Tuesday, November 27, 2018

The Desert Wine Guy - 2015 Josh - Cabernet Sauvignon


Josh Cellars - 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon
   Today has been a busy day for me on the Computer. Today I finally managed to completed and post my review of the 2014 BV Cabernet Sauvignon - Rutherford (https://desertwineguy.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-desert-wine-guy-2014-bv-cabernet.html) which I rated 94 points by the way. The review was the longest review that I have ever done as I had much to say. I spent the whole Morning reviewing my rough draft and finalizing the review. Why then you ask, am I back on the Computer reviewing this wine? The answer is because I am The Desert Wine Guy, that's why :) Today I will be reviewing the 2015 Josh - Cabernet Sauvignon. Mrs Desert Wine Girl and I made a rare trip to Sam's Club (we like Costco better) for some Tri-Tip that she was interested in and I of course just had to hit up the wine section. Did I mention that I like Costco better? The only really interesting wine they had besides this one was a Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon but I didn't feel like spending $50 again (she was watching) so I spent $10.98 for this wine. The Alcohol percentage is 13.5% which is reasonable as well. This was the only bottle of its kind left so I figured (hoped) it must be good and here we are. Let's get right to it as I am actually pretty tired of being on the Computer today and would love to just kick back and relax.
Split Cork
   The next item I need to discuss is very disappointing and so sad. From the very uncorking of the bottle there was a problem as the Cork had a major issue as you can see from the photos. The first thing that I checked was to ensure that the Cork Screw went in properly and it certainly did as it went straight through the middle of the Cork. To me it appeared as if a separation of the Cork occurred almost as if it were created in layers of a sort. Now, if this wine were being opened in a Restaurant or Bar I would hope the Waiter or Bartender would not even present it to me. I wasn't about to run back to Sam's Club to exchange the wine and when I got to the first pour and second pour there were a few very tiny particles of Cork in the wine, I actually used this a lesson for my kids as to how they should address the issue when they get older should this type of wine actually be presented to them. These particles only lasted to the second pour and then were gone so I decided to go through with the review. I should note here however that in no way was the sealing of the wine compromised.
Cork Particles In Wine
   I have been on a kick as of late for the Labels of wine and I don't see why I should stop now as I think the Label is at times a good part of the selling of the wine especially when the wine is an unknown. I thought this Label was classic and due to the Font chosen was very classy. I thought that the Label overall was inviting and eye catching.
   Let's discuss the Bouquet for a bit. Mild Oak and a moderate Clove spice, medium depth Blackberry. Finishing it off is a Cocoa note. There is also a hint of Menthol
   On the Palate this wine presents up front Blackberry that is kind of middle of the road but edges slightly toward the softer side. Following this note up is a note of Bing Cherry that is in it's prime tasting time. Mixed within is a note of Black Liquorice that is content sitting slightly froward of Mid-Palate. Following all this up is a Plum that is edging towards the end of its tasting peak but that is okay here because the flavor that it present is impressive and while it doesn't give any darkness to the wine it does provide the hint of dark fruit in a certain way. This is a very Jammy wine folks, too Jammy for me in actuality. If this weren't enough there is a Vanilla note that seamless meets a slight Oak note and becomes one with the other notes. There is a medium dark fruit richness but not a Sugary richness that I think is really nice as well. There is a serious Jammy, fruit forward richness that really throws my Palate off. I must discuss the Oakey note that this wine presents. Yes, there is Oak but it is held in check as there is truly no real darkness or real depth to the wine. Cloves seem to express itself rather nicely here and is not overpowering and just seem to be along for the ride as some of the other notes are. You can simply taste the prominent note of Cloves (like for Sure, like totally) in every sip of the wine. There are really no Tannins in the wine however there is a nice amount of Cassis that makes itself known on the Palate and I really enjoyed. Let's go ahead and not forget that there is a dried Fig fruit note that is at Mid-Palate and is fairly forward as well. Let me add one more note here and that is of Cloves.
Joesphs Father "Josh"
   In closing this review out I have to add a few things because the wine at first was what I would call........"nice" as it certainly can't (at the time at least) offend anyone because it was a......"nice" wine. As another thought concerning the wine I at first would say that the wine was very "pleasant" as well. Sooooo, what does that mean there Desert Wine Guy? Well, what that means is that at the time the wine had a lot of overall fruit flavor without anything offensive.  I guess the professional word to use here is "approachable" and I guess that at the time that word fit perfectly as well. You could  at the time even use the term "easy drinking" as well and be right on point here.Remember these comments were fitting the wine perfectly for about the first 45 minutes but the wine began to change at first slowly but then this change sped up until I had in my glass a very Fruit Forward and overly Jammy red wine that was supposed to be a Cabernet Sauvignon but certainly did not show as one either. This wine is a barrier crossing wine but that is not necessarily a good thing as it is not a true representation of the Varietal of the cabernet Sauvignon varietal. This is more of a cross between a Fruit Forward and overly Jammy Cabernet Sauvignon and a Fruit Forward and overly jammy Merlot to be precise.So what is my final say on the wine?
Joseph Carr - Founder Josh Cellars Wine
If you don't like an "Old Fashioned", deep, oakey Cabernet Sauvignon but you love a sugary, fruit forward and Jammy red wine that has the notes mentioned above then you will absolutely LOVE this wine. One review had someones Wife saying "A good bottle of wine and one that my wife, who isn't a fan of cabs, thoroughly enjoyed". This sums up this wine perfectly and I couldn't have said it any better myself. My comments taken from the same piece but from the Husbands point of view is ". It lacked many complexities that I've found in other cabs at similar prices". Overall this wine was simply too overwhelmingly sweet, Jam Monster in my opinion. Overdone, offensive and lacking of depth and structure is what comes to mind for me. While there were some nice notes that the wine did present very well in the end it was done in by the Sugar note. On The desert Wine Guy rating scale I give this wine 86 points.                                             
                                                                                                                               The Desert Wine Guy

www.desertwineguy.blogspot.com/

www.facebook.com/DesertWineGuy?fref=nf

https://twitter.com/DesertWineGuyLV

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgCUb3w1n2S_UGU2yYRkFYQ/videos


https://www.brighteon.com/channel/thedesertwineguy










Monday, November 26, 2018

The Desert WIne Guy - 2014 BV Cabernet Sauvignon - Rutherford


2014 BV Cabernet Sauvignon - Rutherford

   So it seems as if the last few weeks yours truly has stepped up his game and has been reviewing wines that I have to admit are outside my normal budget as well as outside the "average wine drinkers" normal budget. Oh sure there are occasions where we all have justified the spending of unusual amounts of money on a wine by saying something like "this is a special occasion" or "I guess this once I'll do it" and of course the old "my spouse won't know", for me it seems as if that justification has come more often than it should the last few weeks and of course that crazy spending on wine will be ending. Okay, okay, so what I am actually saying is that Mrs. Desert Wine Girl has put an end to it:) So with that being said, this review of the 2014 BV Cabernet Sauvignon - Rutherford (https://www.bvwines.com/en-us) (will be the last of the premium wine reviews......for a while that is :) Let's get into this now. Prior to getting into the Heart of this review though I want to say that a lot of times I will have at least tasted the wine prior to sitting down at the Computer to begin my review, this time however, I have not. I can now only tell you my expectations because as I have said, I have not tasted the wine.  My expectations are based on the Winery itself as well as the location (Rutherford C.A) so I am anticipating a pretty good wine and a rather abnormally long review as I also anticipate having a lot to say here. My expectations are for a classy, full bodied and juicy wine. Well, with that all being said let me get started on this review and see what the has to say for itself. First however I want to tell you how I came across this wine.
BV Wine Tasting
   A local Liquor warehouse was running its "Penny Sale" where they pick selected wines and if you buy one you get the second one for 1 Penny. Most of these wines are small label wines but the BV Coastal (only) wines are included. Now keeping it real with you guys I have never been a big fan of the "Coastal" series of wines that BV puts out but I really have been a big fan of all of their other offerings. Well, I'm walking around the store and I wasn't interested in any of the wines that were included in the "Penny Sale but I did however come across this particular wine. Today I wish to present my review of the 2014 BV Cabernet Sauvignon-Rutherford. Here is just a little information on the wine itself. I paid $45 dollars for the wine which included tax. The wine has an Alcohol content of 14.6 % and was Decanted for 1 hour. The wine is a small blend of Petit Verdot, Merlot and Malbec and was soaked and aged for 15 months in 50% new Oak. The vines for this wine were planted in 1900 folks. So far so good. Okay now, it's time to dig deeper into this wine so let's go ahead and do that.
BV Winery Tasting Room

   While doing this review I feel that I would be remiss if I didn't talk about the label of the wine. In my opinion the label on the bottle is......well.....stunning. Take a moment and look at the label yourself. Take a look at the Font used for the lettering. Look for a moment at the utterly classic script and how that script is expertly layed out. In my opinion this is the most classy, inviting, special occasion looking bottle available on the market today. If you brought this bottle out to guests each and everyone would of them would stare at it and think in their minds "man, this guy went all out, he even went into the wine cellar for us". Great job here BV Wines.

   So, here I am now, looking into the good crystal glass that I reserve for special wines and I see a wine when I looked down the middle of my glass that is deep red and is consistently wonderful looking at it from the edges of the glass to the middle of the glass, it is also super inviting and irresistible to the eyes. Looking at the wine from the side of the glass the wine gets even darker, either way you choose to observe the wine it shows wonderfully.
BV Cabernet Sauvignon Grapes

   Shifting now to the Nose of this wine there is Cassis and Oak that presents itself from a big bold wine, Old School type point of view. On the Nose this Cassis and Oak seem to have been waiting around both content in the bottle and aging rather nicely until it was time to be released. The nose comes across as a wise old men who are content in their wisdom. There is also some really wonderful Dark Chocolate on the initial Nose but unfortunately while it does enrichen the Nose, it also seems to fade rather quickly. There is a light Dark Cherry note that is presented here as well that seems to be rather shy as it must be searched out because it is somewhat on the faint side. Overall readers, I am not totally impressed with the wines Nose but it is rather fading however as it does not seem to be on display long.

   On the Palate the wine right from the gate presents both a deep, dark oaked, dark Cherry note. This super nice note of Oak latches onto the dark Cherry note and they both combine together in creating some ultra depth and seriousness in the wine. Have you ever experienced "seriousness" in a wine? This is the point where a red wine gets down to business and begins to impact and impress. This particular wine happened to have that point occur right from the very beginning of the tasting. To me this "seriousness" is not merely a promise of greatness that the wine is attempting to put on but a definitive guarantee. Moving along now I want to discuss the Tannins that are ever present in the wine. In this wine those Tannins begin from the moment I tasted the wine and followed through all the way to the Finish. The Tannins are fairly firm and juicy and in my opinion are just about perfect as I love a red wine with serious Tannins. Here is a word of warning to you folks who are not lovers of Tannins or the mouth feel they present, in your case this might possibly dictate the need for the wine being layed down for another couple of years, that is completely up to you. From what I have already described here this should inform you that the wine is anything but soft & mellow. No folks, I am currently reviewing an extremely up front and in your face red wine. Let's move on now and discover what else I can tell you about the wine and whether or not it continues to live up to my expectations. A serious Blackberry note has come forward almost immediately and is making itself very evident as and it is meshing super well with the notes of Oak and dark Cherry and continues this wines path to stardom. Readers, this is a wine that is to this point is already past the point of being simply "nice".
Welcome To BV Wines
I have tasted very few wines such as this in the past and I am seeing this wine fall right into line with those wines that I have rated as excellent in the past. So we have dark cherry already but now I want to add a note of Bing Cherry that is showing itself here s well. This Bing Cherry is just underneath the dark cherry yet is still worthy of mention. Structure. What level of structure does this wine present guys? Firm and unflexing is what I am getting. This wines structure is tight, complex, straight forward and a superb expression of the varietal. So far, other than the Nose of this wine there is no softness or lacking in that the wines presents. If you like some spice in your Cabernet then you are in for a treat here as well as there is a deep dark spice that starts from the beginning of the wines impact on the Palette and continues all the way through to the finish. This deep dark spice appears to latch onto the Cassis and Tannins that are ever present throughout the Palette and creates together a force of their own to steam this wine forward. If you have ever heard the term "black fruit" but have doubts as to what the term means, then drink this wine because once you do you will have discovered what it means and have no more wonders. This wine is surely on it's way to greatness folks. Aside from the notes I have already discussed I believe that aside from the dark oak there is a note of sweet Oak spices that the wine expresses.
Classic BV Wines On Display
Perhaps the sweet oak is in reality two different notes and they just behave as if they are one but whatever the reason is this note(s) makes me long for more. Guys, this is a big wine. One of the notable points concerning this wine is that although it is a big wine it also offers a unique semi soft note to it once it is kept in the mouth for a few seconds. No, the wine doesn't soften or lighten up on the Palate, not at all. What I am talking about is more of something that you sense that comes in when it is needed to help the wine avoid being too big or bold. As with any real big red that I prefer, this wine presents a note of Caramel, oh yeah folks, Caramel. Not overly sweet and again on the darker side it almost seems to coat the Tongue and present an ever so slight dark richness in the wine as well as a creaminess. I did and you will also enjoy this note as it blends into (but doesn't disappear) the other dark notes. So here I am readers talking about a wonderful wine that incorporates just a touch of  creaminess to it that truly makes its Mark on the wine and certainly your Palate. Guys, there is so much more that I want to discuss about this wine so I am not (can't) be done here. Overall there is a Toast note that adds to the semi darkness of this wine and saturates the wine with a black type depth that continues the wine down the path it was already going.
Warning to all the fruit forward Cabernet lovers. This is not a bright, fruit forward wine folks, if that is what you are after then I suggest you look elsewhere for a wine because this is not a wine for you. Having said that would you like to know about any Acidity that this wine may present? Okay, as an old Comedian once said, can we talk? So, there certainly is an Acidity to this red. This Acidity that I am speaking about in my opinion seems to search out from the Cassis and Tannins and it seems the three have made an agreement to become one in thought as well as expression. Super wonderful acidity begins on the Mid-Palette and carries through to the Finish. In case you haven't noticed there are a lot of notes here in this wine that beginning on Mid-Palette and continue to the Finish.  I think that is great in my opinion but don't worry as there is more than enough on the opening to start off the wine in the mouth and carry it to mid-Palette point and way beyond as well. With all this you would think again that I surely must be done now because this wine can't possibly present any more.......can it? Well.......your wrong. Break time for a second guys. I am sitting in my Loft right now and I am so happy that the wine I spent so much money on and from a Winery that I have so much respect for is turning out to be more then worth the price and able to keep my respect. I see a couple of bottles headed to the Cellar in the very near future. Okay so let's talk about a note of Smoke that shines throughout the wine.
Another BV Wine Tasting
From start to finish the wine has a smoky presence to it that simply adds on top of every other note to keep this wine headed to the top of the chart. This Smoky note is dark (of course) and also integrated so nicely with the other notes that it will take you some time to distinguish it from the other dark notes that the wine presents in its package. If there were ever a wine that you had to sip and hold in your mouth for a few seconds this would be it. You know, I mentioned that the wine is integrated in it's notes right? For a minute I want to talk a little about what that really means. We all know that a wine has certain notes that dominate certain areas of it, sometimes a particular note will even dominate the entire wine. When all the notes work expertly together and none of them fight for dominance, none of them clash with one another this is when we say the notes are integrated. There is nothing quite like a wine that presents this unique quality. A wine with integrated notes is usually considered to be smooth and everything about the wine itself works well together without pulling your Palate in different directions. This is precisely how this wine is guys. Every aspect of this wine knows precisely where their place is and when their time is come and done, the notes also know when it is time to step aside and allow the other notes to pick up where they left off. I again am about to expand your horizon guys with the term "silky".
When you discuss a wine and tell people that the wine was "silky" it is expressing a characteristic of.....well silkiness, a sort of smoothness either at a certain point in the wine or perhaps (as in this wine) throughout the wine. This wine carries that quality of silkiness throughout the wine and uses it as a sort of baseline that flows from the opening to the Finish and every other note adds on top of it yet doesn't overpower one another or destroy that silkiness. I guess you can say that in actuality that every note that starts at the opening of the wine is a part of that baseline. Folks, I am not done, nope, I'm not done. There is an ever so slight yet noticeable note of a smooth Oakey type note of Leather. This note as with all the others doesn't even attempt to dominate or lead the wine or the drinker to follow or wander off into another direction. No, this note simply adds to the darkness and overall seriousness of the wine in a way that I have never had the pleasure of experiencing prior to this. This oakey Leather is not front & center so to speak but rather more of a feeling that the wine exhibits, it adds a roughness to the wine but doesn't touch that silkiness. Readers I have just one more note to tell you about and that note is of dark Plum that begins at around Mid-Palette but culminates toward the Finish, It also once again assists in providing a darkish note to the wine. Now, I simply must move to the finish as it is getting late in the Evening and I must finish this review so that I can just sit back and enjoy the remainder of the wine in peace.
BV Wines Aging

   Dear readers, here are my recommendations on what you I found helpful for my full enjoyment of this wine other than extending the decanting. The first thing that you simply must do is allow the wine to Decant for at least three hours. I read prior to reviewing this wine that 1 hour of decanting was enough in order for this wine to develop however it is not. Next take a small sip of the wine and when you take that sip please do it as a small sip and with gentle respect to what you are drinking. Take the wine in your mouth and allow it to move slowly from side to side (it's not a Mouthwash) stopping in the middle so that all of your Tongue gets to taste, feel and appreciate it. Are you feeling, tasting and appreciating all those notes folks? Is the wine getting bigger as it encompasses the Tongue? This is what is known as an "expansive mouth feel" in case you didn't know it. Remember that your Palette is definitely deserving of this wine because not only did you spent $45 for it but it is a incredibly awesome wine and you deserve to enjoy it. Now, call, E-Mail or Text a friend and tell them what you are tasting. Tell them that you are tasting an absolutely incredible wine and that they must go buy at least one bottle. Guys, I am in love all over again (with a wine that is).
Winemaker - Jeffrey Stambor
In my opinion if you love a deep complex Cabernet Sauvignon you are simply going to be in Heaven. In closing here I must tell you that this a very concentrated and juicy wine yet as I already said, not what I would call or consider to be a fruit forward wine. Now, this is very important so I feel the need to repeat it. Please remember to give it the three (3) hours to Decant prior to enjoying. As an ending note I must give props to Winemaker Jeffrey Stambor as he has done an outstanding job in creating this wine.   On The Desert Wine Guy rating scale I give this wine 94 points. So tell me, if you have already tasted this wine what would you rate it, are we close?  If you agree with my rating then you might want to think about following me on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/DesertWineGuy/). Please remember that I receive no payments nor any form of compensation for my reviews, I do this because I enjoy teaching, educating and sharing wines with the average wine drinker. What you read and the opinions that I post are my feelings concerning the industry and the wines that I review, I am not beholden to anyone.

                                                                                                              The Desert Wine Guy


www.desertwineguy.blogspot.com/

www.facebook.com/DesertWineGuy?fref=nf

https://twitter.com/DesertWineGuyLV

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgCUb3w1n2S_UGU2yYRkFYQ/videos


https://www.brighteon.com/channel/thedesertwineguy





 


 


Sunday, November 18, 2018

The Desert Wine Guy - 2012 Burning Tree Cellars - "The Peddler"

Burning Tree Cellars "The Peddler"
   Today we have another Arizona wine that is up for review dear readers. I want to tell you guys straight out that I really like Arizona wine in general and having made a few trips to the state, I just so happen to have to have a few of their wines available to review. This particular wine is a white wine and of the varietal known as Viognier (vee-own-yay). I bought this wine while going thru the Verde Valley wine trail in Arizona. On this particular trip I happened to stop at Burning Tree Cellars (http://burningtreecellars.com/) in Cottonwood Arizona. In keeping it real with you guys as I always do, I have to reveal to you that I have never tasted this particular varietal prior to tasting it at the winery. After the quick tasting I decided that I really liked the wine and so I brought home a bottle for this review.

Burning Tree Cellars Tasting Room

    Let's begin with the Bouquet here. Awesome Pear is the first note that hit my nose. I loved it! Talk about a Spring or Summer white folks, this is another fine example of wines that fit right into a particular season. Following up the Pear is a note of fresh, juicy Peach that while you can't taste it here, just simply came right along and jumped on board for the ride. Up next on the Nose is some rather nice Nectarine that was present in super nice amounts as well as some good old Honeydew which added its two cents in to top off the bouquet. I probably don't have to tell you right now that I thoroughly am enjoying the nose of this wine. I am hoping that the rest of the wine won't disappointment me.
   On to this wines appearance in my glass. The wine appeared as a light to medium golden color. Although nothing really impressive to look at I have been fooled by the color of a wine before into thinking that the wine was not good when it would actually turne out to be great. I have debated at times at wheather or not I should be deducting 1 point from the overall score of a wine due to its appeareance but I haven't yet decided on that. Let's Move on now to the main part of the review.
   On the Palette notes of Apricot and Nectarine simply jump right out at you here folks. The pear previously mentioned on the Nose seems to inject itself into the wine as well. There is also a wonderful and unique spiciness to this white wine that I really am enjoying. Now for those of you who were beginning to get worried after see what the wine is presenting. No, there is no need to worry about this being an overly sweet or sugary wine as this is not the case by any means folks. While there is some Sugar to the wine it seems to be fairly well sudued in general and is only just slightly noticeable on the Palette but not overdone at all. We are certainly not talking about a Riesling or a Moscato here folks, this expression of the varietal stands on its own.

Viognier Grape
    Wrapping this review up here I need to tell you (again) that I really liked the spice that this wine exhibited, it was almost like a spicy acidity that really presented this wine from the glass to your mouth superbly and kind of gave me more that I really expected actually. Minerality in this wine is explosive as well. Here is a wine that will simply blow your mind folks. Another Arizona wine that truly excels. I am giving this wine 92 points on The Desert Wine Guy rating scale. What a shame on the appearance in my glass however but that appeareance did not ruin this wine for me nor should it for you. Overall this is a fairly soft wine but yet as I said does indeed present to the drinker a nice note of spice here as well a wonderful Palette of fruit to both the nose and the palette.Yes this is truly an exceptional wine, Yes this wine truly blows you away. Yes this wine truly makes you yearn for more. And yes.....this wine truly is worthy of the score I gave it
                                                                                                                       The Desert Wine Guy

www.desertwineguy.blogspot.com/

www.facebook.com/DesertWineGuy?fref=nf

https://twitter.com/DesertWineGuyLV

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgCUb3w1n2S_UGU2yYRkFYQ/videos
 
                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                                      





   


  






The Desert Wine Guy - 2021 Fox Run, Dry Riesling

     I don't know about you but for the most part, I am not into sweet white wines. There, I said it and I feel so much better. Now you ...