| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| Red |
1999 Scherrer Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Scherrer VineyardAlexander Valley more |
4/21/2024 - River Rat Likes this wine: NRDrank with friends at Underwood Bistro. Double decanted and cleaned bottle ahead of time. Popped and aired at restaurant for 90 minutes. Really developed nicely in that time black fruit, anise cedar, picked up considerable weight in the glass. Nice round texture, full bodied, fruit holding it’s own, tannins resolved. Fred gets it. Great showing. |
| Red |
2011 DaVero Carignano Testa Family VineyardMendocino more |
3/31/2024 - River Rat Likes this wine: NRWas driving up Westside Rd one Saturday a dozen years back with Not647f on our way to Mauritson when we came upon DaVero and we drawn in by RFs love of Italian varieties. Came home with this wine and it’s been sitting in the cellar ever since. Like the ‘11 Turley Cab it was time to open this ‘11 Carignano. From 100+ year old head pruned vines, biodynamically farmed. Color is brilliant ruby red, nose is shy on fruit but with a more earthy/meaty component of roasted red meat and mushroom. Juicy sour cherry, ripe raspberry and strawberry fruit notes pulled together with ample acidity, almost mouth puckering. Medium bodied, tart red berries with tannins coming in on the mid-palate. The fruit turns to cherry Jolly Rancher on the finish and remains tart with a medium grip. Very enjoyable, food friendly wine. |
| Red |
2011 Turley Cabernet Sauvignon The LabelNapa Valley more |
3/31/2024 - River Rat Likes this wine: NRPurchased on release. Was making room in the cellar yesterday and put this in the “Why haven’t I opened this already?” pile. Initial chatter amongst wine geeks online was kind of pedestrian so I was in no rush to open it. Nice dark color, just a hint of bricking. Nose is a touch advanced for the age but what’s interesting is that it doesn’t give me a whole lot of Cabernet Sauvignon. My Wife asked which one of the open wines she should drink and I let her have a sip of mine. I told her it’s a Cab but it doesn’t drink like one. Her response “ Tastes like a Zinfandel” |
| Red |
1998 Foppiano Petite SirahSonoma Valley more |
3/30/2024 - River Rat Likes this wine: NRGrainy cork was in real tight, kept a perfect seal. Color dark burgundy and dense. Nose is dominated by truffles and menthol. Fairly full bodied, blueberry, Kirsch, sour cherry. The mid-palate flattens out a bit and the fruit struggles to hold on. Turns to a blackberry finish with just the most subtle hint of tannin remaining. Solid but unremarkable. I remember an ‘83 Foppiano PS I opened about 10yrs ago that was lithe and fresh. Different winemaking team for this one made a wine more crowd pleasing and less structured. Not bad, definitely drinkable. |
| Red - Sweet/Dessert |
1982 Dry Creek Vineyard Zinfandel Late HarvestDry Creek Valley more |
3/23/2024 - River Rat wrote: NRTime to cull the cellar of old bottles with low expectations. Today it’s this ‘82 Dry Creek Late Harvest Zinfandel. Acquired this in a cellar sale along with a case of other preserved wines, most of which drank real well. The fact that this was a late harvest left some hope. 42 years young. |
| Red |
2016 Domaine Michel Gros Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Clos des RéasPinot Noir more |
3/10/2024 - River Rat Likes this wine: NRPours a dark crimson. Intriguing nose, dark berries, oak, cinnamon stick, fresh turned soil, pine needle, white pepper. Sweet black cherries, cola, Chinese Five Spice, oak with fabulous depth and precision. Ample acidity expands the palate pulling in the chewy tannins. Beautifully balanced, well structured for a long cellaring but absolutely delicious right now. Wow! |
| Red |
2001 Scherrer Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Scherrer VineyardAlexander Valley more |
3/6/2024 - River Rat Likes this wine: NRJust picked multiple vintages up from a private party sale and had extra on the ‘01s so I pobega’d it. Fill was perfect on this bottle and the capsule spun with ease. Sank my corkscrew in and slowly pulled the cork up til, snap, the last 3/8” stayed in the neck because the worm wasn’t long enough. Grabbed the Durand worm and extracted the remainder which seriously only had 1/8” of wine stain in it. At 22 years in the bottle. |
| Red |
2013 Mending Wall Cabernet SauvignonNapa Valley more |
3/3/2024 - River Rat Likes this wine: NRPours very dark blackish purple. Nose is heavy on blackberry, anise, oak and tobacco leaf. Big fruit up front, strong oak signature, black currant, blackberry, chocolate covered coffee bean. Texture is full, round, mouth coating, tannins are in line with the fruit structure but well managed and beginning to soften. Wham, bam, thank you Ma’am and on to the next sip. Borders on flabby but there’s enough acid to fight that off. Still showing very young. Another 10 years and try it again. |
| White |
2014 Carlisle Compagni PortisSonoma Valley White Blend more |
1/27/2024 - River Rat Likes this wine: NRWas going through my cellar grabbing wines for a charity auction when I grabbed this and noticed it was a leaker. Sticky residue around the Stelvin and a slightly low ullage (an inch below the capsule) had me worried. Pulled the cap, cleaned the bottle neck and it poured a brilliant golden yellow. |
| Red |
2022 Six Cloves Wines Pinot Noir Buf-Wher RanchRussian River Valley more |
1/20/2024 - River Rat Likes this wine: NRBottle was given to me by the winemaker for the purpose of tasting and giving my impressions in a tasting note. |
| White |
2022 Six Cloves Wines Chardonnay Linda Vista VineyardOak Knoll District more |
1/20/2024 - River Rat Likes this wine: NRBottle was given to me by the winemaker for the purpose of tasting and giving my impressions in a tasting note. 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1) |
| Red |
2022 Six Cloves Wines Zinfandel Castanon VineyardsMendocino County more |
1/20/2024 - River Rat Likes this wine: NRBottle was given to me by the winemaker for the purpose of tasting and giving my impressions in a tasting note. Partial whole cluster ferment, aged in 20% new French oak. 13.5% abv. |
| White |
2016 Clothing Optional Wine Co.Chalone White Blend more |
1/3/2024 - River Rat Likes this wine: NRClose your eyes and think about a warm Fall day, a shower passes over quickly and then you take a quick walk to the market. This was the first sprinkle of the season and you get a whiff of the rain as it evaporates off the sidewalk and manhole covers. That steely, wet river rock sensation sets in. You get to the market and the fresh citrus is out on display. Lemons, limes, navel oranges and more. The grocer hands you a segment of grapefruit and as you bite down on it you get a rush of tangy bittersweet fruit with racy acidity that engulfs your palate. You grab a couple along with a small pineapple and some lemons. They have fresh oysters on ice and you grab a half dozen, then scoot back home where you set down on the back porch with the last Jasmine of the season sweetening the air. You shuck the oysters, slice the fruit, sit back and take it all in. That’s when you hear it faintly in the distance, it’s Jerry singing “Bertha don’t you come around here anymore…” |
| Rosé - Sparkling |
NV Laherte Frères Champagne Rosé de Meunier Extra BrutPinot Meunier more |
12/27/2023 - River Rat Likes this wine: NR11-22 disgorgement, paired with Pomegranate and Cranberry stuffed Pork Chops. Great pairing as the wine displays both fruits in aromatics and color. Racy with nice persistence, minerality and acidity. Limestone chalkiness, pleasantly long slightly tart finish. Fun wine! 3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2) |
| Red |
2016 Linne Calodo Problem ChildPaso Robles Willow Creek District Zinfandel Blend, Zinfandel more |
12/23/2023 - River Rat wrote: NRWas a Secret Santa gift, never tasted one before. Only Paso bottle in my cellar. Zin, Syrah, Mourvèdre blend at a whopping 15.7%abv. Dark black cherry color, nose more GSM than Zinfandel. Blackberry, black cherry, the blending wines must have been pretty ripe as the palate was all ripe fruit with no acid backbone to speak of and little spice. Kinda what I usually get from Paso wines I’ve had. Was easy drinking and hid the alcohol well but not memorable. Wouldn’t seek out more. |
| Red |
2019 Kutch Pinot Noir Mindego Ridge VineyardSanta Cruz Mountains more |
12/19/2023 - River Rat Likes this wine: NRBeen open about 90 min, first pour still in the glass. Lots of interesting spice on the nose along with some earthiness and leaning even a touch blue. Earthy pice laden palate with zesty dark cherry and citrus amplified by the stem inclusion. Crunchy cranberries and that spice that just keeps coming. Really digging this. |
| White |
2019 Walter Scott Chardonnay Cuvée AnneWillamette Valley more |
12/18/2023 - River Rat Likes this wine: NRPale straw color, slightly reductive nose with some grapefruit and quince. More quince and/or under-ripe green apple and a dash of honey. Lip smacking acidity and a steely minerality. This would go well with shellfish but tonight it gets chicken pot pie. |
| Red |
2018 Sandlands GrenacheSanta Clara County more |
12/14/2023 - River Rat wrote: NRBright ruby color, nose of cranberry and nutmeg but the palate explodes with juicy sweet cherry and strawberry, quite expansive and gulpable. Tannins could soften a bit but I’m being picky now. This is delicious. We drained the bottle in no time flat. |
| Red |
2021 Halcon Estate SyrahYorkville Highlands more |
12/11/2023 - River Rat Likes this wine: NRWent to a book signing/tasting tonight at Marine Layer in Healdsburg and had an opportunity to taste the ‘21 Halcon Estate Syrah. I wasn’t planning on opening any of the bottles I purchased any time soon so this was a good opportunity to get some data points on it. |
| Red |
2022 Bedrock Wine Co. Syrah Angeles de ArenaSanta Barbara County more |
12/2/2023 - River Rat wrote: NRTasted at pick-up day. Reductive nose, brilliant ripe fruit that delivers now, lots of development to come, fun to get an early look. |
| Rosé |
2021 Jolie-Laide Pinot Noir Vin GrisSonoma County more |
11/24/2023 - River Rat wrote: NRThese wines never disappoint. Fresh and lively watermelon, strawberry and citrus zest. Bright and refreshing. A 12.5% poolside pounder on Thanksgiving. |
| Red |
2019 Carlisle Zinfandel Dry Creek Valleymore |
11/24/2023 - River Rat wrote: NRBlack fruit with purple berries trying unsuccessfully to push through. This seemed a bit wound up to me even though I opened it a couple hours prior to pouring. I’ll wait a few more years before trying another. |
| White |
2020 Rivers-Marie Chardonnay Bearwallow Vineyard Anderson Valleymore |
11/24/2023 - River Rat Likes this wine: NRPop n pour. Nose and palate loaded with orchard fruits, some lemon cream on the mid-palate. Acidity cut through the Apricot/Brie en Croûte we paired it with. Very enjoyable. |
| White - Sparkling |
2018 Tellier Champagne Les ConardinsPinot Meunier more |
11/24/2023 - River Rat Likes this wine: NRFirst look at this producer. Fruit coming from all angles here. Tropical on the nose, citrus on the finish, but with enough acidity and minerality to balance it out. Was received well by the guests. Glad to have a couple more as well as some other iterations. Good value. |
| Red |
2020 Turley Zinfandel EstateNapa Valley more |
11/24/2023 - River Rat Likes this wine: NRWell lookie here, another 2020 Napa Valley red with no smoke taint. St Helena no less. Brambly red fruit and spice. Wonderful texture, medium bodied, lingering spice on the finish. Great pairing with Thanksgiving fare. |
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- Tasting notes: 887 notes on 757 wines
