Category: Tasting Notes

Château Sénéjac Cru Bourgeois Haut-Médoc 2010: Solid, friendly over-achiever; cherry, raspberry, layers of black fruit, blackcurrant tingle, white chocolate; extra dry, firm but well-behaved tannin, acidity, long velvety finish. Blend is 48% cab, 37% merlot, finished with cab franc and petit verdot. Cru Bourgeois is classification of Médoc wines that were not included in the famous 1855 Classification; it dates from 1932 and is awarded annually as a mark of quality, making Cru Bourgeois a happy hunting ground for superb Bordeaux at affordable prices. Médoc is a left bank region of Bordeaux that includes the mouth of Gironde estuary in the north and the Atlantic in the west. It is often called the most famous wine region in the word, and certainly is the most famous red wine region in Bordeaux. Château Sénéjac’s effort offers you a first-tier taste at affordable price. The fact that 2010 was excellent vintage adds to the delight. $30

Château La Tour de Bessan Cru Bourgeois Margaux 2010: Delightful floral nose; plum, blackberry, blackcurrant tang, black tea, minerality, smoke; oak toast, vanilla and spice from 18 months in French oak barrels; firm body, silky texture; 64% cab, 33% merlot, 3% cab franc; slightly rustic with intense-but-integrated tannin, good acidity, long finish. Margaux is southern appellation of the Médoc and has the most gravely soil (the next region south is named for gravel—Graves), which forces vines to put down deep roots and gives Margaux wines their mineral notes. Margaux may produce the most outstanding wines in the Médoc in good vintages and struggle the most in difficult years. Fortunately, 2010 was excellent year, as this wine demonstrates at a great price. Like most Bordeaux reds, this significantly benefits from decanting. $27

The Prisoner Wine Company Napa Valley The Prisoner 2013. Flamboyantly fruity; dark cherry, espresso, pepper, blackcurrant tang, blueberry, figs, raspberry, pomegranate, licorice; big, bold, rich, lush, decidedly New World blend led by 44% zin, followed by 20% cab, 16% petite sirah, plus some syrah, grenache, and charbono. With that mix, you gotta find something to like. Throw in some big oak just in case—a cord of oak lathered over the entire fruit assault. Tight tannin, but smooth, fruity sweet, some acidity, opulent verging on decadent with whopping 15.2 alcohol. This prisoner screams Left Coast party, party, party. $42

Tom Gore Vineyards Alexander Valley Field Blend 2012: Lush, robust, complex, fruit-forward; midnight black color with faintest hint of dark ruby edge; blackberry, leather, dark cherry, subdued blackcurrant tanginess; smooth, easy drinker with firm, pleasant tannin, acidity. Traditional “field blend” meant varieties were planted and harvested together and you got whatever you got. Since different grapes mature at different times, in most cases today “field blend” means the same as blend—the varieties came for distinct acres and were blended in the winery. Sometimes different varieties are fermented together (co-fermentation), but most often the blending occurs after fermentation. Tom Gore does not state how the 35% petit verdot, 33% malbec, 21% merlot, 6% cab, 5% tempranillo were brought together, but given the quality of this wine, it is likely wines were blended after fermentation to achieve this level of delicious richness. $40

Messina Hof Pinot Noir Barrel Reserve NV: Rich, jammy, sweet fruit-forward, load of ripe plum and cherry; Lodi value style rather than Washington State or Oregon; grapes come from Messina Hof’s vineyards near Bryan, Texas. Medium body, load of oak, smooth, built for supermarket sale rather than reaching for etherial delights pinot noir can attain with less oak and less over-ripe fruit. Messina Hof prides itself on having a very large portfolio of wines, and this checks off one of the categories. “Barrel Reserve” is an empty wine label term that has no official meaning, here it is fluff title for Messina Hof’s second-tier, value-priced pinot. If you are an Apothic Red, Yellow Tail fan, this will please you. $14

Vavasour Awatere Valley Pinot Noir 2009: Lovely cherry, plum nose; lively raspberry, cherry, strawberry, plum on the palate; some spice, tobacco, vanilla-oak; frisky, concentrated flavors with easy-going tannin and good acidity make for a balanced, fun drinker. The Awatere is a sub-region of New Zealand’s Marlborough wine country (northern part of the south island) noted for huge boulders randomly flung into its gravely, silty soil; it is rough-hewn country shielded by mountains looming to the northwest, cooled by the nearby Clifford Bay and Pacific to the east. Awatere wines reflect this wildness and are noted for their aromatics, ripeness, concentration, and edginess. This effort reflects the ascendence of New Zealand pinot noir on world stage. $20

Tom Gore Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2012: Fruit forward, classic entry-level Sonoma cab; plenty of oak, sweet vanilla, plum, cherry, restrained blackcurrant tang; smooth, very easy drinker with laid-back tannin, nice acidity, balance. No inspiring complexity or eternal finish, but very nice value-for-price play. Constellation Brands has given Sonoma farmer a chance to build his niche. Constellation owns more than 100 brands in wine, beer, and spirits. Wine brands include Robert Mondavi, Clos du Bois, Franciscan Estates, Ravenswood, Manischewitz, Arbor Mist and many more. Beer brands include Corona, Modelo Especial and more. Spirit brands include Black Velvet Canadian Whiskey, Svedka Vodka and more. Now a respected Sonoma farmer gets his chance from one of the really big dogs in world-wide booze business. This is nice start. $15

HandCraft Artisan Collection Malbec 2012: Ripe blueberry, cherry, plum jam, bit of zin spice, soak of oak, soft tannin, good acidity; plush mouth, smooth drinker; mostly malbec with some zin thrown in to create the medium-heavy mouth, ripe fruit forward, Central Valley California style of value-priced reds (it is made in Mateca, just south of Stockton). Olive Garden apparently pours a bunch of this, so you may know it from there; it is natural pair with Italian food. This is a female-friendly play (winery owner and third generation vintner Cheryl Indelicato makes the claim herself) that will be enjoyed by folks who want their wine with some fruity sweetness; a red wine for those getting into red wine. $12

Xavier Vins Cuvée Anonyme X Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2009: Astonishingly delicious blackberries, refined black currant tang, cherry, licorice, spice; elegant tannin, modern style, voluptuous, multidimensional. Exotic blend of 25% grenache, 25% mourvèdre, 25% syrah, and remainder counoise, vaccarese, and a few other approved varietals. Robert Parker scored it 96. Châteauneuf-du-Pape and nearby Gigondas are among the pinnacle appellations in the world. Located in southern Rhône River of eastern France, the name means “new castle of the pope” and comes from the time the Roman Catholic pope lived in France at Avignon (about seven miles from the center of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region) during most of the 14th century. Grenache, syrah, and mourvèdre are core grapes of wine made in this region—internationally known as GSM wines. To savor such a delight is a privilege and vivid demonstration of difference between bargain pizza night fruity pop-and-pulls and the voluptuous, esoteric heights to which wine can soar. $57

E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône Rosé 2014: Friendly sipper with crisp watermelon, strawberry, some citrus; lovely bright color, dry, medium-light body, fruitiness mixes with good acidity to give this nice edge, particularly on the finish. More sophisticated than a plastic-cups-around-the-pool pour (although it would work there); blend of 60% grenache, 30% cinsault, 10% syrah. Côtes du Rhône (Sides of the Rhône) refers to wineries along the Rhône River in eastern France. Those wineries make about 90% of the wine produced in the Rhône valley; the remainder are world-famous efforts such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Hermitage, and Côte-Rôtie (which achieved its status through the efforts of this maker, Marcel Guigal—son of E. Guigal), making this is an affordable, accessible, maturely delicious rosé from Rhône legend. $15