Michael Stickings
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Reviews (246)
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Reviews
Terre Di Talamo Tempo Morellino De Scansano 2012, Docg
Tuscany, Italy$18.25
Very typical of the region and the grape (100% Sangiovese), this has initial aromas of sour cherry and leather leading to rich, luscious blackberry and complex Italian savouriness characterized by notes of olive, tomato leaf, herbs, and roasted red pepper, with significant cherry and pomegranate tartness on the palate. With time, the nose retains a decent balance of the fruity and the savoury, but things really thin out on the palate, with barely any fruit to speak of and bitter herbs, largely flavourless, filling the vacuum. Given the initial appeal, a significant disappointment.
3.5 Stars
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Firestone Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, Santa Ynez Valley
California, Usa$19.90
Here's a high-value California Cab that really delivers. Benefitting from a moderate climate that keeps Californian excess in check, it offers immensely inviting fruit-forward aromas of cassis, blackberry, blueberry, and dark cherry -- ripe, plump fruit nicely complemented by pine, cinnamon, and fresh wood, the oak present but not obtrusive. This complexity gives way to more of an oaky muddle through the mid-palate, and bitter, chalky tannins take hold after that through the finish, but there's sufficient acidity to prop things up with vibrancy. Really good now, but could use 1-2 more years.
3.5 Stars
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Rompesedas 2006, Do Toro
Castilla y León, Spain$19.95
Such a gorgeous nose on this well-aged, high-value Toro, the dark fruit (ripe blackberry, blackcurrant) providing enormous depth while taking a back seat to cinnamon, clove, vanilla, buttercream, milk chocolate, and even a hint of ginger, much of this replaying on the palate. It suggests sweetness, but it still has plenty of tannic structure. If anything, it may be a little too much, overdone, and a bit rough on the finish, but there's no denying the flavour impact, and the emergence of tart red berries and new leather adds to the complexity. An excellent example of warm-climate Tempranillo.
3.5 Stars
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Wynns Coonawarra Estate Cabernet/Shiraz/Merlot 2012, Coonawarra, South Australia
South Australia, Australia$24.95
This amazing blend smells and tastes like blood, as if Wynns has tapped into the veins running deep beneath Coonawarra, pulling up the essence of the earth into its grapes. And it's like blood because of all the iron. Here, it defines the wine but does not overwhelm it. It's the primary vein that runs through what is otherwise an enormously complex wine, with softer Merlot notes of raspberry, plum, cherry, and chocolate coming first but then complemented by Cab cassis and Syrah black pepper and meat, with additional earthy notes. Solid tannic structure and (cran-cherry) acidity. Extraordinary.
3.5 Stars
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Alejandro Fernández Dehesa La Granja 2008, Vino De La Tierra De Castilla Y León
Spain$21.95
There's a lot of brett in this well-aged, very Old World Tempranillo from one of Spain's most famous winemakers. Which isn't so bad. It smells like an old boot, but the earthy, well-worn leather is intriguing, not off-putting. The problem is that there isn't much else on offer. There's a fair amount of blackberry, but the fruit is largely flat and dull. Generally unfruity wines are fine, but I do think a beverage made from fruit should at least be minimally fruity. And this just thins out -- brett, blackberry, and all -- into finishing bitterness, with little to no fruity charm along the way.
3.5 Stars
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Burning Kiln Stick Shaker Savagnin 2012, VQA Ontario
Ontario, Canada$24.95
Quite a remarkable and intriguing wine, if not terribly food-friendly; restrained Gewurz aromas, but more caramel than fruit, with some Riesling as well; rich, deep taste of caramel pear and apple; full, think mouthfeel and alcohol heat; best for slow sipping or dessert.
3.5 Stars
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Reichsrat Von Buhl Armand Riesling Kabinett 2012, Qmp
Pfalz, Germany$18.95
The nose on this Pfalz Riesling is full of ripe apples and pears, but the impact is subtle, delicate and a touch floral. Then the flavour truly arrives, with peach, apricot, pineapple, and more apple, the fruit sweet but not too sweet, bathed in light honey, with a touch of citrus. There's a quirky sulphur note that goes away by the second day, but the main problem is that there isn't enough acidity/minerality to cut through the richness, the careful balance so characteristic of great German Riesling not quite there. But it's just so delicious that even this inadequacy can be excused.
3.5 Stars
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Donnachiara Greco Di Tufo 2013, Docg
Campania, Italy$21.95
This is just another wonderful, and wonderfully distinct, Italian white, great with food but also great on its own as a refined sipper. Like Campania whites generally, it's certainly not overly fruity, and therein comes the complexity and lies its appeal. There is sweet peach and apple, tart lemon, and bitter citrus pith, but there is admirable subtlety to the fruit, and it plays well with the complementary nutty (raw almond, walnut) and herbal elements. The acidity and overall structure suggest good aging potential, but it's certainly very good even at this young age.
3.5 Stars
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Château Pech Redon L'épervier 2010, Ac Côteaux Du Languedoc, La Clape
Languedoc, France$24.95
There's decent value here, but basically this is yet another funky offering from La Clape, and while the initial barnyard/leather/earth notes recede in prominence as the fruit emerges, it never quite escapes that quagmire. The key is the black pepper, which after the funk is the defining note, and it works really well in conjunction with the cranberry, currant, cherry, and blackberry elements, as well as with the spicy/herbal notes that linger in the background. Certainly this deserves applause for complexity, but the funk and the bitter, unpleasant finish are just too distracting to ignore.
3.5 Stars
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Maria Alvarez Serrano Abadía De Gomariz 2010, Do Ribeiro
Spain$14.75
The aromatics of this powerful Ribeiro blend of Sousón, Ferrol, Brancellao, and Mencía are truly exceptional, direct and unabashed with characteristic Mencía notes of blueberry, blackberry, and violet, along with dried figs, prunes, cinnamon, and earth, while on the palate it presents a broad array of fruit from the dried (as on the nose) to the tart (raspberry, cherry) but with the emphasis still on wild berries complemented by baking spice and pepper. It's quite rustic, both in taste and texture, but what it lacks in complexity and sophistication it makes up for in concentration and depth.
3.5 Stars
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