Wine Reviews You can Use

  Purpley hue with aromas of fresh yeasty bread dough rising from the glass. Savory spice, with dark dried, crushed berries, and a sweet subtle nougat cream at the rim under all the spice and ash. Palate--*Sweet first impression with mouth watering acidity, cracked black pepper corns, finishes with a momentary lingering ending of slight hint of baking spices. Monastrell isn't a well known grape by this name but it is the signature grape of the Jumilla region of SE Spain but much better known in France with the prize blend of the Rhone region known to wine devotee's as GSM.  This stands for Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre (pronounced MORE-ved) which is the colloquial name for Monastrell. Primarily a blending grape in France it is the signature grape of the Jumilla region of Spain.  At the ubiquitous price point of $10, given its Wine Spectator score of 90, it a great value creation so raise a glass! *"Sweet" in this situation is not actually sweet meaning residual sugar...

*Label is for their Riesling not their Gewurztraminer Pale straw hue with loads of sweet aromas consisting of vanilla, citrus, tropical fruit with a lime splash. Palate--mouth watering acid, mouth filling tropical fruit, lime base, with sweet-tart freshness  This $10 Gewürztraminer literally "Spicy Traminer" is one of my favorite German grapes and under appreciated much in the way German Riesling is. If you can get past the name, it's a lovely wine that pairs with Asian foods, spicy foods, or all by itself so raise a glass!

  Medium garnet hue with bricking at the rim.  Aromas of sweet spring flowers at the rim, cigar ash, sweet cherry confectionary.  There's more fighting to the surface but this is right  upon opening. Palate-- Mouth filling, juicy acidity, slightly bitter tannic note (a nice kind that I love!) pie cherry filling.  This was the perfect pairing with our rib roast, roasted root vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy. It will continued to open as the dinner went on and of course there was nothing left to cork... This was a house warming gift from a special guy and very appreciated. Raise a glass! 

Rich and deep dark plum hue with aromas of intense dark ripe boysenberries, with touches of cinnamon, Chinese five spice, and the slightest hint of rose petal on the rim. Palate--Actually rose water on the front palate, thickish with velvety tannins, lip smacking acid, a slightly bitter rear palate (which I am hoping dissipates with breathing) . The finish lingers for some time. Syrah is one my fruit bomb faves, this is my first from the Meyer family. Produced from Mendocino fruit, this is a lush, 20 megaton fruit bomb which can be tricky when pairing. I'm going to give it shot with our Sunday Lou Malnatti's pizza shipped in from Chicago land. I think it will work. Stay tuned...

  Nice inky, dark nearly black hue with loads of aromas of dark berry, blueberry, eucalyptus, and more fruit deep in the bowl with a touch of mint. Palate--This is a 20 megaton fruit bomb filled with ripe blackberries, rich puckery and sweet tannins, youthful structure that will mellow out with time with a lingering finish that hangs on. It has been a while since I have had a fruit bomb as I like to call the style. They are luscious and silky in texture with rich dark berry fruit that is deep and nearly "port-ish."  You either tend to like this kind of wine or not.  Some people think they do not pair well with food but I disagree. You just need the right food to be able to stand up to the monster this wine is. I am pan searing breaded venison chops, mashed potatoes, and a nice big salad.  Good thing opening day for deer is only a few days away as this is my penultimate package from last season.  At $13, this is a really nice wine and will be holding well for 5-8...

  A lighter hued Zin with aromas of sweet spicy dark berries. Palate--First impression was "ok" but improved quickly. Hugely spiced with savory offerings and a tannic line that could be a bit off putting but tolerable, a lingering finish which is perhaps its strongest attribute.  Coppola as int eh Academy award winning movie Director has been doing wine for decades. He has several offerings ranging in three basic tiers based on price and style/quality. The red label is the  table wine" offering aka the economy level bottle but they do it well most of the time.  This one ran $14 which is a couple bucks over it's value. It's OK but then again, if it changes with some time open, I'll revise. 

Opaque, nearly black hue, with aromas of ripe sweet perfumey plum with with a bouquet of lilacs just as the cork was pulled. Classy port bouquet that is not developed nearly enough yet with hints of licorice, fennel pollen, eucalyptus, and more. Palate--Elegant, silky with a velvety texture, mouth filling flavors, of all that's in the bouquet. Structurally wonderful and even in its youthfulness at 14 years, it is voluptuous, with a finish of fruit and silk that goes on and on and on. From the fabled vintage of 2007 this earned the Wine Spectator's Perfect score of 100 points. I bought this half bottle on release for $40. A full bottle now will run you over $200--if you can find one. This Port will develop for possibly another 20-30 years.  You read that right!   This lovely creation may very well still be drinking great when I am 6 feet under. Oh well, as glorious as this is, the wine served at the marriage feast of the Lamb of God with the faithful will blow this away. F...