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Uncorked-Wine and Spirits Appreciation

Discuss beer or anything else that comes to mind in here.

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Belgian
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Post by Belgian »

Cave de Turckheim Collection Terroirs Pinot Gris 2016

Bigger than expected Pino Gris from Alsace, northern France. Has some density and richness balanced by acidity and lemon curd, very mellow oaky spice. Tart pale stone fruit and tart apple, honey and melon, light mineral.

I don't know that the 'Terroirs' designation on this particular bottling means. These folks do some select 'terroir' bottlings (different soil structure etc.) but the back label just describes this one having some of their 'best' terroirs, not specifying which.

Good aroma, body and complex taste. A type of wine that may be a little overlooked because many far more usual (eg. Italian) Pino Grigio-based white wines are light, easy and bone-dry, plus often cheaper. Alsatian Pinot Gris like this are much more rare and this one is a not bad value.

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Michel Gassier Nostre Païs 2017

A big powerful and dry Southern Rhone red dominated by Grenache in the blend. Some warmth and structure from the well-integrated 15% alcohol. Nice dark berry and cherry, cassis and subtle mellow oak. Long smooth round finish with touch of black raisin. Typically solid and clean French winemaking.

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Benegas Lynch Estate Don Tiburico 2017

Got this on a whim, it's an Argentine Red blend that leads with Malbec, the big grape of France's Cahors plus typical straight up Left Bank Bordeaux grapes. It opens frankly a bit juicy and young, needing some air but there's already brushy herbals, and touches of earth and wool. Berry fruit is blueberry, mulberry, blackberry. Touches of eucalyptus and mint. Dark florals and, strangely some lavender. Cassis jam and hints of chocolate, along with the florals create a beguiling impression.

Flavor upens up fairly quickly. The nose is a bit closed in at first but showing promise. I love the palate of minerality, tart / tangy acidity and enjoyably scrapy tannins. The nose does smooth out with that nice sweet-dry berry.

With the blueberry charm this is for me kind of like St-Emillion. Definitely not a French wine, yet behaves with some old-world character. Not quite as bold as the Gassier Rhone wine it followed, yet a very entertaining and layered wine for four bucks less - another total win.

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Post by cratez »

Recently cracked into our wedding wine collection. Have enjoyed the following over the last while:

Château Godard Bellevue Francs Côtes De Bordeaux U.V. 2010 (4)
Azelia Barolo 2011 (4.5)
Vinessens - Casa Balaguer Sein 2011 (3.5)
Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2012 (4.5)
Tawse Limestone Ridge Riesling 2013 (4)
Bodegas Piqueras Castillo de Almansa Reserva U.V. 2014 (3.5)
Domaine Le Grand Retour Plan de Dieu Côtes du Rhône Villages 2015 (4.5)

Bracketed numbers are my ratings on this cool little app I found called Vivino. It's like Untappd, but for wine.

I'm still learning, to be honest, and not quite confident enough to write full reviews yet, though I did review the Tawse Riesling. You can see my thoughts below:

Mineral, lime peel & rubbery nose. Some Meyer lemon, a bit musty too. Flavours of green apple, honey & peach, equal parts tart and sweet. Very solid, highly drinkable Riesling that has held up well (~7 years).
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Post by Belgian »

Château Saint Nabor Chardonnay 2019

Got this for 10 or 11 bucks on clearout at Front & Spadina. Very respectable little Chard, has some fullness and isn't too syrupy, it's smooth. Got all that pale orchard fruit and a little spice and vanilla from the oak, bit of aciity and gentle green herbs around the edges keeping things in focus.

The honey-tinged ripe green apple flesh sits at the front. A decent workaday wine probably worth the discount price (have a look at this store some time!)
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Post by Belgian »

Condeminal Poncho Pampa Pinot Noir 2018

Rated a top-value Pinot Noir, this Argentine shines with good deep black cherry fruit, nice dry and lightly minty herbals, mineral and spice. Sweet-dry with fairly full palate and a little Burgundian beetroot on the finish. There's a bare hint of oaky vanilla at the back. Got this one also on a whim, a total pleasure.

Tupungato, Uco Valley... these winemakers are from Beaujolais. Beaujolais, Burgundy and the Rhône are geographically close French wine areas that each make distinctive red wines from (respectively) Gamay, Pinot Noir and GSM-based blends. So I assume this winemaker understands terroir and climate etc. needed for Pinot as well.
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Post by Belgian »

Forstreiter "Gruuner" Grüner Vetliner 2018

A nicely-priced varietal white from the Kremstal, a select growing region northeast of the amazing city of Vienna. Lots of flavor to represent this grape well - pale sweet-tart orchard fruit, nice acidity and mineral and citrus. Floral dry herbals and honey. A good everyday white. Nice one, Forstreiter!

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Last edited by Belgian on Mon Nov 09, 2020 1:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Belgian »

Statti Greco Bianco 2019

Beautiful little Calabrese white. Not sure I've had this Greco Bianco grape before, this wine has delicate aromas of pear-like fruit, soft citrus and light sweet florals. Perfectly ripe aromatic melon.

Has the finest light layer of gentle phenolic spice and gentle herbals. Subtle petrol on the nose and taste. This one has perfect balance, fuller palate - and I'm barely even chilling it, so maybe serving it too cold would conceal its charms. Check out some Greco Bianco wine from Calabria Italy!
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Plaimont Témoignage Saint Mont 2017

A super solid white for $15 from Southwest France (general area near Bordeaux.) As described, good value! I like the bit of gooseberry and herbs / pepper and the citrus.
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Post by Belgian »

Quentin Jeannot Vieilles Vignes Santenay 2018

This Pinot Noir Burgundy, the first Santenay AOC wine I've tried definitely has more 'size' and power than lighter Burgundy Pinot Noir... the layering of flavors is a bit more bold than delicate and multi-layered. This one has some real heft in the body and very present mineral, and some sanguine meatiness to it. Ample fine-textured tannins and long acidity structure it very well.

Kind of what I expected. Does have big black & red cherry and red berry, very persistent and full, tart-sweet flavors. Background of darker florals and licorice herbals. Needs a slight chill down & some air to give it shape, then holy cow what a wine. Day #2 - with some additional aeration, the fresh sweet summer raspberry comes forward as well, a great Pinot Noir.
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Post by Belgian »

Brigaldara Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore 2016

Northeast Italian red! Definitely getting the ripe sweet wild strawberry along with deep black cherry, sweet red cherry and plum jam. Personally I get some tones of chocolate and mocha and hints of leather. Nose is sweet red berry and warm chocolate.

Bright black cherry acidity and nicely evolved tannins. Blueberry mineral and hints of wild herbals. You might get dark florals and vanilla. Plenty going on for a quite reasonable 20 bucks. A 40% Corvina grape blend with 30% Corvinone 20% Rondinella and 10% other.
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Post by Belgian »

Roche de Bellene Cuvée Réserve Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2018

Here's new release of Roche that seems to be selling very well, but it's not really that exciting. It does have a very pretty aroma of cherry and almost red floral, which both play out in the taste.

The palate is a bit herbal, dry and leaning to the lighter side of medium, almost thin from the tannic edge, but the interesting fruits and cherry acidity do certainly come through in the balance, and it's still entertaining. A bit of mineral. It's OK for the style but there's better wines within range; the Santanay (above) I found for $28 is more than twice the wine this is. Would be great with Pizza Libretto takeout.
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Viña Tarapacá Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon

While the Gran Reserva Cab Sauv red from this producer gets accolades, this is the regular Reserva. Seems thin and light and almost dilute, the dryness of the Cab grape working against the lighter style. It's got some blackberry, dry herbals, hints of bitter green pepper. There's Cab Sauv grape expression but not much shape to it, this lacks pleasure. It still smells great with the blade steak braising in it on the stove, so for that it was worth trying for $2 off.
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Château La Croix St-Estèphe 2014

Probably my second St Estephe, ever. The black fruits (blackberry, cassis...) straddle a dry core of tea-like tannins and pencil shavings (cedar wood, graphite) with replays of dark cherry and oaky toast and vanilla. Dry herbality dominates at this stage. Has power, some good acidity on the firmly tannic finish. My palate is feeling pretty scrapey, which I don't mind.

This is a 'character wine' that should cellar into more mellowness so I cracked it today, giving it a chance to open up over the next few days. I wouldn't buy a ton of this 2014 St-Estèphe (irrespective of price) but at least it's interesting and a real wine. That's what you get in France IMHO.

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Amastuola Primitivo 2016 (Puglia)

A hot seller just in, so had to try. Fairly easy palate with blueberry / red berry richness, black plum and warm spicy herbals. Some lip-smacking tannins and acidity, but far from drying.

With some air & a bit cooled down, this presents the lithe structure and hint of dark florals and licorice. Simple and classic. Wasn't that impressed until the bottle sat a while...

** edit ** five nights later I pull this unfinished bottle out, it actually hasn't fallen apart - it's gotten better. Theres a little tobacco and olive, the tannins are more like plum skin... nice raisin and sundried tomato. Some real density, a real grown up wine. It's a really nice red you could aerate for hours to get the most from it. This blows away the Dalva...

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Last edited by Belgian on Sat Dec 05, 2020 2:48 am, edited 2 times in total.
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