Reviews

The post Etna Flexes Its Premium Muscles (Palmento Costanzo Recent Releases) appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. Etna has spent the better part of a decade becoming the wine media’s darling, with many of us waxing poetic about the quality of “volcanic wines” (guilty!). And Etna is finally capitalizing on it. The Consorzio Tutela Vini Etna DOC has (as of …

Well-integrated, revealing strawberry, cherry, hibiscus, eucalyptus and white pepper flavors, this red is also dense and shows the austerity of the vintage. Balanced and should really begin to sing in three to five years. Best from 2026 through 2045. 250 cases made, 120 cases imported. Source : e1f849bf09ff1eda1d544a82101dbb3a

Shows high-toned fruit aromatics and ripe fruit on a lithe-to-medium frame. Delivers meaty notes that echo alongside plum paste and blackberry coulis on the supple palate. Drink now through 2026. 19,167 cases made, 880 cases imported. Source : 90b4fe643c574a35c835b3fef660278e

Santiago, Mercédes, Azmina & Jim Santiago Achával Becú is renown for the world class wines he made with Italian winemaker Roberto Cipresso at Achával-Ferrer in Mendoza beginning in 1994; we met him a few years later at the winery in Luján de Cuyo.  However, Santiago was first inspired by the wines of Napa Valley while he was attending the Stanford …

A pretty red, graceful and delicate in structure yet vibrant, with cherry and pomegranate flavors that take on forest floor, fresh dill and black tea accents. Concludes with refined tannins. Drink now through 2031. 502 cases made. Source : 78ee391f36f32199caa1d9dc432a009e

A plummy, medium-bodied red, balanced and fresh, with notes of raspberry and candied black cherry, dried dill and orange peel. Reveals light, supple tannins on the spiced finish. Drink now. 6,720 cases made, 1,200 cases imported. Source : 03c265133287390d7e18f03953124534

This fresh, compact white shows alluring floral notes of honeysuckle blossoms, with lemon shortbread, white tea and ample salty mineral adding complexity and drive. The finish stretches on and on. Drink now through 2028. 675 cases made, 500 cases imported. Source : b7e0208ca232aec12c25e7b638a5fdc2

A bright white, with lip-smacking acidity and a salty underpinning, this offers a generous range of ripe nectarine, pineapple and passion fruit flavors, plus accents of pickled ginger, blood orange zest and chalk. Drink now. 9,000 cases made, 3,500 cases imported. Source : de09c7573a65a375db7e522dfd4cdde5

The post Wine Reviews: Mini Round-Up for November 27, 2023 appeared first on 1 Wine Dude. I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format. They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) …

Gianni Masciarelli is the quality pioneer of Italy’s Abruzzo region, recognized as such by Gambero Rosso’s award of “Best Wine in Italy” a few years ago. Inspired by harvests in Champagne, he founded his winery in 1981 After his untimely passing in 2008, his wife Marina Cvetic, shown here with daughter Miriam Lee Masciarelli (now the winery’s brand ambassador), continue …

There’s a snappy edge to the frame of tannins married to a bright mix of wild cherry, boysenberry, tea rose and star anise flavors in this lively red, which ends with a firm, minerally finish. Best from 2026 through 2031. 625 cases made, 40 cases imported. Source : c3a550d99be400fb4bd5633e47671345

Plush and generous, with refined pear and cherry flavors accented with yeast roll and hazelnut as this glides on the silky finish. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Drink now. 4,773 cases made. Source : 6021c5dc6eda349696824b01b9168a91

The Kirkland Russian River Pinot Noir is back in stores with the new 2022 vintage. This one can really vary in quality year to year in our opinion, and the last vintage (2021) was particularly good. We have the price remaining the same at $11.99 which is ridiculously low for grapes from this area, so … Source : https://costcowineblog.com/2022-kirkland-signature-russian-river-pinot-noir/

This was a surprise and delight. The inaugural 2019 vintage of this new Kirkland offering was in stores in January of this year, so we weren’t on the lookout for the next one quite yet. But what a nice surprise, along with the price going down, albeit only a few cents, but we like it … Source : https://costcowineblog.com/2020-kirkland-signature-saint-julien-bordeaux/

Bright and bursting with cherry, raspberry and floral notes, this red is harmonious and expressive. Reveals earth, graphite and tobacco accents on the finish, which shows fine length and compact, chalky tannins. Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2030. 3,500 cases made, 70 cases imported. Source : 1947db3e07cb15e066b3630a16d3d356

Elegant and transparent, with pretty lemon, apple and pear flavors on a light, crisp frame, plus accents of peppery white flowers. Drink now. 8,400 cases imported. Source : 545307dce460d75b879c613f10b94747

Elegant, with peach, pear and tangerine flavors at the core and pretty grace notes of salted butter, pastry and crème anglaise, while dried pineapple details linger on the long finish. Drink now. 888 cases made. Source : 697720090d11bd0753f66fea82e6bb8c

A medium-bodied red, featuring toasty roasted plum and cherry fruit, with accents of fig cake, ground coffee and smoke. Focused and well-knit, with light, sculpted tannins emerging on the finish. Drink now through 2026. 3,333 cases made, 1,666 cases imported. Source : 1db54faf547db26e3645a850a981f23e

Thanksgiving is here upon us again, and we’re going to look through some recent reviews to try to pick out some good wines you can (hopefully) find at Costco for the big meal. This is always a fun list (here’s last years), and we tend to go a little all over the place in our … Source : https://costcowineblog.com/2023-costco-wine-thanksgiving-picks/

Here’s a new Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough that popped up in our Costco store that looked interesting. We noted in our recent review of the delicious Invivo X by Sarah Jessica Parker (a wine that surpassed expectations) that we hadn’t reviewed many of the New Zealand offerings arriving in Costco. On the heels of the … Source : https://costcowineblog.com/2022-allan-scott-marlborough-sauvignon-blanc/