Michael Stickings
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Reviews (246)
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Reviews
Borsao Berola 2009
Spain$17.00
In some ways, this smooth Garnacha blend comes across as exactly what you think a full-bodied red should be, straight down the middle with luscious rich fruit (blackberry, plum) complemented by oodles of sweet and spicy wood (oak, vanilla, black pepper) and a touch of tang (raspberry, cherry). And it works well, even if aromatically it's like encountering an odd but intriguing marriage of wine and Bourbon. What it lacks is some savouriness to offset the fruit, and while it's a big wine, it doesn't quite have the structure needed to hold everything together past those big-time aromatics.
3.0 Stars
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Chateau Ksara Blanc De Blancs 2012, Békaa Valley
Lebanon, World$16.95
This tasty Lebanese blend of Sauvignon Blanc (55%), Semillon (25%), and Chardonnay (20%) has aromas of ripe apple, creamy butterscotch, pineapple, guava, and other tropical fruit, with added spice, lime, raw almond, and a faint touch of marshmallow on the palate, and while it's a bit too sweet and lacks depth, it's quite appealing, the abundant fruit held in check. Unfortunately, the fruit pretty much disappears with time, and by the second day what's left is a stale nuttiness, lemony tartness, and only lingering traces of that earlier flavour burst. Just don't let it get that far.
3.0 Stars
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Belle Glos Dairyman Pinot Noir 2012, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County
California, Usa$44.95
Sure, this isn't a normal Pinot, but good is good, and this is a remarkably sexy and seductive Pinot taken to a Californian extreme. It's very sweet, with a Bourbon-y nose that includes gorgeously fragrant notes of milk chocolate, mocha, sugarplum, vanilla buttercream, and baking spices that make it seem like a Christmas concoction, but there's sufficient cherry-berry fruit on the palette to provide balance, if not quite enough to overcome the syrupy, unstructured, dessert-like dominance. It's wildly overpriced, but, faults and all, it's utterly decadent and utterly enjoyable.
3.0 Stars
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Jekel Pinot Noir 2011, Santa Barbara County
California, Usa$19.95
Very nice medium-bodied Pinot with dominant notes of sour cherry cola and strawberry backed up by earth, smoke, and hints of vanilla, with a certain spiciness on the finish; solid structure, if a bit grainy, which detracts from the overall experience.
3.0 Stars
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Château Michel De Vert 2010, Lussac Saint émilion
Bordeaux, France$19.95
This Saint-Emilion satellite blend of mostly Merlot and Cab Franc is a decent, if underwhelming, 2010 effort. Aromas of cassis, dark cherry, and pine are appetizing, to be sure, but there's a certain sparseness here, which is simultaneously both elegant and frustrating. It could be intentional restraint, or maybe there just isn't much there to begin with, and what ends up lingering on the palette and through the finish is just red berry sourness. The tannins suggest a bit of further aging, but it's hardly clear this would really get that much better.
3.0 Stars
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Château Fontenelles Cuvée Renaissance Corbières 2010, Ac
Languedoc, France$18.95
This blend of 55% Syrah along with with 25% Grenache and 20% old vines Carignan and Mourvèdre opens with fabulous blueberry aromas -- rich, sweet, and concentrated like blueberry pie. There's other blue and black fruit as well, but before long characteristic southern French elements emerge and overtake the fruit, notably black pepper, garrigue, herbs, meat, and a touch of barnyard funk. It's fine, all in all, and these more savoury notes go well with food, but the combination of a certain feral quality, rather bitter tannins, and diminishing fruit leaves a lot to be desired.
3.0 Stars
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Clos La Coutale Cahors 2011
Southwest, France$17.95
With its meaty-peppery notes, this comes across initially like a rustic Syrah-based blend from the Midi. But then the fleshy blue/purple fruit and touch of graphite, elegantly presented, pull it back towards Bordeaux, so it ends up like the dichotomous Cahors that it is, more approachable than most. It's the luscious Merlot that softens the blend, the Malbec providing ample structure, and while the deeper flavours end too quickly, leaving cherry tartness and rough, gritty tannins, and while the delicate dichotomy breaks apart, the length is decent and the overall package is rich and compelling.
3.0 Stars
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Porcupine Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2013, Wo Western Cape
Western Cape, South Africa$13.95
Great value, but not nearly as good a product as the excellent Porcupine Ridge Syrah; there are strong gooseberry aromas and flavours, and there's certainly some broad commercial appeal, but there's little else of note; a middling effort overall, lacking depth and complexity, not unpleasant but hardly memorable.
3.0 Stars
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Anselmann Edesheimer Rosengarten Siegerrebe Spätlese 2012, Prädikatswein
Pfalz, Germany$15.95
This delicious late-harvest Siegerrebe brilliantly showcases this relatively unknown, cool-climate varietal, with a heady aroma of floral perfume leading to rose, white flower, lychee, peach, apricot, pineapple, and honey notes, a luscious, mouth-coating texture and significant if not exceptional depth. There isn't much acidity, but the sweetness isn't cloying and there's some subtle minerality on the palate. With time and some warmth, it comes to resemble a Riesling Spätlese, the stone and tropical fruit taking over. Exceptional value, and a varietal that clearly deserves greater prominence.
3.0 Stars
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Vavasour Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Awatere Valley
Marlborough, New Zealand$20.95
Strong grapefruit aroma, along with typical Sauvignon Blanc tropical notes, especially passionfruit, with vegetation in the background; lean, mean, and green, with overwhelming lemony tartness and dominated by unpleasant sourness, keeping any complexity at bay; there are just so many better options if you want NZ SB, including in this reasonable price range.
3.0 Stars
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