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

2009 Vietti Barolo Castiglione

 Nebbiolo more
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8/15/2023 - Odedis.Wine.reviews Likes this wine: 91 points

Dark ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Medium plus in body with medium plus acidity.

Dry on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing black currants, black cherries, plums, earth, light wood, dark coffee and Indian spices.

Grippy finish with raspberries and pomegranates.

This Single Vineyard Barolo is not as good as the Riserva, but still very tasty. A good food wine.

Not from a great vintage, but this 14 year old drinks very nicely now.

Showing nice complexity, and feels young. Will be nice to revisit it in 5 years, and see how it evolves.

Robert Parker 94 points. Wine Spectator 92 points.

100% Nebbiolo grapes were fermented in stainless steel, and aged for 24 months in oak barrels.

14% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$115.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    8/15/2023 7:53:00 PM - Please note that the Castiglione bottling is not a single vineyard bottling for Vietti, but a blend of their single vineyards and it is their entry level Barolo. And an excellent and dependable entry level Barolo, imho. Thanks for sharing your note on the wine!
Red

2019 Pierre Gonon St. Joseph

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4/14/2023 - nzinkgraf wrote: NR

Vintus Trip preceeded by 2 days in Paris; 4/14/2023-4/20/2023: w/ JB @ Le Mermoz in Paris (120Euro)
This is what I was going to go for, but also what the Somm recommended, so that’s that.
WOW, very Kalamata olive, with a toasty meat driven edge. A little citronella note behind that and Red Raspberry fruit starts to come more to the front with more time in the glass and the decanter.

There’s discussion of Ammanit de Cesar Mushrooms which JB said Alain Ducasse called the King of Mushrooms. Time to search these out….

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    4/26/2023 4:46:00 PM - Not at all, I appreciate your excitement around such a great producer

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    4/26/2023 7:38:00 AM - I chose not to give wines a numerical score. But if I did, I think 93pts would be fair for this wine. I did indeed really enjoy this bottle. I saw it on the wine list and with all I've heard of the producer, was what I wanted to order. But before I said that, I/we also asked the Somm for a recommendation and thankfully we were all on the same page, as she also suggested the Gonon.

    My note above was the 'in the moment' thoughts on the wine. My 'search these out' comment was indeed a reference to the mushrooms and not the wine, but the comment could also be applied to the wines of Pierre Gonon, which are, a bit more difficult to find than the mushrooms.
White

2018 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest

 Chardonnay more
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8/18/2022 - ash_then_chase Likes this wine: 94 points

Crisp, clean, and cool — the 3 Cs of the best of Chardonnay. Acidity throughout the palate, a hint of bite at the end (powerful notes of citrus zest), all-around salivatingly good — damn good. Honey and wax notes swaying in and out, though what is most captivating about this wine is the presence of the sea. A very intriguing umami of sorts, and sips that have only accelerated in complexity as the decanter sits on ice. In the glass, a touch more yellow than pale, almost golden. Cold butter — land o’ lakes before the logo change. Served single blind. @ Frank’s Wine Bar

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    9/1/2022 6:02:00 PM - Land O Lakes before the logo change. Very nice
Red

2001 Cullen Wines Diana Madeline Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot

 Margaret River Red Bordeaux Blend more
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10/22/2021 - nzinkgraf wrote: NR

Cork fell apart, some sediment on top of the cork. Deep and brooding nose. F***ing ENchanting aroma. Palate is fresh as a daisy. Medium minus tannin. Wow. Fresh blackberry fruit palate. The star of a fruit salad. Damn, this is fine. Chewy and on point. The depth of pomegranate fruit leather. Push the window to 2028 at least.
Day 2. Palate really settles in. Last time day 3 was a little tired. But that was 9 years ago.
Day 3…still going just fine, but was best on day 2. Heavy sediment.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    10/23/2021 8:37:00 AM - Thanks for the comment, just did a little taste last evening to get the bottle open and rolling for a harvest dinner tonight, more to follow.
Rosé

2009 R. López de Heredia Rioja Rosado Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia

 Grenache Blend, Grenache more
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8/27/2021 - nzinkgraf wrote: NR

Medium /- blood orange color. Fresh waxy Graham’s cracker. Some potpourri. Nice and fresh at PnP. Sometime these are a little obtuse out the gate. Not the case here. Really ready for biz and one of the best starts to this race that I’ve had.
W/ stuffed peppers. Red peppers and poblano.
Feta, cheddar, sunflower seed, onion, collard greens, garlic, ground cherry, cherry tomato, cilantro.
Savory mountain strawberry palate.
All time pairing great pairing of my life. W/ fresh ground cherry salsa. Radish, cilantro, salt, cherry tomato. No lie, this food takes this wine to outer space.
Day 3 and still holding up just fine, but now comes off more of delicate experience.
Day 4 and showing maturity, along with more fruit, graham cracker, swampy. With air, clarifies. Lots of time ahead. Even on the fourth day, the Ground Cherry salsa pairing is SIMPLY amazing.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    8/28/2021 5:43:00 AM - The pairing was really more about the sweetness from the ground cherries, with the cherry tomato in the mix playing a supporting role. Simple and surprising.
Red

2013 Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Grésy Barbaresco Riserva Martinenga Camp Gros

 Nebbiolo more
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11/11/2020 - nzinkgraf wrote: NR

Wow, so suave and crushable on the palate for a young’n. A Coravin’d bottle from 3 or more months ago. Unbelievably smooth palate. Where’s the tannin after it’s been open this long?
One of the best young Camp Gros I had for drinkin’.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    11/11/2020 7:53:00 PM - I’d a bought those 08s from ya, next time, I guess...
Red

2016 Stéphane Ogier Côte-Rôtie Mon Village

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9/18/2020 - nzinkgraf wrote: NR

I mean, it’s pretty good, but not $40 (def not $50/60) good. Dark red fruit, some bacon, medium body, medium plus fresh acid. Yeah shows fruit as it should be, but again not so dramatically, or nuanced that I should take notice. Maybe the high end wines are revelation.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    12/23/2020 11:17:00 AM - Thanks for the note. Not sure how that got on there as I don’t generally leave numeric scores alongside my notes. Must have bumped the # toggle. The score is now deleted.
Rosé

2009 R. López de Heredia Rioja Rosado Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia

 Grenache Blend, Grenache more
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8/5/2020 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine: 93 points

I am a big LdH fan but had never tried the rosado. I was curious, so I bought a few bottles at the premium price. Absolutely loved it—nutty, waxy, and fruity. Like someone put raspberries and strawberries into my LdH Blanco. I will enjoy the bottles that I have, but unless I can find it at closer to the winery price, I’ll stick to the Blanco for a similarly pleasurable drinking experience.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    8/8/2020 11:41:00 AM - OH YEAH!!! (Kool-Aid Man smashes through a brick wall)
Red

2014 Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon The Ark Vineyard

 Napa Valley more
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3/20/2020 - msuwine wrote: 93 points

This is my second Hundred Acre Cabernet, and I must say... I don't get it. This is rich and polished, especially for such a big wine, but there are a lot of rich and polished wines in Napa, most of which don't price themselves into the $400+ territory. Despite my best efforts, I've enjoyed, even loved, wines in this price bracket (e.g., Harlan, Tusk, Absurd, Lokoya), but these wines seemed to offer something unique, in terms of class, depth, intensity, or site. At the risk of saying something unpopular, this wine is very expensive - but not very distinctive.

Cherry red in color and medium in body (2% milk), the wine offers aromas of boysenberry, mulberry, gravel, and dried herbs. The flavors are well-balanced, with notes of blackberry, sour cherry, cocoa powder, and fresh leather, with a lingering and layered finish that has an appealing floral quality (read: light on its feet). 15.5% alcohol. Decant at least an hour.

I enjoyed this wine, but not as much as I had hoped. Like some sort of mediocre Will Ferrel movie, I kept rooting for it to be better than it was - but the punchline was fumbled, and the payoff just wasn't there. I'm docking it a point for the price, but - real talk here - this wine would be destroyed by other 2014 wines that are cheaper... and better (e.g., Tynan, Moonracer, Carter OG, Futo OV). I welcome insights from more experienced followers of the winery - and I do get a kick out of the owner - but I'm a bit underwhelmed by this wine at this moment.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    10/25/2021 6:36:00 PM - Specifically, which Will Ferrell movie(s) does this wine evoke for you? Asking as someone who enjoys wine and music pairings as much as wine and food pairings.
Red

2016 Vietti Barbera d'Alba Vigna Vecchia Scarrone

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10/10/2019 - nzinkgraf wrote: NR

Holy S***.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    10/11/2019 4:54:00 AM - The 89 wasn’t supposed to be there. I took it off. Had this wine with dinner last night, along with 2010 Vietti Villero. If I were to give it points, this would solidly be a 95.
White

2016 Tablas Creek Côtes de Tablas Blanc

 Paso Robles Adelaida District White Rhone Blend more
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9/13/2019 - nzinkgraf wrote: NR

43% Viognier, 40% GB, 14% Marsanne,3% Roussanne. Lots of generous and accessible minerality to the wine. Perched on lovely fruit. F*** this is good.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    9/15/2019 1:21:00 PM - Good eye. thanks.
White

2018 Sigalas Aμ

 Cyclades White Blend more
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5/10/2019 - nzinkgraf wrote: NR

Replacing the AA Blend.
50% Assyrtiko, 50% Monemvasia.
200ft of Volcanic Ash on the island. That’s significantly more than Pompei.
Fresh lemon and mineral aromas. Really good. Medium body, some fat on the palate. Lemon curd for surely and peach on the finish. Very good.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    9/2/2019 12:31:00 PM - Thanks. A/A stood a little taller than the A/M. A/M is just Cyclades and not Santorini PGI if I heard right, as not all this is coming from solely Santorini. With the prices going up drastically for Santorini, a wine like this was bound to happen.
Red

2016 Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Grésy Dolcetto d'Alba Monte Aribaldo

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2/21/2019 - nzinkgraf wrote: NR

7 Days in Italy II; 2/17/2019-2/23/2019: Crunchy dark cranberry aromas and really gives way to fresh blueberry fruit. Just 4-6 days on the skins. Finishes ferment after pressed off the skins, as to not extract any bitter elements. With that little savory/sauvage to the finish.
Historically Dolcetto would be the simple wine that you drink at home, or get at a trattoria with no label.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    9/26/2019 4:11:00 AM - I’m right there with you on that observation. To many more Dolcetto!
Red

2003 Vietti Barolo Brunate

 Nebbiolo more
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2/21/2019 - nzinkgraf wrote: NR

7 Days in Italy II; 2/17/2019-2/23/2019: From Magnum. Really generous aromas. Plump red fruit. Medium tannin, tar and dark cherry palate. Beautiful fruit expressed.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    4/20/2019 7:57:00 PM - One of the best spots in which i’ve ever found a bottle of Vietti. 16 years from vintage, brilliant fruit and a seeming long way to go still. ‘03, maybe not the top vintage, but this really shining right now.
Red

2017 Poliziano Rosso di Montepulciano

 Sangiovese Blend, Sangiovese more
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2/18/2019 - nzinkgraf wrote: NR

7 Days in Italy II; 2/17/2019-2/23/2019: A Hot Hot vintage. April frost led to 50% lower yields in 2017. An atypical vintage of this wine with more body and concentration.
2015 started with optical sorter for Rosso and VN. A very suave nose. Waxy red and black fruit aromas. Light spice. Kind-a-dynamite.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    2/27/2020 11:13:00 AM - My note refers to the fact that in 2015 they started using an optical sorter during harvest. And that then affects the wine that I was tasting at the time, the 2017. Thanks for your note.
White

2013 Ridge Chardonnay Monte Bello

 Santa Cruz Mountains more
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1/7/2019 - Ben Christiansen wrote: NR

Oh my goodness. All that hazelnut and oaky stuff has burned off or aged off or melted into a gorgeous body of a wine. Fully integrated and supremely tasty. This was just amazing. Glad I have more. I guess I need to wait six years before starting to drink. Wonder if it will make the 15 years suggested on the back label.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    1/7/2019 5:52:00 PM - Oh my. That. Wine. Is. Jammin.
Orange

2007 Gravner Ribolla

 Venezia Giulia IGT Ribolla Gialla more
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12/21/2018 - Ben Christiansen wrote: NR

Amaretto and dusty and clay and powerful.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    12/21/2018 8:30:00 PM - Do tell...
Red

2010 Folk Machine Pinot Noir Shapes/Shadows

 Potter Valley more
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10/28/2018 - Ben Christiansen wrote: NR

This is exactly the kind of wine I don't like notes Sabina. Although I certainly liked it. Still quite lovely.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    10/28/2018 4:40:00 PM - What doesn’t she like about it?
Red

2016 Boekenhoutskloof The Chocolate Block

 Swartland Red Blend more
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10/12/2018 - nzinkgraf wrote: NR

1979 barrels produced - this is touted on the front label. That’s 50,000 cases / 600,000 bottles. Great balance and flavor profile to champion for SA wines in USA.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    3/8/2019 3:47:00 AM - That’s the number of barrels that they made of ChocolateBlock in that year. I found it kind of funny that they update this on each vintage, like it makes it seem boutique/small production in some way. When it’s actually over half a million bottles. All the same, I quite enjoy the wine.
Red

2016 The Hess Collection Cabernet Sauvignon Allomi

 Napa Valley more
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10/12/2018 - nzinkgraf wrote: NR

Nice, but accessible structure. Some cocoa, not overdone in style. Nicely balanced, although you can feel the PS in this blend pull the wine away from a Cab core.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    11/27/2018 9:57:00 AM - Yes, Petite Sirah. A representative from the winery talked about the Petite Sirah in the blend.
Rosé

2016 Ruth Lewandowski Wines Feints Fox Hill

 Ukiah Valley Rosé Blend more
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9/27/2018 - kenthargis wrote: 85 points

Glad to have tried. My first wine from Utah and made from Portuguese grapes no less! Better than expected. Not one of my favs ever, but quite interesting.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    9/28/2018 4:28:00 AM - To clarify, the producer is in Utah, but the grapes for this cuvee come from a vineyard in Mendocino CA. It’s my understanding that they’re waiting for their plantings in Utah to mature.
White

2007 K Vintners Viognier

 Columbia Valley more
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8/30/2018 - Ben Christiansen wrote: NR

Burnished wood and fat on the palate but not off. Mineral and not tired. But I’m not sure a crowd pleaser either.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    8/30/2018 7:40:00 PM - You said all that, whilst, shredding some Bryan Adams on Air Guitar.
Red

2016 Realm Cellars Moonracer

 Stags Leap District Red Bordeaux Blend more
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8/3/2018 - nzinkgraf wrote: NR

First estate wine. Moonracer in Stags Leap, on Wapo Hill. Much more density of aroma, shows some more roast notes tucked in there. Color shows more purple to the rim. Very chewy medium plus tannin.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    2/6/2019 9:32:00 AM - It was very good. Although, I’d be hard pressed to give any wine 98-100pts. It was the star of the line up and as it’s an estate site, this is the wine I’d jump all over.
Red

2016 Realm Cellars The Bard

 Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more
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8/3/2018 - nzinkgraf wrote: NR

Here more red and black fruit than the 2015 Bard. A plusher, more billowy palate than the 2015 as well.

  • Comment posted by nzinkgraf:

    8/7/2018 4:48:00 AM - Billowy, like puffy clouds. This was a softer expression than the 2015. I have not had any he 2014.

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