2013 Tua Rita Giusto di Notri

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This is truly a SUPER Tuscan!

The 2013 Tua Rita Giusto di Notri  is an incredibly rich and lush wine that is still very young and in need of a few more years in the cellar to soften its massive and youthful tannins.

This Bordeaux blend from Tuscany tips in at 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc and retails at a very reasonable $65 for such a high quality bottle.

The nose is wonderfully captivated by floral and sweet cherry perfume that is accented by hints of slate and berry aromas.

The palate is awash with a powerful and long lasting assortment of flavors that include wet earth, ripe blackberry and cherry fruit, leather, bitter licorice and assorted spices, highlighted by cinnamon and mint.

Although the wine is drinking nicely now, I am very excited to see how it unfolds after a few more years in the cellar.

Bennett Lane Red Maximus

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The 2007 Bennett Lane Maximus Red Feasting Wine was the perfect wine to celebrate my sister’s birthday.

This Cabernet based wine has healthy doses of Merlot and Syrah added in to round out the tannins and augment the jammy berry flavors.

This 10 year old wine was still oozing these youthful blackberry and blueberry fruits accompanied by rich polished tannins.

The wine was fun and easy to drink, which allowed us to focus on the celebration.

The wine retails for about $30, which is unheard of for a quality Napa Valley proprietary red blend.

 

Chateau Rocher Calon

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I was cleaning the cellar and noticed this wine that I purchased back in 2003 for $12.99. I tried it when I got home that day and found it to be too bitter and tannic.

So over the years I kept skipping over it as I selected wines to drink. So today I decided to popped the cork with the expectation that I would pour it down the drain.

Well to my surprise, I noticed this wine still had a dark purple color as I poured a glass. Intrigued I took a long sniff and was blown away by the fruit aromas.

My first sip overwhelmed me with young ripe berries and creamy oak flavors. This was followed by a long velvety finish.

I am glad I decided not to skip over this little gem, as it brightened an otherwise grey cold day.

Grattamacco Bolgheri Suoeriore

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Grattamacco Bolgheri Superiore is a must buy for all Cabernet and Bordeaux lovers.
This intense wine is a brilliant ruby color with scents of sweet perfume and berries on the nose. While the palate is full of mouthwatering cherries, ripe fruit and pepper flavors which precede toasted oak and leather on the long dry finish.
This Super Tuscan is composed of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 15% Sangiovese, and at $59.99 it is priced at a steep discount to its rivals in Bordeaux and Napa Valley

 

Jarvis Lake William

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The 2003 Jarvis Lake William Napa Valley is still a very charming wine.

This Bordeaux style blend is comprised of 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Cabernet Franc, 22% Merlot with the balanced split between Petit Verdot and Malbec.

The color is still a violet opaque purple, while the nose provides light fruit aromas which is a pretext of what is about to come on the 1st sip.  After decanting for an hour the tart fruit softened and the wine opened nicely. The palate was now elegant as soft juicy dark fruit and blackberry flavors were followed by leather, mushroom and earthy velvet tannins that lingered effortlessly for 3+ seconds.

The back label recommends that the wine should be consumed within 7 years, but I disagree as the additional years in the cellar has this wine living up to its Bordeaux blend pedigree as it drinks more like an aged wine from the Pauillac region in Bordeaux.

The 2003 Lake William is hard to find now, but it priced for $70 when release back in 2005.  Today it retails for about $125, while newer vintages retail for about $150.

On a separate note, in my opinion, Jarvis has the best underground cave tours in all of Napa Valley.  So the next time you are in the Valley, schedule a tour and tasting in their caves.

You will not be disappointed!