Wines that have got 4,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP, part 2 of 5

​

Only the wines that still have aging potential (the largest majority of the wines here) and the few others that have no aging potential but are still in really good condition to drink are shown here. This applies regardless of the year in which the wine/wines was/were tasted. Note that if some wine has aging potential, it appears from the wine's description.

​

Wines that have got 3,5 NJP of 5,0 NJP   Wines that have got 4,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP   Wines that have got 4,5 NJP of 5,0 NJP   Wines that have got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP

​

Part 1 of 5   Part 2 of 5   Part 3 of 5   Part 4 of 5   Part 5 of 5

 

Morlet Family Vineyards, Cœur de Vallée, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2014, red dry blend wine, Oakville, Napa Valley, North Coast, California, USA, 4,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (90 points of 100 points) (02-05-2020 by Nenad Jelisic)

 

This wine benefits a lot from decanting. Its aroma richness, flavour richness and complexity are strongly favoured by it. The aroma is wonderful, sweet spicy and complex with sweet spices, cocoa-rich dark chocolate, sweet tobacco, dried dark cherries, crème de cassis and dried plums. The flavour is complex and sweet spicy with cocoa-rich dark chocolate, sweet spices, dark ripe cherries, sweet tobacco and black pepper. The interplay between tannins, acidity and fruitiness is really good. Morlet Family Vineyards Cœur de Vallée Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 will developed for at least 10 years i.e. until at least 2030. It consists of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Cabernet Franc. The soils on which the grapes for this wine grow consists of alluvial soils. The grapes for the wine are harvested by hand. After careful selection in both vineyards and winery, careful destemming and crushing, the wine is fermented/macerated with natural yeast in stainless steel tanks and puncheons (600 litres oak barrels). After the fermentation and the maceration, the wine is aged in new barriques (225 litres oak barrels) for 16 months and finally in bottles for a few weeks. The wine is not filtered. Morlet Family Vineyards Cœur de Vallée Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 should be served at 18 to 19°C in Bordeaux glasses, if possible, from Orrefors, Kosta Boda, Spiegelau or Riedel. Start by serving it at 16°C (when room temperature is over 20°C or outdoor temperature is over 23°C) and then enjoy it when it starts to grow in the glass. If the wine would be drank today, it should be decanted for at least two hours. It should be enjoyed with reindeer stew with buttery mashed potatoes or with wild stew (wild boar, deer and moose or any of these) with chanterelles or porcini and jasmine rice or with burgundy meat stew (boeuf bourguignon) or with Swedish meatballs with cream sauce and  buttery mashed potatoes or with hard cheeses such as Västerbottensost, Grana Padano and Parmesan. Morlet Family Vineyards Cœur de Vallée Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 is a really good wine, but if you want to get in the wine heaven, you have to taste the Morlet Family Vineyards Passionnément Cabernet Sauvignon 2012, which is a 100 Cabernet Sauvignon-wine that got 5,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (100 points of 100 points) of NJ Wines in November 2018.

​

Merryvale Vineyards, Profile, 2015, red dry blend wine, Napa Valley, North Coast, California, USA, 4,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (90 points of 100 points) (12-05-2019 by Nenad Jelisic)

 

Profile 2015 is a wine that makes you happy when you taste it. It is hard to stop smiling when one has smelled and tasted the wine. The wine really shows how high class Merryvale Vineyards winemaking and vineyards holds. The aroma is very complex with blackcurrants, dark cherries, dark chocolate and a hint of cedar and roasted coffee beans. The flavour is long and elegant with a velvety tannin structure, in combination with a good acidity. A very well-balanced wine where the aftertaste remains for a long time. This wine is great to drink now and will benefit from decanting. Those who really want to enjoy how the wine develops in the glass, it is recommended not to decant it. The wine will continue to develop for at least 10 years in the wine cellar i.e. until 2029. Merryvale Vineyards Profile 2015 goes very well with grilled lamb chops with buttery mashed potatoes and red wine sauce or with a classic Coeur de filet Provencale with pan-fried potatoes with garlic or with different types of hard cheeses such as Cheddar, Svecia, Västerbottensost, Parmesan and Grana Padano. Drink the wine at 18°C in real Bordeaux glasses, if possible, from Orrefors, Kosta Boda, Spiegelau or Riedel. The grapes for the Merryvale Vineyards Profile 2015 come from a steep part of the Profile Estate Vineyard, which is located in the eastern corner of St. Helena appellation (AVA). The wine is produced from a blend of grapes of 90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The grapes are hand-harvested at night in order to them will come in the winery early in the morning and as fresh as possible. The grapes are sorted by hand. Each part of the vineyard is fermented separately in small tanks. After that the wine has been fermented and macerated for 15 days, it is racked to oak barrels where malolactic fermentation takes place and then a 26-month long aging. 80% of the oak barrels consist of new French oak barrels. After the aging, the wine is bottled without fining and filtration.

​

Gusbourne, Blanc de Blancs, 2013 (46 EUR/52 USD in Sweden) white dry sparkling wine, Kent, England, UK, 4,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP (90 points of 100 points) (06-01-2019 by Nenad Jelisic)

 

It has happened a lot with sparkling wines from England (UK) over the past fifteen years. And here comes the first sparkling wine from the county of Kent in England, which is made according to the Champagne method, that gets 4,0 NJP of 5,0 NJP. The fact that this sparkling wine is served as an aperitif during visiting heads of state at Buckingham Palace does not surprise NJ Wines at all. The wine has a wonderful aroma of toast, brioche and yellow apples. The flavour is complex and has a really good minerality, and clear citrus fruits, yellow apples and hazelnuts. It has a very good balance between acidity, sweetness, fruitiness and minerality. Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2013 has a good aging potential of up to 5 years (2024), but it will be drinkable for a long time. It will fit very well as an aperitif or with a luxurious lobster soup with a little saffron or with freshly cooked langoustine (scampi) or with gratinated lobster (not seasoned with hot spices) or with soft tunnbröd (the Swedish version of flatbread) with cold smoked salmon, horseradish and cream cheese (type Philadelphia Original) or with Bouillabaisse (southern French soup). It should be drunk at 8°C, if possible, from real champagne glasses from Orrefors, Kosta Boda, Spiegelau or Riedel. Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs is a sparkling wine made from 100% Chardonnay. Grapes that is used for the wine come from vines that are barely 16 years old and that grow in soil consisting of sand, silt and clay in south-facing position in Appledore in Kent, England. The grapes are harvested by hand and carefully selected both in field and in vineyard. Then they are gently whole bunch pressed and their must is fermented in stainless steel tanks for 10 to 12 days under controlled temperature of 18 to 20°C. Except a small portion of must that is fermented in oak barrels to increase the complexity of the future wine. Then the wine undergoes a 100% malolactic fermentation (the second fermentation) and is bottled for a third fermentation in bottle. When the wine’s fermentation has been done, it is aged on its lees for at least 28 months and another 3 months in bottle before it is released on the market. If Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2013, from the barely 16 year old vines, smells and tastes so good, one can only imagine how incredibly good it will smell and taste when the vines are 20 years or older.

​​

Previous page   Next page