Talk-A-Vino

Don’t know if you noticed, but one of the pages in this blog is designated to my Top Rated Wines – and it is actually one of my pain points, as I fail to properly maintain it. The idea behind that page was that every month I would add there best wines tasted during the month. I rate the wines on the 10 point scale, also using + and – with the numbers (so 7, 7-, 7+ are all possible). The hallmark of this rating system is 7 – wine rated 7 means “it is an okay wine, I can drink it again, but will not proactively seek it”. The wines I want to drink again start at 8-. As we drink the wine every day, I only wanted to include monthly highlights into that page, which would mean the wines rated 8- and higher.

The “table” format I have chosen for this page is missing even basic descriptions and proven to be hard to maintain (at least in the realm of WordPress.com), so I’m changing my approach. Once a month, I’m going to publish a post with the wine highlights of the past month, and link to the post from the Top Ratings page. As I’m trying to catch up here, today’s post includes best wines of July and August 2013, and I hope to maintain the regular schedule from here on.

One last thing – if you had any of the wines below, I’m curious to know what do you think.

In no particular order, here we go:

2006 Vitkin Cabernet Franc, Israel – pure Cab Franc expression, luscious wine. 8+

1996 Burgess Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Library Release Nape Valley – Claret style Cab, still going strong but starts sun-setting. 8-

2005 Henry’s Drive Dead Letter Office Shiraz, Australia – spectacular – young, fresh and velvety. 9-

2011 Rio Madre Rioja DOC – 100% Graciano, soft, open and balanced. 8-

2009 Odisea Veritable Quandary, California – touch of barnyard, spices and herbs – very balanced. 8

2009 Odisea Devil’s Share, California – round and [too] easy to drink. 8

2011 Shatter Grenache Vin de Pays des Côtes Catalanes, France – perfectly balanced despite 15.9% ABV. Great power. 8

2008 Seresin Chardonnay Reserve Marlboro New Zealand – outstanding classical version, with vanilla and apples and perfect balance. 8+

2005 Frédéric Gueguen Chablis Les Grandes Vignes – spectacular nose, perfectly clean and balanced on the palate. 8+

2011 Siduri Pinot Noir Sonoma County – classic example of California Pinot Noir, clean and round. 8-

2008 Carmel Road Pinot Noir Monterey – raspberries, cranberries, cherries and a little smoke. Perfect balance. 8+

2010 Field Recordings Three Creek Vineyard Cabernet Franc Santa Barbara – spectacular bright fruit and balance. 9

2010 Villa Pillo Syrah Toscana IGT – dark fruit, pepper and tobacco notes, very elegant. 8

NV Mionetto Il Ugo Prosecco Blend – incredible aromatics, very playful and refreshing. 8-

2008 Paritua Riesling Central Otago New Zealand – clean, refreshing, perfect balance of acidity and sweetness, plus a hint of petrol. 8

2005 Eitelsbacher Karthauserhofberg Riesling Spatlese Mosel-Saar-Ruwer – clean balance and perfection. 8+

1999 Kurt Rasmussen Late Harvest Riesling Dry Creek Valley – spectacular. Honeyd apricot, perfectly clean and fresh acidity. 9

2002 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Herrenweg de Turckheim Gewurztraminer Alsace – candied apricot, honey and balancing acidity. wow. 9

2012 Williams Selyem Vin Gris of Pinot Noir Russian River Valley –  strawberries, cranberries and perfect acidity. 8-

2010 Ramon Bilbao Crianza Rioja – luscious dark fruit, eucalyptus, balance. 8

2008 Cruz de Alba Crianza Ribera del Duero – power, cherries and structure. 8

NV Result Of A Crush Red Table Wine – bright, sexy, uplifting, cherries and cranberries. 8-

2007 Magnet Pinot Noir Sonoma County – dark, concentrated, smoky. 8-

2003 Swanson La Ti Da Estate Red Wine, Oakville, Napa – mature wine with still enough of fruit and acidity. 8

2010 Anakena Indo Sauvignon Blanc D.O. San Antonio Valley – grapefruit, lemon zest, bright acidity. 8

2007 Thelema Chardonnay South Africa – vanilla, white apples, touch of butter, perfect balance. 8-

2004 Coume Del Mas Quintessence Banyuls Red Dessert Wine – perfect balance of dark fruit and sweetness, soft tannins, very unique experience. 8+

2011 Tenute Loacker Valdifalco Vermentino Maremma Toscana – bright white fruit, medium to full body, hint of sweetness. 8-

2004 Viña Mayor Ribera Del Duero – dark, dense, concentrated, lots of cherries plus some dark chocolate. Soft tannins. 8-