Michael Stickings
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Reviews (246)
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Reviews
Pegos Claros 2010, Doc Palmela
Portugal$15.95
Something quite different here, a Castelão from Palmela, south of Lisbon, something intriguing and delicious. There's just so much going on, with aromas and flavours of blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, cherry, leather, earth, and cinnamon, touches of spicy oak and smooth chocolate lingering in the back, so much concentrated fruit complemented by rich savoury elements. It admirably balances richness and tartness, and indeed it actually comes across like a blend of southern French GSM (without the pepper) and Burgundian Pinot. Closed at first, it opens up beautifully. Exceptional value.
3.5 Stars
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Graffigna Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2006, Pedernal Valley, San Juan Province
Argentina$17.95
Gorgeous Cab at a great price; rich and smooth with luscious aromas and flavours of cassis and violet accented by subtle spice and smoke; excellent fruit-tannin balance.
3.5 Stars
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Jackson-triggs Entourage Grand Reserve Brut 2011, Méthode Traditionnelle, VQA Niagara Peninsula
Ontario, Canada$24.95
What a super Ontario bubbly, showcasing such refinement, complexity, and sheer deliciousness that it could easily pass for a sparkling wine, even a high-powered French one, at two or three times the price. It nicely balances notes of lemon, fresh bread, pear, nuts, and a broad spectrum of apple (from tart green to sweeter Royal Gala) on a wave of zingy, refreshing acidity and with impressive body and length, a yeasty streak providing continuity throughout, held back only by aromatic austerity. A sophisticated pleasure, all in all, light and invigorating but also deep and satisfying.
3.5 Stars
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Nk'Mip Cellars Winemaker'S Series Merlot 2011, BC VQA Okanagan Valley
British Columbia, Canada$18.95
This B.C. Merlot comes across like a decent impersonation of right-bank Bordeaux, even as it's very much indicative of that single varietal. There are aromas of blueberry, plum, leather, earth, charcoal, tobacco, and pencil lead, with some rubber emerging later, and that fairly complex combination is certainly enticing. Spice enters on the palette, but by that point the sweetness has taken over, with the wine seeming a bit confected and artificial, and while it's medium-bodied, there's not much depth, the flavours dying mid-palette with the onset of dryness, the finish chalky.
3.5 Stars
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Casa Lapostolle Gran Seleccion Carmenere 2012, Rapel Valley
Chile$15.00
Unlike the '11, which included 6% Merlot and 5% Syrah, the '12 includes 7% Cab. But while the Cab certainly adds cassis and general depth to the mix, the result comes across very much like a Syrah-based blend from southern France given its meaty and spicy notes and overall somewhat rustic texture. That said, the characteristic Carmenère elements are present as well, notably green pepper, which is subdued but opens up with time and adds to the black pepper, blackberry, and other dark fruit. It's a bit tarry at first, then sweet, then chalky on the finish, but it's big and bold and flavourful.
3.5 Stars
Hecht & Bannier St Chinian 2011
Languedoc, France$20.75
Somewhat better than the Minervois, H&B's Saint-Chinian, a Syrah-Grenache-Mourvèdre blend, is another complex, complicated, and ultimately challenging wine. It opens with a stunning burst of dark fruit, notably blackberries and plums, deepening with leather, black pepper, licorice, vanilla, baking spice, herbs, and a driving current of minerality. But then it flattens out, revealing a core of austerity, the initial burst fading, and so while there's a lot going on, rooted deeply in its terroir, it proves to be a rather severe and unforgiving effort overall.
3.5 Stars
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Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, Sonoma County
California, Usa$35.95
Attractively fragrant, with strong cassis and buttery plum notes and later deeper leather notes; full of pleasant dark red fruit on the palate, with a lingering sourness, though it could have used some additional time to mature; quite good overall, but overpriced by $5-10 and so really not worth it. Tasted May 2014.
3.5 Stars
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Tenuta Stefano Farina Le Brume Langhe 2009, Doc
Piedmont, Italy$16.95
Opening up with decidedly funky-meaty notes, and with a brick-red colour of dried blood, this Nebbiolo from Langhe, near the far more famous Barolo and Barbaresco, seems stale and uninviting. But give it some time to breathe, a couple of hours or even a full day, and it becomes a complex, intriguing wine with a food-friendly Italian roller-coaster of aromas and flavours of redcurrant, sour cherry, cranberry, earth, tar, leather, mushroom, and bitter herb. It's all too thin, and some of the funkiness remains, the fruit somewhat suppressed, but it's still a great value for interesting Piedmont.
3.5 Stars
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Chåteau D'Anglés Grand Vin 2008, Ac Languedoc La Clape
Languedoc, France$20.95
A whirlwind GSM -- good, then not good, then all over the place. It opens with a gorgeous blast of cassis, like a New World Cab, but then the Syrah takes over with black pepper and roasted meat atop cherry, raspberry, cola, and bitter herbs. Then the barnyard funk shows up, off-putting Mourvèdre notes that overwhelm. And you think, maybe it's done, gone for good. Until, with time, lots of time, the soft, warm Grenache helps to even things out with pillowy purple fruit. It eventually settles in as very good, with admirable complexity, good depth and length, and unresolved internal turmoil.
3.5 Stars
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San Pedro 1865 Single Vineyard Carmenère 2011, Maule Valley
Maule Valley, Chile$19.95
Given its herbal-vegetal characteristics, there are limits on how far Carmenere can go on its own, but this example from the Maule Valley is truly exceptional by any standard. The green pepper comes first, along with black pepper and faint wisps of smoke, but it's a deep, enveloping, multi-faceted note, and while the savoury elements are the primary ones, the rich and luscious fruit that emerges along with them -- currant, cherry, plum, cassis -- provides amazing balance and complexity. With a silky texture, lip-smacking finish, and excellent length, this is a great wine and a great value.
3.5 Stars
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