Category: Impressive

Montefino 2005 – Alentejo, Portugal

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You’re not ready for this wine.  You won’t believe it exists.  But, like the devil, it believes in you.  Yes, that is balsamic and cherries on the nose.  Soft acid, dark fruit, dried prunes, and a hint of rosemary-like vegetal greet the front palate.  Exquisitely balanced tannins shore up the structure, focusing the flavors.  Faint pepper and spice play on the mid palate, reminiscent of the haunting spice of the ubiquitous piri-piri.  Cherries and florals form the long finish for this tawny beauty.  I’m not the genius that found this wine – thank Nuno Santos of Wine Bar do Castelo for that – but you’re welcome, nonetheless.

  • Rating: Impressive
  • Name: Montefino 2011
  • Winery: Francisco B. Fino, Soc. Agricola, LDA
  • Region: Alentejo (non-DO)
  • Country: Portugal
  • Varietals: Trincadeira 25%, Aragones 25%, Alicante Bouschet 25%, Touriga Nacional 25%
  • Price: $?
  • Where to Buy: Lisbon

Meruge 2011 – Douro, Portugal

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Cherries, burnt sugar, and florals on the nose.  Concentrated dark fruit and leather, with mineral and briny notes on the palate.  Very well balanced, with just the right tannins on the backend and a somewhat dusty finish, like musty old leaves.  A gorgeous wine.  I hauled this one back from Lisbon in my baggage a couple of years back and do not recall what I paid for it.

  • Rating: Impressive
  • Name: Meruge 2011
  • Winery: Lavradores de Feitora
  • Region: Douro
  • Country: Portugal
  • Varietals: Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional
  • Price: $?
  • Where to Buy: Lisbon

Finca L’Argatá 2011 – Montsant, Spain

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Lots of black tar, dark fruits, raisins, prunes, figs, dark chocolate and just the right tannins.  Excellent, silky smooth and just the right hint of saddle leather.  I had this at Salero in Chicago with a cheese plate and pulpo – it was just right.

  • Rating: Impressive
  • Name: Finca L’Argatá
  • Winery: Joan d’Anguera
  • Region: Montsant
  • Country: Spain
  • Varietals: 85% Garnacha, 15% Syrah
  • Price: $–
  • Where to Buy: Salero Restaurant

Puntiapart 2009 – Empordá, Spain

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Concentrated cherries, leather, currant, and violets on the nose.  Nice, crisp red fruit greets the front pallet, with roses and more leather.  Soft tannins bring along cocoa and tarry tobacco flavors, with just a hint of smoke on the tight, somewhat tart finish.  Echoes of balsamic notes typical of the region on the finish.  A lovely, concentrated wine that’s gorgeous alone or with rich seafood preparations, a la Catalan.  I picked this one up at a great little wine shop in Louisville, Kentucky called The Wine Rack with the help of the proprietor, John.  Full stop.

  • Rating: Impressive
  • Name: Puntiapart 2009
  • Winery: La Vinyeta
  • Region: Empordá
  • Country: Spain
  • Varietals: 85% Cabernet, 15% Samsó (Carignan)
  • Price: $22
  • Where to Buy: The Wine Rack

 

Jaspi Negre 2011 – Montsant, Spain

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Cherries and blackberries on the nose with a hit of mustiness and fresh flowers.  This is a powerful beauty, true to its name of Black Jasper.  She starts with luscious red fruits, moving to dried prunes, raisins, and leather.  It develops a further mustiness as it sits on the mid-palate, chewy and reminiscent of autumn leaves decaying.  As the tannins show up late to end the party, you’re left with a faint history of tart strawberries.  Just a gorgeous wine.

  • Rating: Impressive
  • Name: Jaspi Negre 2011
  • Winery: Coca i Fitó
  • Region: Montsant
  • Country: Spain
  • Varietals: Garnatxa, Samsó, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah
  • Price: $22
  • Where to Buy: Astor Wines & Spirits

Roccamora 2013 – Nardo Rosso, Italy

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The nose here is like black rubber, cherry, and roses, with a faint hint of leather.  What a start.  The front end is juicy, with red berries.  Then something happens in the mid palate – it turns velvety and smooth, making the whole mouth feel coated with velvety iodine.  Yeah, it’s different.  The leather and red fruits melt into darker, chewy dried fruits (think prunes, dates, and currant), joined by a salty minerality.  The finish carries a slight hint of sweeter amaros such as Nardini or Nonino, and a soft hit of white pepper.  Such a fascinating wine.  I picked this one up at Appellation Wine & Spirits in the Meatpacking District of Manhattan on the owner Scott’s recommendation.

  • Rating: Impressive
  • Winery: Schola Sarmenti
  • Wine: Roccamora 2013
  • Varietal: Negro Amaro
  • Region: DOC Nardo Rosso
  • Country: Italy

Quindals 2007 – Empordá, Spain

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Powerful blackberry, bordering on blueberry, and slight woodiness notes on the nose. Violets, black pepper, and powerful charcoal and black rubber notes on the palate. Muscular, typically Catalan, tannins keep the powerful flavors all honest. Dark chocolate and roses come on in a soft shift from the rubber and charcoal. Tannins are chewy, raisiny, almost like cherry chewing gum. This is a wine that will teach you why the Catalans call red wine “black wine” – so dark that only words like black-red can describe it. I picked this beauty up at Calvert Woodley simply because it was from Empordá for about $20.

  • Rating: Impressive
  • Name: Quindals 2007
  • Winery: Mas Estela
  • Region: Empordá
  • Country: Spain
  • Varietals: 90% Garnatxa Negra, 5% Syrah, 5% Samsó
  • Price: $20-25
  • Where to Buy: Calvert Woodley Wines & Spirits

Lyric 2012 Pinot Noir – Santa Barbara, CA

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img_8557I’m not a fan of the California wine makers who try to make every red grape they produce into an in-your-face, high alchohol, meaty, power-hungry Cabernet Sauvignon. And I find it particularly off-putting when they do this to Pinot Noir, which is such a delicate varietal.

That being noted, this Pinot from Etude is perhaps the one exception. First things first, do not buy this wine if you are hoping to drink what is supposed to be a Pinot Noir. It is much more full-bodied and lucious than a Pinot, but it stops before over-reaching into Cabernet territory. It has a spicy earthiness that tastes more like a Zinfandel to me, but maintains its softness like a Pinot should.

I am quite partial to the wines of Santa Barbara, so I’m not surprised that this Pinot in disguise hits the mark for me. Overall verdict = impressive.

  • Rating: Impressive
  • Name: Lyric 2012 Pinot Noir
  • Winery: Etude
  • Region: Santa Barbara 
  • Country: USA
  • Varietals: Pinot Noir
  • Price: $14-$20
  • Where to Buy: N/A

Sidónio de Sousa 2009 Baga – Bairrada, Portugal

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100% Baga. A traditionally fermented Portuguese table wine, fermented in clay ancas with traditional maceration (i.e. trodden). Crushed cherries and violets on the nose. Chocolaty, velvety body with red fruit and a hint of vanilla flavors. Tough, Portuguese tannins give it a lot of structure. Faint slate and coffee notes on the finish. I picked this up at Brooklyn Wine Exchange for around $35-40. Solid, but I won’t buy it again at that price point. The M2, which we drank along with it, kicked its ass thoroughly. In fact, this wine and its Robert Parker 92 point rating is the poster child for why I started this blog: meaningless ratings by people who have sold their name to producers.

  • Rating: Impressive
  • Name: 2009 Baga
  • Winery: Sidónio de Sousa 
  • Region: Bairrada
  • Country: Portugal
  • Varietals: 100% Baga
  • Price: $35-40
  • Where to Buy: Brooklyn Wine Exchange, 138 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Menut 2013 – Priorat, Spain

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img_3648Chocolate, cherry, and raspberry on the nose. Cocoa and tart berry pie flavors and tight, tannic mouthfeel. This is a big beast of a wine. Gorgeous and effervescent (figuratively, not literally). Musty leather and tobacco come together with muscular tannins to make a full body that’s better when slightly warmer than I normally drink a red – right at 70-72 Fahrenheit. Goes great with just about anything, but particularly robust and rich Spanish hams or paella. I picked this one up at Astor in SoHo NYC for around $20-24, and will do so again.

  • Rating: Impressive
  • Name: Menut 2013
  • Winery: Clos Martinet
  • Region: Priorat
  • Country: Spain
  • Varietals: Grenache and Merlot
  • Price: $20-$24
  • Where to Buy: Astor Wines & Spirits*, 399 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10003

*The 2013 isn’t available online, but the 2014 can be purchased via this link.