Cliff's Wine Picks

 

2004 Bodegas AAlto Ribera del Duero AAlto

2014 King Estate Pinot Gris

2009 Brassfield Estate Winery Eruption Volcano Ridge

2013 Myriad Cellars Sémillon McGah Family Vineyard

2014 Bird Song Hill Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley

2013 Bedrock Wine Co. Godello Abrente

 

 

 

2004 Bodegas AAlto Ribera del Duero AAlto – $31.67

This wine is 100% Tempranillo (Tinto Fino) from my favorite wine region in Spain, Ribera Del Duero.

 

The wine is a deep, dark maroon color.  The stunning nose has blackberry liqueur, melted licorice, warm baking spices, cedar, dark bittersweet chocolate, earthy underbrush and a nice floral note.  This has medium to full body, fairly solid tannins and good acidity.  On the palate the wine is rich and plush with spicy berries, dark chocolate and some earthiness.  The finish is long and loaded with spicy fruit and dark chocolate.  This is in a very good drinking window and should hold for several years.  This has 15.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

2014 King Estate Pinot Gris – $13.89

This wine was fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks with 4 months sur lie aging before bottling.

 

The wine is a light golden yellow color.  The captivating nose has green apples, white peach, flinty minerals, melon, orange blossoms and lemon zest.  This has medium body with good acidity and just a hint of sweetness.  On the palate tart apples, white peach and melon quickly grab your attention with minerals and orange blossoms coming in on the back end.  The finish has nice length with tart lemon zest leading you to grab another sip.  Not a lot of complexity but a tasty wine to enjoy on its own or with a light meal on a sunny day.  This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Brassfield Estate Winery Eruption Volcano Ridge – $14.24

This is a blend of 37% Syrah, 30% Mourvedre, 14% Grenache, 10% Petite Sirah and 9% Malbec, from the High Valley AVA in the eastern part of Lake County in California.

 

The wine is a deep, dark maroon color.  The sexy nose has blackberries, Asian spices, black pepper, smoked meat, dark bittersweet chocolate, plums, some eucalyptus and a hit of earthiness.  This has a fairly full body, soft tannins, and decent acidity.  The palate has a nice initial hit of fruit and dark chocolate that is joined by some building spice and earthiness.  The finish has nice length and is joined by a touch of spicy oak.  This wine is holding on at this time and tasting good but I think the wine will start a downward trend in the next year.  Drink this on up in the next year, maybe two.  The wine has 14.8% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2013 Myriad Cellars Sémillon McGah Family Vineyard – $25.00

This wine is 100% Sémillon from the McGah Family Vineyard in Rutherford.

 

The wine is a light, pale straw yellow color.  The sexy nose has melon, pineapple, lemon zest, spices, orange blossoms and dusty minerals.  This has medium body with good acidity.  On the palate nice up front fruit is balanced with spice, orange blossoms and minerals.  The finish has great length with tart lemon zest urging you to grab another sip.  This is one of the best Sémillon wines I have had the pleasure to drink.  This has nice richness with good acidity providing very nice structure.  This has 14.6% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2014 Bird Song Hill Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley – $10.19

Bird Song Hill Vineyards is located in the Columbia Valley across from Red Mountain.  This family owned winery was established in 1999.

 

The wine is a deep garnet color.  The inviting nose has cassis, cedar, dried herbs, baking spices and licorice.  This has medium body with soft to moderate tannins and nice acidity.  On the palate cassis, spices and dried herbs jump out on the front end with cedar coming in later.  The finish has decent length.  This doesn’t offer a lot of complexity and a little excess oak pokes through at times, that said it is a decent week night Cabernet.  This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (87 pts)

 

 

 

2013 Bedrock Wine Co. Godello Abrente – $23.00

This was the first release of this wine and it got off to a rocking start.  Well, actually a shaking start.  There were only 75 cases produced but the earthquake in the summer of 2014 caused some of those cases to be destroyed.  The wine was already in short supply so the winery put out a plea to everyone who had requested the maximum purchase of 2 bottles.  If you would give up one of your bottles, the winery would replace it with any other bottle they had in stock.  Even though I really wanted to try the wine, I gave up one of my bottles to allow another wine lover to sample this initial vintage.  Off the top of my head, I can’t remember the specific wine I received in place of my bottle.

 

The wine is a very light yellow color.  The exuberant nose is full of tart pears, lemon zest, white peach, chalky minerals, orange blossoms and lemongrass.  This has medium body with nice acidity.  On the palate pears, lemon zest, white peach and minerals quickly jump out on the front end with orange blossoms and lemongrass coming in later.  The finish has good length with lemon zest leaving your mouth watering for another sip.  This is drinking very nicely today but I wouldn’t hold onto it for more than a year, maybe two.  This has 14.1% 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.  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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You can follow me on Twitter for more wine info, potential food pairings, and an occasional recipe or two.  Be warned, I’m also a sports fan and there are occasional Pittsburgh Penguins, Steelers, and Pirates tweets.  I attended the University of South Carolina, so during football season, there will also be some Gamecock posts.

 

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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!