| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| White |
2005 Beringer Vineyards Chardonnay Private ReserveNapa Valley more |
10/22/2008 - EarlofWarwick wrote: 89 pointsNo notes on this one. Great drinking Califronia-style chard. Fairly typical compared to past Beringer Reserves. Citrusy-notes with muted oak and butter. I don't remember it doing anything groundbreaking, but it was very nice, and a relative bargain. |
| Red |
2006 Martinelli Zinfandel Giuseppe & LuisaRussian River Valley more |
12/21/2008 - EarlofWarwick wrote: 91 pointsEnormous wine. There's a lot of power, fruit, and alcohol in this one. Deep, deep ruby reds. The nose is really fruit-forward with a strawberry, blackberry mix. A little hot on the mouth with even more fruit. I liked this wine and it stacked up nicely against some Vermont grass-fed beef. Finish might be a bit short, but otherwise, if you can take the pop in the mouth, I'd go ahead and get this one. |
| Red |
2006 Mollydooker Shiraz Blue Eyed BoySouth Australia more |
9/21/2008 - EarlofWarwick wrote: 87 pointsTo be honest, I really was underwhelmed by this wine. I love Mollydooker and the big fruit they bring, but this was simply ok. A bit of a hot nose on this, and a hot mouthfeel. Leathery, black cherry overtones. I got a bit of a three alarm fire on this one. It's finish was decent, but no good at this pricepoint. I'm of the opinion that this wine may be stuck in no-man's land from a price perspective. Not good enough to compete with the upper echelons and too expensive to compete with those value wines offering largely the same experience. |
| White |
2006 TOR Chardonnay Cuvée MollyCarneros more |
12/9/2008 - EarlofWarwick wrote: 94 pointsOpened this while at Cochon in Philadelphia. Simply put: one of the best chardonnays I've had in several years. Perfect balance on this. The oak, the apples, and butter were all very well synthesized. I love California chardonnay and was still blown away by this. I would say it compares most favorably to some of Kistler's better years. Tor's a keeper. I just hope too many people don't discover this wine as it's already bloody expensive. |
| Red |
2003 Domaine Chante Cigale Châteauneuf-du-PapeRed Rhone Blend more |
6/27/2008 - EarlofWarwick wrote: 85 pointsDeep ruby/purple color to this one. Fresh cherries, a little dark chocolate, maybe just a little clay on the nose. Mouthfeel was decent, but I wasn't wowed by this one. The balance was a bit off to me, just a touch of burn on it. I didn't notice demonstrable improvement after a day. Meh. |
| White |
2006 Martinelli Sauvignon Blanc Tessa Lee Martinelli VineyardRussian River Valley more |
6/21/2008 - EarlofWarwick wrote: 87 pointsRefreshing, rather full-bodied Sauvignon. Feels almost Old World. Straw-colored. Nice, balanced acidity. I really appreciated the mouthfeel of this one. Fresh green apples, a little grassy. It wasn't overpowering and didn't try to do anything fancy. Very throwback in its composition--mostly in good ways. Paired very well with the oysters and crabs. I'd recommend it. Great drinking summer wine. |
| Red |
2005 Martinelli Syrah Terra FeliceRussian River Valley more |
6/18/2008 - EarlofWarwick wrote: 91 pointsReally nice effort from Martinelli. This Syrah has a really jammy, almost caramel popcorn nose to it. I even detected hints of butter on the nose. Dark purplish hue with great body. The mouth was dark cherries and blackberries. Decent finish. |
| White |
2006 DuMOL Chardonnay Russian River Valleymore |
6/2/2008 - EarlofWarwick wrote: 85 pointsFirst DuMol I've had, but the oak was over the top. Aggressive, deep yellows on this one. Nose is fresh apples, vanilla, and a hint of butter. The mouth tags you with oak. Really powerful oak. For me, it overpowered some of the more muted components of the wine. Very little butter on the mouth, that I could detect. After about an hour, the wine opens a bit and regulates the oak somewhat. Nevertheless, it wasn't awful, you just need to pair some substantial, flavorful food with it. At this pricepoint, I can think of stuff that retails for 50% less that tops it. Sounds like a miss from the DuMol adherents on this posting.... |
| Red |
2003 Turley Zinfandel Tofanelli VineyardNapa Valley more |
6/2/2008 - EarlofWarwick wrote: 89 points2nd bottle of Turley Tofanelli 2003. Viscous and dark. Really powerful, unmistakable tobacco notes on this one. It's a good wine, but didn't compare to many previous Turley's I've had. Relatively fruit forward, with a nice jammy mix of berries. Medium finish. Alcohol's a spot high and it shows a bit of imbalance. Tasted twice, consistent on both. |
| Red |
2003 Waypoint Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon VineyardOakville more |
6/2/2008 - EarlofWarwick wrote: 91 pointsImpressive purplish hue. Great nose with cherries, vegetables, tomato jam. Excellent mouth feel, with cherries and a bit of cassis. This is a really smooth Cab. It improved over the evening, especially after food pairing. Nice refined tannins. Lengthy finish. Great bargain. |
| Red |
2006 Torbreck (Cuvée) JuvenilesBarossa Valley Red Rhone Blend more |
5/27/2008 - EarlofWarwick wrote: 87 pointsNice, approachable red here. I really liked the mix of berries and pepperiness. Perhaps a bit too much tannins for some. Definitely finishes dry. Didn't detect much change in the wine over the 2 hours or so it was open. All in all, a good drink. Nice QPR too. Torbreck delivers up another winner. |
| White |
2005 Chasseur Chardonnay Durell VineyardSonoma Coast more |
5/27/2008 - EarlofWarwick wrote: 93 pointsOutstanding effort from small, Sonoma producer. This has a classic California Chard nose, opening with citrus and excellent butter overtones. Superb acidity, pronounced oak, but well balanced. After an hour or so, a distinct buttercream frosting/vanilla began to present. Long lingering finish. Sublime. |
| Red |
2004 Viña Cobos Cabernet Sauvignon Bramare Marchiori VineyardLujan de Cuyo more |
5/23/2008 - EarlofWarwick wrote: 92 pointsExpectations, expectations. I really did NOT expect to like this one. I have no idea why, given Hobbs' pedigree. Maybe the fact that it's a 2nd label. Nevertheless, what a surprise. Really nice PA bargain too. Nose was superb, excellent classic cab accents on this one. Crushed berries, bittersweet chocolate. Tannins were controlled, oak was present, but not overpowering. This wine lingered really nicely too. 2nd and 3rd days showed even more improvement. I wouldn't have minded sitting on this a bit longer. Go find it. |
| Red |
2006 Copain Syrah Harrison ClarkeSanta Ynez Valley more |
5/23/2008 - EarlofWarwick wrote: 87 pointsDeep purplish hue on this one. Decent soft nose. Cherries and some lingering vegetable accents. This is a passable Syrah. I first had it in Yountville where I remember it being excellent. This 2nd tasting was not quite as successful. A couple of notes: I thought this had a bit of a 2 alarm fire on the alcohol...a little too much burn. And, the finish faded rather quickly. If matched against big flavors, it could moderate some of the wine's flaws. Good drinking, brought back memories of French Laundry, but I suppose this was doomed to be a letdown. |
| Red |
2005 Caymus Cabernet SauvignonNapa Valley more |
5/14/2008 - EarlofWarwick wrote: 92 pointsDense, solid effort from Caymus. Opens with good full-bodied blackberries. Excellent transition on the mid-palate. I was surprised at the balance and the firm tannins, especially since it's so new. I suspect it's only getting better. One curious note: after about 90 minutes, it started presenting something really interesting: cornbread. No idea about that one, and it wasn't unwelcome. Strange tho. Added a nice fresh bready/sweetness to the wine. I'm curious whether anyone else has detected the same. Or was it a pilot error? Likely the latter. |
| White |
2005 Byron Chardonnay Santa Maria Valleymore |
5/10/2008 - EarlofWarwick wrote: 92 pointsJust opened the first of a case of the Byron. Deep yellows. Fresh apples, a bit of tropical fruit too. Mild Butter/Oak combination, with the oak coming through mildly, but refreshingly, on the finish. Definitely drinks like a Russian River/Durrell-type Chard. Perhaps a bit muted tho. And, for the price, are you kidding me??? |
| White - Sparkling |
1996 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut La Grande DameChampagne Blend more |
5/9/2008 - EarlofWarwick wrote: 87 pointsGreat yeastiness to this with green apple nose. Light straw color. I was surprised at the dryness, which was a bit over the top. Tried to soften with food, but to little avail. Pleasant, but a bit of a letdown... |
| Red |
2000 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon ReserveNapa Valley more |
5/9/2008 - EarlofWarwick wrote: 89 pointsNice purplish hue, good initial mouthfeel, medium-bodied, but short on finish. I tried two other cabs that cost less than half of the Mondavi while tasting this one. They both stood up nicely. This was nice, but not compared to what's available at far better prices. |
| Red |
1997 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private ReserveNapa Valley more |
4/23/2008 - EarlofWarwick wrote: 86 pointsSolid nose, with rich, berry accents. Excellent, deep ruby color. The mouthfeel was pretty weak though. I expected a bit more full-bodied taste to this one. Instead, what I found was a perfectly quaffable Cab with very little finish. It left me wanting. I wonder if I held it too long. I'm left with: Meh. |
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- Tasting notes: 19 notes on 19 wines
