Cliff's Wine Picks

 

2011 Benessere Phenomenon

2016 d’Autrefois Pinot Noir Rosé

2011 Cypher Winery Monarchy

NV Pommery Champagne Brut Royal

2013 Turley Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Vineyard

2013 McPrice Myers Syrah Head Honcho

 

 

 

2011 Benessere Phenomenon – $24.27

This bottle was purchased 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.

 

This is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah from the winery’s estate vineyard in the Napa Valley.

 

The wine is a ruby red color.  The pleasing nose has cherries, underbrush, cassis, cedar, baking spices, dusty minerals and violets.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate tart cherries, underbrush and spices quickly jump out on the front end with dusty minerals and a touch of cedar coming in later.  The finish has nice length with cassis and violets providing good depth.  This seems to have just a touch of residual sweetness but the acidity keeps it in check.  This has 14.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2016 d’Autrefois Pinot Noir Rosé – $10.35

This Pinot Noir Rosé is from the Vin de Pays d’Oc appellation from France’s Languedoc Roussillon region.

 

The wine is a very light pink color.  The energetic nose has strawberries, cherries, orange blossoms and subtle minerals.  This has light body with nice acidity.  On the palate bright red fruit and minerals pop out on the front end with orange blossoms and lime zest coming through later.  The mouthwatering finish has good length with red fruit and lime zest.  This is a light, crisp rosé with nice up front red fruit.  This has 12.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Cypher Winery Monarchy – $15

This bottle was purchased from Last Bottle wines, my favorite “flash” wine site.  This was a real steal at over 60% off the suggested price of $40.  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.

 

This wine is a rather unusual 50/50 blend of Malbec and Petit Verdot from Paso Robles.

 

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The big and burly nose is full of crushed blackberries, blueberries, scorched earth, dried wildflowers, white pepper and baking spices.  This has a full body with soft to moderate ripe tannins and decent acidity.  On the palate waves of berries grab control quickly with scorched earth and dried flowers coming in later.  The finish has nice length with baking spices and white pepper providing depth.  This is a big, rich, velvety wine with impressive fruit on the front end.  This doesn’t offer much in the complexity department but the rich fruit and spice make up for that shortcoming.  I wouldn’t sit on this one for too long, enjoy this one over the next year or two.  This has 15.0% alcohol and the impressive bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  I love the “label less” bottle, everything is “painted” onto the glass.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

NV Pommery Champagne Brut Royal – $50.99

This is a blend of the three “classic” grapes used in Champagne, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.

 

The wine is a light golden yellow color with a steady stream of pinpoint sized bubbles.  The festive nose has green apples, yeasty bread, lime zest, toasted nuts and crushed stone minerals.  This has light body with great effervescence.  On the palate apples, lemon zest and fresh baked bread jump out on the front end with minerals coming in later.  The nicely lingering finish has good length with toasted nuts entering the picture.  This was enjoyable but for about the same price there are better selections out there.  I should note, even though I bought the bottle just a few months ago, it did seem a touch tired which is unusual, so this could have encountered some subpar treatment before it reached my cellar.  This has 12.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a standard Champagne cork.  (87 pts)

 

 

 

2013 Turley Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Vineyard – $44

This 100% Cabernet is from the winery’s estate vineyard in the Napa Valley that is certified organic and was planted in 1989.

 

The wine is a deep purple color.  The sexy nose has cassis, warm baking spices, cedar, tobacco, dusty minerals, dark chocolate, roasted leafy herbs and vanilla bean.  This has medium to full body with moderate to solid tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate cassis, cedar and baking spices grab your attention on the front end with tobacco and roasted herbs coming in on the back end.  The finish has very good length with minerals and vanilla bean providing nice depth.  This has nice balance and shows good restraint.  This just kept getting better and better the more air it received.  No hurry on this one, some additional cellar time will be rewarded.  This has 15% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2013 McPrice Myers Syrah Head Honcho – $18

This bottle was purchased from Last Bottle wines, my favorite “flash” wine site.  This was about half off the suggested price of $35.  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.

 

This was originally to be released under the Barrel 27 label but all wines destined for that label are now released as McPrice Myers in their “Blue Collar” series.  This wine is 96% Syrah with 2% each Viognier and Roussanne.

 

The wine is a deep purple color.  The big and bold nose has blackberries, blueberries, cedar, baking spices, black olives, black pepper, crushed stone minerals, and roasted meat.  This has a full body with moderate ripe tannins and decent acidity.  On the palate waves of berries, cedar and spices jump out quickly on the front end with black olives, crushed stones and roasted meat coming in later.  The finish has nice length with some black pepper entering the picture.  As with most McPrice Myers wines, don’t expect a lot of subtlety, these are beasts.  This is big and full but smooth and seamless.  Personally, I’d like a bit more acidity to help hold everything in check.  This has 15% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

A few meals paired with a couple of the wines.

 

This was a simple Ravioli Lasagna, fresh from the garden salad and garlic bread paired with the Benessere wine.

 

The classic steak and cab.  In this case, a Strip Steak that was cooked with the Sous Vide to rare and finished on a hot grill with a fresh from the garden salad and grilled potatoes paired with the Turley Cabernet.

 

When you have some leftover steak, what can beat steak tacos?  I paired this with the Head Honcho Syrah.

 

 

 

 

 

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!