It is not common to encounter a Petite Sirah as a single varietal wine. It produces tannic wines with a savoury and almost meaty character and dense blackberry fruit making it a useful blender but if the tannins are carefully managed it can make an age worthy and supple wine on its lonesome. Aroma: WowContinue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: McManis 2022 Petite Sirah: Berlin Wall of Blackberry: Bland? Predictable? Reliable? Uninspiring? Consumer Friendly? Cali Conundrum”
Category Archives: Wine
RKS 2024 Wine: A Montepulciano Lost in Letters and Numbers at a Bunga Bunga Party Frequented by Punters
Although Montepulciano is almost always an easy drinking wine in this case it is lost, or perhaps I am, in too many letters and numbers. The wine was bottled by ICQRF/4495/IT on behalf of TG SRL 72015. If we dig further are there Cayman and Bulgarian offshore accounts involved further complicating the matter. Wanna betContinue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: A Montepulciano Lost in Letters and Numbers at a Bunga Bunga Party Frequented by Punters”
RKS 2024 Wine: Trustworthy Oregon for Pinot Noir? A Vacant Faced Zombie
The way tastings have been progressing this year Oregon scores high with Pinot Noir quality and has been doing so for years leaps and bounds over New Zealand Pinot Noir. From Christopher Michael Wines from Tualatin, Oregon we try a Christopher Michael 2022 Pinot Noir. Aroma: Strawberry, raspberry and a streak of milk chocolate. Palate:Continue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: Trustworthy Oregon for Pinot Noir? A Vacant Faced Zombie”
RKS 2024 Wine: A Grenache from Spain’s Calatayud Region
Grenache is king in Calatayud’s high-altitude vineyards. This Evodia Grenache is from grapes picked at 2,400-3,000 feet and grown in slate soils. A modest statement on the label states, “Grenache this great usually goes for twice the price.” Aroma: Big fat almost overripe strawberries, some raspberry and black cherry. Palate: One of those red winesContinue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: A Grenache from Spain’s Calatayud Region”
RKS 2024 Wine: Herdade Do Sobroso from Portugal: The 2020 Was an 89: The 2021?
I rated the 2020 Herdade do Sobroso from Portugal an 89. What fate will I assign to the 2021? The 2021 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), Aragonez (30%), Alicante Bouschet (30%) and Syrah (20%). The grapes were handpicked and aged in 500 litre French oak barrels for 6 months. Aroma: Creamy blackberry. Palate:Continue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: Herdade Do Sobroso from Portugal: The 2020 Was an 89: The 2021?”
RKS 2024 Wine: Trivento Golden Reserve 2021 Malbec: Attack of the Killer Blackberries
I had finished watching and reviewing an upcoming film “Pure O”. In this American film the protagonist battles with OCD including obsessing on hacking up his fiancé and being terminally ill with cancer somewhat heavier than Glenn Gould’s obsessive handwashing. “Pure O” will be released digitally on 12April2024 in North America and the United Kingdom.Continue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: Trivento Golden Reserve 2021 Malbec: Attack of the Killer Blackberries”
RKS 2024 Wine: A Crustacean’s Best Friend? The Hermit Crab: Memories of The Singing Crabs on Pico Island!
When it is lobster, crab and shrimp on the plate simply prepared with lots of garlic and butter in the mix it could be The Hermit Crab, a Viognier and Marsanne blend from Australia, is your man in Havana. Over the years it has proven its worth for me and it has been consistently good.Continue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: A Crustacean’s Best Friend? The Hermit Crab: Memories of The Singing Crabs on Pico Island!”
RKS 2024 Wine: Canadians to the Pinot Noir Rescue?
Of late I have encountered dismal Pinot Noirs, primarily and surprisingly from New Zealand suffering from excess oak. Canadian Pinot Noirs perform top rate in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. Niagara Pinot Noirs are hit and miss. How about Pinot Noirs from the land of the lawyers, judges and well-heeled Torontonians cozying up at swank hotelsContinue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: Canadians to the Pinot Noir Rescue?”
RKS 2024 Wine: Puente Austral Reserva Privada 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile
The wine is from the Colchagua Valley in Chile which has evolved in the last 15 years from a quiet stretch of farmland into one of Chile’s largest and most active wine-producing wine regions. The relatively low elevation of the coastal hills allows the Pacific breezes to interplay with the Andean winds extending the region’sContinue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: Puente Austral Reserva Privada 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile”
RKS 2024 Wine: A Failed Recovery Attempt from a New Zealand Pinot Noir Disaster
The last Zealie Pinot Noir I tried was bordering on undrinkable as it “stunk” of oak. New Zealand, in my past experiences, does much better than a stinky Pinot Noir! So hopefully it is redemption time with a Paper Road 2021 Pinot Noir from Borthwick Vineyards family owned and established in 1996. Ancient stony, alluvialContinue reading “RKS 2024 Wine: A Failed Recovery Attempt from a New Zealand Pinot Noir Disaster”
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