Cliff's Wine Picks

 

2012 Uvaggio (L’Uvaggio di Giacomo) Vermentino

2012 Carlisle Zinfandel Kirschenmann

2007 Tenuta Caparzo Brunello di Montalcino

2006 Cosentino Winery The Poet

2011 Bibi Graetz Casamatta Bianco Toscana IGT

2010 Jaffe Estate Transformation

2010 Tenuta Carretta Roero Bric Paradiso

 

 

 

2012 Uvaggio (L’Uvaggio di Giacomo) Vermentino – $10.00

This wine was purchased from Last Bottle.  Information on the site and a $10 credit on your first purchase is below.

 

The wine is a very light yellow with a green tint.  The fresh and lively nose has tart green apples, orange blossoms, lemon zest, white peach, lime zest, wet stone minerals and a light herbal note.  This has light to medium body with crisp acidity.  On the palate tart apples, lemon zest and minerals jump out quickly with orange blossoms and a hint of green herbs coming in later.  The lingering finish has a touch of white peach before tart lemon zest leaves your mouth watering for another sip.  This tastes wonderful and would be a great introduction to wine lovers of the white wines coming out of Lodi.  This has 13.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.  (91 pts)

 

 

2012 Carlisle Zinfandel Kirschenmann – $28.50

The grapes for this wine come from a vineyard owned by Tegan and Olivia Passalacqua who purchased it in 2012.  The vineyard was planted on 1916 and the soil is composed of nearly pure sand.  This sandy soil means the vines are “own rooted” and not grafted onto the root system of another grapevine since Phylloxera can’t live in sand.  This vineyard is in a cooler section of Lodi, actually cooler than some parts of Napa and Sonoma.

 

The wine is a deep garnet color.  The enticing nose has brambly berries, cherries, dusty minerals, dried violets, white pepper, roasted leafy herbs, dry earth and vanilla beans.  This has medium to full body with soft to moderate tannins and nice acidity.  This is lighter on the palate than your typical zinfandel with berries, cherries and minerals on the front end and violets, roasted herbs and some dry earth coming in later.  The finish has great length with cherries, white pepper and a nice floral note doing most of the work.  This is a more feminine version of the zinfandel grape.  This has 15.3% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (92 pts)

 

 

2007 Tenuta Caparzo Brunello di Montalcino – $28.49

The first vintage of this wine was produced in 1970.  At that time there were only 13 wineries in Montalcino.  This makes Caparzo one of the “historic” wineries in the region.  This 100% Sangiovese is a blend of grapes from four distinctly different vineyards in the region.  After hand-picking the grapes the fermentation is more involved than most other wineries.  During the first two days of fermentation, special attention is paid to the seeds.  Any seed deemed “not ripe enough” are discarded.  This operation utilizes the “cutting edge” technology of the winery’s fermentation tanks.  The temperature controlled fermentation takes 7 days but since the skins are always in great shape the wine is allowed skin contact for an additional 10 to 15 days.  After fermentation the wine is aged for 3 years in the traditional 80 hectoliter Slavonian and 50 hectoliter French oak casks.

 

The wine is a ruby red color with a touch of brick.  The inviting nose has cherries, pencil shavings, dry underbrush, wild flowers, tobacco, black raspberries and baking spices.  This has medium to full body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate tart cherries, spices and tobacco come through on the front end with pencil shavings and wild flowers coming in later.  The lingering finish adds dry earth and flowers.  This is drinking very nicely right now and should hold for another 4 to 6 years.  This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (92 pts)

 

 

2006 Cosentino Winery The Poet – $28.49

This wine is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc and 8% Merlot.  The wine is aged for 36 months in French oak barrels before the 1200 cases were bottled unfined.

 

The wine is a deep ruby to maroon color. The very appealing nose has cassis, cigar box, dried herbs, licorice, cherries, baking spice and dusty minerals. This has medium body with moderate tannins and good acidity. On the palate cassis, toasty oak and baking spices lead off the show with cherries and dried herbs coming in on the back end. The finish has good length and again is supported by the fruit and oak. This is drinking nicely today and should for another couple years.  The wine has 14.9% alcohol.  (91 pts)

 

 

2011 Bibi Graetz Casamatta Bianco Toscana IGT – $10.00

This wine was purchased from Last Bottle.  Information on the site and a $10 credit on your first purchase is below.

 

This is a blend of Vermentino, Trebbiano and Muscat.  This wine was included in a “mystery case” I ordered from the winery.  Upon seeing the bottle I was disappointed with its inclusion in the case.  After opening the bottle, my mood increased tremendously and I felt it was a great selection and a steal at only $10.

 

The wine is a golden-yellow color.  The intriguing nose has apples, apricots, flinty minerals, orange blossoms and lemon zest.  This has medium body with decent acidity.  Ripe apples, lemon zest, flinty minerals and apricots coat your palate right off the bat with orange blossoms coming in on the back end.  The finish has nice length with rich fruit and minerals taking control until a hit of tart lemon zest leaves your mouth watering.  This was a nice white wine to go with a good meal.  It could stand on its own or with a small patter of finger food and conversation with friends.  This has 12.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.  (89 pts)

 

 

2010 Jaffe Estate Transformation – $34.00

This wine was purchased from Last Bottle.  Information on the site and a $10 credit on your first purchase is below.

 

This is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot.  I really like Jaffe Estate and get any of their wine I can get my hands on.

 

The wine is a saturated ruby red color.  The open and easy nose has cassis, roasted leafy herbs, black cherries, cedar, tobacco, freshly ground espresso beans, dark chocolate, baking spices and dried violets.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate cassis, cedar, baking spices and tobacco grab your attention quickly on the front end with espresso beans, dark chocolate and roasted herbs coming in later.  The finish has nice length with a dried floral note joining the fruit, spice and cedar.  This wine isn’t a big, smooth, fruit driven wine but there are more than enough savory elements to make up for the lower fruit concentration.  This has nice balance and could use a bit of cellar time but it’s great today with something hot and juicy off the grill.  This has 14.7% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (92 pts)

 

 

2010 Tenuta Carretta Roero Bric Paradiso – $19.13

This wine was purchased from Last Bottle.  Information on the site and a $10 credit on your first purchase is below.

 

This wine is 100% Nebbiolo that was aged 18 months in small oak casks before bottling and another 3 months of bottle age before release.

 

The wine is a deep garnet color.  The enticing nose has black cherries, tobacco, wild flowers, dusty minerals, dry underbrush, dark chocolate and baking spices.  This has medium body with moderate to solid tannins and very good acidity.  On the palate tart cherries, minerals and underbrush lead off with wild flowers and baking spices coming in later.  The finish has good length with dark chocolate and more wild flowers providing great depth.  This is on the young side but is already very tasty.  This has 14.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

 

I am a big fan of the “Flash Wine Sale” site Last Bottle.  You probably noticed several of the wines in this post were purchased from the site.  All of these wines were purchased at a big discount.  I highly recommend getting on their e-mail list.  Like most of the flash sale sites, they offer one wine per day until it sells out.  They also have a couple two-day marathons during the year.  Last Bottle is a great site to buy special wines at prices low enough to open any day of the week.

 

If you sign up using this link you will get a $10 credit that can be used on your first purchase.  I will also get a credit if you make a purchase.

 

Other than getting a credit as explained above, I have no financial interest in the site.  After you are on the list, you can also get the same credit by introducing friends to Last Bottle.

 

 

 

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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 always check out the sale and close out items when in a store.  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!