January 9, 2019
This GSM is 70% G (Grenache), 20% M (Mourvedre) and 10% S (Syrah). A gorgeous wine, full of spice, sweet & uplifting strawberry and plum fruits, sweet earth and cured olive smells and flavors. The smell reminds me of Southern Rhone with its potpourri, fennel, musk and minty qualities. Perfectly ripe red fruits with a harmonic tang of acidity on the mid palate, followed by more savory spice at the end. I must admit I’m a little bit biased here because I love quality GSMs from anywhere, and I so enjoy the Benevolent Neglect wines as a whole. This is […]
October 1, 2018
Winery-Direct Discount for DDWA Members. Buy all available Apsara wines for 15% off, winery-direct, during February. Discounts on Apsara wines available to Dan Dawson’s Wine Advisor members. Contact Dan for discount codes and advisement. Not a DDWA Member yet? Join here. Featured Story and Offer Robin Akhurst, owner/winemaker of Apsara Cellars, has a great story. It begins in his homeland Scotland, “somming” in Edinburgh as he figured out what to do with his environmental science degree. Next stop: fine wine retail in London. Then New Zealand, his first stop on an international winemaking tour (and a degree in viticulture and enology). On […]
September 20, 2018
This “Rhone-y” red is 58% Syrah, 42% Grenache. Owner/winemaker Derek Beitler drew from three cool-climate Sonoma vineyards to make 500 cases of Skyhook Red Wine. I think the name Skyhook and the label take most down a path of expectation that requires a u-turn. Let me explain…an army of jammy, sweet-spice, soft red blends, a la The Prisoner, have taken the copy-cat highway to wine production and sales success. While Skyhook may look like one of these copy cats, it doesn’t taste like it. It has more in common with a spicy Paso Robles Cal-Rhone than an uber-ripe “modern red […]
March 3, 2018
A classic Australia GSM blend of 47% Shiraz, 32% Grenache and 21% Mourvedre. Blueberry sauce, roast coffee, black pepper, cola, anise, black raspberry and cherry compote smells and flavors. It has a big, rich mouthfeel yet with acidity that perks up the wine, especially on its 30 second finish. This plush, lush, full-bodied and classy red embraces classic Barossa power but also has finesse and complexity. At $40/bottle, for what you get this is a screaming deal!
February 13, 2018
Only 2 barrels (very neutral barrels) of this Languedoc, Southern French-esque Carignane/Grenache blend made from 75 year old, dry farmed, head-pruned vines. Smell and taste fresh pomegranate, dark wild plums, black pepper, licorice, herbs de Provence and dried violets. It’s medium tannins, medium/high acidity and zero barrel flavor point to its “Food Wine” placement. Grilled red meats and marinated white meats are a natural with the Trinafour Rosso Misto. About Trinafour Alex MacGregor has made tiny lots of delicious, interesting wines from eastern Mendocino County old-vine vineyards since the early 2000s. I’ve always loved his wines. This is the […]