USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Moderate plus concentration gold in the glass. Savory, well-integrated oak (toast, pie crust), slight reduction (rubber ball), but also signs of age (nuttiness, hazelnut). Noissette butter. Lemon curd. Slight browned apple. Super well-integrated wood.
Creme brulee. Butterscotch Alcohol is elevated - 13.5% (15%). Acid is elevated - clean tartaric. Finish is a bit short. There's a savoriness that's amazing. slight dusty dry earth.
Primarily savory.
2005 Meursault, Premier Cru.
CA: Too well-structured, high acid. But it could be. Chassagne or Puligny? could be, but I think the oak is ~50% New, French.
2009 Un-filtered, Dehlinger Chardonnay - Russian River Valley.
Medium plus ruby, slight garnet at the rim. Dense nose - slight green olive, blue fruit, cassis, ripe plum, black liquorice, intense blackberry jam (merlot fruit). Slight damp potting soil. Slight meatiness. New oak - maybe 50% new barrels, sweet toast, baking spices. Salvadorean tamales - green olive and hominy.
Medium plus body. Elevated alcohol - 14.5% (12.7%! ) Elevated acid - a bit tart. Elevated tannins - papery, oak-influenced, a bit scratchy and slightly bitter. Finish is moderate.
Texturally - it has a density to it, a texture.
This is ripe but structured.
Pyrazines --> Cabernet family. Intensity of fruit --> New World. Oak treatment: Merlot, Cab.
Cabernet, New-world, some place with structure and ripeness. 2012 Santa Cruz Mtn Cab - mountain fruit?
Medium minus ruby to a garnet rim. Beautiful and savory nose of dill pickle chips!, dusty leather, dried cranberries. Rich, ripe, and compelling. Estery. In the mouth, vibrant and yet elegant with age and softened by oxidation. There's fruit, but seen through dusty stained-glass. A bit dusty fruit. Medium bodied. Elevated alcohol - 14%(correct) Elevated acid. Medium tannins - softened and tissue-paper like.
It’s produced from a blend of 89% Tempranillo and 11% Mazuelo The Tempranillo ages in American oak barrels and the Mazuelo in French ones, both for a period of 30 months
Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Bright. Moderate-concentration ruby.
There is something I can't place here.
Estery, rich on the nose. Incredibly jammy strawberry - like smuckers jam, with a slight bitterness and a hint of earth. Sweet - slight RS (2-3g?). Ripe, high alcohol - 15%, elevated acid - possibly acidified? (it's not acidified, just bitter and high acid). Diminished tannins. Slight suggestion of black pepper, but not sure.
No overt oak.
Super-ripe.
Australia Grenache - A bit dark for Grenache. Australia Shiraz - no, too strawberry. California Grenache?
Australia, GSM Blend, Barossa valley. 2013.
Well done!
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But the rs and jamminess 2008 accordini Igino "Le Bessole" Amarone 15% alcohol. Corvina e Corvinoni 70%, Rondinella 20%, Rossignola 10%
Medium plus ruby to a garnet rim. Dark dusty fruit, with strong brett (horse) and barnyard. Some savory fruit emerges - blackberry liqueur, slight coffee notes (used, partial new oak?)
Rich, high alcohol, 15% (actually 14%) Diminished acid. Medium plus tannins. (actually high) Moderate bitterness. Aftertaste of strong brett - apple cider in london.
Old world wine from a warm climate: GSM blend from Southern Rhone (CdP?) 2007.
Italy: acid isn't high enough. Bordeaux: ditto. New world: too much brett. Spain; acid isn't high enough.
2009 Dehlinger Chardonnay 85 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Moderate plus concentration gold in the glass.
Savory, well-integrated oak (toast, pie crust), slight reduction (rubber ball), but also signs of age (nuttiness, hazelnut). Noissette butter. Lemon curd. Slight browned apple. Super well-integrated wood.
Creme brulee. Butterscotch
Alcohol is elevated - 13.5% (15%).
Acid is elevated - clean tartaric.
Finish is a bit short.
There's a savoriness that's amazing.
slight dusty dry earth.
Primarily savory.
2005 Meursault, Premier Cru.
CA: Too well-structured, high acid. But it could be.
Chassagne or Puligny? could be, but I think the oak is ~50% New, French.
2009 Un-filtered, Dehlinger Chardonnay - Russian River Valley.
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2011 Ridge Merlot Torre Ranch Monte Bello 85 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Medium plus ruby, slight garnet at the rim.
Dense nose - slight green olive, blue fruit, cassis, ripe plum, black liquorice, intense blackberry jam (merlot fruit). Slight damp potting soil. Slight meatiness. New oak - maybe 50% new barrels, sweet toast, baking spices. Salvadorean tamales - green olive and hominy.
Medium plus body. Elevated alcohol - 14.5% (12.7%! )
Elevated acid - a bit tart.
Elevated tannins - papery, oak-influenced, a bit scratchy and slightly bitter.
Finish is moderate.
Texturally - it has a density to it, a texture.
This is ripe but structured.
Pyrazines --> Cabernet family.
Intensity of fruit --> New World.
Oak treatment: Merlot, Cab.
Cabernet, New-world, some place with structure and ripeness.
2012 Santa Cruz Mtn Cab - mountain fruit?
Actually 2011 Torre Merlot, Ridge.
--> Gingerbread (american oak.) Dill, toasted coconut.
--> Merlot: chocolate - milk chocolate?
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2005 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial 91 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Medium minus ruby to a garnet rim.
Beautiful and savory nose of dill pickle chips!, dusty leather, dried cranberries. Rich, ripe, and compelling. Estery.
In the mouth, vibrant and yet elegant with age and softened by oxidation. There's fruit, but seen through dusty stained-glass. A bit dusty fruit.
Medium bodied.
Elevated alcohol - 14%(correct)
Elevated acid.
Medium tannins - softened and tissue-paper like.
It’s produced from a blend of 89% Tempranillo and 11% Mazuelo
The Tempranillo ages in American oak barrels and the Mazuelo in French ones, both for a period of 30 months
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2008 Igino Accordini Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Le Bessole 90 Points
Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Bright. Moderate-concentration ruby.
There is something I can't place here.
Estery, rich on the nose. Incredibly jammy strawberry - like smuckers jam, with a slight bitterness and a hint of earth.
Sweet - slight RS (2-3g?). Ripe, high alcohol - 15%, elevated acid - possibly acidified? (it's not acidified, just bitter and high acid). Diminished tannins. Slight suggestion of black pepper, but not sure.
No overt oak.
Super-ripe.
Australia Grenache - A bit dark for Grenache.
Australia Shiraz - no, too strawberry.
California Grenache?
Australia, GSM Blend, Barossa valley. 2013.
Well done!
-----------
But the rs and jamminess
2008 accordini Igino "Le Bessole" Amarone 15% alcohol.
Corvina e Corvinoni 70%, Rondinella 20%, Rossignola 10%
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1998 Domaine La Suffrene Bandol 90 Points
France, Provence, Bandol
Medium plus ruby to a garnet rim.
Dark dusty fruit, with strong brett (horse) and barnyard. Some savory fruit emerges - blackberry liqueur, slight coffee notes (used, partial new oak?)
Rich, high alcohol, 15% (actually 14%)
Diminished acid.
Medium plus tannins. (actually high)
Moderate bitterness.
Aftertaste of strong brett - apple cider in london.
Old world wine from a warm climate:
GSM blend from Southern Rhone (CdP?) 2007.
Italy: acid isn't high enough.
Bordeaux: ditto.
New world: too much brett.
Spain; acid isn't high enough.
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2012 Churchill Vineyards Riesling Erik Schat's Flawed
USA, California, Sierra Foothills
So reduced I couldn't stand smelling it. It physically hurt.
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