2009 Carlisle Zinfandel Sonoma County

2010 Benovia Pinot Noir Russian River Valley

2002 Graeser Cabernet Franc Estate Grown

2008 Allegrini Palazzo della Torre Veronese IGT

 

 

 

2009 Carlisle Zinfandel Sonoma County – $18

This wine is generally one of the greatest bargains around.  This is always at top notch Zinfandel that is available off the winery’s mailing list for under $20.  This is one of the reasons it is so hard to get onto the mailing list, no one drops off.

 

If you are on the Carlisle mailing list, congratulations, you are on one of the best lists out there.  If you are not on their mailing list, I highly recommend you upgrade your circle of friends to include someone on the list that shares their good stuff.

 

Now that Carlisle has their own winery and won’t be using outside crush facilities, I look forward to even greater things coming from them in the upcoming years.

 

There were 370 cases of this wine produced.

 

This has 15.2% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep purple color.  The very inviting nose has brambly berries, wood smoke, black pepper, warm baking spices, blueberries, roasted herbs, vanilla and candied violets.  This has a full body with moderate, ripe tannins and good acidity.  Ripe, chewy berries, spice and black pepper coat the palate, slowly allowing roasted herbs and vanilla to slip in on the back end.  The finish is rich and long with a candied violet note entering the picture.  This is big and rich but with enough of a tannic backbone and acidity to hold it together.  That said, I’d drink this in the next couple of years before it loses some of the structure that is currently providing the support.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Benovia Pinot Noir Russian River Valley – $28.49

I’ve never had this wine.  When the local wine store put this on the shelf for a nice price, I had to grab a few bottles.  I paid under $30 a bottle and the average cost on Cellar Tracker is over $40.  That’s only a good deal if you like the wine.

 

This has 14.1% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium ruby red color.  The very inviting nose has black cherries, raspberries, dusty minerals, warm baking spices, dried flowers and earthy underbrush.  This has medium body with soft to moderate tannins and crisp acidity.  On the palate the fruit jumps out first with minerals and spice coming in later.  The finish has very good length with a nice floral note and some earthiness coming into the picture to join the lingering spice.  This is an impressive RRV Pinot that comes at a very reasonable price for the quality.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2002 Graeser Cabernet Franc Estate Grown – $27.00

This winery was a long time favorite.  We met the owner, Richard Graeser, when he came to the condo we were staying at to conduct a tasting.  We visited the winery the next day and stopped every time we made it to wine country.  Unfortunately a few years ago they ran into some financial difficulties and he lost the winery.  That also caused me a big problem since I had bought and paid for a case of their 2007 Cabernet Franc but it had not been shipped.  It took me a few years to finally convince the proper people the wine was mine and not part of the estate that was sold.  Thankfully that last vintage is resting in my cellar.

 

This wine has 13.6% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark ruby red color.  The classic nose has cassis, dried herbs, violets, minerals, tobacco, licorice, a touch of cedar and a faint jalapeno pepper note.  This has a medium body with moderate tannins and very good acidity.  On the palate the wine has berries with a real nice overlay of dried herbs up front with a touch of spicy oak coming in on the backend.  This has a fairly long finish with the berries, dried herbs and some minerality.  This is in a very nice drinking window and should hold nicely for a couple more years.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Allegrini Palazzo della Torre Veronese IGT – $14.24

I had this wine on my list of the Top Value Wines of 2012.  This is still a favorite with week night Italian fare, like tonight’s Veal Parmesan.  I like the extra body and richness imparted by the drying of the grapes but the wine generally retains enough acidity to stand up to the tomato based sauces.  This is also a personal favorite with a nice, meaty pizza.

 

The wine has 13.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

Winery history

Allegrini is the leading producer in the Valpolicella Classico area and one of the most highly acclaimed wineries in Italy and throughout the world.  The family’s roots in Valpolicella date back to the 16th century.  Today the winery consists of more than 100 hectares (247 acres) set amongst the rolling hills of the “Classico” appellation.  All wines made under the Allegrini label are produced exclusively from these estate vineyards.  Through research and experimentation over the years, Allegrini has introduced radical innovations in the vineyards, in the grape drying process and in the cellar, with the objective of enhancing the intrinsic quality of Valpolicella.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep maroon color. The very appealing nose has blackberries, smoke, dried herbs, plums, warm baking spices, minerals, vanilla, and dried flowers. The wine has a medium body with soft, ripe tannins and good acidity. The wine is rich and plush on the palate with the spicy berries and dried herbs up front and some earthiness and dark chocolate coming in later. The finish has very nice length with the spicy berries and dried herbs carrying the load. If you can find this for $15 or less, load up, I did.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

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Cheers!

 

 

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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!