Random Fine Wine Driveby

​Sometimes it seems as though all we do around here is taste wine.  If you held that assumption, you’d most certainly be wrong a lot of the time, yet every so often, yeah it comes with the job.  

The other day, we had a few gems that definitely made the day a little better:

Groth Sauvignon Blanc 2015.  I always overlook this Sauvignon Blanc for no reason at all.  Blended with 18% Semillon, this Bordeaux-themed white wine is 100% barrel fermented, lending supple oak spices to the lemon-cake and guava-infused fruit salad nuances, making this a great change of pace to those obnoxious grapefruit bombs.

Rochioli Pinot Noir 2014.  Not often I get to try this beauty, but I can honestly say that this is a beautiful expression of California Pinot Noir, light-bodied, supple and soft with its candied cherries, cola and vanilla spices marrying into hints of dried herbs and touches of umami and mushroom.  Lovely stuff.

Groth Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2013.  Just an awesome effort!  Full-bodied, dense and rich with dark fruits, oak spices, tobacco and cedar.  

Brandlin Henry’s Keep Red Blend 2012.  Cabernet Sauvignon with Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, this is a terrific Bordeaux-styled blend, rich and densely layered with unctuous black fruits, spices and dark chocolate.
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Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Serego Alighieri “Vaio Armaron” 2011.  Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara from the Veneto, this deep, dark, rich red is seductive in every breadth of the word, with its smoldering black fruits, roasted herbs, sweet baking spices and turned earth notes.