by Winepisser | Dec 30, 2021 | Quick Review
Delicate flirt carries ornate-handled switchblade. This one is a gorgeous, deceiving bitch. Light ruby in color, deceptively thin in texture, but packs the usual CDP wallop of 14% alcohol. Nose is subtle shoe leather. Tongue is all black cherry with a unique earthy...
by Winepisser | Dec 30, 2021 | Quick Review
Shy introvert looks cute, but won’t dance with anyone. This one is too subtle. Nose is plum, but faint. Medium acidity, with smooth tannins. Very dry, with flavor notes disappearing quickly. Black cherry is the most prominent. Wilted when paired with cheese...
by Winepisser | Dec 28, 2021 | Quick Review
A day of shopping for luxury furs marred only by your looming credit limit. Fantastic Pomerol blend of merlot, cab franc, and cab sauvignon. Nose is a thick blanket of blackberry. On the tongue, it’s more blackberry, some graphite, and leather. Improved after...
by Winepisser | Dec 27, 2021 | Full Article
As readers will know, I live in Lima Peru, where it’s flooded with Malbecs from Argentina and all sorts of New World wines from Chile. Having been previously spoiled in the US where I traveled frequently, never far from an upscale wine boutique or, at least, a...
by Winepisser | Dec 27, 2021 | Quick Review
You fall asleep naked in a meadow of honeysuckle when, suddenly, a chorus of angels rains the blessings of heaven upon you while playing Debussy; Jean-Luc Godard wishes he was this breathless. The nose is floral, with hints of honey and sweet apple. The honey carries...
by Winepisser | Dec 27, 2021 | Quick Review
Sure, that tune is catchy but only because it’s similar to something else you heard once. Fairly typical verdejo and will be fine if you like the grape. For me, it was too standard: citrus, lemon, a bit of slate. Tart bordering on bitter. Paired better with...
by Winepisser | Dec 26, 2021 | Quick Review
Two old school chums get together and the resulting conversation is suitably delightful. Very nice chardonnay / viognier blend, with the chardonnay smoothing out some of the minerality. Notes of apricot. Label recommends pairing with camembert or salmon and I...
by Winepisser | Dec 26, 2021 | Quick Review
A noir film for which Hitchcock directed the first reel, but then JJ Abrams was swapped in for the rest. Nose on this is great, a bit jammy but not overso, reminded me of a favorite old-vine gamay. But on the palate, it’s a boring, flat example of a grape which...
by Winepisser | Dec 26, 2021 | Full Article
I came across the wine art of Monica Marquez Gatica on LinkedIn, of all places, where she posted that she is available for commission work. I then checked out her wine art page — here — and think it would be a great option for restaurant wall art, menus,...
by Winepisser | Dec 14, 2021 | Quick Review
Your southern cousin lived in New England for a while and tried to drop his accent, with mixed results. Less tart than others of the breed, but still has a twang. Another fine Spanish alby, with faint nose notes of honey and lemon. Once inside the piehole, flavors of...
by Winepisser | Dec 13, 2021 | Quick Review
A Valentine’s Day gift of chocolate-covered cherries with a note promising some Marvin Gaye fueled bedspring squeaking later. Nose is subtle but chocolate is the primary note. On the tongue it’s medium-smooth with lots of typical zinfandel fruit notes,...
by Winepisser | Dec 13, 2021 | Quick Review
A dimwitted cheerleader who would have a better career in advertising. The nose is cotton candy dipped in window cleaner. On the tongue, it’s slightly better, without the notes of industrial cleaner. Super sweet despite the “semi-seco” labeling, as I...
by Winepisser | Dec 11, 2021 | Quick Review
That middle-aged guy with the faux leather windbreaker and second-hand Porshe is clearly compensating for something. A meaty nose promised a possibly great pairing with beef, but things fell flat quickly. The main notes here are ripe red fruit (too ripe, in fact) and...
by Winepisser | Dec 11, 2021 | Quick Review
That quirky new indie film was supposed to be great, but in the end the poster was better than the movie. Serviceable and super cheap chardonnay that hits the right notes but just very, very quietly. Notes of vanilla, lemon, with a medium level of sugar. Paired nicely...
by Winepisser | Dec 4, 2021 | Quick Review
Your date was so pretty in her sundress, and so charming as she explained her new tattoo, that the both of you forget you were eating free breadsticks at Olive Garden. After so much Sauvignon Blanc and Albarino, it’s easy to forget there’s a lighter, less...
by Winepisser | Dec 2, 2021 | Quick Review
A young, erudite university student who has affected a smoking jacket and pipe, but isn’t old enough to smoke. Smooth tannins, mild tobacco on the back end, otherwise the force of young red fruit is strong with this one. Lack of any nose at all will make you...
by Winepisser | Dec 2, 2021 | Quick Review
A sassy aunt who came uninvited to your house, but had enough funny anecdotes to forgive her. Nose is honey, palate is over-bracing and maybe over-dry. Needs some sugar to lighten the semi-tart twang. There are floral and melon notes, but your face will be scrunched...
by Winepisser | Dec 2, 2021 | Quick Review
Remember that last PowerPoint presentation on modern accounting principles? This is that. Boring red blend that sucks the joy out of the individual components. No nose to speak of, and some fairly routine flavor notes (oh, look, red fruit!) Pair it with something...
by Winepisser | Dec 1, 2021 | Quick Review
A top-down Lotus drive through a citrus field on Sunday morning. Fantastic alby that proves the breed. This bears the barrel-fermented labeling and is a step up from the other La Val’s without it. Buttery but by texture, not the fake margarine of California...
by Winepisser | Nov 28, 2021 | Quick Review
Flimsy white lingerie leads to trouble. Nose is pure SB, but mild: asparagus and lemon. On the palate, the semillon comes alive with floral notes and melon. Finish is also floral. 13% alcohol? You’d never guess it, so swig with caution. This is a bit delicate,...
by Winepisser | Nov 25, 2021 | Quick Review
A great conversation with an old school chum that you remember years later, even if you forget what the topic was. The grape here is Alicante Bouschet, AKA Garnacha Tintorera. Aerated and filtered due to bungled cork pull, it immediately filled the room with grapey...
by Winepisser | Nov 25, 2021 | Quick Review
My bottle had significant slight cork taint which shaved off a full star. Pushing past that I found the usual Albarino notes of apple and lemon and crabgrass. Dry with a 12.5% booze meter that you’d never suspect, as it drinks light like a lower alcohol white....
by Winepisser | Nov 25, 2021 | Quick Review
A walk through the park with your first love, but it’s 30 years later and you’re reminiscing about those apple candies you ate as a kid. Proving yet again that the Zuccardi brand does very little wrong, even with their cheaper street-level offerings, this...
by Winepisser | Nov 25, 2021 | Quick Review
Gunpowder truck blows up near a pepper mill, enterprising vintner bottles the ashes. I rated this same vintage back in 2019, and hated it. Back then I wrote, “You poured your old uncle a nice glass of cab while he was grilling, but he’s easily confused, and...
by Winepisser | Nov 25, 2021 | Quick Review
If Dr. Frankenstein had stitched together his creation, and it came out an Adonis. This is a blend of three different vintages: tannat 2017, malbec 2018 and cab franc 2016, so you won’t find a year on the bottle itself. Jammy notes upon opening give way to more...
