Tom Garland

9.4

August 28th is National Red Wine day...popped this to celebrate

1 hour decant (decent chunky/fine sediment). A striking inky dark purplish magenta color with some bricking. On the nose: Enticing perfumed notes of red fruit, forest floor, smoked meat, menthol, and mocha. Taste: A velvety, plush wine with dark cherry/plum, currants, dusty earth, white pepper, graphite, and a long lingering dark chocolate espresso finish. YUM! In a great place with time to go. — 10 months ago

with Brenda

Thomas Williams

9.2

Red blend - 25% Touriga National, 25% Alfrocheiro, 25% Jaen (aka Mencia), 25% Tinta Pinheira.
From. Dao region whics perfect micro climate of high desert heat and Atlantic cool breezes. Dao is not the Decentralized automomous organization for you crypto fans out there... But a favorite for blockchain advocates.
Granite soil and clay sand makes for the grapes to display rich cherry notes, rose petal and a long finish — 3 years ago

Vanessa

9.0

Happy National Red Wine Day!! 🙌🙌

We’re excited to celebrate with this Columbia Valley Syrah blend from the family-owned L’Ecole No. 41 winery in Washington State. 🇺🇸 @lecole41

Washington State is an important region for Syrah within the United States; however, this grape variety finds its true home in northern Rhône Valley, France. 🇫🇷

Syrah can fare well in warmer (e.g., Hunter Valley or Barossa Valley, Australia) and/or cooler (e.g., northern Rhône) climates. The climate has a pretty big impact on the style and expression of the resulting wine. Try tasting a Barossa Valley Shiraz next to a Syrah from Cornas, Rhône Valley and you may see (and taste) what I mean. 🤔 🧐 😆

The Columbia Valley region benefits from what’s called a “rain shadow” effect thanks to its location to the east of the Cascade mountains. 🏔 🏔The Cascades shield the region from the wet, intense weather coming in from the coast. As a result, the climate is warmer, drier, and sunnier, which supports the ripening process and stresses the vines, enhancing concentration of the fruit. 👍👍

This wine is a blend of 77% Syrah, 21% Grenache, and 2% Mourvedre varieties hailing from the vineyards of Candy Mountain, Stone Tree, Estate Seven Hills, Bacchus, and Summitville. It was fermented in stainless steel and was then racked in small, mostly neutral oak barrels over the course of 18 months.🍷🍷🍷

This wine is medium purple with heavy tearing; it’s full-bodied and jam-packed with ripe blueberry, black cherry, blackberry, and black currant notes, also black pepper, licorice, and leather. 💕💕We’re pairing it, initially, with a bite of Gruyère, Manchego, and fig, followed by grilled brats, portabellas, and zucchinis. It stands up well to the intensity of flavors. — 5 years ago

with Deked1

Romain Fitoussi

9.0

Gourmet south wine. Original modern blend, with mediterranean grapes: Touriga national, Nebbiolo, Grenache, very easy to drink, built on cherry and blackcurrant. Medium to medium plus bodied and beautiful freshness.

Vin gourmand du Sud. Mélange moderne original, avec des cépages méditerranéens: Touriga national, Nebbiolo, Grenache, très facile à boire, sur la cerise et le cassis. Moyen à moyen plus et belle fraîcheur. — 5 years ago

Tom Garland

9.3

Cheers! National drink wine day(Feb 18) so we must imbibe!!!!
3 hour decant (some chunky/cloudy sediment). A deep dark garnet color. On the nose: cherry, crushed rock, blackberry, floral, ending with creme brulee. Taste: Rich with round tannins, black fruit, licorice, tar, and a chocolate graphite medium plus finish......drinking well but it could use just a few more years to fully come together. — 6 years ago

with Brenda

James Forsyth

9.0

Crystal cherry and in inner sweetness. Quite good, I think. But served way too warm that it wasn’t a pleasant experience. At the National Arts Club in NYC. — 7 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Aromatic red fruits, a little closed initially. This new producer from the Derwent Valley in Tasmania has taken the Australian Show system by storm winning the James Halliday Trophy for Best Pinot Noir at Royal Melbourne 2021 and trophy for Best Pinot Noir at the National Wine Show of Australia 2021. Red and black cherry with judicious use of whole bunch. Luscious with a touch of Sous Bois but mainly showing juicy fruit at this stage in its youth. A brilliant new wine from a brilliant new producer. Difficult to procure currently. The following night similar notes of black cherry. From the Fogarty Family group of producers. — 2 years ago

Tom Garland

9.4

Happy National Drink Wine Day(Feb 18th).

2.5 hour decant (decent chunky/fine sediment). A dark murky purplish magenta color with bricking. On the nose: expressive nose of plum, musky earth, sweet aged Bordeaux perfume, floral, some strawberry, slight creme brulee. Taste: creamy, rich, balanced full body wine with red fruits, cedar, tobacco, vanilla, and a sour cherry minerally graphite long dry finish(plenty of mellowed tannins). The complete package...approachable now with decant and a long life ahead of it. YUM. — 4 years ago

with Brenda

Nathan Renfro

9.2

Nose is floral, spicy, dark fruit. Blackberry, black cherry, plum, leather. Satiny smooth tannins. Very well balanced. Drinking very nicely after a short decant. National Pinot Noir day so had to try something new for me. — 5 years ago

Brenda Terzich-Garland

9.5

Another favorite on mine! Color - a purplish red magenta. Nose - Blue fruit, crushed rock and vanilla burst in scent from the glass—a stewed meat, spice, cedar menthol lingers. Taste - dark blueberry fruit with a dark tart cherry following. A silky feel as it coats the mouth—cream brûlée notes float giving the wine a subtle sweetness. At the mid-pallet pepper dry herbs and cedar-spice give it a long dry finish. A great evening to celebrate national wine and cheese day—yum yum. — 6 years ago

with Karin and Jill

Tobin Trevarthen

9.2

Masterful. Aged to a nicely smooth black cherry festival. Waves of red and black fruit. — 7 years ago

Shauna Jones

10

Excellently balanced cherry wine. — 8 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Nose is classic Touriga National violets, cherry liqueur, and earthy crushed stone. Soft and mouthfilling, it’s intensely minerally on the palate, with enough dark cherry extract fruit to keep it from being too one-dimensional. Tannins are super-soft, and there is abundant acidity.

UPDATE. A few hours later interesting notes of cinnamon are emerging. — 2 years ago

Yaw Awuku

9.3

What a lovely cherry-popcorn-funfare ride! Tell your Mum, your Dad, your brothers, and your sisters, and your best friends too! Because this party ist going to be a spicy, fruity, swinging festival. — 4 years ago

Vanessa

9.0

We were fortunate to visit Ceja Vineyards in April where we were introduced to the Ceja family’s gorgeous wines. 🙏

We wanted to open a bottle to celebrate and recognize National Hispanic Heritage month. Following are the notes we took at the time, which remain true today:

Ceja is a Mexican-American family owned winery producing wines from both Napa and Sonoma valleys. “In one generation the Ceja family has gone from immigrant vineyard workers to grape growers and winery owners.” 💪 🇲🇽 🇺🇸

We loved learning about the inspiring background of this winery and family’s devotion to excellence. 💕💕

The wines are designed to be paired with food (especially, though not exclusively, traditional Mexican cuisine), but are delicious on their own, too.

The 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley is full, velvety, and rich with a lot of ripe blackberry, cassis, and black cherry 🍒 characteristics. Aged for 36 months in French oak, it has dark chocolate, nutmeg, and clove notes. Also leather and anise.

Delicioso! 👏👏👏 Salud 🤩 — 5 years ago

Douglas Braun

9.1

2015 Vintage - floral , cherry,red fruits ,mushroom, undergrowth, mineral, nice balance -great wine for national wine day — 5 years ago

Jake Hajer

9.1

Bright and upfront in the nose. Fried-salted chili, toasted rice, light game (light as in, pheasant). Exotic blend of grapes, but somehow...tastes just like a blend of them, savory cherry of Syrah, leather-earth tannins of Mourvèdre, with a gush of funky blackberry fruit ala touriga national. Balanced. Have no idea how it will age, but I’d be interested to see. — 6 years ago

Christine Turner

9.0

Mom loves this one! Light with strong cherry notes. — 7 years ago

Christy

9.2

St. Croix vineyard MN. Art & Wine Festival. Very good. Taste vanilla. Cherry & blackberry — 7 years ago

Daniel P. Drake

8.9

Happy National Pinot Noir Day! I am celebrating by opening the 2011 Benton-Lane Estate Grown Pinot Noir Willamette Valley.

On the nose there is nice red fruit, cherry, strawberry, cranberry, menthol, cola and a touch of funk.

The palate shows the red fruit that is on the nose, tart strawberry, cherry, cranberry, cola, clove, wet leaves and a bit of dry soil.

This is a light bodied wine with medium to + acidity and medium fine luscious tannins that coat the tongue which leads to a nice medium to long fruit filled finish. I hope everyone is enjoying Pinot Noir Day as I am and please as always be safe. Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 8 years ago