Giant Wine Sale & Tasting 5/7/2011

Every other Saturday from Noon to 2 PM Ricky Mullohan, Kaitlin Ohlinger and staff hold a public tasting and sale. Over the past couple years this has become a very festive event. Typically the average customer is there to buy. They walk in the door, grab a lineup sheet, a tasting glass, and an empty case. The majority of these wines are drinkers, no reason to hold them. Only the reserve flight has prices beyond $20. They have developed a large crowd of regular buyers, who often stay to the bitter end, and have to asked to leave.

• NV Ackerman Marquis de la Tour Brut Rosé 88 Points

  France, Loire Valley

  Took this to a friends house, already chilled, and enjoyed it early on a Sunday afternoon. This is very smooth and easy drinking. It is slightly sweet, and reminds me of strawberry Kool Aid we had as kids, before artificial sweeteners. Very pure strawberry flavors, and some cherry. Small active bubbles bring it into the palate. The adequate acid cleanses while the fruit does it's thing. Then we have a fairly sweet finish. That's all, this stuff could get addictive.

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• 2010 Charles & Charles Rosé 90 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  Had to give this one the benefit of the doubt on the 90 point glass ceiling. Just a little something extra here. Made from Washington State Syrah grapes, we can kind of feel some extra sunshine and hang time in the flavor. Slightly bigger, and deeper than your typical rose. A little more expression of those hard to describe non fruit flavors that linger on in the finish. Sharp, focused red fruit. I feel a little love here. Nice job.

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• 2008 Dr. Peter Poontinger Riesling 84 Points

  Germany, Rheinhessen

  This may not cut it with the serious wine drinking crowd. It is low alcohol, a little light, and sweet. There is some nice pineapple and honeysuckle. I think they made an acid addition. It may be a little oxidized. Some lemon and apple on the finish. Kind of a gimmick wine.

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• 2010 Octave Vinho Verde 85 Points

  Portugal, Minho, Vinho Verde

  Another light, refreshing summer drinking wine. This comes in at only 9% alcohol, so this definitely qualifies as a pool wine. Not much color. Not much structure. Has a nice little spritz that actually interferes with the already minimal pear and citrus fruit. Very light in the mouth. Not even medium bodied. Barely enough acid to keep things interesting. Even though this is a super value wine, I think we can spend that money on a wine that has a lot more flavor for the buck.

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• 2009 Domaine Haut-Marin Grande Cuvée de la Mer 88 Points

  France, Southwest France, Gascony, Côtes de Gascogne

  This is my first taste of Gros Manseng. I was a little surprised by the depth and character of this wine. Very golden in color. Another wine with a hint of flowers on the nose. Lemon is the major fruit taste component. There is some minerality. Very nice job with the acid, smooth, crisp, but mouth puckering, like some of the French country wines. Almost complex, there are apples, pears, and other tropical fruit. Medium bodied. Surprisingly long finish. Serve cold, could be a pool wine, or great with food.

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• 2009 Hughes Beaulieu Picpoul de Pinet 88 Points

  France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Picpoul de Pinet

  I'm not normally a fan of wines that hit you in the face with raw acid, going to make an exception here. This relatively light colored and bodied wine smacks you with the malic acid, but it has a lot more going for it. This is one of the few wines that has the taste of lime juice, along with some lemon and grapefruit. Behind these puckering tropical fruits is a very nice softening white pear. Not particularly alcoholic. When you pour this at refrigerator temperature, the acid dominates, as the wine warms in the glass, it becomes much more civilized, letting the white fruits smooth out everything in the mouth.

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• 2008 Maison Albert Bichot Pouilly-Fuissé 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé

  Not necessarily a value priced wine, this one is priced in between the grocery store stuff, and the single vineyard wines. There is still plenty of value. Golden color. Crisp, intense fruit and non fruit flavors and aromas. This one does a nice job of surrounding the lemon, citrus, and tropical fruit flavors, with some chalky, lead and mineral flavors. Medium bodied. Really nicely controlled acid. Definitely brings us a sense of it's soil and climate. Very nice lemon peel flavor on the finish.

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• 2009 Sean Minor Pinot Noir Four Bears 88 Points

  USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

  This is a real decent Pinot noir for the price. It has a little of everything we are looking for. At first sniff I said Burgundy clones. On the taste, I immediately got ripe plums, backed up by the other types of dark fruit. All this is framed with some serious structure, both from the Burgundian clones, and a dose of French oak. Got some graphite on the top of the palate as well. More than a little tannin bite on the roof of the mouth. I can also catch the alcohol. But, all in all this is pretty well put together stuff for $15. The finish leaves you with some pepper and brown spice. Nice.

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• 2008 Friedrich Becker Pinot Noir 89 Points

  Germany, Pfalz

  I'm going to agree with those who gave this Pinot Noir a decent score. I like the way this one is put together. As expected, the color is very light. Also, the nose is a little shy. Those are both all right. I love the sharp, focused the red raspberry and sour cherry fruit. There seems to be a chalky, powdery minerality that is totally distinct, and fits right in. There are almost perfect tannins. Balanced, integrated acid and alcohol. Spicy,wet earth and some of the barnyard with tobacco on the lingering finish. This one caught me off guard, and I'm glad it did.

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• 2007 Mandrarossa Sicilia Cartagho 83 Points

  Italy, Sicily, Sicilia

  Not the best Nero d' Avola I've tasted. They did get plenty of blue fruit, even a little plum. It is slightly more than medium bodied. They got the acid mostly right. There is a nice brown spice component also. Why I don't really like it, is that sulfur, earthy taste. Something is off with these grapes. There is not a lot of it, but it brings down the taste, and aroma factor, and even spoils the finish.

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• 2009 Thomas Henry Wines Zinfandel Sonoma County 86 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County

  This is not my favorite style of Zinfandel. On the nose I immediately got a big hit of alcohol. I think they tried to produce a Zin with some structure, but did not quite pull it off. The palate was a little more what I like. Just short of medium bodied. Roasted red and black fruit. It is a little thin, which lets the alcohol stick out. I think they should have focused more on the fruit, as it it is a little one dimensional, and not too well supported with acid and tannin.

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• 2009 Alice White Shiraz 85 Points

  Australia, South Eastern

  Another one of those wines where I thought I got brown sugar on the nose. I'm surprised how closed the nose was, usually we get attacked with fruit on an Australian Shiraz. The non fruit aromas hit me first this time. The wine is actually a little subdued, maybe even elegant. The fruit is adequate, but by no means overpowering. The acid is quite tame. And we don't seem to have a lot of new oak. It is dry, and smooth, just not real complex.

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• 2008 Bodegas Mano a Mano Tempranillo Vino de la Tierra de Castilla Mano a Mano 86 Points

  Spain, Castilla-La Mancha, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla

  Fairly typical for what we expect from Tempranillo. Very dark purple color. Got that graphite aroma, and flavor right away. There is some of that smoky, earthy, rustic taste, maybe even to the point of being slightly unripe. We got plenty of blackberry fruit, backed up with some black pepper. Pretty well balanced. Not particularly complex. Maybe some of those non fruit flavors are affecting my ability to enjoy the fruit. Some nice black licorice on the finish.

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• 2009 Altos Las Hormigas Bonarda Colonia las Liebres 83 Points

  Argentina, Mendoza

  I've always been a big fan of Charbobo, mostly because it is one of the few red grapes that has red pulp. Occasionally, they make a striking wine. They keep trying in Argentina, but at least here they don't quite get it.The grape always gives us sharp red fruits, and plenty of blueberry and blackberry, this is no exception. It kind of falls down on the rest of the flavor components. There is not enough acid. There is minimal tannin. They tried to pump it up with heavy, or medium heavy toast oak. It is on the thin side, less than medium bodied. You can smell and taste a lot of alcohol. It is smooth, and I love all that fruit, but this wine is not quite complete.

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• 2007 Agustin Cubero Syrah Calatayud Unus 86 Points

  Spain, Aragón, Calatayud

  To me this was a nice change of pace in Syrah. We don't get that many pure Syrah wines from Spain, and this is different from what we have become used to with Rhone, California, or Australian Syrah. It is not quite as structured and intense. Quite fruit forward for a European wine. I got kind of a candied , brown sugar flavor profile. The blackberry and cherry seemed a little cooked. There were some non fruit accenting flavors, especially black pepper, and brown spice. Some smoke on the nose and palate. Not quite medium bodied. I think they tried to emphasize finesse and elegance over power, and it sort of worked.

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• 2008 Layer Cake Primitivo 88 Points

  Italy, Puglia, Puglia IGT

  I liked this a lot. It had all the characteristics that I really like in Zin, with some Italian nuance. I's jammy, but not quite as much as a California Zin. To me, the fruit is really focused, like sharp and bright right on the lips, all the way to the finish. Really nice blueberry pie fruit. Balanced but not overpowering acidity. We don't expect much tannin from Zin or Primitivo. Does not have that old vine intensity, it is more fresh in it's appeal. One of those wines we can almost describe as grapey. Has that balanced sense of sweetness on the finish.

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• 2006 Young's Vineyard Barbera 83 Points

  USA, California, Sierra Foothills, California Shenandoah Valley

  Not so good. At 4 1/2 years old, it might be tired already. It stared off with an awesome nose of roasted dark fruits. But, on the palate it was a little tired and unexciting. I am usually a big fan of Barbera because most of the time we can identify some mulberry fruit, which reminds me of what we used to pick off the trees as a kid. This one did not disappoint, as I think mulberry is the dominant fruit. Beyond that not much is happening. It is thin and weak, and hard to find something good to say.

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• 2007 Bodegas Atalaya Almansa 88 Points

  Spain, Castilla-La Mancha, Almansa

  You have to give these people lots of credit for brining us a big, but soft, tasty bottle of enjoyment for only $12. I'm not convinced I really like this style. By the comments from my tasting buddies, I might be the one with the problem. It starts off with a syrupy brown sugar nose. Then, the fruit is kind of candied. The color is dark enough to make your teeth purple. The array of black fruit is very ripe, almost focused, and definitely tasty. The wine is a little flabby, missing something on the mid palate. There is a nice cinnamon component. Not overpowering in the acid department. Very nice job integrating what must be pretty high alcohol. I think making it big and ripe might have cost them some complexity. Guess I have to go visit the winery, and do some research.

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• 2007 Starmont Cabernet Sauvignon 88 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  What can we say? Another reliable offering from this very consistent producer. My tasting notes are actually boring, which may be a compliment. This is an under $20 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley that works. It has all the red and dark fruits. There are nicely ripened and managed tannins. It is balanced and complete with a quality finish. Enough said.

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• 2007 Corvidae Wine Co. Cabernet Franc The Keeper 87 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley

  We don't get to drink that much Cabernet Franc, and this one did not disappoint. No awards here, just good winemaking with a competent attempt at emphasizing varietal character. This is pretty typical to what I have learned to be Cabernet Franc, with just a hint of green pepper and mocha. The nose is a little closed, or maybe just shy with just hints of graphite and earth. Plenty of color. The fruit profile is relatively distinct with the leading flavor of cedar coated blackberries. This is not a big heavy wine. The alcohol is well integrated, as are the considerable tannins. It is a little spicy. There is some medium plus toast oak that lingers on to the finish.

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• 2007 Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  This was my first taste of this relatively famous wine. My first impression from the color and the nose, was old world like, like from the Loire Valley. It raises the bar for intensity and complexity for Sauvignon Blanc. We recognize the grassy component we all expect, but that is just the beginning. There is a quite untypical mustiness that enhances the fresh fruit flavors that appear in abundance. There is gooseberry, melon, and light pear, with citrus. The acid is very civilized, kind of like a good Chardonnay, which leads me to believe there is some malolactic fermentation. I would not be surprised if wine has seen some neutral oak. More than medium bodied, this is very rich mouth full of white wine. Some honeysuckle, citrus, and possibly oak on the finish.

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• 2007 Stags' Leap Winery Petite Sirah 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  The first time I ever tasted this wine was at Gallaghers Steak House in Las Vegas at New York, New York. They insisted that it was the perfect pairing for their 37 day aged ribeye. I was sceptical because I was thinking Cabernet, and I was wrong. There is what I call a Rhone like mustiness to this wine that matches perfectly with the flavors and aromas of that dry aged steak. Tasting the 2007, was reminiscent of that day. There was still an earthy mustiness. I was also sceptical of Petite Sirah's ability to be acidic enough to cut through the fat of the steak, and keep the mouth cleansed. This wine seems smooth and easy drinking, but considerable acidity sneaks up on you to handle the job. This is a big wine. So dark it will give you purple teeth. The considerable blueberry and other dark fruits are seamless all the way through the palate to the finish. Plenty of non fruit flavors like vanilla, cocoa, and road tar compliment the fruit flavors. Hearty, earthy, tasty, and affordable.

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• 2008 Noon Eclipse 91 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  I think I am becoming a believer of what the Australians can do with grapes. Somehow they take super ripe grapes, make wines with 15 plus percent alcohol, that still have flavors and aromas that my California trained palate can hardly identify or describe. This is a Grenache with mouth feel and viscosity I rarely see. True, there is some brown sugar notes that are not all that welcome. This is a very big wine. All the dark fruits, especially what I think is elderberry. There is pepper spice, and some minerality. Some menthol, or possibly eucalyptus. Very nicely balanced and tasty. moderate acidity, some tannin. Just well made and nice.

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