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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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2006 Cantine Antonio Caggiano Taurasi Macchia dei Goti
Taurasi DOCG
Aglianico more
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Was invited to an authentic style Italian dinner in honor of a visiting friend.
This was the red of the meal. Tannic firm fruit & herb on the nose.
Very fruit expressive with lots of red & dark fruits. Full bodied w/ long finish, tar rinses, bright terroir. Rich and complex. Accompanied the food nicely and brought out great expression of both. Can easily be enjoyed by itself. Good aging potential . . . Just starting to get ready now.
Enjoyable!!!!
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White - Sweet/Dessert
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2009 Longoria Albariño Beso del Sol Clover Creek Vineyard
Santa Ynez Valley
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Found this a very interesting wine!
A very diminished nose of sunflower & wet cotton, and a hint of bitter.
Med bodied with deep clover honey tastes, dried apricot, and hints of honeysuckle & bitter sage.
Med finish with good overall balance. A very nice desert wine. Well recommended!
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Red
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2007 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
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Not a fan of the big California highly extracted oaky Cab style.
This wine was recommended to me by the store manager as a good pedestrian Cabernet.
It has lush red fruit flavors on the nose, with hints spiciness & oak.
Very straight forward palate of red fruits with oak & spiciness present. Yet I found it one dimentional and NOT very seductive at all.
A little disappointing. For a < $20 wine, i could search around & find many others more to my liking.
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Red
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1997 Greenock Creek Cabernet Sauvignon
Barossa Valley
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Actually opened bottle 2 weeks ago, had a glass & a half; re-visited it last night.
Used an Argon gas system, then kept it in REFRIGERATOR! Couldn't believe how much it evolved and continued to open up in the two weeks.
A very strong nose of bramble, wet stone, and forest floor. Deep fruit presence.
Med long finish w/ very deep fruit flavors w/ red fruits & dark berries. Complex and easily harmonizes with intrinsic herbal/spicy notes.
Would go well with a variety of meat dishes. We had it with a chicken sausage pasta, sundries tomatoes, and roasted peppers.
It was delish.
I couldn't believe that Cab grapes from a hot climate like Australia can exhibit such deep brooding flavours & complexity that are more often associated with cooler climate cabs like Bordeaux, and high elevation California vineyards.
Tight initially but opened up well; changed a lot more over two weeks. The tennins were well integrated, complementing & none interfering, but with enough background presence to allow another 10 years aging, IMO.
I gave it 92-94 pts. A very worthy wine.
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Red
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2008 Justin Vineyards & Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
Paso Robles
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Justin wines are favorites of mine, so I'm perhaps a bit biased.
Deep kirschy, a bit minerally, and herbal on the nose. Very dark ruby/inky in color.
Classic Cab taste, nice full body with loads of red & dark fruit, kirsch, olive & chocolate, touch of cinnamon and wood.
Also present that undeniable Paso Punch (spiciness) . . but wait a minute, me thinks there's a bit of Napa Cab fruit mixed in (but what do I know).
Still, I think it makes a very nice blend.
Solid Central Coast Cab, would prob remain approacheable for several years (5-6 years) to come.
Well done!!! :-)
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Red
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2006 Duckhorn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
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Had tasted a flight of the Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon while at a wine bar and thought I'd give this a try.
Nice oaky/vanilla nose with good red & black fruit.
But taste, not so good. Very cheap red & black fruit flavors with full spice, very dominant oakiness & alcoholic heat. Expected it to mellow and open up more with decanting, not so after 1 1/2 hrs.
Remained very simple, showed no layering or complexity at all. Tasted like a bunch of purchased fruit or fermented wine that was blended together.
At nearly $70 (with tax) for a price tag . . I'd say the owners are taking advantage of their previous success by offering a very simple (& not that good) table quality wine at an exhorbitant price.
Much better alternatives out there!!
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Red
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2008 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
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What a Cab!! Absolutely astonished, then seduced by this one!
Thick, viscous, showing beautiful dark garnet (w/ a hint of purple) in the glass.
A dark brooding nose that's slightly phenolic, lightly spicy, and showing very tight deep berry fruits.
Was absolutrely turned off my first coupla's sips . . . so I laid it down for a coupla' hours while I finished another wine.
. . . But it sure came around!! And what a beauty.
Very Cab qualities, full bodied with lots of well integrated fruits, including red & dark berries, curants, licorice, tobacco, chocolate, with hints of spice, kirsch, and wet forest floor.
Chewy (but not overwhelming), with a nice long well balanced finish. I think RP's review was spot on for this one!!
Only drawback is its youth . .. but I'll definately be getting a coupla' more bottles of this to lay down for 3-5 years.
Highly recommended.
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Red
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2009 Justin Vineyards & Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
Paso Robles
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Had to try it as I am a Justin fan.
A very nice, well balanced, cabernet with a strong Paso signature.
Good berry fruit & currant expression along with tobacco, chocolate, kirsch & spice.
Holds a lot of potential & promise . . . but drank young, hot, alcoholic, and thinner than I expected.
Med bodied /w a med lingering finish . . . I expect that the wine will outgrow these characteristics after about 3 years in a bottle and blossom into its greater potential!!!
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Red
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2008 Joseph Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Alexander Valley
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Mmmm! Delish.
Tasted it at Wine Exchange tasting machines.
Nice nose of dark fruits with a nice forest floor terroir.
Really beautiful California Cab flavor & character, very fruit dominant. Med-full bodied, med finish.
Not overpowering, yet seductive. Can be drunk by itself, but should be careful with food pairing as IT IS very fruit dominant.
The oakiess is not fully integrated, but I figure that if aged two years, it will come around nicely.
A very nice wine. Really enjoyable. Will try to get a few more bottles. Would gift really well . . . after a couple of years will be enjoyed by the receiver with acclaim.
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Red
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1997 B.R. Cohn Cabernet Sauvignon Olive Hill Estate Vineyards
Sonoma Valley
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Drank it with some Italian tonight.
Doung the bottle sitting in the corner of the cellar. opened it on a "what the heck" whim. Surprised to find that it still had a good bit of life in it and drank pretty well.
A decent solid cabernet that can still age for a coupla' more years. A solid 90! :-P
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Red
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2004 Yalumba The Signature
Barossa Valley
Cabernet-Shiraz Blend, Red Blend more
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This is an Aussie Cab/Shiraz blend that's received quite a few accolades (see them below) from the wine critics.
Deep garnet purple color with strong aromas of dark berries, sage, herb & underbrush, and even hints of mushroom & vanilla on the nose.
WARNING, this wine is very young and really needs time to open up, but when it does you'll be treated to a full bodied wine lush red (strawberry, currants, & hints of cranberries) and dark (blueberry, blackberry) fruit medlies on the palate along with chocolate, hints vanilla (oak?), spicy (ginger, sage, a little pepper) flavors with medium-full tanins that will linger for up to 20 sec (less lingering after the bottle's been open a while).
I found this wine very satisfying. Hearty & full bodied, would stand up well to most hearty meals, and might even stand up to a cigar by itself due to the fullness of the fruit & body. Enjoyed first bottle so much I bought three more.
Some would classify this as your very classic Aussie "Fruit Bomb", but at $40 a bottle, I liked it!
93 Easy!!
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White - Sparkling
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1998 Champagne Fleury Champagne Cuvée Robert Fleury Brut
Champagne Blend more
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Purchased this wine from Hi-Time, in Cost Mesa, CA in 12/2005 as a Top 10 Cahmpagne (in their catalog) for the Christmas season. Been sitting on it waiting for theo opportunity to try it.
Opened the bottle at a friend's B-day party yesterday!
A very nice cirtus nose, sl pungent (but not unpleasant), with hints of herbs and minerals.
The wine didn't take very long to open up . . . and it exploded with nicely integrated flavors all over my palate.
Tastes of citrus, persimmon, sour apples (even dash of star fruit), wet stone & mineral, and hints of mint, sage, and other herbs.
Med bodied, mde finish.
Very, very pleasant & enjoyable. Am usually NOT a champagne drinker, but this one surprised & really pleased me. Would buy more if I could find it!!
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Rosé - Sparkling
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NV Moët & Chandon Champagne Brut Imperial Rosé
Champagne Blend more
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Not a huge champagne fan. This was 2nd bottle opened at a friend's 50th B-day party. Straight forward Brut Rose w/ light lively fruit, dry.
THEN . . . about 40 min after opening and a little air time, the bubbles began to diminish and a strawberry prsence with hints of peach began to exert themselves on the buds. REally became one of the more enjoyable Rose wines I've recently had. Went along well with most of the appetizers we were enjoying.
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Red
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2003 Bertani Secco-Bertani
Valpolicella Valpantena
Corvina Blend, Corvina more
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FOund this to be a nice wine. A bit alcoholic and sharp when initially opened . . .
Showed hints of dried fruit on the nose along with herb and spice qualities.
A little past it's peak drinking age, but IMO, still showed well.
Medium bodied with dried fruits (dried blueberries, rpunes, blackberries), medium layers of spices, earthiness, and a good 10+ second finish.
Paired it with lightly spicy pasta dish.
Perhaps because of the age, it had an expression I liked (my GF almost didn't like it).
Enjoyable!
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Red
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2008 Herman Story Grenache On The Road
California
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What the heck is this wine?!?! Had it with dinner . . . the food was so much better than this drink.
Such great promise from a WS 93 rating . . . my expeience couldn't be more opposite.
Very nice present grenache & rhone varietal fruit flavors along with earthiness & various spices . . . yet thin & underwhelming.
Overly HOT, alcoholic, and oaky. Not just youth, but generally lacking a good palate feel or coating.
Not really sure if a little more air or bottle time can smooth it out & bring out greater potential. Not sure the PQR is all that good if it doesn't improve!
But for now, am NOT very impressed . . . just opened a 2007 Esprit de Beaucastel (Rouge) for a little late night glass. Mmmm! Much better.
Sorry Herman Story, you'll have to win me over some other way!
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Red
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2009 Herman Story Grenache On The Road
California
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Again, the Grenache On The Road doesn't stand out in my palate like some of the other wines from Herman Story . . . but I did enjoy the tasting I has at their facility in Paso Robles!
Nice fruit range, lots of richness . . . Enjoyable but a little intense, young, and hot.
A very enjoyable experience . .. and more enjoyable than my experience with the '08 bottling (which makes me think my '08 bottle may have been a little flawed).
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Red
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2009 Department 66 D66
Côtes Catalanes
Grenache Blend, Grenache more
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92 Points just because I enjoyed the flavor so much!! :-D
Good nose with spicy, kirsch, underbrush, and terroir noted. Very fruit expressive with nose suggestive of raspberries, mulberries, boysenberrries, and blackberries.
Almost jammy on the palate; very highly extracted & certainly c/w old Grenache vines and fruit expression. Good balance with still plenty of spice and terroir.
Still a bit hot & young and certainly needs more bottling time or decanting & airing time!
The classic Orin Swift heat & zing present but integrating well (always makes me wonder if they use a bit of oak chips in the barrels -- oh no . . . say "no").
Overall found it pleasing & will get more.
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Red
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2004 Bodega Norton Malbec Reserva
Lujan de Cuyo
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Not more to add but pretty much what previous reviewers before me have said. AN enjoyable fruity musty nose.
A little off balance but with some dark fruits dominating. Simple but quaffable. Still needed time to breathe & lose some of its edge a bit.
Some currants, herbal, & pepper notes. Medium finish, moder grip!!
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Red
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2009 Cuvelier Los Andes Grand Malbec
Valle de Uco
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Had it at a Cuvelier de Los Andes Tasting . . . A very young wine w/ a hot nose that expressed dark fruity aromas with a balance of earthiness.
Deep dark fruits on the palate with spice & earth, almost as full bodied as a high end California or Ttuscan Merlot. Rich & undulating, lots of body & character.
Very delicious but would give it at least an hour plus to open up!
Liked it so mych that I may obtain an older bottle or two (from previous vintages) to compare.
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Red
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2007 Dobbin Lane Merlot
Central Coast
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What an interesting surprise!
So what is this wine? A bunch of excess Merlot, a small producer (or a large producer with excess capacity), made just right, add a few years in the bottle.
End up with something unexpectantly good. Seems the universe is in alignment on this one.
Deep earthy/fruit on the nose. On the palate deep bramble and dark berry fruits mixed in with underbrush, deep forest peet, earthiness with some spices (even hint of cinnamon), moderately significant complexity and med long finish. The complexity and character kept evolving as it opened. I've been told that this wine evolves even more the second day, but the bottle was finished in one evening.
Surprisingly good, really impressed me for a Merlot (didn't know they could be this great)! Tasted way above it's price point and would compare to a $35-$45 bottle in quality, character, balance, and complexity. For the price (<$10), I bought 2/3 of a case.
CHEERS!
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Red
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2009 Villa Creek Mourvèdre Damas Noir
Paso Robles
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First tasted it at the Villa Creek restaurant in Paso Robnles back in April of this year . . . as part of a flight of Villa Creek wines.
Very deep garnet purple color, viscous with good legs present.
Deep earthy, moist peet, and fruit aromas on the nose.
Now I am a big ofan of Villa Crek wines . . . not necessarily every wine produced every year, but have encounered quite a few gems in their wines.
Now this one was a little different but still very enjoyable.
Dominance of dark fruits over red fruits with mulberry and fig present with hints dark cherries, earthiness and peet, good body, balance, and nice med-long finish.
Not as fruit forward as other VC wines I've loved, but quite well made & quite enjoyable. Should blossom a lot more with time and/or decanting.
Never had a 100% Mouvedre before, will buy more.
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Red
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2005 Bodegas Sierra Salinas Alicante Mira
Mourvèdre Blend, Mourvèdre more
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I want to qualify that I'm not a big wine connoisseur, at least compared to others I know, so I wouldn't consider my wine palate the most sophisticated. I'm actually a cigar man (& well known among my friends for my knowledge of cigars), but because I love food, I have learned to love & appreciate wine.
So when I bought this wine on a sale price of $19 and the recommendation of my wine shop I was curious how it would turn out.
Color was a very deep red with subtle blue hues and a young nose of berry fruits, kirsch, olive, and a hint of wet peet.
Full bodied with a rich mouthfeel, I found the taste very likeable with lots of upfront (but not in your face) red fruits (cherry & strawberry), with hints of blueberries and black berries. Lots of good herbal & kirsch undertones, and hints of smoke of on the back palate (that one was pointed out to me by a staff member of the wine store). Med-long finish that left the palate craving more.
Honestly, I liked this wine a lot, and I'm curious as to how it will age.
Bought 4 botttles initially, gifted 3 of them (two of which I got to share); and ended up buying another half case. :-)
Now I don't understand how others have given it such lower scores, but then again, YTMV, and I will admit (again), that I really am no huge connoisseur but just someone who enjoys a good wine with food.
I would seriously give this wine a 92-94 point rating!!!
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Red
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2000 Michele Chiarlo Barolo Riserva Tortoniano
Nebbiolo more
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Have been sitting on this bottle for quite some time. Bought two bottles in 2006, opened one in 2007 . . . it was very backwards, tannic, and closed.
Really NOT enjoyable.
Time changes things . . . especially when it comes to wine.
Good earthy garnet color, medium viscosity, and great legs!!!
Earthy with hints of berries, spices, and hint lavender on the nose.
Good fruit presence with lots of dark fruits (blueberries, black & boysenberries) in the background. Integrated spiciness and good earthiness present.
Long finish lasting nearly 20sec. Still opening up as I taste it . . . showing promise and good integrity. For the price paid (<$30), 89 is a good score.
Enjoyable.
Figure it has another 4-5 years of aging to peak . . . but my experience with Barolo is limited.
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Red
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2004 Calabretta Etna Rosso
Etna DOC
Nerello Mascalese more
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Interesting floral/fruity notes with strong minerality on the nose.
The kaleidascopic profile is an interesting one wiht a fruitful old world expression, nice terrroir expression, and minerality.
It is very c/w Sicilian wines I've had . . . but my experience in that category is very limited.
I can say this for sure . . . I LIKED IT. Will definatrey keep my eye out for more of this varietal and wines from this region.
Good with many food dishes, but I do not think it will stand up to the heaviest of dishes/casseroles, etc . . .
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Red
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2007 Marietta Cellars Petite Sirah Alexander Valley
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Tasted this at a favorite store today.
Relatively viscous, reddish purple color with a thick jammy nose of dark fruits and strawberry.
[That's one reason I like the Petit Syrah grape so much . . . makes a very jammy, mouthful wine. :-) ]
Flavors of very light black pepperwith a trace of mint, some ginger and herb de provence.
Very dominant fruits with strawberry, blackberry, hints of blueberry, and figs.
[I always taste figs with Petit Syrah.] Great mouth coating, long satisfying finish.
Enough complexity to make a great food wine, enough fruit seductiveness for simple quaffing.
Didn't need much time to open up, very approacheable now . . . suspect it could still cellar 2-3 years, although I won't be waiting that long.
Excellent QPR at $17. A solid 91-92!!
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