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Wine Type
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Vintage
Name
Variety
Locale
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Date
Posted
Score
Helpful
Comments
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Red
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2018 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Alberdi Reserva
Tempranillo more
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Eye: Red-black center to a watery cherry colored rim.
Nose: Chocolate covered cherries, red fruit. Tiny bit of wood spice and booze.
Palate: Pleasantly tart with well balanced tannins. Medium bodied and slightly grippy. Sour cherry, cacao, soy, mushroom. Tiny bit of curry spice and bubblegum.
Finish: Long, with lots of cacao powder, soy sauce, and lingering cherry-acidity.
Overall: A wonderfully tasty Rioja, though not as complex as it’s more expensive Brother, Viña Ardanza.
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White - Sparkling
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NV Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut
Champagne Blend more
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Eye: Pale straw. The bubbles are rapid and reasonably fine.
Nose: Grape gummies. Toast. Gentle touch of brioche.
Palate: Grape gummies. Elderflower. Brioche, citrus peel. Definitely on the sweeter end of bruts.
Finish: Lemon peel. Nuts.
Overall: Does it taste like champagne? Yes. Is it incredible champagne? no.
Edit: Drinking the wine without carefully focusing on tasting notes; it is like grape juice made from concentrate. I really expected more.
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White - Sparkling
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2022 Vietti Moscato d'Asti
more
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Eye: Very pale yellow. Small mousse, slow fine bubbles.
Nose: Smells like that white peach juice that those little pre-packed fruit chunks come in.
Palate: Much the same as the nose with a touch of freeze dried tropical fruits. Gently fizzy; a small step past semi-sweet. There is a gentle zip of acidity which helps to rein in the sweetness.
Finish: Medium length. Sweet, and peachy.
Overall: Simple and linear, yet tremendously tasty and easy to drink.
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Red
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2018 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon The Estates Oakville
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Decanted off a surprising amount of sediment, and aired for an hour.
Eye: Black red center to a medium ruby rim.
Nose: Really pure cassis. Light graphite. Lots of toasty oak. Tobacco.
Palate: Really pure cassis. Light graphite. Lots of toasty oak. Tobacco. Chinese five spice. Lightly meaty. Some red fruit. Light anise. Low to medium acidity. Well structured tannins.
Finish: Lightly minty. Lingering meat, spice, and tart red fruit.
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White - Sweet/Dessert
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2019 Denis Dubourdieu Sauternes Liaison
Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend more
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Eye: A consistent medium yellow-gold.
Nose: Gooseberry, honey, melon. Smells like Semillon. A touch of yeastiness and booze.
Palate: Pleasant bright acidity. Sweet honey, some toast. A little touch of citrus peel.
Finish: Short. Honey and toast.
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White
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2021 Buisson-Charles Meursault Vieilles Vignes
Chardonnay more
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Eye: Light gold to pale straw.
Nose: Rich peaches and green apple, a whisp of oak. The nose is very concentrated with a firm through line of seashell minerality.
Palate: A masterclass in balance. Good acid, rather full bodied and mouth filling. Rich, creamy, crisp, minerally, umami.
Finish: Medium length. Tart yet savory.
Overall: I don’t drink a lot of burgundy, but I have to say this is the single best Chardonnay I’ve ever had.
Enjoyed with: Some reasonably high quality takeout Sushi.
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White
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2021 Trimbach Riesling
Alsace
more
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Eye: a consistent pale straw yellow with a watery rim
Nose: Green apple, peach, petrol, a little citrus peel.
Palate: Bright crisp green apple. Lemon. Peach. Pleasantly tart. Tiny touch of pear and tropical fruit. Refreshing like a high quality dry lemonade.
Finish: Medium. Apple and lemon. Fruit pits and seeds.
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Red
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2020 Penfolds Shiraz Bin 28
South Australia
more
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Eye: Deep opaque purple in the center moving to a watery rose red in the rim.
Nose: Tabacco, blackberry, plum, bubble gum, prunes.
Palate: Bubblegum, plum, big tannin and well moderated acidity. A touch of mushroom. Distinct oak notes. A little cacao.
Finish: Medium finish with some soy sauce and other fermenty flavors. There’s is a long lasting red-berry tang as well.
Note: there was a small amount of particulate in the bottom of the bottle, which was quite surprising from a bottle this young.
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Red
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2019 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Asúa Crianza
Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more
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Eye: Dark red center to a medium red rim.
Nose: Red fruit. Smoked meat. Spices. Some earth.
Palate: Smoke. Red fruit. A little bit of mushroom. Good acidity and moderate to low tannin.
Finish: Medium length. Some red fruit, soy, and meat.
Overall: It tastes like Rioja. I certainly prefer the more highly aged expressions of that style, but this is still nice.
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Red
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2020 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Artemis
Napa Valley
more
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The wine was decanted off a small amount of sediment and aired for an hour.
Eye: Deep purple center, wet pink-red rim.
Nose: Tobacco, mesquite, cassis, oak spice, red fruit.
Palate: Soft velvet tannins. Well balanced acidity. Cacao, vanilla, meat, blood. Red fruit, black fruit. Black cherry kirsch. Light prune.
Finish: Bitter cacao nibs, mesquite. Lingering black cherry.
Overall: Still very youthful; but a real class act.
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Red
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2021 Les Halos de Jupiter Costières-de-Nîmes
Red Rhone Blend more
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Eye: Deep purple center to a medium red rim.
Nose: Cigar box, cherry.
Palate: Tart cherry juice. Tobacco. Red fruit. Gentle tannins. Strawberry jolly-rancher.
Finish: Red fruit, play-dough.
Overall: This wine may well have been 84 points, but is let down by its upsettingly play-doughy finish.
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White
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2021 Domaine des Chenevières Chablis
Chardonnay more
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Eye: A consistent pale gold.
Nose: Flowers, green apple, a touch of vanilla. It smells like Chardonnay.
Palate: Apple, pear, oak. Crisp and fresh acidity. Just a touch of stone fruit.
Finish: Short. Crisp acidity and faint green apple and steel.
Overall: It’s Chablis. Very drinkable, but generally non-descript.
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Red
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2021 Louis Jadot Pinot Noir Bourgogne
more
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On the nose: Muenster cheese, rubber, and leather. On the palate: Bracing tart cherry and lasting tannin. Leather and apple. Rich and plummy. Very long, gently soy-bitter finish.
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Red
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2019 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Knox Alexander
Santa Maria Valley
more
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Aired for 45 minutes.
Eye: Crystaline ruby-red center to a medium pink rim.
Nose: Musky and perfumed. Cacao powder, caramel, touch of red fruit. Earth, light booze.
Palate: Good acid, low tannin. Rich and mouth filling. Pomegranate. Tart cherry, sous bois. Bloody meat, mushroom, soy sauce. Bacon fat. Strawberry preserves.
Finish: Meat, soy, umami, burnt caramel. Lingering tart red fruit.
Overall: Some very nice Pinot drinking surprisingly well despite its relative youth.
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White
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2020 Au Bon Climat Chardonnay Nuits-Blanches au Bouge
Santa Maria Valley
more
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Eye: Medium gold to a pale straw.
Nose: Tropical fruit, caramel, rich cream. Red apple. Nice chalky minerality.
Palate: Moderate acidity. Light toasty and nutty oak. Dollop of buttery malo. Tropical fruit, pineapple, mango, green apple. Some orchard fruit, pears, and plums.
Finish: Long. Lingering nuttiness and green apples.
Overall: Very nice and complex, but I think it could use another year or two of bottle age.
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Red
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2021 Kirkland Signature Malbec
Mendoza
more
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Nose: Red fruit, particularly cherry. A little meaty and a little green.
Palate: Cherry, black fruit, very fruity. Well managed tannins are overshadowed by surprisingly high acidity.
Finish: Short and a little bland with some soy.
Overall: slightly above fine.
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Red
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2018 Alvaro Palacios Rioja Finca La Montesa
Garnacha, Grenache more
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On the nose: very green and vegetal; almost like a Riesling. On the palate: Really delicious and fruity. Gently bitter, but not overly alcoholic tasting. Well balanced acid and tannin. Gentle notes of curry spice.
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Rosé - Sparkling
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2019 Schramsberg Vineyards Brut Rosé
North Coast
Champagne Blend more
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Eye: Pale salmon center to an orange-salmon rim. Very fine bubbles.
Nose: Warm bread, toast, nuts, a little touch of green apple and lemon. Strawberries and fresh cream.
Palate: Peaches and cream. Green apple and faint raisin. Pastry and nuts. Gentle tickling bubbles. Pleasant acidity. Light bodied.
Finish: Medium. Green grapes. Green apple, lemon. A touch of stone fruit.
Overall: As always, Schramsberg proves itself to be one of, if not the, top producer of sparkling wine in all of California.
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Red - Fortified
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2020 Domaine La Tour Vieille Banyuls Rimage
Grenache Blend, Grenache more
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Eye: Medium ruby
Nose: Red fruit. Plums, prunes, cooking spice. Feet.
Palate: It’s like if someone raisinated and sweetened some cdr. Moderately sweet. Prunes. Red fruit. Vinous. Pomegranate. Loads of crème de cassis
Finish: Short. Lightly sweet and red. Lingering curry spice.
Overall: I expected something closer to Port. I don’t think Banyuls are for me. There’s just something about sweet grenache that doesn’t sit right with my palate. I suspect that I drank this bottle far too young.
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Red
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2020 Renieri Rosso di Montalcino
Sangiovese more
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Eye: Dark-Medium red center with a pale red-brick rim.
Nose: Herbs, rose, balsamic, prune. Smells like a classic Italian red.
Palate: Tart red cherry, prune, balsamic, herbs, stones and earth. Faint whisp of tannin. Light-medium bodied.
Finish: Short. Tart red berries, balsamic, lingering acidity, and just a touch of bitter chocolate.
Overall: Incredible. given its sub $20 price. Beyond that, slightly above average.
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Red
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2020 Luce della Vite Lucente
Toscana IGT
SuperTuscan Blend more
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Eye: Dark red center with a medium red rim.
Nose: Rich oak, herbs, dark fruit. Just a touch of cacao.
Palate: Bracing tannins with well balanced acidity. Waves of cacao and dark berries. Surprisingly fruity. Hints of woods spice, cigar box, vanilla, and just a touch of black currant.
Finish: Medium length. Wood and herbs. A faint touch of black currant and some balsamic.
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White
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2021 Dr. Heidemanns-Bergweiler Riesling
Mosel Saar Ruwer
more
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Eye: A pale yellow-green
Nose: A little dough and petrol. Lemon and green apple.
Palate: Off-dry, moderated acidity. Green apple, citrus zest, some peach and nectarine.
Finish: Short. Some lingering lemon-acidity.
Overall: A very standard Qba Riesling.
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White - Sparkling
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2019 Schramsberg Vineyards Blanc de Noirs Brut
Napa Valley
Champagne Blend more
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Eye: A very pale yellow center with a nearly transparent rim. The bubbles and very small, and flow rapidly in several delicate streams.
Nose: Almond pastry, poached pears and apples. A little toast and roasted nuts.
Palate: The nose carries over to the palate. There is a hint of crushed blackberries and some crème de cassis. The acidity is tight but well moderated. The bubbles are delicate and pleasant. Some lemon and green apple.
Finish: Medium length. Lingering acidity and dark berries. There is a tiny touch of lingering umami, which I find fascinating.
Overall: I love Schramsberg. They just continue to completely blow me away.
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Red
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2021 Daou Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles
more
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Outright tannic and meaty. Very slight alcohol bitterness. Very plummy, with notes of other dark fruit. Perhaps slight green notes, but not much more than that. Goes good with bbq.
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White
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2021 Balthasar Ress Hattenheimer Schützenhaus Riesling Kabinett
Rheingau
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Eye: Very pale yellow center to a completely transparent rim.
Nose: Petrol/chlorine, apple, lemon peel, faint peanut.
Palate: Light bodied, with slightly lower than expected acidity. Gently sweet entry. Pear, tangerine, citrus peel. Tiny bit of peach and white flowers
Finish: Medium length. Lots of pineapple and tropical fruit, lemon.
Overall: It tastes like well made German Riesling.
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