Notre Vue Estate GSM Rosé 2019 Chalk Hill, California

Pretty salmon in color.

Nose of citrus, limes, light raspberries, spices, earth, vegetables and minerals.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity, crisp and refreshing.

Dry on the palate with raspberries, strawberries, cherries, limes, grapefruits, citrus, green apples, herbs, spices and white pepper.

Nice finish with spices and almonds.

This is a very enjoyable Rosé from Chalk Hill, Sonoma County. Fruit forward and refreshing with nice complexity.

Nicely balanced with a buttery mouthfeel. Better when properly chilled.

Good by itself or with food. I had it by the pool with soft cheeses.

A blend of 34% Grenache, 33% Syrah and 33% Mourvedre.

12.7% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$29.

Teperberg Family Winery Essence Rosé 2019, Israel

A very pretty light pinkish color in the glass.

Very aromatic nose of citrus, grapefruits, light raspberries, limes, white flowers, earth, vegetables, Jasmine, herbs and white pepper.

Light to medium in body with medium plus acidity. Crisp and refreshing.

Dry on the palate with limes, citrus, green apples, grapefruits, bitter herbs, spices, earth, light strawberries and black pepper.

Spicy finish with almonds and limes.

This is a nice Rosé from Israel. Very much in the Old World style. Resembles a Cote du Rhône Rosé. Earthy and spicy.

Interesting with mild complexity and better when properly chilled.

A nice food wine that I paired with Brie cheese and crackers.

A blend of 45% Grenache Noir, 35% Mourvedre and 20% Barbara. Kosher non Mevushal.

11.5% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

$30.

Meadowcroft Wines River Trace Grenache Syrah Mourvedre 2017, Sonoma County, California

Dark purple in color with a wide purplish rim.

Light nose of cherries, black plums, currants, light spices, earth, licorice, light oak, vanilla and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with plums, currants, oak, tobacco leaf, earth, bitter herbs, spices, black tea, coffee, light vegetables and peppercorn.

Nice spicy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very enjoyable GSM blend from Chalk Hill, Sonoma County. Nicely balanced and spicy with mild complexity.

Easy drinking with a light mouthfeel, albeit the high alcohol, which is not noticeable.

Needs an hour to open up properly.
A good quality wine that I would like to revisit in 3 years to see how it evolved.

This Californian Rhône blend is a good wine to pair with food. I paired it with cheeses and olives, but it was really nice with the Parmesan cheese.

A blend of 65% Syrah, 25% Grenache and 10% Mourvédre. Aged in 30% new French oak barrels. A small production of only 120 cases.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$50.

Toca Madera Winery Toca Madera Vineyard Syrah/ Grenache/ Mourvedre/ Viognier 2015, California

Reddish in color with light intensity.

Pronounced and fruity nose of black currants, cherries, sweet raspberries, tobacco, spices, light oak, earth, leather, tobacco, peppercorn, herbs and light chocolates.

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

Dry on the palate with currants, plums, cooked cherries, raspberries, licorice, oak, earth, chocolates, peppercorn, tobacco, herbs, spices, coffee and pencil lead.

Medium plus on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very tasty GSM blend from California. Well balanced with nice complexity. Showing a great mouthfeel. Soft, spicy and elegant.

Good right out of the bottle, but better with some air (30 minutes).

This Single Vineyard GSM is peaking now, and will be good in the next few years.

This is an easy drinking red blend. I always enjoy these new world GSMs. Feels like the Viognier is a nice addition.

I paired it with a cheese plate with dry fruits, crackers and fresh berries.

A blend of 55% Syrah, 17% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre, 13% Viognier. Unfined and Unfiltered.

14.2% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$32.

Tranche Estate Pape Estate 2017 Columbia Valley, Washington State

Dark purple in color with a wide purplish rim.

Fruity nose of blueberries, bing cherries, sweet strawberries, wood, licorice, spices, dark chocolates, dried figs, tobacco leaf, earth, leather, pencil lead and peppercorn.

Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, plums, cherries, currants, oak, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, chocolates, light earth and peppercorn.

Long spicy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a very tasty Syrah based Rhone blend from Columbia Valley. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle, but better as it opens up and shows the tannins and structure. Would be nice to revisit it in a couple of years.

Fruit forward with nice complexity. A good quality wine. Spicy, tasty and tangy.

I paired it with a beautiful view, but was even better with the Brie cheese.

A blend of 51% Syrah, 30% Mourvedre and 19% Grenache. Aged for 22 months in French oak barrels.

14.9% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$35.

Massaya Winery 2013, Lebanon

A couple of months ago I ordered a bottle of Lebanese wine at a local wine bar. After reviewing it, the owner of the winery got in contact with me. He decided to fly down to Orlando to meet with me, and brought a couple of nice bottles for us to drink.

The first one is a GSM blend that shows black and red fruits, wood, earth, vegetables, tobacco leaf, spices, wet leaves, black tea, dark coffee and peppercorn.

Dry on the palate with medium acidity.

Nice length on the finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

Needs 45 minutes to open up properly, and show the tannins.

A blend of 55% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre and 15% Syrah. Aged in French oak barrels for 18 months.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

The second one is a Grenache- Mourvedre blend. Showing red fruits with wood, spices, peppercorn, coffee, earth, licorice, mint and black tea.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Medium plus in finish with nice tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 7 year old is fruity, yet showing lots of earth notes. A blend of new and old world wine.

Bigger than the GSM, with a nicer mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle and better after 30 minutes of airtime.

A blend of 50% Grenache and 50% Mourvedre. Aged for 18 months in French oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

Both these wines were very unique and kept on changing every 15 minutes in the decanter. I love this kind of wines.

Pierre Amadieu Romane-Machotte Gigondas 1981 Rhône, France

Light ruby in color with medium intensity and some cloudiness.

Nice nose of blueberries, cherries, currants, oak, spices, earth, wet leaves, herbs, peppercorn, pencil lead, dark coffee and light vegetables.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with black currants, cherries, strawberries, wood, wet leaves, herbs, forest floor, vegetables and peppercorn.

Medium plus in length on the finish with no tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a nice expression of a piece of history from Southern France. This 39 year old is still showing nice fruits with nice complexity and mouthfeel. Tasty and engaging.

Good right out of the bottle, and started dying after an hour of airtime.

Very enjoyable, even by itself, and better than I expected. Another great experience.

I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

13% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

Château Clos st Michel cuvee Reservee Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2015, France

Ruby in color with a wide reddish/ brick rim.

Light to medium in body with medium plus acidity and nice legs.

Nose of bing cherries, blueberries, wood, earth, vanilla, coffee, wet leaves, herbs, earth, vegetables, graphite and spices.

Dry and tangy on the mid palate with cherries, strawberries, red currants, oak, smoke, tobacco leaf, spices, graphite, bitter herbs, black tea, earth, dark chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, wood, wet leaves and bitter vegetables.

Medium finish with soft tannins and peppercorn.

This is a nice Châteauneuf-du-Pape from a great vintage. Would benefit from another 5 to 10 years of bottle time. Spicy and tangy with a lighter mouthfeel than I expected.

Not fully balanced yet, but enjoyable already. Needs a couple of hours to open up properly and show some tannins.

I paired it with meats, cheeses and olives.

A blend of 40% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 30% Mourvedre. Aged for 12 months in French oak barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$50.

Netofa Estate Winery Latour Red 2016, Galilee, Israel

Deep purple in color with a purplish rim.

Fruity nose of blueberries, black plums, black currants, oak, licorice, spices, cloves, green olives, tobacco, light vegetables, dark coffee and peppercorn.

Full bodied and bold with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, vanilla, vegetables, tobacco, wood, licorice, spices, bitter herbs, wet leaves and peppercorn.

Nice length on the finish with fine grained tannins and bitter herbs.

This Syrah blend from Israel is tasty and engaging. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. Earthier on the palate than the nose. Bold and rich.

A good wine to pair with good friends. spicy, tangy and interesting.

Could use a few more years in the bottle, but already drinking very nicely.

Needs 2 hours to open up properly and remove some of the acidity and bitter notes.

I paired it with Brie cheese and crackers.

A blend of 70% Syrah and 30% Mourvedre. Grapes are grown in the Galilee region and aged for 13 months in French Oak barrels. Kosher. Not Mevushal.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$30.

Jack Simon Vineyards Rosado Composition One 2018, San Diego County, California

Pale salmon in color.

Light nose of citrus, red apples, melons, and white pepper. Nice and elegant.

Light to medium in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with lemons, apples, raspberries, light grapefruits and spices.

Nice length on the finish with black pepper.

This is a very easy drinking and enjoyable Rosé from San Diego County, California.

Nicely balanced and not bitter on the ending at all, which I really liked. Crisp and refreshing with a tangy finish. This is a nice surprise.

I paired it with cheeses and light appetizers.

A blend of 50% Carignan, 30% Grenache and 20% Mourvedre.

13.6% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

$21.