kicks off the palate with more spice and some earthiness coming in afterwards adding depth. The bright fruit carries no excess weight or overly ripe notes. The finish has decent length and again highlights the spice laden red fruit. This very nice week night Pinot Noir offers great QPR if you can find it for under $20.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

 

2010 Margarethenhof Ayler Kupp Riesling Spätlese – $7.92

This wine was offered by the local wine store via a weekly e-mail offer.  It’s hard for me to pass on a German Riesling, especially one I can get for under $8.00.  As expected, I grabbed a case without even trying it.  I worked at the store for a few hours yesterday, and there was still about a half bottle sitting under the wine bar that had been opened for over 24 hours.  The wine was room temperature so I wasn’t expecting too much when I tried a taste.  I was very pleasantly surprised the wine was outstanding.  I took the bottle home so I could sample it at a better serving temperature.  I also happily took my case home and stashed it in my wine cellar.

 

My Tasting Note

This note is from a bottle that had been opened for over a day and left over night on the counter with the cork stuck back in the bottle.  The wine is a bright golden yellow color.  The very appealing and inviting nose has apples, honey, orange zest, Spring flowers, and a touch of petrol.  This has medium body, a fair amount of residual sugar and very nice, crisp acidity that keeps the sweetness in line.  On the palate the honeyed apples and citrus zest coat the palate but is kept from getting cloying by the citrusy acidity.  The finish is long and again full of apples, honey, and citrus.  If you like an off dry Riesling, this is top notch.  This has marvelous balance that will allow it to easily cellar for several years.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

 

2010 Sandler Wine Company Grenache Boer Vineyard – $25.00

Sandler Wine Company is the personal label of ever-present consulting winemaker, Ed Kurtzman.  Sandler Wine Company is devoted to small bottlings of Pinot Noir, Syrah, Zinfandel and Grenache, from some of Ed’s favorite vineyard and grower sources.  Production of most wines very seldom exceeds 100 cases and in some cases don’t even reach 25 cases.  This is a highly recommended mailing list to check out if you want very reasonably priced, small production wines. 

 

For more information, checkout their website.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a nice, bright ruby red color.  The civilized and refined nose has raspberries, minerals, warm baking spices, mint, cherries, wild flowers, and a touch of earthiness.  This has medium body, fairly solid tannins, and very good acidity.  On the palate the fruit and spice grab hold initially, eventually allowing a touch of mint, earthiness, and a floral note to come through.  The finish has nice length but gets a touch thin.  This needs some cellar time which should allow the back end to flesh out.  This is very good now, but will be much better in another year or two.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

 

2009 Borgo Scopeto (Tenuta Caparzo) Borgonero Toscana IGT – $16.62

I grabbed a six pack of this wine from an e-mail offer by the local wine store based on a very positive recommendation by an Italian wine loving friend.  This “Super Tuscan” is a blend of 60% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Syrah. 

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to deep ruby red color, lighter at the edge. The appealing nose has cherries, warm baking spices, blackberries, white pepper, earthy underbrush, dried herbs, and a touch of dark chocolate. This has medium body, moderate tannins, and very good acidity. Tart, spicy, earthy fruit dominate the palate with dried herbs and some chocolate coming in on the back end. The finish has nice length and is an extension of the palate with just a touch of spicy oak creeping into the picture. For a very young wine, this is drinking very nicely today. This should improve with another year in the cellar and drink well for a few additional years.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

We made up a platter of assorted breaded and fried ravioli with fresh basil and grated parmigiana with some marinara sauce for dipping to go with the  Borgo Scopeto Borgonero.  A salad completed the dinner.  The food and wine pairing was perfect.  The wine has enough acidity to cut through the fried ravioli especially the ones that were stuffed with cheese.  The wine also had enough oomph to stand up to the ones that were stuffed with beef and sausage. 

 

 

 

 

2012 Bedrock Wine Co. Mourvedre Ode to Lulu Rosé – $19.00

This rosé from Bedrock as well as Villa Creek’s offering, form the nucleus of my warm weather  rosé wines.  I mix in a few others I buy at the local store, but these two make up well over 50% of the rosés we drink during the year.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a light pink to salmon color. The fresh and clean nose has strawberries, minerals, white peaches, cherries, and some subtle earthiness. This has light body with crisp acidity and maybe just a touch of residual sugar. Crisp, juicy fruit and minerals dominate the palate with a touch of earthiness in the background. The finish has nice length and leaves a very slightly sweet and crisp final impression. The perfect wine to enjoy on a warm Summer afternoon with or without food.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

 

2009 Villa Creek Willow Creek Cuvée – $33.60

If you check out this blog very often or follow me on Twitter, you already know I’m a big fan of Paso Robles based Villa Creek.  Vintage after vintage produce outstanding blends revolving around the grapes from France’s RhoneValley.  The Willow Creek Cuvée as well as their Avenger are two of my favorite VC wines.  This wine is a blend of 50% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre and 20% Syrah sourced from the Denner and James Berry vineyards.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby color.  The big and bold nose has raspberries, blackberries, minerals, licorice, dried herbs, warm baking spices, cherries, wood smoke, and a bit of earthiness.  This full bodied gem has moderate to solid tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the spicy fruit kicks off the show with minerals and some earthiness waiting in the wings.  The finish is long and layered with nice fruit and savory elements taking turns stealing the show.  This is a touch young but still drinking very nicely with some air.  (92 pts)

 

  

 

I grilled up some beef and chicken fajitas to pair with the Willow Creek.  The wine was able to stand up to the big, bold flavors from the meat.  The only problem was that the mixed peppers had one pepper that was quite hot that clashed with the wine.  Luckily that particular pepper was fairly small and did not appear in too many bites of the fajitas.

 

 

 

  

***** 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

 

 

 

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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.

 

 

 

Cheers!