Cartuxa Évora Tinto 2016

This wine is from Alentejo, Portugal, using 40% Aragonez (Tempranillo), 40% Alicante Bouschet, and 20% Trincadeira. The vines are over 30 years old and the wine spent 12 months in French oak. It's got a great earthiness to it with notes of plum skin, blackberries, cocoa powder, tobacco, and vanilla. Nice tart acidity brings the dark fruit into more red on the finish. Very nice! ($25)

Listen to Mike and Joey taste this wine on Grapes & Capes Episode 14: Eleanor Rigby:

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Grapes & Capes Episode #14: Eleanor Rigby

Joey and Mike drink two wines from Alentejo, Portugal (provided by CPalate.com) while talking about Wandavision, Amazing Spider-Man 57 (2021), and Future State: The Dark Detective #1 (2021).

Listen on Anchor / Apple / Google / Spotify

Breaker / Overcast / Pocket Casts / Radio Public / RSS

*** Help Support the Podcast ***

- Wandavision

- Mandalorian is like a video game

- Cutting the fat off of tv shows

- UnitedSommeliersFoundation.org

- Cartuxa Évora 2016

- The history of wine in Alentejo

- Why old vines produce better quality grapes

- String cheese vs fancy food pairings

- Amazing Spider-Man #57 (Legacy #858)

- Is Peter Parker retiring?

- Reguengos Garrafeira dos Socios 2014

- Future State: The Dark Detective #1

- DC's Future State

- Generations Shattered

- All the lonely people

- Back in Time

- Dark Detective Backup: No Future Past

- Joey keeps calling Luke Fox Lucius

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Wine Review: Beronia Rioja Reserva 2015

Beronia is a frequent guest on the blog and here they're back for more! Their 2015 Rioja Reserva is 95% Tempranillo, 4% Graciano, and 1% Mazuelo. It's dark cherry in color, with aromas of black cherries, blackberries, cocoa powder, sweet tobacco, and vanilla extract. Like the 2013, I spent a lot of time just enjoying the nose. It's wonderful! On the palate it's medium bodied with perky tart acidity and a chalky mouthfeel from the thickly chalky and sweet tannin. There's flavors of cranberries, plum, cocoa powder, vanilla, and mint. Then it finishes with that tart acidity and flavors of cranberries, cocoa, and mint. This is a delicious fruit forward wine that still has a rustic aspect, and for $20 it's an excellent Rioja Reserva.

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $20

Rating: 4/5 = Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was provided free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.

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Morgan G17 Syrah 2018

It's wine number 3 of 3 in this round of Morgan reviews, and we're ending it with the 2018 G17 Syrah. This wine is 94% Syrah, 3% Grenache, and 3% Tempranillo. Enough of it is from California's Santa Lucia Highands to be legally labeled as such, it was fermented in open top tanks, and it saw 10 months in French oak (20% new). The ABV is 14.5%.

The color of the wine is garnet. The nose is just loaded with fine black table pepper enough to make you sneeze, followed by blackberries, strawberry candy, lavender, graphite, tar, and ethanol fumes. Ooooof! That nose is serious business! On the palate it's medium to full bodied with a rich mouthfeel, balanced acidity, and bitter, bitter tannin. The flavors are lead by those bitter tannins with cedar, dark chocolate, and tar. The blackberries are still there, as well as a ton of fine black table pepper, with the addition of vanilla and licorice. And they all continue on forever on the finish with burning ethanol heat.

Who is in the mood to barbecue or grill some meat? I ask because I've got the right wine for you right here. This is a Syrah that comes with the requirement that you light up that goddamn grill.

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $25

Rating: 4/5 = Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.

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Morgan Tempranillo 2018

It's wine number 2 or 3 on this run of Morgan reviews, and this time it's their 2018 Tempranillo out of the Riverbank vineyard in Arroyo Seco. Whole berries were fermented in small open-top tanks while being gently punched down, and then it saw 11 months in 100% French oak; 10% new. It has an ABV of 13.8%.

The color of the wine is a dark garnet. On the nose here's aromas of raspberries, blackberries, aquarium gravel, crushed red pepper, and brambles. On the palate it's medium bodied with a bit of a sharp mouthfeel that smooths out on the finish, bright acidity, and light but sweet tannin. The aromas are repeated in the flavor, keeping it fruit forward with some good spice, with the addition of a scoop of cocoa powder. The finish is just wonderful, with the fruit and cocoa going on for days, and that acidity making your mouth salivate.

Morgan, again, killin' it. This is an awesome Cali Tempranillo for the price.

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $24

Rating: 4.5/5 = Recommended / Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.

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Morgan Cotes du Crow's 2018

I've got three wines by Morgan Winery to review and I'm starting off with what they call "Cotes du Crow's", which is their Rhone-style blend. Normally it's just Grenache and Syrah, but this year they threw in a bit of Tempranillo to spice things up a bit. So it's 66% Grenahce, 31% Syrah, and 3% Tempranillo. It spent 10 months in 100% French oak; 7% new. 

It's ruby red in color with aromas of raspberries, blackberries, anise, and sweet spices. On the palate it's medium bodied with a soft tannin and a tart acidity. There's flavors of raspberries, plum, vanilla, and oak. It's boozy on the finish, and the plum goes on forever. This is just an outstanding Rhone-style wine from Cali at $20, and a no-brainer to pick up when you spot it at the wine shop.

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $20

Rating: 4.5/5 = Recommended / Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.

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Enate Somontano Tempranillo 2018

Later in the summer I'll be reviewing some more wines by Enate but for now, while I wait for those to arrive, I've got their 2018 Tempranillo out of Somontano. Somontano is in the Aragon region of Spain, way up in northeast of the country. This Tempranillo does have a splash or two of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, and that's all I really know about. You can definitely tell that it spent some time in oak but I'm not sure how much time.

Enate suggests that you serve this Tempranillo chilled at 55°F to bring out its youthful fruits, so that's just what I did. And man, they are right. The nose has some vanilla and tea leaves, but it's bursting with fruit aromas of black cherries, plum, and strawberry flavored hard candy. It's medium bodied on the palate with a very smooth mouthfeel and moderate acidity. There's flavors of juicy black cherries, plums, cola, vanilla, and a little tiny bit of licorice. Then it finishes with a thick coating of plums, vanilla, and chalky tannin.

This is a tasty bottle of Tempranillo for $10! Juicy and fruit forward but still with some of that rusticness in the background that you want from the varietal. And that slight chill is going to make it a very fun and inexpensive summer red.

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $10

Rating: 4/5 = Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.

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Tinto Rey Rosé 2019, April Wine Pick

April is Matchbook Wine Company Month, with reviews focusing on their wine all month! This is the second time Matchbook has had their own month on this blog, but I've done A LOT of reviews of their wines in the past six years. To learn about their history, read my article "A Brief History of Matchbook Wine Company".

Tinto Rey is one of the labels that Matchbook produces, and their Rosé is my wine pick of the month!  It's April! It's officially Rosé season! This wine is made from 50% Tempranillo, 35% Tannat, and 15% Verdejo. It was fermemted in stainless steel hand has an ABV of 12.8%. For the third vintage in a row, the color is  Crayola peach. There's aromas of white peaches, limes, strawberries, and potpourri. On the palate it's medium bodied with a slightly oily mouthfeel and bright but not overpowing acidity. There's a bit of saltiness among flavors of cherries, peaches, limes, and strawberry. Then it finishes nice and juicy, with the acidity brightening the fruit. Yum yum! This is a very good Rosé for the price!

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $19

Rating: 4/5 = Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.

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Dominio Fournier Reserva Ribera del Duero 2014

Ah yes! Ribera del Duero, Spain! One of my favorite red wine regions in the whole world! And I've got two wine from there by Dominio Fournier lined up! First it was their 2016 Crianza and then now I'm on to their 2014 Reserva.

The 2014 Reserva is also from the Finca El Pinar vineyard like the 2016 Crianza, which sits on the fluvial soil of the Duero River. Also like the 2016 Crianza, t's 100% Tinta del Pais, which you may know better as Tempranillo. Pre-fermentation maceration was carried out cold, with dry ice, so as to extract high levels of color and sweet tannins prior to alcoholic fermentation. That alcoholic fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks, and it spent 25 days on skin contact before being pressed. After that, it went through malolactic fermentation and saw 18 months in French oak barrels.

The color of the wine is a cherry red. On the nose there's wonderful earth, leather, chocolate and vanilla with dark fruit aromas like blackberries and black cherries. On the palate it's medium bodied with low acidity, and a LOT of minerality from tight tannin that gives it a chalky mouthfeel. All of the aromas return as flavors, and then it finishes tight and chalky with blackberries and vanilla.

Even at six years old this wine could use some more aging in the bottle to mellow the tannin out, but even if you open it right now it's worth the $50 you'll spend. It's fantastic, and I could a big ol' ribeye right about now to go with it.

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $50

Rating: 4/5 = Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.

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Dominio Fournier Ribero del Duero Crianza 2016

Ah yes! Ribera del Duero, Spain! One of my favorite red wine regions in the whole world! And I've got two wine from there by Dominio Fournier lined up for today and this coming Thursday! First it's their 2016 Crianza and then it will be their 2014 Reserva.

The 2016 Crianza is from the Finca El Pinar vineyard, which sits on the fluvial soil of the Duero River. It's 100% Tinta del Pais, which you may know better as Tempranillo. That grape goes my so many different names in its native country of Spain that it will make your head spin. The wine was fermented in both stainless steel and wooden vats, although I don't know what percentage of the wine was fermented in each one. It went through malolactic fermentation in oak barrels, and saw 12 months total aging in 80% French and 20% American oak barrels. It has an ABV of 14.5%.

The color of the wine is cherry red. On the nose there's black cherries, blackberries, black olives, licorice, vanilla, a big old plank of wood, and ethanol fumes. This nose is just awesome! On the palate it's medium bodied with tight chalky tannins and a bit of a tart acidity. There's flavors of black cherries, blackberries, green pepper, herbs, and clay. Then it finishes astringent with black cherries, black tea, and even a little bit of Smarties candy.

Damn, that's good. Structured and strong but still complex with intricacies. I'm going to let the rest of the bottle sit, and I can't wait to see how it turns out tomorrow.

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $30

Rating: 4.5/5 = Recommended / Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.

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Wine Review: Bodegas LAN Viña Lanciano Rioja Reserva 2012

Even though October is #MerlotMe month, and I have plenty of Merlot being featured as quickies, Spain dominates the full reviews on the website this month. I started with Cune Rioja Crianza 2016, then René Barbier's Com Tu 2016 and now I'm on Vińa Real Crianza 2016, and now I'm finishing up with Vińa Lanciano Rioja Reserva 2102.

Viña Lanciano is the architect of the original philosophy of our winery. Its name reflects the essence of a unique enclave and the river that embraces it in this magical place, with vestiges of ancient history, such as the remains of the Mantible bridge of Roman origin that stars in its label. Viña Lanciano condenses the philosophy and know-how of LAN since its inception.

That inception of LAN began in 1978 and the name stands for Logroño (part of La Rioja), Alava, and Navarra. The 2012 Viña Lanciano Rioja Reserva is 85% Tempranillo and 15% Mazuela.

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Wine Review: CVNE Viña Real Rioja Crianza 2016

Even though October is #MerlotMe month, and I have plenty of Merlot being featured as quickies, Spain dominates the full reviews on the website this month. I started with Cune Rioja Crianza 2016, then René Barbier's Com Tu 2016, now I'm on Vińa Real Crianza 2016, and I'll finish up with Vińa Lanciano Rioja Reserva 2102.

The Viña Real brand was established in 1920 by CVNE (pronounced coo-nay) and also calls itself Cune, which was a label typo that stuck. Viña Real is out of the Rioja Alavesa region of Rioja, as opposed to CVNE's main label out of Rioja Alta. The name of the parent winery is actually an acronym that stands for Compañia Vinicola del Norte de España. It was founded in 1879 in Haro, Rioja and has been a leader in progressive winemaking and modernization since its inception.

The 2016 Crianza is 90% Tempranillo with the remaining 10% containing Garnacha and Mazeulo, all from the Rioja Alavesa region of Rioja. After being destemmed, the grapes are placed into stainless steel tanks to ferment as is for ten to twelve days. Once made into wine it's allowed malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels, then aged in American oak barrels for thirteen to fourteen months while being racked every five to six months. The wine has a final ABV of 13.5%.

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Wine Review: Cune Rioja Crianza 2016

Even though October is #MerlotMe month, and I have plenty of Merlot being featured as quickies, Spain dominates the full reviews on the website this month. Starting with Cune Rioja Crianza 2016, then René Barbier's Com Tu 2016, Vińa Real Crianza 2016, and Vińa Lanciano Rioja Reserva 2102.

This winery goes by both CVNE and Cune, Cune being a label typo that stuck. The name is pronounced coo-nay and it's actually an acronym that stands for Compañia Vinicola del Norte de España. It was founded in 1879 in Haro, Rioja and has been a leader in progressive winemaking and modernization since its inception.

The 2016 Rioja Crianza is 85% Tempranillo and 15% Garnacha. My tech sheet is entirely in Spanish and I failed Spanish every single year in school and I have no idea what the hell is going on right now. But the tipo de bitella is bordelesa! That's cool, right? RIGHT? Somebody please tell me that's all right!

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Wine Quickie: Ochoa Calendas Tinto 2017

You know how much of a nerd I am and that anything space related gets me excited, especially when it's on a wine bottle, so I gave a little cheer when this showed up on my doorstep. I love that label. The Roman New Year was Calendas of March, which is also when the vines in Ochoa's vineyards come back to life. Their motto is "the moon is always there, even if we can't see it."

Ochoa Calendas Tinto is 70% Tempranillo and 30% Garnacha from Navarra, Spain. Even though this is light bodied it has some good structure with tightly grained tannins that are there but not too big, and it has a slightly tart acidity that brightens up the fruit. Strawberries and raisins run the roost in profile with black table pepper and tobacco. For $12 it'll do you just fine, but I suggest giving it a slight chill to really bring out its full potential.

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Wine Quickie: Tinto Rey Rosé 2018

Tinto Rey is a label line by Matchbook Wine Company, who is one of the best winery friends of the blog. The winery and vineyards are located in Dunnigan Hills, California, and the Tinto Rey line's purpose is to produce Spanish style and Spanish varietal wines there. So I'm surprised that this is labeled as a Rosé instead of a Rosado, but not surprised when thinking about it from a marketing perspective.

This is 54% Tempranillo, 30% Tannat, and 16% Verdejo (a white varietal). Like the 2017 vintage, the 2018 Rosé is Crayola peach in color. And everything else is pretty similar to the previous vintage, as well. It has a bit of an oiliness to the mouthfeel of its fuller body with restrained acidity and a slight touch of astringency. There's loud floral notes on the nose, with overall characteristics of watermelon, cantaloupe, lime, and concrete. A solid rosé for the price for people who like their rosé fuller bodied.

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Wine Quickie: Beronia Rioja Rosé 2018

I love Spanish rosé and I don't think it's really appreciated as much by consumers as it should be. This one is a blend of Garnacha, which is also known as Grenache and makes the best rosés of France, and Tempranillo. Side note: Tempranillo is probably my favorite grape for rosé. Everything about this wine screams Spring. Flower petals, strawberries, red berries, and cream. Simple and delicious. It's light bodied with a bright, uplifitng acidity, and a tart citrusy finish. This is a rosé that's meant for swinging in a hammock and enjoying the warmer weather. You'll love it.

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Wine Re-Review: Beronia Rioja Crianza 2015

Back in January I reviewed this wine (click here for the original review) and it was completely out of character and just not good, so it was concluded by myself and Beronia that I had received a faulty bottle. So here is the re-review!

Beronia is named after the ancient Celtic tribe called the Berones that inhabited the land that is now La Rioja in the 3rd century BC. The Beronia winery, however, was established in 1973 CE by a group of Bosque businessmen and founders of a gastronomy society who visited Rioja and decided they wanted to make wine there.

The 2015 Rioja Crianza is 88% Tempranillo, 10% Garnacha, and 2% Mazuelo, so there's some percentage differences than the 2014 vintage that I reviewed in December of 2017. After being harvested the grapes undergo a few days of cold maceration, and then fermented at low temperature with periodic pumping. It sees twelve months of aging in barrels of American oak staves and French oak tops, then three months of bottle aging. it has a 13.5% ABV.

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Wine Reviews: Best of Winter 2018/19!

Today is the first day of Spring, so here's the best wines that I reviewed for this Winter season!

#5. Corvezzo Terre di Marca Rosé "Sur lie" Frizzante

Region: Veneto, Italy
Review Release: December 23rd, 2018

I freaking love this. I love its personality. It's so very interesting on the nose and so fun and thirst quenching on the palate. That tart acidity on the finish is just begging for some food, too. Suddenly I really want fish tacos to pair with this. Unfortunately it doesn't look like this is available in United States right now, but it's sold for roughly $13 in the European Union. So I'm running with that. And I'm giving a damn good score.

READ THE FULL REVIEW / WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $23

Rating: 4.5/5 = Recommended / Highly Recommended(what does that mean?)

#4. Emilio Hidalgo Fino Sherry

Region: Jerez, Spain
Review Release: February 1st, 2019 (Wine Pick of the Month)

This is 100% Palamino. The color of the wine is a golden yellow. Caramel leads the charge of aromas, followed by dried apricots, prunes, brown sugar, and almonds. Fantastic nose. On the palate it's a lighter bodied Sherry, as it should be, with a nice salinity to its mouthfeel and bright acidity. There's flavors of apricots, almonds, Greek olives, and yeast. It feels and tastes so good on the finish that there's no rush to take another sip. Which is a good thing because it has a 15% ABV. Take your time and enjoy.

READ THE FULL REVIEW

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $16

Rating: 4.5/5 = Recommended / Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

#3. Ventisquero "Grey" Glacier Garnacha Cariñena Mataro 2017

Region: Colchagua Valley, Chile
Review Release: January 17th, 2019

The wine is purple in color. On the nose there's aromas of cherries, strawberry jelly, black olives, cinnamon, and burnt toast. The nose is freakin' awesome. In the mouth it's light to medium bodied with a slippery mouthfeel, a pep to its acidity, and sweet tannins. It's got a smokey and savory profile surrounding fruity flavors of cherries and strawberries, and spice flavors of vanilla and cinnamon. Then it finishes savory with flavors of tangy strawberries and gritty leather.

This is absolutely delicious and I couldn't recommend it more for a $20 Grenache blend. The way the savoriness of the midpalate and finish plays with the flavors really make this wine highly enjoyable, and I can't wait to try it with some cheese. With that said, it gets a perfect score in price vs. quality.

READ THE FULL REVIEW / WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $20

Rating: 5/5 = Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

#2. Casa Agricola Santos Jorge Herdade dos Machados Reserva 2012

Region: Alentejo, Portugal
Review Release: March 1st, 2019 (Wine Pick of the Month)

The wine is a dark and inky ruby red in color. The nose is stellar with aromas of black cherries, rose pedals, cloves, vanilla and cracked pepper. True to previous vintages, it’s bold and hedonistic in the mouth with big dark fruit, rosemary and cedar. The tannin is soft but the ethanol shows its strength on the minty, cleansing finish.

Outstanding. Just outstanding. Pair with beef stew, pot roast, or barbecue.

READ THE FULL REVIEW / WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $16

Rating: 5/5 = Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

#1. Matchbook Estate Bottled Petite Sirah 2016

Region:  Dunnigan Hills, California
Review Release: January 3rd, 2019

The color of the wine is a gorgeous ruby red. There's aromas of plums, vanilla, black pepper, and bay leaf. On the palate it's medium to full bodied with a rich mouthfeel that becomes a cloud of lushness when swirled around in the mouth. The tannins are both sweet and grippy, and the acidity is present but takes a seat in the back. There's flavors of blackberries, red apple, black pepper, and vanilla. Then it finishes juicy with the tannins tightening their grip.

For $17 this is a freakin' dream, and a run-away perfect score for a $20 Petite Sirah. The Giguiere's did a hell of a job with this one. It's an absolute joy to drink!

READ THE FULL REVIEW / WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEO

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $17

Rating: 5/5 = Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

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Wine Quickie: Monte Velho Tinto 2015

It's been awhile since I've had this inexpensive gem from Alentejo, Portugal. It's 40% Aragonez (Tempranillo), 35% Trincadeira (Tinta Amarela), 20% Touriga Nacional, and 5% Syrah. The color of the wine is ruby red. On the palate it's medium bodied with soft tannin and a nicely balanced acidity. It features blueberries, black cherries, cranberries, earth, and caramel. It finishes with cranberries, black pepper, and far more silky smooth than it should for $8. It's still one hell of a deal.

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March Wine Pick: Casa Agricola Santos Jorge Herdade dos Machados Reserva 2012

My wine pick this month is the current vintage of one of my favorite wines of all time. I've been loving this stuff since the 2007 vintage and now we're up to the 2012 (for what’s at least available in Massachusetts). I'm tellin' ya, I could just smell this stuff all night and be content. It really has one of those noses. And I'm not crazy, because every regular customer that I've sold it to agrees. This is awesome juice.

With its vineyards planted in the late 1800's, Herdade dos Machados is one of the oldest privately owned wineries in the southern Portugal region of Alentejo, where half of the countries cork trees are located. Their 2012 Reserva is a red blend from the native grapes of Aragonez (AKA Tempranillo), Trincadeira, Alfrocheiro and Castelao.

The wine is a dark and inky ruby red in color. The nose is stellar with aromas of black cherries, rose pedals, cloves, vanilla and cracked pepper. True to previous vintages, it’s bold and hedonistic in the mouth with big dark fruit, rosemary and cedar. The tannin is soft but the ethanol shows its strength on the minty, cleansing finish.

Outstanding. Just outstanding. Pair with beef stew, pot roast, or barbecue.

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $16

Rating: 5/5 = Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was purchased by myself for the purpose of this review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.

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