Michael Stickings
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Reviews (246)
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Reviews
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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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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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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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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Godelia Red 2009
Galicia, Spain$20.95
There is just so much to like about Bierzo's signature grape, and this offering is a very fine example, with gorgeously fragrant dark fruit and purple flower aromas, notes of violet, blackcurrant, cherry, vanilla, graphite, black pepper, spice, and oak, with a slight buttery touch, and exceptional length. What truly stands out, though, is how delicately balanced it is, the wood supporting the fruit without overwhelming it, the tannins impressive but not obtrusive, the richness offset by those lifted floral elements, allowing it to seem fresh and vibrant alongside its depth and profundity.
3.5 Stars
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Concha Y Toro Marques De Casa Concha Chardonnay 2012, Limari
Limari Valley, Chile$19.95
From Chile's cool Limarí Valley, this achieves outstanding balance, depth, and length. The oak is there, in the form of vanilla, nuts, and mild spice, as is the butter, but these are complemented on the nose by a fruity, dry-Riesling-like cornucopia of apricot, pineapple, apple, yellow plum, and lemon, with replays of tropical and orchard fruit on the palate. What stands out, though, is the lemon-lime citrus, rich yet refreshing lemon meringue pie, the acid cutting through the thickness, along with a touch of minerality and then grapefruit pith on the finish. New World Chard near its very best.
3.5 Stars
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Tommasi Crearo Della Conca D'Oro 2010
Veneto, Italy$19.95
Here's an exceptional "Super Venetian" combining Cab Franc with the more traditional Corvina and Oseleta. And what a blend it is, opening with an amazing burst of dark cherry, raspberry, and tobacco, followed by plum, glycerin, raisin and other dried dark fruit, and touches of herbal and meaty savouriness. There's great balance coming from the three grapes, and the aromatic depth and complexity are replayed on the palate, the sweet dried fruit nicely complemented by fresh, zesty acidity, leading to exceptional length. A bit dull by the second day, but a fantastic wine at a fantastic price.
3.5 Stars
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Cave Spring Estate Bottled Chardonnay Musqué 2011, Cave Spring Vineyard, VQA Beamsville Bench, Niagara Peninsula
Ontario, Canada$16.95
Chardonnay Musqué is a varietal clone Niagara does very well -- perhaps a defining varietal of the region -- and this example from Cave Spring shows just how good it can be. Crisp and clean, not least from fermenting in steel tanks, it features aromas and flavours of peach and lemongrass, a combination of stone and citrus fruit leading to pithy bitterness on the extended finish. But while refreshing, it's also substantial in the mouth, and overall it comes across like a pleasant mix of Riesling and Gewurz without the often cloying sweetness of the latter. An exceptional value, very well done.
3.5 Stars
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Dandelion Vineyards Lionheart Of The Barossa Shiraz 2011, Barossa Valley
South Australia, Australia$19.95
I'm generally not a huge fan of Australian Shiraz, what with its overripe, overwrought, commercially-driven, in-your-face tendencies, but with its burst of black pepper spice, savoury meaty-earthy-herbal elements (plus a hint of salt on the finish), rich purple fruit, and touch of funkiness (bandaid), this one actually seems more like a Syrah-based blend from the southern Rhône, and that's very much to its credit. It's still big, bold, and obvious, the fruit (cassis, blackberry, blueberry) ripe, the wood pronounced, but it's admirably restrained and interesting overall, defying the stereotype.
3.5 Stars
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Château De Panigon 2010, Ac Médoc
Bordeaux, France$19.95
Perhaps much of the appeal of this mostly Merlot-Cab blend should be chalked up to the glorious 2010 vintage, but this is quintessentially Bordeaux. It's beautifully fragrant, with an inviting nose of raspberry, plum, red licorice, and graphite, a lovely combination of fruit and minerals accented by vanilla, earth, and (just enough) oak. The problem is that the taste is somewhat hollow, with acidity muting the richness of the fruit, the aromatic complexity lost. There's likely enough stuffing here for longer-term aging, and it needs time to open up regardless, but it's certainly got potential.
3.5 Stars
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