Cliff's Wine Picks

 

Boisset Saint-Reine Rosé Brut

2012 Terra d’Oro Winery Petite Sirah

2013 Bogle Vineyards Phantom

2014 Château Martinat Blanc Côtes de Bourg

2015 Pierre Chavin Côtes de Provence Pierre & Paul

2012 Murrieta’s Well The Spur

 

 

 

Boisset Saint-Reine Rosé Brut – $11.21

This is a nice pink salmon color with a steady stream of pinpoint bubbles.  The festive nose has strawberries, cherries, orange zest, toasted yeasty bread, lemongrass and a touch of minerality.  This is light and crisp and seems to be mostly dry with great inner mouth effervescence.  On the palate bright strawberries and cherries quickly grab your attention with orange blossoms and a bit of minerality coming in later.  The finish has nice length with a touch of lemongrass providing some depth.  This isn’t the most complex bubbly out there but for the price this offers great QPR.  Pop a cork of this with friends and have a great time.  This has 12.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a standard Champagne cork.  (87 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Terra d’Oro Winery Petite Sirah – $10.19

The winery’s 12 acre Petite Sirah vineyard was planted in 2000 in their Burke Ranch vineyard.  After fermentation is completed the wine is aged for 12 months in second use French and American oak barrels.

 

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The bold nose has blackberries, black peppercorns, baking spices, crushed stone minerals, charred wood, cherry and dried wildflowers.  This has medium to full body with moderate ripe tannins and nice acidity.  On the palate spicy blackberries, pepper, baking spices and minerals quickly jump out on the front end with charred wood and cherries coming in later.  The finish has nice length with a floral note providing some depth.  This isn’t a big and bold style of Petite Sirah but that’s not a bad thing.  For a Petite this is well mannered and very easy to drink.  This has nice balance to pair with a wide variety of food.  I wouldn’t stash this away in the back of the cellar, open this one in the next year or two to enjoy the nice fruit and spice.  This has 14.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2013 Bogle Vineyards Phantom – $16.99

This is another “red blend” that is a palate-pleaser when you want to try “something different”.  This is a blend of 39% Zinfandel, 38% Petite Sirah and 23% Cabernet Sauvignon from vineyards in Lodi, Clarksburg and Amador.

 

The wine is a dark ruby color.  The outgoing nose has crushed berries, mint, cherries, baking spices, white pepper, toasty oak and dried violets.  This has a full body with moderate ripe tannins and decent acidity.  Waves of fruit and spice immediately grabs your attention on the palate with white pepper and a touch of mint coming in later.  The finish has nice length with the fruit and spice joined by toasty oak.  This is a take no prisoner style of wine loaded with flavor.  This has 14.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2014 Château Martinat Blanc Côtes de Bourg – $19.80

This is a blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Sauvignon Gris from the commune of Teuillac.  The vines have an average age of 20 years.  The total production was a meager 5,000 bottles.

 

The wine is a very light yellow color with a green tint.  The fresh and appealing nose has apples, lemon zest, a spritz of grapefruit, crushed stones, leafy green herbs and white flowers.  This is barely medium body with great acidity and seems to be totally dry.  Tart apples, lemon zest and crushed stones greet the palate on the front end with grapefruit and a touch of green herbs coming in on the backend.  The long finish leaves your mouth watering for another sip.  A superb bottle of wine.  This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2015 Pierre Chavin Côtes de Provence Pierre & Paul – $12.99

The is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Cinsault and 20% Syrah.  Besides having “made with organic grapes” prominently on the label in a bold font, there is also an oval sticker on the lower portion of the bottle with “organic wine” featured.  I guess they are attempting to catch the latest trend with some wine buyers.

 

The wine is a light peach color.  The fresh and lively nose has strawberries, white peach, dusty minerals, dry earth, leafy green herbs and melon.  This has light to medium body with nice acidity and seems to be totally dry or very close.  On the palate strawberries, minerals and white peach grab your attention on the front end with leafy herbs and melon coming in later.  The finish has decent length with a nice bitter note joining the picture.  This doesn’t offer a lot of complexity but it is very tasty.  This has 12.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a fake, foamy closure.  (86 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Murrieta’s Well The Spur

For this vintage, this perennial personal favorite is a blend of 33% Petite Sirah, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Petit Verdot, 4% Malbec and 3% Merlot.  There were 430 barrels produced so this wine should be available in most areas.

 

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The inviting nose has blackberries, black cherries, warm baking spices, scorched earth, plums, licorice, black peppercorns and a touch of vanilla bean.  This has medium to full body with moderate tannins and good acidity.  On the palate blackberries, baking spices and plums pop out quickly on the front end with scorched earth, plums and black peppercorns coming in on the back end.  The finish has nice length with licorice and vanilla providing some depth.  This is starting to get a little shallow on the back end and finish so I’d probably open this one in the next year or two.  This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.  (88 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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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!