| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| White - Sweet/Dessert |
1991 Zind-Humbrecht Tokay Pinot Gris Clos Jebsal Sélection de Grains NoblesAlsace more |
10/1/1998 - mdefreitas wrote: 100 pointsPre-Auction Wine Tasting w/ ZHs and Colgins (NYC): Perfection. This is more food than wine. Has the viscosity of motor oil. Chunky, fruity, spicy, ethereal. The finish never ends. A mind-blowing experience. Incredibly sweet, but, of course, it has enough acidity for balance. Almost painfully intense. This might last a century! |
| Red |
1995 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet SauvignonNapa Valley more |
9/18/1998 - mdefreitas wrote: 99 pointsPre Auction Wine Tasting w/ 1994 Harlan (NYC): WOW! Essence of cassis, licorice, herbs, and earth. Super complexity that boggles the mind and a finish that never seems to end. Wonderful balance. The complexity in this wine is other-world-ly as I found myself unable to describe all the scents and tastes I was bombarded with. This is even more extraordinay given that the circumstances of the taste was not ideal (a crowded pre-auction tasting). |
| White - Fortified |
1920 Blandy's Madeira Bualmore |
3/24/2011 - mdefreitas wrote: 99 pointsBlandy's Madeira Bicentenary Celebration (The Cooper Square Hotel, NYC): [This is an exceptional vintage for Bual. At the time referred to “…the finest the century has produced…”.] |
| White |
1994 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Clos WindsbuhlAlsace Gewürztraminer more |
10/1/1998 - mdefreitas wrote: 99 pointsPre-Auction Wine Tasting w/ ZHs and Colgins (NYC): Dark yellow in color. Unbelievable amounts of extract in this wine. Massive, huge, and monstorous. Thick, spicy, nutty, and mineraly. Incredibly, complex wine with an unending finish. Wow! White wine doesn't get much better than this. |
| White - Fortified |
1802 Oscar Acciaioly Madeira Terrantez Special Reservemore |
10/6/1999 - mdefreitas wrote: 99 pointsMadeira @ Patroon (NYC): Dark, opaque coffee color. Biggest nose of the tasting. Another super-rich wine. They seem to be putting all the big guns at the end of the tasting. Almost too intense to smell. Truckloads of rich “brown” flavors… nutmeg, chocolate, coffee, caramel, truffles, sherry, etc. A wine so unctuous, that it’s almost hard to swallow it all. After several minutes, I could slurp my tongue between my gums and lips… and I could still taste the wine. A totally shocking wine experience. A WOW wine if there ever was one. |
| White - Fortified |
1868 Lomelino Madeira Very Old Boal E.B.H.more |
10/17/2009 - mdefreitas wrote: 99 pointsA Taste of History: The Leacock Family Madeiras (revisited) (The J.P. Morgan Mansion, NYC): A slap in the face, a punch in the nose… this is a wine that gets your attention immediately. As good as this showed in San Francisco, it somehow showed even better here. One of the darkest and most concentrated wines of the tasting. This just dripped with extract -- yet this had perhaps the most electric, almost painful, acidity of all the wines presented. Dark notes of caramel, toffee and coffee – but also brighter notes of citrus and cream. This had it all… size, structure, complexity and detail. Infinite length (well, maybe not infinite, but infinitely memorable). At the end of the tasting I noticed a drop or two of this wine still in my glass… I forced it onto my palate and it still completely enveloped it. Wow! |
| White - Fortified |
1850 D'Oliveiras Madeira Verdelho Family Reservemore |
10/27/2011 - mdefreitas wrote: 99 pointsThe Great Families of Madeira (Hearth, NYC): [Family: D’Oliveira] This is not the typical “recently-bottled” commercial release, but a “Family Reserve” wine that was set aside for longer aging in bottle. This was bottled in the 1970s and decanted for four days. Having been fortunate enough to sample the regular bottling of this wine on three other occasions, it was fascinating to compare my previous impressions with this bottle-aged version. The weight, richness and power of the regular bottling were evident, but there was something else, an elegance, a polish. The texture was silkier and the flavors more multifaceted. The caramel and fruitcake flavors were complicated by floral hints and an unusual savory note (olive tapenade?). The intensity still overwhelmed the palate, but this is not just the wild beast I know and love, there is a smoothness and civility I did not expect. An absolutely gorgeous wine! |
| Red |
1995 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet SauvignonNapa Valley more |
11/7/1998 - mdefreitas wrote: 98 pointsCT Group does Bordeaux vs Cal Cabs @ Jeff S: Dark purple. Very expressive nose of cassis and oak. Complex, with some briary notes. One of the longest finishes of any wine I ever experienced. Big, ripe, Helen Turley-like wine. Very powerful. |
| White - Fortified |
1907 Blandy's Madeira Bualmore |
1/11/2011 - mdefreitas wrote: 98 pointsMadeira @ Equinox (Washington DC): Oh... my... goodness... My first time tasting this wine and I hope it won't be my last. Orange zest, nut skin, tea, hints of herbs... incredible complexity and a tendency to adhere to the palate like super glue. Layers of flavors slowly unpeel themselves, with the outter layers never receding, but mingling marvelously with the inner layers. A true tsunami of a wine. Seemingly endless length. My wine of the night -- and considering the legendary 1827 Quinta do Serrado Boal was in the tasting, that says a lot. Originally purchased by Steve for a ridiculous $125 (current price $525). |
| White - Sweet/Dessert |
2005 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling BeerenausleseMosel Saar Ruwer more |
11/12/2014 - mdefreitas wrote: 98 pointsWines @ John's (West Hartford, CT): All I can say is... Wow. This BA attacked the palate with apricots, baked peaches, orange zest and elderflower (think St Germain liquor). Intensely sweet and concentrated, yet so finely etched with monstrous acidity. Ridiculous length. A perfect match for baked pears. Did I mention the length... Wow. |
| Red |
1994 Pahlmeyer MerlotNapa Valley more |
10/13/1996 - mdefreitas wrote: 98 pointsYoung, plummy color. Smells of black fruits with some slight oakiness and spice to it. Tannins are noticeable, but fairly managable. Very persistent finish. Very young, very extracted fruit finish. Rich and thick, very nice! Tons of extract, but needs time to mellow and gain complexity. |
| White |
1995 Paul Pernot et ses Fils Bienvenues-Bâtard-MontrachetBienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru Chardonnay more |
12/5/1998 - mdefreitas wrote: 98 points1995 vs 1996 Burgs (NYC): Beautiful nose of apple stroudel and some exotic liquor. Rich caramel and butterscotch on the palate. Very rich, ripe, and spicy, but it also has a solid structural backbone. Classic! 1995? |
| Red |
1991 Dominus Estate Napanook VineyardNapa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more |
12/28/2007 - mdefreitas wrote: 98 pointsChristianne's Dinner (San Francisco): This is ridiculously good. Drinking insanely perfect right now. Overpowering nose that scream "PAUILLAC!". Leather, earth, lead pencil, and dried cassis. Still holding onto a good amount of fruit. Longgggggggg. |
| Red |
1994 Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valleymore |
2/28/1998 - mdefreitas wrote: 98 pointsCT Group does Zins @ Phil L (Westport): Knock-out nose of black fruits, licorice, flowers, and cocoa. Great weight on the palate and an enormously rich and lengthy finish. Notes of chocolate peeped through. With a little breathing, the wine became much more intense. Glorious experience. This is a wine you could enjoy by just smelling it. (This was written back in 1998... I doubt I would score a wine like this as high today). |
| White - Off-dry |
2001 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese *Mosel Saar Ruwer more |
7/19/2014 - mdefreitas wrote: 98 pointsMedium-aged Rieslings, etc @ Salil's (Vernon, CT): This was the wine of the night for me; it absolutely reverberates on the palate. A dazzling display of citrus, apples, pears, lime zest and slate. Expansive on the palate, but lifted, precise and so chiseled. The balance and length here was outrageous, with the flavors never wanting to let go. Tangy, pungent and lip-pursing structure. Shimmers like a diamond. Wow. |
| White - Sweet/Dessert |
1998 Weingut Josef Leitz Rüdesheimer Klosterberg Riesling EisweinRheingau more |
7/27/2000 - mdefreitas wrote: 98 pointsWine Dinner @ Pinxtos (San Francisco): Big, rich, thick, pears, citrus, honey. Thick, but with good grip and a truely endless finish. Incredible finish!. Wow! Complex and trancendental. |
| White - Sparkling |
1979 Krug Champagne Clos du MesnilChardonnay more |
6/12/1998 - mdefreitas wrote: 98 pointsPre Auction Wine Tasting w/ 1962 Unico & Krugs (NYC): One of the finest Champagnes I've ever tried. Totally out of this world. Very young for an 18 year old wine. Plenty of life ahead of it for sure. Great citrus and spice flavors. Unbelievable acidity gives this wine such a refreshing mouthfeel, yet it's thick and rich like a fine Grand Cru white Burgundy. Killer finish. Wow! |
| Red |
1970 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero ÚnicoTempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more |
10/24/2018 - mdefreitas wrote: 98 pointsVega Sicilia Unicos (Peppercorn's (Hartford, CT)): OMG, this was at a wonderful drinking spot. Fresh red fruits with some secondary dried fruit flavors just showing. Very claret-like, with a spicy, layered, velvety, mouth-filling palate. So packed with flavor. The tannins are still very robust, suggesting this still has quite a bit in the tank. |
| White - Fortified |
1920 Cossart Gordon & Co. Madeira Bualmore |
3/27/1999 - mdefreitas wrote: 98 pointsDinner @ Jeff S: Tawny in color, with a slight orange/yellow rim. Some sediment in the bottle. Big nose of caramel, walnuts, smoke and spice. Huge impact when it enters the mouth... like a slap in the face that instantly wakes you up. Uncanny mouthfeel that attacks all corners of the mouth. Alcoholic, but not unpleasantly so. A freak of a wine with a chewy caramel/nutty finish that seems to last all night. Slightly less than medium sweet. |
| Red |
1994 St. Francis Zinfandel Reserve Pagani VineyardSonoma Valley more |
2/28/1998 - mdefreitas wrote: 98 pointsCT Group does Zins @ Phil L (Westport): Much better than I last remembered it. Dark brooding monster, compared to the other zins it was paired up against. Dark fruits, earth, chocolate, and an undescribable flavor that was finally identified as coconut! Quite an amazing wine. Great silky finishing flavor. One of the best zins I have ever had! |
| Red |
1986 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de LalandePauillac Red Bordeaux Blend more |
9/18/1998 - mdefreitas wrote: 98 pointsPre Auction Wine Tasting w/ 1994 Harlan (NYC): What I expect from great Bordeaux. Cedar, lead pencil, and cassis on the nose. Earth, leather and berries on the palate. Great, complex wine with a wonderful finish. Seems to be drinking extraordinarily well right now. |
| White - Sweet/Dessert |
1989 Foreau Domaine du Clos Naudin Vouvray Moelleux Réserve 1ère TrieChenin Blanc more |
5/25/2013 - mdefreitas wrote: 98 pointsDinner @ Salil's (Vernon, CT): Wow... what a punch to the palate this possesses. So concentrated, so rich, so sweet , so powerful, yet somehow, this manages to be in balance with lip-pursing acidity. Such a cornucopia of exotic flavors here, apricot marmalade, honey, peach preserves, orange rind, sultana raisins, tropical flowers and spiced honey. A mind boggling combination of sweet, sour and savory. An incredulous, palate-coating, lengthy finish. Perhaps a bit "slutty"? (nah...). If this had a bit more minerality, it would be illegally good. |
| Red |
1991 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero ÚnicoTempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more |
10/24/2018 - mdefreitas wrote: 98 pointsVega Sicilia Unicos (Peppercorn's (Hartford, CT)): Another gorgeous wine... head-shakingly good. Cassis, pencil shavings, earth and spice. So intense, so luscious, so rich, so lengthy, yet elegant at the same time. |
| White - Fortified |
1863 Blandy's Madeira Bualmore |
3/24/2011 - mdefreitas wrote: 98 pointsBlandy's Madeira Bicentenary Celebration (The Cooper Square Hotel, NYC): [“Small, generally fine wine, especially Malmsey and Bual from Cama de Lobos”, “…a magnificent specimen of a true Bual from Campanário…” “It was a small harvest, but it was an excellent year for Malmsey and Boal, the grapes that make the sweeter wine styles from around Cama (now Câmara) the Lobos on the south side of the island.” – Charles Ridpath Blandy. Although small, the quality of the harvest was so good that Charles Blandy requested some of the barrels to be kept aside for his private collection. Pre-phylloxera, this wine was aged for 50 years in seasoned American oak casks in the adegas de São Francisco in Funchal, and re-bottled in 1986. Only a few bottles remain in the company's private collection.] |
| White - Sweet/Dessert |
1996 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume Grand CruChenin Blanc more |
4/20/1998 - mdefreitas wrote: 98 pointsIncredible example of Chenin Blanc. Thick and sweet with powerful aromas and tastes of apricots and other tropical fruits. Complex mineral notes makes it interesting. Searing acidity give this wine definition. Awesome finish! |
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