Kicking off with the plain Chianti first, this little stanky funky bitch just lays down gobs and gobs of moldy funk that’s actually quite beautiful if you’re into that sort of abuse. Bright and acidic simple fruit a little bit garnet even at 2016… thin and bright it’s a lovely lovely quaffer I have to say I could drink 3 bottles of this with a decent lasagna or penne Bolognese.
2016 CASTELLO DI QUERCETO Sangiovese Chianti DOCG Toscano Italy 12.5
castellodiquerceto.it
prestigewineimports.com

I started to head next into the Douro but decided it might have some really heavy grapes in it and to stick with #sangiovese . This one has a really off-putting burning plastic in the nose, bad AstroTurf out in the sun in Palm Springs or maybe a temporary trailer from FEMA after a hurricane. More thin garnet and in the mouth anything interesting has been rinsed out of it on its trip from Classico to Riserva. I’m telling you folks, if the wine’s not good to begin with all the classico and riserva treatment in the world ain’t going to make it any better. Remember that when you’re drinking California Pinot too. Dark and dreary, relatively fruitless, with odd flawed nuances. Skip.
2012 POGGIO AL SALE Sangiovese Classico Riserva Chianti DOCG Toscano Italy 13.0
wine.com/list/wine/poggio-al-sale

I can’t even remember the last time I had a Douro. These things are like hens teeth in the United States all we have here is Port Port Port Port everywhere maybe a vinho Verde or two but never any Douro or Dao or Alentejo or the other two. Look at that little baby cork–this thing was designed to yank and drink right now! mutha fukkahs! Bright cheery ruby with that incredible side-street grime and old world essence combined with an effervescent cheery cherry fruit that Californians work their ass off to replicate in every hipster winery from here to Eureka. The barnyard is a perfect clean horse bedding, the shit is a perfect dirty baby diaper, the fruit is an acid bomb with early curly tannins not obfuscating anything and certainly not subtracting from the sweet dark lollipop fruit. I’m going back and buying another six of these. This is the most fun wine I’ve had in a couple weeks. Just fun.
2016 FILIPA DE LENCASTRE Red Blend Douro Portugal 12.5
quintessentialwines.com

Well I almost don’t want to stop after the Douro but I promised you a 4some of Grocery Outlet wines and I’ll stay true to that. Black and impenetrable, ridiculously staining. Huge cork. A little early bottle funk blows off almost immediately revealing a decadent bouquet of tertiary leather and petrichor and dried piss. Pine sap and oak bark and a brilliant maraschino cherry touched up with a bit of alcohol. I haven’t even tasted this thing yet and it’s headed in all the right directions. Grainy and thick in the mouth, a little glycerin-ey, but oh so bright and just STUPIDLY fruited. This thing literally comes off like an Alexander Valley Cab. Lots of bluster, and a little burn in the mouth but deep dark dense cassis-ridden fruit, licorice and black cherry not even messing around with pleasantries–just going straight into Kick-Ass mode. 14.5 and a really fun wine, I’m glad I took the risk.
2008 OPTIMA WINERY Petite Sirah Dry Creek Valley Sonoma County 14.5
optimawinery.com