A pleasant and interesting wine, leading with plum, raspberry, cranberry, and spicy hints of cayenne and thyme. Light tannins and acids are there in good balance. The mid-palate is lacking, dropping from attack to simpler one-dimensional juice, but retaining the-read more-
You may not recognize this wine as Chardonnay if you’ve only been exposed to the heavy oak and butter first popularized by some California wineries. Made without oak aging or malolactic fermentation, it is more like a new white varietal,-read more-
Standing alone this is thin and slightly sour, but as a food wine it comes into its own. It has some light red juiciness and a touch of licorice, but the unique and surprising flavor is a sea-spray saltiness. For-read more-
Gorgeous translucent ruby color with clear edges, pure Pinot Noir, with no tell-tale purple edges hinting at Syrah in the mix. When first opened it is a full plate of heavily smoked meat, like slow-smoked pork with a perfect pink-read more-
The Palate Press Wine of the Week, July 26 - 30 is:
A knockout of a red wine from the somewhat obscure Jumilla region of Spain. Made from Monastrell, known in France as Mourvèdre, it is high in alcohol (15%) and presents a heady mix of lush and brawny characteristics. Lovely nose-read more-
Pear and melon on the nose. On the palate, melon, peach, pear, and white pepper. It balances a round mouth-feel with bright refreshing acids. This has an excellent quality-to-price ratio. Pair it with a hot summer day and a bowl-read more-
Though it’s a bit more expensive than most of the others, this wine is richer and beefier, with fragrant notes of almond croissants, toasted wheat bread with lemon marmalade, orange blossoms, hazelnut, and honeydew. It’s complex, slightly earthy, and well-read more-