A nice offering from Down Under. Nose is stubbornly tight at first, but then yields notes of cassis, cedar, and green pepper. Generous fruit on the palate, with restrained tannins and overtones of juicy blackberries and chocolate with oak floating throughout. Finish is clean, albeit not languorous. Have it with
Unfined and unfiltered. A minty nose, with a certain earthiness. Later, cocoa and vanilla notes come out. Lots of dark, sweet plummy fruit with hints of strawberry. Nice, strong, integrated tannins. A warm, buttery finish. It’s the wine I kept sipping with a steak dinner. Recommended. BSE WHO: Amapola Creek
Unfined and unfiltered. A minty nose, with a certain earthiness. Later, cocoa and vanilla notes come out. Lots of dark, sweet plummy fruit with hints of strawberry. Nice, strong, integrated tannins. A warm, buttery finish. It’s the wine I kept-read more-
When I visited Navarra a few years ago, I went home raving about the rosado (rosé) wines made from garnacha (grenache). This time, I found a whole new sphere of great red and white wines, made from both indigenous and-read more-
Surprisingly lush, the Cabernet Franc offers cured tobacco leaf, wrapped in some silky blackberry, black cherry and mocha from the Cabernet Sauvignon. Pencil lead shows up on the mid-palate. Tannins are dusty, fine. The Syrah flows under it all, offering-read more-
Dusty dark fruit in the aroma at first, then vanilla. Opens up to be rich and buttery, with a touch of char on the fruit, like burnt sugar. Over all well balanced with moderate tannins and respectable structure. A bit-read more-
With neighbors like Opus One and Rubicon, this was bound to be a keeper. Nose of cedar, anise, tobacco, and fresh leather. Flavors of blueberries, cassis, and chocolate with soft, well-integrated tannins. Velvety finish. Nice now, but will be even-read more-
If you live near a Costco you know where this is going. “Kirkland” is Costco’s proprietary brand for everything from soup to nuts (and I mean that literally). They market a “Kirkland Signature Wine Collection” whereby they slap their own-read more-