Rock Wall Wine Co.
Alegria Vineyard Zinfandel 2018
A last bottle from Rock Wall. They closed up for ever, so these are literally the last of these bottles ever. 14.68% ABV! Ripe fruits. Deep color. Crimson and opaque. Smells pretty much like a complex style Zin. Berry jams and campfires. Hint of a licorice scent in the mix too. Flavors are lovely. Balanced and dense. Zin fruit flavor coupled with a bit of rock and mossy streams. (Label mentions nutmeg, honey, ground pepper, berry pie and cappuccino. I can see most of that. But this isn’t fruit bombed or too syrupy at all). Sad to see you go Rock Wall, you were always worth a splurge at Grocery Outlet. — 9 days ago
Shale Oak Winery
Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Fairly basic label. Back label says sustainable winery. Bottle is heavy duty. Good for the 10 years it’s been in there. Dark color in the glass. Smells a hint resinous, but there is a layer of rich, ripe fruit as well. Flavors are big. Chocolate and mocha to pair with the berries and licorice stuff. This is a decent Cab from the Paso region. — 14 hours ago
Mariscal
El Miracle Valencia Old Vine Garnacha Tintorera 2019
Eye catching label. Heavy, dense bottle. Lots of medals and awards. This has a lot of style before you even open the cork. Pretty color of under-ripe black cherries. Aroma is strange. Not much fruit. Bit of dust or ground rocks. Also like a plaster of Paris or freshly painted room smell (but not in a bad way). Quite floral. Tea Roses. Flavor is very Spanish. Dry and woody. Cedar? Plenty of minerality. Just a touch of cherry juice. Plenty of biting bittersweetness. It’s a nice Granacha example to show the unique flavors of this French grape that rocks in Spain. Great bottle of wine. — 9 days ago
Nic Rager
Pinot Noir 2021
‘Vin de France’, so could be from anywhere it’s allowed I guess. Seems like it might be targeted towards the international style. Dark color. Kinda fuller CA Pinot color. Smells fairly ripe with a streak of toast. Let’s call it berry/cherry pie. Also has a woodsy smell. Flavors are full and you get a hint of oaky vanilla. It’s heavier than a lot of Pinot I’ve had. Definitely drink New World. Label says, “…fruit forward, medium bodied with hints of cherry, vanilla and chocolate.” Yup. — 14 days ago
Cooper Vineyards
Shenandoah Valley Barbera 2020
Dark color. Smells fruity but with a herbal side. Flavors are nice. Juicy. Complex, with nice tannins and bitterness. A big red. Enjoyable. — 2 days ago
Helenental Kellerei
#GVLTAT Grüner Veltliner
Simple slightly hipster style label. Back has a “spritz” recipe. Guess this isn’t a fine wine. Color of ever so slightly greenish-gold. Smells like citrus, green grapes (Thompson seedless), golden raisins and a wet rock. Fuller and richer than any other grüner veltliner I’ve tried. Like a CA Sauv Blanc or a French Chablis style. It’s a pool side sipper. Maybe as a spritz if you’re feeling festive. — 15 days ago
Tree Kilpatrick
This is still holding its structure and flavor at 9 years in. Complex and savory with plenty of tannin nada nice balanced backbone of red and black skinned soft-fruits. Just a hint of wood and herbaceous-ness too. Good juice. — 13 hours ago