Search Results - Save This Search

Wine Type Vintage Name Variety Locale Date Posted Score Helpful Comments Comment Date Community Score More...
Red - Fortified

2011 Dow Porto Vintage

Port Blend more

7/26/2022 - DarinC Likes this wine: NR

First Coravined this bottle 6 years ago and just finished the last few ounces on 7/23/22. Still impressive. The tannins are smooth as silk.

  • Comment posted by DarinC:

    8/1/2022 5:57:00 PM - I've had a few Coravined bottles not last as long as expected---typically whites or aged delicate wines. Fortified, young and other wines that are hardy to begin with last years in my experience. I've been using Coravin shortly after it was sold to the public.
    A few Coravin tips:
    --Shoot a quick spurt of argon to clear the needle and valve of oxygen before putting the needle through the cork.
    --Use vintage needle on wines with 5 or more years bottle age.
    --If possible, store the bottles on their sides at a cooler temp. Mine are kept in a separate wine cooler set at 50F.
    --Keep the needle wiped clean.
    --Older bottles should have foil cut and top of cork cleaned to prevent contamination.
    --Be careful about over pressurizing older wines as you can break the seal between the cork and the bottle.

    Feel free to reach out if you plan to be back in Portland or Vancouver area. Cheers!

  • Comment posted by DarinC:

    8/2/2022 1:59:00 PM - Happy to help. I'm a big fan of the Coravin.

    Like you, I only remove the top part of the foil on older wines to clean and inspect the top of the cork. I like to leave the foil in tack and punch through it for younger wines with clean corks. The foil helps trap any seepage that could drip in my cooler because I store them on their side.

    It's inevitable to have some bottles that don't hold up well after being Coravined, but I hope these tips help mitigate that.

Red

2008 Gros Frère et Sœur Richebourg

Richebourg Grand Cru Pinot Noir more

6/21/2016 - DarinC Likes this wine: 95 points

PnP Entering early maturity. Most of the oak has integrated. This shows more of the herbal, floral aspects of this vineyard. Medium body with a very long finish. Got better 2 hours after being opened and served. Lovely bottle, with a long life ahead!

  • Comment posted by DarinC:

    3/31/2017 2:15:00 AM - Hi RA1,

    I popped and poured from the bottle at time of consumption(PnP) --no decanter--and drank over a 3 hour dinner. It's definitely accessible now, but I'd decant it at least an hour or slowly work though the bottle over several hours. Ideally, I'd hold for 3-5 more years. Hope this helps.

Red

1995 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red

Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more

4/9/2016 - DarinC Likes this wine: 97 points

PnP. Perfect cork and fill. Completely agree with HKBOB. Drinking at prime. Very expressive nose of dark red, blue and black fruits, with a bit of new leather. Wonderful full-bodied mouthfeel with no gaps in flavor. So many layers of flavors and finishes very long with little to no tannins. Such purity and complexity. Incredibly balanced. One of the best aged Meritages I've had the pleasure to drink. The 94-95 Napa reds are great at this point in time!

  • Comment posted by DarinC:

    6/21/2016 6:24:00 PM - Hi ge. Sorry for the delayed response. I don't remember there being a ton of sediment, but it wouldn't hurt to bring a sediment screen or filter to the location where you plan to open it. Sometimes I'll filter the last few ounces when I pour it into a wine glass. I would also recommend standing older wines upright in the cellar a day or so before you plan to open them.

Red

2011 Occidental Pinot Noir Cuvée Catherine Occidental Station

Sonoma Coast more

5/27/2015 - Spookey wrote: flawed

Carbonation. Bummer. Purchased off winebid.

  • Comment posted by DarinC:

    6/1/2015 4:58:00 PM - Did you purchase it in April for around $75ish before commission? I bought one and hope it's not flawed, too!

Red

2010 Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley

more

7/19/2013 - JPLogan wrote: flawed

Underwhelming. Could have been the victim of a very hot car and slightly popped cork before it was gifted to me.

  • Comment posted by DarinC:

    7/28/2013 8:42:00 PM - It clearly sounds like your bottle was cooked. I would avoid scoring since it was an issue of improper storage and not an adequate representation of the wine.

Red

2005 Michele Castellani Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Collezione Ca del Pipa Cinque Stelle

Corvina Blend, Corvina more

9/9/2013 - alabunka wrote: 89 points

perhaps the expectations were too high as this wine was too austere and too dry for our idea of a lush amarone; it definitely had sophisticated taste and was long on the finish with smooth tannins but a little short on the fullness and flavor of an amarone that we would like to sip with Italian pasta.

  • Comment posted by DarinC:

    9/9/2013 11:01:00 PM - Sounds like an off bottle. This is a very full and rich style of amarone. Hopefully you have another on hand to try.

Red

1998 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Red Rhone Blend more

2/10/2015 - shutto1992@gmail.com wrote: flawed

This is my 4th bottle of this wine and it too is undrinkable. Oxidized and pruney. This is 4 out of 4 bottles I purchased on futures and which were stored perfectly.

  • Comment posted by DarinC:

    2/11/2015 3:02:00 AM - Sorry to hear about your experience, Steve. Where did you purchase these bottles?

  • Comment posted by DarinC:

    2/12/2015 10:33:00 PM - Too bad. I recently tasted a bottle that, while very ripe and somewhat pruney, showed well. I wonder if yours were damaged somewhere during the transport to the retailer you bought it from.

Red

2010 Château du Retout

Haut-Médoc Red Bordeaux Blend more

4/11/2014 - DarinC wrote: 87 points

Ripe black plum, currant and tobacco. Gravelly, drying finish. Needs at least 5 years. Good price point.

2 months after using a Coravin on half the bottle we popped the cork and the wine was a shell of the first tasting and smelled like a dirty ashtray.

  • Comment posted by DarinC:

    5/6/2014 7:22:00 AM - I don't think the wine falling apart was the fault of the Coravin. I've used it many times since its' release and only had a couple bottles show poorly after a few weeks. I would be hesitant to drain half or two thirds of a bottle and try to store it several years. Overall, I highly recommend it if you frequently want to pour a glass or two. If you frequently drink inexpensive bottles the cost of the argon capsules will greatly increase your cost per glass, however.

Loading wine details...
loading

×
×