I am one of many who find Duckhorn Merlot to be one of the best Merlots from the U.S., though most wine lovers know of their Merlots, most wine lovers in Iceland do not know of their of their overall wide range of wines, ranging from Paso Robles, Central Coast, Napa, Sonoma and all the way up to Washington State.
Not so long ago the importer of Duckhorn decided to import more of their wines from the other regions and gave me a chance to taste them. I willing be describing the wines imported to Iceland in three installments, with different types mixed together so you will not get too bored. Let´s start with some of the Napa and Paso Robles wines.
Postmark, Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 from Paso Robles, is without a doubt one of the better wines I have tasted from that area. A well developed wine, open in the nose with a slight green pepper, blackcurrant and black pepper aroma. This is a heavy, heady tasting wine with lots of spice, pepper, coffee, blackfruit, dark chocolate and alcohol taste. The aftertaste is long with a slight burning sensation from the high alcohol. Great wine that needs some decanting to soften it up a little. Great buy at only 4.755 kr.
Postmark, Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 from Napa Valley shows how much the terrain truly matters when it comes to wine (even in California). Even though the wine has a heavy aroma, the aroma has more dark chocolate, vanilla, and alcohol than the Paso Robles wine. The taste is fantastic with lots of chocolate, foret fruit, coffee vanilla and spice to it. The aftertaste is long with lots of tannin. This is a year older than the Paso Robles Postmark which softens it up a little. Great wine at a great price of only 4.755 kr.
Paraduxx Napa Valley 2014, is a special wine, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Petite Verdot, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Malbec! This is a heavy wine both in the aroma and taste. You can find Blueberry, milk chocolate, espresso coffee, back fruit jam and vanilla in it. The aftertaste is long and heavy with lots of alcohol. A 7 year old wine that tastes great now and you don´t have to keep, but will stay well for at least 3-4 more years. The price is 6.091 kr.
Goldeneye Pinot Noir 2016 from Anderson Valley
Shows once again that it is possible to make a good California Pinot Noir. This wine is silky soft and smooth like a good Burguny premier cru would taste like. Here we have some cherries, cedar and lyng berry in the aroma. The taste is smooth and has a cherry, graham cracker and lyng taste, the wine has a good balance og fruit and tannins. Ready to drink now, enjoy with a lighter bird og pork meal. The price is: 6.484 kr.
Calera Pinot Noir 2015, Central Coast, Kalifornía, U.S.A.
This is a wine I wrote about in December 2020, not much has changed.
I have been lucky enough to taste so many great wines that I very seldom have a „holy shit!“ moment anymore. What type of moment is that? That is when a wine comes around and is so much more than you expect, and you sit there and say „holy shit!!“ And that is what happened here! I was a little worried, even though this is a good producer, we are talking about a 5 year old Pinot Noir from Central Coast, not exactly the hot bed of Pinot Noir wines. Needless to say, I should not have worried, the wine was great.
A really open nose with cherries, slight oak and earth was followed by a great taste, consisting of oak, toast, truffles, milk chocolate, coffee and cherries. The aftertaste was long with great tannins. But remember, this is a Pinot Noir and even though the wine has a lot of taste doesn´t mean it´s a heavy metal monster. It is also quite intricate like a good Pinot Noir should be. It should be perfect with Turkey over the holidays. I usually do not write about wines that are not easily accesible in the Á.T.V.R., but the price of 4.519 kr. is too good to ignore, contact by e-mail the importer foroyabjor@foroyabjor.is or gsm:7703434 and they can help you.
Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County 2018.
Is a typical good old fashioned California Cab. Strong tasting, medium bodied with lots of green pepper og black fruit aroma. There are lots of green pepper, balckcurrant, pepper brown sugar and nutmeg in the taste and the balnce of tannin and fruit is very good. This is a wine that could use 3-4 more years of aging. A wine that fits perfectly to my taste, I can see having this one with grilled lamb chops this summer. The price is 4.781 kr.
