*** $ Villa Masetti Pinot Grigio, 2006, Venezie, Italy - Wine Review and Rating

Original review, January, 2008:
This is part of the 4 Seasons wine selection. Vinted and bottled in Italy.

In the glass, it shows a very light golden, with a subtle hint of green coolness. Aromas are quite sharp and precise - showing the steeliness of a sauvignon blanc, with just a touch more body.

On the palate, a lightly roasted honey is the first note - felt right in the middle of the palate. A little bit of walnut and a hint of caramel. Pleasant and clean on the finish. No noticeable tannins. No noticeable acids. So not a challenging wine - and not extremely memorable. But I would come back to it - so that's three stars. And for the "practically free" price, that makes it an excellent value.

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Updated review two years later, December, 2009:

Color is consistent, perhaps just a touch more golden. Now the aromas have lost any steeliness... they are caramel and butterscotch! It is more consistent with the roasted honey that still comes through on the palate. Yes, walnut and caramel are still there too... BUT... don't wait any longer. This is ready-to-drink now and more time will leave it too flabby. Rule for this label would be to drink within three years of label date.

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***+ $$ Provenance Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, 2008, Rutherford, Napa, CA - Wine Review and Rating

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By way of background: Provenance Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, 2008, hails from estate and neighboring vineyards in Rutherford, Napa Valley, California. I am especially interested in trying this vintage as it was rated among the Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines for 2009. (Here are the Top 10 from that Wine Spectator listing.)

Provenance Sauvignon Blanc is aged primarily in stainless steel, and is accompanied by a small amount of semillon for body. It is finished at 14.3% alcohol, pretty much a whopper by white wine standards.

In the glass: Provenance Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc shows as pale transparent yellow.

On the nose: Poured without a decant and swirled vigorously, it shows a bright, big aroma of cut grass, lime and stainless steel - you'd know it in an instant as a sauvignon blanc.

On the palate: Provenance shows a rounder first note than you might have expected from the nose. It coats your tongue with a rich but taut, mineral-toned, lime-infused nectar, more dry fruit than acid. To the back of your tongue, a more distinctly lime essence flows. Wisps of acids and citrus curl into your cheeks.

And the finish: Your cheeks stay alive with the clean citrus invasion, which only slowly fades away on the back of the high alcohol. Quite a long-lived sip, indeed.

In summary: A full, pleasing, dramatic experience, earning three stars on the five-star Spirit of Wine scale, with a plus added for its intense balance. This yields a good value in our books.

Wine Spectator, in giving Provenance Sauvignon Blanc its status in the Top 100 Wine list, awarded 91 points, and said, "Key lime, passion fruit, melon and nectarine flavors are ripe, juicy and fleshy, with great intensity, a vivid acidity and terrific focus and clarity. Drink now. 15,360 cases made."

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***+ $ Tortoise Creek Shiraz, 2007, Languedoc, Vin de Pay d'Oc, France

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By way of background: Tortoise Creek Shiraz is built from grapes acquired from a number of vineyards near the village of St. Chinian in the southwest area of France, called Languedoc. It is finished at 13.5% alcohol.

In the glass: Tortoise Creek Shiraz shows as deep magenta red throughout the glass.

On the nose: Aromas are shy, a bit funky, earthy and plummy. Sort of a note of salad dressing in there too.

On the palate: A much fuller mid-mouth attack than expected is the first thing you notice. It is actually lush. Rich blueberries roll back along your tongue, bringing along with them an even alcohol robe. A slightly redder note of unsweetened cherries comes in too, along with a touch of charcoal oak. Then Tortoise Creek takes up languid presence in the corners of your cheeks.

And the finish: Smooth, even glide into a clean finish, showing just a bit of sweetness in your cheeks.

In summary:
Full-on experience once past the lack-luster aromatics. Three stars on the five-star Spirit of Wine scale, as I would definitely consider a return engagement. Outstanding value.

With a couple of hours of decant, Tortoise Creek Shiraz becomes an even fully-knit experience, adding smooth tobacco to the flavor profile. That will give it a plus for potential too.

Based on the improvement with a brief decant, I chose to make a further experiment: let's see what happens with a full 24-hour decant... something you'd very rarely - if ever - want to do with a modestly-priced shiraz. In fact, this is something you'd rarely - if ever - want to do with ANY wine. But, hey, I'm here to serve! Let's see what happens, using our same reviewing protocol:

In the glass: No change to the color - remains deep magenta red, moving to opaque in the center of the glass.

On the nose: Aromas actually grew a bit bolder, developed some nerve as the Tortoise Creek Shiraz aged. Now you pick up distinct sweet plums, lost the salad dressing.

On the palate: Still a first sweet blueberry attack on the front of your tongue, bringing a bit of sandiness. The alcohol twang has faded a bit, but the red cherry edges still come to your cheeks.

And the finish: Sweet and sour cherries stay lodged in your cheeks for quite awhile.

In summary: Remains a solid experience, even after a full day's decant! Pretty remarkable for a wine at this attractive price point. Solid three stars on the five-star Spirit of Wine scale, with the plus still there for its promise.

Based on the decanting experience, don't be afraid to put a bottle of Tortoise Creek Shiraz into your cellar for a few years - after enjoying a first bottle right away, of course!

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*** $$ 2004 Chaz Point Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley WA - Wine Review & Rating

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Original Review, April, 2007: This Washington state cabernet shows a dark, muddy mahogany and brick color - almost opaque. The aroma is subdued. It whispers of barnyard; it hints of hay and briarpatch; maybe there's even fruit there... but all this is so subtle - it's like you're drawing aromas through a long straw from another room. But once Chaz Point hits the palate, much is forgiven. There is a deft, balanced touch - good fruit, acidity, tannin and polish. Flavors come to the fore only as you finish sipping, suggesting that the flavors are still wrapped in tannin bundles, not quite ready to peek out into the light of day. I wish I could coax a bit more of the stuffing out of the wine, but I'm ready to call it pleasant for now and give it a chance to really shine at a later date.

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Updated Review, 2 1/2 years later, December, 2009:
Color has held steady. Now the aromas are bold. Think funky, ripe hay, mixed with sweet red cherries stewed with cinnamon. Yum.

On the palate, a slick, even middle is followed by a more acidic red berry fruit washing across to your cheeks. Finishes with twangy acids tucked deep, deep into your cheeks. Almost impacted enough to make you think you'll need to sneeze them out!

Three stars on the five-star Spirit of Wine scale remains appropriate. No need to wait any longer for drinking.

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