| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| Red |
2021 Cortello Cabernet SauvignonStags Leap District more |
4/25/2024 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 94 pointsHuge wine, with impressive alcohol, tannins, and acid. Not much fruit, but a long and impressive fresh finish. |
| Red |
2017 Viña Cerrada Rioja Gran ReservaTempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more |
4/19/2024 - Brianknance wrote: 94 pointsLots of pepper upfront, and may be a little vanilla with a long and very austere finish. Lovely Rioja! |
| Red |
2005 Château Gruaud LaroseSt. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend more |
3/27/2024 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 93 pointsThis is what I imagine it would’ve been like to drink a decent Bordeaux 2 to 3 decades ago. The tannins have moderated, and the alcohol, 13%, seems slight by modern standards. Well balanced with some jammy fruit, blackberry, and a hint of cherry upfront, over the substructure of tobacco and old leather. A reasonable density of flavor, with a little funk. Not a long finish, but the overall effect is so astoundingly charming that it’s worth it. I gave this a 93 because it does not overwhelm the palate as other recent vintages do, but I rate it higher than that for people who love old-school Bordeaux. |
| Red |
2016 Libero Brunello di MontalcinoSangiovese more |
3/13/2024 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 93 pointsCherry, vanilla, and anise on the front end. Fairly acidic and strong tannins. Drinking well now, but will be better in 2025. |
| Red |
2015 La Dame de MontroseSt. Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend more |
3/8/2024 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 93 pointsWhat a treat! Struck the palate as pleasantly austere and acidic, with Cassis and eucalyptus on a tobacco and leather substructure. Not the longest finish around, but the astounding thing is the sort of minerally underpinnings, as if someone had ground up stones and sprinkled them in the bottle. It’s as if the winemaker said “let’s see if we can make an interesting wine with absolutely no fruit.” And they did. |
| Red |
2018 Virginie de ValandraudSt. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more |
2/28/2024 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 93 pointsHold until 2025. Will be good. Not much fruit now, but there is a long, fresh finish evident after an hour. |
| Red |
2017 Cascina Luisin Barbaresco RabajàNebbiolo more |
2/25/2024 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 93 pointsCherry upfront, and then tobacco, vanilla, anise, and leather in the middle. For a Barbaresco of this age, fairly light with mild tannins. Lovely light brown color. Will probably age well for 3 to 5 years. |
| Red |
2015 La Serena Brunello di Montalcino Riserva GeminiSangiovese more |
2/19/2024 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 94 pointsWhat a treat! Earthy tones upfront, and then a lovely shot of cherry and some iron filings. The finish is a little austere, with big tannins and 15% alcohol. This will continue to drink well for many years. |
| Red |
2018 Gemma BarbarescoNebbiolo more |
2/17/2024 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 94 pointsExcellent Barbaresco. Thought it might be a little early, so I let it breathe for a good 30 minutes and then sipped over a two hour period. An almost effervescent finish of anise, eucalyptus, minerals and iron filings. Reasonable tannins and fairly strong acidity. Very little fruit, but the rich, long fresh finish makes up for it. |
| Red |
2016 Petroni Cabernet SauvignonMoon Mountain District more |
2/14/2024 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 95 pointsAn extraordinary Sonoma cab. Very dense flavors from the beginning, but little fruit. Instead, an extremely fresh and long finish with tobacco leaves and cedar, anise and eucalyptus. Good to drink now, but tannins are warm enough to age for several years. |
| Red |
2016 La Fortuna Brunello di MontalcinoSangiovese more |
2/9/2024 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 94 pointsGreat Brunello. A Rich and beautiful taste of cherry from beginning to end, with a dry and austere note of anise on the long finish, which comes with fairly high acidity. Huge tannins, 15.5% alcohol. Lots of sediment. |
| Red |
2015 La Granja Nuestra Señora de Remelluri Rioja ReservaTempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more |
2/8/2024 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 94 pointsFantastic Rioja. High acidity, and an alcohol level of 14.5%. Intense anise, eucalyptus, and menthol flavor on the long finish- brisk and punchy rather than broad. |
| Red |
2016 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon Single Vineyard Alexander's Crown VineyardAlexander Valley more |
1/29/2024 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 94 pointsThis is drinking very well now. Surprisingly, there’s not a lot of fruit upfront, but a overwhelming and long lasting finish of cedar, wood shavings, vanilla, anise and the like. |
| Red |
2021 Bodegas Agronavarra Navarra Agramont Gracianomore |
1/26/2024 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 93 pointsWell, I do love a bargain. Got this for a little more than the cost of a hamburger. Decanter gave it a 97. Now I see how Graciano has its serious devotees. Lots of pepper on the finish, and something in the middle that I think is anise and/or tobacco. The acidity is fairly high, but not as much as I would expect from what I’ve read about Graciano. A reasonably long finish, and, amazingly for a wine at this price point, there is nothing offensive or unpleasant in this wine at all. Enough acidity to cut through fatty meats. Would be great with lamb or pork. |
| Red |
2015 Spence Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountainmore |
10/27/2023 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 95 pointsSubtle yet extraordinarily rich on the palate, with cherry, rasberry, and a little vanilla blending gradually to a finish of Tobacco, Cedar, Anise, Caramel, and some Mineral and earthy notes. |
| Red |
2017 Andrew Will BTG 'Right Bank Red' Two Blondes VineyardColumbia Valley Red Blend more |
10/22/2023 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 91 pointsLittle fruit, and the spiciness of the cab Franc really shines through. Long Rich finish with savory notes. |
| Red |
2017 Big Basin Vineyards Altitude 2292 Coastview VineyardMonterey County Red Bordeaux Blend more |
10/21/2023 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 91 pointsWhen first poured, a good deal of jammy, prune fruit before a finish of eucalyptus and anise stepped in. As the wine warmed up, the fruit dissipated, but the finish became even more impressive. |
| Red |
2014 Cobblestone Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon ReserveAtlas Peak more |
10/15/2023 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 94 pointsDidn’t know what to expect from a nine-year-old small-batch California Cab bought for a song from Last Bottle. Pleasantly surprised to find a richly dark purple wine, with solid tannins and notable acidity. Descanted for 30 minutes, then drank slowly with a sausage dog from a street fair (another story). This wine is impressive from the very beginning, and throws rich cherry, a touch of anise, and a strong dose of eucalyptus at you. The anise and eucalyptus stick around for a long and satisfyingly finish. Maybe the nine years of age help a lot here, but for the money this cab is hard to beat. As it mellows with time, it seems less like an in-your-face Cali cab and more like a fragrantly charming Bordeaux blend. |
| Red |
2016 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon BrothersAlexander Valley more |
10/8/2023 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 95 pointsA rich, dark, purpleish color. It’s a big wine, 15% alcohol and strong but pleasantly warm tannins. Lots of fresh eucalyptus taste from the very beginning, with some dark fruit, and then cherry comes through. All this over a kind of jammy fruit substrate. This is a huge wine with a very rich mouth feel and a finish that goes on and on. Of the three Rodney Strong single Vineyards, this is my favorite, although the Alexander Valley is a little bit more accessible early on. |
| Red |
2019 32 Winds Pinot NoirSonoma Coast more |
10/6/2023 - Brianknance Does not like this wine: NRThough I had a pretty good bottle of this before, this bottle tasted strongly of pickle juice. |
| Red |
2010 Château CanonSt. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more |
9/23/2023 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 93 pointsA little bit of dark fruit up front with some jammy taste in the middle. The finish was savory with a lot of earth and light spices that overshadowed the eucalyptus. |
| Red |
2015 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou La Croix Ducru-BeaucaillouSt. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend more |
9/14/2023 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 93 pointsWarm tannins, with a base of jammy black and red fruit, but from beginning to end, there is a fresh, clean taste of Cassis and iron. Great value. Will probably age a few more years, but why wait? |
| Red |
2018 Rowen Wine Red BlendSonoma County more |
8/3/2023 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 93 pointsAll finish, no fruit. Substantial tannins, full mouth feel, good alcohol, and only a small bit of cherry that tries to peek through on the beginning. This one has a long and pleasant finish, very fresh, eucalyptus, and maybe even a little cedar. |
| Red |
2018 Beaulieu Vineyard Tapestry ReserveNapa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more |
7/23/2023 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 93 pointsNot much fruit upfront, but a little bit of cherry, which is quickly overwhelmed by a long and rich eucalyptus finish. |
| Red |
2019 Raymond Cabernet SauvignonCalifornia more |
7/23/2023 - Brianknance Likes this wine: 93 pointsNot a lot of fruit upfront, but some cherry and other red fruit. The long finish with eucalyptus and maybe a little anise kicks in quickly. |
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- Tasting notes: 30 notes on 30 wines
