G.D. Vajra Langhe Rosso, 2020

If you have trouble getting used to the big tannic wines of Barolo and Barbaresco, this wine may give you an entry point. It gives you the beautiful aromas and flavors of these wines in a fresh, approachable, early drinking style. The estate calls it a "hug from Piedmont." And what a hug it is. Vajra's Langhe Rosso is a blend of Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto with small quantities of Albarossa, Freisa and Pinot Noir.

Bright ruby/violet color. Every bit as fresh and expressive as the Nizza Barbera (see below) plus riper, richer fruit. Red berries, plums, black pepper and Asian spices. Concentrated flavors. Already complex. At abouit $15 a bottle, this wine is always a good addition to your dinner table.
 

Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Bersani Estate Nizza Lot 117, 2019

Nizza is to Barbera what Dogliano is to Dolcetto. Barbera grows very well in this Piedmont appellation in Monferrato, across the river from Barolo and Barbaresco. As a result, Barbera vines are planted on premium sites and soils and aged for a year or longer in barrels and at least six months in bottle before being released. This Nizza appeared recently in my local Trader Joe's and, after tasting, I quickly returned to buy half a case. As a Platinum Reserve selling for $14.99, it is a notch above most TJ wines but well worth the price.

Medium deep ruby/garnet. Intense smells and flavors. Cherries, red plums, spice. Barbera is generally high in acidity, low in tannin, and this is a perfect example. Fresh, lively fruit. Expressive and complex. May be the best Barbera I have had. I intend to keep Nizza Barbera on my shopping list.

 

Cascina delle Rose Dolcetto d'Alba A Elizabeth, 2018

For me, this is the ultimate every day drinking wine. I could drink it every night without getting tired of it. It is produced from two vineyards, one in the village of Barbaresco and one in the village of Neive nearby--both of which could be planted with the much more profitable Nebbiolo Barbaresco. It is, I believe, named after an American woman who frequently visits during picking season and loves this Dolcetto. It is aged in stainless steel and concrete.

Bright ruby, shading to garnet. Needs some aeration and swirling but opens up beautifully. Fresh cherries and violets--so direct but also suprisingly complex. Teases and pleases. Dolcetto fruit tannins are fine and supple, adding to the flavor profile rather than blocking it.
 

Marcel Juge Cornas, 1994

This is a classic old-style Cornas at a perfect stage of maturity. As a Northern Rhone Syrah, Cornas is a bit more rustic than its siblings from Hermitage and Cote Rotie. I love the style.

Very light brick color, showing maturity. Lifted bouquet, more red than black fruit. Intense flavors of cherries, black olives, mushrooms, minerals. Special old vine fruit and traditional wine making. Reverberates on the tongue with flavors that seem to last forever.
 

Penfolds Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz, 2004

Penfolds has been making Bin 128 from Coonawarra fruit since 1962, and it has all the positive qualities of Coonawarra: up front black and red fruit and an approachable style from day one through 10 to 20 years. This is the last of my stash of 2004, and it is drinking well.

On a small pour, bricking is apparent around the edges but a full glass has a deep, dark color. Black fruit is dominant but red fruit tones are present around the edges. Full and rich on the mid-palate with a medium long finish.
 

Chateau d'Angludet Margaux, 1981

At our Christmas eve table, this 1981 d'Angludet had the unenviable task of following two excellent Cabernet-based wines: 1985 Sociando Mallet and 1978 Conn Creek Lot 1.
 Actually, it measured up quite well and may well have been my favorite.

Intense bouquet of fruit and flowers. Some, but not all at the table, detected some vegetable notes. Red as well as black fruits and cassis. Tart cherries on the long finish. This is clearly the most mature of the three wines on the table tonight, but it is showing very well for a wine from the mediocre 1981 vintage.

Conn Creek Napa Valley Cabernet Lot 1, 1978

Conn Creek was one of my early favorites when I first started getting interested in wine. It was one of the lowest priced Napa Cabernets at the time and is still a good value even though the vineyards are in a highly desired area north of Oakville. Now at age 46, this 1978 Lot 1 is showing amazing vitality, strength and beauty.

Dark color with minimal bricking considering the wine's age. Inrense bouquet with some of the minty, eucalyptis tones that were the hallmark of some of Mondavi's best Cabs of that era. Flavors are deep and well defined. Dark cherries, currants and cassis. Well balanced with acid and tannins that continue to give it longevity. Great wine.

 

Chateau Sociando Mallet Haut Medoc, 1985

Sociando Mallet was a great $12 bargain when I bought it in 1987, and it still ranks high among good value Bordeaux reds. In 1985, the blend was 60% Cabernet with about 20% Merlot plus Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc

Deep, dark color with some amber around the rim. Strong Cabernet fruit:: red and black currants, slightly earthy on the mid-palate. Acidity gives it freshnesss along the edges of the tongue and the medium long finish. May not improve from here but this 1985 has the fruit and structure to keep it going for at least another five years.

Chateau Grand Traverse Lot 49 Old Mission Peninsula Riesling, 2013

In a large tasting of Riesling wines from around the world, English wine critic Jancis Robinson chose this wine, from Old Mission Peninsula in Michigan, as one of  her favorites. It comes from a special single vineyard planted with Alsace clone #49. As the winery puts it: "There is so much fruit and substance in the late harvested grapes from this vineyard that we are willing to sacrifice a little of our Riesling’s youthful, up-front “fruitiness” in exchange for the palate texture and longevity that comes from ambient yeasts, long fermentations, and extended lees contact in German oak." 

I taste at the winery at least once every summer, and this nearly always ranks as my favorite- as well-a bit sweeter than the Wbole Cluster Riesling but with comparable texture and a bit more complexity. It is now known as Block 12 Riesling.

Medium deep gold. Compared to the Helfrich Pinot Gris beside it at the table, it is noticeably sweeter but also fresher and brighter. Ripe pears and apples. Rich texture on the mid-palate. It has aged well over 11 years and still offers up youthful Riesling fruit and the promise of greater complexity to come.
 

Famille Helfrich Alsace Pinot Gris, 2021

This was a good match for green pork stew--pork in a tomatillo sauce.

Medium deep straw. Apricots, ripe pears, lychee. Good counter to the spicy pork dish. Medium body, medium acidity, good balance. A bit sweet but with a noticeably dry edge and finish. This has the traits that I prefer in a Pinot Gris.

 

Chateau Bel-Air Saint Croix du Mont, 1986

Saint Croix du Mont is a satellite appellation of Sauternes producing dessert wines that are similar in style and personality to Sauternes but usually lower in price. I believe I paid $36 a case for this wine back in 1988 and am still reaping the benefits.

Deep gold, holds it bright color even on the second night. Apricots, honey, blood orange and  orange zest. Holding up better than many Sauternes of comparable age. Smooth and pleasantly sweet with ample acidity to keep it fresh around the edges. Better on the second night than the first.
 

Emilio Lustau East India Solera Sherry, NV

The price tag on the bottle (I bought it in 2018) reads $9.99, but the pleasures of smell and taste it conjures up in me reads $99.99 or more. This wine exemplifies the solera system in which a barrel that was started decades ago is refreshed regularly with new juice as small quantities of the old wine are removed. Considering the complexity of this bottle, the average age in the solera must be very, very old.

Light amber color. Powerful and complex. Figs, roasted nuts, brown sugar, citrus zest, toffee and much, much more. Sweet and satisfying but not at all cloying. Finishes with complex flavors that continue to resonate for several minutes.
 

Mildara Barossa Valley Cabernet Shiraz, 2021

 

Mildara's winery is in Coonawarra but grapes for this wine were grown in Barossa. It is 73% Cabernet, 27% Shiraz and is available at my local Trader Joe's for $5.99--a good value.

Deep and dark color. Cabernet is clearly dominant--black currants, blackberries, a hint of cassis.. Shiraz fills the mid-palate, adds body, weight and some chocolate flavors. Tannins are somewhat soft and countered by acidity that keeps it fresh. A good every day wine; I will go back for more.

McManis Family Vineyards Lodi Pinot Noir, 2022

 

This is an inexpensive ($12) Pinot Noir from Lodi, an area better known for Zinfandel and Petite Sirah than Pinot Noir. Yet it is a thoroughly delicious wine with loads of Pinot personality.

Medium light purple. Beautiful aromas of red berries, cherries, flowers and spice. Silky Pinot texture wirh medium plus acidity. Intense flavors of strawberries, raspberries, orange zest. Long, complex finish.

Paul Jaboulet Crozes-Hermitage Domaine Thalabert, 1985

In more than 40 years of buying and drinking wine, this is the strangest thing that I have ever encountered. This bottle was one of at least a case of 1985 Thalabert I bought in 1987 or 1988, and it has been lying flat in my cellar since that time. Recently, I moved it to a lower shelf where the front of the bottle was tilted more toward the floor.  As a result, the bottle started leaking to the point that the ullage was even below the shoulder. It clearly had to be opened and consumed. When I removed the top of the capsule, however, and prepared to remove the cork, I found no cork to remove. No cork! The capsule had never been removed, and the cork had not fallen into the bottle. Apparently, this was a bottle that had somehow gone through the line without a cork and with only a capsule to seal the bottle. That must mean a totally dead bottle, I thought. But no! The wine that I poured was very dark and showed no visible signs of oxidation. In fact, it was drinkable, although nowhere near the quality of the last bottle I had from this vintage.

Very dark, considerable free floating sediment but no crust on the side of the bottle. Very little, if any, bouquet but flavors are what you would expect from an 8-12-year-old Crozes. Dark fruit and tannin. Has not benefited from the etherial qualities that occur in Thalabert with extended aging but reminds me of the bottles I had of this wine in the early 1990s.The bottle has apparently been sealed pretty well by the capsule but without a cork for extra protection or whatever other benefits a cork may provide in terms of aging. Is this what I might expect from a 40 year old screwtop bottle?
 

Trader Joe's Reserve Rasteau Lot #254, 2022

Rasteau is very good Cotes du Rhone Villages appellation, and Trader Joe's price ($9.99) is less than half what you might pay elsewhere for a Rasteau of this quality.

Bright, medium deep ruby. Looks and smells like a traditionally made Rasteau. Cherry, black raspberries and a black licorice streak that is typical of wines from this CDR Villages. Medium body. A bit bold and tannic in its youth, but I'm sure the red and black berry charm will blossom in a year or two. I bought a stash and will be drinking some now and some later. For my taste, this is one of the best values on the TJ shelves.
 

Paolo Scavino Langhe Nebbiolo, 2017

Some on Cellar Tracker dubbed this as a wine for early drinking. But this bottle was clearly better on the second night, which needs me to think that it may have at least a year or two of development to come.

Medium deep ruby with some Nebbiolo orangeish tones. Nebbiolo nose of dark cherries, rose petals and a hint of cloves--more forthcoming on the second night. Still some firm tannins even on the second night and plenty of acidity. At this stage, it lacks a little ripeness and complexity.
 

Paul Jaboulet Crozes-Hermitage Domaine Thalabert, 1988

 

During the 1980s, I bought at least a case of Domaine Thalabert every vintage and consumed most bottles as delicious week night choices.. Fortunately, I stashed a few away in the cellar, and know now that they are some of the best Syrah wines I have ever had, ranking with more prestigious and expensive Hermitage labels.This 1988 is a prime example.

The color has lightened a bit around the rim but still a deep, bright ruby. Tbe cork was soaked and had leaked a bit after 37 years, but the wine was intact. Classic Thalabert personality. Black and red currants, cassis, black olives, leather and a hint of citrus peel. Enough acidity to produce intense, dancing flavors. And enough tannin to frame those flavors. A powerful wine. Reminds me of the 1983, which was still drinking beautifully at this time last year.

Saltram S2 Southeast Australia Shiraz, 2019

This seemed like the ultimate Aussie Shiraz bargain when I spotted it at Trader Joes for $3.99. The story was that large quantities of this wine were headed to China but cut off by trade restrictions. Trader Joe's bought the lot at a bargain. I appreciated the price but have not been so happy with the product.

Medium dark ruby. Very short cork--the first ominous sign. Forward fruit, blackberries and plums, but the fruit is from Southeast Australia and clearly not from high quality vineyards..Not much concentration or depth of flavor. Medium tannin but not enough acidity to give flavor interest. 

Saltram has a high reputation in Australia, but I don't find this to be one of their best efforts.