Cliff's Wine Picks

 

2013 Orin Swift D66

2009 JC Cellars Syrah Fess Parker Vineyard

2009 World’s End Merlot Little Sister Reserve

2010 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard

Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Brut Réserve

2005 Château La Garde Pessac-Leognan

 

 

 

2013 Orin Swift D66 – $29.29

This wine was purchased from Last Bottle Wines, see below for information and a link to sign up with a $10 credit.

 

This is a blend of 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 10% Carignan from the Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes region in France’s Roussillon area.  This wine was aged for 18 months is 30% new French Oak and then bottle aged 5 months prior to release.

 

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The bold nose is full of blackberries, plums, cassis, black pepper, baking spices, charred wood, violets and dark roasted coffee.  This has a full body with moderate ripe tannins and decent acidity.  On the palate waves of fruit with pepper and charred wood quickly take control with baking spices and dark roast coffee coming in later.  The finish has nice length with a floral note providing some depth.  Not a lot of complexity but loads of up front fruit.  This has just enough structure and spice to keep it from getting boring.  This has 15.2% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2009 JC Cellars Syrah Fess Parker Vineyard – $18.99

I loved the Rosenblum wines crafted by Jeff Cohn and have never been disappointed by the ones he has produced under his own label.

 

The wine is a deep garnet color.  The inviting nose has smoky, earthy berries, dark bittersweet chocolate, minerals, meat juices, black pepper, dried herbs, warm baking spices and just a touch of road tar.  This has a fairly full body, moderate to full tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the juicy, smoky berries grab hold, slowly allowing dried herbs, black pepper, and meaty elements to slip through.  The finish has nice length with some earthiness and dark chocolate being added to the mix.  This is in its’ prime drinking window and should hold for a couple of years.  Another winner from Jeff Cohn.  This has 14.8% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2009 World’s End Merlot Little Sister Reserve – $19.48

This wine was purchased from Last Bottle Wines, see below for information and a link to sign up with a $10 credit.

 

This is a deep ruby red color.  The captivating nose has black cherries, charred wood, plums, crushed stone minerals, cocoa powder, dried herbs, vanilla bean and violets.  This has medium to full body with moderate tannins and nice acidity.  On the palate black cherries, cocoa powder, minerals and plums quickly jump out on the front end with charred wood and dried herbs coming in later.  The finish has nice length with vanilla bean and violets providing additional depth.  This is drinking very nicely right now and should hold for three to five more years.  This has 14.8% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Cargasacchi Vineyard – $46.00

I love Brian Loring’s Pinot Noirs, actually I love all the wines of his that I have tried.  Loring’s Pinot Noirs are very Californian in style, which I do not say in a bad way.  Brian’s pinots are usually ripe and bold and very tasty.  If you are looking for a Burgundian style, look elsewhere, if you are looking for a very tasty bottle of wine you’re in the right place.

 

The wine is a deep purple color.  The intoxicating nose has blackberries, minerals, baking spices, black cherries, licorice, raspberries, a touch of smoke, and some subtle earthiness.  This has medium to full body, moderate tannins, and very good acidity.  Loads of spicy berries and minerals dominate the front end with black cherries and earthy elements coming in on the back end.  The finish has very nice length but does show just a touch of alcohol, but not enough to take away from the wine.  This is a very nice combination of a big, rich California Pinot but with plenty of tannins and acidity to provide support and balance.  This is an outstanding effort.  This has 14.7% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with the usual Loring twist off closure.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Brut Réserve – $29.29

This was picked up at a Last Bottle Marathon, always a great source for special wines at every day prices.  See below for information on the site and a discount on your first purchase.

 

I can’t find, with 100% confidence, the exact blend of grapes for this wine but it appears to be 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay.  I should note, I have even seen this noted as 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir.  This means, your guess is as good as mine.

 

This is a light golden straw color with a steady stream of pinpoint sized, persistent bubbles.  The festive nose has tart apples, lemon zest, stony minerals, toasted yeasty bread, orange blossoms, white peach and a hint of berries.  This has light to medium body with great effervescence, crisp acidity and just a touch of sweetness.  On the palate apples, minerals, orange blossoms and lemon zest quickly take control with a hint of white peach and berries slipping in on the back end.  The finish has good length and is crisp and clean thanks to lemony acidity.  This is a joy to sip on its’ own or with a light meal.  This has 12.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a standard Champagne cork.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2005 Château La Garde Pessac-Leognan – $19.99

I don’t have the exact break down of the grapes used to produce this wine, but the vineyard is comprised of 62% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, so the final blend is probably close to these percentages.

 

The wine is a deep ruby to maroon color.  The appealing nose has black cherries, cassis, dusty minerals, baking spices, scorched earth, violets and pencil shavings.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate cassis, cherries, minerals and spices immediately jump out with scorched earth and a hint of spicy oak coming in later.  The finish has nice length with pencil shavings and violets providing nice depth.  This is probably as good as it gets, which is still pretty good.  Pop this one over the remainder of the decade.  This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork (my cork broke and split as it was being pulled).  (90 pts)

 

 

 

 

I am a big fan of the “Flash Wine Sale” site Last Bottle.  You probably noticed some 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!