| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| White |
2009 Mandolina Malvasia BiancaSanta Barbara County more |
2/18/2011 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 84 pointsFirst time I've ever had a Malvasia and was pleasantly surprised; sort of a refreshing Italian version of chenin blanc. Clear and straw colored, intense floral and citroen zest on the nose (could smell it without sticking my nose in the glass) with hints of apricots and lychee, crisp on the palate with a light touch of honey. Medium bodied and light finish. Looking forward to having this at a summer picnic. Also has one of the prettiest wine labels. |
| Red |
2009 Ken Brown Pinot Noir Rancho la Viña Vineyard Sta. Rita Hillsmore |
1/9/2012 - myewinsp Likes this wine: NRdeep rich ruby that i've come to expect from a KB PN. Big hit of licorice, followed by Asian spices, cherries, blueberries and was that l ocean breeze? Complex and complete on the palate, seems a little more acidic than the 2008 RlaV, but well structured with supple tannins and long, complex finish. Could be extraordinary in a few years of integration and balance. |
| Red |
2008 Ken Brown Pinot Noir Santa Maria Valleymore |
12/24/2011 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 94 pointsOf the three kinds of red at Christmas Eve dinner, this was the hands down star. medium body but a richer ruby than most PN, has wonderful aromas of cherries, chambord, cinnamon sugar, tobacco and mocha. Clean and focused fruit, with a deft touch of woodsiness, it is my go to wine for salmon that also paired well with the prime rib roast. |
| Red |
2008 Ken Brown Pinot Noir Rancho la Viña Vineyard Sta. Rita Hillsmore |
2/19/2011 - myewinsp wrote: 94 pointsBeautifully constructed pinot, what stands out is the deep rich color and intense flavors, and long, silky, fruitful finish. Very excited about this bottling, but refrained from giving this an even higher score only because I feel a few years of cellaring would further improve this already amazing wine. Dazzling aromas that wafts even before we put our nose in the glass. Luscious aromas of cinnamon sugar and tobacco support the rich pinot fruits. Flavors are equally intense, sweet cherries and licorice, with crisp acidity, cola, and minerality, with long, silky, peppery finish that avoids the metallic end that big pinots can sometimes deliver. |
| Red |
2008 Long Shadows Wineries Merlot PedestalColumbia Valley more |
1/19/2012 - myewinsp wrote: 92 pointsVery interesting wine. Very European, really designed to be paired with food. Very dark, inky, ruby that dyed the glass. Inviting aromas of molasses, cedar and balsam over a core of rhubarb pie and ripe black cherries and plums, and something indescribable, perhaps a hint of cat pee? Very woodsy and complex on the palate, opening up to warm rhubarb pie and soft dusty tannins in the middle of the tongue, and a long finish of olive, walnuts and white pepper. With food, it has a different profile, where it was fruit forward, figs and plums, dusty tannins finishing with chocolate milk. Not sure what to think, but definitely a conversation piece. |
| Red |
2008 Long Shadows Wineries Merlot PedestalColumbia Valley more |
11/28/2013 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 93 pointsImproving and still improving. Used wine to introduce friends and family to what a merlot could be. Beautiful, inky purple in the glass. Aromas were not jumping out of the glass like my previous pour, but was extremely dense and rich. Lots of cassis and ripe plum were forward on the nose, then bloom into violets, rhubarbs, raspberry, tobacco, pencil, balsam and mint and surprisingly gardenia. Frankly, the nose was a little awkward and angular, particularly due to the balsam and mint hits, but on the palate, the qualities are much more balanced and integrated. Bright fruit becomes dark, perfectly ripe fruit on the mid-palate, picking up capers and chocolate on the long, sweet tannic finish. |
| Red |
2008 Ken Brown Syrah "A" CuveeSan Luis Obispo County more |
12/27/2011 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 95 pointsThe first thing that came to mind is elegance, something I rarely apply to CA Syrah. Very inky, but the nose was well balanced, delicious black and red stonefruit, but also apricot and mint. No discernable smokiness, woodsiness. Round and supple mouthfeel. On the palate more berry than plum, but still balanced. Finishes with distinct peppery-ness. Few wines surprise me nowadays, but this one certainly did. it's like a Hermitage made in a Burgundian style and we end up with something new combining the best of the two. |
| Red |
2007 Flying Goat Cellars Pinot Noir Solomon Hills VineyardSanta Maria Valley more |
11/1/2011 - myewinsp wrote: 86 pointsClear medium cranberry red, med-light body. The nose is amazing and unique, red fruit forward, sour cherries, cranberries, strawberry, with incense, cinnamon sugar, pepper, sag, heck throw the whole dictionary of wine terms at it, it's that complex and inviting. On the palate, it's less interesting. More acidic than most 07 pinots, which I expected from tasting at winery, with salted plums and cranberry opening to riper red cherries, silky tannins and a long finish. Food didn't particularly change the profile nor let the phenols bloom. |
| Red |
2007 Goosecross Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon AerosNapa Valley more |
1/2/2011 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 97 pointsWhat a surprising superb wine! Dare I call it potentially a wine of a lifetime? Extremely concentrated flavors with great balance and complexity, supple structure. Very bold young fruit, balanced with perfect acidity, just the right level of alcohol to carry the flavors, and big tannin that are surpringly easy to take and doesn't come with the bitter aftertaste I find with big young tannins. On the nose I can pick out a cornucopia of all fruits red and black and blue, but on the palate it is well integrated with a balanced impression plums at the peak. There are med dark coffee notes on the palate and tight tannins the promise further unravelling of flavors after some time laid down. |
| Red |
2007 Zaca Mesa Syrah Eight BarrelSanta Ynez Valley more |
2/18/2011 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 92 pointsSupple and balanced, a lion tamed. Inviting deep colors, fruit forward aromas of plums, cherries, ripe strawberries, etc. with hints of game and pepper melange. Supple entry, very complex palate of fruits and suet and spice and chocolate leading to a peppery tannic finish. Sweeter and more approachable today than the Mesa Reserve, but equally outstanding. |
| Red |
2007 Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry ReserveNapa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more |
11/28/2013 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 90 pointsRustic -- "wild" was the first word I associated with the experience. beautiful, deep, clear, garnet. Needed a good vigorous swirl to unleash the aromas, a wild melange of mixed berries, briar, licorice and tobacco, with echoes of violet and mixed floral bouquet. On palate, it begins with a tannic hit that unfolds into big bold claret flavors of black and red fruits and olives, and finishes long, strong, woody and briary. tannins were dusty and pleasant, but the wine definitely has big, sizzling and sassy character. Seems to be an identifiable shift in philosophy -- not ripe, not vanilla-y, not toasty, lower alcohol. |
| Red |
2007 Zaca Mesa Syrah Mesa ReserveSanta Ynez Valley more |
2/18/2011 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 92 pointsHas great balance and all the elements of a potentailly great wine, but right now is quite tannic. Deep ruby and opaque, lots of toasty caramel, plums, cherries, sage and barnyard. Smooth entry, deep fruit and then a big whammo of big tannins, and a long chewy, peppery finish. |
| Red |
2007 Curtis ReserveSanta Ynez Valley Red Rhone Blend more |
12/27/2011 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 90 pointsVery smooth. I'm envisioning a leashed tiger. Color just short of inky but quite deep red. Aromas waft out of the glass without sniffing. very plummy, followed with a melange of berries, heat, with a very slight hint of tobacco. Very unctious mouthfeel, like unfizzed cola with extra soft tannins, no hard edges at all leading to a very long enjoyable finish. |
| Red |
2006 Fess Parker Pinot Noir Bien Nacido VineyardSanta Maria Valley more |
1/4/2011 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 90 pointsExcellent pinot that has aged well. Tanninstill firm, but with several hours of aeration really revealed its quality. Medium red color typical thinner body. Heady Aromas of dried cherries and red fruit opening up to burnt sugars with hints of earth and forest floor and barnyard. Medium body, focused flavors that are bright, spicy, leading to great warmth, clove spice and ripe fruit throoughout the finish |
| Red |
2006 Zaca Mesa Syrah Black Bear BlockSanta Ynez Valley more |
2/18/2011 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 94 pointsExtremely rich and concentrated, with very rounded sweet tannins and one of the nicest finishes. Deep ruby, clean and opaque. Very big aromas of black fruits, game, cedar, spice, and mocha, surprisingly bright entry, evolving into tantalizing banquet of sweet plums, raspberries and strawberries, smokey bacon, licorice and sage, finishing with tingling spices and peppers and lingering caramel. Wow. |
| Red |
2006 Firestone Vineyard The AmbassadorSanta Ynez Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more |
3/25/2011 - myewinsp wrote: 85 pointswell made but lacking any idiosyncracies and therefore lacking personality. Deep ruby, fuller body that expected. Still young and tannic, breathing opens up typical nose of black plums backed by slight tobacco and violets. No detectable herbs or greens. Mouth coating, dense, good acidity, savory, chewy, heady without being a fruit bomb. I normally prefer blends but In this case I prefer the sweeter tannins, fruit concentration and asian spice in the cab ambassador. In any case it's excellent for a bordeaux blend under 50. Balance indicate it may age well. Will keep the rest until 2016. |
| Red |
2006 Mandolina Toccata ClassicoSanta Barbara County SuperTuscan Blend more |
2/18/2011 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 86 pointsGreat QPR! An elegant California imprint of Italian wines thats very approachable now and more fruit forward than imports. Bright colors someWhere between the mid garnet of Chianti and deep purple of bordeaux. Lean nose of strawberries, sour cherries, blackberries, tobacco, and burnt sugar. Medium bodied, on palate the harmonious blending of dried and fresh fruits and acid and spice and mineral, leading to pleasant medium length finish thats slightly puckering, more from acidity than the dusty tannins. |
| Red |
2005 Revana Cabernet SauvignonSt. Helena more |
1/21/2012 - myewinsp wrote: 95 pointsThis wine brought out a battle of the sexes; adored by the women but unimpressive to the men at dinner. Unarguably a well made wine of great subtlety, it's sort of the anti-Parker wine. The fruit is very concentrated, but not in your face. The oak element is sweet and receding, and the wine's complexity comes from its floral notes more than from toast and spice.At this point it is extremely smooth, creamy, and integrated, still young but so pleasant. |
| Red |
2004 Mandolina Toccata RiservaSanta Barbara County SuperTuscan Blend more |
2/18/2011 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 90 pointsWhat a great find! Terrific on its own merit, made extraordinary by the current great price. Compared to the 2006 Classico, this SuperTuscan is bigger and bolder, more European leaning. Brick edged garnet, big nose of dried strawberries, sour cherries, game, cedar, toast, mulling spices with emerging secondaries of licorice, leather, tar, and figs. Bright acidity, great structure and balance, earthy and minerally, tart fruits and spice, and long finish. Tannins have softened nicely, but could hold for many years. Would be complementary with great Tuscan dishes. |
| Red |
2001 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private ReserveNapa Valley more |
1/15/2011 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 90 pointsDeep ruby, great clarity, but no brick red rim I was expecting from a 10 year old. Poured through Vinturi, very concentrated bouquet of classic cab aroma with hint of ripe figs and tobacco. Supple entry, full bodied cassis to mineral with long finish carrying further ripe fruit. Overall very satisfying though confirming my preference for blends over 100% cabernet, as it seemed to be hollow in the mid palate and not as rich as the nose would indicate. |
| Red |
2001 Merryvale ProfileNapa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more |
2/6/2011 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 89 pointsDrunk over 3 days, much better on the 3rd day. A little brick red rim, mostly deep garnet. Very complex nose with different profile each time i return to the glass, figs, tobacco, cedar, plums, cassis, cocoa, dried fruit, leather, licorice. Palate was not congruent with nose, a bit like biting into an unripe pluot, with flavors evolving to black olives and celery. Mid length finish thats a bit minty, and still chewy. A more pleasant tAsting experience when I gargled, as it brought out more fresh mint and fruit flavors, otherwise palate was dominated by olive and other vegetal notes. |
| Red |
2001 Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry ReserveNapa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more |
12/31/2010 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 95 pointsBrick red with ruby core. Amazing aromas of ripe fruits, figs, prunes, cassis with rich creme brulee, evolving among this combination with each whiff. Very silky and supple entry with almost gelatinlike texture with elegant blooming of ripe and dried fruit, integrated acid and just a hint of rounded tannins. Beautiful medium finish that remains gentle and elegant. This wine was lost in the cellar and really surprised by how well it aged. A unique beauty. Drink now. |
| Red |
1994 Joseph Phelps InsigniaNapa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more |
10/1/2012 - myewinsp Likes this wine: 98 pointsThis wine was certainly made to be aged and still have many years to go; in my mere 15 years of wine hobby this is my most extraordinary wine experience thus farsurprising not so much with novelty but with classic qualities superbly expressed. Kept in my cellar since the beginning of my wine collecting, the wine did not have the brick edge or other signs of aging, showing great clarity in luminescent ruby. Classic claret aroma billowed out when opened and poured, and when savored showed a core of rich cassis presented on an elegant platter of dozens of classic components. Smokiness was no longer detectable, in its place were the secondaries, leather, figs and even banana peel. Unexpected were dried rose petals that all four of us noticed. On the palate the silkiness, richness and balance was unequaled and satisfied my high expectations. Tannin expression was clearly tamed and glycerin like but hitting the back palate with a little crispness for the lingering and relatively bright finish. May have ruined my appreciation of other wines especially the concept of exquisite balance. |
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- Tasting notes: 23 notes on 22 wines
