Michael Stickings
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Reviews (246)
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Reviews
Terranoble Gran Reserva Carmenère 2011, Maule Valley
Maule Valley, Chile$19.95
A disappointing if not altogether unpleasant Carménère, this shallow Gran Reserva opens with Cab-like cassis and other deep purple fruit before turning more Syrah-like, in a rather uninviting way, with meat, earth, and black pepper. It tastes quite a bit better than it smells, with characteristic green pepper and herbal notes adding belated complexity, but even then it doesn't have all that much to recommend it.
3.5 Stars
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Les Charmes De Magnol 2010, Ac Médoc
Bordeaux, France$18.95
If you were trying to make a wine that ticked off all the boxes for a good-quality, solid-value, straight-down-the-line Bordeaux, this might just be the result, with the greatness of the 2010 vintage elevating it nicely. It showcases the two key varietals, Cab and Merlot, it presents all the key notes (cassis, graphite, mocha, earth, black pepper), and it has the sophisticated structure one expects from even middling Bordeaux. Sure, it's very good, very approachable, and very representative, but it seems manufactured, as if those behind it were trying a bit too hard, however tasty the result.
3.5 Stars
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Clos De Los Siete 2012, Uco Valley, Mendoza
Mendoza, Argentina$23.95
An Argentinian wine with a distinctly French feel (from Michel Rolland), the Malbec is front and center, as this is lush and approachable, dense and sweet, with lovely dark fruit, mostly blackberry, blueberry, and prune. But the intrigue comes from the other 43%, and especially from the non-Bordeaux Syrah (9%), with meaty and mildly spicy notes adding a savoury element to the mix and nicely complementing the Bordelais fruit. Well-structured, with a creamy texture and vibrant acidity, it's bit too lean and bitter on the palate, and the length could be better, but it's still elegant overall.
3.5 Stars
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Emiliana Novas Gran Reserva Syrah/Mourvèdre 2012, Colchagua Valley
Cachapoal Valley, Chile$15.95
What an incredible value, this organic Syrah-Mourvèdre blend from Emiliana. It opens with a gorgeous nose of fresh wild strawberries bathed in black pepper spice, broadening with raspberry, cherry, and darker purple fruit, as well as vanilla, earthy-meaty notes, and a touch of herbal-woody bitterness. It's somewhat chalky on the palate, with a certain roughness taking over, but the fruit lingers nicely, as does the spiciness, and the creamy, comforting softness of Chilean Syrah really comes through. It could benefit from a bit of aging, but it's awfully inviting right now.
3.5 Stars
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Zuccardi Series A Bonarda 2012, Santa Rosa
Mendoza, Argentina$16.95
This is a soft, buttery, approachable Bonarda that admirably shows the varietal's broad, easy appeal. While initially it seems uninteresting and unstructured beyond the norm, the appeal deepens, the nose showing blackberry, blueberry, creamy butter, spicy white pepper, and candle wax, with some GSM-style meaty-funky notes emerging later. Dark fruit and tangy cherry emerge on the palate as well, with impressive length. Indeed, this turns out to be rather less lush and plush, and more complex, than other Bonardas I've had, making it far more interesting than the initial assessment suggests.
3.5 Stars
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Cavino Grande Reserve 2008, Pdo Nemea
Peloponnese, Greece$18.95
On the one hand, this good-value, medium-bodied Agiorgitiko from the Peloponnese comes across like a Pinot Noir with a rough edge, with earthy, woodsy, black peppery notes amidst sharp cherry and raspberry juice, a rustic approach to a sophisticated grape. On the other hand, there's rubber, quite a lot of it, on the nose and palette, and while it dissipates somewhat over time, it's an offensive note throughout. Oh, and there are also those chalky tannins to contend with on the finish. So it's an interesting if also disappointing effort, and it could have been so much better.
3.5 Stars
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Cathedral Cellar Petit Verdot 2013, Wo Western Cape
Western Cape, South Africa$12.25
This near-great and great-value PV is quite amazing at the start, inky and with an intriguing nose of blackberry, minerals, wood smoke, pepper spice, and fresh green herbs, and while the rich, oozing blackberry remains at the fore, it's joined by tart, zippy raspberry and pomegranate on the palate, atop those beguiling savoury elements. The depth isn't quite there, and the disparate elements eventually split apart, but the vibrant acidity and fine-grained tannins point to great aging potential beyond its youthful faults. Just a wonderfully distinct wine, admirably showcasing PV on its own.
3.5 Stars
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Hiestand Riesling Trocken 2013, Qualitätswein
Germany$16.75
There's just too much sulfur and not enough depth on this basic Rheinhessen Riesling, but it's decent, easygoing, and varietally sound, with notes of lemon, peach, pineapple, yellow plum, and honey, along with a vague minerally whiff, in a not-over-dry, fairly tart fruit stew, with a slight bitterness on the finish. (Interestingly, there's also a floral, rose-petal note that squeaks out early on, and guava that comes later.) It's fine, and thankfully the sulfur subsides, but it does serve as a reminder of just how much better German Riesling can be even just a rung or two further up the ladder.
3.5 Stars
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San Pedro 1865 Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, Maipo Valley
Maipo Valley, Chile$19.95
I love San Pedro's single-vineyard 1865 line. These are wines that stay true to their origins and aren't shy about what they are. And the '13 Cab is no exception. It's spicy and smoky and minty, with vanilla and herbs, but the stars are the fruit -- cassis, blackberry, and raspberry. The fruit is dense and luscious, but there's admirable tautness here, preventing excessive softness and sweetness. The finish is rough, and a bit of aging would help, but it's drinking really well in its youth, the flavour depth matched by excellent structure and length. Just as great Chilean Cab, as expected.
3.5 Stars
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Les Halos De Jupiter Côtes Du Rhône 2012, Ac
Rhône, France$17.95
The best I've tasted from the "Halos de Jupiter" series, this CdR Grenache blend is richer and deeper than the alternatives, with lovely fruit notes of buttery plum, violets, blueberry, and raspberry supported by earth, leather, pepper spice, and those characteristic herbal-savoury elements of southern France. What keeps it from being a 90 is the excessive alcohol burn (15.5%) on the finish, alongside a touch of bitterness that detracts from the otherwise excellent length, but as an expression of the Grenache varietal from a specific part of a specific country, these Halos really hit the mark.
3.5 Stars
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