| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| Red |
2021 Chiron Grenache Unfamiliar TruthMt. Veeder more |
3/23/2024 - bretrooks wrote: NRNot decanted, consumed over ~1 1/2 hours. Vivid translucent red and obviously lighter-bodied. Youthful aromas of cranberry and wild strawberry jump from the glass, picking up notes of peppercorn and baking spice over time along with a firmer sense of structure than there seemed to be at first. While the strong impression of cranberry was unusual to me in a Grenache, we both enjoyed this. I'll probably give the other bottles at least another year. |
| Red |
2008 Bodegas y Viñedos Escudero Rioja ArvumGrenache Blend, Grenache more |
3/23/2024 - bretrooks wrote: flawedSeemed decently made overall, but marred by some Band-aidy brett...dumped. |
| Red |
2018 Matt Taylor Wines Pinot Noir Cuvée Kaela Komorebi VineyardSonoma Coast more |
3/22/2024 - bretrooks wrote: flawedSpritzy and a little sharp...set aside. |
| Red |
2019 Château Haut-BrissonSt. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more |
3/22/2024 - bretrooks wrote: NRNot decanted, two glasses consumed over ~1.5 hours. Quite dark red and mostly opaque in the glass. Pretty well put together for a young $20 Bordeaux, with forward structure and a bit of extraction and oak showing through. Medium-plus body but with balancing acid. Dark cherry/ripe blackberry fruit and some cocoa powder offset by a bit of something green (although I could also see calling it anise or licorice). I'm inclined to let my other bottle rest a while and/or give it a good long decant before drinking it. A lot of wine for ~$20. |
| Red |
2018 Valtostao Ribera del Duero Legón PremiumTempranillo more |
3/16/2024 - bretrooks wrote: NRNot decanted, two small pours consumed over ~45 minutes. Dark, mild fruit, integrated oak and slightly brothy/savory notes, relatively modest structure, long finish. Very nice overall, especially for the price, as long as you're not expecting a fruit-forward wine. |
| Red |
2020 Tenet Wines Syrah The Pundit Columbia Valleymore |
2/25/2024 - bretrooks wrote: NRNot decanted, three glasses consumed over ~2 hours. Dark and purplish in the glass, fairly opaque. Consistent on the nose and palate, reminiscent of concentrated blackberries and black cherries with just a hint of something savory developing. Plush and fruit-forward with decent acidity, although overall this is rounder and a bit more extracted than I generally prefer. Still, this comes off as a made, straightforward, crowd-pleasing red...I found this at $6.99 locally, and at that price, I might pick up a couple to keep around for friends I know who will enjoy this. |
| Red |
2018 Ragtag Wine Co. Syrah Spanish Springs VineyardSan Luis Obispo County more |
2/11/2024 - bretrooks wrote: NRNot decanted, consumed over ~1 1/2 hours. Darkly fruited, quite ripe (bumping up against overripe, depending on your tastes), and showing a good whack of oak vanillin. Modest structure for the weight of the wine. Thankfully, the extraction is in check. Although this isn't my favorite style of Syrah, we were able to enjoy this for what it was. |
| Red |
2021 Bleasdale The Wild Fig Shiraz Grenache MourvèdreLanghorne Creek Red Rhone Blend more |
2/8/2024 - bretrooks wrote: NRNot decanted, two glasses consumed over ~1.5 hours. Dark-red fruit (more cherry than berry), maybe a little woody/herbal/spicy note in the background, a bit of tannin, firm acidity, medium-bodied and with modest concentration. Relatively simple and humble, yet still pleasant as a day-to-day fresh Rhone red. Nice at the price, if you like the style. |
| White |
2021 Sabelli-Frisch Riesling Bund Mokelumne Glen VineyardLodi Mokelumne River more |
1/27/2024 - bretrooks wrote: NRConsumed over ~2 hours, warming from fridge temp to room temp. Bright and firm, with grapefruit, tart apple, and citrus pith notes, with a little hint of something like dried grass or hay. Prominent acidity - very refreshing to drink. |
| Red |
2019 La Lomita Pinot Noir Chene VineyardEdna Valley more |
1/14/2024 - bretrooks wrote: NRNot decanted, consumed over ~1 hour at cool room temp. Quick impression: this definitely strikes me as a CA pinot, with its cola notes and concentrated vinous quality, but it's also lean and not over-ripe at all. Very nice acidity. Modest complexity at this stage, but still quite pleasurable. I'm glad to see more CA pinot being made in this mold...it's a good one. |
| White |
2021 Sabelli-Frisch Petit Manseng Milk Fed 5 Saureel VineyardEl Dorado more |
1/14/2024 - bretrooks wrote: NRConsumed over ~1 1/2 hours, warming from just above fridge temp to cool room temp. Yellow tinged with gold in the glass, and hefty amber-colored crystals on the cork and in the neck. Not as aromatic as I was expecting based on other notes. Medium-plus body and quite dry, with notes of bruised golden apple, mandarins, honey, and a gentle woody bitterness on the back end. Modest acidity for my preferences. An interesting white, and one I'm glad I tried, but probably not one I'd go back for more of versus other S-F options. |
| Red |
2021 Ragtag Wine Co. GrenacheSan Luis Obispo County more |
1/11/2024 - bretrooks wrote: NRQuick impression: definitely on the ripe side (slightly over?), highish acid, modest tannin and body, a little bit darker and more savory than I usually associate with Grenache. Feels maybe a touch warmer than the 14.3% on the label. An unusual expression. |
| Red |
2007 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña BosconiaTempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more |
12/17/2023 - bretrooks wrote: NRNot decanted, consumed in small pours over about three hours with and after dinner (rib-eye roast and cheesy mashed potatoes). The first impression was of a savory/meaty, medium-bodied red with sharp acidity sticking out a bit, not volatile but more prominent than expected. Oak is well-integrated, and it came out over time alongside some tart strawberry, citrus peel, and some black tea. I didn't find this particularly long, even with the remnant pour 2 1/2 hours in; perhaps either this needed longer airing or the bottle was not entirely sound. Certainly still enjoyable, but not as harmonious as hoped for. |
| White |
2019 Croma Vera AlbariñoSan Luis Obispo County more |
11/10/2023 - bretrooks wrote: NRNot bad from a freshly opened bottle at cool room temp - a bit of age showing, but still in balance. Much degraded overnight, though. This was our last bottle of this vintage...if I had more, we'd drink them post haste. |
| Red |
2016 Château GemeillanMédoc Red Bordeaux Blend more |
10/29/2023 - bretrooks wrote: NRNot decanted, opened for an hour before consuming one glass over about an hour. Dark red cherry fruit, a hint of oak influence, medium body and concentration, moderate but present structure (less stern than some other younger Medocs I've tried recently). Quite pleasant with some grilled steaks, and in its prime drinking window, I would think. I found this locally for $15 and think it's pretty well-priced for current drinking. About an even split of Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon. |
| White |
2020 Dominic Hentall Terra Bianca Puglia IGTWhite Blend more |
10/29/2023 - bretrooks wrote: NRTwo small pours consumed over about one hour. Medium-weight, peachy/citrusy, slightly honeyed, dry to maybe just barely off-dry. Simple but pleasant, particularly considering the closeout price paid ($4), even if it's probably near the end of its drinking window. |
| Rosé |
2022 Kirkland Signature Côtes de Provence RoséRosé Blend more |
8/7/2023 - bretrooks wrote: NRConsumed over ~1 1/2 hours warming from fridge temp to cool room temp. Mid-weight, moderate acid, mild but pleasant peach/melon notes on the palate. Decent enough but would be more interesting with more complexity and/or zip. Hard to argue with at $8 but not anything special. |
| White |
2021 Cadre Vineyards Albariño Sea QueenEdna Valley more |
7/20/2023 - bretrooks wrote: NROne glass consumed at just above fridge temp, as it warmed towards cool room temp. Good acidity, medium-bodied, lean tropical fruit and some white stone fruit, a little minerality, a little bit of a Sauv Blanc-like green edge. I haven't noticed the green edge in previous vintages, and it's something I'm a little sensitive too, but I enjoyed this nonetheless. |
| Red |
2018 Big Basin Vineyards HomesteadCalifornia Red Blend more |
7/16/2023 - bretrooks wrote: flawedThe two bottles I picked up were suffering from (seemingly) secondary fermentation - trapped CO2, thinner and harsher on the palate than expected, some off flavors. Alas...returned. |
| Red |
2016 Bodegas Manzanos Navarra 1864 Castillo de Olite ReservaTempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more |
7/13/2023 - bretrooks wrote: NRNot decanted, consumed over ~1 hour. Decent structure, some muted dark red fruit and spice on the palate, a little oak signature. Drinkable, but not especially engaging overall. |
| Rosé |
2021 Aime Roquesante Côtes de Provence Cuvée SélectionnéeRosé Blend more |
6/11/2023 - bretrooks wrote: NRQuite dry with good acidity, refreshing, with grapefruit citrus notes up front and maybe just a little peach or strawberry coming out as it warmed. Nor much depth or complexity and pretty lean, but nice enough on a warm day. Recommend not drinking this too cold. |
| Red |
2014 Tercero Grenache Watch Hill VineyardSanta Barbara County more |
6/9/2023 - bretrooks wrote: NRNot decanted, two glasses consumed at cool room temp over 60-90 minutes. I'm pretty much on board with ChateauShiny's note from April, although I'd note that this started out decently enough but got distinctly better as it went - I'd recommend giving this at least an hour of air if consuming in the near future. |
| Red |
2017 Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier Shiraz L BlockPyrenees more |
6/9/2023 - bretrooks wrote: NRNot decanted, tasted briefly and poured back into the bottle. noticeably different than the bottle from last October - darkly colored, somewhat mute and slightly sour cherry fruit, no real savoriness, no real joy. I'll revisit this note if some oxygen helps this flesh out. |
| Rosé |
2021 Le Charmel Côtes de Provence RoséRosé Blend more |
5/19/2023 - bretrooks wrote: NRTwo glasses consumed over ~45 minutes at cool room temp. Fresh and crisp and enjoyable enough, but also a bit closed and somewhat one-dimensional, with a lean, pithy grapefruit/citrus character. Not bad, but also not especially memorable. |
| Rosé |
2021 Sabelli-Frisch Zinfandel Eserra Lauchland VineyardLodi Jahant more |
5/13/2023 - bretrooks wrote: NRThis needed a little time to blow off a little spritz, but once it did, it was a delightful mid-weight rose - very good acidity, nicely spicy, a mix of citrus (including pith) and peach and tart strawberry, good texture. I'd recommend letting this come up closer to room temperature rather than drinking it close to fridge temp. |
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- Tasting notes: 1,288 notes on 991 wines
