P: LM body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) offset by an acidity which morphs into a LONG, balanced finish with POSS just the BAREST hint of a very, VERY slight bitterness that would NOT be a problem with food for now & into '21. Lacking a bit in substance, or my VG/VG+ (86-89/100 using that metric) would be higher, though even as is, my VG+ *might* be a go based upon QPR for this 1-L bottle. [This vendor's $12.99 puts it in the TOP 1/3 of wine-searcher's postings.]
“60% Grenache & 40% Carignan from vines ave 50 yrs of age in the schist & limestone soils of Corbieres; The Grenache is destemmed at low temps with a short maceration. Carignan undergoes carbonic maceration, fining, filtration, & cold stabilization. 14.5% ABV; $11.99 sugg retail;”
N: BRIGHT red rasps, poss straws, with hints of earth?
P: LM, poss Lt, body; RNDISH entry with nice, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which fairly seamlessly evolves into a LONG, balanced finish with a pleasant tangy/swtness & OCCASIONAL *notes* of very, VERY slight bitterness to the FEW, still somewhat firming, very, VERY slight tannins. For now & probably through '21. My VG, arg VG+ for QPR in a versatile, marginally Pinot-like style that I suspect could take a chill & even work with seafood. 87 pts Dunnuck (3/’19) & 86 WA (Czerwinski, 9/’18). [I saw no other source with which to compare this vendor's $9.99.]
“The Willamette Valley P.N. bottling ‘Reserve’ is almost entirely made up of barrels that simply were not included in a more prestigious bottling. The 2018 has a make-up of slightly > 40% from our Estate Vyd from which we bottled 6 individual single vyd/block bottlings in 2018. The next 3 highest sources of wine come from Freedom Hill Vyd (1 of the most famous vyds in Oregon), Durant Vyd (from which we bottle 2 P.N.s from vines ranging from 19-46 yrs in vine age), & a vyd so famous that the winery that owns it won’t let us put the name of the vyd on the vyd designated bottling of it that we do, let alone tell you it is one of the mainstays in our least expensive wine! 4,977 cases bottled.”
N: Wild red straws with notes of plums, poss flowers
P: Med, poss LM, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which stays in contact with the init frt as it fairly seamlessly works its way into & through the LONG, balanced, very, VERY slightly puckerish finish with a discrete swtness to the unoffensively firming, very, VERY fine tannins. Acidophiles for now, others cellar 12-24 mos, then drink into '24. Nicely done! My EXC-/EXC, the higher for QPR with a bit of time. 13.7% ABV; 92 pts WS (Fish). [This vendor's $21.99 is as good as any currently on wine-searcher.]
“From vines ave 20 yrs of age grown in the clay & limestone soils of a 4 ha vyd located in the village of Veive, next to Mango, within the Alba zone; Fermented in temp-controlled s/s tank for 2-3 wks; Wine aged 12 mos in oak (50% 225-L barrels, 50% 5-HL botti), then racked into s/s before being bottled unfiltered;”
N: Cherries, hints of pyrazines, poss minerals?
P: LM body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which transitions into a LONG, balanced finish with a tangy/SWTNESS to the dusty tannins. Though the tannins are NOT offensive, I suspect this still NEEDS through '21 for them to back off, & I'm not sure WHAT the frt will be like then. 14% ABV; My VG, which could well be an underrate, particularly given the QPR of this vendor's $11.99, which compares favorably with the importer's $14.
“50% ea Malbec & Syrah from vines ave 18 yrs of age & planted in sandy/calcareous soils @ 3,700 ft elev; 15 day fermentation in concrete tank using native yeasts; Aged 6 months in Concrete Egg; Light cartridge filtration; 13.8% ABV;”
N: Fragrantly RIPE berries with smoke & hints of pyrazines coming forward with addt'l swirling
P: LM body; Rndish entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which fairly seamlessly works its way into & through the LONG, balanced finish with a tangy/swtness & at least occasional very, VERY slight bitterness to the few, fairly innocuous, yet firming, dusty tannins. For now with food, could improve through '20, then drink through '23. My VG+/EXC-, the higher arguably for QPR. 91 pts Vinous (Tanzer, 9/1/19). [This vendor's $9.99 is now $1.50 < the lowest of wine-searcher's 3 current postings.]
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with very NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.??) met by an astringent pucker which stays in contact with the init frt as it seamlessly evolves into a surprisingly LONG, balanced, POSSIBLY very, VERY slightly puckerish finish with a distinct sense of swtness to the fairly innocuous, dusty tannins. For now with food, could improve for 12-18 mos, then approach its 10th. VERY nicely done, particularly for this price pt! 14.8% ABV; My EXC-/EXC, the higher quite arguably for QPR? [I saw no other source with which to compare this vendor's (closeout?) $14.99.]
N: Pyrazines with vanilla coming on, ripe berries with notes of earth underneath
P: LM, poss Lt, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it leads into the LONG, balanced, poss very, VERY slightly puckerish finish with notes of swtness to the DUSTY tannins. NEEDS through '21, & if the frt holds (which it WELL could), by VG+ would be low. 13% ABV; [This vendor’s $15.99 is ≈ $2 < wine-searcher’s only current listing -- & one would have to purchase 12 bottles min in order to obtain that pricing.]
“100% Malbec from the ff’ing Vyds of differing terroir & alt: 60% Colomé @ 2,300 m elev, 25% El Arenal @ 2,700 m, 5% La Brava @ 1,700 m, & 10% Altura Máxima (1 of the highest vyds in the world @ 3,111 m); Harvested Mar – Apr ’17; Aged 15 mos in 2nd – 5th use FR oak barrels & 6 mos in bottle; 14.9% ABV, 2.7 g/l R.S., 5.7 g/l T.A., & 3.7 pH;”
N: Slightly closed; Ripe berries atop pyrazines with notes of earth
P: Med, poss LM, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it fairly seamlesly morphs into a LONG, BALANCED finish with a TANGY/swtness (60:40) to the DUSTY tannins. NEEDS 12-18 mos, then drinking into '24. Nicely done. My EXC-; 93 pts Tim Atkin (2/1/19?), 92 ea Suckling,Vinous (Tanzer, 9/1/19), & ’19 Decanter World Wine Awards, 91 WA (10/31/19), and 90 WS (Marcus). [This vendor's $22.99 now puts it squarely in the bottom 1/2 of wine-searcher's listings.]
N: Fairly fragrant plums, poss prunes, pyrazines WAY beneath?
P: LM, poss Med, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it evolves into a LONG, balanced finish with a bitter/SWTNESS to the fairly unoffensive, but very DUSTY tannins. NEEDS through '20, quite probably '21, then drinking through '24. Nicely done example of the varietal! My VG+/EXC-, the higher arguably for QPR. 87 pts (Bronze) @ Decanter's '18 World Wine Awards. [This vendor's $9.99 is $4 < wine-searcher's lone current entry.]
“32% P.S., 22% Merlot, 13% Syrah, 13% Grenache, 10% C.S., 4% Mission, 3% C.F., 2% Mourvedre, & 1% Petit Verdot from 9 CA counties; Aged 20 mos in s/s & barrels (16% new oak); 4,035 cases produced.”
N: Closed; Ripe berries with notes of toast & pyrazines
P: LM body; Rndish entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which stays in contact with the init frt/swtness as it transitions into the LONG, reasonably balanced finish with a distinct SWTNESS to the few, quite unoffensively firming, dusty tannins. For now & into, probably through, '22 in a flirting with R.S. style. 14.5% ABV; My VG+. 91 pts WA; [This vendor's $19.99 puts it in the TOP quartile of wine-searcher's postings.]
2018 Weingut Berger Grüner Veltliner
Austria, Niederösterreich, Kremstal
From the U.S. Importer re the ’19: “Fermented entirely in s/s from estate grown, loess dominated vyds in the Kremstal.”
WAY too cold
N: Closed; Minerals slightly atop pears, poss apples?
P: LM body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) offset by an acidity which morphs into a LONG, balanced finish with POSS just the BAREST hint of a very, VERY slight bitterness that would NOT be a problem with food for now & into '21. Lacking a bit in substance, or my VG/VG+ (86-89/100 using that metric) would be higher, though even as is, my VG+ *might* be a go based upon QPR for this 1-L bottle. [This vendor's $12.99 puts it in the TOP 1/3 of wine-searcher's postings.]
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NV Société Cooperative Castelmaure La Buvette
France, Vin de Table Français
“60% Grenache & 40% Carignan from vines ave 50 yrs of age in the schist & limestone soils of Corbieres; The Grenache is destemmed at low temps with a short maceration. Carignan undergoes carbonic maceration, fining, filtration, & cold stabilization. 14.5% ABV; $11.99 sugg retail;”
N: BRIGHT red rasps, poss straws, with hints of earth?
P: LM, poss Lt, body; RNDISH entry with nice, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which fairly seamlessly evolves into a LONG, balanced finish with a pleasant tangy/swtness & OCCASIONAL *notes* of very, VERY slight bitterness to the FEW, still somewhat firming, very, VERY slight tannins. For now & probably through '21. My VG, arg VG+ for QPR in a versatile, marginally Pinot-like style that I suspect could take a chill & even work with seafood. 87 pts Dunnuck (3/’19) & 86 WA (Czerwinski, 9/’18). [I saw no other source with which to compare this vendor's $9.99.]
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2018 Patricia Green Cellars Pinot Noir Reserve
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
“The Willamette Valley P.N. bottling ‘Reserve’ is almost entirely made up of barrels that simply were not included in a more prestigious bottling. The 2018 has a make-up of slightly > 40% from our Estate Vyd from which we bottled 6 individual single vyd/block bottlings in 2018. The next 3 highest sources of wine come from Freedom Hill Vyd (1 of the most famous vyds in Oregon), Durant Vyd (from which we bottle 2 P.N.s from vines ranging from 19-46 yrs in vine age), & a vyd so famous that the winery that owns it won’t let us put the name of the vyd on the vyd designated bottling of it that we do, let alone tell you it is one of the mainstays in our least expensive wine! 4,977 cases bottled.”
N: Wild red straws with notes of plums, poss flowers
P: Med, poss LM, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which stays in contact with the init frt as it fairly seamlessly works its way into & through the LONG, balanced, very, VERY slightly puckerish finish with a discrete swtness to the unoffensively firming, very, VERY fine tannins. Acidophiles for now, others cellar 12-24 mos, then drink into '24. Nicely done! My EXC-/EXC, the higher for QPR with a bit of time. 13.7% ABV; 92 pts WS (Fish). [This vendor's $21.99 is as good as any currently on wine-searcher.]
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2018 Tintero Langhe Nebbiolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
“From vines ave 20 yrs of age grown in the clay & limestone soils of a 4 ha vyd located in the village of Veive, next to Mango, within the Alba zone; Fermented in temp-controlled s/s tank for 2-3 wks; Wine aged 12 mos in oak (50% 225-L barrels, 50% 5-HL botti), then racked into s/s before being bottled unfiltered;”
N: Cherries, hints of pyrazines, poss minerals?
P: LM body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which transitions into a LONG, balanced finish with a tangy/SWTNESS to the dusty tannins. Though the tannins are NOT offensive, I suspect this still NEEDS through '21 for them to back off, & I'm not sure WHAT the frt will be like then. 14% ABV; My VG, which could well be an underrate, particularly given the QPR of this vendor's $11.99, which compares favorably with the importer's $14.
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2018 Passionate Wine Del Mono
Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco, Tupungato
“50% ea Malbec & Syrah from vines ave 18 yrs of age & planted in sandy/calcareous soils @ 3,700 ft elev; 15 day fermentation in concrete tank using native yeasts; Aged 6 months in Concrete Egg; Light cartridge filtration; 13.8% ABV;”
N: Fragrantly RIPE berries with smoke & hints of pyrazines coming forward with addt'l swirling
P: LM body; Rndish entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which fairly seamlessly works its way into & through the LONG, balanced finish with a tangy/swtness & at least occasional very, VERY slight bitterness to the few, fairly innocuous, yet firming, dusty tannins. For now with food, could improve through '20, then drink through '23. My VG+/EXC-, the higher arguably for QPR. 91 pts Vinous (Tanzer, 9/1/19). [This vendor's $9.99 is now $1.50 < the lowest of wine-searcher's 3 current postings.]
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2015 Nicora Sans Maison
USA, California, Central Coast
Supposedly 61% Syrah, 34% Grenache, & 5% Mourvedre; Also, apparently 92 pts WA;
N: Mint, poss eucalyptus, atop ripe berries; Intensity lurking?
P: Med body; RNDISH entry with very NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.??) met by an astringent pucker which stays in contact with the init frt as it seamlessly evolves into a surprisingly LONG, balanced, POSSIBLY very, VERY slightly puckerish finish with a distinct sense of swtness to the fairly innocuous, dusty tannins. For now with food, could improve for 12-18 mos, then approach its 10th. VERY nicely done, particularly for this price pt! 14.8% ABV; My EXC-/EXC, the higher quite arguably for QPR? [I saw no other source with which to compare this vendor's (closeout?) $14.99.]
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2015 Château Moulin de Taffard
France, Bordeaux, Médoc
Supposedly 65% C.S. & 35% Merlot
N: Pyrazines with vanilla coming on, ripe berries with notes of earth underneath
P: LM, poss Lt, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it leads into the LONG, balanced, poss very, VERY slightly puckerish finish with notes of swtness to the DUSTY tannins. NEEDS through '21, & if the frt holds (which it WELL could), by VG+ would be low. 13% ABV; [This vendor’s $15.99 is ≈ $2 < wine-searcher’s only current listing -- & one would have to purchase 12 bottles min in order to obtain that pricing.]
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2017 Bodega Colomé Malbec Estate
Argentina, Valles Calchaquíes, Salta, Calchaquies
“100% Malbec from the ff’ing Vyds of differing terroir & alt: 60% Colomé @ 2,300 m elev, 25% El Arenal @ 2,700 m, 5% La Brava @ 1,700 m, & 10% Altura Máxima (1 of the highest vyds in the world @ 3,111 m); Harvested Mar – Apr ’17; Aged 15 mos in 2nd – 5th use FR oak barrels & 6 mos in bottle; 14.9% ABV, 2.7 g/l R.S., 5.7 g/l T.A., & 3.7 pH;”
N: Slightly closed; Ripe berries atop pyrazines with notes of earth
P: Med, poss LM, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it fairly seamlesly morphs into a LONG, BALANCED finish with a TANGY/swtness (60:40) to the DUSTY tannins. NEEDS 12-18 mos, then drinking into '24. Nicely done. My EXC-; 93 pts Tim Atkin (2/1/19?), 92 ea Suckling,Vinous (Tanzer, 9/1/19), & ’19 Decanter World Wine Awards, 91 WA (10/31/19), and 90 WS (Marcus). [This vendor's $22.99 now puts it squarely in the bottom 1/2 of wine-searcher's listings.]
Note: 1st tasted on 1/18/20
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2016 L. A. Cetto Petite Sirah
Mexico, Baja California, Valle de Guadalupe
“From vines 18-25 yrs of age;” 13.8% ABV
N: Fairly fragrant plums, poss prunes, pyrazines WAY beneath?
P: LM, poss Med, body; RNDISH entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it evolves into a LONG, balanced finish with a bitter/SWTNESS to the fairly unoffensive, but very DUSTY tannins. NEEDS through '20, quite probably '21, then drinking through '24. Nicely done example of the varietal! My VG+/EXC-, the higher arguably for QPR. 87 pts (Bronze) @ Decanter's '18 World Wine Awards. [This vendor's $9.99 is $4 < wine-searcher's lone current entry.]
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2017 Secret Indulgence Chronology
USA, California
“32% P.S., 22% Merlot, 13% Syrah, 13% Grenache, 10% C.S., 4% Mission, 3% C.F., 2% Mourvedre, & 1% Petit Verdot from 9 CA counties; Aged 20 mos in s/s & barrels (16% new oak); 4,035 cases produced.”
N: Closed; Ripe berries with notes of toast & pyrazines
P: LM body; Rndish entry with NICE, ALMOST swtish frt (threshold R.S.?) met by an astringent pucker which stays in contact with the init frt/swtness as it transitions into the LONG, reasonably balanced finish with a distinct SWTNESS to the few, quite unoffensively firming, dusty tannins. For now & into, probably through, '22 in a flirting with R.S. style. 14.5% ABV; My VG+. 91 pts WA; [This vendor's $19.99 puts it in the TOP quartile of wine-searcher's postings.]
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