JohnBCI – Page 5 – Bachner Communications

May 12, 2022

Pioneiro – Vinho Regional Peninsula de Setubal Tinto 2018

I’ve lifted the following from the website of Chain Bridge Cellars, a McLean, VA retail store and online presence. See what you think. “Portugal’s wine fame rests on the light, fresh, whites of Vinho Verde and the darkly intense and powerful reds (both sweet and dry!) of the Douro Valley inland from Oporto. But value seekers know that Portugal’s dizzying variety of unfamiliar grape varietals [...]

May 3, 2022

2019 Morande Estate Reserve

This is another great red to buy by the case. Rated 90 points by Joaquín Hidalgo of Vinous Media, probably the most trusted of all wine-rating organizations “out there,” he had this to say [...]

April 21, 2022

Cruset Blanc de Blancs

From France, this fantastic sparkler just blew me away. I ordered a half-case and, after sharing two bottles, decided I had to get a case. According to The Tasting Panel (the most-widely circulated trade publication in the beverage industry), "Aromas of buttered pears and lemon chiffon lead off to a startlingly pretty sparkler. [...]

March 31, 2022

2017 Storypoint Cabernet Sauvignon

“This appealing and full-bodied wine is filled to the brim with plump, generous black-fruit and baking-spice flavors that are well-concentrated and wrapped in a blanket of fine-grained tannins. A new offering [...]

March 17, 2022

2019 Banfi Chianti Classico

Wine Spectator’s long-time reviewer, Bruce Sanderson, had this to say about the magazine’s no. 2 value wine of 2021: “The wine is aged for a total of 12 months, seven to eight in stainless-steel tanks before racking into 6,000- to 9,000-liter oak casks. [...]

March 10, 2022

2019 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet

This 2019 version of this wine has not been reviewed yet. Suffice it to say the winery’s review might be hyped . . . something not really true, based on our own panel’s tasting. Here’s what Penfolds [...]

March 3, 2022

2019 Raúl Pérez Ultreia Saint Jacques

This wine is 100% Mencia, a delightful grape that has gained a great deal of popularity in recent years. And no one does it better than Raúl Pérez. Just read the ratings. They abound, and all say the same thing. BACK UP THE TRUCK! [...]

February 25, 2022

Ramilo, Colheita 2018 Vinho Regional Lisboa

Well-known UK wine critic Jancis Robinson assigned Julia Harding to review this newly arrived beauty. Her take: “The Lizandro Valley provides a distinctive climate that shapes the style of this wine: cloudy mornings, breezes from the Atlantic, warm afternoons on the steep limestone slopes[...]

February 17, 2022

2020 Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2021

This wine has been a cellar staple of mine for the last four vintages. It’s stunningly delicious. According to Wine Spectator’s MaryAnn Worobiec: “Strikes a terrific balance between mouthwatering acidity, fresh herbal notes of lemon verbena[...]