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Wine Type Vintage Name Variety Locale Date Posted Score Helpful Comments Comment Date Community Score More...
Red

2015 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Hauts-Doix

 Pinot Noir more
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9/30/2017 - grafstrb wrote: NR

-- popped and poured --
-- tasted a couple pours non-blind over 1 hour --
-- same bottle as R0bert P@vlovich's 10/03/17 note --

NOSE: young red fruits; hint of funk

BODY: magenta-violet color; medium-light bodied.

TASTE: light spicy oak; red-fruited; very good, but bad QPR. Drink now and over the next 15 years.

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    11/17/2017 4:32:00 PM - I'm quite alright if only one out of every four or five Burgundy vintages are to my liking ... not sure if I can afford many more than that!
White - Off-dry

2015 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese

 Mosel Saar Ruwer more
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7/12/2017 - grafstrb wrote: NR

-- popped and poured on Day 1 --
-- tasted non-blind on Day 1 and Day 6 --
-- AP #: … 13 16 --

NOSE: lime; very light; smoky mineral

BODY: no spritz; pale, gold flake color; medium-full body.

TASTE: tight; electric acidity; crisp, slightly tart apple; 8% alc. not noticeable; the high acidity from Day 1 had noticeably drawn back by Day 6 (no surprise), and Day 6 also brought a honeyed edge that wasn't present on Day 1. I like this, and am happy to have other bottles, but it didn't hit the heights I was expecting of this vineyard from this producer in this vintage. Given Prum's track record, I'm going to chalk this up to this simply being too young right now.

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    10/12/2017 9:34:00 PM - You and me both, although my "stocked up" is only 3 bottles. :P
Red

2012 Rhys Pinot Noir Home Vineyard

 San Mateo County more
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8/22/2017 - Mike Dildine Likes this wine: 94 points

13% abv. Bright burgundy red, expressive aromas. Raspberry, cinnamon, Asian spice and a saline mineral element. While this comes across as young and pure, it has a layered complexity. Concentrated and lively, this has years of development ahead.

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    8/24/2017 1:05:00 PM - Seems like nobody opens their bottles of Home (I'm guilty of this, too). Thanks for this note, Mike.
Red

2008 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cherbaudes Vieille Vigne

 Pinot Noir more
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7/22/2017 - grafstrb wrote: flawed

TCA

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    7/29/2017 12:21:00 PM - downright terrible. :(
Red

2004 Château Lascombes

 Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend more
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7/9/2017 - rocknroller wrote: 93 points

Very dark red colof. PNP, drank 2 glasses over 2 hours. This is in a great place right now. Still showing some youthful fruit but integrating nicely. A pretty Margaux nose of violets, creme de csssis, boysenberry, thimbleberry, earth, funk and graphite. The palate is medium plus bodied and well balanced, consistent with nose adding subtle oak notes. Very good. 92+ to 93pts.

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    7/15/2017 10:11:00 AM - Any obvious "aged" aromas or flavors yet?

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    7/16/2017 9:18:00 AM - Cool. Thanks, Kevin. I think I'll pull one from offsite soon. We miss seeing the Minny crew, too!
Red

2001 Argiano Brunello di Montalcino

 Sangiovese more
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12/1/2016 - Nerdy Earth Boy Likes this wine: NR

Really delightful! Opened for Thanksgiving, but kept in the fridge for a week. Frankly that was the key to unlock its beauty. Completely robust bold dark cherry with Earthy tones. A perfect well balanced Brunello after a long long decant.

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    7/15/2017 9:36:00 AM - did you intend to mark this as flawed?
Red

2005 Arcadian Pinot Noir Sleepy Hollow Vineyard

 Santa Lucia Highlands more
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2/22/2017 - grafstrb wrote: 89 points

-- decanted for 1.5 hours before initial taste --
-- tasted non-blind over 3 hours --

NOSE aged red fruits; hint of stewed tomato; expressive; not complex.

BODY: garnet color of medium to medium-deep depth; bricking throughout; medium-grained particulate matter present; medium bodied. Thought about deducting a point for the bricking, as most Arcadian pinots of this age wouldn't show that way, but decided not to.

TASTE: open; dark red fruits (a bit muddled); medium oak; not as acidic as most Arcadian pinots*; bitter florals; seems to be ageing quickly relative to other Arcadian offerings; *apparent acidity did increase to medium – medium+ after 4 hours open; better with air than without; surprisingly, I think this is in its peak window, if not already on its gradual downslope, due to some worries that the oak is starting to take a stronger position than it formerly did. It's kind of crazy to say an 11 year old Pinot Noir from the U.S. is "early maturing" but that's really a testament to the ageworthiness of Joe's wines. I will continue to check-in on this every few months; very good to low-level excellent. Drink now and over the near term.

50, 5, 11, 16, 7 = 89

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    7/2/2017 12:00:00 PM - Yeah ... Joe believes this will be long-lived, so maybe it's at a weird in-between stage, of sorts, but based on what I've been tasting over time I will stand by note until further notice. I have 9 more bottles, so will certainly have opportunity to find out if I am right or wrong. Best of luck to you with any remaining bottles you may have, Louvin.
White

2015 Carl Loewen Longuicher Maximin Herrenberg Riesling Kabinett

 Mosel Saar Ruwer more
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5/21/2017 - Seth Rosenberg Does not like this wine: 81 points

This has been open about 24 hours. The nose was fine yesterday, but the palate and finish were unintegrated, somewhat bitter, and quite coarse. I was hoping for some improvement tonight. Unfortunately, the wine is the same. The nose is good with bright and tart grapefruit and lime, some tropicals, honeysuckle and slate. However, right from the entry on the palate, its clear that something isn't up to snuff: the acid is harsh and not integrated with the other flavors on the sugar. There's lime and some florals, but the mouthfeel is shrill and bi-level. Towards the end palate, this combines with some tropical notes that start to feel forced and overripe. As the wine is swallowed and we get to the finish, the acid and and a bitterness combine to make the experience downright unpleasant - it almost feels hot, which is odd. There's a lot of bitterness and the finish shows the lack of integration worse than any other aspect. Including RF (most notes lost and not posted), I've had about 50 Germans from 2015, and this was the least impressive. Not recommended. Nose - 4.5/6, Palate - 4/6, Finish - 2/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 0/2 = 10.5/20

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    6/13/2017 10:48:00 PM - Sounds like this just had too much acidity for your preferences, Seth. Doubtful you would like it today if you were to try it again. Sometimes Rieslings will soften considerably over a day or two, so perhaps there's some hope for you with this wine. Many folks are acid hounds, and this wine is sure to appeal to those folks. ... now, I suppose you're going to tell me you tend to enjoy acidic wines, in which case I wouldn't know what else to say!

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    6/19/2017 7:40:00 AM - A year or two in bottle might do the trick for you.
Red

2006 Arcadian Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard

 Santa Lucia Highlands more
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3/21/2017 - grafstrb wrote: NR

-- decanted approx. one hour before initial taste --
-- tasted non-blind over 2 days --

NOSE: floral; light red fruits; "pretty"; much more feminine than usual for Pisoni; cranberry and red currant; Nose filled-out considerably on Day 2.

BODY: very light violet-garnet color of medium-light depth; hint of bricking; light to medium-light body.

TASTE: light red fruits; savory; clean; medium-high to high acidity; 13.8% alc. not noticeable; largely consistent with previous bottle; red currant; quite nice; increasing flavor density with air --- maybe best to Hold right now? Gut impression score: low 90's. Day 2 brought much deeper flavor, although not as precise as on Day 1; I'm now convinced this is a Hold right now.

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    5/17/2017 12:39:00 PM - You're welcome, Neecies. Your selection of Arcadian is an unusual cross-section, imo. Stolpman Syrah always strikes me as "very CA," and I'm not much a fan of the Westerly. The '06 Pisoni is an outlier from what Arcadian normally does with that vineyard; same with the '08 Fiddlestix.
Red

2013 Domaine Louis Boillot et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cherbaudes

 Pinot Noir more
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1/14/2017 - grafstrb wrote: NR

-- popped and poured --
-- tasted a couple glasses non-blind over a few hours --

NOSE: grapefruit; spicy pomegranate; pretty; very nice.

BODY: light to medium-light bodied.

TASTE: tight; strong grapefruit, which I enjoy greatly; high acid; 13% alc. not noticeable; little bit of very fine tannin; not the most structured or most serious of Burgundies by any stretch of the imagination, but I enjoyed this a lot --- it's my kind of Burg! Gut impression score: 91 – 92.

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    4/17/2017 9:31:00 PM - Depending on price, I'd buy (and drink again). Thanks for sharing. :)
Red

2001 Tolo Cellars Asini

 Paso Robles Sangiovese Blend, Sangiovese more
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12/5/2010 - grafstrb wrote: NR

– tasted a single glass non-blind over 5 minutes –
– 60% Sangiovese, 40% Zinfandel –

Garnet color of great depth. Extremely tight Nose gave-up just a hint of red-fruited jam. Full bodied on the palate, with flavors of juicy red fruits, spice, and sawdust. 15.8% alc. is carried well; soft/grippy tannins; well-balanced; short finish of moderate intensity. This sucker was in barrel for 9 years (not a typo) prior to its bottling just a couple weeks ago. No signs of oxidation. More impressive for being a clean wine than it is otherwise. Josh surmised that it may still be bottle shocked from its recent bottling.

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    2/24/2017 1:18:00 PM - Weird, because I got my information directly from the winemaker, too. Did you ask him specifically about the 2001 vintage?

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    2/24/2017 4:28:00 PM - Cool. Thanks. He used that same sharpie for my bottle ... LOL! I guess he misspoke when I met him, or I misheard him. Thanks for the info..
White

2015 Freie Weingärtner Wachau / Domäne Wachau Grüner Veltliner Terrassen Federspiel

 more
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10/3/2016 - grafstrb wrote: 91 points

-- opened 1.5 hours before first taste --
-- tasted non-blind over a couple hours --

NOSE: medium+ expressiveness; strong mineral tone set against a backdrop of lemon/lime peels; not complex.

BODY: green-yellow color of medium-light depth; tiny bit of spritz; medium-light bodied.

TASTE: 12.5% alc. not noticeable; medium+ acidity; a bit zippy; strong mineral, especially on the finish, which is medium-long and of medium-strong intensity; tropical --- coconut/lime/gooseberry; better than usual for this bottling --- did Austria get some of Germany's 2015 magic?; very nice, and I will happily buy again for $17; drink in the near term, as this seems open and not complex.

50, 5, 12, 17, 7 = 91

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    10/27/2016 1:21:00 PM - Same to you, Bret! Did you end up giving this one a try?
Red

2013 Charles Joguet Chinon Les Petites Roches

 Cabernet Franc more
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2/28/2016 - WetRock wrote: NR

Noticeably clear to the eye in comparison to previous vintages. Nice light fresh nose showing forward fruit and a nice charcoal like character. Light bodied palate with a touch of tannin and a fresh feel. There is clearly very low fruit concentration here showing the vintage pedigree such as it is. So light is this that it is actually lighter than their lowest level bottling, Cuvee Terroir, normally is. Considering the vintage this is would be a decent dinner companion for $10. But I am shocked they didn't declassify the fruit further and pass on the bottling for the year. They obviously did lots of selection to get a palatable wine but it pales in comparison to previous vintages in a big way.

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    9/13/2016 12:16:00 PM - Thanks for this note.

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    10/4/2016 10:47:00 PM - Yup, that's exactly where I saw it. And, yes, it would be nice to get a greater portion of their range to choose from. Some Baudry would be nice, too, while we're at it!
Red

2007 Chateau Musar

 Bekaa Valley Red Blend more
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5/31/2014 - pjaines Likes this wine: NR

Plumper and much sweeter than previous releases, this has a lot more up-front fruit certainly than the 05 and 04. Already drinkable but I think the fruit needs to back off a touch and the structure (of what there is) come to the fore to give it more balance. There is a concern that this veers towards the more fruit-bomb end of the Musar spectrum. For me this is worth a punt to stick in the cellar to see what happens.

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    10/3/2016 1:16:00 PM - my experience mirrors yours, P. And I heartily agree with Stefan about the '99 --- stunning juice right there!
Red

2005 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape

 Red Rhone Blend more
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1/19/2015 - pjaines Likes this wine: NR

This is really coming together right now, with beautiful, compact fruit - there is a density but also purity on the palate and the nose. Black fruit, graphite, minerals, cherry and crushed stones. An assured quality.

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    9/16/2016 12:10:00 AM - Very surprising to see this showed this well at such a young age. Hope all is well with you these days!
Red

2014 Daou Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles

 more
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1/5/2016 - brigcampbell wrote: NR

Lots of love for this wine from the CT gang and I'm enjoying it while watching 2' of snow bury us in Big Bear. I like it because it's a very nice petite syrah! Extremely saturated purple color. Nose strongly resembles blueberry pancake syrup. Not picking up any cassin in the palate, just more ripe sweet blue fruit . Difficult to distinguish between ripeness and possible residual sugar but I'm assuming the RS is there since the ABV is labeled 14.2%, something has to give. Fruit forward and concentrated. Pairing with homemade chicken chili and a roaring 3 log fire.

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    6/13/2016 7:52:00 PM - Nice note, Brig. I'm sitting with a glass of this right now. I'm not that impressed. Too oaky. I agree with nearly everything you wrote about it.
Red

2005 Snowden Cabernet Sauvignon The Ranch

 Napa Valley more
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12/28/2012 - yonster24 Likes this wine: NR

Holy Schnikees, Batman! Good to go right out of the gate. Absurdly enticing nose of dark fruit, leather, mocha and wet cement. Full bodied beauty on the palate. Just fresh, lively, smooth and a joy to drink. Nice finish, showing that this can go on for a few more years, but honestly, I'm not sure it's going to get better. It's wonderful as is right now.

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    2/3/2013 6:45:00 AM - Very nice to hear all this from you, as I have one bottle laying down. We'll find out together in a year or two if it does, indeed, have the potential to improve some.

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    6/9/2016 11:31:00 AM - update: you were right. It didn't get any better. Lucky for you I forgot that I had previously said we'd have this bottle together.
Red

2007 Lewelling Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Wight

 St. Helena more
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10/23/2015 - grafstrb wrote: NR

-- popped and poured --
-- tasted non-blind over 2 days --

NOSE: soft/lush/ripe/fruit shake; oak; fumey; soft/lush/ripe non-descript fruit; fairly anonymous --- this could be a big lush overoaked/ripe Central Coast Rhone Blend; hints of mint and cinnamon.

BODY: ruby-garnet color of great depth; full bodied; some sediment present.

TASTE: very oaky; 15.8% alc. is obscene --- this wine actually has a malty whisky taste to it; tastes a bit like a Ruby Port or LBV Port; this is pretty gross. Ultimately ended-up dumping a lot of this. Lewelling really messed this one up badly. Gut impression score: somewhere in the 70's or high 60's.

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    11/8/2015 8:07:00 PM - Oddly, I found the "regular" St. Helena bottling to be slightly less offensive, with an emphasis on "slightly." I'm massively disappointed I ever spent my money on these '07s from Lewelling. Oh well ... c'est la vie!
Red

2005 Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Don Melchor

 Puente Alto more
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9/19/2015 - rocknroller wrote: 91 points

South American Stars (Rocknroller's (Kevin & Vicki's Place)): Very dark red color. Decanted for 1.5hrs, drank 1 glass over 90 minutes. 97% CS, 3% CF. Very much an enigma tonight as this bottle just didn't show as expected at all. A rather nondescript nose with cedar and dark fruits that gives some nuances after awhile. The palate seems youthful tonight, medium full bodied, cassis, gritty, graphite, dry tannins and showing more wood. Good, but not great, it just seemed like it was tight and in a dumb phase. It didn't really change much over the evening though.

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    10/15/2015 2:35:00 PM - Thanks for this. I keep wondering if now is a good time to check back in on this wine; your note helps me stand by "Not right now."

  • Comment posted by grafstrb:

    10/15/2015 10:00:00 PM - I've only had the '05 on one previous occasion --- back in 2010 --- and I thought it presented as closed/tight back then. Hopefully this wine eventually relaxes and shows more of itself ... especially b/c I'm sitting on four bottles! Hope all is well with you and yours, Kevin. :)

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