Post to Wine Berserkers
| SEVERAL TASTINGS TODAY! – Minneapolis, MN (12/7/2019)5 different destinations in one day. A ton of spitting was done!!! Zipp’s Sparkling TastingI have never been to Zipp’s Liquor in Minneapolis and now I know why. The wine space is microscopic. While they carry some solid wines they are overpriced and there are way too many better options for wine shopping such as 1010 Washington, Sunfish Cellars, Wine Street Spirits, Surdyk’s, Haskell’s and South Lyndale. The star of the tasting was the Le Mesnil and Marc Hebrart. Who ever put the list together needs to check the spelling of the producers. NV Bellafina Prosecco – Italy, Veneto, Prosecco Simple stuff featuring apple, pear and minerals. Short finish. Good for the price of $10. (84 pts.) NV Simonnet-Febvre Crémant de Bourgogne Brut – France, Burgundy, Crémant de Bourgogne Tart with apple, kiwi, spice and minerals. Not bad. (87 pts.) NV Sektkellerei Szigeti Grüner Veltliner Brut – Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee Floral driven. Light and smooth overall. (85 pts.) NV Francois Montand Crémant du Jura Brut – France, Jura, Crémant du Jura Smooth overall with yeast, stone, apple and baking spices. Medium finish and clean. (88 pts.) NV Francois Montand Brut Rosé – France Tart with cherry, raspberries, spice and earth. Shorter finish. (87 pts.) NV Loimer Brut – Austria, Niederösterreich One of the better at the tasting. Watermelon, spice, chalk and cherry blossoms. Medium finish and good acidity. (89 pts.) NV Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco di Modena Vecchia Modena – Italy, Emilia-Romagna, Lambrusco di Modena DOC Lots of red currants and floral notes. Medium finish. (86 pts.) 2015 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhauser Riesling Sekt – Brut – Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer Interesting enough. Peach, floral and minerals. Clean short finish. Fun to try. (87 pts.) NV Jérôme Arnoux Elégance Crémant du Jura Extra Brut – France, Jura, Arbois Very simple stuff but enjoyable. Probably a bit pricy for what you get. Minerals and mild fruits. (86 pts.) NV Marc Hébrart Champagne Premier Cru “Cuvee de Reserve” – France, Champagne This was much better than the last 2 times sampling this N.V. Dough, spice, floral, pie crust and minerals. Very good acidity and medium plus finish. This current N.V. is worth the tariff. (90 pts.) NV Murgo Brut – Italy, Sicily, Sicilia Bread, spice, floral and earthiness. Short to medium finish. Clean overall. (85 pts.) 2017 Kir-Yianni Akakies Sparkling – Greece, Macedonia, Amyndaio Cherry, watermelon and floral notes. Very drinkable but nothing amazing. (85 pts.) NV Boys & Girls The Diver – Brut – USA, California, Napa Valley Marketed to the masses with the label. Cheap sparkling wine featuring apple and pear. Not much minerality here. (80 pts.) NV Boys & Girls The Diver – Brut Rosé – USA, California, Napa Valley Korbel would be preferred. Simple with floral and light spice. Not much going on here. (81 pts.) NV Serafino Maglieri La Brusco – Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale Sweet with plum, prunes and floral notes. Not my style. (78 pts.) NV A. R. Lenoble Champagne Brut Rosé Terroirs – France, Champagne Pretty basic for what you are paying here. Light strawberry, rose petals, mild spice and yeast. Short to medium finish. For $50 should expect more. (88 pts.) NV Ridgeview Bloomsbury – United Kingdom, England, Sussex, West Sussex Decant but pricy. Yeast, lemon, stone and floral notes. A delicate sparkler with some nice acidity. Would buy if half the price. (88 pts.) NV Jean Bourdy Crémant du Jura – France, Jura, Crémant du Jura Simple stuff with apple, spice and minerals. Certainly not worth $20 when you can get the Mumm Brut Prestige for less and it is much better. (85 pts.) NV Champagne Le Mesnil Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut – France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru Very good with dough, spice, floral, orange peel and lemon zest. Medium plus finish and good concentration. (91 pts.) Hennepin Lake LiquorsAs always a Saturday usually has some good wines out to sample and this was not different. The 2015 Sierra Cantabria was drinking well. Picked up the NV Piper Heidsieck as Phil has the best prices in town at $29.95 on it. 2017 Gehricke Chardonnay – USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley Nothing to exciting here. Tropical fruit, spice, apple and floral notes. Short to medium finish. Lacks any serious complexity. (87 pts.) 2016 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône – France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Decant wine for around $15. Raspberries, smoke, earth and spice. Short to medium finish. I would go with the 2017 St. Cosme for a little less per bottle. (87 pts.) 2017 Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon – USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles This must be a Zin. Blackberries, higher alcohol and a fruit bomb. Picks up spices and floral notes on the finish. Big wine is an understatement. The Caymus of Paso Robles. (86 pts.) 2016 Penner-Ash Pinot Noir Willamette Valley – USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley Second time sampling this in the past few months. Very nice with floral, strawberries, spice and earth. Medium finish and good concentration. A solid Willamette Valley offering. (90 pts.) 2015 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Rioja Reserva Unica – Spain, La Rioja, Rioja This was very nice with wood, leather, spice, raspberries and floral notes. Complex wine and medium plus finish. Solid (91 pts.) Haskell’s BloomingtonNow that Steve is back at the helm the tasting was much better than last years which featured really nothing of note. Really enjoyed the Roederer Rose and Lete-Vautrain. The Veuve Clicquot remains one of the most overpriced N.V. Champagnes. 2016 J Vineyards & Winery Pinot Noir – USA, California Not bad with smoke, floral, strawberry and pepper. Short to medium finish. Good everyday wine. (88 pts.) NV Mumm Napa Cuvée M – USA, California, Napa Valley This stuff is awful in comparison to the Brut Prestige and Rose. Sweet with floral, candied fruit and some minerality. Shorter finish. (82 pts.) NV Mumm Napa Blanc de Noirs – USA, California, Napa Valley Nice overall with strawberry, floral, spices and dough. Medium finish and decant acidity. (88 pts.) NV Mumm Napa Brut Prestige – USA, California, Napa Valley I think I have reviewed this wine more than anyone on Cellar Tracker. Another good showing featuring apple, spice, pie crust, lemon and minerals. Solid finish and good acidity. (89 pts.) 2017 Napa Cellars Pinot Noir – USA, California, Napa Valley A nice surprise. Very good value for under $20. Strawberry, floral, cherry and mild earth. A simple but well made offering. For the non Pinot drinker but this is not sweet. (87 pts.) NV Roederer Estate Brut Rosé Anderson Valley – USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley Second time tasting this in a day. Strawberry, floral, cherry and minerals. This is a really well made Rose and good value at $22.99. Highly recommend this for parties. (90 pts.) NV Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut – France, Champagne Love the Piper. Chalk, spice, lemon, pear, apple and dough. Medium plus finish and complex. Almost always a winner on every N.V. campaign. (91 pts.) 2015 Schramsberg Vineyards Blanc de Blancs – USA, California Another stellar showing of my favorite US Sparkling Wine Producers. Lemon, tropical fruit, chalk, minerals and apple. Good acidity and medium plus finish. This is drinking well now or could age for 5 years. (92 pts.) NV Korbel Brut California Sparkling Wine – USA, California Light with minerals, sour apple and chalk. Not bad and certainly decant enough for under $10.00. (83 pts.) 2017 J Vineyards & Winery Pinot Gris California – USA, California Another mediocre Pinot Gris from California. Lemon, floral and grass. Short finish. (83 pts.) NV J Vineyards & Winery California Cuvée – USA, California Not terrible with apple, pear, spice and floral notes. Short to medium finish. Not complex but drinkable. (86 pts.) NV Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne Brut – France, Champagne Solid on this N.V. effort with floral, dough, minerals, apple and lemon. Good acidity and medium finish. Drink now. (89 pts.) NV Monthuys Père et Fils Champagne Brut Réserve – France, Champagne Nice overall with floral, chalk, minerals and lemon. Good acidity and flavor. Medium plus finish. (88 pts.) NV Monthuys Père et Fils Champagne – France, Champagne Nice overall with floral, chalk, minerals and lemon. Good acidity and flavor. Medium plus finish. (89 pts.) NV Champagne Lété-Vautrain Champagne Traditionnel Brut – France, Champagne This was solid with minerals, apple, spice and dough. On sale for $34.99 at Haskell’s. Solid overall. (90 pts.) 2015 Cambria Chardonnay Katherine’s Vineyard – USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley Very good wine. Lemon, spice, floral and grapefruit. Very mild oak and medium, clean finish. This is a nice wine overall. (90 pts.) Jason’s HouseJason hosted an enjoyable get together of club members. Very graciously opened a variety of wines to sample. Hope I did not miss some extra good bonus bottles. 2014 Château Coutet – France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac Thin and featuring floral, apricots, peach and spice. Lacks much complexity. Tastes like a $20 Sauternes. This did not perform anywhere near the previous performance earlier this year. (87 pts.) 2014 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Côte Sud Vineyard – USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley This was the wine of the day in a marathon of spitting and tasting. Excellent. Sour cherry, cranberry, blueberries, floral and mild spices. Balanced and good acidity. Really nice showing of this wine and has aging potential. Drink now to 2025. (93 pts.) 2006 Archery Summit Pinot Noir Arcus Estate – USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills Underwhelming. Vanilla, spice, floral and underbrush. This wine lacks personality and complexity. Should have been consumed several years ago. Normally not a fan of the Cellar Tracker drinking window but this one is spot on. (88 pts.) 2016 Fabre Montmayou Malbec Reserva – Argentina, Mendoza Not bad. Spice, plum, blackberries and floral notes. Medium finish and quite pleasing. Drink now to 2024. (88 pts.) 2014 Substance Super Substance Bx Klein Vineyard – USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley As a big fan of K Vintners Syrah efforts I have been less impress with the Super Substance lineup. I have yet to enjoy one of the them. This is another disappointment. Cherry, plum and spice. Non complex and quite boring. Not sure where this is heading. (87 pts.) 2010 Watermill Winery Syrah – USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley I usually love Walla Walla Syrah but not this time. Pepper, red currants and earth. Not very interesting and lacks acidity. Drink a few years ago. (84 pts.) 2010 Paradise View Tribute to the Hermit – USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast Fading. Earth, green peppers and muted fruit. Drinkable but nothing spectacular. (85 pts.) 2017 La Crema Chardonnay Sonoma Coast – USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast Not bad. Served from a double magnum. Featuring apple, spice, mild oak and minerals. Decant acidity. (88 pts.) 2018 Loosen Bros. Riesling Dr. L – Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer Solid overall with apricot, unripe peaches and floral notes. Short to medium finish and decant acidity. (87 pts.) NV Roederer Estate Brut Rosé Anderson Valley – USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley A solid wine and the 2nd time tasting this today. Strawberries, floral, spice and minerals. Very balanced effort and a solid for the price point. (90 pts.) Chad’s HouseTypical party wines. The star was the Summit EPA. 2018 Greyrock Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough – New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough Lots of grassy notes along with tropical fruit and floral. Sharp acidity. (86 pts.) 2016 Finca Flichman Malbec Tupungato – Argentina, Mendoza Basic Malbec with sweet fruits featuring cherry and blackberries along with some spice and floral notes. Medium finish. (85 pts.)Would not want to do this everyday but spitting allows one to drive home safely! Thank you spit buckets. |
I was st the zipps tasting. Not very good at all. I should have went to haskels