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.

 

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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!