| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments Comment Date Community Score More... |
|---|---|---|
| White |
2012 Williams Selyem Chardonnay Drake Estate VineyardRussian River Valley more |
2/19/2017 - Barry Notes Likes this wine: 92 pointsPnP, chilled. Clear, light straw color. Nice nose. This was beautiful stuff. Good Chard characteristics, bright, intense, powerful. Slight stony edge, minor oak, well balanced and integrated. Better as it had more air time. Long fruity finish. Well done, nothing off. $69 |
| Rosé |
2015 Knipser Clarette Rose trocken QbAPfalz Rosé Blend more |
3/17/2017 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine: NRSearing acidity now, this is good, but could approach very good with another year or two in the cellar; light>med salmon color. Always reliable, and always over-delivers its very modest price, this shows excellent balance, and offers a tasty blend that slightly favors fruit over soil; excellent food wine. I have one left to try before deciding whether or not to buy a case, and I'm going to aerate it to decanter for an hour and make my decision based on that showing. As it stands now, I am likely to repurchase, but if it shows as I think it might with enough aeration, I will certainly repurchase. Precise and understated BDX blend in this rosé. Thru 2022. recommended
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| Beer |
2015 FiftyFifty Eclipse Imperial Stout High West RyeNevada County Malt, Grain more |
1/26/2017 - Barry Notes Likes this wine: 95 pointsStupendous, like always.
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| Red |
2010 Bodega Malma Malma UniversoPatagonia Malbec Blend, Malbec more |
12/25/2016 - Barry Notes Likes this wine: 91 pointsPnP. Clear, deep dark purple. Nose of big, concentrated dark fruit. At first pour, sight funk and excess extraction which blew off in literally minutes. The change was dramatic. Super balanced/integrated, clean for a big wine, proper black fruit and correct Malbec taste. Ideal drinking window. Smooth and perfect with Bone-In Prime Rib Roast. Med to full body and med finish. No hint of harsh/bitterness, often found with lesser Malbec. Excellent drinking, nothing off. Good value, $17
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| Red |
2013 Caymus Cabernet SauvignonNapa Valley more |
10/5/2016 - Tim Heaton Does not like this wine: NRA friend insisted, had to share, they said. A travesty, on every level. I gagged, more than once, and was unable to finish the glass. What a sad, sad commentary.
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| Red |
2007 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private ReserveNapa Valley more |
9/19/2016 - COWineLover wrote: 86 pointsOpened and slow oxidized for about 90 minutes from 55 degree cellar. The aromas on this were very promising. This has great definition with cassis, saddle leather, charcoal, incense, lilac, and crushed black cherry.
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| Red - Fortified |
1962 Domaine Piétri-Géraud BanyulsGrenache Blend, Grenache more |
7/30/2016 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine: NRTaking a moment to get caught up on some notes for wines that have stayed (read: haunted) with me since tasting at various times this year. In the instant case, we have a wine that really schooled me. I had no idea a Banyuls could last this long and be this good. Holy smokes, this is a masterpiece as all the components have not only survived > 50 years, they're totally on point. Full-bodied, in the best of (read: resolved, harmonious, with excellent depth) ways, this has another 5 -- or 10 years ahead of it. Having said that, I'm reminded I was already schooled once, this could live another 40 years, what do I know. In closing, we all know Banyuls and chocolate pair well. But what most don't know, is just how magical a 50+ yr old Banyuls and chocolate pair. Wowsers (and not for its age, purely on what was in the glass). recommended
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| Red |
2013 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Gap's Crown VineyardSonoma Coast more |
8/30/2016 - domco wrote: NRConfirms that we just don't love the KB's. A bit too big, alcohol coming through.
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| White |
2012 Kosta Browne Chardonnay One SixteenRussian River Valley more |
8/30/2016 - Barry Notes Likes this wine: 92 pointsPnP chilled. Clear, bright med straw. Clean, bold and fruity nose. Full body and flavor. Strong acid, profile of tart green apples, touch of oak/vanilla, lemon. Clean, sharp finish. Classic big CA Chard. Paired w/ bacon wrapped scallops and mussels. Balanced and integrated but will hold easily yet for years. Nothing off. $69
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| Red |
2007 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La TâcheLa Tâche Grand Cru Pinot Noir more |
5/27/2016 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine: NRLove the exciting color; the marriage of underbrush and sweet fruits is equally as exciting, though it's far from reaching the apogee of its complexity. And even though this was Audozed overnight, this was still holding back - I suggest at least 7-8 years of rest; if your cellar is cold, let it rest for 15. Served blind, I guessed the producer, but not the vintage. What an unexpected treat, and a great way to wind up a 3 month long tour of Italy's wine regions.
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| White |
2015 Illahe ViognierWillamette Valley more |
4/5/2016 - Ben Christiansen wrote: NRDestemmed, all in stainless, powerful peachy fruit on then nose, has that salty tang. With a big salty mid palate, incredible, this is a very good vineyard. On yellow soils, that is really lovely. He thinks maybe its a wine making style but man, that is good stuff.
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| Red |
2012 Cirq Pinot Noir TreeHouseRussian River Valley more |
5/5/2016 - Tom Warden Likes this wine: 95 pointsThis is an exceptional RRV Pinot. Rich with fruit, a bit of minerality to keep it from going over the top. WS rated this at 91 points... I am starting to lose my faith in their CA Pinot ratings as a result. Count me as grateful for having it in my cellar. It will likely get better over the next few years but don't be afraid to have some now.
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| Red |
2012 Cirq Pinot Noir TreeHouseRussian River Valley more |
5/5/2016 - Parkster Likes this wine: 89 pointsLoved the berries and floral bouquet. Mid-palette was a bit flat for me and finish was missing some structure. I definitely did not get the kind of satisfaction as the other reviewers but then again, my palette also leans towards the classic burgundies with a well structured finish. Going to let it breath for longer next time as it only decanted for about an hour before we drank it
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| Red |
2010 Lisini Brunello di Montalcino UgolaiaSangiovese more |
4/26/2016 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine: NRAn epic masterpiece. The type of wine that immediately becomes an experience, transporting you to that special, private place that is somewhere in between your mind and infinity. Words alone cannot express the beauty within, the purity that reaches out and takes your hand and says follow me - but you've already surrendered as you would to anything so noble, so virtuous. Buy all you can find. One of the greatest expressions of Sangiovese I've ever encountered. very highly recommended
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| Red |
2012 Azienda Agricola San Martino Chianti ClassicoChianti Classico DOCG Sangiovese Blend, Sangiovese more |
4/19/2016 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine: NROk, here's the story for this wine that I had to create in CT - it's in Gaiole, in the heart of Chianti Classico if you will, and it's vinified by the Enoteca I bought it from, Montagnani. The woman here, most likely one of the owners, as I could hear her TV in the adjoining living room - of her house/store (damn I love Italy!) doesn't speak a word of English, but after I'd bought a few bottles of semi-famous names (also ones that I really like), I asked her to pick one, and it had to be traditionally made. I told her I didn't care who made it or how much it cost, it had to be good, and it had to be traditionally made. She picked this wine, and honestly, I never even looked at the label, until I got back to my place about 30km from her, and realized they made it and sold it - their own private label. With all that out of the way, this little €8 bottle was the bomb. Rustic, feral, perfectly ripe in the best of old school ways. A touch of brett that yields after the first glass to new leather, dusty earth, day old cherries, and old leaves. Nothing fancy about it, nothing overly complex, but the honesty here - the transparency, the acidity - is so engaging, so satisfying. Grown, not made. Rant/note over. 13,0% abv. thru 2022, highly recommended
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| Red |
2008 Cantine Valenti Nerello Mascalese PuritaniEtna DOC more |
3/20/2016 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine: NRAn absolute wow wine, couple that with the fact that it was just €28 off the list at San Giorgio e il Drago in Randazzo (honestly, where can you buy a perfectly aged, beautiful wine that's in its sweet spot just now for that kind of money - read: GET yourself to Sicily!). This was full of beautiful, savory, smokey tertiary notes with a gentle, almost feminine mixture of red and black fruits. The medium-bodied palate is full, dense, but also weightless thanks to loads of fresh acidity and fine tannic build. I could drink this every night - all the more reason to let your Nerello Mascalese/Etna wines get some good bottle age on them. highly recommended.
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| White |
2014 Kruger-Rumpf Riesling TrockenNahe more |
1/15/2016 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine: NRWow, what a beautiful, exciting wine. Crystalline straw, big watery edge. Explosive aromas of lime pith, seashells, green apples and the nearly fully-hidden touches of honey and slate. Dry, with excellent balance of acid and fruit, i.e. not any enamel peeling going on here; light>medium-bodied. This has moderate structure but is clearly meant for consumption today and over the next year or two. If i were teaching a class on entry-level Riesling trocken, this is my bar. Another TT homerun. 12,0% abv., highly recommended
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| Red |
2012 Skewis Pinot Noir Peters VineyardSonoma Coast more |
12/27/2015 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine: NRWhen this wine was first released, the 14,8% abv on the label had me worried. Well, after 90 minutes of aeration in decanter and over the following 90 minutes that it was enjoyed, this never once showed EtOH or ripeness/jam, etc. Instead, this was lovely cool-climate, red fruits tossed with earth and a handful of mushrooms. Just the slightest bit of tart cranberry on the lengthy, cool and very classy finish. Going to see if there is more I can buy, as this was just great. recommended, drink thru 2019
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| Red |
2011 TOR Beckstoffer To Kalon VineyardOakville Red Blend more |
12/27/2015 - Tim Heaton wrote: NRMy wife called it a fruit bomb - I'm not sure I'd go so far; ripe, certainly but balanced for what it is, too. This 2011 bottling contains 28% Cabernet Franc, with as much richness and sweetness as one would expect from both the label/producer and the region. Ripe red fruits dominate, with a backbone of black fruits and glossy, sweet tannins providing the frame. 14,9% abv noticeable on PnP, and fully resolved thereafter. I preferred this on night 2 as the sweetness seemed to have integrated more. Just ten barrels produced. Good now and for the next 5-7 years.
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| White |
2013 Bernhard Ott Grüner Veltliner Am BergWagram more |
12/27/2015 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine: NRjvg's note is spot-on. This is better (for my palate) on the warmer end of the spectrum. Corn, sweet peas, sea bed/oyster shell, it's all here. Nicely fruited and very ready for drinking. 12,0% abv., recommended
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| White - Sparkling |
NV Hugues Godmé Champagne Premier Cru Extra-BrutChampagne Blend more |
12/24/2015 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine: NRCrisp, clean and bright, this is mineral-driven and cut like a stone. Disgorged only 11 mos ago, this could use another year or two to soften up, or if you prefer (as I do), drink now. Very good value at $60, and excellent as an aperitif.
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| Red |
2011 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Terra de Promissio VineyardSonoma Coast more |
12/10/2015 - Barry Notes Likes this wine: 92 pointsPw/4 hr decant. Clear w/some minor sediments. Med purple/ruby/black cherry color. Nice intense nose. Good intensity for an 11 vintage. Balanced, integrated, med body, nice CA Pinot fruit, not over exacted or lean. One of the better wines from this vintage. Nothing off. $59
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| Red |
2007 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private ReserveNapa Valley more |
11/5/2015 - Barry Notes Likes this wine: 92 pointsP/24 hrs prior, decanted and returned to bottle. Clear, very slight thin sediment. Med/deep purple color. Nice big nose. Med/full body classic tasting GdLT. Moderate tannins, needs more time to balance/integrate. Keep for 3 more years. Nothing off. Gift.
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| Red |
2005 Domaine des Perdrix Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux PerdrixPinot Noir more |
11/6/2015 - Tim Heaton wrote: flawedHeld since release to find it's riddled with VA. Going to take another look on night 2 as it was not at all approachable on this night. 13,5% abv
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Comment posted by Barry Notes:
4/3/2017 10:50:00 AM - That's a fact. My notes are generally pretty simplistic, like this one. Once in a great while, I write something more detailed and complex, like Tim always does. Keep your glass full. MM