Cliff's Wine Picks

 

2009 August Kesseler Riesling R

2012 Robert Hunter Vin Rouge of Field Four

2014 Angeline Winery Pinot Noir Reserve

2013 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer

2011 Evening Land Vineyards Pinot Noir La Source Seven Springs Vineyard

1992 Theo Schmitz-Schwaab Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese Fuder #8

 

 

 

2009 August Kesseler Riesling R – $11.39

Riesling is my favorite white wine, by a wide margin.  This versatile grape can produce wines that range from crisp dry wines with steely acidity to rich and luscious sweet wines.  The natural acidity and sweetness mean these wine will age elegantly in your cellar for decades.

 

The wine is a light yellow to straw color.  The fresh smelling nose has apples, juicy peaches, minerals, orange blossoms, lemon zest and a touch of petrol.  This has light to medium body, crisp acidity and just a bit of residual sweetness.  On the palate the apples and peaches jump out first with minerals coming into the picture followed by some nice tart citrus zest.  The finish is very tasty but a touch short.  This does not offer a lot of complexity but is still very tasty.  A nice German Riesling for just a bit over $10.  This has 10.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off cap.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Robert Hunter Vin Rouge of Field Four – $15

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 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.

In this case, this was a Last Bottle $15 mystery bottle from one of their Marathons.

 

This is a blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot that was 18 months in French oak barrels.

 

The wine is a deep purple color.  The deep and dark nose has blackberries, black cherries, crushed stone minerals, baking spices, roasted herbs and dark bittersweet chocolate.  This has a full body with soft tannins and low acidity.  On the palate dark fruit, baking spices and minerals grab you on the front end with dark chocolate and roasted herbs coming in on the back end.  The finish has decent length but gets soft.  This really could use a serious jolt of acidity to help hold the big flavors in check.  This would be a hit at a party to sip over conversation with friends that don’t like big tannins or acidity.  This has 14.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (85 pts)

 

 

 

2014 Angeline Winery Pinot Noir Reserve – $12.85

Angeline is owned by Courtney Benham and is a “sister” winery to Martin Ray and Courtney Benham.  The winery was founded in 1990.  This wine is 100% Pinot Noir with 40% of the grapes from Mendocino County, 35% from Sonoma County and 25% from Monterey County.

 

This wine is a medium to deep ruby red color.  The inviting nose has black cherries, white pepper, blackberries, dry underbrush, crushed stones and dried violets.  This has medium body with soft to moderate tannins and decent acidity.  On the palate black cherries and dry earthy underbrush jump out on the front end with white pepper and cranberries coming in later.  The finish has decent length with crushed stones and a floral note providing some depth.  This doesn’t offer a lot in the complexity department but for the money this will work nicely with a weeknight meal. This has 13.9% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.  (86 pts)

 

 

 

2013 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer – SRP $27.99

Zind-Humbrecht is one of the major produces in the region.  The family has been growing grapes since the 17th century.  This wine comes from a gravelly vineyard on the valley floor.  The vines average 44 years old.

 

The wine is a bright yellow color with a slight green tint.  The stunning nose has peaches, lychee, honey, leafy green herbs, pink grapefruit, orange blossoms, lemon zest and crushed stone minerals.  This has medium body with a bit of residual sweetness and nice acidity.  Lychee, peach, pink grapefruit and orange blossoms greet the palate on the front end with honey, minerals and leafy herbs coming in on the back end.  The finish has very nice length with zippy lemon zest balancing out the lingering sweetness.  This is a rich and luxurious wine that is drinking very nicely today but will last in the cellar until at least the end of the decade, probably longer.  This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Evening Land Vineyards Pinot Noir La Source Seven Springs Vineyard – $28.71

The vineyard where the grapes are grown are comprised of a blend of old vines and new that are farmed organically & biodynamically in rocky, shallow soil.  The grapes were hand-picked, hand-sorted, de-stemmed and began to ferment naturally after a 4-5 day cold soak in our open top oak and concrete fermenters. There were twice-daily gentle punch-downs throughout the fermentation to help the soft extraction of the tannins.  After fermentation, the wine was aged in French oak barrels (30% new) for 16 months.   This wine was then bottled unfined on April 15, 2013.

 

The wine is a bright ruby red color.  The enticing nose has cherries, baking spices, earthy underbrush, white pepper, wild flowers, wet stone minerals, black raspberries and roasted leafy herbs.  This is barely medium body with soft to moderate silky tannins and very good acidity.  On the palate tart cherries, baking spices and wet stones quickly take hold on the front end with white pepper and earthy underbrush coming in later.  The finish has very good length with roasted herbs and black raspberries entering the picture.  This tastes great now with some air but will be better in a year or two.  This has outstanding balance and is built to age.  The wine has 12.9% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

1992 Theo Schmitz-Schwaab Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese Fuder #8 – $38.61

As is usual for a lot of the smaller, European wineries, not a lot of information seems to be available on the internet.  It’s not everyday you can sip a 25 year old white wine, especially one as pristine as this bottle.

 

The wine is a medium golden yellow color.  The fresh smelling nose has apples, pears, honey, petrol, minerals, Spring flowers, pineapple, lemon zest and a touch of spice.  This has light to medium body with very nice acidity and a ton of richness.  The sugar and acidity have melded into a very nice, rich, silky wine.  On the palate the rich, honey dipped apples and pineapple are joined with minerals and a touch of spice with a bit of citrusy acidity coming in on the back end. The finish has nice length and ends with a touch of flinty minerality and citrus zest.  Very nice and at a peak drinking window.  (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!