Cliff's Wine Picks

 

André Delorme Crémant de Bourgogne Terroir D’ Exception

2008 Andrew Will Sorella

2013 Ground Effect Gravity Check

2010 Tenuta Carretta Roero Bric Paradiso

2005 Kees-Kieren Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese *

2007 Big Basin Vineyards Syrah Coastview Vineyard

 

 

 

André Delorme Crémant de Bourgogne Terroir D’ Exception – $14.99

This is a blend of Chardonnay and aligoté.  This is produced by the traditional method.  When the harvests arrive the grapes slowly using via pneumatic wine presses.  Only the first presses are used to produce the wines.  Malolactic fermentation takes place in 100% stainless steel vats.  Secondary fermentation is in the bottle (according to the traditional method), and carried out by adding yeasts and sugar.  This is followed by 18 months of ageing on lees in temperature-controlled cellars.

 

The wine is a light golden straw color with pinpoint sized bubbles.  The refreshing nose has apples, lemon zest, orange blossoms and fresh bread.  This shows just a touch of sweetness but has plenty of citrusy acidity to keep it in check.  On the palate tart apples, lemon zest a yeasty bread grab your attention with a hint of orange blossom coming in on the lingering finish.  Not a ton of complexity but this was easy to enjoy on a warm afternoon with a light lunch on the deck.  This has 12% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a standard sparkling wine cork.  (87 pts)

 

 

 

2008 Andrew Will Sorella – $56.99

I tasted this wine not long after release at the local wine store.  The wine, though very young, showed considerable promise.  I grabbed a few bottles and left them stashed in the cellar for a few years.  It’s time to check in to see how the wine is progressing.

 

This wine is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Cabernet Franc and 6% Merlot from the Champoux Vineyard in Washington’s Horse Heaven Hills.

 

The wine is a dark ruby red color.  The suave and enchanting nose has cassis, cherries, warm baking spices, plums, minerals, dried leafy herbs, cocoa powder, leather, cedar and earthy underbrush.  The wine has medium body, moderate to solid tannins and very good acidity.  The fruit, spices and minerals coat the palate, eventually allowing a touch of cedar and subtle earthiness to enter focus.  The finish is very long with cocoa powder and dried herbs joining the party.  This wine is the complete package and has the balance to improve over the next few years and last in the cellar for another decade or more.  This wine has 14.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (95 pts)

 

 

 

2013 Ground Effect Gravity Check

100% Chenin Blanc from the Santa Ynez Valley in California’s Central Coast region.

 

The wine is a very light, pale straw-yellow color.  The inviting nose has green apples, unripe pears, lemon grass, flinty minerals, honeysuckle and lime zest.  This has medium body with crisp acidity.  On the palate tart apples and pears are joined by lemon grass and flinty minerals.  The finish has nice length with lime zest and honeysuckle providing nice depth.  This is a nice Chenin Blanc for a meal on a sunny deck or patio.  This has 14.1% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Tenuta Carretta Roero Bric Paradiso – $19.13

This was another “steal” from Last Bottle wines, my favorite “flash” wine site.  If you use the provided link and sign up, you get an immediate $10 credit and I get a credit if/when you make a purchase.  Check them out, they have awesome deals and their Marathons are always something special.

 

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)

 

 

 

2005 Kees-Kieren Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Spatlese * – $11.39

I bought a couple bottles of this at a close out price at the local wine store (The Wine Cellar of Wisconsin) when I lived in Wisconsin.  I was hoping for a nice Riesling to enjoy on a warm day on the deck.  We opened a bottle that evening and it blew me away.  I immediately shot off an e-mail to the store to stash a case in the back for me.  This was everything I love about a young German Spätlese Riesling, nice rich sweetness along with enough acidity to leave your mouth watering.  This was drinking very nicely young, but I had no doubt this will be fantastic down the road.  An added bonus is this wine is closed with a glass stopper, which I love.  This closure ensures a nice, tight seal and no possible cork taint.  I just haven’t read any studies about long term cellaring of a wine closed in this manner.

 

This has 9.5% alcohol and is sealed with a glass stopper.

 

A golden straw color.  Petrol, honey, apples, pears, peach pits, tangerine, white pepper, pineapple, strong minerality and a floral note on the enticing nose.  Medium body with loads of sweetness and nice balancing acidity.  Rich and fruity on the palate with mouthwatering citrusy acidity kicking in to keep it from being too sweet.  Long finish with the white pepper note from the nose making a background appearance.  This still tastes young and will age and improve for another decade or more.  This has 9.5% alcohol and is sealed with a glass stopper.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Big Basin Vineyards Syrah Coastview Vineyard – $43.00

For the last few years I’ve felt Big Basin was one of the wineries to keep an eye on.  I think they are one big score away from popping onto most wine drinker’s radar.  Could they become the next Saxum?  In my opinion, the sky is the limit for this winery.

 

This wine is from a 2600 foot mountaintop vineyard in the Gabilan Mountains with decomposed granite and limestone soils.

 

The wine is a deep, dark purple color.  The stunning nose is full of crushed blackberries, smoke, plums, dark chocolate, vanilla, minerals, black pepper, creosote, eucalyptus, Asian spices and violets.  This full bodied wine has fairly solid tannins and good acidity.  On the palate smoke, berries and plums hit hard on the front end slowly giving way to black pepper and vanilla with building minerality and vanilla coming in on the back end.  The long, luxurious finish has a nice mix of the fruit and savory elements with minerals closing the show.  This intense wine is in a prime drinking window and should drink well for the remainder of the decade.  The wine has 15.7% alcohol and is sealed with a natural cork.  (94 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!