2011 Wine By Joe Pinot Gris Really Good
2010 Domaine Philippe Girard Savigny-lès-Beaune Vieilles Vignes
2007 Von Hövel Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese
N.V. Locations E-2
2012 Kilikanoon Shiraz Killerman’s Run
N.V. Heidsieck & Co. Monopole Champagne Blue Top Brut
2005 Falesco Montiano Lazio IGT
N.V. Schramsberg Vineyards Mirabelle Brut Rose
2011 Wine By Joe Pinot Gris Really Good – $9.49
Pinot Gris wines, especially those from Oregon are a Summer staple in my house. These are usually fresh and rich enough to enjoy chilled on the deck while something is on the grill cooking or to just kick back and enjoy on its own while relaxing. These wines also usually have plenty of closing acidity to pair up nicely with warm weather, leisurely meals.
This was a new one for me. Samples of this were being poured at the local wine store and for under $10, this was a winner. I had to grab a few bottles for the upcoming “deck season”.
Winery history
Joe Dobbes, owner and winemaker at Dobbes Family Estate, is a pretty laid-back guy, but he couldn’t be more serious about making really excellent wine. This bodes well for the world as we know it, because these dueling demeanors bring forth a true gem: Wine By Joe.
This is your go-to wine. Delicious, but never pretentious. A high-quality bottle at a no-nonsense price, meant to be shared with people who make you happy.
See, it’s smooth and “drinkable,” as they say. But it’s rich and complex, too. Wine By Joe, priced at less than 20 bucks, is as comfortable at a dinner party as it is on a Thursday evening in your backyard. And its consistency from bottle to bottle ensures you’re going to be happy every time you pour it.
My Tasting Note
The wine is a bright yellow color. The fresh smelling nose has apples, pears, lemon zest, honeysuckle, and a hint of white pepper. This has light to medium body, crisp acidity, just a touch of sweetness. The palate has nice, tart green apples, pears, and lemon zest. The crisp, mouthwatering finish has nice length from the juicy apples and lemon zest. (88 pts)
2011 Wine By Joe Pinot Gris Really Good
2010 Domaine Philippe Girard Savigny-lès-Beaune Vieilles Vignes – $19.99
When a wine loving friend let me know the local Costco had this wine for $20, I had to grab a bottle to check it out. The price seemed almost too good to be true, so I decided to just grab one bottle to ensure there was no problems with the wine before stocking up. After trying this bottle, I had to make a Costco run to grab a few more bottles to enjoy over the next couple of years.
The wine has 13.0% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.
My Tasting Note
The wine is a light to medium ruby red color. The fresh smelling nose has cherries, tea leaves, baking spices, candied violets and some earthy underbrush. The wine has light to medium body with silky tannins and good acidity. Bright cherry and baking spices great the palate up front with tea leaves coming in on the back end. The finish has nice length with a touch of underbrush adding some depth. This is a nicely balanced wine that tastes very nice even though it lacks some complexity. (89 pts)
2010 Domaine Philippe Girard Savigny-lès-Beaune Vieilles Vignes
2007 Von Hövel Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese – $13.29
We love German Riesling. To me they offer some of the best values you can find on a store’s shelf. These are very versatile wines that go great with a wide range of foods. If you ever have the opportunity to sample or buy a German Riesling with a decade or two of age on it, jump for it.
This has 8.0% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.
My Tasting Note
The wine is a clear, pale yellow with a very slight green tint. The very fresh and inviting nose has apples, minerals, lime, orange zest, peaches, and a touch of petrol and white pepper. This has light to medium body with nice residual sweetness and very good balancing acidity. This is rich and luscious on the palate with juicy fruit, minerals, citrus, and nice sweetness. The finish is fairly long and very flavorful. This has the complete package and is very nicely balanced. This is enjoyable now but will last in the cellar for at least another decade and improve along the way. (94 pts)
2007 Von Hövel Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese
N. V. Locations E-2 – $15.38
This evening’s wine is the controversial N.V. Locations E-2 from Orin Swift. This breaks all the “old world” wine rules. This is a multi-vintage blend of Grenache/Garnacha, Tempranillo, Monastrell and Carignan/Cariñena from all across Spain. The grapes are from Priorat, Jumilla, Toro, Rioja and Ribera del Duero.
This wine has 14.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.
My Tasting Note
The wine is a deep, dark purple color. The very open and impressive nose has blackberries, dark chocolate, vanilla, dried herbs, licorice, crushed stones, white pepper, baking spices and earthy underbrush. This has medium to full body with moderate tannins and good acidity. Layers of fruit and spice coat the palate, slowly giving way enough for white pepper, dried herbs and crushed stones to slip into the picture. The finish has good length with dark chocolate and vanilla adding depth. This could use some additional acidity on the back end to help support the massive flavors. This is big and bold and is not a wine for those looking for subtlety. (90 pts)
NV Locations E-2
2012 Kilikanoon Shiraz Killerman’s Run – $14.99
Starting with this vintage, this wine is now 100% sourced from vineyards in Australia’s Clare Valley. This valley offers warm days and cool nights with very little rain during the growing season.
This wine has 14.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.
My Tasting Note
The wine is a deep, dark purple color. The deep and dark nose has blackberries, charred wood, dark chocolate, blueberries, black pepper, dried flowers, vanilla and dusty minerals. This has medium to full body with moderate to solid tannins and decent acidity. On the palate, dark fruit and charred wood jump out first with black pepper, minerals and dark chocolate coming in on the back end. The finish has very good length with the dark fruit, black pepper and charred wood carrying the load. This could use a jolt of acidity to help hold the back end and finish together; right now they are getting a bit muddled. Perhaps some cellar time will help but I’d lean towards drinking this over the next year or two before it loses any acidity. (87 pts)
2012 Kilikanoon Shiraz Killerman’s Run
N. V. Heidsieck & Co. Monopole Champagne Blue Top Brut – $24.99
This multi-vintage Champagne is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Meunier. The number of cases imported changes annually, it looks like this release had about 8,000 cases imported into the US. In 2007, this wine was on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wine of the Year, coming in at number 77.
This wine has 12.0% alcohol by volume.
My Tasting Note
The wine is a bright yellow to straw color with an abundance of persistent, pinpoint sized bubbles. The refreshing nose has apples, fresh baked bread, roasted nuts, lemon zest, cherry skin and vanilla. This has a light body with crisp citrusy acidity and just a hint of sweetness. On the palate tart apples, roasted nuts and stony minerals hit first with yeasty bread and lemon zest coming in later. The finish has nice length with just a hint of cherry skins joining the tart apples and lemon zest. This is easy to sip and enjoy with a light meal. (89 pts)
NV Heidsieck & Co Monopole Champagne Blue Top Brut
2005 Falesco Montiano Lazio IGT – $28.49
This 100% Merlot is Falesco’s flagship product and is the result of a blend of Merlot planted by grafters of Montpellier in a land traditionally suited to white grapes.
This wine had 13.5% alcohol by volume and the bottle was sealed with a natural cork.
My Tasting Note
The wine is a deep garnet color. The enticing nose has black cherries, leather, cedar, dusty minerals, dried herbs and baking spices. This has medium body with fairly resolved tannins and good acidity. On the palate spicy black cherries and minerals pop out first with cedar and dried herbs coming in later. The finish is long and smooth with a nice blend of fruit and savory elements. This is drinking very nicely right now but should hold for another year, maybe two. (91 pts)
2005 Falesco Montiano Lazio IGT
N. V. Schramsberg Vineyards Mirabelle Brut Rose – $18.99
This sparkling wine is a blend of 53% Chardonnay and 47% Pinot Noir. The grapes come from Sonoma 29%, Monterey 20%, Napa 19%, Mendocino 15%, Santa Barbara 12% and Marin counties 5%.
There were 11,298 cases of this multi-vintage wine released on January 1, 2014. The suggested retail price is $28, but the price I paid at the local Costco was considerably lower.
This has 12.8% alcohol by volume.
My Tasting Note
The wine is a pink to salmon color with very persistent pinpoint sized bubbles. The inviting nose has cherries, strawberries, minerals, white peach, yeasty bread and rose water. This has light body with crisp acidity and just a hint of sweetness. On the palate bright fruit and minerals grab hold slowly allowing a yeasty note and lemon zest to slip through. The crisp finish has nice length with lemon zest, minerals and red fruit carrying the load. This is a nice, easy drinking sparkling wine to enjoy on its own or with lighter fare. (91 pts)
NV Schramsberg Vineyards Mirabelle Brut Rose
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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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