| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| White |
2011 Millton Chenin Blanc Te Arai VineyardGisborne more |
11/11/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo wrote: 87 pointsMedium-maize color. Rich and buttery nose to start, accented by minerality before more warming oak aromas kick back in. On the palate, some restrained salty and stony flavors, with cinnamon and a bit of earthiness. This finishes with ample acidity, which again serves to balance the oaky richness. A bit less austere than I typically like my Chenin Blanc, I'd prefer this under $20 as opposed to the $25+ it commands at my local. |
| Red |
2006 Plumpjack Cabernet Sauvignon ReserveOakville more |
11/23/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 90 pointsOpaque rosewood color. Nose of plum skin, polished black shoe leather, embers, a recently-weeded garden bed, and the aroma of a freshly-opened cardboard box. There's a rounded mouthfeel with flavors of blackberry scone. This finishes with moderately grainy tannins. Pleasant drinking, but not knock-your-socks-off, which you'd expect at this price. Perhaps a symptom of a lesser vintage? Drink now, and for the next 5 years. |
| Red |
2008 Clos Mogador PrioratGrenache Blend, Grenache more |
11/8/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 90 pointsOpaque rosewood color. Nose of brambles, warm roast beef, and clove cigarette smoke. Luscious palate with plump black fruit. A slightly tannic graininess is all that remains of the structure. A more ample vintage, less classically styled. Enjoyable now, and for the next 3 years. |
| Red |
2009 Poderi Luigi Einaudi Barolo Costa GrimaldiNebbiolo more |
11/4/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 91 pointsOpaque rosewood color with slight bricking. Dried cherries and dusty earthen clods on the nose. On the palate, this has slightly medicinal, syrupy red fruit flavors, finishing with a faint note of mocha. Starting to enter its drinking window now, I am glad to have a few more bottles of this to enjoy over the next 8-10 years. |
| Red |
2014 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir SouthingSta. Rita Hills more |
10/29/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo wrote: 87 pointsMedium rosewood color. Nose of brooding black fruit, with a weird accent of rubber hose. The palate starts with rounded dark berries though, oddly, this never really knits together at midpalate. There's another off note hovering around this one. Finishes predictably- baking spice, lapsing into a vanilla-infused woodyness. The finish on this is long, with a heavily-oaked note and some residual acidity and minerality. Not sure what went wrong here; it's not terrible, but rather fairly average with a few off-kilter smells and flavors. |
| Red |
2010 Domaine Pavelot (Jean-Marc et Hugues) Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux GuettesPinot Noir more |
10/24/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 87 pointsCloudy light crimson color. Nose has sweetly green vegetal notes, with some rich black fruit and tangy kumato tomatoes. There are tertiary scents of anise and varnished walnut wood starting to appear. The palate is lithe and acidic, though very smooth, coming across as a bit thin. I had high hopes for this following a good bottle of the 2009 Pavelot Aux Guettes, unfortunately a promising nose doesn't see much follow-through on the palate. |
| Red |
1997 Luigi Pira Barolo MarencaNebbiolo more |
10/20/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 97 pointsOpaque crimson with a faint bricking at the rim. Immediately piquant, tertiary nose of licorice, fresh sarsaparilla, and the syrupy medicinal quality of Robitussin (I mean this with very positive enthusiasm). All of this is balanced by still lively tart red fruit. This is sweetly savory on the dense, monolithic palate, which is mouth-coating in the way of the 1982 Mouton-Rothschild. This is exceptionally good - perfectly mature - and should be enjoyed immediately. |
| White |
2015 Domaine Roulot Bourgogne BlancChardonnay more |
10/20/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 89 pointsMedium goldenrod color. Yeasty, grassy nose with baking spice accents, underpinned by taut saline minerality. The palate is very pure Chardonnay, with lemony citric fruity acidity and a burst of toasty richness at the end. Very serviceable, good quality young white Burgundy. I'm not in love with it at $60, but that's really the only nit to pick. |
| Red |
2010 Domaine Tortochot Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Aux CharmesPinot Noir more |
10/17/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo wrote: 87 pointsLight garnet color, with some brick tones starting to emerge. Nose is immediately expressive, with subtly savory aromas of roasted meat, and an intense minerality leavened by tart cherry smells. A promising start; unfortunately, there's little follow-through on the palate. There's sweet baking spice and red berries to enter, with the slightly astringent flavor of tea leaves and then... nothing. A very taut, Chardonnay-like acidity gives way to a completely mute midpalate. There's only a residual flavor of cracked black peppercorn before this disappears completely. Unlike the several Pavelot 2010's I have recently enjoyed, this doesn't hold any promise for additional improvement. A weak effort, despite the auspicious vintage. I've got a few 2010 Tortochot 1er and Grand Crus in the cellar, which hopefully have more to say for themselves. |
| Red |
2012 d'Arenberg The Laughing Magpie Shiraz-ViognierMcLaren Vale Shiraz Blend, Syrah more |
10/8/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 90 pointsVibrant light garnet color. Cheery nose with lots of red fruit, accented by some more serious notes of freshly cut tobacco, ground cinnamon, and a subtly earthy terroir. On the palate, plump Shiraz meets an interjection of acidic Viognier, combining vibrantly in a palate that has an austere, inky flavor to complement the plush fruit. Medium finish with good balance throughout. Will evolve for perhaps another 5 years, but plenty good today. Another solid showing from d'Arenberg. I'm a repeat customer at $25/bottle. |
| Red |
2010 Romano Dal Forno Valpolicella Superiore Vigneto di Monte LodolettaCorvina Blend, Corvina more |
10/6/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 93 pointsHad two bottles off a restaurant wine list; consistency throughout. Medium crimson color. Rocky, mineral-driven nose on both. Excellent interplay of the gravel, silt, and clay underlying this site. There are also plenty of exotically spicy aromas - celery salt and curry powder, to name but two. The palate is as yet very lithe, but with great depth and good concentration. Worthy of extended cellaring, this is also drinkable now with heartier food. |
| Red |
1996 QuintessaRutherford Red Bordeaux Blend more |
10/6/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 95 pointsBought two bottles off a restaurant wine list. Medium-light rosewood color on both. |
| Spirits |
2007 Talisker 10 Year Old The Distillers Edition (bottled 2017) Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 45.8%Isle of Skye more |
9/30/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 92 pointsMedium dark burnt orange color. Very coastal nose, with maritime elements balanced by a buttery sweetness. There are swirling aromas of seashells and iodine singing harmoniously in a chorus with creamy notes from the Amoroso cask, and a very subtle orange creamsicle aroma. On the palate, a clean, austere, almost flat entrance gives way to a burst of bitter citrus fruit peel at midpalate. Finishing interminably with a hot, sweet and savory note of Texas BBQ sauce, this lingers with a smoky richness and a mouth-drying stony note. Different than the Talisker 10, this is mainly about the interplay between smoke and creamy richness, rather than the breadth and depth of flavors there. I was able to pick up a bottle on sale for $70 (identical to the core 10 Year Old Bottling), at which price I find this an interesting digression into cask finishing from a distillery that I like very much indeed. However, I'd be reluctant to pay the $95 this commands on release, as it doesn't really improve on the lower-priced and consistently reliable Talisker 10. 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (4) |
| Red |
2009 Chateau MusarBekaa Valley Red Blend more |
9/21/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 87 pointsBought this off a restaurant wine list that had some appealing wines at pornographic prices. This seemed the fairest value, at approximately 2x retail price. Sidebar conversation: when did 3x become the new 2x? Anyway, I was dining with friends, so I'll blame the paucity of detailed descriptors below on the attention demanded by good company and conversation. |
| Red |
2013 d'Arenberg Grenache The Derelict VineyardMcLaren Vale more |
9/20/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 88 pointsMedium crimson color. Burly nose, with ample jammy black fruit, a green note of freshly-cut twigs, some MSG and Asian five-spice, and roasted meat. More luscious black fruitiness as the wine enters the mouth. This is perfectly smooth and round at midpalate, and I think I know where this is going... but wait! All of the sudden, this becomes very brooding and serious on the finish, where bituminous notes intermingle with the grainy texture of the tannins. Saved by the bell! If I cared more about Grenache, I'd be interested to see how this evolves with a few more years in the cellar. As it is, d'Arenberg remains a rock-steady source of well-made wine from a region that I visit (in the vinous as well as the terrestrial sense) less frequently than I might. |
| Red |
2010 Domaine Pavelot (Jean-Marc et Hugues) Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Les VergelessesPinot Noir more |
9/16/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 89 pointsLight crimson color. Cheery nose of red fruit and baking spice, with some time in the decanter revealing richer aromas kirsch and blackcurrant cordial. There's also more serious notes of black licorice and a steely minerality, reflecting the red ferruginous clay underlying this climat. The palate is already quite smooth, sweet and pleasantly warm. More than any of theater 2010's I have tried from Pavelot, the acidity here is very well-integrated already at this point. Through the mouth, the red fruit flavors are very pure, almost crystalline. Overall, this gives the impression of being both immediately accessible and very academic. Good now, and for another 5+ years. More generally, the solid quality of these wines is convincing me to add Pavelot to my list of go-to producers in the Côte de Beaune. |
| Spirits |
NV Few Spirits Single Barrel #15-1546, 50.5%, Binny's HandpickedIllinois Rye, Grain more |
9/7/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 94 pointsLight orange color with rose glints. Beautiful floral and fruity nose, with aromas of key lime, orange Curaçao, pavlova, and aloe vera. There's a very subtle rye graininess, an aromatic topnote, with just a wisp of corny sweetness. This starts spicy, with some cayenne pepper and Red Hots cinnamon candy flavors. This firms up at midpalate, with pure, steely rye grain flavors. The whiskey washes across the back of the tongue with the spiciness of Mexican chocolate. There's a lingering heat through and around the mouth, though this tips over into a slight bitterness on the finish. Very subtle; understated, but with a lot going on. Among the local midwestern ryes I have tried, this bests both Koval and Journeyman by a wide margin. Elegant, and excellent value at $50. My first dram from FEW, it certainly won't be my last! |
| Spirits |
2007 Glenrothes 8 Year Old Single Cask Nation (bottled 9/2016) Cask #10763 Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 56.3%Speyside more |
9/7/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 94 pointsLight golden-brown color with orange-amber glints. Hefty alcohol; this almost singes your nasal hairs. Densely packed nose with kirsch, Arnold Palmer (iced tea mixed with lemonade), pine needles, and hot buttered sourdough toast. Suddenly, there's a surprising note of green apple and a polished, woody richness, rounded off with a bit of cinnamon. Clearly a very clean sherry cask, allowing a lot of the underlying malt character to come through. The palate is tripartite, with a waxy entry akin to a boxed chocolate sampler. Then, a youthful, malty midpalate, with a piquant salty nuttiness, the sweet cinnamon note of freshly-baked apple pie, and a subtle black licorice flavor. A somewhat winey aftertaste emerges before this finishes long and nutty. Particularly in the mouth, there's an intriguing element between the midpalate and the finish that eludes the mind's grasp, with the consequence that one immediately craves another sip. Lots of countervailing, balancing forces here- high quality malt matured in a good cask and bottled at high strength. Unlike the disappointing Reserve bottlings, where the flavors get a bit muddled, this allows more of the underlying quality of the distillate to come through. Another great example that age isn't everything. I'd recommend this, especially to those Glenrothes haters out there who have been (rightly) underwhelmed by some of the core range bottlings. |
| Red |
2008 R. López de Heredia Rioja Crianza Viña CubilloTempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more |
9/9/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 90 pointsMedium crimson color. Oxidative nose of ripe red fruit, with a subtle dark stoniness underneath. There are hot, rocky aromas and some oily scents of shoe polish. The palate starts dry, showing some smooth black fruit and cedar wood at midpalate. There's a long, dry tannic finish balanced by a richer note of mocha. Have had many wines from López de Heredia and am always impressed by the quality. It's a small wonder that these bottles allow you to pick up properly aged, mature wine from the store shelf, at under $30. |
| Red |
2010 Domaine Pavelot (Jean-Marc et Hugues) Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux GravainsPinot Noir more |
9/5/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 90 pointsMedium-dark garnet color. On both the nose and the palate, this is a dance between crystalline red fruit and resinous aromas of pine forest. There's good density and concentration of flavors throughout, but they haven't quite coalesced yet. The palate is not yet smooth, remaining quite angular in mouthfeel, the result of acidity which has not yet integrated. In comparison to Pavelot's 2010 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Narbantons and Beaune Bressandes, this isn't close to being "open for business." I see another 3-5 years of cellaring as necessary, and would expect my score to improve as the disparate aromatic and gustatory elements harmonize. |
| Red |
2007 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico Riserva RanciaChianti Classico DOCG Sangiovese more |
9/3/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 90 pointsOpaque rosewood color. Rich and warm nose of brambles, oiled leather, and a faint whiff of mesquite. This has a lightly stony terroir, and the sweet topnote of crushed violet. Another ringer for Left Bank Bordeaux. In the mouth, this starts pleasantly with a flowery sweetness, becoming drily rocky at mid palate. Throughout the palate, there is a drying note of well-integrated tannin. A bit less good than the 2004 and 2006 Rancia I recently enjoyed, this could use some more time to smooth out. I have two magnums remaining, and will endeavor to keep away from them for 3-5 years. |
| Red |
2006 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico Riserva RanciaChianti Classico DOCG Sangiovese more |
8/26/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 92 pointsAs with the recently-revisited 2004 Rancia, this was a big improvement over the last bottle. Threw off a lot of sediment, so decanting recommended. Opaque rosewood color. Nose of tar, bitumen, and black fruit, with the sweetness of chocolate-covered cherries. This is similarly serious on the palate; dark and brooding, with luscious black fruit balanced against tertiary earthy notes. There are slightly astringent wood and anise notes on the long finish. Very fine throughout, this is optimally mature and should be enjoyed without hesitation. |
| Spirits |
NV Aberlour 16 Year Old Double Cask Matured Single Malt Scotch Whisky, 40%Speyside more |
8/25/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 92 pointsDark golden-orange color with auburn glints. The nose on this is pure sherried bliss: dried fruit, sultanas, orange peel, and freshly varnished wood. Lest this sound caricaturish, this is all balanced by some discreet floral notes, as well as the perky sweetness of ginger beer. Overall this is very warm and pleasant on the nose, though also showing good intensity, without a stray sulfurous note to be found. On the palate this is round and full at the front of the tongue, becoming woody at midpalate, showing more of the traditional cask character. This evolves a soapy texture through the finish, which also has a tart burst of freshly-squeezed lemon flavor. Bottled at 40%, this tastes stronger due to the concentration of flavors and the woody heat in the mouth. In total, it's well-made Highland malt with high-quality sherry casks employed to good effect- but not overly so, as balance is maintained throughout. Good value for money at the $70 I paid, especially in comparison to the comparably-priced Macallan 12, which I would expect is most people's go-to sherried dram. I'd recommend this without hesitation. |
| Spirits |
NV Koval Single Barrel Four Grain WhiskeyIllinois more |
8/24/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo Likes this wine: 90 pointsKoval Whiskey Tasting (Chicago, Illinois, USA): Also orangey-amber color (I'm starting to wonder). Meaty nose, with some vegetative notes. There's a steely graininess here, spiced up with cracked black peppercorns. This is extremely steely in texture through the palate. There are some peppery and exotically spicy flavors of lemongrass, ginger, and red chili peppers. The finish is long, with the wood gently re-asserting itself, stopping short of becoming bitter or astringent. Lots of complexity here- the most interesting of the bunch. Barrel #PBOM85. |
| Spirits |
NV Koval Single Barrel Bourbon WhiskeyIllinois Grain more |
8/24/2018 - NineteenEightyTwo wrote: 84 pointsKoval Whiskey Tasting (Chicago, Illinois, USA): Similarly orangey-amber color to the Single Barrel Rye. Nose is a bit rounder and less well-defined than the rye. There are faintly sweet and fruity smells, and some sweetly smoky scents of marshmallows roasted on the campfire. This is quite round in the mouth as well, with aromatic flavors, light wood and floral notes, and a slightly mentholated herbaceousness. Throughout, this has a warming texture, given the 47% ABV. Of the three Koval whiskies, this has the least to say for itself. Barrel #KR3F26. |
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