| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| Red |
2014 Estancia Meritage ReservePaso Robles Red Bordeaux Blend more |
12/26/2023 - AjitK Likes this wine: 90 pointsPnP Split 375ml bottle during the holidays 2023. Still drinking well and has aged well. Not too complex on the nose or palette but quite enjoyable with plenty of black and blue ripe fruit and full bodied easy drinking. Will go well with charcuterie and burgers. Great QPR and surprised how well it's held up. |
| Red |
2015 Wine Access Cabernet Sauvignon EditorialNapa Valley more |
12/20/2023 - AjitK wrote: 89 pointsPnP. FRUIT BOMB. Simple, crowd pleasing modern American style Red. Nose is pleasing with cigar box and ripe fruit. Length goes on for a minute. Medium bodied. Oak is strong. This will appeal to big red drinkers (think a Cabernet version of Prisoner). Will pair well with hard cheese, well marbled ribeye steaks, burgers. No change or increased complexity/texture after 90 min decant |
| White |
2013 Château Latour-Martillac BlancPessac-Léognan Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend more |
12/2/2023 - AjitK Likes this wine: NRPast its prime now but still enjoyable. Overall wine has muted as compared to the energy it displayed a few years ago. Will not rate |
| Red |
1997 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Hyde VineyardCarneros more |
11/27/2023 - AjitK Likes this wine: 92 pointsBeautiful wine still full of fruit more than a quarter century in (Bravo Paul Hobbs). It’s in a delightful place right now with full resolved tannins, and a plush and soft mouthfeel. On the nose, very expressive with dominant iodine and cherry and some eucalyptus. Full bodied with good acid and a very long finish. On the palette, lush blue and black fruit with some Mediterranean herbs. Drink up now. |
| Red |
2010 Château Tronquoy-LalandeSt. Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend more |
11/17/2023 - AjitK Likes this wine: 93 pointsExcellent wine from a legendary vintage in a great drinking place right now (end of 2023). Got better consistently over 2 hours. Went quickly from dominant tertiary flavors to juicy fruit perfectly balanced with secondary and tertiary notes. Voluptuous nose too with incredible medley dried herbs |
| White |
2022 Badenhorst Family Wines Chenin Blanc SecateursSwartland more |
11/11/2023 - AjitK Likes this wine: 90 pointsReally enjoyed this wine. Great integration of oak. Medium-Full body. The wine looks light gold colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like citrus fruits with some floral notes. |
| White |
2022 Zialena Sauvignon BlancAlexander Valley more |
8/2/2023 - AjitK Likes this wine: 91 pointsReally loved the freshness, acidity and nose on this wine. Stone fruits and floral on the nose, light-medium bodied sauv blanc with great acidity and brightness. It's not inexpensive for a domestic (US) Sauv Blanc at $40, but a terrific wine. I believe it is fermented in concrete which really gives it nuanced aromas and real feel for the terroir. Really well made wine. |
| Red |
2007 Fantesca Cabernet Sauvignon EstateSpring Mountain District more |
3/25/2023 - AjitK wrote: 95 pointsWow! Just wow! This is in great part of its drinking window right now and still has a decade ahead of it. So much concentration with primary fruit and secondary herbaceous notes. Gorgeous nose, full bodied mouth filling goodness. This is a fantastic, rich Napa wine with plenty of complexity and layers of flavor. Big wine with lots of finesse and grace. Powerful but never feels heavy or syrupy. |
| Red |
2013 Cain Vineyard & Winery Cain FiveSpring Mountain District Red Bordeaux Blend more |
3/11/2023 - AjitK wrote: 90 pointsDecanted for an hour, and drank over the next 3. Decent wine, enjoyable at age 10, but not great and ultimately unmemorable. Not a great QPR at $25/5 oz. glass. Good tertiary flavors but the wine is not really concentrated or balanced. I would not buy it again at this price point, and I have one more bottle in the cellar. It doesn't have more than another 5 years left Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (2) |
| White - Sparkling |
NV Drappier Champagne Carte d'Or BrutChampagne Blend more |
1/28/2023 - AjitK Likes this wine: 92 pointsCellared for 5 years. Assuming disgorged around 2015. Absolutely fantastic QPR - complexity of some vintage champagnes and the purity is fantastic . Wondering what the dosage is because even though it’s Brut, it has an amazing fruit quality that makes it feel just a trace of delicate sweetness but certainly not sweet. One of the better affordable NV champagnes I’ve enjoyed. Reminded me of a great Billecart or Pol Roger NV bottling. |
| Red |
2016 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valleymore |
1/14/2023 - AjitK Likes this wine: 91 points3L Double magnum. 2 hour decant - Still very young. Lots of tannin. Well structured wine with good blue and black fruit but not a fruit bomb. On the nose, appealing without a lot of complexity. Full body with a medium length finish. This double magnum could have been aged for 20 years+ easy. Overall, an enjoyable young Napa red from a terrific vintage |
| White |
2014 Fantesca Chardonnay Russian River Valleymore |
12/27/2022 - AjitK wrote: 89 pointsPnP at first and then post hour decant - the 2014 wine is nice enough but not a good QPR for $100. Ultimately unmemorable. Oak is well integrated and the bouquet is pleasant with mostly citrus notes. On the palette, grapefruit is pronounced with some traces of melon. I loved the wine’s acidity a lot. This is really designed to be a very good food wine. Deep yellow. |
| Red |
2014 Domaine Terlato & Chapoutier Shiraz Lieu dit MalakoffPyrenees more |
12/15/2022 - AjitK wrote: 89 pointsPnP. Good, daily drinker. Still has the backbone to coast another couple years with plenty of fruit - cherry/blueberry. Secondary flavors with bitter herbs dominate. No noticeable tertiary flavors/aromas. Long bitter finish. Drinks a little warm. Nice nose and good, assertive use of oak. Slow legs. Deep red color. Full bodied mouthfeel. |
| Red |
2017 The Federalist Wines Cabernet Sauvignon The FederalistLodi more |
12/12/2022 - AjitK Does not like this wine: 80 pointsJust a rough fruit bomb with oh so forced taste of oak. I can understand why this is a good catering kind of wine when you need to cater to dozens of casual drinkers - it’s big sweet fruit, loud oak, and full bodied mouthfeel. But it is so lacking in impact or character and just tastes structureless and woody. Not for me |
| Red |
2016 Moillard Savigny-lès-Beaune Vieilles VignesPinot Noir more |
12/8/2022 - AjitK Likes this wine: 90 pointsTerrific weeknight sipper. At 45 minute decant in glass, it has beautiful oak integration with solid fruit but some umami Savoriness with a slightly bitter lingering finish. Nose is just gorgeous and has some complexity - raspberries with some smoked meat. Light-Medium body, medium finish. Tannins have softened out leaving a smooth mouth feel. Still has enough backbone to last another 3 years. It’s pretty open now and I can’t expect it to improve with any more bottle time and fruit will start to fade in 3 years. This Burgundian Old Vine Pinot would go incredibly well with duck or herbed roasted Turkey. Good QPR |
| White |
2016 Prisoner Wine Company BlindfoldCalifornia Chardonnay Blend, Chardonnay more |
11/26/2022 - AjitK Likes this wine: 92 pointsPnP at thanksgiving. Surprisingly good and balanced Chardonnay. I was expecting a lash you on the tongue with oak and over extracted fruit with Prisoner but this was a huge surprise. Oak is present but perfectly integrated - not offensive . The acidity is just right. There was weight yet crispness to this wine. Excellent. Hope they keep this style of Chardonnay going over the coming years. |
| Red |
2014 La Jota Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountainmore |
10/15/2022 - AjitK Likes this wine: 89 pointsOct 14 2022 - It’s a nice big wine but I felt it was over extracted - a little too tannic for almost 10 years old. Decanted for 2+ hours, dark fruit and coffee on the nose. MASSIVE wine almost 15% ABV. Drinks hot. Wish it was more complex for the price point. I have a case of these so hope it develops more over the next 5 years |
| Red |
2014 Mt. Brave Cabernet SauvignonMt. Veeder more |
8/14/2022 - AjitK Likes this wine: 93 pointsTerrific Napa cab. 2 hour decant. Classic CA cab with great structure and length (45+ seconds). Medium full body. Plenty of life ahead of it. Another 7+ years easily. Not a complicated wine at this stage but downright delicious with beautiful dark fruit and nice heft. On the nose, blue and black berries, coffee, and a sharp alcohol edge (big boy at 14-5-15% ABV). This is warm climate, American hedonism at its finest. Paired it with a rustic ribeye and milk brined sweetbreads. |
| Rosé - Sparkling |
NV Marrenon Luberon Cuvée M Brut RoseGrenache more |
6/17/2022 - AjitK Likes this wine: 87 pointsCrisp, uncomplicated, well priced patio pounder and summer sipper. Always fun to discover a new expression from Rhône, made well in the traditional champagne method |
| Red |
2013 Ridge Lytton SpringsDry Creek Valley Zinfandel Blend, Zinfandel more |
6/12/2022 - AjitK Likes this wine: 94 points1 hour decant. Terrific and EXPLOSIVE. It is a rich, powerful Zin blend that has come together in a beautiful harmonious, balanced way 9 years after harvest. It gives you everything from the flavor to the texture you want from a high quality Zin - hot sun ripened massive black/blue fruit with a mouth filling big body. The nose is spectacular with wafts of mocha. Unsurprisingly, this big boy has Long legs owing to the high ABV. Lots of life ahead of it, this wine overdelivers in the way that only Ridge can. Outstanding QPR |
| Red |
2003 Château PavieSt. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more |
3/4/2022 - AjitK wrote: 95 pointsThis was a terrific bottle of wine. First and foremost, it is in a really good place right now (March 2022). Plenty of primary (deep, rich black and blue concentrated, ripe fruit), secondary (delightful bitter herbaceous notes like organo and marjoram), and some tertiary notes (emerging after 3 hours of decant with musky forest floor and leather). The nose was just WOW / Intense and rich. what stood out even more than the gorgeous bouquet was the mouthfeel - unctuous full, thick body. To me, this was a delightful wine and the Wine of the night (with other heavy hitters like 2001 Yalumba Octavius and 2009 Duhart Milon to compete with). I didn’t start of in a Parker or Robinson Court before enjoying this wine, but am squarely in the RP/WS (JS reviewed) perspective of this being a terrific wine, worthy of the flagship effort by a cherished st. Emilion winery. I can’t believe JR would give this a 12/20. That’s just nonsensical. Now, at $400 it’s not a value wine by any stretch but a very strong, elite offering. The tanin levels indicate another 10 years ahead of it, easily. |
| Red |
2003 Bodegas y Viñedos San Roman Toro Viña San RománTinta de Toro, Tempranillo more |
2/7/2022 - AjitK Likes this wine: 92 pointsLoved this wine. It was bold and complex with a nice dose of beautifully integrated American oak. Still youthful despite its 19 year age. What a remarkable value (paid $110 at a steakhouse) and available for $50 online retail. Had enough Tanin to last and grow for another 5 years. Tons of blue and black fruit on the palette, a hint or earthiness. Get nice and structured, not flabby. Paired amazingly well with 12 Day dry aged ribeye. |
| Red |
2015 Cakebread Cellars MerlotNapa Valley more |
2/3/2022 - AjitK Likes this wine: 91 pointsVery enjoyable, hedonistic wine. Supple and full bodied with plenty of fruit and well integrated oak. After 3 hours of decant more herbaceous notes emerge with bay leaf and cigar box. Not too much complexity but plenty to enjoy. |
| Red |
2011 Clarendon Hills AstralisShiraz Blend, Syrah more |
1/23/2022 - AjitK wrote: 94 points90 min decant started to show more (compared to a year ago) on the nose. Still a tightly wound wine at 11 years old, but you can immediately appreciate the incredible balance and structure (14.5% ABV but drinks so remarkably soft). Feels so well put together with its mouthfeel and tannin, with aromas of Indian spices like fennel on the nose. You have to work hard to coax them out of the glass with air though. Finish is super long and goes on for over a minute. On the palette, lots of pepper and Mediterranean herbs to tie in with the black and blue fruit. Medium-Full body without ever feeling heavy - all that intensity and concentration and yet so effortless on the palette. Really worthy of a flagship wine. I wish I had another bottle tucked away to open 5 years later. I think this wine is capable of evolving about 4-5 years and holding up another 8 years or so. Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comments (1) |
| Red |
2016 Francis Ford Coppola Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Collection Black Label ClaretCalifornia more |
1/11/2022 - AjitK wrote: 87 pointsCellared for 3 years. PnP - served cool around 65 degrees. The nose is beautiful - leather and black/blue fruit in perfect ripeness, vanilla, and just the right amount of forest floor and wood. But on the palette it does feel heavy weighty and the oak is way overdone. There is a long finish with a bitter aftertaste that hints at artificially Oakiness. It’s drinkable and the nose is lovely but overall, I would not buy this again but wouldn’t turn it away at a dinner party. It has tannins so would be nice with some burgers or such but it does fight with the flavors and coats your tongue . Not subtle for sure |
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- Tasting notes: 134 notes on 129 wines
