The Backlog March Madness
Last I left off I had gone through the wines that I tasted in February. There weren’t many and they were all various forms of Zinfandel. This post is entirely dedicated to the wines of March, and boy, let me tell you there were a lot of them. At this point in March my family was partially vaccinated and at a point where we were finally able to see each other again, and that meant that we drank a lot of wine (17 different bottles), mostly supplied by my cousin, who belongs to more wine clubs than I have friends.
Martin’s Pick-up Cabernet Sauvignon. Australia 2020.
Consumed on the 19th of March 2021.
Retails for about $8 dollars at Total Wine and More
The first thing to note is that the wine does not have a specific place of origin listed on the label meaning that the grapes can be sourced from several places in Australia and not just from a specific region. While not an overall indication of poor quality, the more specific the label is, generally the better.
Look: Deep Purple
Smell: Jammy, red fruit, berries.
Taste: Medium body, medium plus tannin, medium minus acidity, medium alcohol between 11.5 and 13.5 percent (the wine is 13.5% on the label, I had to look it up to make this post), off dry. Ultimately the wine was sweet and tannin heavy. It was out of balance and lacked both the body and acidity to make it good. There is a possibility of a bad bottle or batch, but I just think that this wine is mass produced and the quality is not the focus.
I did not leave a number ranking on this wine, but based on my note of “meh” I am going to give it a 1 out of 5. I will have to come back to this wine and see if that score stays the same.
Chateau Souverain Pinot Noir, Central California (Modesto), 2018.
Consumed on the 19th of March 2021.
Retails for $9 at Total Wine and More.
Look: Deep Purple
Smell: Oak, vanilla, black currant, berries, and red fruit.
The oak and vanilla are strong indicators that this wine is aged somewhat in American oak.
Taste: Medium bodied, high tannin, medium acidity, medium alcohol between 11.5 and 13.5 percent, dry. Black pepper, red fruit, and strawberries on the palate.
Largely speaking I would not expect a pinot to have such a heavy tannin load, and that to me seems very odd. Pinot noir is generally super light and well balanced. This is again a wine that I would like to revisit.
This is also one of the few wines that has a note from Karly indicating her thoughts on it. Karly, like me, it would seem did not like this wine. I gave it an indifferent emoticon. That is a strong reason to believe that this wine sits at a 2 of 5 on our rating system.
Pezzi King Zinfandel, Florence Vineyard (Rockpile), Sonoma County USA 2018.
Consumed on the 21st of March 2021.
Retails for $60 dollars from Pezzi King’s website.
Look: Deep Purple
Smell: Rich, vanilla, crushed red fruit, alcohol, and clove.
This indicates that the wine was ripe at harvest and barrel aged in American oak.
Taste: Full bodied, medium plus tannin, medium plus acidity, high alcohol over 15%, and dry. Despite the full body and heaviness on the palate the wine is very drinkable, the alcohol, tannin, and acidity help balance the wine. This allows for hints of red fruits, strawberry and raspberry to come through.
I left very little by way of notation on this page. I think this was one of the first truly amazing wines that I had had. Now, I think the high alcohol and heavy flavors of American oak would be off putting.
This wine has a very happy face doodled in the corner which can only mean that it is a 4 out of 5.
Portalupi Barbera, Amador County California, Shake Ridge Ranch, 2018.
Opened 23 March 2021.
Retails for $48 dollars on their website for a 2020 vintage, there is nothing of the 2018 listed on their website at this time.
Look: Deep Purple
To me the color is an indication of the youth of the wine, typically there is a more rubied age to Barbera, at least in my recent experience with the wine. Then again, this is one of the only Californian Barera’s that I have had.
Smell: Heavy… I know a terrible note, but the wine had a weight to it, it pulled your palate down and it seemed pungent and dense. There were strong notes of vanilla, clove, and red stone fruit. Once again, that American oak comes through very clearly.
Taste: Full body, high tannin, high acidity, medium plus to high alcohol around 15%, and dry but nearing the off dry side of it. The wine was crisp and sweetish, but never actually sweet. It was just so red fruit berry intense that it seemed like it was dessert-y sweet.
I really liked this wine, marking it at a 4 of 5. I think that the wine looks balanced, and that sweetness is probably because it could have had a higher alcohol content but the producers wanted to leave some of that residual sugar in the wine to make sure that the wine was palatable and friends. This is definitely a wine for early summer sitting in the back yard with some good company.
Jean-Claude Debeaune Beaujolais, Beaujolais France, 2019.
Grape: Gamay
Retails for roughly $18.
There is not a date on this note for when I tasted it, but we can assume it was some time after the 23rd of March.
For those of you who don’t know, Beaujolais is a region in France just below Burgundy. It is known for light and fruity wines. Beaujolais Nouveau is a huge festival in France where the new vintage is released. Essentially the grapes are harvested in the fall and released in November landing in the U.S. the Thursday before Thanksgiving. The wines are characterized by light and fruity aromas and flavors that pair wonderfully with white meat like chicken and turkey.
Look: Medium Purple
Smell: Red fruits, cranberry, and a light jam-like sweetness.
Taste: Medium body, medium minus to low tannin, medium acidity, medium alcohol, dry. Tastes of red fruit, berries (in particular), and cranberry skins.
This wine is characteristically pleasant and light. I gave it a wonderful 3 out of 5, probably because I knew very little about the style of wine.
Campo Viejo, Rioja Spain 2018.
Grape: Tempranillo
Rioja is a region in Northeastern Spain, famous for its amazing wines and the wind shadow that protects the fields from storms. If you haven’t yet tried a wine from Rioja, I recommend that you do so at your earliest convenience.
I am not sure where I acquired this wine but Campo Viejo ranges in price from $9 to $28 based on the style. I have a note which says “Logroño” tacked to the top of the page and that might be the style that I purchased, but if it is, Total Wine no longer carries it.
Once again, I have no date listed for when I drank this, but we can still assume it was some time after the 23rd of March.
Look: Deep Purple, still a little watery around the edge.
Smell: Red fruits, wet leather, and vague hints of clove. While not being specific on the red fruits, I was picking up on some of the classic tertiary aromas of Rioja. The wet leather and mushroomy earthiness that is so common in wines from this region.
Taste: Medium plus body, medium tannin, medium acidity, medium plus alcohol, and dry. Fruity and complex with nuanced hints of vanilla and leather.
Rioja was the wine style that truly brought me into the world of wine. In 2020 I purchased my first bottle at a Tesco in Leeds, and then I went on a deep dive of wine movies and documentaries. This wine is no exception to the love and admiration I have for the style. This wine scored a Nike check smiley face, probably because my handwriting is terrible—But I am going to say I gave it because “the wine was on brand.”
Cavaliere D’oro, Chianti Classico, Italy 2016
Grapes: 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot
It appears that this wine has some retail price variation but is in the $10-14 range.
Chianti is one of those regions that has been made popular through film, of course I am talking about Hannibal in Silence of the Lambs—though in the book he preferred Amarone (which at some point I will drink… just without the liver pairing). Chianti can be a blend of a few grapes, but the dominant grape, by law, will be Sangiovese. If I am not mistaken Sangiovese needs to be 80% of the blend.
There was no date for when I drank this wine. So, I can safely put it before the 27th of March and definitely after the 23rd.
Look: Medium Ruby
Smell: Floral, red fruit, vegetal, tart-- sort of an acidic note.
Taste: Full bodied, high tannin, high acidity, medium alcohol, this wine was bone dry. While my palate is much more attuned now than it was at the time of tasting this I can say that flavors would have been there if I had been looking. My tasting notes are incredibly sparse. Spice, heavy and thick, with vegetal notes carrying through.
Karly likes this wine—which tells me that we were probably watching Stargate Sg-1 and hanging out with my family for dinner. I have a smiley face with a wry smile. Which means I probably liked it too. Chianti is great, go get a bottle.
Portalupi Old Vine Zinfandel, Russian River Valley, California, USA 2019.
I tasted the wine on March 27th of 2021.
This wine should retail for between $45 and $60. To my knowledge it can only be purchased via the wine club of the vineyard.
Look: Deep Purple. This is an indication of the youth of the wine.
Smell: Spice, Vanilla, Red Meat.
Taste: Full bodied, high tannin, high acidity, high alcohol (15.8%), bone dry. Flavors of crushed red fruit, vanilla, leather.
I give this wine a smiley face with the note of “Deck Time,” which means I woke up, brushed my teeth (around noon), and wandered next door to my neighbors for a bloody Mary—then it became day drinking until like 3 or 4. Every wine I liked in times like these should be taken with a grain or pound of salt.
Kenwood, St. Anne’s Crossing Angelo Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, California, USA 2018.
Not sure what this wine retails for. But I did also have it on the 27th of March, 2021.
Look: Medium Purple.
Smell: Strawberry, blueberry, orange blossom, and honeysuckle.
Taste: Full bodied, Medium plus tannin, high acidity, high alcohol, sweet or off dry. I got notes of sweet cherry cough syrup.
I gave this wine a flatline face—I was not thrilled.
Mazocco, Stone, Alexander Valley, Sonoma California, USA 2018.
Huge surprise that I drank this on the 27th of March.
Look: Deep Purple.
Smell: Vanilla, Stone fruit, and pepper.
Taste: Full bodied, high tannin, high acidity, high alcohol, dry. Tastes like pepper, leather, and red fruit.
This guy has a massive smiley face and was probably the best wine that I had during deck time. It is one of those things that I would love to return to and see if I still adore it.
Casa Sant Orsola, Barbera D’Asti, Italy 2019.
Grape: Barbera
I drank this wine—surprisingly on the 27th of March.
Look: Deep Purple
Smell: Vegetal, floral, and clove.
Taste: Medium plus, high tannin, medium plus acidity, medium alcohol, dry. Light fruity, spice, stone fruits (nectarines and apricots).
I gave this guy a smiley face, but my handwriting had deteriorated so I am not entirely sure that I enjoyed the wine as much as my smiley face would make it seem.
Rocca Felice, Langhe Rosso, Italy 2015.
Grape: Nebiollo
Can you guess which day I had this one? Because it was also on the 27th of March 2021.
Look: Medium Ruby
Smell: Spice, cherry, floral
Taste: full bodied, high tannin, high acidity, medium alcohol, dry. Leather, red fruit, and cherry.
My remarks here actually amuse me, “deck time—really good.” Except I wrote them in cursive while the rest of my notes are in barely legible chicken scratch… for those that actually know my handwriting, this chicken scratch is worse than normal. I give it a smiley face but the eyes look like a kid drawing a bird by writing the letter ‘m.’
Pezzi king, Row 26, dry creek valley, California, Napa/Sonoma, USA, 2018.
Grape: Zinfandel
Well this is a surprise - I drank this wine on the 29th of March 2021.
Look: Deep Purple
Smell: Vanilla, Spice, black fruit, and herbaceous.
Taste: Full bodied, high tannin, high acidity, high alcohol (16.2%), dry. Fruit, berry, and bright. Notes like classic Zin.
I say that this wine is “Sweeter than I would like, and yet tannin heavy and dry.” I gave it a queasy face with the speech bubble saying “so, so.”
Pezzi King, Elevation 1040, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma, California, USA, 2018.
Grape: Zin
I drank this immediately after the previous wine. My family was playing scrabble. I am fairly certain that I lost. I have only won at scrabble like twice. My dad has a PhD in English so the competition isn’t exactly fair.
Look: Deep Purple
Smell: Floral, vanilla, spice, and red fruit.
Taste: Full bodied, high tannin, high acidity, high alcohol (15.6%), bone dry. Rich and meaty, thick and viscous, a little jammy.
My notes make sense. I liked this wine a lot more than the one that we had had previously. I gave this wine a happy smiley face.
Mascota Vineyards, Mendoza, Argentina, 2018.
Grape: Cabernet Franc
I drank this wine on the 30th of 2021. I believe I got this one at Total wine, and can almost guarantee it was under 15.
Looks: Deep Purple
Smell: Floral, herbaceous, spice.
Taste: Medium plus body, medium plus tannin, medium plus acidity, medium plus alcohol, dry. Light in taste, tannin sits heavy but isn’t too strong, despite smelling spice there was no flavor of oak on the palate. This indicates that if there was wood used it was probably French oak.
The wine seemed lack luster to me, which is a shame. Argentine Cab Francs are some of my favorite wines, I would really like to revisit this one.
Eccentric Malbec, Argentina, 2019.
Grape: Malbec
Malbec is the native varietal of Cahors in France; it is the most planted grape of Argentina. It is an absolutely amazing varietal and I think that everyone should try a red from Cahors and a Malbec from Argentina—that comparison is absolutely amazing.
I drank this bottle on the 30th of March 2021.
Look: Deep purple
Smell: fruity- red fruit skins, sour, spice, and faint earth tones.
Taste: Medium plus body, high tannin, high acidity, medium alcohol (but almost medium plus), dry leaning vaguely into off dry. Fruity, jammy, and a little sweet.
This wine was sweeter than I liked but the flavor was good. This is a wine that I have come back to and there seems to be a good deal of bottle variation, some of the wines are dry, some are acidic beyond good, and others are sweeter. By and large for about 10 bucks it is a safe purchase, but recognize that bottle variation might occur.
Portalupi, Pinot Noir, Dolinsek Ranch, Napa/Sonoma, USA, 2018.
Look: Deep Ruby.
Yes, I know it looks bad. I also drank this on the 30th of March 2021. But the bottle would have been shared among four people. So I don’t think it is all that bad.
Smell: Spice, Vanilla, leather, and earthy.
Taste: Medium plus body, medium plus tannin, medium plus acidity, medium plus alcohol (14.5%), bone dry. Red fruit and spice.
Mom, dad, and Karly all liked this. Which is pretty good, we have somewhat differing tastes, my parents enjoy bold reds from California—you know oak bombs that are like 16%. I am much more a man of a subtle wine at like 12.5% from the Loire. I liked this wine a lot, and I would suggest you try it.
The Final wine of March!
Murphy Goode, Liar’s Dice, Sonoma, California, USA, 2015.
This guy is about $25 or was, there was growing Murphy Goode hype following their marketing campaign “A Very Goode Job.” I will confess, I applied to it, and I bought a bottle of every wine that they made. I figured I should know the wines that I was applying to sell. They make some decent stuff. I wasn’t disappointed.
Grape: Zinfandel
Look: Medium ruby.
Smell: Leather, jammy red fruit, vegetal, and earthy… black fruit.
Taste: Full bodied, high tannin, high acidity, high alcohol (15.5%), dry. Spice and red fruit. With thick and meaty flavors.
I gave this wine a toothy grin. I want to revisit it, I have fond memories of that bottle and I believe it will be even better now with more age, assuming I can get the same vintage.
Thank you for reading March Madness. It has been a wild ride of revisiting my wine tastings. My next post will not be April, but a modern interjection. Just a few days ago we had a tasting of Jose Pastor wines at work, and I took some brief notes. April will follow the Pastor Tasting.
Thank you all for reading, see you soon. Some family things have been going on and it has been a rough start to what I was planning but watch out for forthcoming YouTube content. We have finally settled on a format, and I think that the first video will be to your liking. We may even have our favorite bartender as a guest.