2015 Bieler Père et Fils Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence Rosé Sabine

2011 Elyse Zinfandel Morisoli Vineyard

2014 St. Amant Winery Zinfandel Old Vines Mohr-Fry Ranch Vineyard

2013 Michael-David Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Freakshow

2013 Klinker Brick Zinfandel Old Vine

2008 Ridge Lytton Springs

 

 

 

2015 Bieler Père et Fils Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence Rosé Sabine – $11.04

I received several bottle of Provence Rosé wines to sample from Wines of Provence, so to get my palate ready, I pulled one from my cellar.  I think Provence produces some of the best Rosé wines in the world.

 

This wine is a blend of 40% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cinsault and 3% Rolle.  The wine is a light salmon pink color.  The clean and fresh nose has strawberries, cherries, dusty minerals, orange zest and white flowers.  This dry wine has medium body and crist acidity.  On the palate tart strawberries, minerals and cherries quickly provide ice up front flavor with mouth watering orange zest coming in on the back end.  The nice finish adds a pleasing floral note.  This is perfect on a sunny day.  This has 13.0% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off cap.  (91 pts)

 

 

2011 Elyse Zinfandel Morisoli Vineyard – $16.01

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

 

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The captivating nose has brambly berries, black peppercorns, dusty minerals, scorched earth, baking spices, dark chocolate, cherries, violets and just a hint of roasted leafy herbs.  This has medium body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate brambly berries, baking spices and dusty minerals immediately jump out with spicy oak, black pepper and cherries coming in later.  The finish has nice length with some subtle earthiness joining a floral note and dark chocolate to add solid depth.  This is a well balanced, food friendly Zinfandel to enjoy over the remainder of the decade.  (91 pts)

 

 

2014 St. Amant Winery Zinfandel Old Vines Mohr-Fry Ranch Vineyard – $16.71

I’ve been a fan of St Amant Winery zinfandels for several years.  It was great visiting with the Stuart Spencer, the winemaker for St Amant as well as Jerry Fry, the owner/grower at this vineyard during a recent trip to Lodi.  Even though I’ve loved past vintages of this wine, I think this is their best effort to date.

 

The wine is a bright ruby red color.  The very appealing nose has brambly berries, dusty minerals, licorice, black pepper, cherries, charred underbrush, violets and a hint of mint.  This has medium to full body with moderate tannins and very nice acidity.  On the palate brambly berries, minerals and black pepper quickly take control with underbrush and cherries slipping through on the back end.  The finish has very good length with a nice floral note and just a hint of mint adding good depth.  This is drinking very nicely now with some air but some cellar time will be rewarded.  This has great balance and is easy to enjoy.  A great effort.  This has 15.5% alcohol, which was a gigantic surprise to me, not a trace shows through any where.  The bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (93 pts)

 

 

2013 Michael-David Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Freakshow – $15.99

This is another winery I visited during my recent Lodi trip.  This is a first class operation and their wines deserve a try, especially their mid to upper end wines.

 

The wine is a deep maroon color.  The intoxicating nose has cassis, vanilla, eucalyptus, tobacco, wild flowers, dark chocolate and baking spices.  This has a full body with soft to moderate ripe tannins and decent acidity.  On the palate cassis, vanilla and baking spices jump out on the front end with wild flowers and dark chocolate coming in on the back end.  The finish has nice length with a hint of eucalyptus coming through.  Not a lot of complexity or subtlety but very tasty.  This has 14.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (88 pts)

 

 

2013 Klinker Brick Zinfandel Old Vine – $13.78

We didn’t get the opportunity to visit Klinker Brick on the Lodi trip, but their full throttle zins have always been welcomed in my house.

 

The wine is a deep purple color.  The big and bold nose has brambly berries, dark chocolate, black peppercorns, dry earth, wild flowers and baking spices.  This has a full body with soft to moderate ripe tannins and decent acidity.  Crushed berries, baking spices and dark chocolate take control of the palate on the front end with dry earth and black pepper coming in later.  The finish has nice length with berries, pepper and spice carrying the load.  This has 15.8% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (89 pts)

 

 

2008 Ridge Lytton Springs – $29.99

Ridge is one of the torch-bearers for consistently good wines every vintage.  My favorites are their two blends, this one and Geyserville.  The two seem to alternate which is my favorite every vintage.  Either one would be a welcome addition to my dinner table.

 

This wine is a blend of 74% Zinfandel, 21% Petite Sirah and 5% Carignane.  The wine is a deep garnet color.  The incredible nose is full of brambly berries, minerals, vanilla, black peppercorns, cherries, plums, dry earth, underbrush, dead wood embers and violets.  This has medium to full body with moderate tannins and nice acidity.  On the plush palate the brambly berries, black peppercorns and minerals take control early with vanilla, cherries and plums coming in later.  The finish has great length with wood embers, subtle earthiness and a nice floral note seeming to linger forever.  This tastes fabulous now and should hold nicely for at least a few more years.  This wine has greatly improved over the last couple of years.  The wine has 14.4% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.  (94 pts)

 

 

 

I am a big fan of the “Flash Wine Sale” site Last Bottle.  One of the wines in this post was purchased from the site, the Elyse Morisoli Zinfandel.  This wine was 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 that can’t be missed.  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/when 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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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!