10 wines, sherries to consider for January – Posted Jan 05, 2020 By Marc Bona, cleveland.com
10 wines, sherries to consider for January
CLEVELAND, Ohio – We got a jump start on wines this month, trying different varietals and Sherries ranging from $11 to $22. Our monthly reviews focus on wines under $25 that are available in retail distribution in Northeast Ohio. Feel free to email or post what you like or don’t enjoy. This year, we will designate one wine in each month as the best value of the bunch. Cheers!
Harveys Bristol Cream, Cream Sherry, Spain, NV, $15
The name has been around for ages, and it was a tasty after-dinner sipper – nutty, rich caramel, with orange-peel notes and smooth. It’s an aperitif or after-dinner drink; we opted for the latter. A great topoff at a great price. If you see a Sherry label noting “Solara,” that refers to the aging process. Younger vintages are added to older ones. Note: This is 17.5% alcohol. Many red wines are in the 14-15% range, so it’s not too much.
Mercer Family Vineyards, Prosser, Washington; Chardonnay, 2016, $17
If you’re perusing the many Chars on store shelves, Washington state is always a good bet. Some tropical fruit comes out, pear and pineapple, and then a pleasing tangy bite on the dry finish. Good with an oven-roasted turkey, very good as a stand-alone.
Domaine Bousquet, Tupungato Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina; Cabernet Sauvignon, 2018, $18
Made with organic grapes, so we didn’t let this one sit too long. It’s 85% Cab with 15% Malbec thrown in – the latter grape being a popular Argentinian varietal. Baking spice hits right away and it’s not very tannic. A side by side with this and a California Cab would be a night-and-day comparison. A slightly vegetal taste comes out on the finish – it doesn’t mar the wine, but we wouldn’t pay more than the price.
Cameron Hughes Wine, Sierra Foothills, California; Zinfandel, 2017, $12
An online purchase only, this wine is light-bodied, not jammy, has blueberry notes, and a dose of spice. Phenomenal value. Even has a bit of a finish, rare with a wine this inexpensive.
Line 39, Monterrey and Lodi, California; Cabernet Sauvignon, 2017, $11
Cranberry comes out in this wine our tasting panel enjoyed. Very limited tannins, smooth but with no finish – not unexpected for the price point. Air helped it. One pal’s comment: “It’s a one-glass wine.”
Waipapa Bay Wines, Canterbury, New Zealand; Rose from Pinot Noir, 2018, $13
There’s a tartness and a slight sourness that hits along with some strawberry notes. Candy flavors a bit like Jolly Rancher also cross the palate. We split on this wine; we had it with a tomato- and curry-based butter-chicken dish, and it went fine, though as a stand-alone sipper I wasn’t wild about it. A tasting pal who loves dry Roses enjoyed it better than I did. I found a slight off finish. Good price.
Groth Vineyards, Napa Valley, California; Sauvignon Blanc, 2016, $22
Citrus flavors come out, but it’s not dominated by the usual sole grapefruit notes the varietal usually punches through, especially from this region. Lime is predominant, and some pear emerges in this wine, which has a green hue. It’s acidic as expected but not a screaming grapefruit bomb.
A medium-sweet Riesling with petrol in the nose and pear on the finish. A true crowd pleaser. Sweet fans will like. Try this with Chinese food; it’s a good pairing.
Tio Pepe, Spain, Sherry, NV, $20
Five of six of our tasting-panel sippers found this undrinkable. A rare down-the-drain pour. I’ve never had turpentine, but this has a metallic, chemically taste. This was sour, alcoholic tasting, and there wasn’t a whole lot there in terms of detectable flavors. At best one tasting pal said it was like weak lemon water with alcohol.
Zanon Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley, California; Zinfandel, 2016, $20
This wine is not jammy at all like many Zins tend to be. It’s a refined wine that works as a stand-alone sipper or goes well with meat-based dishes (we had ours with lentil and turkey-sausage stew). Nominal tannins. Winemaker is originally from Columbus. All the wines we’ve had from Zanon have been excellent and very good values. This one gets our monthly hat tip as our favorite.