Michael Stickings
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Reviews (246)
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Reviews
Feudo Arancio Nero D'avola 2013, Doc Sicilia
Sicily, Italy$13.95
You can't ask for much more for the price, and this beautifully-labelled Nero d'Avola certainly delivers good depth and flavour for $14. It has characteristic varietal notes of blackberry and other black and purple fruit, along with some black pepper, but more than anything it brings the cask flavours of Bourbon to the fore, particularly oak, vanilla, and cinnamon and other brown baking spices, and the result is a certain overriding sweetness, the fruit hidden in the background. It's still very tasty in its youth, but I'm not sure it really has anywhere to go from here.
3.0 Stars
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Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2014, Marlborough, South Island
Marlborough, New Zealand$19.95
Year after year, Oyster Bay makes good, solid SBs, and the 2014 is no exception. It's remarkably pale, but the usual flavour is certainly there, however unremarkable, with passion fruit and guava, along with lemon and stone fruit, and there's a very light spritz that makes the whole thing seem almost ethereal. But there's also just a general shallowness to the flavour, the fruit lacking depth and giving way quickly to minerality, which is fine if also shallow. Overall, pleasantly crisp but also muddled, a decent, no-nonsense wine for summer refreshment.
3.0 Stars
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Bischöfliche Weingüter Trier Dom Riesling 2013, Qualitätswein
Mosel, Germany$18.95
The DOM line is the bottom of this fabulous producer's Riesling pyramid, but this Mosel is still a remarkable achievement. It's young, and quite sulfurous on the nose (more and more as it warms up), but there's also a good deal of depth and complexity. The main notes are slate and lemon, and it's quite sharp on the surface, but the minerally tartness is supported by juicy pineapple and peach, and the result is invigoratingly off-dry, the sharpness softened, rounded out. Certainly not as harmonious and profound as other options on the pyramid, but still very lovely.
3.0 Stars
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Zenato Pinot Grigio 2014, Igt Delle Venezie
Veneto, Italy$17.95
This fairly basic but enjoyable Pinot Grigio from a reliable producer offers a broad spectrum of fruit, notably pear, lemon, and apricot, along with raw nuts providing a savoury complement to the fruit and a hint of Asian spice lurking in the background. It's quite dry, and in that regard works very well with food, as expected, though it turns overly tart and then bitter with grapefruit and citrus pith leading the way to the finish. Decent depth and length. Nothing great, but it's a fine Italian white for the money, with the quality to cook with and then enjoy at the table.
3.0 Stars
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Mcguigan Bin 9000 Semillon 2015, Hunter Valley, New South Wales
New South Wales, Australia$14.95
This entry-level Sémillon is young, fresh, and very tasty. Suitably chilled, it's crisp and clean, with notes of lime, passion fruit, and fresh vegetation, food-friendly and invigorating on the palate, coming across like a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and dry Riesling. But as it warms it gets plumper and juicier, the sharpness giving way to a range of fruit including apple, pear, pineapple, and apricot, with a touch of grapefruit bitterness at the end. It lacks depth and complexity, but that's common in young Sémillon, and there's enough of the characteristic acidity for at least some aging.
3.0 Stars
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Oyster Bay Merlot 2011, Hawkes Bay, North Island
Hawke's Bay, New Zealand$18.95
This tastes much better than it smells, what with overwhelming aromas of leather and barnyard leading to a fairly complex array of raspberry, strawberry, plum, oak, vanilla, and black pepper notes on the palate. This is the sort of widely-available (and hardly varietally or terroir distinctive) wine that is suitable if you just want a bottle of red for dinner and don't want to have to think too much about it, and in that regard it's sufficiently versatile and appealing. There's just so much else that is so much better, so much more interesting, even in this quite reasonable price range.
2.5 Stars
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Faustino Vii Tempranillo 2010, Rioja
Spain$12.95
Very bretty, this old-school Rioja, with enticing leather saddle, barnyard, and earthy notes making for an intriguing, complex nose; hardly sophisticated, but in a good way, and perhaps lacking in fruit for balance, but pleasantly savoury and certainly worth lingering over given its rustic charms; excellent value. Tasted August 2014.
2.5 Stars
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Château Haut Plaisance 2010, Ac Montagne Saint émilion
Bordeaux, France$17.00
Sometimes a wine can be complex without being complicated, and this solid-value Bordeaux certainly delivers; it's rather oaky, with strong wood notes on the nose and the very dry finish, but in between it's soft, round, and luscious, full of creamy rich milk chocolate and ripe dark fruit like plum and blackberry, and the balance generally works even if the stuffing isn't terribly profound; a tad youthful for its own good at this point, and it's not clear that the overwrought fruit has anywhere to go as the tannins mellow, but it's still an enjoyable effort from an already-famous vintage.
2.5 Stars
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Red Rooster Gewurztraminer 2012, BC VQA Okanagan Valley
British Columbia, Canada$16.95
A much quieter, more delicate, and less sweet Gewurz than the usual in-your-face floral-perfumy style, and pleasantly so; lychee, of course, and other tropical fruits, but also apricot, coconut, and then spice on the medium finish; perhaps not a profound wine, but subtle, nuanced, and satisfying.
2.5 Stars
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Tommasi Poggio Al Tufo Rompicollo 2011, Igt Maremma Toscana
Tuscany, Italy$20.05
Medium-bodied but with a creamy texture, this uncommon Sangiovese-Cab Sauv blend from Tommasi has a beguiling and multi-faceted nose of cherry, blackberry, strawberry, black tea, tobacco, molasses, vanilla, balsamic vinegar, bay leaf, and chocolate. Cherry tartness emerges on the palette, along with earth and mushrooms, and later some tar and leather, and the length is excellent. An intriguing mix of sweet and savoury elements, along with a touch of bitterness, this is an outstanding value for an outstanding wine. It's approachable now, but it has the fruit and tannins to continue to evolve.
2.5 Stars
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