I’ve been coming across more and more wines from The Other Guys brands lately. Leese-Fitch is one of those brands.
While the family behind The Other Guys has a long history in the wine business, the company as it exists now really only goes back to 2009 — so they’re still in their infancy and are sure to evolve in the upcoming years.
One thing I’ve noticed is they’re not afraid to try some different things, such as for a number of their wines they’ve embraced the “Zork” closure. Their wines also tend to be very “new world” in style, and that’s the case with this Leese-Fitch pinot noir. And while my personal preferences are more old world, this pinot noir is done well for the style.
Toasted oak and spice notes lead the nose on this one, coupled with red raspberry, vanilla, black cherry and strawberry aromas. It has good complexity and balance. The palate brings a burst of ripe fruit up front, with bright cherry, strawberry and raspberry swirling about. Plus there’s a vanilla spice on the palate, which becomes more pronounced on the finish. The acidity is good and the mouthfeel is nice.
Overall, this is not bad for a new world pinot noir at this price.
Wine: Leese-Fitch
Varieties: Pinot noir
Vintage: 2013
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 86
Average price: $11.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.
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The grand majority of Argentine red wines I’ve consumed have been malbec and somtimes bonarda. I was happy to try something different from Argentina — even if a cabernet sauvignon is not all that “different” of a wine.
A little bit of a side note before I continue about the wine… Every time I drink any wine from Argentina I have an inner dialogue debating whether I should refer to it as Argentine or Argentinian. My preference is Argentine as I think it sounds more elegant, while Argentinian sounds unnecessarily clumsy and sounds like hick-speak to me. But maybe that’s just me. I hear others say Argentinian more frequently, so perhaps that’s the preferred form. Or perhaps I just hang around with a bunch of hicks. Or maybe I’m the hick and I have no self awareness to that fact. How do you say it?
Getting back to this wine, I wouldn’t say it’s a mind-blowing cabernet sauvignon but it’s not bad. And for eleven bucks, it’s really good. It has good balance, good flavors, powerful aromas and some depth. It has pretty much what I want out of a cabernet sauvignon, it just doesn’t have that special magic needed to make it mind-blowing. Of course if it had that, they wouldn’t be selling it for $11 bucks a bottle.
The aromas offer a nice balance between spice and fruit, featuring vanilla, chocolate and cinnamon along with jammy cherry, raspberry and plum. In the mouth it’s like chocolate covered cherries (except not sweet). I also found some bright raspberry flavors. It’s quite dry and has a silky mouthfeel. The acidity is just right. The finish is fairly long and showcases the vibrant fruit and spice flavors. For a cheap cabernet sauvignon, Trivento nailed it with this one.
Wine: Trivento Reserve
Varieties: Cabernet sauvignon
Vintage: 2013
Alcohol: 14%
Rating: 88
Average price: $11.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.
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In norther Italy, just south of Austria, lies a wine-growing region called Alto Adige — which I consider one of the best regions in the world for pinot grigio and pinot bianco (but that’s not the extent of the good wines to come from this region). It’s also one of the most beautiful places on earth. It’s interesting how beautiful places so often are also great locations to produce wine.
Alto Adige is a mountainous region at the southern Alps with that cool climate coming from one direction and a Mediterranean climate coming in from the south. Vineyards and orchards thrive throughout the region, with alpine style buildings interspersed here and there. Small rivers and bodies of water also add to the picturesque beauty here.
The conditions here (along with centuries of perfected technique) result in some spectacular wine. The vibrant acidity and beautifully-floral aromas on many of the wines here are some of what make these wines great.
This particular pinot grigio comes from Peter Zemmer, based in Cortina.
This is one of the most beautiful pinot grigio wines I have ever smelled. Soft floral, cool honeydew melon, lychee, lime and wet stone aromas give this wine an elegant and luxurious nose. It’s wonderful! The palate is also quite gratifying. It offers light and crisp lemon, pear, subtle peach and grapefruit flavors. There’s a slight saltiness on the mid-palate. The mouthfeel is nice and the acidity is spot on. It’s really well balanced and is just a fabulous wine.
Wine: Peter Zemmer, Pinot Grigio
Varieties: Pinot grigio
Vintage: 2014
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 92
Average price: $16.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.
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This wine makes me a fan of Chilean cabernet sauvignon again. A number of years ago I was nuts over Chilean cabernet sauvignon, but then I started to avoid it after encountering a number of them with a funky mint aroma that was distracting. A slight mint aroma can be a good thing, but too often I found it to be too strong in the cabs I was tasting from Chile.
But this one doesn’t have any of that funky mint. What it does have is plenty of the delicious aromas and flavors I want from a cabernet sauvignon.
Coffee, chocolate, black currant, toasted oak and red raspberry aromas give this wine a rich and luxurious nose. This is a big wine with a lot going on in it. The palate is also rich, offering currant, raspberry, cherry, plum and chocolate flavors, all with a velvety mouthfeel. It’s complex and balanced. The acidity is good and the finish is relatively long. This cabernet is a great value.
It comes from Santa Carolina winery in Chile and it’s one of at least five different cabernet sauvignons they produce. Specifically, this one is in their “Reserva de Familia” line. It’s made from grapes from the Maipo Valley region.
Wine: Santa Carolina, Reserva de Familia, Cabernet Sauvignon
Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2012
Alcohol: 13.8%
Rating: 88
Average price: $20.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.
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When it comes to sauvignon blanc, I have two top regions I gravitate towards, New Zealand and Chile. And even more specifically pertaining to Chilean sauvignon blanc, I love them from the Casablanca Valley.
Historically, the reason I’ve had this preference is the intense tropical fruit aromas and flavors that are often found in sauvignon blanc from the Casablanca Valley. But then I found this one from Viña Casablanca and that all changed. This one is different, and it’s awesome in a totally different way!
This is a single vineyard wine, meaning that all the grapes come from a one vineyard versus a blend from several different vineyards in different areas (as many wines are). The idea behind a single vineyard wine is that it highlights the terroir of that vineyard. If that theory is true, then the terroir for this sauvignon blanc is definitely special.
There are strong floral, cut grass and artichoke aromas in this wine. But that’s not to say there isn’t fruit as well, there are also nice pineapple, mango and peach too. The fruit is more dominant on the palate, where I found melon, pineapple and peach flavors but also some of the grassiness there too. The acidity is sufficient. The length is good. I like this wine, but it will definitely appeal more to those who appreciate the floral and grassy aspect of sauvignon blanc versus just the tropical fruit side.
Wine: Viña Casablanca, Nimbus Single Vineyard, Sauvignon Blanc
Varieties: Sauvignon Blanc
Vintage: 2014
Alcohol: 13.8%
Rating: 88
Average price: $11.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.
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In my book, summertime = riesling time. Of course that doesn’t prevent me from drinking riesling at other times of the year, but it seems to hit the spot even more in the summer. The cool, crisp flavors along with the citrus, floral and wet stone aromas are perfect for cooling down on a hot day.
I’m always happy when I discover a tasty riesling at a bargain price and today is one of those days. And Urban Riesling is that wine.
The Urban name is not meant as a reference to city life, as you might think, but a reference to Saint Urban of Langres, a patron saint of vintners.
My first whiff of this wine makes me think they should use it for aromatherapy. It’s balanced and filled with pleasant and relaxing aromas — such as honeysuckle, wet stones, green apple, lime and peach. The palate is tart and crisp, offering lively green apple, lime and grapefruit flavors with a flinty mineral weaving in and out. It finishes fairly long with citrus and peach flavors. This is a very tasty wine and a great bargain.
Wine: Nik Weis Selection, Urban Riesling
Varieties: Riesling
Vintage: 2014
Alcohol: 9.5%
Rating: 90
Average price: $14.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.
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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, when it comes to riesling I’ve heard a number of wine drinkers proclaim they don’t like riesling, but I assert they just haven’t had the right riesling. There’s a huge misconception in the US that riesling is just an overly sweet, clumsy wine. But there is plenty of absolutely delicious riesling to be found — some bone dry, some sweet and some in between.
One of my favorite regions for riesling is Germany. The vast majority of German riesling I’ve tasted, I’ve found to be good or better. This one from Gunderloch is no exception.
In terms of sweetness, this is one of those “in between” wines. It has a touch of sweetness, but it’s certainly not a dessert wine. It’s just enough to bring life to the fruit.
The nose is powerfully floral and lemony. It smells absolutely wonderful. The palate offers crisp lemon, apple and peach flavors with good balance, perfect acidity and a pleasant mouthfeel. It has plenty of fruit, and is more tart than sweet. The finish is plenty long, and features lingering peach flavors. This is a pretty tasty riesling.
Wine: Gunderloch, Jean Baptiste, Riesling Kabinett
Varieties: Riesling
Vintage: 2013
Alcohol: 10.5%
Rating: 90
Average price: $19.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.
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For ages I’ve found the wines from the Rhone region in southern France to be some of the greatest wines (and often some of the greatest values) to be found. Rhone is one of my “go to” regions when selecting a wine that I feel will highly likely be delicious and go well with food. And after paying a visit to Tavel and Chateauneuf du Pape last fall, I’m even more drawn toward these wines.
One thing that became clear during that visit is that while there are many appellations (AOCs) defined throughout this area, the differences between those regions is not necessarily significant. A few feet of space can be the difference between Chateaneuf du Pape and Cotes du Rhone Villages. And even though the grapes in a wine come from Cotes du Rhone Villages, it may be labeled simply as Cotes to Rhone. But what does all that mean to you? Not a lot, other than the fact that you shouldn’t get too hung up on one appellation over another and should try a number of wines from the region. It also means you could be surprised by some of the great values you find.
All of that said, the areas within the greater Rhone region that are considered to be superior are given specific AOC designations — such as Lirac, which is across the river from Chateuneuf du Pape and also borders Tavel. The soils here are similar to other Rhone vineyards, featuring a combination of sandy soils, galets roules and lauses.
Lirac is best known for its red wines, which are made from the same grapes as other Rhone reds. This one is 95% grenache and 5% syrah.
When visiting the area, I found that many producers have vineyards in many different appellations. So it’s not uncommon to find a single producer who makes Tavel, Chateaneuf du Pape, Lirac, Cotes do Rhone and/or other wines. Until I came across this wine, I had not come across any wines from this producer. But I came across this wine for about $17 at The Wine Cellar Outlet and it seemed like a good price for a Lirac, so I rolled the dice on it. I’m glad I did.
This wine has intense aromas, with fragrances like dark chocolate, strawberry, dried cherries and plum. The palate is loaded with juicy plum, strawberry and chocolate flavors that are well balanced and come with a rich mouthfeel. The acidity is good and the finish is long and features mostly fruit flavors, but also has a touch of bitterness.
Wine: L’Escoudouliere, Lirac
Varieties: 95% grenach, 5% syrah
Vintage: 2010
Alcohol: 14.5%
Rating: 86
Price: $17.00
I’m always excited to try wines from different regions. While I’ve had plenty of South American wines from Chile and Argentina, I’ve never had an opportunity to try a wine from Brazil until now.
While Brazilian wine is new to me, it’s not a new thing. Salton, the winery that produced this wine, has been around for over 100 years and they produce over 50 different wines. They also have vineyards in a number of different terroirs of Brazil, so while this one bottle of wine introduced me to Brazilian wine, there is clearly a plethora of other wines for me to try.
Aromas like black pepper, dried cherries, tobacco, cedar and blackberry give this wine a lot of complexity and an interesting nose. The palate is quite dry, with rich blackberry, plum, blueberry and spices. The acidity is sufficient. The finish is fairly long and fruity. It’s a nice wine.
Wine: Salton, Intenso
Varieties: Cabernet Franc
Vintage: 2012
Alcohol: 13%
Rating: 85
Average price: $13.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.
This wine from DeCopas is one that I don’t have a lot of back story for. It’s an Argentine malbec from Mendoza — like many inexpensive malbecs you find in the US. I can also tell you that the DeCopas brand is part of the Trivento portfolio, which is owned by Concha y Toro, the mega-producer from Chile. It’s interesting how connected many wine brands really are.
This is a pretty straight forward, simple malbec. But it’s decent for the price.
Black cherry, barnyard and black pepper aromas are the most prominent characteristics of the nose. The palate brings black cherry, blackberry and strawberry flavors with moderate concentrations. It’s very fresh tasting. The acidity is sufficient. The mouthfeel is smooth. The finish is medium-long and pleasant.
Wine: DeCopas
Varieties: Malbec
Vintage: 2013
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 84
Average price: $10.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.
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