2009 Turley Zinfandel Mead Ranch

2010 Domaine la Rocalière Lirac ikebana

2009 Borgo Scopeto (Tenuta Caparzo) Borgonero Toscana IGT

2011 Il Poggione (Proprietá Franceschi) Rosso di Montalcino

2010 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Portrait

2010 Purple Hands Pinot Noir Stoller Vineyard

2009 Turley Zinfandel Mead Ranch – $32.29

For some reason, this wine always slipped through the crack when I was placing my order with Turley. I grabbed one bottle of the 2008 vintage, but that was the only bottle of this wine I ever bought. In May 2011, the local wine store received a stash of this wine and put it on the shelf at a great price, so I had to grab a few bottles.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep, dark, inky purple color. The typically Turley nose is full of brambly berries, warm baking spices, vanilla, stony minerals, black pepper, wild flowers and dark bittersweet chocolate. This has a fairly full body, solid tannins and good acidity. The palate is immediately flooded with spicy, peppery, berries and minerals with vanilla and dark chocolate coming in on the back end. The finish is long and full of peppery berries. This is still on the young side but still delicious. (94 pts)

2009 Turley Zinfandel Mead Ranch

2010 Domaine la Rocalière Lirac ikebana – $11.69

This is a blend of 47.5% Mourvedre, 47.5% Carignan and 5% Grenache.

This has 14.0% alcohol by volume and the bottle is sealed with a natural cork.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to dark ruby red color. The appealing nose has blackberries, raspberries, licorice, minerals, baking spices, dried herbs and a touch of mint. This has medium body with moderate tannins and good acidity. On the palate spicy fruit, minerals and dried herbs jump out up front with some earthy underbrush coming in on the back end. The finish has good length. This is a great value to enjoy over the next few years. (91 pts)

2010 Domaine la Rocalière Lirac ikebana

2009 Borgo Scopeto (Tenuta Caparzo) Borgonero Toscana IGT

I bought 6 bottles of this wine from a local wine store e-mail offer based on a solid recommendation from a fellow wine lover. This “Super Tuscan” is a blend of 60% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Syrah.

This is listed at 13% alcohol and has a natural cork closure.

Winery history

The wine cellar of Borgo Scopeto renewed and enlarged over the last few years, is equipped with the most modern technology for vinification.

The cellar is composed of 50 stainless steel tanks with capacities that range from 11 to 260 hectolitres, for a total of 7000 hectolitres.

More information is available on the winery’s website.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to deep ruby red color, lighter at the edge. The appealing nose has cherries, warm baking spices, blackberries, white pepper, earthy underbrush, dried herbs, and a touch of dark chocolate. This has medium body, moderate tannins, and very good acidity. Tart, spicy, earthy fruit dominate the palate with dried herbs and some chocolate coming in on the back end. The finish has nice length and is an extension of the palate with just a touch of spicy oak creeping into the picture. For a very young wine, this is drinking very nicely today. This should improve with another year in the cellar and drink well for a few additional years. (91 pts)

2009 Borgo Scopeto (Tenuta Caparzo) Borgonero Toscana IGT

2011 Il Poggione (Proprietá Franceschi) Rosso di Montalcino – $20.69

I grabbed a bottle of this based purely on a recommendation from a friend. I’m usually a pretty easy sell when it comes to a quality made Italian wine.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep garnet color. The enticing nose has earthy cherries, dusty minerals, mint, raspberries, rose petals, plums and new leather. This has medium to full body with moderate chewy tannins and good acidity. On the palate tart berries, minerals and earthy elements jump out first with cherries and a minty note coming in on the back end. This has very good length with the savory elements carrying the load. Give this one another year in the cellar or give it plenty of air, it seemed to start opening up after about 3 hours. (92 pts)

2011 Il Poggione (Proprietá Franceschi) Rosso di Montalcino

2010 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Portrait – $13.49

I wanted something for us to sip in the hotel on our way home from vacation. Since my wife loves Aussie Shiraz, I figured this would be a nice wine to sip while sitting back and relaxing.

This has 14.5% alcohol and the bottle is sealed with a twist off closure.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a deep garnet color. The very appealing nose has blackberries, eucalyptus, dead wood embers, licorice, baking spices, minerals, dark chocolate and potpourri. This has medium body with moderate tannins and good acidity. Much more lively and bright on the palate than the nose lead me to expect with tart berries, cherries and spice up front with dark chocolate coming in on the backend. The finish has nice length that closes with a touch of mouthwatering acidity and minerals. A pretty nice Aussie Shiraz that avoids the over bearing ripeness of some similarly priced offerings. (90 pts)

2010 Peter Lehmann Shiraz Portrait

2010 Purple Hands Pinot Noir Stoller Vineyard – $19.94

The owner/winemaker is Cody Wright, the son of well known and popular Oregon winemaker/owner Ken Wright. This was a new winery to me when the local wine store had an e-mail special on the wine. In my opinion, any time you can get hold of a good Pinot Noir for under $20, you buy.

The wine has 13.5% alcohol and is sealed with a twist off closure.

Winery history

Purple Hands winery strives for the expression of genuine inherent terroir of soil and grape. We search for ideal moments of ripeness and complexity balanced with authentic strength of soil character.

Our wines are windows into dynamic breadths of terroir, extracting and unlocking a code of sweet and savory from our rich Oregon soil.

My Tasting Note

The wine is a bright red color with a slight ruby tint. The soft and nuanced nose has black cherries, raspberries, fresh flowers, baking spices and subtle earthiness. This is medium body at most, with racy acidity, and soft but persistent tannins. The silky palate has tart, juicy fruit, spice, and a bit of earthiness which carries through on the slightly short finish. This is a nice, light weight style of Pinot with juicy acidity and a touch of earthiness and spice to balance out the fruit. This is a nice change up from the broad shouldered California Pinots. (90 pts)

2010 Purple Hands Pinot Noir Stoller Vineyard

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Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines. I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar. I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com. Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear. There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase. I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive. I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount. Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges. None of the prices include the sales tax.

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.