4 quick hits on wines I enjoyed recently in addition to those officially *blogged* about. They all deserve a bit of ink!
2015 SILVER HORSE Albarino Edna Valley San Luis Obispo Co. 13.5 Ordered off a restaurant list as “Grey Wolf” (not sure if they own Silver Horse), the first thig you notice is the color. Perhaps it is just age: tip-toeing on 7 years might just do that to this variety, not sure. Rich and creamy, I would have guessed Rhone white blind–none of the acid and fresh fruit we all love Albarino for. BTG without a label, a passable *white table wine* but an extremely odd Albarino.
2009 SIMI Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley Sonoma Co. 13.5 Opened as my *Sunday Night Special* where I open something cheap and old and probably past prime which doesn’t require too much thought. Going through all of my old Simi’s has become regular. But they continue to astonish. If I paid more than 15 or 16 dollars for this I would be surprised, and even today–as of this writing–they are $22.99 at every CVS and Rite Aid on the planet. Is it at peak? Yes. Is it gone? NO WAY. Is it “powerful”, “fresh”, “youthful”, “decades to go”, and any of a myriad of other platitudes wine-bro consistently bestows upon wines FAR beyond deserving? None of those either. But it is nothing short of amazing. Balanced to perfection, tannin still challenging the fruit, everything laid down nicely into supple velvet.
2016 ROBERT JOHN VINEYARDS Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 14.8 Winery no longer in business BUT! lots of wine still for sale on website. And such a deal for lovers of this *style* of wine. Yes, it’s big. Bold and oaky. Thickly macerated and packed with concentrated berry and briar. Quite typical of MANY popular cabs produced in Napa now–and MOST of you reading this LOVE these type of wines. Regularly-priced at 60-70-100 dollars, many of them half price, making them THE BEST $30-ish-dollar bottles you will ever find. Swoop them up!
2017 THE GRENACHISTA Grenache Noir Mathis Vineyard Sonoma Valley 14.2 Beyond delicious, easily some of the best versions of this variety produced in California–or the world. Medium garnet in the glass, nose evocative of Pinot more than what is typical of Rhone reds these days, it brings Sonoma hillside charisma to meet the powerful velvet of fine Grenache. Aging wonderfully with many years to go. FIND THESE WINES if you speak *Grenache*.
Stephen McConnell 