Moon X Pinot Noir 2023 (California)

Young purple hue with aromas of light red berries, a hint of a strawberry.

Palate--Decent first impression with good structure, balanced body and fruit with a steely front with light berries and light strawberry with a quick but satisfying finish.

At $7 (Trader Joe's) it is a value buy so raise a glass!

Josh Cellars "Hearth" Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

Very pretty deep magenta hue to the rim with aromas of lovely rich dark berry with gentle lightly sweet/savory spices that say "drink me!"

Palate-Nice bold first impression with big mid palate of rich brooding berries and plum. Nice structure for such a young Cabernet and a lingering finish of dark fruit. Josh Cellars just makes good wine.

I paid $7 for this $16 bargain on a closeout and I grabbed the last 7 bottles on the shelf so I obviously like it and a great value.  Raise a glass.

Chateau de Macard Reserve 2020

 

Slightly opaque magenta hue with aromas of burnt cherry, dark blackberry, watermelon and slight bricking at the rim.

Palate--First impression slightly watery texture but with a prominent explosion of steely berry, cinnamon nuances, with a surprisingly big steely finish that hangs on for a while.

This Bordeaux Supérieur (mostly Cabernet Franc) is a Trader Joe's offering at $9 which is pretty crazy. This wine seems to retail for around $40 on line... It needs to breath and I believe it will go VERY well with my charcoal grilled rib eye. It is surprising that it is *bricking already.  Agt $9 this is a definite BUY more; at $40 not so much.  Raise a glass!

*Bricking is a term for the color of brick red appearing at the rim when the glass is tilted. It is indicative (usually) depending on the grape type, revealing that it is starting to go down hill. If this is the case I would drink this wine within the next two years. 

Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Chardonnay 2023

 

Lovely light golden hue with aromas of sweet summer fruit, perfumed baking spices, a clear lemon edge, 

Palate--Nice forthright first impression of a classy Chard with lemon beam through the mid palate, summer fruit, balanced structure, and a pleasant elegant finish that lingers with a slight steely presence at the very end.

Russian River is one of my top regions (AVA) for Chardonnay that is really nice and quite moderately priced for what you get. *Pair it with all kinds of dishes or even by itself with a slight--SLIGHT--chill on it.  I paid $25 for this and a funny-not-funny story with this experience below.... 

*I went to my wine fridge to grab a Chard for my country scramble dinner. (Fried left-over easter ham, with a milk gravy made from the drippings, homemade biscuits, grits, and scrambled eggs.) It all gets put one on top of the other on your plate and is is marvelous!  The label on this "special" wine I had bought had a very similar label to 3 other Chards I had in my wine fridge. I thought I was grabbing one of them ($10) a bottle and it paired really well.  I also was commenting what a SUPER value this wine was--thinking I had opened the lesser wine.  Today I realized why it was such a GOOD wine... Regardless, it was a very lovely Chard!   RAISE A GLASS!

Kees-Kieren Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Beerenauslese 2006

 Golden hue with a bouquet of stewed apples with a baked honey glaze, 

Palate--Thickish texture with ultra sweet, honey tinged mid palate, on a luxurious foundation. It finishes with more ebullient honey that lingers!

Pairing it with home-made lemon tart.

This could use a touch more acidity to better float the intense sweetness of this two decades aged, marvelous German Riesling. 

At around $40 if you could find it it's a real treat!  

Clos Vougeot Grand Cru 2018 (Louis Jadot)

 Presenting with an artistic hue of Burgundy as in the color with seductive bouquet of perfumed, notes of gentle cumin, hard cherry candies on a bed of rose petals and so many different layers it takes time to parse them and this is on a 55 degree opening. 

Palate--Somewhat tart first impression, with gentle, silky texture, bitter mid palate, youthful tannins, mouth watering acidity but very closed at the moment with only hints of cherry/strawberry. 

This is a crisp, clean, somewhat austere, and frankly much too young Burgundy Pinot Noir from a storied vineyard to have opened it. These also are made to age very well. Another 10-20 years would not have been unreasonable but then again, I am 71 and honestly.... well you can figure out the rest. :)  At $220-$250 on avg. It really needs to be another 8-10 years old to come into its own.

*I will be pairing it with bourbon glazed baked ham and we shall see how it does.

*Well my many years of experience and instincts were correct--sadly. This was not a good pairing despite what the "experts" said. A nice Riesling of any stripe (of any country) would have been great with the salty smokiness of the ham. 

A few hours later (more breathing) the wine is much better and having it with pub cheese and aged gouda was magical.

On this glorious Resurrection Sunday when Christ followers around the world celebrate mankind's one and holy hope for eternal life from the One who said Himself, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; NO ONE comes to the Father but by ME!"

Schloss Biebrich "Troken" (NV)

 

Golden hue with aromas of tart peach, sweet cream and citrus.

Palate--Nice tiny bubbles with light citrus and peach flavors with essentially no finish.

This is a Trader Joe's routine sparkling wine that runs around $7 and for the price I love it. It is a nice pairing with asian food or spicy Indian dishes.  For the money, chill it down well and raise a glass.

Josh Cellars HEARTH Cabernet Sauvignon 2022

Such a young looking hue of purple you'd think it was grape juice.  Aromas of blackberry opened too cold...

Palate--A little surprising at how robust the first impression is in the way of maturing dark berry fruit, hefty savory spices, lip smacking tannins but for their youthfulness are rich and tantalizing. Rich dark berry fruit lingers a bit.

This wine needs to warm up a bit.  I paid $7 for this at Walmart and grabbed it because I have never had it. Considering it's youthfulness and lack of airtime, I am impressed at the moment.

Pairing this with charcoal grilled chicken thighs and it will be perfect!  Raise a glass! (I will be going back for more at this price!)

Vignobles Lacheteau Vouvray 2023

Pale straw hue with aromas of peach, citrus, melon, and??? (a bit too cold...)

Palate--Nice citrusy first impression with a relaxed structure but enough foundation to carry all the wonderful fruity flavors. Momentary lingering of summer fruit.

A regular of mine from Trader Joe's for the $9 price tag this is value "Chenin Blanc" the signature grape of the Vouvray region of france.

Pairing it with my wife's stir fry and it will be delightful; raise a glass!

Fetzer Gewürztraminer (California)

Very Pale straw hue with aromas of  sweet baby powder and tight fresh summer fruit with a touch of pineapple and muskmelon.

Palate--Sweet first impression with a flacid structure, stayed fruit, nothing standing out, except ill defined sweetness. 

Well then.... Gewürztraminer is the grape and pronounced GeVURTS-tra-MEEN-er which means "spicy traminer." It is one of my favorite white wine grapes but sadly this is real loser. Fetzer was one of my early wine experiences dating back to the mid 70's and they were one of the "always reliable" producers. 

This non-vintage wine is lacking acidity making for a very bland presentation. The flavors are scant, the structure is poor and the finish is fleeting. VERY disappointing from Fetzer. 

Who knows what changes have taken place at this winery over the ensuing past 50 years but survival is an annual challenge for many, many California wineries. At the end of the day, this is NOT a representation of the glorious grape that Gewurztraminer is and it's style various greatly between domestic, Alsatian, and German production of this fabulous grape. Don't spend a dime on this particular bottle but DO treat yourself to wonderful wine experience with a better producer.

Fetzer might do well to concentrate more on the value of their product and less about the environment which has fared quite well for the past millennia. 

Fox Creek Three Blocks Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

 

Opaqueish garnet with bricking at the rim with hints of woody smoke, latent black cherry and blackberry fruit, with toasted oak.

Palate--First impression is a tart. mid weight Cabernet, with spicy center,  oaky dark berries, with camp fire mid palate, and a puckery and smoky finish.

This may be one of the strangest reviews I have given and a confusing Cabernet to boot.  I am honestly not sure what to make of it. It is beyond its prime but still enjoyable in a "this is strange" kind of way. It is an Aussie Cab from the esteemed McClaren Vale region.

I will pair it with charcoal grilled rib eye and it was perfectly fitting.

The Horologist Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) 2022

Light golden hue with robust aromas of staunch, grapefruit, lemon and a slight grassiness on the edge.

Palate--Big first impression of grapefruit and citrus, with a grassy finish.

@$9 Wine Enthusiast gives it a 90 point rating which is way too high in my estimation. While I like the robustness of the structure, it is out of balance, way out of balance to the point of obnoxiousness. Pass on this!

Clos Du Bois Buttery Chardonnay "Rich and Creamy" 2023

Moderate gold hue with aromas of tropical fruit melange, floral with honeyed notes and ripe pineapple.

Palate--on opening there was a lovely sparkle but quickly faded but a surprise none-the-less. Mouth filling goodness, with a lovely structured and crafted foundation belying the $12 price point of this very nice Chardonnay though I see it for as high as $20.

This was really VERY nice for the price and I could drink this all night. I am pairing it with my french onion and bacon tart (pizza) and it will be fantastic.  Definitely Raise a glass!

La Sonriente Garnacha 2023

Ruby hue with lovely red berry fruit and some spice...  

Palate--Vibrant structured first impression, with nice acidity balanced against the robust foundation of lively tart cranberry,  juicy red cherry/berries and fleeting finish. 

Pairing this with an interesting experiment of Chicken with a tomato based paprika sauce and sour cream over noodles. Garnacha (Grenache in other countries) is a fruity, middle to lighter body with easy to drink structure. Previously reviewed a $7 Trader Joe's pick and a value at that. Raise a glass!

BTW--the paring was perfect!  

Logan Farrell Chardonnay Napa Valley 2023

Pale straw hue with aromas of light lemon, subtle tangerine rind, baby powder, Chinese five spice.

Palate--First impression is hugely disappointing with a flacid structure that almost makes me not want to keep it in my mouth. Flavors of unbalanced lemon, bitter mid-palate, and a fleeting finish--which is pretty much a blessing...

Okay then -- I saw this at one of my fave liquor stores and it was on closeout for $8.99. I did a double take seeing it was a NAPA Chard which just didn't make sense. The tag said regular price was $17.99. (Normal decent NAPA chard will run  you 2-3 times that...)  Since I live 75 miles away I thought do I buy a case (Napa Chard would be a steal at such a price) But instead I bought only 2 bottles since I had never heard of this producer.  Boy am I glad I did. Even at $8.99 this is a PASS.  No, it is not flawed, it is just poorly made wine. 

McManis Cabernet Sauvignon (Lodi) 2023

Deep garnet/purple hue with aromas of coffee, spiced apple rings with cocoa and dark berries.

Palate--Steely, with juicy foundation, straightforward spiced fruit, with adequate tannins for a few good years of again.

At the $12 price point this is a decent value wine well made and will improve over the next couple years. I will have it tonight with charcoal grilled venison burgers.  Raise a glass!

Firesteed Pinot Noir 2022 Oregon

Lighter magenta hue with aromas of  candy apple and strawberry with light sweet/savory spices on the end.

Palate-- Light acidity with tart profile, tightly wound fruit waiting to break out.  Finishes non-descript with a clunk kind of ending. Disappointing...

Oregon makes some great Pinot noirs! This is not one of them.  This Oregon *sourced Pinot leaves a lot to be desired. I paid $12 for this and I won't be repeating the mistake.  PASS!

*Sourced means the grapes for making this wine could have come from anywhere in the state of Oregon. Quality can be iffy, although sometimes there are great bargains to be had when the Oregon **AVA's have had bumper harvests. They sell their grapes of good vintners make bargain wines.

**AVA  American Viticultural Area-- Officially recognized locales with the state that have lived up to specific criteria of quality etc.  Eola-Amity Hills are one such AVA as is Willamette Valley...  There are many and they will be on the label of the wine if they qualify...