| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| Red |
NV Locations E-5Spain Red Blend more |
1/30/2018 - CMz Likes this wine: 90 pointsDeep ruby in the glass with a seductive nose of red fruit, flowers, spice and a touch of coffee mocha. On the palate this wine delivers a mouthful of darker berries than hinted at by the nose, a lot of sweet spices, floral notes and a touch of oak. The tannins are nicely integrated in a well structured blend giving a long lingering smooth finish. The blend is Garnacha (Priorat), Tempranillo (Rioja), and Carignan (Ribera del Duero) and delivers nicely on Phinney's exploration series of the world's more interesting wine regions. The Spanish E5 edition is well worth seeking out. |
| Red |
2010 Aubert Pinot Noir UV VineyardSonoma Coast more |
1/4/2018 - CMz Likes this wine: 94 pointsOpened with 90 minutes air in the bottle. Dark ruby in the glass with only the slightest hint of bricking. The nose was expressive and youthful - dark fruits - black cherry, plums, and a touch of spice (anise maybe). On the palate, this wine really showed! Dark cherry, dark plum, spicy herbs, anise and a nice mineral base that seemed more Santa Rita hills than Sonoma. Long smooth finish and wonderful notes across the full range of the palate. Overall, this wine is at it's peak, IMO. This is the 7th bottle from the case and while the notes are largely consistent, it is really showing well and I do not see any signs that it will improve from here. If you have it in the cellar, start enjoying your good fortune now. |
| Red |
2005 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir BotellaSta. Rita Hills more |
1/4/2018 - CMz Likes this wine: 90 pointsOpened and two hours air in bottle. Medium ruby with only a hint of bricking in the glass. A nice Pinot nose showing cherry, tea and spice and hints of flowers. Initial impressions were mostly reacting to the heat that obscured the fruit on first taste. It literally took almost an additional 2 hours before the heat dissipated and the wine really started to show. At this point, a lot of what made this a wonderful bottling emerged showing cherries, red berries, tea, and spicy/floral notes in a long finish. I would drink soon, and definitely give at least 3-4 hours air in a decanter to really enjoy this wine. |
| Red |
2014 Mas Amiel Côtes du Roussillon Villages OrigineGrenache Blend, Grenache more |
1/4/2018 - CMz Likes this wine: 92 pointsOpened with 4 hour decant and tasted over ensuing 2 hours. Dark ruby, almost purple in the glass. Lovely nose of dark fruits - dark berries really, mixed with anise & spice notes and a hint of the vineyard. On the palate it still shows young - but the longer decant revealed loads of dark fruit & berries, spice, chalky minerals, chocolate notes and a touch of anise lingering in a long lovey finish. Young, no question; but this will be a much better wine in about 2 years - or give it a long decant and enjoy now. [SnowBound 2017 event] |
| Red |
2012 Casanova di Neri Brunello di MontalcinoSangiovese more |
1/4/2018 - CMz Likes this wine: 94 pointsOpened with 4 hour decant plus 1 hour in the glass. Medium to darkish ruby in the glass. The nose is rich and generous - cherry, berries, leather, tobacco, and lovely spicy floral notes - all of which carries over to the palate revealing an exceptional Sangiovese full of cherries, berries, tobacco, with chocolate mocha & spice notes all wrapped in a nicely integrated, smooth mouthfeel and long lingering finish. Still young - another two years+ in the cellar will reward the patient. [SnowBound 2017 event] |
| Red |
2014 K Vintners Syrah The Hidden Northridge VineyardWahluke Slope more |
1/4/2018 - CMz Likes this wine: 97 pointsOpened with 5 hour decant via WineBreather. Deep purple in the glass; maybe very dark ruby with a ton of light. Dense visually and even with 5 hours decant and an hour opening in the glass this baby was dense from start to finish. Opening this anytime in the next 3-4 years is too early - tag it for opening in 2021 and you will be rewarded for your patience. The nose is huge after the decant (closed and monolithic when first opened - dk cherry dominant) showing dark cherry, black berries, plums, and an intriguing spicy note. On the palate - pretty much the same - dark cherries, dark berries, plums, leather/grilled meats, and the most interesting spice/floral notes with a mineral base lingering in a long powerful finish. It is just a Wow! Syrah; but to repeat: give it some quality time in the back cellar corner with your newer Ports. My initial score will most certainly rise with time - highly recommended - seek out and cellar! [2017 SnowBound event] |
| Red |
2014 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Campo de Borja VeratonGarnacha, Grenache more |
1/3/2018 - CMz Likes this wine: 92 pointsOpened with 4 hour decant. Medium ruby in the glass with lovely nose of dark cherry, blackberry and a touch of oak. In the mouth this Grenache was 100% Chris Ringland in your face beauty full of dark berries, vanilla, herbs and a hint of anise. The big fruit was nicely balanced with well integrated sweetish tannins that somehow remained crisp and smooth in spite of all that fruit. Lovely long finish. Not a wine for the ages (drink in the next 4-5 yrs) but not a wine to miss either if you love Grenache. maybe the best 100% |
| Red |
2014 Raymond Cabernet Sauvignon GenerationsNapa Valley more |
1/3/2018 - CMz Likes this wine: 96 pointsOpened with 5 hour decant through WineBreather. A dark, dark ruby in the glass with a big nose focused around blackberries, dark plum and hints of smoky blueberry compote. On the palate - a rich mouthful of those same black fruits - a lot of black fruits - but well integrated into a solid structure of smooth tannins. This beauty continued to open over the tasting showing layers of berries, smokey forest notes, spices and a touch of vanilla. Long mouth-coating finish. [2017 SnowBound event]. |
| Red |
2015 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-PapeRed Rhone Blend more |
1/3/2018 - CMz Likes this wine: 96 pointsOpened w 5 hour decant in WineBreather. Dark ruby to purple in the glass. Nose rich with dark berries and plums, hints of cherry and an almost minty spice note. Huge in the mouth showing tons of dark berries - purple raspberry, blueberry, blackberry - nicely integrated into a well structured wine that will age beautifully through several decades. The finish is long, smooth and full of spicy tea/coffee notes that hang on forever. Highly recommended. [2017 SnowBound event]. Addendum: looking back at other ct notes, it is almost like we were tasting another wine at SnowBound - it could be the long decant for the SnowBound wines - 5 hours through a WineBreather for ones we thought would need it. Delight and mid-90 scores consistent across 12 tasting that night. |
| Red |
2014 Duckhorn Vineyards Merlot Three Palms VineyardNapa Valley more |
1/1/2018 - CMz Likes this wine: 96 pointsOpened with a 5 hour decant. Purple with dark ruby edges in the glass. Big rich nose of plums, red berries, leather and a touch of smoke. On the palate this wine is simply amazing - plums, dark cherries, leather, and some smoky-spicy & mineral back notes that linger in a long smooth finish. While probably not my wine of the year, it is definitely one of the best wines i've enjoyed this year. It is build to age so seek it out and exercise some discipline if at all possible after the first bottle... [2017 SnowBound event] |
| Red |
2014 K Vintners Ovide Jack's VineyardWalla Walla Valley Red Blend more |
1/1/2018 - CMz Likes this wine: 94 pointsFour hour decant before tasting. Dark ruby/purple in the glass. A lot of dark fruit, plums and olives on the nose which carry over into a well-integrated mouthful of plum, black fruits, olives and herbs with hints of peppers & chocolate. Wow! By the 6th hour this wine was singing - so well structured and delivers a wonderful lingering finish. Highly recommended; but remember this is young and will definitely benefit from 4-5 yrs cellar time. [2017 Snowbound Event] |
| White |
2015 Gary Farrell Chardonnay Russian River SelectionRussian River Valley more |
1/1/2018 - CMz Likes this wine: 86 pointsOpened with 60 minutes air in the bottle. Light honey-gold in the glass and a nose of buttery oak & green apples. Another hour+ in the glass revealed green apples, citrus, stone fruits and light spice beyond the initial hit on the open of buttery oak & citrus. Crisp acidity and reasonable balance overall with enough air. There are much better Chards out there, I would recommend a pass on this or a single bottle to trial first if you are a Gary Farrell fan. One caveat- this wine is young, young, young - and it was against a very polished 2014 WA Chard from Charles Smith that was smokn' good... I will revisit this in a few years & knowing Farrell, I expect it will show some real improvement. 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1) |
| White |
2014 SIXTO Chardonnay UncoveredWashington more |
1/1/2018 - CMz Likes this wine: 93 pointsOpened w 60 min air in bottle. Light gold in the glass with lovely nose of flowers, apples, vanilla and touch of citrus. On the palate - vanilla, apples, white flowers, grapefruit/lemon and nice lite minerality with hints of spice. Moderate oak, decent acidity and smooth integrated tannins - silky mouthfeel was surprising and overall very well balanced presentation. I loved this and I normally only drink unoaked Chards and a few select produces who have a lighter touch. Guess I can love a little oaky butter after all ;) so long as it is not overdone. Great price from Costco makes this a multi-bottle purchase - recommended! One last comment - i initially rated this 92 but adjusted up after revisiting about 2 hours into the tasting when it had really come together in the glass... age this one a bit is the message... |
| Red |
1997 Antinori TignanelloToscana IGT SuperTuscan Blend more |
12/25/2017 - CMz Likes this wine: 95 pointsUnbelievable. Beautiful dark ruby without a hint of bricking. The cork was perfect, only half infused; bottle from a case purchased on release and stored at 55f it's entire life. The nose is rich with cherry, plum, hints of cedar/delicate earth and a touch of leather. On the palate - Wow! Cherry, plum, leather, fantastic spice notes, and that touch of forest floor earthiness. Very decent acidity and smooth as silk with beautifully integrated tannins - this wine was amazing out of the gate and continued to open over the first hour. This bottle was peaking - nothing "old" about this bottle - I am drinking my 750's and holding the mags. Easily the best Tig I can ever recall tasting and I rarely miss a vintage. |
| Red |
2014 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Campo de Borja VeratonGarnacha, Grenache more |
12/18/2017 - CMz Likes this wine: 92 pointsThis is a very nice Garnacha; especially for the Costco bottle price. Dark ruby, medium purple in the glass with defined legs. A seductive nose of cherry & red berries with spicy notes and a hint of flowers. On the palate a tad hot underscoring the 15.5% alcohol, but settles down with about 60 min air - and will definitely mellow with a little age. Generous with the vanilla cherries, raspberries, chocolate, spice and a hint of anise. Nice long lingering finish with just the right acidity and beautifully integrated tannins - really nicely balanced wine and one of the better Garnachas I have tasted this year - everything i love in this grape! I would have scored higher but this beauty is still youthful and showing just a touch of overripe, almost jam-like expressiveness that should mellow nicely with age - expect to score it higher in a year or so... buying enough tomorrow to make sure i can continue the tasting out a tad just to see..... |
| Red |
2009 Force Majeure Collaboration Series I Ciel du Cheval VineyardRed Mountain Red Bordeaux Blend more |
12/18/2017 - CMz Likes this wine: 90 pointsThere is a lot of promise in this bottle; but just too early to open. If you own this, hold it for another 4+ years and you will likely be rewarded with a real beauty. Today - still tight and restrained - BUT - showing huge promise. A big expansive nose of dark berries & black cherry with an array of complex supporting notes - mostly spice, anise, chocolate after 2 hr decant. Pretty much the same on the palate - again black fruit, spice and chocolate supported with well integrated tannins and a long finish. Just flat-out too young today - way too young. Let this one sit for another 5+ years and then bring on the steak! Today 90 pts; tomorrow - hard to give a number, but i guarantee it will be gaining points with each passing year. Very happy to own a few more. |
| Red |
2004 Adelina ShirazClare Valley more |
12/18/2017 - CMz Likes this wine: 90 pointsThis Shiraz somehow buried itself in the back of my offsite storage so just now opening a bottle. Classic dark purple in the glass and with 60 minutes of rest in the decanter it delivered a rich nose of dark fruit, pepper & spice, and a herbaceous back-note. On the palate - classic Clare Valley plums & prunes with lovely smoke & spice and a intriguing mineral note that is hard to describe. This is a big wine but nicely integrated and delivering a long Shiraz finish. Bring on the beef! Drink & enjoy now and over the next 2 years if you have it. |
| Red |
2014 K Vintners The BoyWashington Grenache more |
12/18/2017 - CMz Does not like this wine: 88 pointsThe 2014 The Boy Grenache Syrah blend was the first disappointing entry in an otherwise stellar series of the new 2014 releases. A light ruby in the glass that portends the emerging overall perception of thinness and lack of substance on the palate. The nose is a lovely Grenache varietal montage of red berries, smokey Prime Rib, leather and flowery notes that continue into a light but distinct mix of berries and smokey meats on the palate. The wine seems almost too light to support the sense of high alcohol and acidity which disrupts any finesse to this bottle. The finish is smooth and lingers - perhaps the only part of this wine i actually enjoyed - unfortunately delivering only on the finish is not enough to swing my score into the 90's - it's just not there now. Perhaps with some age in the cellar this one will come into it's own. If you already own it, lay it down; otherwise move on to some of the other stunning K 2014 releases. 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1) |
| Red |
2007 Ross Andrew Winery Syrah Boushey VineyardYakima Valley more |
12/6/2017 - CMz Likes this wine: 92 pointsThis wine is drinking surprisingly well for its age - most thought it over the curve in '12-'13 but the obit was premature. Dark ruby, almost purple with only the slightest bricking on the edge. Nose of dark fruit - blackberry mostly - with pepper & spice - and a wonderful smokey grilled meat note all of which carry over into the mouth. Nice minerality with all that black fruit and savory smoked tenderloin - maybe a bit of red plum - but sooooooo smooth with tannins sitting nicely under a still rich fruit expression. I am so surprised - this was so good i am checking my friends lists to see who still has it.. long finish, silky smooth - wait, i said that already! |
| Red |
2003 McCarthy & Schiering Cabernet SauvignonColumbia Valley more |
12/4/2017 - CMz Likes this wine: 90 pointsThis is my first revisit to the 2003 vintage Cab and surprisingly far better than expected. Dark ruby in the glass with distinct bricking on the rim. Bouquet of dark berries, flowers, spice with hints of chocolate; far less complex aromatics than the last time I opened this over a decade ago but quite lovely. Once you sip, this becomes quite interesting - velvety smooth with perfectly integrated tannins that leave a glycerin coating long after the taste. Predominantly blue fruit with distinct vanilla tones; spice and currants, hints of smoke and chocolate - all of which persist in a long, long finish. Silky smooth and quite pleasant despite having given up some of the early complexity it exhibited during the first 4-5 years. This wine is far from done even though seemingly past its prime. Time to Coravin a 2003 QC just to check in.... |
| Red |
2003 Mas Doix Priorat SalanquesGrenache Blend, Grenache more |
11/24/2017 - CMz Likes this wine: 92 pointsThis wine always surprises. The second wine of Mas Doix from families who have been making wine in Priorat since the mid-1800's; this is always a treat. 2003 is right on point showing a nose of black cherry and dark berries with a funny hint of tobacco all sitting comfortably in the glass with a medium ruby/very slight bricking - it is definitely lighter in color and far better integrated than my last tasting. This is a fully mature Priorat; i do not think it will get better - only slowly fade away the fruit over the next 5 years. If you have it, drink it now. It is still a wonderfully expressive, nicely integrated Garnacha/Carinena blend beautifully expressing old-vine black cherry/blackberry flavors that linger. |
| Red |
2007 Aubert Pinot Noir UV VineyardSonoma Coast more |
11/24/2017 - CMz Likes this wine: 94 pointsThis Pinot has matured beautifully and is worth searching out if you like big complex PN's. Deep purple with light bricking in the glass. Cherry, plum and berries on the nose, slight floral notes linger. On the palate - smooth well-integrated tannins establish a firm background to loads of cherry and plum with a interesting light sweetness in the finish. Less spice notes than in earlier bottles, less earthiness - almost none really. Just fruit and flavor which does not over power it's graceful structure for a Pinot that is this old (acting young) and big in presence. |
| Red |
2003 Concha y Toro Cabernet Sauvignon Don MelchorPuente Alto more |
11/18/2017 - CMz Likes this wine: 90 pointsDark ruby with a bouquet that while initially tight opened over an hour to reveal cherry and berry notes with a hint of tobacco. The dark cherry repeats on the tongue - easily the dominate note; but combined with berries, smoke and an interesting woody element that was some combination of oak and cedar. This bottle was fully mature and while it may still evolve and perhaps improve over the next 4-5 years I am going to give my remaining bottle 2 hours of decant and consume this year. Overall - paired nicely with grilled meat; but not memorable. |
| Red |
1997 Foradori GranatoVigneti delle Dolomiti IGT Teroldego more |
11/10/2017 - CMz Likes this wine: 92 pointsDeep purple color with no signs of age in the glass. The nose was rich with dark fruit, plums and dried prunes/raisins especially; with a touch of mint. Very well integrated tannins, moderate acidity and a silky smooth mouth-feel with a long dark fruit finish that revealed tar, mint and spices. This wine is still beautiful and not showing any sign of falling off - mature, yes; but definitely still has a window of excellence ahead for bottles properly stored. |
| Red |
2006 Ross Andrew Winery Syrah Cabernet SauvignonColumbia Valley Red Blend more |
11/7/2017 - CMz Likes this wine: NRThis Cab/Syrah blend has really flowered into a wonderful wine. Dark fruit - mostly cherry/blackberry - well integrated tannins that have finally softened nicely to give definition. A touch of spice and a little minerality on the finish. This wine has really matured nicely and my scoring jumps from 88 points in 2011 to a solid 90 points today. I would almost edge it up but for a constrained nose and [only in contrast to another wine I am tasting in parallel] somewhat limited breadth. Not a negative btw; by itself - maybe a point more. Nice medium ruby with a tad of bricking on the edge. This wine is not done evolving but have to feel it is peaking 2016/18 in 750ml. |
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- Tasting notes: 190 notes on 163 wines
