Ciao,

1. 2014 Cupcake Sauv. Blanc, (Marlborough, NZ), $9.99 normal retail, $7.99 with coupon. I liked this wine, I thought it is very typical of NZ SB, with tell tale "gooseberry" and grapefruit, very crisp, clean, and fun to drink. On a par with Nobilo, Oyster Bay, Matua...etc... Grade: solid B.

2. 2014 Alamos Torrontes (Salta region, Argentina), $6.99 with coupon. The new vintage just hit the shelf so I took advantage of a coupon and snagged two, and tried this one. Wow, what a value. A twin brother to the 2013, fresh, crisp, a hint of lime in the color, and a very beguiling hit of lychee nut in the nose and flavor. Dry, though, like a dry Gewurz. Terrific food wine or by itself. How do they do it at this price point? Grade: B+.

3. 2014 Anew, Rose and Pinot Grigio (Washington State). We do not carry these but do carry the very nice Riesling from them. Both these lacked fruit to balance the high acidity. Grade: Drinkable.

4. 2013 Cline, Viognier (CA), $6.99 with $3 off coupon). What, only 85 points from Parker? Lack of oak, I suppose. This is a tasty treat for the Viognier lover, all stainless steel, with a "musky" pear nose, very crisp, refreshing, and fun to drink. Big QPR here with coupon. Grade: B+.

5. 2013 Santa Rita "120" Red Blend, (Chile). Sample. We do not carry this yet but I liked it and will recommend we do, as we already have all the other Santa Rita "120" line of wines, and at $5.99 they are big QPR, especially the un-oaked Chard and the Carmenere. This bad boy is 65% Cab Franc (!), 25% Carmenere and the rest Cab Sauv. Wow, what are they doing growing so much Cab Franc in Chile? Anyway, the better question is, How did they avoid the temptation to oak this wine up and make it smooth, creamy and sweet, like all the other red blends I try? Very earthy, dry and loaded with herbs, black fruit like blackberry and plums, and spice, a ridiculously fun and interesting red for the price. Good food wine, as it has a nice acidity to it. No tannin. Well done! Grade: solid B.

6. Cavit Red blend. Non-vintage. Trentino DOC. We do not carry yet, a sample from distributor, should retail around $7.99 or so (?). I was intrigued by the blend, 40% Teroldego(!), 35% Merlot, 20% Cabernet, 5% Syrah. A very dark color, almost black. A big, fruit forward nose, spicy black cherry, blackberry, etc... and on the palate, very big fruit, rich, with a touch low acidity and a hint of sweetness, but it may be from the ripeness or spice of the grapes than rs, not sure. More "wine by committee, Apothic Red wannabe" than the Santa Rita, but they could have gone whole hog that way and did not. I sort of liked it, but I was predisposed to like it because I love Teroldego and this is the only wine I know of in our market made with it. (Foradori MAY be in DE, not sure, but who can pony up $50 or so for a bottle?). Grade: A for using Teroldego, B/solid B for a fun to drink red blend that is not over the top.

Ciao, dc.


Edited by Dave Cuneo (07-15-2015 12:44:37)
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"When laws become the enemy of men, then men become the enemies of laws".