Search Results - Save This Search

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

2022 Arnot-Roberts Syrah Que Syrah Vineyard

 Sonoma Coast more
Options

4/13/2024 - WindFlyer Likes this wine: 94 points

Arnot-Roberts Spring 2024 open house: bright purple with magenta rim and medium body. plum and dark berries mingle with lavender, star anise, and crushed herbs in the nose. also somewhat open already, there is a savoury core to the fruit from entry to finish and layers are already apparent. a firm structure will need some time to integrate but is already smooth-textured. finish is a bit clipped at the moment, but a long raspberry aftertaste follows.

while this will need a bit of time to open up, it will likely do so before the '21, even if its development runway turns to be a shorter. there is good upside potential here.

12% AbV; 75% whole cluster inclusion; basket pressed; aged in neutral French oak for ten months.

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    4/14/2024 10:16:00 PM - you're very welcome!

    just finished posting tasting notes for the Cabs as well… and grouping all the notes from that open house into a tasting story with a bit of "context" and overall impressions.
White - Sparkling

2018 Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs

 Kent Chardonnay more
Options

3/29/2024 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 93 points

The Future of Wine Seminar /w Jancis Robinson (Dogpatch, San Francisco): Nose: Clean stones, crisp and lightly ripe stone fruits. White berries, distinct ripe halved mangoes, and subtle kiwi notes. Amazing nose here.

Palate: Pleasureful ripeness with awesome racy acidity that cuts through the weight, bringing nice balance. Great juiciness, lightly bitter minerals brings a lift, like puppet strings.

My bubbles on my first pour dissipated from waiting too long, and for the better! The notes were all from letting the bubbles fizz out. I had a second pour after and it was still good, but the flavors weren't as pronounced because of the bubbles. Good either way, but I'd rather have it almost slightly flat.

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    3/31/2024 10:21:00 PM - thanks for posting this seminar, WBW. missed my chance to sign up and then never cleared the waitlist…

    …so i missed Jancis, but got to hang with Randall Grahm instead.

    Cheers!

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    3/31/2024 10:27:00 PM - i think she had book signing with tasting at the SF store. didn't go to that one as i was more interested in hearing her thoughts at the seminar.
Red

2021 Arnot-Roberts Syrah Que Syrah Vineyard

 Sonoma Coast more
Options

3/26/2024 - viniferatu wrote: NR

Tight, tense and tart, this is really good, but it feels like it's closed down.

Rather quiet on the nose, but with coaxing aromas of cassis, tiny tart wild blueberry, blackberry, strawberry, olives, black pepper, thyme, hashish, roses and violets emerge... Tightly wound and not so giving on the palate, it's acid driven, tannins are fine and plush and feel almost minimalistic. Long and intensely tart on the finish, fruit is pure, classic Syrah notes pop up, and tannins lend gorgeous filigree texture, but this is raw and unformed, and in need of many years in the bottle. It's clearly built to last, the fruit will not fade for a long time, but how long will it take to really blossom and soften? 10, 15, 20 years?

What's the history of true Sonoma Coast Syrah? Was Peay the first? What are the oldest examples out there?

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    3/29/2024 2:12:00 PM - generally agree with Justin S.

    didn't strike me as a twenty-year wine, and i suspect it'll start turning at five years or so. i'm personally targeting an eight- to twelve-year age window.
White

2021 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis

 Chardonnay more
Options

3/8/2024 - WindFlyer Likes this wine: 89 points

greenish pale straw and quasi medium body. hints of honeysuckle and wet rock waft thru the lime and green apple fruits on the nose. juicy and bright in the palate, green apple and white plum glide along a chalky mineral base. saline and spice accents enhance the finish.

moderately-concentrated and well-balanced, this is an attractive Village Chablis that bears the ravages of the 2021 vintage (both in the reduced yields and the lighter concentration).

12.5% AbV; all Estate fruit (as denoted by the "Domaine" category); 5-10% of the wine ages five-six months in oak that averages six seasons of use.

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    3/10/2024 2:52:00 PM - thanks!
    just posted the GC notes – i had to do some cross-checking and cut/paste, as i had scrambled the order and had the TNs mixed up.
Red

2004 Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Langi

 Grampians more
Options

10/8/2022 - Rote Kappelle Likes this wine: 93 points

The sight of an old wine under screw cap stirs the loins in the same way that the sight of Stormy Daniels in negligee no doubt would. Like Stormy you just feel the artificial closure is better at keeping the extremes of age and gravity at bay. And so it proves.

I don't know if some of the other comments on this wine are from bottles under cork (and so have tired earlier), however, this bottle is mature yet fresh; again like Stormy, I am sure.

Note is made after about 2 hours open, no decant and from a big ISO shape glass.

The colour is dense, garnet and a touch of brick, with minimal fading as you tilt the glass. It has to be Australian when you see those things.

2004 was a rather warm, dry year, following on from the devastating bush fires and extreme heat of 2003 (preview for California?). It was the year I bought a home with my splendid, now ex-wife, a wonderful creature to whom I will be forever grateful. It was also the year I changed career from lawyer to teacher (before changing back a decade later) - there is a lot of good stuff there and so there is the possibility that I am investing the wine with magic from memory that surpasses its objective qualities. Find a bottle at auction and see for yourself.

On the nose, there is definite alcohol heat (it comes in at 15% ABV), so keep this wine at cooler temps around 16- 17 degrees Celsius when you pour it. I can grit my teeth and live with alcohol heat if there are countervailing things of sufficiently compelling character and, here, I think there are. I get anise, clove and dark plum, perhaps some blackberry, rich earth and the slightest hint of Eucalyptus, that magnificent stoic tree of this sun blasted land. I am not one to love mint or Eucalypt in my wine, but this is just a small note and it works to offset the richness.

The palate is very long indeed, the intensity is excellent but here you hit the issue with high alcohol wines - they often lack a bit of steel to keep punching. A degree of alcohol lower and this wine would probably have the kind of intensity that makes Daniel Craig's Bond look like a flabby imposter. Everything else is superb and the tannins are at a lovely stage where they support the Stormy like upper part without getting in the way. Take note those who design those fussy brassiere clips.

If you serve this around 16-17 degrees Celsius you will also get a character that I consider almost classical Langi Ghiran - a sort of burnt orange, Negroni character. It is that bitter and sweet mix that makes me a bit weak at the knees. Stephanie Clifford, if you are out there, forget the sharks and table dancing and come drink with me.

Trevor Mast was a wonderful winemaker and this is another example of his brilliance. He might be dead, but his wines live on and so does his influence and, perhaps most of all, so does the pleasure he gave so many people. Could you want more?

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    1/31/2024 11:34:00 PM - very entertaining note, mate!

    i did enjoy the wine immensely, myself – and fully devoid of the rose-coloured associations. even if in fairness, now that i think of it, 2004 wasn't a bad year for me.
Rosé

2022 Château Vannières Bandol Rosé

 Mourvèdre Blend, Mourvèdre more
Options

7/15/2023 - WindFlyer Likes this wine: 90 points

Bastille Days - Tours de France; 7/14/2023-7/16/2023: very pale coppery salmon and light bodied in the glass. it has a somewhat reticent nose of red berries with herbal accents and a whiff of slate. but the reticence goes away in the mouth as the red berries grow brighter against a fresh, citrusy, acidic backbone. there is some body and heft and hints of more herbal and mineral complexity on the moderate finish.

i would give this wine another year in bottle and see how it develops.

13.5% AbV (noted by eboracum); 60% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache, 20% Cinsault

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    9/12/2023 8:03:00 PM - thanks for that, info!
    noted in tasting note
Red

2014 Lapostolle Borobo

 Colchagua Valley Red Blend more
Options

7/16/2023 - Sookin1 Likes this wine: 90 points

First bottle of this wine which I like. The last 2 were corked. All on the fruit. Very dense and delicious with a steak

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    8/30/2023 12:33:00 AM - glad to see you finally got a good bottle!

    was starting to worry about mine (purchased at the winery).
Red

2020 Goldeneye Pinot Noir Gowan Creek Vineyard

 Anderson Valley more
Options

8/1/2023 - WindFlyer Likes this wine: 91 points

Duckhorn Portfolio tasting: dark ruby and medium-bodied in the glass. dark fruit dominates a nose accented with subtle aromas of sous-bois and pennyroyal. fairly silky in the mouth, a bright acidity runs thru the dark fruit flavours; clove and other spices provide some depth and firm tannins curtail the finish to just moderate length.

from a "middle sector" of the valley, while having structure to further develop, this wine shows a bit less complexity than others i've previously had – wonder if the better lots are going into the KostaBrowne bottling? it also seems like this wine is not quite yet in its drinking window, so there's upside potential here.

14.2% AbV; sixteen months in French oak (51% new).

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    8/10/2023 9:12:00 AM - i think it goes both ways… thanks to the KB acquisition, GoldenEye has a Cerise single-vineyard PN. i thought perhaps they would stop making Ten Degrees cuvée and was informed that no, they intend to keep making it.

    and yes, agree that GE carries a premium pricing.
Red

2019 Ferraton Père & Fils Ermitage Le Méal

 Hermitage Syrah more
Options

1/21/2023 - WindFlyer wrote: 93 points

Rhone reds tasting: "this one goes to eleven!"
…kept thinking of that line from Spinal Tap while tasting this BIG wine!

deep purple and with massive body in the glass with a whiff of alcohol that took a while to dissipate and start revealing a surprisingly perfumed nose with lavender and violet accents to the dark berry fruits; olives and charcuterie contribute savoury notes, while whiffs of vanilla, anise and tobacco add spicy touches. in the mouth it is full, lush, and rich in every respect. plum, cassis and fig mingle with accents of licorice, savoury herbs and graphite in layers upon layers of flavour; even the powerful tannins add spicy touches to this abundant cornucopia.

as big and and massive as it is, it has impeccable balance. the fruits, the freshness and acidity, the tannins, and even the high alcohol work seamlessly together. clearly this will need a handful more years to settle down some and start parceling out its rewards with subtlety and finesse.

while big wines like this are not particularly of my taste, i do recognise the high level winemaking here… and so assign a rating that has quite a bit of upside potential. it may well be extraordinary in its prime.

15.5% AbV/ 100% Syrah

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    8/5/2023 10:11:00 PM - thanks!

    going from memory now… as big as the wine was, it was already well balanced in both the nose and the mouth. good aeration blows off the alcohol fumes quickly, while in the mouth it's wasn't particularly noticeable (no heat).

    not familiar with the big (15%+ AbV) Syrahs from the central coast (like Sine Qua Non), so no idea how it stacks against those.

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    8/6/2023 10:19:00 AM - thanks for the tips on the up and coming producers! i'll try to check them out.

    if you want to taste the flip side of the Ferraton Le Meal (understated but complex cool weather Syrah), check out the Arnot-Roberts (Que Syrah vineyard, or even Clary Ranch).

    cheers!
White

2017 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune

 Alsace more
Options

6/10/2023 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 97 points

Riesling tasting (K&L Wine Merchant - San Francisco): Gentle scent of a gas pump nozzle, bright and shiny white and pale fleshed fruits. Fruits are ripe but has a good amount of acidity to maintain a balanced intrigue. With little air time, it develops white floral notes and a dry honeycomb note (imagine wax without any of the honey).

Clean and swift acidity rushes over the palate, leaving behind some unripe green apples, bitter minerality, and ripe pineapple flesh with its bitter skin. Gentle petrol notes from start to finish.

The most complete wine in the lineup. Great complexity. The bitterness and minerality seem to work as a mechanism to prevent any kind of sweetness from surfacing.

This had at least an hour worth of time in a wide decanter.

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    7/3/2023 7:14:00 PM - agree with IRBDW…

    …the acidity zip never really goes away (it does fade on ripe cases where there wasn't a whole lot of it to begin with). and the minerality gives the different fruit tones some overtones and more delineation.

    in the case of the off-dry ones (like Spätleses), it is a rather remarkable thing. (and perhaps a bit of an acquired taste).
White

1997 Nikolaihof Riesling Fass Severin Vinothek

 Wachau more
Options

6/10/2023 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 95 points

Riesling tasting (K&L Wine Merchant - San Francisco): A deep pitch of dark and ripe yellow fruits on the nose. The fruits are somewhat heavy but is pleasantly balanced out by palm tree trunks, dry straw, grass, dried stones, and intense white floral notes.

On the palate is a deep underhand pitch of dark fruits, similar from the nose, with amazing acidity still that helps give the deep fruits the lift and energy it needs, while displaying a nice contrast.

If I didn't know the vintage, would have never guessed this had this kind of age already. Rich weight here but thanks to the acidity, the wine never gets heavy. The acidity pierces through anything dark and heavy, like sun rays through grey skies on a rainy day. This bottling makes me wish I had the chance to try this when it didn't have that much age yet.

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    7/3/2023 7:08:00 PM - hey there, WBW…

    this was bottled in 2022 – still an infant – so no chance for you to taste it during gestation…

    but think of it as a marker of sorts. this is the kind of development you can expect as you age dry Rieslings… and some of the other younger wines in the tasting (like the Bründlmayer) may have been similar to this around Y2K.
Red

2019 Espiritu de Chile Appassimento

 Red Blend more
Options

5/30/2023 - Wine Diplomats wrote: flawed

This is produced by Aresti. Merlot & Syrah. Wine of Chile designation, so not from a specific valley. This is not easy to find in Chile because it’s mostly exported, especially to Finland. Only about $8 in Chile. Unfortunately, this was corked. I was curious to try another wine made with the appassimento method in Chile. There are a couple of producers who also use appassimento in the Elqui Valley with Carmenere, which I have tried before.

I'm not sure why such a cheap wine uses such a big and heavy bottle. I'd much prefer they help the environment and wine by using that money on better corks instead.

https://winediplomats.com/

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    5/31/2023 2:02:00 PM - Hi there, WD,

    Requingua made a '22 appassimento from Moscatel, which i had a chance to try in February during a "Todos por Itata" benefit walk-around tasting. i quite liked it and would love to get some when it gets released.

    maybe one of these days i'll get around to posting my notes from that event…
Rosé

2022 Arnot-Roberts Rosé

 California Rosé Blend more
Options

4/22/2023 - Justin S wrote: NR

Was hoping at least one bottle would make it to next summer but at this rate I’ll be lucky to have enough to last this year’s.

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    4/22/2023 10:09:00 PM - ;)
Red

2020 Bouchard Père et Fils Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets Ancienne Cuvée Carnot

 Pinot Noir more
Options

3/24/2023 - WindFlyer wrote: 91 points

2020 Burgundies I: Côte de Beaune from Bouchard: purplish ruby with a dark core in the glass and medium body. dark berries and plum dominate the nose, accented by spicy notes and just whiffs of rose and earth. in the mouth it has medium body that feels fuller from the fleshiness of the fruit: ripe red and dark berry flavours flow bright with acidity; herbal and spicy notes and bitterness in the tannins provide a counterweight. the finish is long, fruity, and fresh.

the wine has a concentration and intensity i don't associate with Volnays, so it's probably best not think of it as one… that said, there is a lot that needs integration with a few years in bottle for that to happen. there is upside potential here.

13% AbV

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    4/12/2023 4:40:00 PM - thanks, Justin.

    it is a good PN; just not typical Volnay, in my experience… in general, i do think that the 2020 red burgundies (and to a great extent the 19s and 18s as well) are a bit more "new-world"ish; without a doubt the weather had something to do with that.

    as for the A-R, i was really impressed with the 21s. i thought maybe my enthusiasm of being at the open house was causing me to get carried away, etc. but seeing a set of professional reviews validated my initial thoughts.

    i'll be grouping various notes into a "story" sets where i'll add in a bit of overall context/commentary.
White

2003 P. Licht-Bergweiler Brauneberger Mandelgraben Riesling Kabinett

 Mosel Saar Ruwer more
Options

2/26/2023 - Wine Diplomats Likes this wine: 90 points

Medium intensity nose with white fruit, some flinty minerality and petrol. The palate is more off-dry for my palate despite being a Kabinett. Probably a result of the warm vintage. Apple and pear fruit. Lower acid than most perhaps due to age and vintage. Don't find it oxidized like some cellartracker comments say, so should continue to go longer but not as long as some with the slightly lower acid

https://winediplomats.com/

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    4/7/2023 5:28:00 PM - hi WD, i enjoy your blog!

    i used to get tripped up by the Kabinett designation too in the (to me, still) confusing german labelling rules… some were dry, some off-dry. i've since figured out a bit of a helper with the AbV figure: if it's single-digits, it's off-dry; if low teens, it's dry; if it's about 10, it's a toss-up.

    i really do wish they'd simplify it for us by just listing the RS levels in the bottle. ideally, the acidity level too!
Red

2018 Chalk Hill Estate Red

 Red Bordeaux Blend more
Options

11/13/2021 - NavyVet6874 wrote: NR

First off, the empty bottle is 35.5 ounces which is ridiculous.
Environmentally clueless, and I'm paying shipping! However, the wine is great. Lovely fruit, good acidic finish, open another. I'm

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    4/5/2023 2:07:00 PM - i'm with you. i hate those 1kg empty bottles for no good reason whatsoever.
Red

2006 Château Pontet-Canet

 Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend more
Options

12/3/2022 - WindFlyer Likes this wine: 92 points

left-bank Bordeaux tasting – six wines/six vintages (K&L Redwood City): this was double decanted an hour or so before the tasting… my expectation was for a somewhat mature Bordeaux well in its drinking window… it seems a bit more time may be needed here.

very dark and opaque in the glass, the nose is redolent of red and black fruit with whiffs of herbs, graphite, and earth. in the mouth it is still very tight, with the tannins yielding little of their grip for quite some time. once the fruit emerges it grows in concentration and goes into a rather long finish with a surprising sweet aftertaste.

some upside potential here.

65% Cab Sauv/ 30% Merlot/ 3% Cab Franc/ 2% Petit Verdot.

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    3/23/2023 10:37:00 PM - thanks for that tip!

    good thing this was an organised tasting rather than drinking from my cellar!

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    3/27/2023 2:07:00 PM - thanks! glad you're finding it useful and informative.

    FYI, a week after the BDX tasting there was one of Napa cab-based wines. i finally did transcribe it in similar fashion.
White

2014 Calera Viognier

 Central Coast more
Options

9/19/2022 - rjquillin wrote: NR

Atypical for a Vio and not showing much at PnP. Much improved at 6 days open in the fridge. A bit of petrol on the finish

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    1/14/2023 4:04:00 PM - wow! maybe i should have left mine like that for a while…
Red

2016 Goldeneye Pinot Noir Anderson Valley

 more
Options

1/9/2019 - Harley1199 wrote: NR

By the glass. Another sign that although almost all of the Anderson Valley Pinot is expensive, not everything is good. Intense with coarse, artificial aromas of cola, wood and black berries. Everything without elegance nor complexity. Disgusting sweet final. I'm surprised that the label is almost identical to Duckhorn's. By the game of names, are they part of the same group?

Por copas. Otra muestra de que si bien casi todo el PN del Valle de Anderson es caro, no todo es bueno. Intenso con toscos, artificiales aromas a cola, madera y a bayas negras. Todo sin elegancia ni complejidad. Repugnante final dulzón. Me sorprende que la etiqueta sea casi idéntica que la de Duckhorn. Por el juego de nombres ¿acaso son del mismo grupo?

  • Comment posted by WindFlyer:

    4/6/2021 12:32:00 PM - actually, Goldeneye is (or was) the first label for Pinots in the Duckhorn family of wineries. since the acquisition of Calera, in my opinion, Goldeneye has become the second-label for PN, with Migration as third.

    i also understand that Kosta Browne is owned by the Duckhorn group, but it isn’t “integrated” into the family of wineries (like for memberships, tastings, etc.)

Loading wine details...
loading

×
×