Michael Stickings
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Reviews (246)
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Reviews
Palacios Remondo La Vendimia 2012, Doca Rioja
Rioja, Spain$16.95
There's something vibrantly modern about this Rioja blend from Alvaro Palacios, with its intriguing and complex nose of vanilla, plum, cherry, strawberries bathed in balsamic vinegar, and butter, and if that were it, it would be very good indeed. Unfortunately, what dominates the palette is a tinny, metallic bitterness that is rather unpleasant, and while that bitterness dissipates a great deal by the second day, it never quite leaves the scene. It's all over the place, but it has enough to satisfy, especially with food, particularly for the price.
3.0 Stars
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Beso De Vino Seleccion Red 2014
Aragón, Spain$9.95
There's nothing really special about this ripe Spanish red other than its price, but the price makes it an excellent value; it's certainly overbaked, but the nose is quite pleasant, with notes of dried and baked fruit along with tangy blueberry and hints of leather and spice; it's less pleasant in the mouth, where the lack of depth comes through and the raisin/prune jamminess gives way to the bitter, drying tannins that come on fast and furious, but while the parts don't really hold together, and while it fades into a certain flatness not long after opening, it's hard to argue with the QPR.
3.0 Stars
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Domini De La Cartoixa Formiga De Galena 2009
Priorat, Spain$25.95
There's definite sophistication to this Garnacha-Carinena-Syrah blend from Priorat, but there's also a sense in which the fruit components fail to hold together and seem at odds with one another. The initial nose is dried fruit, raisin and prune, and while that lingers, fresher aromas and flavours emerge later, including cherry and red berries, with some spice and wood in the background. The harmony comes and goes, and while there's good complexity and nuance here, the integration isn't entirely successful. A good value for Priorat, and an intriguing effort, but not a great value overall.
3.0 Stars
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Château La Verrière 2010, Ac Bordeaux Supérieur
Bordeaux, France$15.95
Alas, in Bordeaux, not all 2010s are great. Some are just good, and some, like this one, are just barely passable, even at the fairly low price. It opens with pleasant raspberry, plum, and blackcurrant, very much of the place, but the fruit soon gives way to oak and more oak, with some pepper spice, earth, chocolate, and graphite. The Merlot provides softness, the Cab structure, but while the nose remains enticing, it drinks like thin oak juice, the fruit thoroughly gone, through to bitterness on the finish. Basically, there's just not much here.
3.0 Stars
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Château De Gaudou Renaissance Cuvée Boisée 2010, Ac Cahors
Southwest, France$22.95
Still quite rough, this 100% Malbec is dominated by oak, which is no surprise given that it's labelled a "boisée." But the wood brings depth and complexity, including vanilla, cinnamon, and other warming baking spices, while the rich fruit shines with cassis, blackberry, raisin, dried fig, and ripe and tart cherry. There's only so-so length, and the finish turns tannic and bitter, but it really softens up with time in the open, which is a must, and that time brings impressive rewards. It may lack refinement, but it's a fine example of a big and rustic red from a less-heralded part of France.
3.0 Stars
(0)V
Dante Robino Bonarda 2011
Mendoza, Argentina$14.95
A decent if generally unremarkable Bonarda, though with many of the characteristics that make the varietal so popular these days; lovely, if overly candy-ish, aromas of strawberry and cherry, bathed in chocolate, rich and deep but also approachable, followed by fullness in the mouth with a soft, round, velvety texture and some lingering tartness; the flavours dissipate rather quickly, leaving a sudden and somewhat overwhelming tannic dryness; there's better Bonarda within this comfortable price range, but this is nonetheless good value for a decent effort.
3.0 Stars
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Cono Sur Bicicleta Pinot Noir 2013, Central Valley
Chile$10.95
A great value year after year, this light, refreshing, easy-drinking wine from Cono Sur offers pretty much everything you might want in a basic, inexpensive Pinot Noir, with invigorating fruity notes of cherry, raspberry, and redcurrant supported by earth, crushed rock, and even a touch of smoked meat. The too-obvious flavour profile makes it seem a bit forced, even a bit fake, and an unyielding musty-rubbery aroma prevails throughout, but otherwise it's pretty good for what it is, lack of character and all.
3.0 Stars
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Chateau Timberlay 2010, Ac Bordeaux Superieur
Bordeaux, France$16.45
Yuck. There's often nothing terribly wrong with "value" Bordeaux, but even the great 2010 vintage can't rescue this one. It's decent on the nose, if obviously manufactured for apparently easy and broad appeal, with tons of oak, vanilla, baking spice, and black pepper, masking sweet plum fruit, but the taste is sour and unappetizing, mostly redcurrant and cherry. The dominant Merlot keeps it soft and plump, but there's almost no structure to speak of, and by the second day the nose is all rubber, the taste a flabby muddle of overripe purple fruit. Crass commercialization, plain and simple.
3.0 Stars
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Barahonda Sin Madera Monastrell 2011, Do Yecla
Spain$15.95
This uncommon single-varietal from an uncommon Spanish appellation may not be a great wine, but it's certainly an outstanding value; intriguing initial cola aromas lead to meaty, earthy, spicy notes accented by blueberries and ripe dark fruit; a bit rough and chalky in the mouth, but still pleasantly rich and rustic, with nice length.
3.0 Stars
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Gérard Bertrand Grand Terroir La Clape Syrah/Carignan/Mourvèdre 2009
Languedoc, France$18.95
This is a fine "Grand Terroir" from Bertrand, if lacking in charm and elegance and instead offering a certain brooding rusticity that one might expect from the region. A Syrah-Carignan-Mourvèdre blend, it features a dense core shaped by those three southern French staples, heavy on black pepper, funky cured and roasted meats, earth, dried herbs, and old leather. The fruit is dark and dense -- blackberry, blueberry, plum -- but this is a wine that seems old, dusty, and stale until with time it offers up a nice acidic streak of zesty cherry and redcurrant. But the roughness remains throughout.
3.0 Stars
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