First off, this is not the largest roundup I have written – there is a larger one from October 2021. Sadly, that one only had 6 QPR WINNERs. My last QPR post had a lot of wines as well, and it had 19 QPR WINNERs!

Also, we have a shockingly high number/percentage of EVEN QPR score wines, 26 to be exact. Either the price or the quality pushed them to this level. So, without further ado, the 50 wines I tasted over the past few months.

QPR (Quality to Price Ratio) Wines

It has been seven months since my last QPR (Quality to Price Ratio) post and many people have been emailing me about some unique wines I have tasted and some lovely wines that are worth writing about.

Thankfully, no matter how much garbage and pain I subject myself to, we are still blessed with several wonderful QPR wines out there. This post differs though, as we are back to having a large number of POOR/BAD/N.A. QPR wines. We have 12 QPR WINNER scores and 14 GOOD/GREAT scores. The rest, 24 out of the 50 wines tasted here fall into the EVEN/POOR/BAD/N.A. categories, which is unfortunate.

We have a SOLID list of QPR WINNERS:

1. 2019 Chateau Teyssier, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – Stunning wine especially for the price some of us paid, not yet available
2. 2019 Tenuta Monchiero Barolo, Barolo _ lovely wine!
3. 2021 Castellare di Castellina Chianti Classico
4. 2021 Chateau Montviel, Pomerol – One of the two best mid-range Bordeaux
5. 2022 ESSA Cabernet Franc, Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge
6. 2023 Baron Edmond de Rothschild Rimapere, Marlborough
7. 2022 ESSA Altira, Cape South Coast
8. 2021 Chateau Royaumont (M) – One of the two best mid-range Bordeaux
9. 2021 Capcanes La Flor Del Flor De Primavera, Montsant (M)
10. 2001 Chateau Bel Air Gallier, Graves
11. 2021 Lovatelli Barbera d’Asti
12. 2021 Hans Wirsching Silvaner, Iphofer

There were also a few wines that were a slight step behind with a GREAT or GOOD QPR score:

1. 2021 Chateau Moulin Riche, Saint-Julien
2. 2022 Chateau Les Riganes Cabernet Franc, Bordeaux (M)
3. 2022 Chateau Les Riganes Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux (M)
4. 2020 Binah Chambourcin, Reserve, Pennsylvania 
5. 2021 Chateau de Parsac, Montagne Saint-Emilion (M)
6. 2021 Le Nardian, Bordeaux – lovely wine, but at 110 it is a GOOD
7. 2020 Capcanes La Flor Del Flor De Primavera, Montsant
8. 2021 Pavillon de Leoville Poyferre, Saint-Julien (M)
9. 2020 Ramon Cardova Garnacha, Rioja (M)
10. 2022 ESSA Malbec, Stellenbosch
11. 2022 ESSA Cabernet Sauvignon, Franschhoek
12. 2021 Pescaja Barbara D’asti (M)
13. 2022 Chateau Les Riganes Merlot, Bordeaux (M)
14. 2021 Binah Gruner Veltliner, Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania

There are a few wines that got a QPR Score of EVEN – meaning expensive or average:

1. 2021 Chateau Roubine Lion & Dragon, Red, Provence
2. 2020 Domaine du Castel Razi’el, Judean Hills
3. 2020 Pescaja Tuké Terre Alfieri Nebbiolo, Terre Alfieri
4. 2022 Harkham Semillon, Hunter Valley
5. 2021 Chateau Malmaison, Moulis-En-Medoc
6. 2021 Flam White Label, Red, Israel
7. N.V. Drappier Brut Champagne Carte D’ Or, Champagne (M)
8. 2022 ESSA Petit Verdot, Stellenbosch
9. 2019 Capcanes La Flor Del Flor Samso, Montsant
10. 2022 Chateau Les Riganes Malbec, Bordeaux (M)
11. 2021 Binah Celeste, Pennsylvania
12. 2020 Binah Stella, Pennsylvania

The others are essentially either OK wines that are too expensive, duds, or total failures:

1. N.V. Champagne Jean Michel Blanc de Blancs, Brut (M)
2. 2022 J. de Villebois Sancerre Rouge, Sancerre
3. 2021 Etoiles de Mondorion, Saint-Emilion
4. 2020 Yatir Yatir Creek, Judean Hills
5. 2021 Flam Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve, Israel
6. 2020 Yatir Mount Amasa, Red, Judean Hills
7. 2020 Yatir Forest, Judean Hills
8. N.V. Champagne Jean Michel, Brut, Champagne (M)
9. N.V. Champagne Jean Michel, Rose, Brut, Champagne (M)
10. 2018 Tabor Merlot, Adama, Galilee
11. 2023 J-Folk Chenin Blanc, South Africa (M)
12. 2021 Lovatelli Primitivo

Some things that made me stand up and take notice (AKA QPR WINNERS):

The real stunner here is the 2019 Chateau Teyssier, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru. It is available in London from the guys at Honest Grapes. It should be available in the USA soon as well.

The 2019 Tenuta Monchiero Barolo is lovely, not as good as the 2010, but hey solid stuff! The 2021 Castellare di Castellina Chianti Classico, is another solid release.

Most, by now, know my feelings about the 2021 Bordeaux. They are either candied Jalapeno or candied cherry water. Either way, they are not for stocking up. There are a few exceptions like the 2021 Chateau Hauteville I posted before.

The mid-level Bordeaux wines that showed well are the Mevushal (yes Mevushal this year) 2021 Chateau Royaumont and the lovely 2021 Chateau Montviel, Pomerol.

ESSA released a slew of new wines some are good and some are a bit too ripe for me. The 2022 ESSA Cabernet Franc, Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge is a solid showing, not as tight and precise as the 2019 but solid.

The third release from Baron Edmond de Rothschild Rimapere, Marlborough, the 2023 release is not as good as the 2021 but still better than the 2022.

The new 2022 ESSA Altira, Cape South Coast got a kiss of oak, while the 2021 saw none. I like this one as well, maybe not as much as the 2021 but a solid showing either way!

There are THREE Capacnes wines in this post, two were not bad and they were the 2020 and 2021 2021 Capcanes La Flor del Flor. The 2021 Capcanes La Flor del Flor is Mevushal and showed better than the 2020 Capcanes La Flor del Flor, but personally, that was more a wine style/Vintage thing, as you can read from the notes.

KosherWine.com imported a few older French wines and this one is really old and showed quite nicely for the price and age. The 2001 Chateau Bel Air Gallier, Graves.

Finally, there is a new Italian wine line from Royal Wines and so far they have released two wines under the Lovatelli wine brand. It is not the name of a winery. The 2021 Lovatelli Barbera d’Asti is quite nice, and Mevushal, while the 2021 Lovatelli Primativo was the lowest-scoring wine on this post and a wine I refused to taste, the smell alone told me it was a hard pass. There are supposed to be two more wines coming, a Super Tuscan, and Nebbiolo.

Other wines worth noting (AKA QPR GREAT or GOOD):

If my previous statement about the 2021 vintage from Bordeaux seems a bit controversial, this next one will be more out there! So far, the 2022 vintage from Bordeaux, a vintage that many are hailing as the vintage of the century, I have found the early releases to be boring, at best! I had a bunch of them in Paris, a post that will be coming soon, and they were all boring too bad. Much like these 2022 Chateau Les Riganes wines. I understand they are simple wines but even simple wines should not be so overripe and over the top. The 2021 vintage feels underripe while the 2022 vintage feels overripe. It is a wild exaggeration and a very broad statement, but it should help to shape your own tastings.

I found the 2022 Chateau Les Riganes wines – there were 4 released so far in the USA, and they were all ripe to overripe for me. The 2021 Chateau Moulin Riche, Saint-Julien was good enough, but started with too much Jalapeno. The 2020 Binah Chambourcin, Reserve, was nice, very simple, but a wine without major flaws. Sadly, I could not say the same for the 2021 Binah Gruner Veltliner.

The STUNNING 2021 Le Nardian, Bordeaux is beautiful, but the price is quite high and it is not currently released. When it does get released, get some, you will thank me later. The 2021 Pescaja Barbara D’asti is Mevushal and it shows but it is still a nice enough wine.

Wines that are either good but too expensive or average (AKA EVEN):

The 2021 Chateau Roubine Lion & Dragon, Red, Provence, is a nice enough wine but the price and the quality place it where it is.

The 2020 Domaine du Castel Razi’el, Judean Hills is OK, not evil, but given the price, it too lands where it is.

I was REALLY excited to taste the 2022 Harkham Semillon, Hunter Valley, but sadly the wine was not what I was hoping for.

This may well be the lowest-scoring vintage for the N.V. Drappier Brut Champagne Carte D’ Or, Champagne. I was shocked by the lack of acidity.

Wines that are either OK but far too expensive or bad wines (AKA POOR/BAD):

Not much here mostly poor-scoring wines. There are also, many duds to losers and I will just leave you to peruse the names and scores down below.

The wine notes follow below – the explanation of my “scores” can be found here and the explanation for QPR scores can be found here:

2019 Chateau Teyssier, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – Score: 93 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is lovely, crisp, earthy, dirty, and smoky, with ripe fruit, showing red, blue, and hints of black fruit, all wrapped in black tea, anise, rich menthol, lovely minerality, coffee grinds, and loam, nice! The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, balanced, and tense, with lovely blackberry, raspberry, ripe blueberry, loam, roasted herbs, mouth-draping and elegant tannin, with sweet oak, lovely tension, scraping minerality, loam, and more smoke. The finish is long, ripe, and balanced, with more tannin, ripe blueberry, plum, leather, dark chocolate, menthol, rich graphite, and minerality, and loam lingering long. Bravo! Drink from 2025 until 2033. (tasted December 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13.5%)

2019 Tenuta Monchiero Barolo, Barolo – Score: 93 (QPR: WINNER)
Ignore the wine’s color this is normal for Barolo, it will shock you. Also, the label on this vintage is sticking, let’s wait another 9 years and see if that is still the case. This is the 2nd vintage since 2010 and while this is not as epic as that vintage, still, this wine is lovely, it will need loads of time to come around, still, it is far more accessible than the 2010 vintage and can be enjoyed with just a few hours of decanting, but I would wait. After tasting 4 Israeli wines with a 14.5% ABV this 14.5% ABV wine is a TRUE joy to taste! The nose of this wine is beautiful, dirty, earthy, fruity, balanced, and old-world, with rich soy sauce, saline, cherry, raspberry, smoke, rosehip, nice tar, loam, and mushroom. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is lovely, balanced, and refreshing, with bracing acidity, tart cherry, fruity/juicy raspberry, hints of plum, loam, saline, sea salt, with lovely oak, mouth-draping tannin, and more tar, just lovely! So refreshing with great fruit focus and balance! The finish is long, tart, refreshing, balanced, fruity, earthy, loam, smoke, tar, black tea, and more soy sauce! Bravo!! Drink from 2026 until 2033. (tasted October 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2021 Castellare di Castellina Chianti Classico – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
This is what I want in wine, herbal, smoky, dirty, balanced, and showing great fruit. The nose is just so dirty.
The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is ripe, tart, balanced, a bit hollow bit that fills it with time, lovely herbs, dark cherry, smoke, raspberry, loam, dirty, and minerality worry great mouth draping tannin.
The finish is long, tart, and enjoyable, refreshing, Bravo! Drink until 2028.

2021 Chateau Montviel, Pomerol – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
This wine blends 80% Merlot & 20% Cabernet Franc. Again, like the 2021 Chateau Royaumont, this wine starts green, there is nowhere to hide from that bell pepper, intense herbal notes, and slight tinny notes, still, the wine is elegant, robust, and balanced. Thankfully, unlike the 21 Mevushal Royaumont, the green notes fade away within a few hours. The nose of this wine is herbal, green, and fruity, with clear tinny notes, along with the red/black fruit, nice minerality, and sweet spices work. Thankfully, with time, the nose evolves to show lovely red and black fruit, menthol, roasted Oregano, anise, mint, and sweet spices. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is green, and herbal, with searing acidity, nice black plum, raspberry, black currants, dark cherry, sweet spices, nice tannin, and minerality. Thankfully, the green notes do fall off eventually, what is left is not overly complex, and nice, but not what I expect from Montviel. The finish is long, green, herbal, almost a bit too green, with black and red fruit, more tinny notes, some ripe notes hiding back there, and some marzipan, mineral, and smoke. With time, the finish is less interesting, and more balanced, with nice acidity, minerality, tannin, and a green note backbone. Drink from 2026 until 2030. (tasted August 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13.5%)

2022 ESSA Cabernet Franc, Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
This is another hit for the Cabernet Franc from Josh and ESSA wines, a lovely varietally correct wine, with beautiful red and green notes, smoke, herbs, black fruit in the background, loam, smoke, and fresh tobacco. Lovely! The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, the mouth is riper than the nose, with black, blue, and red fruit all coming together beautifully, with lovely acidity, dark raspberry, tart currant, ripe plum, ripe blackberry, ripe juicy boysenberry, foliage, minerality, roasted herbs, and lovely sweet tannin, nice! The finish is long, ripe, balanced, and refreshing, with green notes, tobacco, blueberry, and smoke. Bravo! Drink from 2025 until 2030. (tasted September 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.8%)

2023 Baron Edmond de Rothschild Rimapere, Marlborough (M) – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is the best part of it, with incredible aromas of ripe yet green/tart mango, screaming gooseberry, intense cat pee, green notes, passion fruit, ginger, lemon grass, lychee, orange blossom, and lovely honeysuckle. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is a slight step behind the nose, but still better than the 2022 vintage but not as good as the 2021, with incredible acidity, and more complexity than the 2022, showing lovely saline, lemon grass, ginger, passion fruit, gooseberry, orange, tart lychee, and fun funk. The finish is long, tart, smoky, flinty, and salty, with dense minerality, extremely refreshing, and lingering long with more saline, flint, gooseberry, passion fruit, and ginger, Nice! Drink until 2026. (tasted November 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12.5%)

2022 ESSA Altira, Cape South Coast – Score: 91.5 (QPR: WINNER)
Unlike the 2021 this wine needs to be enjoyed at 34 degrees or so, aka, refrigerator temps. Also, this wine has more weight than 2021, less precision, and less tension, but it also is a bit more elegant, and almost oily, so yeah, Josh is slowly playing with the wine and its potential. The nose of this wine is lovely, it opens slowly but with time comes to show lovely pomelo, grapefruit, yellow flowers, smoke, peach, honeysuckle, sweet oak, and lovely minerality. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is lovely, I would have wanted more acidity, Josh joked to me that I would say that, still, this wine is perfectly balanced, it is just not popping, with less precision than 2021, the body is fuller, rounder, and a bit more elegant with the sweet oak, sweet honeyed peach, pomelo, gooseberry, orange, nectarines, melon, and lovely minerality. The finish is long, round, layered, and tart with more sweet oak, nice tart notes, slate, chalk, and Asian pear. Drink by 2025. (tasted September 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13%)

2021 Chateau Royaumont, Lalande de Pomerol (M) – Score: 91.5 (QPR: WINNER)
This wine is a blend of 70% Merlot & 30% Cabernet Franc and it is the first time it is Mevushal! The nose of this wine does show ripe and green at the same time, at 13.5% which is expected, a throwback to the older Bordeaux. Still, this is green, there has been no Royaumont that smells like this, at the opening, outside of maybe 2013. The nose is green and ripe, with bell pepper, mint, oregano, sweet spices, crushed roasted herb, black and red fruit, saline, and rich mineral. The mouth of this medium-plus wine worries me, at the start, the acidity and pop are slow to appear, but that comes with time. After an hour, the mouth pops, with nice acidity, nice minerality, saline, sweet oak, spice, roasted herb, milk chocolate, roasted oregano, red Jalapenos, black plum, green notes, raspberry, mouth-draping tannin, dark cherry, sweet herbs, cinnamon, and sweet spices. Overall, the green notes bother me and the wine feels a bit disjointed and hot. The finish is long, and green, with roasted herbs, sweet milk chocolate, almond paste, sweet oak, green notes, and sweet tannin. Drink from 2025 until 2032. (tasted August 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13.5%)

2021 Capcanes La Flor Del Flor De Primavera, Montsant (M) – Score: 91.5 (QPR: WINNER)
This is one of the cleanest lines I have smelled from a Capcanes wine in almost 10 years! This is nice, I am not sure where it will end up in 4 days, but right now, nice! The nose of this starts clean, with notes of tart raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, and roasted meat, with clear ripe and brooding fruit in the background, still, a solid wine at the start. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine will bother some, they want more fruit, more body, I find this nice, balanced, and refreshing, at the start, with solid acidity, nice strawberry, boysenberry, currants, smoke, sweet oak, sweet dill, nice mouth-draping tannin, and clear desire for more fruit, but from what I can tell, the grapes did not have it. The finish is long, tart, and refreshing, with green notes, sweet spices, cinnamon, cloves, smoking tobacco, coffee, and sweet herbs. Drink until 2027. (tasted November 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13.5%)

2001 Chateau Bel Air Gallier, Graves – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
This is a fun, simple, and enjoyable wine. It has lovely acidity, enough tannin, and a nice body. Not overly complex, but funky, dirty, and red. The medium-bodied mouth with great acidity, funk, tannin, and loam works well with the cherry and currant fruit, with nice minerality and gravel. The finish is long, tart, refreshing, and mineral-driven. Nice! Drink now. (tasted December 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12.5%)

2021 Lovatelli Barbera d’Asti (M) – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
Clean red fruit nose, with dark cherry, hints of plum, smoke, roasted herbs, and rose hip. Impressive for a Mevushal wine not called Herzog or Hagafen.
The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is clean, and tart, with great acidity, roasted herbs, sweet tannin, tart cherry, plum, tart currants, great tension and mouthfeel, and fruit focus 
This finish is tasty and tart, with coffee and smoke nice minerality and more floral notes. Drink by 2025.

2021 Hans Wirsching Silvaner, Iphofer – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine leaps out at you with intense citrus, white flowers, rich minerality, lovely bosch pear, peach, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is bracing with acidity, lovely minerality, peach, pear, orange, orange peel, and orange blossom, with an almost plush and oily mouthfeel, unique. The finish is long, and flint-driven, with intense minerality, smoke, and acidity that lingers forever. Nice! (tasted December 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12%)

2021 Chateau Moulin Riche, Saint-Julien – Score: 91.5 (QPR: GREAT)
This wine is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, & 1% Petit Verdot. The nose of this wine is starting to scare me more than green notes. So far, tasting through the 2021 wines, they are either green jalapeno messes or they are ripe fruit bombs. WOW! The nose of this wine meets the latter category, with ripe notes of black and blue fruit, red fruit in the background, and green notes loitering on the side with nice minerality, loam, and dense smoke. With time the nose cleans up a bit, the ripeness is still there but the green notes do fade. The mouth of this medium-plus is ripe, not as balanced as I would like, feeling off-kilter, with blackberry, cassis, blueberry, loam, nice sweet oak, sweet tannin, roasted herbs, and good minerality. With time, the mouth calms a bit., showing some acidity, and nice fruit, but it is still too ripe for my tastes. With time, this calms as well, and the mouth comes together and the acidity finally appears, overall a nice wine. The finish is long, ripe, and candied, with smoke, sweet spices, roasted herbs, boysenberry, leather, smoking tobacco, and milk chocolate, with graphite on the long finish. This is almost what I expect from a good Moulin Riche vintage, it is just a step or two behind what I like. Drink from 2025 until 2031. (tasted September 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13%)

2022 Chateau Les Riganes Cabernet Franc, Bordeaux (M) – Score: 90.5 (QPR: GREAT)
This wine is the best of the four wines I had, herbal, balanced, tart, refreshing, and varietally correct. The nose is ripe, and fruity, and has notes of fermented juice, ripe red and green fruit, and not tart. This is more vegetal than the Cabernet Sauvignon but nice. The mouth follows the nose, with nice acidity, green notes, dark plum, raspberry, herbs, and fermented juice notes. The finish is longer and brighter and lingers, with smoke, roasted herbs, spices, nice red fruit, and a nice tannin structure. Drink by 2025. (tasted August 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13.5%)

2022 Chateau Les Riganes Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux (M) – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
This wine, unlike the Merlot and Malbec, is nice, balanced, and on point, but again, unidimensional. The nose is ripe, and fruity, and has notes of fermented juice, ripe red and green fruit, and not tart. This is more vegetal than the Malbec but still uninteresting. The mouth follows the nose, with nice acidity, anise, green notes, dark plum, cassis, herbs, and fermented juice notes. The finish is longer and brighter and lingers, with smoke, roasted herbs, black and red fruit, and a nice tannin structure. Drink by 2025. (tasted August 2023) (in San Jose, CA & Paris France) (ABV = 14%)

2020 Binah Chambourcin, Reserve, Pennsylvania – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
This is a nice wine, it feels a bit like Pinot Noir, with cherry and oak notes, showing enough fruit, no real minerality, or loam, just a nice oaky red fruit wine. The nose of this wine shows red fruit, sweet oak, green notes, sweet herbs, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is ripe, a bit candied with enough acidity to work with that ripeness, followed by cherry fruit, currants, and hints of pomegranate, followed by green notes of roasted herbs, menthol, sweet oak, and garrigue. The finish is long, ripe, green, herbal, and smoky, with nice tannin, red fruit, and herbs lingering. Nice. Drink by 2025. (tasted December 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13%)

2021 Chateau de Parsac, Montagne Saint-Emilion (M) – Score: 88 (QPR: GREAT)
This wine is a blend of 90% Merlot & 10% Cabernet Franc. The nose is shocking, for a 2021 wine, there is not a whiff of green, still, this wine is no Grand Vin, a solid enough wine with notes of roasted herb, raspberry, cherry, plum, and loam. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, with great acidity, good weight, nice tannin structure, with cherry, raspberry, plum, and green notes, but no finish. Drink by 2025. (tasted September 2023) (in San Jose, CA & Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2021 Le Nardian, Bordeaux – Score: 93 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is lovely, feels more Burgundian to me than Bordeaux, maybe it is the unique wood notes, and oak, that bring me back to Burgundy, still, the nose is stunning, honeysuckle, orange rind, peach, apricot, green apple, and rich smoke. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is crisp, and balanced, with intense oak-driven notes, this is not an oak monster, the oak lifts the sweet peach, apricot, and apple, and adds a bit of sweetness, edge, and verve, with smoke, minerality, and green notes, lovely! Not quite plush or oily but very close to both and rich with good minerality and fruit focus, really nice! The finish is long, green, smoky, and fruity, with more oak, sweet tannin, anise, white pepper, and white flowers lingering long. Lovely! Drink until 2028. I am sure this can go longer but I have never had this wine before and I am honestly gunshy from previous kosher white wine failures. (tasted December 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12.5%)

2020 Capcanes La Flor Del Flor De Primavera, Montsant – Score: 91 (QPR: GOOD)
This wine starts very ripe but calms with time, this should be decanted if enjoying it now. The nose of this wine is overripe from the get-go, showing coconut, black and blue fruit, roasted animal, smoke, herbs, roasted sweet spices, and root beer. With time that calms and it loses the coconut. The mouth of this full-bodied wine has enough acidity, but that does not help to balance out the absurd fruit, showing over-the-top blackberry, boysenberry, date, dried fig, smoke, nice tannin, nice tannin, and sweet spices. With time the fruit calms and the acidity comes out to balance the mouth well. The finish is long, ripe, balanced, and after time, with milk chocolate covered tobacco leaves and sweet spices. Drink until 2028. (tasted November 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2021 Pavillon de Leoville Poyferre, Saint-Julien (M) – Score: 90 (QPR: GOOD)
This wine is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon & 37% Merlot. This is also the Mevushal version of this wine. The nose of this wine does not show its Mevushal status, overall 2021 took care of any love I have for this wine. The nose starts green, while also being overripe, it feels like a bath of green tomatoes and ripe plums, there is no joy there. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, with good acidity, but again, it feels off-kilter, all over the place, overripe and green, with astringent tannin and oak, sweet spices that do not know where they belong, just a soup of ingredients that have no real place. The finish is long, ripe, gripping, and all over the place, green, herbal, ripe, smoky, and dense, with milk chocolate, minerality, and dry tobacco. Drink from 2025 until 2031. (tasted September 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13%)

2020 Ramon Cardova Garnacha, Rioja (M) – Score: 90 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is ripe, simple, but nice and approachable with good fruit, smoke, and sweet herbs. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is ripe, with good acidity and a nice mouthfeel, showing cranberry, pomegranate, currants, and blueberry, nice enough tannin, and smoke. The finish is long, ripe, balanced, and fun. Drink now! (tasted November 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14%)

2022 ESSA Malbec, Stellenbosch – Score: 90 (QPR: GOOD)
This wine is ripe but balanced, and easygoing, with good acidity, and a nice structure. The nose of this wine is ripe, with nice fruit, ripeness, black and blue fruit, sweet tobacco, tar, and smoke. The mouth of this full-bodied wine has intense extraction, tannin, nice acidity, and good structure, with blackberry, dark plum, juicy boysenberry, and pomegranate, refreshing, easygoing, juicy, and simple. The finish is long, tannic, nice enough. Drink until 2026. (tasted September 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13.8%)

2022 ESSA Cabernet Sauvignon, Franschhoek – Score: 90 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is greener than I would expect, if asked I would have guessed Chili, but overall a nice enough wine. The nose of this wine is nice, and greener than expected, with quince/passion fruit, green notes, foliage, red fruit, hints of black fruit, minerality, smoke, herbal notes, menthol, and tar. The mouth of this wine reminds me of an Israeli/Australian Cab/Syrah blend, with good acidity, green notes, intense blackcurrant, raspberry, nice tannin, and good fruit structure, but a bit disappointing. The finish is long, herbal, smoky, black, and red, with roasted herbs, tar, and grahite. Drink until 2027. (tasted September 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13.5%)

2021 Pescaja Barbara D’asti (M) – Score: 89 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose is ripe but balanced with great fruit, roasted herbs, sweet spices, and plum, a bit candied but solid.
The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is ripe, a bit cooked, solid with great acidity, lots of good fruit, and oak with more herbs and sweet tannin.
The finish is long, ripe, and candied with cooked notes, sweet oak, sweet herbs, and coffee. Drink by 2025.

2022 Chateau Les Riganes Merlot, Bordeaux (M) – Score: 88 (QPR: GOOD)
Overall, I found this, like the other Riganes, to be too unidimensional, too fruity, less complex, and less varietally true. The nose is ripe, and fruity, and has notes of fermented juice, ripe red and green fruit, and not tart. This is more vegetal than the Malbec but still uninteresting. The mouth follows the nose, with a bit more acidity than the Malbec, but still feels short, with red plum, loam, vegetal notes, nice enough tannin, and herbs. Drink now. (tasted August 2023) (in San Jose, CA & Paris France) (ABV = 13.5%)

2021 Binah Gruner Veltliner, Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania – Score: 87 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine could be more expressive with orange blossom, rosehip, a bit of straw, quince, lemongrass, some lychee, vanilla, and lime. My main issue with this wine is the tropical fruit notes that do not work with the wine. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine has nice acidity, that fills the mouth, with tart apple, lemon/lime sherbet, with nice grass, straw, green notes, foliage, lychee, and tart Asian Pear. The lychee throws me. The finish is long, funky, tart, and green, showing nice minerality and saline, a hint of tropical fruit, acid, and slate The tropical notes throw me, and make the wine feel out of balance. Drink now. (tasted December 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 13%)

2021 Chateau Roubine Lion & Dragon, Red, Provence (M) – Score: 91 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is raspberry, strawberry, loam, dirt, minerality, and sweet spices. Simple but very nice to pop and enjoy. The mouth of this light to medium-bodied wine is nice, with good acidity, and nice enough tannin, again, a bit simple, with more of the raspberry, strawberry, and a hint of plum, smoke, loam, graphite, and nice overall minerality. The finish is long, balanced, tart, and refreshing, with good mineral, smoke, and tannin lingering long. Nice! Drink by 2025. (tasted November 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14%)

2020 Domaine du Castel Razi’el, Judean Hills – Score: 90 (QPR: EVEN)
This wine is a blend of 75% Syrah, 10% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre, & 5% Carignan. The nose of this wine shows some balance with Syrah-forward blackcurrant, a classic Israel giveaway, sweet spices, Cumin, Cinnamon, cloves, ripe brooding fruit in the background, and sweet cedar. The mouth of this medium-plus bodied wine is ripe, with sweet spices being front and center, followed by the intense oak, sweet blackcurrant, blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry, all ripe, but controlled, wrapped in sweet cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, think Christmas cake spices. The finish is long, ripe, and balanced, with more of the spices, some minerality, black pepper, white pepper, charcoal, and more spices and oak, and ripe fruit, lingering long. Nice! Drink by 2027. (tasted November 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2020 Pescaja Tuké Terre Alfieri Nebbiolo, Terre Alfieri – Score: 90 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is my issue with star anise, rich cherry, horseradish, white pepper, jalapeno, and dense red fruit.
The mouth on this full-bodied wine is richly layered, dense, dark cherry, plum, with candied currants, intense acidity, with a deep and dense tannin mouthfeel, earth, loam, and smoke, a bit too ripe for me.
The finish is long, dense, and dark, with soy sauce, mushroom, wet earth, black and red fruit, leather, coffee, and smoke galore. Drink until 2028. (tasted December 2023) (in Miami, FL) (ABV = 14.5%)

2022 Harkham Semillon, Hunter Valley – Score: 90 (QPR: EVEN)
To start please, do not freak out about the unfiltered look of the wine or the fizz, as there is clear CO2 and the wine is unfiltered. These will not detract from the wine, let the bottle sit open or the wine in your glass, and the fizz will disappear. In many ways, this wine really tastes like a Hefenweiser, strange but OK. The nose of the wine is unique with clean lines, nice citrus, lovely honeysuckle, ginger, wax, and rich floral and lime blossom. The mouth of this light-bodied wine starts with the fizz, once that dissipates, the acidity comes through, along with orange blossom, Kefir lime, honeysuckle, honeyed notes of orange, ginger, grapefruit, and lovely Asian Pear. The finish starts short, with more ginger, lime, and lemon lingering longer. Drink by 2025. (tasted December 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 10.5%)

2021 Chateau Malmaison, Moulis-En-Medoc – Score: 90 (QPR: EVEN)
The wine is a blend of 90% Merlot & 10% Cabernet Franc. The nose of this wine is ripe, a 2021 vintage that is ripe, with notes of candied plum, raspberry, loads of oak, and what feels almost manufactured with milk chocolate-covered oak, just not what I was expecting. It does calm down eventually but the heat is still there. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is ripe, with good acidity, loads of oak, milk chocolate, sweet vanilla, sweet and candied plum, cherry, and raspberry, with green notes in the background, almost like the plum covers up the jalapeno, with sweet tannin, and smoke. Again, much of this calms but what is left is a bit watery and not all there, still better than at opening. The finish is long, and ripe, with too much oak right now, sweet spices, ripe fruit, and roasted herbs lingering long. Drink until 2029. (tasted September 2023) (in San Jose, CA & Paris, France) (ABV = 13.5%)

2021 Flam White Label, Red, Israel – Score: 90 (QPR: EVEN)
I will say that this wine starts horribly upon opening, my original notes look nothing like they do now. At opening essentially, there were no notes, it just said, I do not need to write notes or taste this again. After a day of air, the wine has improved, it is still a wine I do not need, but at least one that some would be interested in. After a day – the nose of this wine is smell-able, it has nice notes of smoke, saline, blueberry, boysenberry, dark cherry, raspberry, soy sauce, and root beer, but the ripe notes are still there and do bother me some. Essentially, if someone said this was a Cali GSM I would have said DUH! The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine has enough acidity, with nice blueberry, boysenberry, dark cherry, raspberry, soy sauce, and root beer, along with some hints of oak, enough tannin, and fruit structure to keep this alive for a few years, not as refreshing as I would like, but not overly overbearing. The finish is long, tart, ripe, and candied, with cherry and raspberry lifesaver, blue Gatorade, and some coffee in the far background. Drink by 2026. (tasted October 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

N.V. Drappier Brut Champagne Carte D’ Or, Champagne (M) – Score: 88 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is where the money is, it is on point, toasty, rich, and redolent, with quince, peach, pear, apple, smoke, rich yeasty notes, and lovely floral notes. The mouth is OK, the acidity is on point, but there is no complexity, the mouthfeel is lacking, and the finish is short, with peach, pear, and acidity lingering long. The mousse is nice and small, but the overall approach is what I am looking for. Drink now. (tasted November 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12%)

2022 ESSA Petit Verdot, Stellenbosch – Score: 88 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is ripe and while it shows some promise the wine overall, at opening feels unidimensional. The nose of this wine is black and blue with ripe fruit, oolong tea, green notes, passion fruit, star fruit, and rich smoke. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe and is missing a bit of acidity, with ripe blackberry, ripe boysenberry, smoke, green notes, oolong, tropical notes, and lovely green notes. The finish is long, black, blue, and smoky, with intense ripeness, tar, and root beer lingering long. Drink until 2026. (tasted September 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14%)

2019 Capcanes La Flor Del Flor Samso, Montsant – Score: 88 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is ripe, Carignan is a ripe wine in Spain, but this is beyond my comfort level, we will see as this wine evolves over the next day or so. The nose of this wine is ripe, with roasted meat, dirt, loam, dark and brooding fruit, root beer, sweet smoke tobacco, sweet plum blossom, and dense smoke. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, layered, and concentrated with candied blackberry, plum, boysenberry, and nice minerality, all wrapped in a dense cover of aggressive tannin, and sweet cedar. The mouth is too fruit-forward for my tastes, it is more candied and liqueur fruit than wine. The finish is long, dark, brooding, and ripe, with leather, sweet smoking tobacco, menthol, and ripe fruit lingering long. After a time, the candied fruit became worse. Drink until 2028. (tasted October 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14,5%)

2022 Chateau Les Riganes Malbec, Bordeaux (M) – Score: 87 (QPR: EVEN)
Overall, I found this, like the other Riganes, to be too unidimensional, too fruity, less complex, and less varietally true. The nose is ripe, and fruity, and has notes of fermented juice, with some acidity, green/ripe notes, ripe red and black fruit, though not tart. The mouth follows the nose, with not enough acidity, or balance, showing black plum, anise, red cherry, and loam. The tannin is nice enough, drink now. (tasted August 2023) (in San Jose, CA & Paris France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2021 Binah Celeste, Pennsylvania – Score: 87 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this semi-sweet wine is ripe, with mango, papaya, lychee, and even some pineapple, an overall ok wine, it has enough acidity, and some interesting fruit focus, but for me, the sweetness throws me off. Nice enough. Drink by 2024. (tasted December 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 11.5%)

2020 Binah Stella, Pennsylvania – Score: 85 (QPR: EVEN)
This is an exact copy of the notes from the 2019 vintage, old, boring, oaky, with enough acidity, and not much else. The green and yellow apple, along with quince dominate the palate and nose, the acidity is good, but the oak is overpowering and the oxidation/funk/reduction is not so enjoyable. Drink now. (tasted December 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12%)

N.V. Champagne Jean Michel Blanc de Blancs, Brut (M) – Score: 86 (QPR: POOR)
The nose of this wine is nice, with good notes of brioche, yeast, quince, peach, sweet apple, and sweet jasmine. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, showing great acidity, lovely yeast, brioche, and nice small mousse bubbles, but simple, without much in the mouth. The finish is a bit short, nice enough, with more acidity, peach, and apricot. Drink now. (tasted December 2023) (in Miami, FL) (ABV = 12.5%)

2022 J. de Villebois Sancerre Rouge, Sancerre – Score: 85 (QPR: POOR)
The nose of this wine is classic, currant, cherry, and a heavy whiff of waxy notes, with roasted herb and not much else. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is simple, it has good acidity, nice green notes, roasted herbs, more currants and cherry, and after that not much else. The finish is long and tart, refreshing, but uni-dimensional. Drink until 2025. (tasted September 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12.5%)

2021 Etoiles de Mondorion, Saint-Emilion – Score: 85 (QPR: POOR)
This wine is a blend of 90% Merlot & 10% Cabernet Franc. The nose of this wine is Jalepeno to start, with red fruit, and black plum, in the background, smoke, loam, green notes galore, and sweet tobacco. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is balanced and nice enough, but it lacks in body, it feels hollow, with good acidity, but too many green notes, too much jalapeno, raspberry, plum, nice enough tannin, and sweet spices. The finish is long, showing too much oak, sweet spices, green notes, and jalapeno linger too long. Sad. Drink until 2027. (tasted September 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12.5%)

2020 Yatir Yatir Creek, Judean Hills – Score: 83 (QPR: POOR)
Yatir used to be a winery I loved, it is so sad to see how far it has gone to sell wine. Still, this is the direction that wineries need to move to sell wine, such is life. This wine is a blend of 84% Syrah, 11% Carignan, & 5% Mourvedre. The nose of this wine is ripe, painfully so, still, the ripe red & blue fruit of this CSM shows well, with nice root beer, watermelon, orange notes, and clear heat, followed by floral notes and loads of smoke. The mouth of this wine is where it all goes wrong, the acidity is there, but the heat of the Carignan and Syrah is absurd and painful, with searing tannin, candied cherry lifesaver, plum liqueur, astringency, and no real joy, no thanks. The finish is fine, but the fruit, body, and weight are unbalanced and so unrefreshing it makes me wonder what they want from wine at Yatir nowadays. Drink until 2026. (tasted October 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2021 Flam Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve, Israel – Score: 83 (QPR: POOR)
WOW, this is another Israeli wine that I wonder who the buying public is. The nose of this wine is so ripe it is painful to smell, literally, still, blackberry, tar, dark cherry, plum, all candied, yes the tar is candied, along with some loam, candied fig sauce, some soy sauce, and everything else is just ripe, candied, and uninteresting. WOW, of the four 14.5% Israeli wines I have tasted tonight, this is the worst, in regards to the balance, the fruit is ripe, unenjoyable, and not refreshing. The blackberry, plum, and cherry are all candied and liqueur-based, the tannin is not enjoyable, the acidity is there but it does not help the wine in any manner. The finish is there, a bit short, lacking focus, desire for a direction, just fruit, oak, smoke, and tannin. Yeah, no thanks! Drink hy 2026. (tasted October 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2020 Yatir Mount Amasa, Red, Judean Hills – Score: 82 (QPR: POOR)
This wine is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Shiraz, 14% Petit Verdot, 12% Tannat, 11% Malbec, 7% Merlot, & 2% Cabernet Franc. The nose is ripe, at 14.5% it feels far riper and far hotter, the heat is what heats you first, followed by blackcurrant, blackberry, blue fruit, root beer, tar, and dirt. The overall nose is muddled and lost by all the ripe and overbearing fruit. Wow, the mouth is too ripe, it lacks acidity and balance, and it lacks everything I want in a wine. Instead, this wine has loads of overripe blackberry, boysenberry, plum, cherry, cloying, and candied fruit, with no acidity, green notes, and softening tannin. The finish is short, cloying, and painful. Drink by 2025. (tasted October 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2020 Yatir Forest, Judean Hills – Score: 87 (QPR: BAD)
This wine is a blend of 38% Cabernet Franc, 33% Petit Verdot, 17% Merlot, & 12% Cabernet Franc. The nose of this wine is ripe, and slightly balanced, which may improve with air, but the fruit is ripe, candied, and pushing on absurd, with black, red, and blue fruit, smoke, sweet oak, black tea, sweet spices, and oak so much oak! The mouth of this full-bodied wine has some acidity, the main issue is the fruit, another fruit bomb, with blackberry, plum, boysenberry, all wrapped in candy, sweet oak, and tannin that is aggressive. The finish is long, and ripe, with candied spices, sweet candy-flavored cinnamon, cloves, root beer, milk-chocolate-covered tobacco, and smoke. Drink by 2028. (tasted November 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

N.V. Champagne Jean Michel, Brut, Champagne (M) – Score: 85 (QPR: BAD)
The nose of this wine is ok, showing sweet apple, quince, smoke, and brioche. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is OK, it feels a bit flat, with enough acidity, good brioche, nice yeasty notes, apple, and quince, and not much else. The finish is better, with more apple, and brioche. Drink now! (tasted December 2023) (in Miami, FL) (ABV = 12.5%)

N.V. Champagne Jean Michel, Rose, Brut, Champagne (M) – Score: 78 (QPR: BAD)
This has no acidity, and no bubbles, a poor attempt, next! (tasted December 2023) (in Miami, FL) (ABV = 12.5%)

2018 Tabor Merlot, Adama, Galilee – Score: 78 (QPR: NA)
The nose of this wine is so ripe and out of balance, it is painful. The nose is simply overripe fruit, oak, and not much else. The mouth is so over the top I have no interest in tasting it again, what I have tasted is overripe blueberry, blackberry, plum, smoke, and loads of sweet oak. Next! (tasted November 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 14.5%)

2023 J-Folk Chenin Blanc, South Africa (M) – Score: 78 (QPR: N.A.)
I will keep this simple, the acidity is missing the wine has RS and it is all over the place. I have no need. (tasted September 2023) (in San Jose, CA) (ABV = 12.5%)

2021 Lovatelli Primitivo – Score: 75 (QPR: N/A)
Painful candid date juice, hard pass