2011 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Old Vine

2009 Lewis Cellars Syrah Ethan’s

2012 Buoncristiani Dolcetto di Nonno

2010 Domaine Tour Saint-Michel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Lion

2009 Château Garraud

2014 Speedy Creek Sangiovese

 

 

 

2011 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Old Vine – $22

This wine is a blend of grapes mainly from the late ripening Stellwagen Vineyard as well as Casa Santinamaria which was originally slated for a vineyard designated bottling.  The remainder of the wine includes grapes from the terraced Los Chamizal Vineyard, some younger vine fruit from Rossi Ranch in Kenwood, a few barrels of Monte Rosso Zinfandel, and a bit of old-vine Carignane and Mourvedre from the winery’s Bedrock Vineyard.

 

The wine is a deep garnet color.  The inviting nose has brambly berries, black pepper, baking spices, black cherries, dry underbrush and wild flowers.  This has medium to full body with moderate tannins and good acidity.  On the palate brambly berries, black cherries, black pepper and baking spices grab control on the front end with underbrush and a nice floral note coming in later.  The finish has nice length with berries and spice dominating.  Not as complex as earlier vintages but that’s a result of the vintage.  This is very tasty and would be a great pairing with a wide range of food.  This has 14.8% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Lewis Cellars Syrah Ethan’s – $33.24

I’m not as big a fan as most people.  The winery has a cult like following but I’m just one of those people.  I generally grab a few bottles when I can get them at great prices, but I don’t hunt them down and I never pay full price.

 

The wine is a dark, opaque purple color.  The stunning nose is full of crushed berries, minerals, charred meat, scorched earth, vanilla, violets and dark chocolate.  This full bodied wine has fairly solid tannins and good acidity.  On the palate, the wine is big and brawny but the tannins and acidity hold everything together.  The initial assault on your palate is quickly reined in and held together through the long finish.  As should be expected from the winery, this is not a wine for the timid or for someone looking for a subtle, nuanced wine.  This will club you over the head and leave you asking for more.  This has 15.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Buoncristiani Dolcetto di Nonno – $40

This wine is a blend of 65% Napa County (Buon Block) and 35% Sonoma County (Unti Ranch in Dry Creek Valley) grapes.  Only 140 cases of this wine were produced.

 

From the winery:

Our paternal grandfather, Nonno, immigrated to California from Northern Italy and brought his passion for food, wine, art, and family tradition.  The Buoncristiani brothers, Nonno’s grandsons, planted Dolcetto to be crafted into a wine as a tribute to their roots, and in honor of Nonno.

 

The wine is a deep ruby color.  The very inviting nose has blackberries, blueberries, dry underbrush, dusty minerals, warm baking spices, dark chocolate, white pepper and wildflowers.  This has medium to full body with soft to moderate tannins and nice acidity.  On the palate crushed berries, dark chocolate, underbrush and minerals grab control on the front end with baking spices and white pepper coming in on the back end.  The finish has good length with berries and dark chocolate joined by a nice floral note.  This is a serious Dolcetto.  This has 14.4% alcohol and the bottle sealed with a natural cork.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Domaine Tour Saint-Michel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Lion – $22.80

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.

 

Even though the blend for this wine varies by vintage, it is generally about 75% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 5% Mourvedre.

 

This family (and currently woman owned) estate is now in its’ fourth generation and has grown to now include about 100 acres, 86 in Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

 

The wine is a nice maroon color.  The very impressive nose has kirsch, strawberries, garrigue, leather, white pepper, scorched earth and wildflowers.  This has medium body with moderate to solid tannins and very good acidity.  On the palate nice upfront fruit is joined by garrigue and white pepper with leather and scorched earth coming in later.  The finish has great length with wildflowers providing depth.  This tastes great now with some air but some additional cellar time will be rewarded.  This will improve over the next year or two and drink very nicely for the following decade.  This has 14.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Château Garraud – $25.49

From the Lalande de Pomerol region in Bordeaux.  This is a blend of 69% Merlot, 26% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon.

 

The wine is a medium to deep ruby color.  The intense nose has plums, black cherries, baking spices, cedar, tobacco, dried leafy herbs and crushed stone minerals.  This has medium body with moderate to solid tannins and very good acidity.  On the palate nice fruit and spice come through on the front end with slightly scratchy cedar and tobacco coming in later.  On the nicely lingering finish, dried herbs and minerals proved good depth.  The tannins are still fairly prominent on the back end and finish.  This tastes good now with some air, but I think this will be better in a couple years.  This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2014 Speedy Creek Sangiovese – $18.79

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 is mostly Sangiovese with small amounts of estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.  This wine was aged for 18 months in French Oak barrels.  This wine has a suggested price of SRP $30, so the Last Bottle price was very good.

 

The wine is a deep ruby color.  The enticing nose has black cherries, earthy underbrush, warm baking spices, crushed stone minerals, licorice and wild flowers.  This has medium body with soft to moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate black cherries, minerals and earthy underbrush jump out on the front end with baking spices and licorice coming in later.  The finish has good length with a floral note providing some extra depth.  This is a nice California Sangiovese.  This has 14.2% alcohol and the bottle is closed with a natural cork.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

A few meals paired with a couple of the wines.

Other meals that were paired with all the wines for the week are usually posted on my Instagram account, Cliff’s Wine Picks Instagram.  If you want a specific recipe, send an e-mail to Cliff @ CliffsWinePicks . com.  Obviously, remove the spaces.

 

I paired the Bedrock Zinfandel with tacos, refried beans and Mexican rice.

 

 

The Speedy Creek Sangiovese paired very nicely with pasta and my wife’s meat sauce.

 

 

The Lewis Syrah was paired with a grilled ham steak and my wife’s macaroni and cheese casserole.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Connect with me

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.

 

I post a lot more pictures and pairing suggestions on my Instagram account, consider joining me at https://www.instagram.com/cbbrown3/

 

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

 

Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2019 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

***** Shameless Self Promotion *****

 

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

 

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

Cliff’s Wine Picks mentions or other posts

Here are posts, newsletters, blogs or other articles that either mention this site or that I have written:

 

Click here or on the “Cliff’s Wine Picks On Other Sites” link in the top right corner to see links to other sites that either have my reviews, my thoughts or other posts I have written.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

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!

 

 

2013 Anthill Farms Grenache Steel Plow Vineyard

2014 Macchia Barbera Delicious Lodi

2012 Jean Edwards Cellars Petite Sirah

2014 Bacio Divino Pazzo

2012 Elyse Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley

2014 Courtney Benham Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

 

 

 

2013 Anthill Farms Grenache Steel Plow Vineyard – $18

Just about every year Anthill Farms produces a “one-off” wine that usually doesn’t become part of their wines produced every year.  I say usually because several years ago their one-off wine was a Syrah from Windsor Oaks Vineyard that was so popular it was added to their annual offerings.  This is a one-off wine from a couple years ago from the volcanic soils of the Sonoma Valley.

 

The wine is a very light ruby red color, just a touch darker than some Rosé wines.  The inviting nose has cherries, baking spice, crushed stones, white pepper, wild flowers and a touch of dried herbs.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate spicy, tart cherries, minerals and white pepper quickly take hold, slowly allowing some dried herbs to slip through.  The finish has nice length with cherries, white pepper and minerals seeming to linger forever.  This is very young so patience will be rewarded.  This has outstanding balance and is very food friendly.  This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (91 pts)

 

 

2014 Macchia Barbera Delicious Lodi – $19.54

Barbera is another grape that is used to produce some real gems in Lodi.  In Lodi, the grape gets a bit riper and more luxurious then their Italian counterparts.  These are nice, easy drinking, fruit driven wines that will surprise you when you try one.  In September 2016 I participated in a big Lodi Barbera tasting at Macchia Wines and across the board, these were outstanding wines.  Do these wines age?  After trying his 2014 and 2015 vintages, Tim Holdener, Macchia owner/winemaker, pulled a 2003 vintage from his personal stash for us to taste.  The wine held up marvelously and proved Lodi wines can age, even those produced from the Barbera grape which is usually consumed within a couple years of being produced.

 

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The exotic nose has black cherries, blackberries, white pepper, dusty minerals, espresso beans, scorched earth, dark chocolate and dried violets.  This has a full body with soft tannins and nice acidity.  On the palate cherries, blackberries, white pepper and minerals come through on the front end with espresso beans and dark chocolate coming in on the back end.  The finish has very nice length with scorched earth and a dried floral note providing good depth.  The wine finishes with lingering sweet fruit.  This won’t be confused with an Italian Barbera but who cares, it’s very tasty.  This has 14.6% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (90 pts)

 

 

2012 Jean Edwards Cellars Petite Sirah – $30

This 100% Petite Sirah comes from multiple blocks in Vincent Arroyo vineyards in Calistoga that was aged in a combination of French and American Oak.

 

The wine is a deep, dark purple color.  The exuberant nose has blackberries, black peppercorns, eucalyptus, espresso beans, baking spices, dry earth, tobacco, dried wildflowers and a bit of dark chocolate.  This has medium to full body with solid tannins and very good acidity.  On the palate blackberries, black pepper and espresso beans grab your attention on the front end with dry earth, tobacco and baking spices coming in later.  The finish has nice length with a dried floral note and dark chocolate providing good depth.  This is still very young and needs a couple hours of air, preferably a couple more years in the cellar.  There still seems to be a lot hidden behind the wall of tannins and acidity, this has tremendous upside for those with patience.  This has 14.3% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (91 pts now with potential to 94-95)

 

 

2014 Bacio Divino Pazzo – $22

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.

 

Pazzo means “crazy” in Italian.

 

This is a blend of 46% Sangiovese, 28% Merlot, 10% Syrah, 10% Malbec and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon.  I know this only adds up to 98% but this is the breakdown by the winery.

 

The wine is a deep garnet color.  The enticing nose has black cherries, raspberries, licorice, roasted leafy herbs, dark roasted coffee beans, white pepper, baking spices and wildflowers.  This has medium body with soft to moderate tannins and nice acidity.  On the palate black cherries, roasted herbs, coffee beans and baking spices jump out on the front end with raspberries and white pepper coming in later.  The finish has nice length with subtle underbrush providing some depth.  This is an easy drinking wine that is full of fruit and savory notes to enjoy over the next few years.  This has 14.9% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.  (90 pts)

 

 

2012 Elyse Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley – $18

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.  The wine’s release price was $40 so Last Bottle’s price was well over 50% off.

 

This wine includes 12% Petite Sirah and 6% Carignane.  The grapes come from Teldeschi and Ramazzotti Vineyards.  Following a 15 day native yeast fermentation the wine was aged 10 ½ months in American oak with 25% new.  The total production was 1,176 cases.

 

The wine is a deep ruby to maroon color.  The enticing nose has brambly berries, baking spices, dry earth, black peppercorns, licorice, dark chocolate, candied wildflowers and underbrush.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate brambly berries, baking spices and black peppercorns come through on the front end with underbrush, dry earth and chocolate coming in later.  A candied floral note and licorice come in on the nicely lingering finish.  This has very nice acidity and good closing tannins making this a great partner to something hot and juicy off the grill.  This has 14.6% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (92 pts)

 

 

2014 Courtney Benham Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley – $21.24

Courtney Benham is a division of Martin Ray Winery.  Courtney Benham Wines are limited release for special offer to their wine club members but obviously some make it into the hands of the Total Wine stores since I can buy these reasonably priced wines at my local store.

 

The wine is a medium to deep ruby color.  The slightly shy nose has crushed berries, baking spices, tobacco, violets and a touch of dark chocolate.  This has medium body with soft to moderate tannins and good acidity.  On the palate crushed berries and spices come through on the front end with tobacco and violets coming in on the back end.  The finish has decent length with some dark chocolate providing depth.  This gets a bit hollow on the back end and this doesn’t offer much complexity.  Perhaps some cellar time will allow the wine to fill out and aid the complexity.  As is this is a nice week night Cabernet from Napa at an attractive price.  This has 14.2% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.  (87 pts)

 

 

A few meals paired with a couple of the wines.

 

Other meals that were paired with all the wines for the week are usually posted on my Instagram account, Cliff’s Wine Picks Instagram.  If you want a specific recipe, send an e-mail to Cliff @ CliffsWinePicks . com.  Obviously, remove the spaces.

 

 

The Bacio Divino Pazzo was paired with Veal Parmigiana, a garlic roll and a tossed salad.

 

 

I paired the Jean Edwards Cellars Petite Sirah with a simple bacon cheeseburger (with pepper jack cheese) and fries.

 

 

The Macchia Barbera Delicious paired very nicely with a meaty baked ziti that was loaded with gooey mozzarella cheese.

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Connect with me

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.

 

I post a lot more pictures and pairing suggestions on my Instagram account, consider joining me at https://www.instagram.com/cbbrown3/

 

If you like this post, consider joining Cliffs Wine Picks Wine Blog on Facebook and giving me a Like.

 

Cheers!

 

 

This is original to CliffsWinePicks.com.  Copyright 2019 Cliff’s Wine Picks.

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

***** Shameless Self Promotion *****

 

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

 

 

 

Breaking news from Klout:

 

 

Cliff’s Wine Picks mentions or other posts

Here are posts, newsletters, blogs or other articles that either mention this site or that I have written:

 

Click here or on the “Cliff’s Wine Picks On Other Sites” link in the top right corner to see links to other sites that either have my reviews, my thoughts or other posts I have written.

 

 

 

Remember to support your local wine store!

 

 

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

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!