Wine Reviews

An archive of all wine reviews

Reata, Monterey-Sonoma-San Benito (California) Pinot Noir 2013
Robert Whitley
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January 13, 2015
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 The appeal of Reata’s Three County Pinot is its unmistakable earthiness and somewhat rustic soul. There are more elegant Pinots to be had, but...
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Wakefield, Clare Valley (Australia) Shiraz 2012
Robert Whitley
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January 13, 2015
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 Though it’s not exactly cheap, or even modest in price, the St. Andrews Vineyard Shiraz from Wakefield routinely ranks high in the red-wine value...
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Force of Nature, Paso Robles (California) Zinfandel 2013
Marguerite Thomas
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January 6, 2015
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This wine’s label is gorgeous, with thick, tactile paper and a way cool embossed image in blacks, blues and Zinfandel-purple ink. Happily the wine...
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Mount Veeder Winery, Napa Valley (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
Wayne Belding
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January 6, 2015
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The Mount Veeder Winery has offered many fine Cabernets over the years, and their 2011 Napa Valley bottling is in keeping with their fine...
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Terrapura, Central Valley (Chile) Pinot Noir 2013
Rich Cook
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January 13, 2015
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Looking for a nice Pinot Noir with some complexity and food friendliness but don’t have the sixty bucks that seems to have established itself...
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Woodhouse Wine Estate, Columbia Valley (Washington) 2010
Rich Cook
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January 13, 2015
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I tasted this wine without knowing its composition and found it to present as a Bordeaux styled blend, which it happens to be. It...
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Whiplash, Lodi (California) Zinfandel 2012
Rich Cook
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January 13, 2015
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You may know I’m not a fan of Lodi Zinfandel in general — but here’s a sassy cinnamon bomb of a wine that doesn’t...
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Force of Nature, Paso Robles (California) Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Rich Cook
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January 13, 2015
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A pleasantly quaffable cab from Paso Robles that has bright plummy fruit, moderate grip and soft brown spice notes. It’s a long fruit forward...
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Kendall-Jackson, Sonoma County (California) Merlot 2012
Robert Whitley
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January 6, 2015
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 Kendall-Jackson’s Grand Reserve Merlot proves a point many have been making for years about the merlot grape’s potential in Sonoma County, where it is...
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Le Salette, Amarone della Valpolicella (Veneto, Italy) 2010
Wayne Belding
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January 6, 2015
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Amarone is not a wine for shrinking palates.  Made from dried Corvina and other local grapes, Amarone develops intense and powerful aromas and flavors...
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Girolamo Russo, Etna Rosso (Sicily, Italy) Nerello Mascalese 2011
Rich Cook
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January 6, 2015
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This is my first encounter with this grape variety, and the experience is a positive one.  Aromas of cherry, strawberry, and powder dominate, and...
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Baron Edmond de Rothschild, Mendoza (Argentina) Malbec 2012
Marguerite Thomas
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January 6, 2015
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More subtle than most comparably priced Argentine Malbecs, this medium-bodied red wine is fresh and fruity, with nice concentration and a gentle scrub of...
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