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

2007 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

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3/30/2020 - thesternowl Likes this wine: 92 points

This bottle was the first from a case that was purchased direct from the winery on release about ten years ago. The 2007 Napa Valley designation Cabernet Sauvignon received over a third of its fruit from the Larkmead Vineyard and the quality shows. The color was a deep, dark, glass staining garnet with no obvious signs of age. On the nose, this was a powerful tobacco bomb with other delightful secondary characteristics such as earth and olives peaking through the curtain of opulent fruit. The palate was treated to all of the lushness and ripeness I have come to expect from the 2007 vintage in Napa valley; a velvet glove of sweet red and black fruits, leather and baking spices. Tannins are well integrated at this point and this is firing on all cylinders. Anyone with well stored examples of these will be well rewarded on the pop and pour. Drink now and over the next few years.

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    4/15/2024 1:10:00 PM - TN is spot on. Opened one of these this weekend and was very surprised how tasty and balanced this was drinking.

White - Sparkling

1996 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut

Chardonnay more

10/5/2021 - Eric wrote: NR

M&PD Tasting: Italy (Mount Baker, Seattle, WA): No notes, just recording for posterity. OMG, this was insanely delicate and lacy.

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    4/10/2023 6:44:00 PM - It remains undefeated as my favorite wine ever. I've been privileged to enjoy it probably 5 times over the past 10 years. Glad to hear it showed well for you!

Red

2007 Fattoria Galardi Terra di Lavoro

Roccamonfina IGT Aglianico more

4/1/2023 - Eric wrote: 96 points

Sheesh this is gorgeous. Lifted aroma, violet, hint of smoke, palate is mineral and raspberry, so pure and focused. Beautifully sweet and sour with lovely grip. This is a serious wine.
DAY 2 via Coravin. This is just insane. Bumping from 94 to 96. The smoke, the violet, the purity of fruit, the acid, this is just a rollercoaster of intensity and purity. Sheesh, this is a serious wine!

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    4/1/2023 10:28:00 PM - Such a great wine, patience is rewarded

White - Off-dry

2011 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese

Mosel Saar Ruwer more

12/9/2022 - Dad300 Likes this wine: 99 points

holy crap.. stumbled upon this at a wine shop in Asheville. took ii back to the hotel and proceeded to be blown way. petrol on the nose. great depth of texture and mouthfeel. lemon, apple and spices. acidity is still there. loong finish. continued to evolve. just giggled and talked about the wine all evening..even while at dinner. the same on the way home.. it just did things that make me remember why i got into wine. this is a wine that i call a chaser you have it and then you chase the feeling for the rest of your life in wine. if you can find. it. buy it! shoot buy 2 or a dozen. drink one now. savor the rest over the next 20 years. this is my 2022 wine of the year.

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    12/10/2022 2:40:00 PM - Give me a call in 20 years, we'll revisit it by opening my Magnum of it! ;-)

White - Sparkling

2002 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut

Chardonnay more

11/9/2022 - BradE wrote: NR

BBM in Atlanta: I've always been in the good but not great camp for 02 Salon, and this was exactly that.

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    11/9/2022 7:51:00 PM - I've had it twice in the past 15 months.

    The first time I would have agreed with you. I'm a huge Salon fan and I was underwhelmed.

    The second time I was similar, underwhelmed within 2 hours of opening. I ignored it and came back to the 1/2 bottle 6 hours later and it was just starting to blossom. At 8-9 hours it was absolutely singing!

    I really feel this is just so tight it will be decades before it is drinking at peak. I always questioned whether decanting Champagne was really a think because aren't you just reverting to the base variety?...but following this through many hours I honestly feel anyone doing a pop and pour is missing the opportunity here.

Red

2018 Delmas Syrah SJR Vineyard

The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater more

11/12/2020 - Eric wrote: 93 points

My first ever Delmas. Clearly far too young, but this is a beautiful wine. No decanting, just Coravin. Stunning, explosive, simply soaring aromatics. Lavender, raspberry, smoke, grilled plum and just a faint, minty, leafy note. The palate is stunningly silky, creamy, lush, but also quite fresh at the same time. I am not really a texture person, but this wine is quite remarkable in this regard. The palate is pretty closed in and definitely more savory than sweet. This is where the Rocks character with some mineral funk comes out. The finish is long, with extremely fine, faintly dusty, silky tannins. Really stunning wine.

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    11/12/2020 8:09:00 PM - Yeah, the '16 was really knocking my socks off tonight, also via Coravin. Need to break down and Slow-O one for half a day to see what it can do.

White - Sweet/Dessert

1993 Château Pajzos Tokaji Esszencia

Furmint Blend, Furmint more

7/11/2010 - JohnnyBark wrote: 98 points

I served this golden beast with Strawberry Shortbread with seared foie gras, whip creme and tazmanian honey. It was rediculous. The combination was unreal. The wine while intensly sweet also has an amazing acidic backbone. The aromas were peach apricot, cinnamon, honey, maple, and the viscosity was unreal. One of the most intriuging wines i've ever had.

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    3/11/2016 10:19:00 PM - That sounds amazing! Can't believe you posted notes on the Fonseca and Suduiraut as well (have all three of those wines) and you were drinking them in my back yard! (Mt. Hood) Cheers!

Red

2006 Saxum Heart Stone Vineyard

Paso Robles Red Rhone Blend more

1/17/2016 - Rob MacKay wrote: 92 points

I had been told that I wouldn't like Saxum wines because they were not my style. Too big, etc. With this wine, my first from Saxum, I was quite surprised that despite it being 15.6% abv, it was extremely well balanced and quite tasty. Really nice big cherry fruit flavors on the palate but no noticeable heat on the finish from the alcohol. Is this is part due to it being 9+ years old? Great wine.

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    1/18/2016 4:37:00 PM - I've always enjoyed Saxum, but I too am patient. Had a 2006 James Berry Vineyard a week ago and it was gorgeous. They've had a few hot wines, but for the most part I think they pull off the balance pretty well, and are particularly nice with some decent age on them. I'll bring something interesting next time we have dinner, none of that stinky Bordeaux this time... :-)

White - Sweet/Dessert

2001 Château Rieussec

Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend more

1/16/2016 - Hollowine wrote: 98 points

From 375...I love this wine. I've told my wine friends that when I die, I want to be embalmed with this wine. Every time I have a bottle it just amazes me, it is so beautiful. The nose!!! As one reviewer put it, if you want to know what Botrytis smells like, open this wine. A beautiful mix of spices and mustiness, hints of honey and orange. A finish that lasts for minutes, orange and caramel and acidity. With Foie, pure heaven. Others have said the d'Yquem is even better, that may be mind altering if true.

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    1/18/2016 8:17:00 AM - Haha! It's one of the very few wines I will buy even when I think I already have "enough". Really worth creating an occasion to try one and then seek out a replacement for the cellar. Cheers!

Red

2007 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau

Red Rhone Blend more

6/7/2015 - Hollowine wrote: NR

Nice bottle (375ml). Found it took about 90 min of air to hit its stride.

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    6/8/2015 7:14:00 AM - I agree, but I didn't take any detailed notes while drinking the wine because it wasn't important to me at the time. I wanted the 90 min comment more as guidance to those who may feel it is shut down/dumb and as a reminder to myself for future bottles.

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    7/12/2015 7:39:00 PM - Didn't put in a decanter due to 375 format and Coravin pour the first night. So just aired in a suitable Syrah glass

Red

2011 Cayuse Syrah Armada Vineyard

Walla Walla Valley more

4/25/2015 - Doc90 Does not like this wine: 83 points

Wines With A View (Capitol Grille Tasting Event) (The Spire): This was my first time having a wine from Cayuse, and it did not leave a good first impression. Both nose and palate were completely overwhelmed by black pepper and capers. Really thin bodied, notes of cranberries. This tasted like a $20 Oregon Pinot Noir. Which isn’t to say that there aren’t a lot of good $20 Oregon Pinots out there. But this masquerading as a $100+ Syrah just seemed a little offensive.

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    4/27/2015 4:58:00 PM - That TN screams that it was an off bottle of wine. Armada is consistently a bold wine with all the characteristic Cayuse notes (Blood, Funk, Raspberry, Black fruits, earth).

Red

2006 Fontodi Syrah Case Via Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT

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12/11/2014 - Hollowine wrote: 93 points

What a great wine! This was a Secret Santa gift from someone who knew I enjoyed Syrah and liked Old World...but had very few Italian wines. Off the hook good and an eye opening exposure to Tuscan Syrah...I paired this with fresh pasta w/Oregon white truffles and poached eggs...it killed with the pairing! An old world nose and mouth feel, with the strength of Syrah in the background, I loved this wine and wish I had more.

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    12/11/2014 9:57:00 PM - Who are you and why are you following me?!

White - Sweet/Dessert

1988 Château d'Yquem

Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend more

12/2/2014 - Jamie Manley wrote: 99 points

The "full monty", 88 Yquem has taken another step toward maturity, though with ages to go. This bottle was darker in color and darker in flavor than bottles from a few years ago. Great bottles of Yquem never cease to amaze me, the velvet fist, if you will. Aromas of Earl Grey, wet stones, candied crème brulee, orange rinds, apricot, and deep honeyed botrytis. On the palate, this is nothing short of amazing. Insane intensity, yet so light on its feet. I know that the previous sentence is so often used to describe Yquem, yet every time that I experience it I just sit and stare at the glass, and wonder how the hell they did that! What else can I say...? Thank God that all of my Yquem is not stored at home, otherwise there would be nothing but empty bottles and a trail of tears. 99 Pts

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    12/2/2014 7:40:00 PM - Maybe one of the best lines I've read in some time "...otherwise there would be nothing but empty bottles and a trail of tears." Cheers!

Red

2005 T-Vine Cellars "T" Red

Napa Valley Red Blend more

4/10/2012 - CasaHernandez wrote: NR

I cannot say how sad I am that I only have one bottle left of the 2005. Sheez. Just look at my notes, roll your eyes, and be thankful to T-vine if you ever got to taste this wine.

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    5/1/2014 6:10:00 PM - Great stuff eh? you and I have almost parallel cellars on T-vine. I've sadly been selling off a bit of my older stock due to too much wine, let me know if you might be interested in a few.

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    5/1/2014 6:10:00 PM - Great stuff eh? you and I have almost parallel cellars on T-vine. I've sadly been selling off a bit of my older stock due to too much wine, let me know if you might be interested in a few.

White - Sweet/Dessert

2001 Château Rieussec

Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend more

2/7/2014 - ChinaBounder wrote: flawed

I’m so disappointed with this wine.

Frankly it’s close to undrinkable. It’s got a vile medicinal taste, detergent-like and chemical. My palate may not be all that but I’ve drunk a few half-way decent wines & plenty of Sauternes.

I guess if this had been a 2011 Sauternes I’d got in the supermarket I’d be ok with it - but, c’mon, this is Rieussec 2001, a great wine and a superb year - how can I not be let down?

I opened the wine and tried a glass with a pal who also has some experience in good wine; we both agreed something was wrong.

But it might have been because the wine was a little too cold and I was a little too drunk (having shared a double magnum of Cantemerle 2008 with family over roast shoulder of lamb) so I re-corked it and left it.

I woke the next morning with a ghost of Sauternes on my palate, the after-image of having had a great wine. That gave me some hope.

But when I came back to it this evening it was still very disappointing indeed. The initial taste is promising - the texture is right, that thick unctuousness to it - and there is the right sweetness and elegance on the first hit of taste, when I mash the wine around in my mouth. But it just does not last - the swallow gives way to all sorts of chemically gack.

I shall label the bottle as defective rather than give a low score; given the almost complete love for it among my fellow Cellartrackers (including Jeff Leve, whose reviews I treat with particular respect) it would clearly be unjust to give the wine as a whole the low rating this particular bottle merits.

This bottle came from an OWC of 12 I bought at auction at Straker Chadwick (UK-based auction house). To judge by the courier labels on the case it had recently come from the Wine Society, who you can be sure looked after it right. And at the same auction I bought a case of Suduiraut 2001 of the same provenance. So I can only hope this is one bad bottle - I’ll be distraught if the other 11 and the Suduiraut are as dreadful as this one.

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    2/7/2014 11:50:00 PM - Sounds like a bad bottle. I've had this wine several times and it is spectacular when it is on mark. I'm jealous of your two OWC's...great wines and the best of vintages.

Red

2009 Rasa Vineyards Creative Impulse

Yakima Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more

2/5/2014 - Hollowine wrote: 94 points

So young! Knew this was baby killing, but the bottle was handy, was having dinner with my Physicist buddy, and wanted to bring a nice bottle.

Awesome juice Billo and Pinto! Tight as heck for 90 min, started opening up to that lovely DuBrul fruit, was so well balanced. Gave a sample to the Morton's Somm who was quite impressed, waived corkage and came back for more.

Don't open with less than 2 hours air, probably better in 4-8 years or with a half day decant...

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    2/7/2014 12:49:00 PM - Seriously...get a room you two...

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    2/7/2014 12:50:00 PM - Brian, open the '08...give it at least 2 hour decant

Red - Fortified

1963 Fonseca Porto Vintage

Port Blend more

5/10/2013 - grafstrb wrote: NR

Burgundy Tasting (JBaker's in York): -- double-decanted before the event --
-- tasted a couple pours blind --

Slight bricking throughout. Nose is very expressive, with tons of mint and of a touch of greenness. Medium-full to full bodied. Very spirity on the palate; loads of mint; pipe tobacco; dry; fruit is fading. Excellent.

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    5/18/2013 2:52:00 PM - Yum! Can't wait to open one of mine, maybe next Winter.

Red

1987 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

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5/3/2013 - GalvezGuy wrote: 91 points

CT Texas V - North Dallas Forty and then some; 5/3/2013-5/5/2013 (McKinney, North Dallas, TX): Nose of sweet red fruits and tobacco. On the palate, rich and full with bright cherry, raspberry, and tobacco. Interesting to contrast the two Dunns. I liked the 85 a slight bit more than the 87.

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    5/18/2013 2:45:00 PM - Had one with Tac and drycab in February, ours was similar notes and score. Was enjoyed by all but the La Tache on the table may have been the star :-)

Red

2007 21 Grams

Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon more

8/11/2010 - Eric wrote: 91 points

Impressive young juice. Not entirely sure it is to my liking but it is impressive nonetheless. Huge nose of oaky cheddar cheese, seriously, intensely oaky in fact. The first thing that greets you is a wall of blackberry that moves towards a slightly more tart element of raspberry. I quite like the underlying freshness. Supple and suave, there are evident tannins, but this is gorgeously balanced. Really so much lovely raw material. Savory and spicy with nice black currant, but then this is subterfuged by raw oak. From the handful of 2007's I have tasted, this is going to be a truly special vintage in Washington. And while this has amazing potential, why did they oak it so heavily?

  • Comment posted by Hollowine:

    8/12/2010 10:31:00 AM - Eric, your bottle or at a tasting? Decant? Had this at the winery in May and thought it was superb, but I'm pretty sure it was decanted well.

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