2013 La Fortuna Rosso di Montalcino

2013 Taken Wine Co. Taken

2014 Mastro Scheidt Sangiovese

2009 Lewis Cellars Alec’s Blend

2012 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Kirschenmann Vineyard

2011 Buoncristiani OPC Proprietary Red

 

 

 

2013 La Fortuna Rosso di Montalcino – $14.91

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.

 

La Fortuna is one of the oldest wineries in Montalcino.  The Zannoni family has been running the winery of 5 generations, over 100 years.  This wine is 100% Sangiovese from vines between 15 and 25 years old.

 

The wine is ruby red in color.  The very inviting nose has black cherries, dusty minerals, roasted leafy herbs, scorched earth, underbrush, well worn leather, tobacco and dried wildflowers.  This has medium body with soft to moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate cherries, dusty minerals and roasted herbs jump out quickly on the front end with scorched earth, tobacco and leather coming in later.  The finish has nice length with dried flowers and underbrush entering the picture.  A really nice Rosso di Montalcino.  This one will last in the cellar for at least a couple years.  This wine has 14% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2013 Taken Wine Co. Taken – $24.64

This is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot.  The wine spent 16 months in 50% new French oak barrels.

 

This is a deep purple color.  The explosive nose is full of blackberries, dark chocolate, vanilla, espresso beans and plums.  This has medium to full body with soft tannins and decent acidity.  On the palate blackberries, plums and dark chocolate quickly grab your attention with vanilla and espresso beans coming in later.  The finish has nice length and is totally fruit driven.  This is a fairly soft Cab blend that would be nice after dinner or to share with friends over conversation and a platter of appetizers.  I would have liked a bit more structure and backbone.  This has 14.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2014 Mastro Scheidt Sangiovese – $14.71

This was another “steal” from Last Bottle wines, my favorite “flash” wine site.  It looks like the winery’s suggested price for this wine is $42.00 making this a great Last Bottle offer.  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 was aged 10 months in 30% new American oak and 70% neutral French oak.

 

According to the winery:

2013 was a drought year in all of Sonoma County and California, with warm, consistent sunshine and zero precipitation for nearly the entire growing season.  Yields looked good, similar to 2012 … until August arrived. The consistently dry weather began to stress the vines a bit too much,  specially in the dry farmed vineyards, resulting in lower yields in many vineyards. Meticulous pre-sorting in each and every vineyard was crucial in 2013. We harvested Sangiovese in the Lake Block Vineyard on September 23. Overall, 2013 yielded rich concentration of flavor, color and vineyard source.

 

This is from Sonoma County’s Dry Creek Valley.  The wine is a bright ruby red color.  The appealing nose has cherries, raspberries, dry underbrush, dusty minerals, dried violets, baking spices and a hint of cedar.  This has medium body with good acidity and soft tannins.  On the palate bright cherries, raspberries and minerals grab hold on the front end with underbrush and baking spices coming in later.  The finish has very good length with a dried floral note and a touch of cedar providing depth.  This is a very tasty, food friendly alternative to a Chianti Riserva for pizza or pasta.  This has 13.9% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (89 pts)

 

 

 

2009 Lewis Cellars Alec’s Blend – $37.99

This wine is a blend of 80% Syrah, 17% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon.  There were 1000 cases of this wine produced.

 

The wine is a deep, dark, inky purple color.  The big, bold and rich nose is full of crushed blackberries, blueberries, smoke, charred meat, black pepper, dark bittersweet chocolate, vanilla, cedar, fresh ground coffee and scorched earth.  This has a full body with fairly solid tannins and decent acidity.  On the palate the spicy berries, pepper and meaty elements hit first followed by vanilla, dark chocolate and some earthiness.  The finish is fairly long and is highlighted by dark chocolate, vanilla and berries with spicy cedar also making an appearance.  This is a big and ripe wine made in a take no prisoners style.  This wine has 15.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2012 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Kirschenmann Vineyard – $28.00

I have been on the Bedrock mailing list since the inception several years ago.  Bedrock is owned by Morgan Twain-Peterson, son of former Ravenswood owner and Zinfandel visionary, Joel Peterson.

 

Kirschenmann Vineyard is dry-farmed, organically-farmed, and own-rooted in silica rich soils along the Mokolumne River in Lodi.  The vineyard owner is Tegan Passalacqua, who is also responsible for the winemaking and vineyard management at Turley.

 

This is from a vineyard now owned by Tegan Passalacqua (Turley winemaker) and his wife Olivia.  This is an “own rooted” Zinfandel vineyard that was planted in 1915.  The “own rooted” vines had survived because the soil is very sandy which is a natural deterant to pests and diseases they plague vines in other soil conditions.  The wine is a deep ruby color.  The very inviting nose has brambly berries, cherries, warm baking spices, dusty minerals, black peppercorns, dried leafy herbs, licorice and violets.  This has a medium to full body with moderate ripe tannins and nice acidity.  This is rich and voluptuous on the palate with juicy fruit, minerals, black pepper and dusty minerals on the front end with dried herbs and dry earth coming in later.  The spicy finish has nice length.  This is a very easy Zinfandel to sip and enjoy.  The wine has 14.6% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

2011 Buoncristiani OPC Proprietary Red – $28.99

This was another “steal” from Last Bottle wines, my favorite “flash” wine site.  The current release of this wine, from the 2013 vintage, carries a suggested price of $70.  Some quick math shows the Last Bottle price was over 50% off.  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 a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Syrah, 15% Malbec and 11% Merlot from various vineyards including Hyde, Stagecoach, Hossfeld, Tench and Bennett.  OPC stands for “Ol’ Pa’s Cuvée”

 

The wine is a deep garnet color.  The outgoing and enticing nose has cassis, dusty minerals, cherries, warm baking spices, roasted leafy herbs, scorched earth, fresh ground espresso beans, white pepper, dark chocolate and dried violets.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate cassis, baking spices, cherries and dusty minerals dominate the front end with roasted herbs and espresso beans coming in on the back end.  The long finish adds dark chocolate, white pepper and a dried floral note.  This may be on the young side but it is already stunning.  This has 14.4% alcohol and the bottle 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.

 

 

 

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 2017 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!

 

 

2009 Turley Zinfandel Ueberroth Vineyard

2011 Poderi Luigi Einaudi Dolcetto Dogliani

2011 Buoncristiani OPC Proprietary Red

2007 Domaine de Piaugier Gigondas

N.V. Lucien Albrecht Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rosé

2006 Novy Family Wines Syrah Rosella’s Vineyard

 

 

2009 Turley Zinfandel Ueberroth Vineyard – $48.00

Ueberroth is my favorite vineyard source for Turley grapes that is not named Hayne.  This vineyard generally yields a big, full bodied wine with loads of pepper and spice.  In a nutshell, this is the type of old vine Zinfandel that put Turley on the map.

 

The wine has 16.2% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The exotic nose has brambly berries, crushed stones, white pepper, warm baking spices, potpourri, dried earth, plums, dark bittersweet chocolate and licorice.  This full bodied gem had moderate ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate berries, crushed stones, baking spices and white pepper immediately jump out with dried herbs and wildflowers quickly joining in.  The finish has outstanding length with dry earth and dark chocolate adding considerable depth.  This is in its’ prime drinking window and should hold until the end of the decade.  A quintessential Turley zin, ripe and rich with considerable power “under the hood”.  (95 pts)

 

 

2011 Poderi Luigi Einaudi Dolcetto Dogliani – $15.19

Who doesn’t love a glass of good Italian wine with a meal?  Italian wines all seem to have one thing in common, great natural acidity.  This acidity makes these wines some of the most food friendly wines out there.  Just like everywhere, good Italian wines can be costly.  Luckily, there are some very reasonably priced wines out there, besides Chianti, that can help provide a pleasing change of pace from your normal wine drinking routine.  Two very versatile grapes to seek out are Barbera and the basis for this post, Dolcetto.

 

This wine has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to dark ruby color.  The inviting nose has plum, black cherry, dusty minerals, licorice, cocoa powder and wildflowers.  This has medium body, soft to moderate tannins and good acidity.  On the palate nice fruit and minerals hit first, followed by cocoa.  The finish has decent length with a floral note coming into focus.  This is easy to pair with food but is also tasty on its own.  (90 pts)

 

 

2011 Buoncristiani OPC Proprietary Red – $46.66

This is a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Syrah, 15% Malbec and 11% Merlot from various vineyards including Hyde, Stagecoach, Hossfeld, Tench and Bennett.  OPC stands for “Ol’ Pa’s Cuvée”

 

This has 14.4% alcohol and the bottle sealed with a natural cork.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep garnet color.  The outgoing and enticing nose has cassis, dusty minerals, cherries, warm baking spices, roasted leafy herbs, scorched earth, fresh ground espresso beans, dark chocolate and dried violets.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate cassis, baking spices, cherries and dusty minerals dominate the front end with roasted herbs and espresso beans coming in on the back end.  The long finish adds dark chocolate and a dried floral note.  This may be on the young side but it is already stunning.  (94 pts)

 

 

2007 Domaine de Piaugier Gigondas – $16.99

I ordered this in late 2008 from Garagiste.  By the time it arrived in their Washington warehouse all my other wines had shipped.  I cut down on my Garagiste purchases, so I received free storage for a couple of years.  I figured the wine was approaching a nice drinking window, so I made sure to order enough wine that these bottles would fill a case and be shipped.  This is my fourth of the six bottles I purchased.  To me, Gigondas is a very unheralded area in the Rhone region of France.  These wines usually have a bit more richness than a Cotes du Rhone but in a lot of cases, they only cost a few dollars more.

 

Winery history

Alphonse Vautour, Jean-Marc Autran’s great-grandfather, made his wine in a cellar at the top of a little hill called Les Briguières, to the south of Sablet where he owned six hectares of vines.  The winery was named Ténébi, after the previous owner of the house.

 

Alphonse had to go down the hill, his mules loaded with barrels, to wait for the wine merchant to come by.  If the merchant didn’t come, or didn’t buy his wine, he had to climb back up with his reluctant mules.  So, in 1947 he decided to build a new winery on the road below, where the Piaugier cellars are to this day.

 

Jean-Marc Autran, Alphonse’s great-grandson, took over the winery from his father Marc in 1985.  He acquired more vineyards and, with the assistance of his wife Sophie, started bottling and developed sales.  The winery soon became too small and they extended it in 1995 to enable them to age and store the wines in the best possible conditions.

 

In homage to this family history, Jean-Marc has dedicated a wine to his ancestor, the Réserve Alphonse Vautour, which is made from grapes grown in his original fields.

 

Today, Piaugier wines are sold as far away as the United States, Japan and Brazil.

 

Much more information is available at http://www.domainedepiaugier.com/en_index.htm

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bit darker than a medium ruby color. The very appealing nose has raspberries, baking spices, cherries, white pepper, dried herbs, fresh wild flowers, smoke, and a touch of earthy underbrush. This has medium body, fairly solid tannins, and good acidity. Spicy fruit hits the palate first, followed by nice dried herbs, pepper, and a touch of scorched earth. The finish has good length and leans more on the savory elements with the fruit providing nice background sweetness but it does lose some depth and richness. This is drinking very nicely today but can be enjoyed over the next few years.  (90 pts)

 

 

N.V. Lucien Albrecht Crémant d’Alsace Brut Rosé – $16.62

Domaine Lucien Albrecht is one of the oldest and leading Alsace family owned estate, tracing its roots back to 1425.  Through the Albrecht eighteen generations, they have become one of the largest owners of prime Alsace hillside vineyards.  In the early 70’s, Lucien Albrecht, the father of Jean, the current proprietor and winemaker, was one of the three founding fathers of the regulated Crémant d’Alsace.  In 2004, Lucien Albrecht Crémants made history.  At the 14th Concours National des Crémants de France (Crémant Wine Challenge), they stole the show, winning an unprecedented Four Gold Medals.

 

Lucien Albrecht Brut Rosé is made from 100% Pinot Noir.  The whole cluster hand-picked grapes are softly pressed in a pneumatic press, hence the coral, light pink salmon color.  Lucien Albrecht Brut Rosé is made by using the same methods as in Champagne, i.e “method traditionnelle”.  After the second fermentation in the bottle, lee ageing lasts for nine months, followed by remuage and disgorging.

 

This has 12.0% alcohol by volume.

 

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright salmon pink color.  The enticing nose has cherries, strawberries, minerals, yeasty bread and a hint of citrus zest.  The wine has light body with crisp acidity and sporadic pinpoint bubbles after an initial blast of bubbles left a nice mousse.   Cherries, strawberries and minerals dominate the palate.  The finish has great length with just a hint of lingering sweetness.  Not a lot of complexity but very tasty.  (90 pts)

 

 

2006 Novy Family Wines Syrah Rosella’s Vineyard – $33.00

The wine is a dark ruby to purple color.  The exotic nose has blackberries, dead wood embers, fresh ground coffee beans, dark chocolate, citrus zest, roasted herbs, white pepper, dark chocolate and dried flowers.  This has medium body with moderate to solid tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate smoky berries and coffee beans jump out first with dark chocolate and citrus zest coming in on the backend.  The finish has good length with white pepper coming into play.  This is drinking very nicely today but will hold for a few more years.  This is not a big fruit driven wine, the savory elements play a big role.  (92 pts)

 

 

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.

 

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 2015 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!