Kukeri Wines Stags Leap District Proprietary Red Blend 2018 Napa Valley, California

It’s time for a nice Cabernet for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Dark ruby in color with a reddish rim.

Strong nose of blackberries, black currants, cooked plums, cedar, earth, vanilla, licorice, espresso, pencil lead, black pepper, spices, herbs and light vegetables.

Full-bodied, big and smooth, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, black plums, oak, licorice, spices, coffee, cola, pencil lead, light peppercorn, vegetables, vanilla, earth and beef jerky.

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

This young Bordeaux blend from Stags Leap is spicy and interesting, and already drinking very nicely. Fruit forward and nicely balanced.

Showing nice complexity with a great mouthfeel. Tasty and rich, soft and warm.

Needs 2 hours to open up properly, so be patient.

Showing great potential to be a great 95+ point wine, and will age nicely in the next 15 years. A good quality wine that would be nice to revisit in 5 to 10 years.

I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses. Will pair nicely with BBQ Meats.

A blend of 52% Cabernet Franc, 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Malbec, 3% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. A small production of only 290 cases. Aged in French and American oak barrels for 18 months.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$65.

Foyt Family Wines Meritage No 72 2016 Sonoma County, California

Time to add some Merlot to our life, on this #MerlotThursday. This Meritage blend will have to do.

This is a very tasty red blend from Sonoma County. Nicely balanced, spicy and tangy with a nice mouthfeel and nice complexity.

Showing black fruits with cedar, vanilla, leather, spices, earth, chocolates, tobacco, peppercorn, graphite and dark coffee.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity and long legs.

Tangy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

Good by itself or with food. I let it open up in a decanter for 3 hours.

Should age nicely in the next 5 years.

Paired very nicely with the Camembert cheese.

A blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 6% Malbec and 3% Petit Verdot.

14.2% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$38.

Calla Lily Estate Audax Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015, California

We have a new president! Time for a Celebratory wine 🍷

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Fruity nose with cedar, blackberries, vanilla, licorice, black plums, black currants, raisins, figs, chocolates, cola, earth, coffee, spices, violets and black pepper.

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

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, cedar, vanilla, spices, espresso, cola, dark chocolates, peppercorn, tobacco and light herbs.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a delicious Bordeaux blend from Napa Valley. Showing nice complexity with a great mouthfeel.

Easy drinking and elegant. Nicely balanced, fruit forward and spicy.

Good right out of the bottle and better with some air time (90 minutes).

This 5 year old is still young, and will age nicely in the next 10 years.
Nice to see a Napa Cabernet that is not too high in alcohol.

Good by itself or with food. A great sipping wine by the porch, but will be great with a piece of steak too.

A blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec. Aged for 27 months in French Oak barrels (50% new). A very small production of only 1,600 bottles.

14.1% alcohol by alcohol.

93 points

$120.

Leverage Wines Trajectory 2017, Paso Robles, California

Dark purple in color with a purple/ reddish rim.

Strong nose of blueberries, black cherries, black plums, earth, wood, light vanilla, spices, herbs, tobacco, coffee, dark chocolates and black pepper.

Full bodied and elegant, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked strawberries, spices, pencil lead, tobacco, chocolates, earth, herbs, oak, licorice, dark coffee, pencil lead, cloves, light vegetables and peppercorn.

Spicy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a wonderful GSM blend from Paso Robles. Nicely balanced, rich and fruit forward. Showing nice complexity with a nice mouthfeel.

Still young and needs a few years in the bottle, but already delicious. Would age nicely in the next 5 years.

Good right out of the bottle, and better with airtime. Complexity comes in in the decanter.

Spicy and interesting to drink by itself, and good with food too. Delicious and approachable.

I paired it with a Charcuterie board meats, cheeses and crackers. Goes very nicely with the aged Brie cheese.

A blend of 50% Grenache, 35% Syrah and 15% Mourvedre. Aged for 18 months in (40% New) French Oak barrels. A small production of only 175 cases.

15.2% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$56.

Fratelli Ponte Roero Arneis 2018 DOCG, Italy

Pale lemon in color.

Light nose of lemons, citrus, apples, spices and black pepper.

Medium bodied with medium plus acidity. Crisp and refreshing.

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

Tangy finish with limes and grapefruits.

This is a nice food wine from Italy. Tangy, crispy and spicy.

A good wine to pair with seafood.

13% alcohol by volume.

$23.

86 points.

Titus Vineyards Napa Valley Zinfandel 2017, California

This is very tasty Zinfandel from Napa Valley with nice complexity and a smooth mouthfeel.

Fruit forward and still young, but already very enjoyable.

Showing black fruits with oak, licorice, spices, coffee, vanilla, mocha, tobacco, peppercorn, espresso and chocolates.

Full bodied and bold with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with and very fruity with lots of chocolate notes.

Good right out of the bottle, but way better after an hour of airtime. Would be nice to revisit it in 5 years.

Thank you Wendy for sharing.

Good by itself or with food, like BBQ burgers.

15.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$35.

Acquiesce Vineyard Picpoul Blanc 2019, Lodi, California

Pale lemon in color with a green hue.

On the nose citrus, red apples, melons, grapefruits, bitter herbs, spices, vegetables and white pepper.

Full bodied with medium plus acidity. Crisp and refreshing.

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

Tangy finish with limes and lemon juice.

This is a nice white wine from Lodi, California. Fruit forward with a touch of Southern Rhône feel. Interesting.

Showing a nice mouthfeel with mild complexity. Tangy and refreshing.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with cheeses and crackers. Was great with the Brie cheese.

12.5% alcohol by volume.

88 points.

$28.

Covenant Israel Wines Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Israel

It’s time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is tasty one from Israel.

A very pretty color of ruby with a very wide reddish/ brick rim.

Fruity nose with blueberries, blackcurrants, black plums, oak, licorice, earth, cloves, spices, light alcohol, light vanilla, coffee, light vegetables, pencil lead, tobacco and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black currants, cherries, tobacco leaf, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, earth and light vegetables.

Spicy finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Israel. Nicely balanced with a nice, soft mouthfeel.

Still very young and would benefit from a few years in the bottle, although it doesn’t drink like a young wine at all. Very interesting and very well put together. Feels like a Bordeaux with a new world twist.

Has good potential to become a great wine in 5 to 7 years. Would be interesting to check it out again then.

Showing nice complexity after 90 minutes of airtime, and good right out of the bottle, as well.

I paired it with cheeses and crackers.

Fermented with indigenous yeast, and aged for 18 months in French oak barrels. Kosher. Not Mevushal.

14.8% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$90.

Fattoria di MonteMaggio Torre di MonteMaggio Toscana 2016 IGT, Italy

Time for some Merlot on this #MerlotThursday. Here’s a great surprise from Italy.

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Great nose of black cherries, blueberries, wood, cloves, vanilla, espresso, chocolates, earth, wet leaves, tobacco, vinaigrette, forest floor and spices.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with black plums, black cherries, light vegetables, wood, licorice, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, tobacco, wet leaves, herbs, earth and leather.

Medium plus on the finish with round tannins and tangy raspberries.

This is a delicious Merlot from Tuscany. What a great surprise. Tasty and spicy with a soft mouthfeel.

Good by itself or with food and easy drinking.

Needs a couple of hours to open up properly, and show that beautiful nose.

Feels much older than a 4 year old, and would be nice to revisit it in 3 to 5 years.

High in alcohol, but very nicely integrated. Loved the nose here.

Thank you Wendy for sharing.

I paired it with cheeses and light appetizers.

100% Merlot grapes, were aged in French oak barrels for 18 months. Unfiltered.

15.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$50.

Nik Pegasus Winery Mystic Pearl Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Central Coast, California

Ruby in color with a wide cloudy, reddish rim.

Sweet nose of sweet cherries, blueberries, plums, light oak, licorice, vanilla, tobacco, chocolates, coffee and black pepper.

Full bodied and soft, with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with plums, cherries, currants, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, spices, dark chocolates, tobacco, espresso and peppercorn.

Tangy finish with fine grained tannins.

This is a very nice Cabernet Sauvignon from Central Coast in California. Showing mild complexity with a nice, soft mouthfeel. Nicely balanced and fruit forward.

Good right out of the bottle and better with some time. Tannins show up after 90 minutes, and even nicer after 3 hours of airtime.

Still young and would be better in a few years. Would be nice to revisit it in 3 to 5 years.

I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats and cheeses. Paired very nicely with the Prosciutto.

Aged for 19 months in French and American oak barrels.

13.8% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$43.