Wine Reviews: Mini Round-Up for April 8, 2024

I taste a bunch-o-wine (technical term for more than most people). So each week, I share some of my wine reviews (mostly from samples) and tasting notes in a “mini-review” format.

They are meant to be quirky, fun, and (mostly) easily-digestible reviews of (mostly) currently available wines (click here for the skinny on how to read them), so you can get right to the point and decide if they’re for you (or not). Cheers!

NV Celene Amethyste Cremant de Bordeaux Blanc de Noirs Brut (Bordeaux): A lot of finally tuned verve and elegance for the cash outlay. $25 B+
2020 Le Mas des Flauzieres Seguret Cuvee Julien (Cotes du Rhone Villages): Meaty, beefy, hearty, and haughty. $20 B+
2019 Attems Pinot Grigio Friuli (Friuli-Venezia Giulia): Honey, lemon, blossom, bruised apples, toast… A stylish and fun overachiever. $18 B+
2022 Consorzio Tutela del Gavi (Gavi): Quite mineral and more than quite tropical, with nice ripe citrus character. $NA B+
2018 Andrea Oberto Barolo del Comune di La Morra (Piedmont): Lots going on here, and all of it is good. Floral, fragrant, and fabulously fresh. $30 A-
2020 Mathis Uberblend (Sonoma Valley): Spicy, robust, round, and not fooling around with that structure! $35 A-
2020 Mathis Sonoma Valley Grenache (Sonoma Valley): A meaty, juicy, ripe vintage showing plummy, but also showing elegant dried violet action. $30 A-
2021 Lake Sonoma Winery Cabernet Sauvignon (Sonoma County): Vanilla, blackberry, black pepper, mineral, violets, and a nice, refined (though lighter) palate. $35 B+
2022 Bird in Hand Sauvignon Blanc (Adelaide Hills): Grassy herbs, citrus tang, veggie twang, and tropical bang for the buck. $20 B+
2017 M. Chapoutier Domaine Tournon ‘Mathilda’ Shiraz (Victoria): Rich and almost too ripe, but that eucalyptus saves the day. $20 B+