N: Fragrant gooseberry with undertones of grn olives
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt BEAUTIFULLY counterbalanced by an acidity which transitions into a LONG, balanced, ULT pleasantly swtish finish. For now & into at least EARLY '20. My EXC-, & one can argue for more based upon the QPR of this vendor's $9.95 which is at least $1.50 < the next lowest on wine-searcher. 89 pts WS, 88 ea The Wine Front (Jamie Goode) & WE @ $18, 86 Decanter World Wine Awards, 15.5/20 Jancis Robinson, + a Gold, Silver, & 2 Bronzes @ judgings.
P: Med, poss MF, body; RNDISH entry withh ALMOST swtish oak/frt nicely balanced by an acidity which pushes things into the LONG, balanced, tangy/swt finish. For now & through '19 [in order to avoid potential bitterness]. My VG+/EXC-, & one can argue for the higher based upon the QPR of this vendor's $12.95, which is $2 < wine-searcher's next lowest.
Note: A *hugely* DIFFERENT rxn that what I had on 6/30/2018. Bottle variation, it's "come together", or my palate?!? Take your pick, I guess. :(
Over 75% C.S. with smaller amounts of Merlot and C.F. from 100% drip irrigation vyds in Horse Heaven Hills & the Wahluke Slope; "Grapes were crushed & then fermented 6-10 days on the skins. Malolactic fermentation occurred in s/s tanks & oak barrels. Blending occurred immediately after fermentation. The wine aged predominately in AM & FR oak barrels, half new & half older, for > 6 mos." 13.5% ABV, 0.53 g/100mL, & 3.79 pH.
N: Vanilla, earth, poss iron
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with ALMOST swtish frt nicely counterbalanced by acidity which transitions into a LONG, very, VERY slightly tangy finish with a swtness to the MINIMAL dusty tannins. For now & through '19, poss EARLY '20, + could improve a bit over the next 3 mos or so. My VG+/EXC-, arguably the higher for the QPR of this vendor's $6.95, which is $1 < the next lowest on wine-searcher.
Apparently, 50% Grenache, 44% Carignan, & 6% P.S. fermented "traditionally" in open concrete tanks, then aged "11 mos in FR & AM oak barrels of several uses."
N: Smoke slightly atop RIPE berries with a note of something sharp (lemons?)
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by some astringent pucker which evolves into a LONG, bitter/swt (35:65) finish to the very, VERY fine tannins. Deserves another 6-9 mos, then drinking for the ff 3 yrs or so. My VG+/EXC-. [I found no other U.S. source with which to compare this vendor's $12.95.]
70% Alicante Bouschet & 30% Monastrell from vyds situated in Almansa @ 700-1000 m altitude, planted in sandy soils with a high lime concentration in the base; The grapes are separately fermented in s/s tanks prior to aging 4 mos in FR oak barrels.
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE frt met by an astringent pucker which, without losing sight of the init frt, transitions into a LONG, ult PLEASANT finish with a swtness to the dusty tannins. For now (as long as one can tolerate the mid-P structure) & the ff 3-4 yrs. 14.5% ABV; My EXC-/EXC, the higher for the QPR of this vendor's $6.95, which puts it in the top 10% of wine-searcher's listings. 90 pts Suckling
2016 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
Apparently 13% ABV & 4 g/l R.S.; 1,636,160 cs made!
N: Fragrant gooseberry with undertones of grn olives
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt BEAUTIFULLY counterbalanced by an acidity which transitions into a LONG, balanced, ULT pleasantly swtish finish. For now & into at least EARLY '20. My EXC-, & one can argue for more based upon the QPR of this vendor's $9.95 which is at least $1.50 < the next lowest on wine-searcher. 89 pts WS, 88 ea The Wine Front (Jamie Goode) & WE @ $18, 86 Decanter World Wine Awards, 15.5/20 Jancis Robinson, + a Gold, Silver, & 2 Bronzes @ judgings.
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2016 Gold Crush Wines Chardonnay
USA, California
N: Closed; Butter, with lemons underneath?
P: Med, poss MF, body; RNDISH entry withh ALMOST swtish oak/frt nicely balanced by an acidity which pushes things into the LONG, balanced, tangy/swt finish. For now & through '19 [in order to avoid potential bitterness]. My VG+/EXC-, & one can argue for the higher based upon the QPR of this vendor's $12.95, which is $2 < wine-searcher's next lowest.
Note: A *hugely* DIFFERENT rxn that what I had on 6/30/2018. Bottle variation, it's "come together", or my palate?!? Take your pick, I guess. :(
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2015 Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Estates
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
Over 75% C.S. with smaller amounts of Merlot and C.F. from 100% drip irrigation vyds in Horse Heaven Hills & the Wahluke Slope; "Grapes were crushed & then fermented 6-10 days on the skins. Malolactic fermentation occurred in s/s tanks & oak barrels. Blending occurred immediately after fermentation. The wine aged predominately in AM & FR oak barrels, half new & half older, for > 6 mos." 13.5% ABV, 0.53 g/100mL, & 3.79 pH.
N: Vanilla, earth, poss iron
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with ALMOST swtish frt nicely counterbalanced by acidity which transitions into a LONG, very, VERY slightly tangy finish with a swtness to the MINIMAL dusty tannins. For now & through '19, poss EARLY '20, + could improve a bit over the next 3 mos or so. My VG+/EXC-, arguably the higher for the QPR of this vendor's $6.95, which is $1 < the next lowest on wine-searcher.
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2015 Aborigen Ácrata Portada
Mexico, Baja California
Apparently, 50% Grenache, 44% Carignan, & 6% P.S. fermented "traditionally" in open concrete tanks, then aged "11 mos in FR & AM oak barrels of several uses."
N: Smoke slightly atop RIPE berries with a note of something sharp (lemons?)
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by some astringent pucker which evolves into a LONG, bitter/swt (35:65) finish to the very, VERY fine tannins. Deserves another 6-9 mos, then drinking for the ff 3 yrs or so. My VG+/EXC-. [I found no other U.S. source with which to compare this vendor's $12.95.]
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2016 Bodegas Atalaya Almansa Laya
Spain, Castilla-La Mancha, Almansa
70% Alicante Bouschet & 30% Monastrell from vyds situated in Almansa @ 700-1000 m altitude, planted in sandy soils with a high lime concentration in the base; The grapes are separately fermented in s/s tanks prior to aging 4 mos in FR oak barrels.
N: Fragrant smoke/earth slightly atop RIPE berries
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with NICE frt met by an astringent pucker which, without losing sight of the init frt, transitions into a LONG, ult PLEASANT finish with a swtness to the dusty tannins. For now (as long as one can tolerate the mid-P structure) & the ff 3-4 yrs. 14.5% ABV; My EXC-/EXC, the higher for the QPR of this vendor's $6.95, which puts it in the top 10% of wine-searcher's listings. 90 pts Suckling
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