Michael Stickings
|
Followers (5)
|
|
|
Following (0)
|
Reviews (246)
|
Reviews
Tessellae Louis Roche Old Vines 2012, Ap
Languedoc, France$17.00
There's good depth of flavour to this Côtes du Roussillon (40% old vines Grenache), but there just isn't much definition to that flavour. It's sort of a jammy puddle, with thick blackberry, blueberry, and other dark fruit supported by black pepper, roasted meat, vanilla, and bitter herbs, along with some cranberry tartness. There's a hint of leanness lurking underneath it all, a sense of the rugged place peaking out from beneath the ripeness/sweetness, notably in the chalky tannins, but it's not enough to break through, and the fruit doesn't really hold up. Decent, but rough and muddled.
3.0 Stars
(0)V
Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2014
Marlborough, New Zealand$19.95
Like the other basic Kim Crawford wines, this one delivers quite well, year after year, generally hitting the right notes as a competent, if largely uninteresting and uninspired, expression of the varietal. It's juicy, approachable, and easily appealing, a nice summer sipper with standard notes of guava and passion fruit, along with a tart lemon-lime streak that quickly cleanses the palate, but little beyond this tropical and citrus fruit mélange save for some bitterness lurking in the background. The main problem is the price, though, because there are many better and more distinctive NZ SBs you can get in the $20 range.
3.0 Stars
(0)V
Salton Classic Cabernet Franc 2012, Serra Gaucha
Brazil, World$12.95
Given its origins, this is a surprisingly good effort, a ripe Cab Franc with compelling aromas of dark fruit, raspberry cordial, earth, and leather; unfortunately, there isn't nearly enough fruit to offset the dry, green tannins that fill the mouth along with cherry tartness on the finish, and so it doesn't really have anywhere to go in terms of aging, and with some time in the open it turns a bit funky and pruny, though the emergence of savoury vegetal and green pepper notes helps; flaws aside, a great value for an enjoyable wine from a part of the world not exactly known for its viticulture.
3.0 Stars
(0)V
Castillo De Almansa Reserva 2009
Spain$12.95
A very savoury medium-bodied Tempranillo-Monastrell-Garnacha blend that initially resembles a Chilean Carmenere with its dominant green pepper and herbal notes, but with a lot of oak as well, and some fleeting alcohol aromatics; the fruit emerges later, and slowly, rich and deep, with raspberry and then sour cherry, leading to more oak on the pleasant finish, with well-integrated tannins throughout; just seems to get better and better the longer it's in the glass; astounding value for such a complex and intriguing wine, showing just what this less-heralded Spanish appellation has to offer.
3.0 Stars
(0)G
Casas Del Bosque Reserva Carmenère 2012, Rapel Valley
Rapel Valley, Chile$15.95
Even by the standards of Carmenere, which lacks the commercial sexiness of more popular varietals, this is an excellent value. As for the wine itself, which is probably still a bit too young at this point given that it teases without ever really opening up, it's deep and rich if lacking the truly distinctive savoury-green qualities that the better examples reveal. There's a lot of dark fruit, along with spicy, woodsy, herbal, and murky green notes, plus a touch of rubber, but it seems more like a monolith of flavour than a harmony of complexity.
3.0 Stars
(0)V
Ilauri Le Pinciaie Montelpulciano D'abruzzo 2011, Doc
Abruzzo, Italy$17.95
There's quite a bit going on in this well-priced Montepulciano, with appealing blackberry, blueberry, and other dark fruit notes, along with vanilla, red licorice, smoke, brown spice, and herbs, but it just has no depth, collapsing in the transition from nose to palate, with little left by the time the mid-palate rolls around, that admirable early complexity turning to wood and a lingering bitterness that dominates through the finish. It works well as a food wine, given its sweet-savoury balance, but as a sipper it ultimately falls flat.
3.0 Stars
(0)V
Livia Sarba 2013, Cotesti
Romania, World$12.75
This Romanian Şarbă -- an intriguing varietal produced in the 1970s by crossing Riesling and the indigenous Tămâioasă Românească -- is very much like a light Gewürztraminer, with pronounced lychee and floral (rose, in particular) notes, but with a cutting, refreshing lemon citrus-mineral streak that almost seems like Greek Assyrtiko, as well as pepper bringing a touch of spice. There's not much in the way of depth or length, and there's a mildly bitter pithy note on the finish, but it's quite tasty overall, the elements holding together nicely, and it's a great value.
3.0 Stars
(0)V
Gérard Bertrand Côte Des Roses Rosé 2014, Ap Languedoc
Languedoc, France$18.95
This pale, dry, delicate, aromatically restrained rosé from Bertrand is too dry and bitter at first, without much fruit at all, but with time the strawberry, raspberry, and floral (rosy, to be precise) notes start to emerge (the fruit getting softer and richer by the second day), complemented by herbs and white pepper, with bitter grapefruit pith completing the package on the finish. It's not quite as nice as the rose-bottomed bottle it comes in, but it nicely complements light dishes and works well as a sipper with patience to allow the subtleties to express themselves.
3.0 Stars
(0)V
Cusumano Nero D'avola 2014
Sicily, Italy$10.95
It's hard to imagine a better, more profound wine for the price. The '14 is very young and raw, and could use some time to soften, but beyond the rough tannins that seem to stick to the palate there's a good deal of complexity with notes of blackberry, dark cherry, leather, herbs, spicy black pepper (emerging on the finish), and, most distinctively, mint (with a not unpleasant medicinal quality to it). This certainly has the red-berry acidity and structure for short-term aging, but it's good to go now with appropriate decanting. Nothing sophisticated, but it's outstanding for what it is.
3.0 Stars
(0)G
Momo Pinot Noir 2013, Marlborough, South Island
Marlborough, New Zealand$19.95
Seresin's Momo, a solid label generally, is certainly a step up in quality from the usual Pinot in this price range. With characteristic cherry, beet, and earth, this is nicely savoury, sweet (too much candied fruit in second bottle), and tart, and nicely balanced and structured, dry and crisp, but there is a also good deal of flavour complexity with the addition of raspberry, strawberry, redcurrant, black pepper, marshmallow, and herbs. In fact, this has more of an "old school" Burgundian feel to it than most "value" Pinot, much to its credit. At this price, for this value, it's hard to beat.
3.0 Stars
(0)V