Tasting Notes 946 found

Well balanced wine with a tobacco or vegetal forward nose and flavors on the palate. Smooth. Initially thought it was a little tight, but opened up quickly with aeration. (61 views)

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This is just tremendous. Overly tremendous. The depth of flavors and the complexity. It’s maybe technically a Bordeaux blend, but the percentages are almost inverse, with far more Malbec and Petit Verdot than Cab, Cab Franc, and Merlot than a typical Bordeaux blend. And it works so well. Just love this wine. Have several more bottles slightly younger and I can’t wait to drink them. (50 views)

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What a nice surprise. Given the price, I had lower expectations. But no, this is a very drinkable wine. It has the Touriga National grape (30%) that Portugal is so famous for, but also the Castelāo grape (70%) with which I am not familiar. To me, it has many similar characteristics as a Sangiovese. Cherry dominates, with maybe some fig, plum, and spice. It’s a really nice wine, particularly for the price point. Glad we have two more bottles. (59 views)

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Still a nice bottle! Wasn’t sure how their wines would age, but this still tastes very good. Good complexity, nice flavors. Good treat with dinner last night. (41 views)

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Very, very good Pinot. Still, not Saintsbury’s best for my particular palate. First thing that hits is unripe cherry and unripe berry fruits. Then, earth and maybe some tobacco hits you. It’s a very nice balance. It’s a very good Pinot overall. Near the top. But there are some other Saintsbury’s I’ve liked better. (I’ve written reviews on those as well.) But, realistically, this is in the top 5-7 Pinots I’ve ever had. Very, very good. :-) (142 views)

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Minerality, graphite, fig (but had with fig jam to be fair), blueberry, blackberry. Very nice wine. (64 views)

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I know. 94 is an incredibly high score, but this is by far and away the best, most complex, most well balanced Merlot I’ve ever had. On the nose it has graphite, blueberry, maybe plum. Cedar is strong as well. On the palate, it is simply supple. Velvety. It is perfect in its moderate acidity and very soft tannins. The above flavors just burst from the wine plus maybe some vanilla and cocoa.

I’m just floored. I always thought I had had very good Merlots, and I think I have, but nothing comes close to this wine. For the price point, I would put it up against a California cab at 2 or 3 times the price - a $70 - $110 bottle, and I think it would hold its own very well.

If you are familiar with the movie Bottle Shock and the story of Chateau Montelena defeating the French wines in blind tastings in 1976, that’s about how my wife and I felt drinking this wine. It is virtually perfect. And at this moment, I’m so happy I have three more bottles. :-) (113 views)

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A bit lighter for a Cabernet Franc that I expected. But nonetheless a fantastic bottle of wine. Very fresh and bright. A lot of minerality both on the nose and palate, especially graphite. Unripe bright red fruit. Had with a charcuterie plate. Great pairing.
(163 views)

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Enjoyed this with friends straight up - not paired with a meal. Good sipping wine. Smooth and silky. Got a lot of plum and to my nose, red meat. Definitely cedar wood. Very good merlot. (125 views)

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This wine is ridiculously good at this point. It’s drinking more or less perfectly for a Zin. Lots of fruit: Raspberry, ripe cherry, maybe even some muddled blackberry. Oak, cedar. Just maturing extremely well. Probably good for a number of years more even though Zins tend to not age much past 8 years. It’s just a super solid wine. (172 views)

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Decent under $20 Chianti. Nothing exceptional, but pretty easy drinking. Lots of acidity which paired nicely with Italian sausage tortellini soup. But would I drink it straight on its own? No. Definitely pair with something with a little spice, red sauce, a meat pizza. Tart cherry, low tannin, tobacco, maybe some other citrus fruit happening. (225 views)

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Nice merlot. Good at the price point. Very middle of the road flavor wise. On the more fruit forward side. Pairs well with a wide variety of foods. (85 views)

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I have to echo what Darius Koenig said in the last review. This was a very interesting wine. You can tell it’s a bit older, but great flavors as described. We got a very little bit of green pepper on the nose in addition. (87 views)

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Drank this a month ago and thought it was past its prime. This was our only other bottle and wow. It’s a lot better. Must be a difference between bottles. This is a moderately heavy cab, but not jammy at all. Very clean. Strong tobacco leaves, some green pepper, a bit herbaceous, slightly tannic fruits, oak. Really a very nicely balanced wine. Had with prime rib. Awesome. (159 views)

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Delicious full bodied Sauvignon Blanc. Citrus, grasses. Interestingly, my wife found it to be crisp and clean. I found it to be oaky and a little buttery. #differenttastebuds. But we both really enjoyed it. (160 views)

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