Nose: The nose has balance and warmth to it with baking spices, red cherries, rhubarb, red fruits, raspberries, and earth notes. There is a tart quality to the fruit with good depth.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity and medium+ tannins. The tannins are silky and refined with the acidity providing a nice spine. The feel is rounded with baking spices, red cherries, red fruits, raspberries, and some rhubarb.
Overall: This was still showing some whole cluster notes on the nose and palate. It is rounding into form and still has another 3+ years of development and the structure to hold further.
Nose: The nose is aromatic and balanced with earth tones, leather, rasbperries, dark red cherries, and potpourri. There is good depth to this as well while bringing an earthier side.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity and medium+ tannins. The structure is supportive right now, but it is a bit sneaky as the tannins have a chewiness to them and the acidity is sharp. The feel is lithe with earth tones, leather, raspberries, and dark red cherries.
Overall: This is an outstanding Cotes du Jura Rouge. It shows off the rusticity of the region while also having a lot of the perfume. This could certainly last a while longer, but it is really pretty right now.
Nose: The nose is highly aromatic and defined with white fruits, mineral tones, pears, warm bread, and green apples. There is a salinity and precision to the nose with excellent depth.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity. The acidity has some real punch behind it with white fruits, minerals, pears, warm bread, and some saline notes.
Overall: This is a lovely Blanc de Blancs. It is still extremely fresh and aromatic with a primary side to it. This feels like it can easily age another 10-12 years, but is drinking beautifully right now.
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, El Dorado County
Nose: The nose is balanced and fragrant with white fruits, pears, mineral tones, white florals, and baked dough. The aromatics are really enticing and with good depth.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity. The acidity is crisp and refreshing with white fruits, pears, mineral tones, and baked dough.
Overall: This is a really enjoyable domestic sparkler. It's well balanced and is a real fun use of one of the 7 permitted grapes for champagne.
Nose: The nose is open and fresh with white fruits, limes, mineral tones, red apples, white florals, and some dried linen notes. There is excellent depth with a highly aromatic take.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity. The acidity is youthful and sharp with white fruits, limes, minerals, red apples, and dried linen.
Overall: This is extremely youthful, but really delightful right now. There is excellent depth and balance with a spring time quality that is very enticing.
Nose: The nose is classic Rioja with dill, sour red cherries, herbs, leather, earth tones, strawberries, and tobacco. There is excellent depth with the signature american oak notes.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity and medium+ tannins. The tannins are fine grained and supporting with sour red cherries, strawberries, dill notes, leather, tobacco, and earth tones.
Overall: This is drinking beautifully. It's well balanced and quintessential Rioja Reserva.
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
Nose: The nose is mature, refined, and aromatic with dill, vanilla, red cheries, red currants, cedar, tobacco, and cranberries. There is excellent depth with it showing off a lot of balance and harmony that maturity brings.
Taste: Full bodied with medium acidity and medium tannins. The tannins are well resolved with dill, herbs, red cherries, cranberries, cedar, and tobacco.
Overall: This was wonderful. Smith-Madrone Cabs seem to fly a little under the radar and yet they are usually lovely spring mountain cabs. It's impressive that this isn't just holding up, but it's thriving and is a picture perfect mature California Cabernet.
Nose: The nose is rich with black cherries, spices, vanilla notes, liqueur tones, black raspberries, and licorice.
Taste: Full bodied with medium tannins and medium- acidity. The feel is lush with the tannins playing a supporting role along with black cherries, vanilla, black raspberries, and licorice.
Overall: This is a very good Malbec blend that has some age on it. I don't think it's really gone anywhere of note, but it hasn't fallen off a cliff. It's more smooth around the edges with an upfront style.
2007 Rhys Alesia Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 90 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Nose: The nose has balance and warmth to it with baking spices, red cherries, rhubarb, red fruits, raspberries, and earth notes. There is a tart quality to the fruit with good depth.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity and medium+ tannins. The tannins are silky and refined with the acidity providing a nice spine. The feel is rounded with baking spices, red cherries, red fruits, raspberries, and some rhubarb.
Overall: This was still showing some whole cluster notes on the nose and palate. It is rounding into form and still has another 3+ years of development and the structure to hold further.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2014 Domaine de la Pépière Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie Vieilles Vignes Clos des Briords 91 Points
France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie
Nose: The nose is highly aromatic with crushed rocks, sea shells, lemon zest, white fruits, some baked dough, and pears.
Taste: Light bodied with high acidity. The acidity is sharp, but refreshing with crushed rocks, sea shells, baked dough, pears, and white fruits.
Overall: This is a pitch-perfect Muscadet for me. It's well balanced and immensely fresh with a crispness to it that scratches all the itches.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2005 Jean Bourdy Côtes du Jura Rouge 91 Points
France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
Nose: The nose is aromatic and balanced with earth tones, leather, rasbperries, dark red cherries, and potpourri. There is good depth to this as well while bringing an earthier side.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity and medium+ tannins. The structure is supportive right now, but it is a bit sneaky as the tannins have a chewiness to them and the acidity is sharp. The feel is lithe with earth tones, leather, raspberries, and dark red cherries.
Overall: This is an outstanding Cotes du Jura Rouge. It shows off the rusticity of the region while also having a lot of the perfume. This could certainly last a while longer, but it is really pretty right now.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2006 J.L. Vergnon Expression 92 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Nose: The nose is highly aromatic and defined with white fruits, mineral tones, pears, warm bread, and green apples. There is a salinity and precision to the nose with excellent depth.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity. The acidity has some real punch behind it with white fruits, minerals, pears, warm bread, and some saline notes.
Overall: This is a lovely Blanc de Blancs. It is still extremely fresh and aromatic with a primary side to it. This feels like it can easily age another 10-12 years, but is drinking beautifully right now.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2013 Dirty and Rowdy Pinot Blanc Traditional Method 90 Points
USA, California, Sierra Foothills, El Dorado County
Nose: The nose is balanced and fragrant with white fruits, pears, mineral tones, white florals, and baked dough. The aromatics are really enticing and with good depth.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity. The acidity is crisp and refreshing with white fruits, pears, mineral tones, and baked dough.
Overall: This is a really enjoyable domestic sparkler. It's well balanced and is a real fun use of one of the 7 permitted grapes for champagne.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2015 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Le Haut-Lieu 91 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Nose: The nose is open and fresh with white fruits, limes, mineral tones, red apples, white florals, and some dried linen notes. There is excellent depth with a highly aromatic take.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity. The acidity is youthful and sharp with white fruits, limes, minerals, red apples, and dried linen.
Overall: This is extremely youthful, but really delightful right now. There is excellent depth and balance with a spring time quality that is very enticing.
Post a Comment / 3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2001 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial 91 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Nose: The nose is classic Rioja with dill, sour red cherries, herbs, leather, earth tones, strawberries, and tobacco. There is excellent depth with the signature american oak notes.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity and medium+ tannins. The tannins are fine grained and supporting with sour red cherries, strawberries, dill notes, leather, tobacco, and earth tones.
Overall: This is drinking beautifully. It's well balanced and quintessential Rioja Reserva.
Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
1985 Smith-Madrone Cabernet Sauvignon 93 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
Nose: The nose is mature, refined, and aromatic with dill, vanilla, red cheries, red currants, cedar, tobacco, and cranberries. There is excellent depth with it showing off a lot of balance and harmony that maturity brings.
Taste: Full bodied with medium acidity and medium tannins. The tannins are well resolved with dill, herbs, red cherries, cranberries, cedar, and tobacco.
Overall: This was wonderful. Smith-Madrone Cabs seem to fly a little under the radar and yet they are usually lovely spring mountain cabs. It's impressive that this isn't just holding up, but it's thriving and is a picture perfect mature California Cabernet.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2005 Monteviejo Monteviejo 88 Points
Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco
Nose: The nose is rich with black cherries, spices, vanilla notes, liqueur tones, black raspberries, and licorice.
Taste: Full bodied with medium tannins and medium- acidity. The feel is lush with the tannins playing a supporting role along with black cherries, vanilla, black raspberries, and licorice.
Overall: This is a very good Malbec blend that has some age on it. I don't think it's really gone anywhere of note, but it hasn't fallen off a cliff. It's more smooth around the edges with an upfront style.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue