Tenshen Wines Red Blend 2014, Central Valley, California

My Rating 92 Points.   

Price $28.
Deep purple in color with a short purple rim.

Very fruity on the nose with blackberries, plums, cooked cherries, oak, dried figs, alcohol, licorice, light oak, spices, chocolates, peppercorn, dark coffee, tobacco and vinegreate.

Full bodied, smooth and bold, with medium acidity and long legs.

Extremely fruity on the palate with sweet cherries, blackberries, figs, raisins, vanilla, wood, smoke, spices, licorice, spices, dark chocolates, black pepper, graphite, light vegetables and coffee.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a wonderful Rhône blend from Santa Barbara County. Nicely balanced with mild complexity and a nice tangy finish. Has a very nice mouthfeel.
(Might have some RS).

Good right out of the bottle and better as it opens up (90 minutes).
Good by itself or with food, like BBQ Meats.

A blend of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvédre, Petite Sirah & Merlot. Aged for 10 months in Oak barrels. 90 points Wine Enthusiasts.

Delightful and delicious.

15.5% alcohol by volume.

La Vieille Ferme Rosé 2015, France

My Rating 82 Points.   

Price $12. 
Happy Father’s day! Let’s start it with a light Rosé.

Very pale salmon in color with a pink hue.

Light nose of strawberries, raspberries, vanilla, lemons, green apples, grapefruits, bitter herbs and minerals.

Light bodied with medium plus acidity and nice legs. Crisp and refreshing.

Dry on the palate with grapefruits, strawberries, citrus, green apples, spices, slate and some vegetable notes.

Short finish with bitter almonds and black pepper.

This French Rosé is simple but refreshing. Crisp with a light mouthfeel. Not special but not bad at all. Needs to be very chilled.

I enjoyed it by itself by the pool.

13% alcohol by volume.

Bodegas Alto Moncayo Veraton 2014 Campo de Borja, Spain

My Rating 91 Points.   

Price $27.

Deep purple in color with a short purple rim.

Nice fruity nose with black currants, cherries, blackberries, wood, vanilla, smoke, spices, chocolates, peppercorn, cola, licorice, light vegetables and mild coffee.

Full bodied and bold, with medium plus acidity and long long legs.

Dry on the palate and very fruity, with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, vanilla, licorice, cloves, spices, light vegetables, cedar, leather, chocolates, tobacco and peppercorn.

Long finish with soft tannins and tangy cranberries.

This is a wonderful Granacha from Spain. Well balanced and enjoyable by itself or with food, like BBQ Meats.

Drinking nicely now, without too many green notes, as I expected. Light on the tannins, but the high alcohol provides it with nice structure. Spicy with a nice mouthfeel. Shows nice complexity with enough acidity that makes it interesting.

A good sipping wine, but needs 2 hours to open up properly. Not as good right out of the bottle, so please be patient.

100% Granacha grapes.

15.5% alcohol by volume.

Chateau Ste Michelle Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2015, Washington State

My Rating 81 Points.   

Price $10.

Light straw in color with a light golden hue.

Nice nose of white flowers, lemons, green apples, grapefruits, bitter herbs, grass, light gooseberry, minerals and white pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity and nice legs. Crisp and refreshing.

Dry on the palate with limes, grapefruits, citrus, green apples, bitter vegetables, bitter herbs, grass and white pepper.

Short finish with bitter almonds and spices.

This is an average Sauvignon Blanc from Washington State. Simple and too bitter for my taste. Refreshing when very chilled.

Although drinkable, this is not a repeat buy for me.

13% alcohol by volume.

Intrinsic Wine Company Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, Columbia Valley, Washington State

My Rating 91 Points.   

Price $22.

This week my Friday’s Cabernet fix is from Columbia Valley.

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Strong fruity nose with black currants, sweet plums, figs, vanilla, licorice, earth, wood, vegetables, bell pepper, eucalyptus, black pepper, spices, chocolates, tobacco and mocha.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity, and smooth with long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, cherries, raspberries, earth, vegetables, oak, cloves, vanilla, spices, espresso, mocha, wood and peppercorn.

Long finish with big angular tannins and black pepper.

This is a wonderful Cabernet from Columbia Valley. Still young, but already enjoyable even by itself. Almost balanced, with great complexity and a nice mouthfeel. The nose shows like a California Cabernet.

90 points Wine Enthusiasts.

Needs a couple of years in the bottle to mature and get even better. I had the 2014 vintage a few months ago, and I like the 2015 better.

A blend of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. 50% of the blend was aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. Better after an hour in a decanter.

This is just yummy!

14.5% alcohol by volume.

Lamarca Wines Prosecco DOC Non-Vintage, Italy

My Rating 85 Points.   

Price $14. 

Pale lemon in color with a yellow tint.

Nice nose of white flowers, lemons, citrus, tropical fruits, peaches and limes.

Light bodied with medium plus acidity and tiny persistent bubbles.

Dry to off dry on the palate with limes, grapefruits, citrus, green apples and white pepper.

Medium finish with limes and bitter almonds.

This is a nice Proceco from Italy.
Well balanced and crisp. A little bitter on the ending, but not too bad. Nice enough to have by the pool or for parties.

I paired it with seafood and light appetizers.

11% alcohol by volume.

Concannon Vineyard San Francisco Bay Petite Sirah 2014, California

My Rating 86 Points.   

Price $15. 

Dark inky in color with a dark purple rim.

Fruity nose of blackberries, bell pepper, black plums, cherries, wood, licorice, spices, dark chocolates, smoke, coffee, barnyard, tar, vegetables, wet leaves and peppercorn.

Medium to full bodied, with medium plus acidity and nice legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, plums, cherries, currants, oak, spices, vegetables, vanilla, tar, green pepper, pencil lead, chocolates, tobacco, spices, bitter herbs and peppercorn.

Medium finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This Californian Petite Sirah is much better now than a year ago. Not as good as the 2013, but it’s starting to drink nicely by itself.

Balanced with medium complexity, and a nice mouthfeel.
Still has lots of vegetable notes, and needs another couple of years in the bottle to remove that. Very earthy and green on the nose.

Needs 90 minutes to open up properly and show some tannins.

13.5% alcohol by volume.