Michael Stickings
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Reviews (246)
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Reviews
Tenuta Stefano Farina Le Brume Langhe 2009, Doc
Piedmont, Italy$16.95
Opening up with decidedly funky-meaty notes, and with a brick-red colour of dried blood, this Nebbiolo from Langhe, near the far more famous Barolo and Barbaresco, seems stale and uninviting. But give it some time to breathe, a couple of hours or even a full day, and it becomes a complex, intriguing wine with a food-friendly Italian roller-coaster of aromas and flavours of redcurrant, sour cherry, cranberry, earth, tar, leather, mushroom, and bitter herb. It's all too thin, and some of the funkiness remains, the fruit somewhat suppressed, but it's still a great value for interesting Piedmont.
3.5 Stars
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Tommasi Crearo Della Conca D'oro 2010
Veneto, Italy$19.95
Here's an exceptional "Super Venetian" combining Cab Franc with the more traditional Corvina and Oseleta. And what a blend it is, opening with an amazing burst of dark cherry, raspberry, and tobacco, followed by plum, glycerin, raisin and other dried dark fruit, and touches of herbal and meaty savouriness. There's great balance coming from the three grapes, and the aromatic depth and complexity are replayed on the palate, the sweet dried fruit nicely complemented by fresh, zesty acidity, leading to exceptional length. A bit dull by the second day, but a fantastic wine at a fantastic price.
3.5 Stars
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Godelia Red 2009
Galicia, Spain$20.95
There is just so much to like about Bierzo's signature grape, and this offering is a very fine example, with gorgeously fragrant dark fruit and purple flower aromas, notes of violet, blackcurrant, cherry, vanilla, graphite, black pepper, spice, and oak, with a slight buttery touch, and exceptional length. What truly stands out, though, is how delicately balanced it is, the wood supporting the fruit without overwhelming it, the tannins impressive but not obtrusive, the richness offset by those lifted floral elements, allowing it to seem fresh and vibrant alongside its depth and profundity.
3.5 Stars
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Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, Sonoma County
California, Usa$35.95
Attractively fragrant, with strong cassis and buttery plum notes and later deeper leather notes; full of pleasant dark red fruit on the palate, with a lingering sourness, though it could have used some additional time to mature; quite good overall, but overpriced by $5-10 and so really not worth it. Tasted May 2014.
3.5 Stars
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Domaine Du Clos Gautier Cuvée Emile 2008, Ac Côtes De Provence
Provence, France$24.95
With its meaty-herbal profile, this Syrah-Grenache blend from Provence could easily pass for a wine from Languedoc, say, from La Clape. There isn't all that much fruit, unfortunately, and so the dominant notes are limited to smoked meat, local herbs, black pepper, pine resin, and leather, though there's a sour edge that emerges on the palette, and with time raspberry and blackberry make their presences known. It's not an altogether unappealing effort, and the savoury qualities make it quite food-friendly, but it lacks finesse and charm, and ultimately that meaty-herbal profile proves limited.
3.5 Stars
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Clos Bellane Côtes Du Rhône Villages Valréas 2010, Ap
Rhône, France$19.95
If it were only for the nose, this would be excellent, what with its wonderful interplay of fruity cherry and berries (notably raspberry and strawberry), and savoury mushrooms, herbs, earth, and crushed rock, all coated in oodles of black pepper, but alas. The experience isn't terrible past the aromas, but the flavours, with the savoury taking over, thin out quickly and are somewhat severe on the palate, while the finish is bitter and the length is unimpressive. It has that great nose, though, and it certainly deserves additional praise for representing its region in an uncommercial style.
3.5 Stars
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Château Camp De La Hire 2010, Ac Castillon Côtes De Bordeaux
Bordeaux, France$16.95
Another great value from a great vintage, this right-bank Bordeaux surprises with a burst of ripe fruit upon opening -- plum, raspberry, dark cherry. But after time in the open it remains largely closed, the acidity and chalky tannins suggesting decent aging potential. There may not be all that much depth regardless, but this shows serious elegance and teases with complex aromas of dark fruit, mocha, graphite, herbs, earth, butter, and sweet marshmallow, however thin overall at this point. It's a solid 88, with some patience to let it breathe, but substantial improvement is certainly possible.
3.5 Stars
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Domaine Les Yeuses Les Épices Syrah 2011, Igp Pays D'oc
Languedoc, France$15.95
Truly bizarre, a wine that starts off brilliantly (89-90 range) before collapsing into a bretty, undrinkable mess; initially, it's olive tapenade and smoky bacon, backed up by green pepper, herbs, garrigue, and dark fruit, rough and rustic, and it's all quite intriguing and delicious, but then, within a couple of hours, it's that awful band-aid odour associated with Brettanomyces taint, with antiseptic cleaning fluid and plastic, foul on the nose and blandly unpleasant in the mouth; maybe worth another shot to see if this was a bottle-specific problem, but a huge disappointment overall.
3.5 Stars
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Hecht & Bannier St Chinian 2011
Languedoc, France$20.75
Somewhat better than the Minervois, H&B's Saint-Chinian, a Syrah-Grenache-Mourvèdre blend, is another complex, complicated, and ultimately challenging wine. It opens with a stunning burst of dark fruit, notably blackberries and plums, deepening with leather, black pepper, licorice, vanilla, baking spice, herbs, and a driving current of minerality. But then it flattens out, revealing a core of austerity, the initial burst fading, and so while there's a lot going on, rooted deeply in its terroir, it proves to be a rather severe and unforgiving effort overall.
3.5 Stars
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Casa Lapostolle Gran Seleccion Carmenere 2012, Rapel Valley
Chile$15.00
Unlike the '11, which included 6% Merlot and 5% Syrah, the '12 includes 7% Cab. But while the Cab certainly adds cassis and general depth to the mix, the result comes across very much like a Syrah-based blend from southern France given its meaty and spicy notes and overall somewhat rustic texture. That said, the characteristic Carmenère elements are present as well, notably green pepper, which is subdued but opens up with time and adds to the black pepper, blackberry, and other dark fruit. It's a bit tarry at first, then sweet, then chalky on the finish, but it's big and bold and flavourful.
3.5 Stars
