Tasting notes, Sept.22, 2018: Mutts & Merlot

Château Les Arromans, Entre-deux-Mers 2016

Regular price: $14.99

Sale Price: $11.99

This blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon is classic white Bordeaux; fresh, round, clean and refreshing. Citrus, floral and honey aromas waft from the glass, and lead into a firmly structured mid-palate and a crisp finish.

Jean-Luc Mader Riesling, Alsace 2016

Regular Price $22.99

Sale price $17.99

Fresh pear and peach with mineral and citrus, this is a fine example of ripe and dry Alsatian Riesling. The wine opens with bright fruit and lemon flavors which continue to its crisp finish.

Cedre Heritage, Cahors 2015

Regular price $16.99

Sale price $12.99

Southern hemisphere Malbec is bold and jammy and pretty much uninteresting after the second sip. On the other hand, this malbec from Cahors is subtle and fresh and constantly offers interesting flavors and facets of the wine. Your call..

Château de Beau Vallons, Saint-Emilion 2015

Regular Price $24.99

Sale price $19.99

The Right Bank of the Gironde River is where Saint-Emilion lies and higher elevations and heavier soils makes it better for Merlot than the more gravelly Left Bank. Ripe and rich, this is an example of Merlot as God intended, rather than the insipid merlot of central California.

Thevenet & Fils, Macon Pierreclos 2016

Regular price: $22.99

Sale Price: $17.99

Oh my. Chardonnay from 4 separate blocks make up this beautiful, rich yet completely unoaked wine. It carries itself with impressive weight and finesse, offering depth of flavor, subtle minerality and brisk, cleansing acidity.

Château Pradeau Côtes de Provence Rosé 2017

Regular price $27.99

Sale price $21.99

Lest one think all Provence Rosé is light and crisp and meant for summer consumption only, this Roséabause you of that notion. Rich and full, its round and, yes, tannic. This wine is further proof of the versatility of Rosé.

Domaine La Manarine Côtes du Rhône Rouge 2016

Regular price $18.99

Sale price $14.99

100% Grenache from the southern Rhone, this wine is fresh and rustic with dark berry flavors intermingled with herbal garrigue aromas. It’s a wine of simple elegance, rather than sugar-driven power.

Tellus Vinea Bordeaux 2016

Regular price $19.99

Sale price $15.99

No oak, just the pure, unadulterated of the grapes, in this case, 90% Merlot. The freshness and depth of this wine is remarkable.