2014 Courtney Benham Pinot Noir Central Coast

2015 Loring Wine Company Dornfelder Huber Vineyard

Bernard Remy Champagne Grand Cru

2007 Keplinger Grenache N=1

2014 Autonom Rose of Grenache Santa Barbara County

2010 Château Brown Pessac Leognan

 

 

 

2014 Courtney Benham Pinot Noir Central Coast – $13.42

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 deep ruby red color.  The relaxing nose has black cherries, dry underbrush, white pepper, licorice, Asian spices and wild flowers.  This has medium body with soft to moderate tannins and good acidity.  On the palate black cherries, underbrush and white pepper come through on the front end with spices and a floral note coming in later.  The finish has nice length with a black tea note providing some depth.  This doesn’t offer a lot of complexity but it is an easy to drink Pinot at a very attractive price.  This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.  (88 pts)

 

 

 

2015 Loring Wine Company Dornfelder Huber Vineyard – $36.66

Dornfelder is an extremely rare grape variety in the United States.  Dornfelder is a dark skinned grape that was created by August Herold in Germany.  Dornfelder is a cross between two grapes that are generally unknown in this country, Helfensteiner and Heroldrebe.  Visit Wikipedia for a full rundown on this grape and its’ origin.  Dornfelder received varietal protection and was released for cultivation in 1979.

 

The wine is a deep purple, almost black.  The big and bold nose has blackberries, licorice, baking spices, scorched earth and dusty minerals.  This has medium body with soft tannins and decent acidity.  On the palate tart berries, licorice and baking spices dominate the front end with minerals and plums coming in later.  The finish has nice length with plums and spices carrying the load.  This doesn’t offer much in the complexity department but for a sparsely planted grape it provides a nice mouthful of fruit and spice.  This is much lighter on the palate then the nose lead me to expect.  This is a novelty grape at this point, we’ll have to wait to see if it can gain a foothold in California.  This doesn’t offer a lot of QPR at this point, perhaps an increase in acreage would increase the supply but at this point sampling a Dornfelder from California will cost more than it should.  This has 14.3% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist-off closure.  (86 pts)

 

 

 

Bernard Remy Champagne Grand Cru – $28.57

This was a purchase 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 100% Chardonnay was aged for 5 years on its lees.

 

The wine is a light golden yellow color with several steady steams of pinpoint sized bubbles.  The alluring nose has apples, yeasty bread, lemon zest, dusty minerals, roasted nuts and spring flowers.  This has light to medium body with great acidity.  On the palate tart apples, lemon zest and minerals quickly grab control with yeasty bread and a touch of nuttiness coming in later.  The lingering finish adds a nice floral note.  The citrusy crispness in this bubbly will keep you reaching for another sip.  A very good bargain.  This has 12.0% alcohol.  (92 pts)

 

 

 

2007 Keplinger Grenache N=1 – $70

Here’s the background on the wine’s name, N=1:

Always game for experimentation, we relented, selecting one 600L barrel to age for another year. This wine is the first iteration of this experiment, hence the name “N=1,” and it will only be repeated in truly exceptional vintages.

 

Production was a minuscule 60 cases, luckily 3 bottles were able to find a home in my cellar.

 

The wine is a deep ruby red color.  The stunning nose has cherries, white pepper, warm baking spices, minerals, roasted herbs, cola and dried flowers.  This has medium to full body with moderate to solid tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate the tart cherries, white pepper and spices jump out first with roasted herbs and cola coming in on the back end.  The finish is extremely long and nicely layered.  This is absolutely stunning today but it still seems to have more buried deep inside.  Enjoy it with plenty of air or let it sleep in the cellar for a couple more years.  This would fit in nicely as a sleeper in a high end CdP tasting.  The wine has 15% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (95 pts)

 

 

 

2014 Autonom Rose of Grenache Santa Barbara County – $25

Total production was 900 bottles, bottles not cases.

 

The wine is a deep pink salmon color.  The bright and lively nose has cherries, white peach, crushed stones, strawberries, orange blossoms, dry earth and a touch of leafy green herbs.  This has light to medium body with nice acidity and seems to be totally dry.  On the palate bright red fruit and crushed stones come through on the front end with orange blossoms and a hint of leafy herbs coming in on the back end.  The finish has decent length with strawberries and a touch of dry earth providing depth.  This tastes very nice.  Even though I held on to it for an extra year, it isn’t coming across as anything but fresh and crisp.  I liked this wine.  This has 13.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2010 Château Brown Pessac Leognan – $30.30

This was a purchase 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 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot.  For some reason, I think this is a fantastic name for a winery, right up there with Vine Cliff  🙂

 

The wine is a deep ruby red color.  The invigorating nose has cassis, plums, dusty minerals, cedar, tobacco, cherries, dark roast coffee beans, baking spices, violets and dry earth.  This has medium to full body with moderate to solid tannins and very nice acidity.  Cassis, plums, cedar and minerals take control of the palate on the front end with baking spices, cherries and coffee beans coming in later.  The finish has very nice length with dry earth and a nice floral note providing good depth.  This is drinking very nicely today with some air but another year or two in the cellar will be rewarded.  This is everything you could want in a lower cost Bordeaux.  I grew to like this more and more as the evening wore on, glad I have a few more bottle in the cellar to follow over the next 8 to 10 years.  This has 14.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (93 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 Calera Pinot Noir Mills Vineyard

2005 Copain Syrah Harrison Clarke

2006 Oliverhill Winery Shiraz Jimmy Section

2015 Loring Wine Company Dornfelder Huber Vineyard

2015 Daou Vineyards The Pessimist

2013 Conn Creek Herrick Red

 

 

 

2009 Calera Pinot Noir Mills Vineyard – $46.64

The wine is a nice garnet color.  The inviting nose has black cherries, forest floor, chalky minerals, white pepper, eucalyptus, raspberries and a dried floral note.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very good acidity.  On the palate cherries, minerals, white pepper and forest floor grab control immediately with raspberries coming in on the back end.  The finish has great length with a dried floral note joining the cherries, minerals and forest floor.  This shows excellent balance and is a pleasure to drink.  This has 14.9% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  For the wine geeks, the back label challenges Ridge for the most informative label in the business.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

2005 Copain Syrah Harrison Clarke – $40.00

The wine is a fairly deep ruby red color.  The appealing nose has blackberries, crushed stone minerals, briny black olives, white pepper, wood embers, freshly ground espresso beans, vanilla and dark chocolate.  This has a full body with moderate tannins and good acidity.  On the palate blackberries, minerals, black olives and wood embers jump out on the front end with espresso beans, vanilla and white pepper coming in later.  The finish has good length with dark chocolate and a floral note providing nice depth.  To me, this was one of Copain’s lower rung vineyards, normally overshadowed by several others.  This has 14.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2006 Oliverhill Winery Shiraz Jimmy Section – $19.00

This is one of my wife’s all-time favorite wines.  How much does she like it?  Per Cellar Tracker I bought a total of 33 bottles, and his will be the 32nd bottle we’ve opened since December 2009.  It will be hard to let her know it’s all gone when the last bottle gets cracked open.  I should add I like this wine as well.  I still do not understand how it was such a slow mover at the local wine store.  This is part of my last case which only cost me $19.00, a bottle.  A steal based on the $35 release price.

 

The wine is a deep, inky purple color.  The very inviting nose is full of blackberries, black pepper, vanilla, smoldering charcoal, licorice, leather, blueberries,  dry earth, wild flowers and dark chocolate.  This is fairly full bodied with solid, ripe tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate the wine gives a big blast of ripe, juicy berries with spicy oak and black pepper adding nice savory elements.  The finish has very good length with blueberries, dark chocolate and a nice floral note providing great depth.  This is a big, bold and ripe wine that pushes the ripeness but does not cross over into the sweet or syrupy level.  This has 15.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.  (93 pts)

 

 

 

2015 Loring Wine Company Dornfelder Huber Vineyard – $36.66

And now for something totally different, a Dornfelder wine from California.

 

The wine is a deep, dark purple color, almost black.  The impressive nose is full of blackberries, blueberries, dry underbrush, baking spices, chalky minerals and a hint of road tar.  This has a full body with moderate ripe tannins and nice acidity.  On the palate this tastes like a warm berry pie with subtle earthiness and minerals coming in on the back end.  The finish is full of berries and spice with a hint of road tar.  This is a very unique wine from a “different” grape.  Though it lacks in the complexity department, there is no lack of flavor and overall taste.  I wouldn’t sit on this one for an extended time, enjoy this one over the next few years.  This has 14.3% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with the standard Loring twist off closure.  (90 pts)

 

 

 

2015 Daou Vineyards The Pessimist – $18.99

This is a blend of 37% Syrah, 31% Petite Sirah, 27% Zinfandel, 4% Tannat and 1% Grenache.

 

The wine is an inky purple color.  The big and bold nose is full of crushed blackberries, blueberries, baking spices, vanilla, toasty oak, crushed stone minerals and scorched earth.  This has a full body with moderate ripe tannins and nice acidity.  This is big and lush on the palate with blackberries, blueberries, spicy oak and vanilla up front with minerals and dried earthy elements coming in later.  The finish has good length with baking spices and berries carrying the majority of the load.  This may be lacking in complexity but it is full throttle on the fruit and spice.  I wouldn’t sit on this for an extended period of time, enjoy this one over the next few years.  This has 15.2% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (91 pts)

 

 

 

2013 Conn Creek Herrick Red – $15.99

This is a blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Syrah, 6% Merlot, 6% Malbec, 4% Primitivo from the Napa Valley

 

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The easy going nose has cassis, blueberries, dark chocolate, plums, caramel, dry underbrush, vanilla bean and flinty minerals.  This has a full body with soft to moderate ripe tannins and decent acidity.  This is rich and velvety on the palate with a big fruit presence on the front end.  The back end provides some nice savory notes to keep the fruit from getting boring with dark chocolate and flinty minerals.  The finish has decent length and like the palate is fruit driven.  This isn’t built to age and lacks complexity but that doesn’t stop it from being very tasty.  This would be best served with appetizer platters to friends gathered for conversation and not to geek-out over the wine.  This has 14.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (88 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!