In last week's Review Blog, I reviewed several wines from the great 2015 vintage in Burgundy and the Rhone Valley. This week, I have more tasting notes and scores on French wines plus a few from Italy.
French Wines
N/V Louis Bouillot "Perle d'Aurore" Crémant de Bourgogne ($18.99 - Safeway) - This is a charming, attractively priced sparkling wine. It offers salmon-pink color and fine steaming bubbles along with fragrant aromas of strawberries, cherries, spring flowers and cherry blossoms. The medium bodied flavors are pleasing as well, accented by ripe red fruits and earthy touches, followed by a dry, true Brut finish. 18/20 points.
2015 Joseph Drouhin Morgon, Domaine Hospices de Belleville ($18.99 - wine.com) - This Cru Beaujolais is a real charmer. Purplish colored, it possesses floral aromas of wild raspberries, blueberries, currants, crushed roses, mulberry, and whiffs of white incense. The medium bodied flavors are finely fruited, with notes of cocoa powder, black tea and minerals. The back picks up gently pressed berries, framboise liqueur and creme de cassis, followed by a soft tannin finish. 18.5/20 points.
2015 Domaine Faiveley Mercurey ($27.99 - wine.com) - Faiveley has a strong position in the Côte Chalonnaise (see the Clos des Myglands in last week's blog) with several properties. Here, this communal bottling shows a brick red color and attractive aromas of fraises de bois, framboise and cassis, with scents of rosebuds, tobacco leaf, orange peel and whiffs of white incense. The flavors are palate pleasing, with true Pinot Noir character, imbued with red licorice, cocoa and Chalonnaise granitic earth. On the back, the wine turns chewy textured, yet velvety, with pressed bearer, toasted nuts and mocha, followed by a soft tannin finish. 18.5/20 points.
2015 Louis Jadot Givry ($31.99 - wine.com) - Also from the Côte Chalonnaise, this Pinot Noir offers a brick red color and a nose of fraises de bois, cranberries, red currants, crushed red roses, sweet pea flowers, violets and whiffs of white incense. The medium bodied flavors, as well, are true to variety, with pleasingly supple ripe red fruits that are imbued with red licorice, cocoa powder, medium roast coffee and Saône alluvial minerals. The back picks up gently pressed berries, creme de cassis and toasted nuts on the way to a silky, yet well textured moderate tannin finish. As a vin de plaisir, this gets a plus. 18.5+/20 points.
2015 Les Pallières "Racines" Gigondas ($32.99 - wine.com) - From Domaine Brunnier and Kermit Lynch, this South Rhone red is composed of 80% Grenache, 8% Syrah, 7% Cinsault and 5% Clairette. It displays a deep ruby color and rich, earthy aromas of wild fruits - blackberries, cranberries, black currants - with scents of crushed black roses, mulberry, tobacco, garrigue, violets and incense. The flavors mirror the aromatics with thick fruits that show old vine character, along with licorice, dark cocoa, French roast and minerals earth. On the back, the wine turns simultaneously chewy and velvety, with sensations of macerated berries, roasted nuts, creme de cassis and charcoal, followed by a well fruited ripe tannin finish. 18.5+/20 points.
Italian Wines
2016 Allegrini Valpolicella ($14.99 - Safeway) - This Veronese red is principally Corvina. It shows a ruby color and attractive aromas of raspberry, cherry, plum, crushed roses, tobacco, orange peel and oregano. The medium bodied flavors are appealing as well, with red and purple fruits that are intermixed with licorice, cocoa, herbal tea and minerals earth. The back picks up pressed berries, dried cherries and recurring orange peel, followed by a dryish yet nicely fruited tannin finish. 18/20 points.
2013 Ruffino "Riserva Ducale" Chianti Classico, Riserva ($21.99 - Safeway) - Ruby-garnet colored, this wine possesses a rich, smoky nose of wild cherries, black currants, plums, crushed roses, tobacco, cedar and incense. The flavors mirror the aromatics with ripe semi dried fruits that are intermixed with cocoa, medium roast coffee beans and minerally earth. The back picks up roasted berries and nuts, toffee, recurring cedar and burnt charcoal, followed by a dryish tannin finish. This wine veers toward the traditional style of Chianti. 18.5/20 points.
2014 Antinori "Peppoli" Chianti Classico ($23.98 - Super 1) - Composed of 90% Sangiovese with the balance Merlot and Syrah, this displays a ruby color and a rich, smoky nose of cherry, plum, currant, red roses, bayberry, tobacco, cedar, orange peel, rosemary and incense. The flavors are medium bodied yet deep and focused, with red fruits that are imbued with re licorice, chocolate, medium roast and earth. The back reveals sensations of pressed fruits, dried cherries, roasted nuts, recurring orange peel and graphite, followed by a classically Tuscan dryish yet finely fruited tannin finish. 18.5/20 points.
2015 Ca' Marcanda "Promis" IGT Toscana ($44.99 - Safeway) - From a Gaja property in Bolgheri, this blend of 55% Merlot, 35% Syrah and 10% Sangiovese offers a deep ruby color and a seductive nose of blackberries, cherries, black currants, crushed roses, mulberry, a hint of mint, thyme and violets. The flavors, as well, are enticing, with supple yet penetrating red and black fruits that are imbued with red licorice, black tea, and minerals earth. On the back, the wine intensifies, with sensations of macerated fruits, dried cherries, grappa and polished tannins on the lingering herb dusted finish. 19/20 points.
2012 Argiano Brunello di Montalcino ($56.99 - Esquin) - Produced from the Sangiovese Grosso (Brunello) grape, this exhibits a nearly opaque ruby color and intoxicating aromas of black cherries, black currants, black plums, crushed black roses, mulberry, tobacco, fennel, a hint of mint and violets. The flavors are powerful, yet velvety, with infusions of licorice, dark chocolate, Italian roast and minerals earth. The intensity continues on the back with macerated fruits, roasted hazelnuts and ground charcoal, all pushing onward into a lingering spice and herb dusted Tuscan sweet-dry tannin finish. 19+/20 points.