2013 Villa Creek Pink
2012 Carol Shelton Wines Zinfandel Monga Zin Lopez Vineyard
2012 Michael Pozzan Winery Pinot Noir Annabella Special Selection Carneros
2009 Melville Syrah Estate Verna’s
2012 Verum Pinot Noir
N.V. Taittinger Champagne Brut Réserve
2013 Villa Creek Pink – $12.80
This wine, as well as the Bedrock Ode to Lulu Rosé are my main pink wines from California for the warm weather. I supplement these two with purchases from Southern France and Spain so we have plenty of variety.
This wine has a suggested retail price of $16 is a steal for under $13 off their e-mail list. It looks like they still have some available on their site, if you’re interested, check out their site to order, join their e-mail list or for more information by clicking here.
This wine is a blend of Grenache, Carignan and Mourvèdre,
The wine has 13.8% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.
My Tasting Note
The wine is a gorgeous bright salmon color. The fresh and crisp nose has cherries, minerals, spice, strawberries, orange zest and ripe peaches. This wine is barely medium body with crisp acidity and just a hint of sweetness. On the palate tart cherries, spice and minerals quickly take over slowly allowing some orange zest to slip through. The finish has good length with a touch of peach joining the orange zest. The wine leaves a touch of lingering sweetness, minerals and mouthwatering orange zest. This is a very nice rose and a steal at the mailing list price of under $13. (88 pts)
2013 Villa Creek Pink
2012 Carol Shelton Wines Zinfandel Monga Zin Lopez Vineyard – $20.51
Carol poured a tasting of her wines at the local wine store a month or two ago. Even though I could not attend the tasting, I was able to get the signed bottle from the picture. Up to this point, I had not had the opportunity to try any of the “Zin Master’s” wines from her label.
There is loads of great information available on her site by clicking here.
This wine has 14.9% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.
My Tasting Note
The wine is a shade lighter than ruby red. The inviting nose has brambly berries, white pepper, cherries, baking spices, dusty minerals and vanilla. This has medium body with moderate tannins and good acidity. This is fairly bright and juicy on the palate with cherries and baking spices up front with minerals and a touch of peppery berries. The finish has good length with a touch of vanilla coming into focus. This leaves a very slight lingering sweetness. This is an easy to drink wine without the excess weight and the high octane of most zinfandels. (89 pts)
2012 Carol Shelton Wines Zinfandel Monga Zin Lopez Vineyard
2012 Michael Pozzan Winery Pinot Noir Annabella Special Selection Carneros – $12.82
I’m always on the look out for $15 Pinot Noirs for week nights. This is a tough category but there are a few gems out there. I grabbed this wine as well as the winery’s slightly higher cost Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. Even though this wine cost a couple dollars less, I think I liked it a touch more.
Much more information on the winery and the four labels of wine produced is available by clicking here.
This wine has 14.1% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.
My Tasting Note
The wine is barely a medium ruby color. The appealing nose has black cherries, warm baking spices, vanilla bean, minerals, subtle earthiness and wildflowers. This is barely medium body with soft to moderate tannins and very nice acidity. On the palate black cherries and spice lead off with minerals and some earthiness coming in later. The finish has decent length with a touch of vanilla coming into the picture. This is a very nice week night Pinot Noir that was a steal for under $13. (89 pts)
2012 Michael Pozzan Winery Pinot Noir Annabella Special Selection Carneros
2009 Melville Syrah Estate Verna’s – $20.46
I’m a big fan of Melville’s Pinot Noirs, but when I saw this at the local store, I had to grab a several bottles. I had a bottle not long after purchase and it left me a bit underwhelmed. I decided to give it a year in the cellar to see how it would come around. I waited about a year and a half and it was better but still seemed to need more time. It’s now been another year and a half, so it’s time to check in again.
This has 14.7% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.
Winery history
In 1989, Melville Vineyards, a family owned and operated enterprise was founded in Sonoma County’s Knights Valley, where Ron Melville grew high quality, much sought after Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. In 1996, Ron’s desire to grow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay brought Melville Vineyards to Lompoc’s Sta. Rita Hills, located in the western Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California. The Sta. Rita Hills appellation is where Ron Melville and his sons Brent and Chad Melville decided to develop their estate vineyards and winery. Since then, they have also developed an interest in Rhone varietals, particularly Northern Rhone Syrah and Viognier. The Melville estate achieves quality through the integrity of its farming practice and its respect to the microclimate.
Additional information available at http://www.melvillevineyards.com/index2.html
My Tasting Note
The wine is a bright ruby red color. The very nice nose features black raspberries, cherries, Asian spices, smoke, white pepper, spicy oak, dark chocolate, violets and a touch of earthiness. This has a medium body with fairly solid tannins and good acidity. The palate has nice spicy red and black fruit with a bit of oak and some earthiness. The finish has nice length but does show a touch of excess oak. This is a nice, slightly restrained style of California Syrah that will probably show a bit of oak on the back end and finish. This is drinking nicely now but will hold for at least a few years. (91 pts)
2009 Melville Syrah Estate Verna’s
2012 Verum Pinot Noir – $17.09
I participated in an online tasting of Argentine Pinot Noir wines a while ago and was impressed enough that I had to grab a few bottles. My post on that event is available by clicking here.
Verum (Bodega Del Rio Elorza) is a boutique, family winery with 45 acres of high-density vineyards in the Alto Valle del Rio Negro, Patagonia.
The grapes for this 100% Pinot Noir are grown in 100% sustainably farmed vineyards. The grapes are hand picked and double sorted by hand to ensure only the best grapes make it into the bottle. The wine is fermentated using indigenous yeasts. The wine is aged 6-12 months in 50% 1st and 50% 2nd use French oak barrels.
The wine has 13.9% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with an agglomerated cork.
My Tasting Note
The wine is a bright, semi-transparent ruby red color. The inviting nose has black cherries, white pepper, minerals, baking spices, earthy underbrush and candied violets. Cherries, minerals and spices coat your palate, eventually allowing white pepper and a touch of spicy oak to join the party. The finish has nice length with some subtle earthiness joining coming into focus to join the fruit and oak. This is a nice Pinot Noir that is well mannered but does show a touch of oak at times. Enjoy over the next couple of years. (89 pts)
2012 Verum Pinot Noir
N.V. Taittinger Champagne Brut Réserve – $24.99
We had a bottle of this wine while at a friend’s home several months ago. He told me Costco had the wine in a special box with 4 bottles of the Champagne and for glasses for under $100. As soon as we could we made our way to the local Costco and a box found its way into my cellar. This was a killer bottle of bubbles for $25 a bottle. I’m thankful I have a few more bottles to savor over the warm months ahead.
This has 12.0% alcohol by volume.
My Tasting Note
This is a yellow to light straw color with an abundance of small, pinpoint sized bubbles. The enticing nose has apples. pears, minerals, fresh baked yeasty bread, lemon zest and white flowers. This has a light, delicate body with crisp acidity. On the palate this has nice tart apples, pears and minerals up front with bread and citrus coming in on the back end. This has good length on the dry, crisp finish. (91 pts)
NV Taittinger Champagne Brut Réserve
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Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines. I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar. I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com. Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear. There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.
Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase. I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive. I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount. Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges. None of the prices include the sales tax.
All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.
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