2004 Hijos de Antonio Barceló Ribera del Duero Viña Mayor Reserva

2009 Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella Corte Giara

2008 Turley Zinfandel Dragon

2007 Two Hands Shiraz Bella’s Garden

2004 Hijos de Antonio Barceló Ribera del Duero Viña Mayor Reserva – $19.99

It’s been a few years since I tried this wine. A nice price, a very good vintage and a WS Top 100 selection lead me to grab a couple bottles. Time to see if I agree with the WS 93 point score or the WA 85+ score.

This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a nice maroon color, much lighter at the edge. The comforting nose has black cherry, minerals, baking spices, licorice, violets, vanilla and some earthy underbrush. This is barely medium body with moderate tannins and good acidity. On the palate the mineral laden cherries and spice kick off the show with spicy oak and some earthiness coming in on the back end. The finish has very nice length with cherries and earthy elements carrying the load. (91 pts)

2004 Hijos de Antonio Barceló Ribera del Duero Viña Mayor Reserva

2009 Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella Corte Giara – $37.99

We’re pretty big fan of Italian Amarone wines. Unfortunately, they aren’t a low priced wine. When the local store brought these in and put them on the shelf for about half price, I had to grab a few bottles.

This has 15.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep ruby to purple color. The easy going and soothing nose has black cherries, minerals, licorice, warm baking spices, dark chocolate and dried flowers. This has a full body, soft to moderate tannins and good acidity. On the palate spicy fruit and minerals dominate the front end with dark chocolate coming in on the back end. The finish is long and loaded with spicy fruit. This is on the young side but tastes marvelous. (92 pts)

2009 Allegrini Amarone della Valpolicella Corte Giara

2008 Turley Zinfandel Dragon – $45.00

For whatever reason, this wasn’t a wine I bought regularly from the Turley mailing list. I don’t know the exact reason but I only grabbed a bottle every couple of years. I like this wine when I open a bottle, but with the low volume of purchases, one isn’t opened very often.

This wine has 16.0% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep purple color. The very appealing nose has briary berries, minerals, licorice, black pepper, dried flowers, leather and some cedar. This has a full body, moderate to solid tannins and good acidity. This wine is loaded on the palate, full of berries, minerals and pepper with cedar and a floral note coming in on the back end. The finish has very nice length and outstanding balance to support and conceal the high alcohol. This seems to have the stuffing to age but I’d be afraid of the alcohol becoming too prominent if cellared longer than a couple more years at most. (93 pts)

2008 Turley Zinfandel Dragon

2007 Two Hands Shiraz Bella’s Garden – $34.99

Two Hands is a perennial favorite in the house. Just about every wine they’ve made has been a welcome addition to my wine cellar. Unfortunately, their “Garden” series wines have become so popular around the globe, it’s become hard to find them at a decent price.

This has 15.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark purple color. There are crushed berries, minerals, fresh ground espresso, dark chocolate, smoked meat, black pepper, vanilla, black cherries, Asian spices, and violets on the very inviting nose. This is fairly full bodied with nice, ripe tannins and good acidity. The wine is big, bold, and ripe on the palate with no raisin or syrupy notes. The palate features nice juicy, spicy berries with some oak in the background with minerals, meat, and dark chocolate. There is a long, lingering finish with the spicy berries lingering seemingly forever. This may not be for everyone, but if you want an in your face Shiraz, look no further. (94 pts)

2007 Two Hands Shiraz Bella’s Garden

For us, the best part of having a bone-in half ham over the holiday season is making a batch of Red Beans and Rice with the bone and scraps of ham and andouille sausage. Thankfully, today was Red Beans and Rice day.

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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.

Cliff's Wine Picks