5/5/2024 - GlassJe wrote:

Felt a bit past it’s prime. Should have drank it sooner.

5/5/2024 - Mazy wrote:

Je suis très sensible aux bretts, et malheureusement plusieurs vins du domaine m’ont révélé cet arôme qui me rebute…

5/4/2024 - comlaw Likes this wine:

Decanted 30 minutes. Red fruit, especially cherry. Moderate acid, very smooth. Excellent QPR.

5/5/2024 - Vinnut Likes this wine:

Deep, dark garnet in color with no signs of aging. Full, fragrant & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & blueberries with overtones of kirsch, garrigue & floral notes, Provençal herbs, earthy/dusty, spice notes, some sandalwood, licorice, leather, minerals, pepper & a hint of cedar. Medium-full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of sweet cherries, tart cranberries & dark plums with herbs, exotic spices, anise, pepper, mint, minerals & oak/vanilla. Long lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & extended airing & even at 18years of age, it should develop slightly further with additional aging.

5/5/2024 - bin905 Likes this wine:

Super smooth, refined and elegant.

5/5/2024 - lv2tri wrote:

Consistent with Behrens style … lovely nose, pleasant dark fruit, medium finish, structure felt like it was starting to give ever so slightly … we have one more and will be drinking sooner rather than later.

5/5/2024 - TexasBob Does not like this wine:

Slightly cloudy deep ruby. Sweet condensed berry juice with a medicinal edge. Deep artificial sweetness with artificial berry notes as with a medicinal herb edge. Gross.

12/18/2021 - fred o. Likes this wine:

Light golden color.
Nose lime and some minerals.
Palate reserved at first, with time some golden fruit, dry but a rich fruitiness, a grapey essence, good with lobster and fatty pork.

6/20/2023 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine:

Retail $40. Heavy bottle. Agglomerated stopper. Last year was the first vintage of this wine and I tasted it twice; I loved it both times. A. Lot. So I was *really* excited when Kerry MacPhail (the "mysterious" half of the Tongue Dancer team) sent me this 2021. I popped it with my lovely wife as she watched the final episode of Ted Lasso (I had already seen it but I was trying to play the role of dutiful husband, natch). Well, the episode was better than the wine. Not by much, mind you, but while the show was pulling at the heart strings and even a bit maudlin at the end, the wine was, well, boisterous and aggressive. So I put its cork back in it. Day Two? Holy mother of football. All that aggression had abated and what was left was Total Pinot (I was going to say "Total Wine" but for obvious reasons...). I understand that all reading this might not be Ted Lasso fans, so let me sum it up to you thusly: dark, even peppery fruit, with anise, basil, and even some cardamom on the nose (Day 2). The plate is fruity, yes, but also harmonious, with each element excelling then demurring to the others. Look, I know I am waxing a bit about this wine but do yourself a favor: decant while watching one episode of your favorite binge-worthy show. Drink during the second. Thank me during the third. Cheers.

www.thedrunkencyclist.com

11/22/2022 - The Drunken Cyclist wrote:

Retail $40. Under cork. Heavy bottle. From what I understand, this was a bit of a last minute thing with some left over juice from other bottlings that Kerry MacPhail urged her husband James to blend together into something fabulous. Goal achieved. Whoa. I first tasted this a couple weeks ago for the Fifth Annual Blind Tasting of American Pinot Noir and I loved it then. A. Lot. Yes, there is a ton of fruit here. A. Ton. (I guess that is why they thought they needed such a heavy bottle?) But there is also earth, tartness, and balance, all in spades. This is much bigger than my preferred style of Pinot, but holy mother of god, this is good.

www.thedrunkencyclist.com

5/5/2024 - RPerro Likes this wine:

P&P for the Miami Grand Prix. Solid! Lots of cassis and black cherry, with hints of oaky vanilla, espresso and dark chocolate. Really nice wine, in a great place right now. Drink now - 2030.

12/18/2021 - fred o. Likes this wine:

Light golden rose color.
Nose moderate-intensity red fruits.
Palate moderate red fruit and minerals. Some brioche richness balanced by nice acidity.

Overall very nice though not quite as refined yet as a NV Pierre Peters served alongside, but a strong showing all things considered.

5/5/2024 - Vinnut Likes this wine:

Dark ruby in color. Full, forward, & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, blackberries & plums with overtones of briary & earthy notes, spices, pepper, dried herbs & a hint of oak/vanilla in the background. Full bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced, & smooth textured, lush, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blackberries and plums with spices, herbs, Oak/vanilla. Lingering finish. Drinks quite well at present with decanting & extended airing but should develop further with additional aging. IMHO, I cannot see how this wine could possibly rate a mere "81" unless it was an off bottle.

5/4/2024 - ras2006 Likes this wine:

garnet color, ripe cherries and plum, drinking well over 2 days - perhaps a little more tannin 2nd day

5/5/2024 - RPerro wrote:

P&P to watch the Miami Grand Prix. Seemed a tad old, like too old, for its 11 years. More like a 25-30 year old Bordeaux with regards to aroma and flavor. Possibly not stored properly over its life (WineBid purchase), but not horrible at all. Lots of red and black fruit, slightly stewed, with vanilla and some oak. A decent drink that was mostly enjoyable, yet outshined by the 2015 Waters Cabernet. Drink now.

5/5/2024 - Chateau Hillpoint wrote:

Hint of citrus. Dry for Gris. Stood up to cheese and charcuterie. Easy drinking.

11/22/2022 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine:

Retail $40? Lovely nose: cherry marmalade, a bit of vanilla, hint of oak. Classic and delicious nose. Yowza. Great fruit, impeccable balance, zingy, deep, everything and more here. 96 points.

www.thedrunkencyclist.com

5/5/2024 - catchnrelease Likes this wine:

Very peppery, excellent cool climte shiraz, and the viognier gives a noticeable lift to the wine. Drinking very well now but has life left in it.

12/18/2021 - fred o. Likes this wine:

Disgorged 7/2020
Light slate golden with fine bubbles.
Nose some lemon and brioche.
Palate creamy lemony, a mineral note. Overall delicious and in a fine spot this early in its evolution

5/5/2024 - Dulcie and Aylwin wrote:

I opened this in honor of the chabliens and chabliennes whose lives were devastated by the recent horage. We entered their tasting room near the bridge as an excuse for Dulcie to use the rest room. We enjoyed some wine and bought a couple into the bargain. This has aged well: pleasant golden straw color, floral perfumed aroma, lovely mouthfeel, creamy, citrus, probably a bigger wine than I might expect, though oak is used here.

5/5/2024 - lake.vino Likes this wine:

So, I probably opened this well before I should have. That said... it's a remarkably great wine. Some professional reviewers have likened this to a cote Rotie. For me, its closest French analog is Cornas. It is much "bigger", riper, and more wild than Cote Rotie. But that does not mean bad in any way. It is complex, bold, decidedly speaking of quality Washington wine. And very syrah. Nose plum, blackberry, olive, grilled meat. Palate also ripe, but remarkably balanced - acid is there, if coated. Minerals there, though not like its old world counterparts. Intense fruit. Great structure. Tannins. Oak has integrated well. Not hot. Long, long finish. This is really serious New World syrah done right.

5/5/2024 - bbq_grandcru Likes this wine:

Very tightly wound out of 375ml. Needs major decanting. Initially very barnyard funky but this blew off. Ultimately after splash decanting for about 2 hours this became softer and more enjoyable.

12/17/2021 - fred o. Likes this wine:

5.3% abv.
Light amber color with light creamy head.
Nose malt with honeyed tone.
Palate honeyed malts with light hops, great balance, good with Taiwanese.

5/5/2024 - oldcabman Likes this wine:

Rich and elegant, sporting typical CA Syrah characteristics, but softened by age.
So good with grilled marinated beef!

1/1/2023 - StevieW Likes this wine:

Just found a note that I drank this from magnum some time in 2023. All I wrote was my rating, and that it displayed good fruit and notes of orange rind. :)

5/5/2024 - jonahfactor Likes this wine:

Brief decant. Almost black in the glass. What a bouquet! Like a mosh pit of black and blue fruits with light herbal notes to round things out. The palate and finish are a touch scratchy, reflecting that this is still a very young wine. As always with Andremily, this is a beautifully done, beautifully balanced wine. We’ll put the rest of these in the back of the cellar for a few more years. That said … Wow, what a wine. Drink 2025 to 2035. Outstanding.

5/5/2024 - PaulusLoZebra wrote:

Eight months since my last bottle, this (L1518) continues to impress for its balance and harmony. Consumed over three nights, it was equally good each night, but different. The wine is in a gentle decline. Drink to 2027? Outstanding QPR.

5/5/2024 - khmark7 wrote:

Better than my 1st bottle. Easy drinking red that feels more basic than it should. Almost too polished and avoidant of any classic Cabernet character. Unsure if this will develop any further.

5/5/2024 - bbq_grandcru Likes this wine:

Light to medium body. 2 hour splash decant and it wasn’t enough. Still tightly wound. Nice fruit potential and balance if the tannins can mellow; fruit seems to want to be more expressive but needs major air that I didn’t give it.

12/16/2021 - fred o. Likes this wine:

Larner, Thompson, Camp 4, and El Camino Real vineyards. Santa Barbara County.
Aged 34 months in older French oak. 8 barrels produced.
14.3% abv.

violet color with burgundy tinge.
Nose herbal, some garrigue, hints of red fruit.
Palate initially a bit closed, opens up with time.
Black cherry with an earthy forest floor note.

Very drinkable appellation-level mourvedre, I think this could go a few more years at least

5/5/2024 - denniswdern@gmail.com Likes this wine:

Medium ruby color. Beginning to fade around the edge of the glass. Pronounced aromas of black cherry, plum, smoke and leather. Medium acidity, soft tannins, medium alcohol. Pronounced aromas of those black cherries, plum, and that seductive smoke and leather. Long finish. LOVE this wine!

5/5/2024 - TexasBob Does not like this wine:

Glowing cloudy plum red color. Really energetic nose of pomegranate and hints of black earth. Lots of volatile acidity; very light, sour wine, in which you can taste red berries and volcanic mineralogy. Not to my liking.

5/5/2024 - Scottwhipp Likes this wine:

Nose and taste of wild mountain blackberry-raspberry, mountain flowers, white pepper and granite. Moderate fine grained tannins with a just a little bite of bitterness on the finish. Fairly powerful Merlot which is what I expect from high elevation Howell Mountain fruit. Beautiful wine. Drinking very nice now, but clearly has several years of life left.

5/5/2024 - seggert wrote:

Elizabeth loves this wine.
Drank May 3 2024

12/12/2021 - fred o. Likes this wine:

Diam5.
Pink color with orange tinge.
Nose some wax, some floral fruit.
Palate some richness to the cherry fruit, some orange brightness, a mineral note towards the finish. Some watermelon notes at times.

Very nice with chicken mole enchiladas; fruity and easy to drink.

5/5/2024 - cpdwines Likes this wine:

Way past prime...likely tossing.

5/5/2024 - FierceRedPanda Likes this wine:

As always, a bit of a velvet hammer. I’ve said it before for other vintages, but Celler Cal Pla pretty much always hits 15% on this, so if that’s not your thing, you’re not going to like this wine. But just because the ABV is a trifle high (Grenache can do that, after all), don’t go thinking this is a big, dumb, jammy brute of a wine. It most assuredly is not. You’ve just got to come prepared, that’s all.

The nose does that slightly-oxidized red fruit (tomatoes, even) thing that is pretty solidly distinctive for Spanish reds. As ever, Porrera is the lushest of Priorats, and the nose here suggests that. The palate is still packed with that schisty, earthy goodness, but there’s tons of peppered red raspberry and blackberry to go around. Finish is lingering with nice tannins.

Look, I’m a fan. In previous vintages, I’ve said that if you don’t like this, that’s a you problem, not a this wine problem, and that’s true again here. It may not be to everyone’s taste, but I think it’s a downright tasty example of Priorat at a very reasonable price. If people don’t like it, yay more for me? ;)

5/5/2024 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine:

Retail $45(?). Exceedingly Heavy Bottle (836g; 1lb 13.5oz). 60% Pinot Meunier, 40% Pinot Noir. We have now had several bottles from the case that I purchased from Spec's for around $27/bottle. Very happy with the purchase, should have bought more. Similar notes.

www.thedrunkencyclist.com

5/5/2024 - Raywilliams420 wrote:

I opened the bottle. Decanted for two to 3 hours. Then I poured back n bottle. Pumped the air out of the bottle. An stored in the fridge for 4 days. Drank on day 5. Better than my previous experience. Nose smells a bit more complex than previous bottle. Taste better also. But still not a winner. Especially for the price.

5/5/2024 - rwschmitt1 Likes this wine:

Absolutely delicious wine, dark cherry with a strong note of spice, tannins are subtle but dance in the mouth, smooth finish!

5/5/2024 - davidandrose Likes this wine:

I Coravin'd a healthy glass of this ~6weeks ago which I believe has accelerated aging compared to other notes on this vintage.

Has a pleasant weight across the palate but is a bit sweet (due to CV?) for my taste, particularly from syrah stems. When sampling out of a traditional Cab stem the sweetnesses dissipates somewhat and the finish is less hot and more broad across the palate.

I think it's time to replace the needle. Rating based on what I believe this wine is without Coravan's impact.

5/5/2024 - Graniwinkle Likes this wine:

Honey, lemon blossom, minerals, beeswax in finish. Very nice, complex.

5/5/2024 - Treldman Likes this wine:

Gooseberry, dragonfruit, lilacs, pears on the nose. Zippy acidity on the palate with pear juice, green apple, and a touch of citrus. Delicious, goes very well with baked fish.

12/9/2021 - fred o. Likes this wine:

Ruby color with some legs, some transparency.
Nose profuse, a bit of wildness. A fruity depth.
Palate a sappy fruity depth, black cherries with a brightness at the end.

Not the most complex but satisfying, a great weekday wine to have with pizza or simple tomato-sauced pasta.

5/5/2024 - TravH wrote:

Drinking very nice now

5/5/2024 - Macman77 wrote:

Red berries, lingonberries, crane berries, a touch of licorice and a spicy note in the nose
Strawberries, crane berries, fresh acidity, a touch of violet and wood in the finish

5/4/2024 - BRR wrote:

I think this is in a great spot right now and I don’t see it improving, though it’s in no immediate risk of going downhill. Lots of spicy raspberry and plum with olives underneath. This may have suffered from following an unbelievable 2014 Horsepower, but this wine was really awesome.

5/5/2024 - Silver Thunder wrote:

Decanted and let aerate for 30 min. Agree with previous tasting note. Not balanced at all would let it sit for 2 more years and try again. Lots of punchy tannins and acid before you get to the earthiness / truffle which is a trademark of this producer. Also a touch thin on the mouth feel it was light-medium bodied for me. Paired with filet mignon at Pastis.

5/5/2024 - mlawren1 wrote:

Deep thick fruit, strawberries, boysenberry and blueberries coat the mouth. Really nice wine.

5/5/2024 - wdlohr wrote:

solid red color, aroma of jam and spice, mellow taste of powder, long finish, balanced power