4/17/2024 - Buff Tannen, USXFel Presidente wrote:

Pretty sure braai was invented in 1925 to cover up the awful taste of pinotage, which I'd wisely avoided the past 10 years or so, but was unfortunately phished into purchasing by a $10 pricetag on a 9 year old rouge. The introductory scorched earth of creeping Charlie and thin, clinical pepper of monarda fistulosa have kindly receded on day 2, leaving chocolate, currants, hibiscus, rotting strawberry, and now mercifully discreet quantities of the standard pinotage elements we all know and loathe, but someday may forget when once again gifted the 'opportunity' to purchase this baby that should never have been born, though hopefully I'll have died before then
I feel like this grape was hybridised to fulfill the prophecy of a brochure: respectable, semi-military font
S O U T H A F R I C A
then zesty, lavender, sw-> ne font
Naturally Synthetic

The billowy texture admittedly glides to a stop like the world's most relaxed motorist

Petit verdot, counoise, mazuelo, graciano, any of a billion Portuguese varieties, if South Africa really needs an Argentine or Uruguayan gimmick, any of these would probably be a better choice than this 99 year dead end

TLDR:

4/2/2024 - thesternowl wrote:

“Four” is a single-vintage blend of the most exciting barrels of Chardonnay from Liquid Farm’s vineyards. Popped and poured; enjoyed with friends over the course of an hour or so. The 2017 pours a striking, intensely bright golden color. I’m not sure I have seen anything quite like it before. It’s nearly neon. On the nose, the wine is redolent ripe and tart tropical fruits: starfruit and pineapple along with lemons, green apple, butter, gentle baking spices (this does see extended time in a small percentage of new oak). On the palate, the wine is dry with what I perceive to be high acid. It’s awesome. Confirming the notes form the nose, the finish is long with good minerality. This is titillating wine that hooks you from sight to nose to palate and it’s the latter that drives it home with the remarkable acid to match the fruit. About as good as any New World Chardonnay I’ve ever had. Drink now through 2039.

4/18/2024 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

Nice white flower smell to it. And then softer green apple on the palate. Rather a little bit richness.

4/18/2024 - Evilhomer123 Likes this wine:

This was a really nice surprise. Not too jammy or sweet. Nice QPR

4/18/2024 - corkscrews Likes this wine:

A nose of dark fruits and spices, dark purple in color. A medium to full bodied red, with black cherry, cassis, berries, licorice and spices on finish, was very good. Drink now. www.winelx.com

2/3/2006 - Burgundy Al wrote:

Rockstar. Great when initially tasted (open/decant one hour), greater when finished several hours later.

4/14/2024 - CADomer Likes this wine:

This young bottle of Riesling took a little coaxing to open up, but once it had some air it really was something special. I had no doubt that this would be a wine to spend an evening with and it was enjoyed over about 4 hours. What Lukas is doing is nothing short of incredible. His wines are like nothing else and he is doing it in a place that you would never expect. Magic is happening in this little corner of the Pfalz.
Initially quite tight with haunting aromas of smoke and a palate that was like drinking liquid rock.
With air, this insanely pure wine really showed its class. The palate burst with juicy lip smacking apples with notes of lemon oil and shone like sunshine that was chiseled from pure stone.
Layers of nuance, wonderfully transparent, and so so delicious. Another wow wine to enjoy on the journey with the immensely talented Lukas Hammelmann.

4/18/2024 - Bud Break Likes this wine:

Tightly wound at first, day two showed cherry pie on the nose with more stewed red fruit flavors on the palate

4/18/2024 - THECORKDORK Likes this wine:

Tasty everyday Bordeaux Blanc

4/17/2024 - Robin & Emma wrote:

Pale orange, with a slightly rusty nose of browned melon and fermier calvados. The palette gives apricot and that same calvados note, finishing on a hint of overripe pear. Slightly lacking in acidity.

4/15/2024 - Robin & Emma Likes this wine:

Ripe blueberry fruit with a deep undertow of blackcurrant and smooth tannins, finishing on a hint of chocolate and cinnamon. Very smoothly balanced and polished without losing any identity.

4/17/2024 - moorewine3 Likes this wine:

Good with chicken adobo

4/18/2024 - moorewine3 Likes this wine:

good with chicken adobo

4/17/2024 - anderegg Likes this wine:

PnP about 15 minutes before dinner and sampled while cooking dinner.
Color is purple-red, fading through deep ruby red to a hint of orange at the edge.
A bit of wood initially that faded within a couple of minutes.
Aromas of dark cherry, black cherry and garrigue.
On the palate there are dark red fruits, black cherry, bright acid, a hint of tannin and a little bit of heat leaving a mouthwatering finish.
Drinking with and after dinner of baked salmon with herbs and bread crumbs, French, green lentils, Brie tarts with cherries, and a salad.
A deliciously small bottle.

4/18/2024 - KenK Likes this wine:

Good, but mature. Dark dusty black fruits, some good spice, Nice, but not epic.

2/15/2024 - Wine Of The Moment Likes this wine:

This is certainly one of the best estate Merlots Dan has crafted. Having been barrel aged for a whopping 52 months is a testament to his patience in wine making. If you want the ultimate tasting experience, besides tasting at the winery, let this baby breathe for a good 90 minutes and try a few sips while you wait. Clocking in at 14.0 abv, this Mason County fruit boasts some mighty fine bright cherries and plums along with a touch of nutmeg and a bit of cola. Swirl and sip then enjoy that rich red fruit followed by some beautiful Mason County earthiness. This wine is well balanced and is drinking nicely now. Pair this special bottle with your favorite dish and know how it feels to live well. Cheers!

4/18/2024 - PatrikH wrote:

Trevligt utevin när det grillas lättare grejer så passade fint till burgare tex. Ska drickas ugnt så frukten får jobba på vilket även känns med typiskt Cabernet Franc i både nosen och paletten.

4/13/2024 - Valaprop Likes this wine:

Exceptional. Enjoyed over dinner at an excellent restaurant (main dishes were pork in a red wine sauce and a strip steak). 30 years in, this wine is fully mature but at least this bottle still had lots of time left. This is a full-bodied wine, with gorgeous fruit, great structure, and a wonderful long finish. One of the best California reds I have had in quite some time. While this is unmistakably a California wine, it has complexity, structure and nuance -- it's not an OTT "fruit bomb". I have had many bottles of the 1999 Insignia over the years -- I thought this was even better and doesn't seem even close to decline.

4/18/2024 - mattyboy_ wrote:

Good weight, soft plush texture with a touch of minerality. Buttery, lemon cream, apple. There's some noticeable bruised apple so I'm inclined to drink my remaining bottles up this year.

3/26/2024 - DWStyle wrote:

Premoxed!

4/18/2024 - huse wrote:

Approachable, easy to drink but not overly complex Puglia wine (100 percent Primitivo) with a slight touch of residual sugar. Maturation: six months in oak barrels. Color: dark ruby-red with purple edges. Bouquet: nice aromatic nose with scents of ripe cherry fruit, stewed plums, sweet spices and also some notes of cedar wood. On the palate: a medium to full-bodied wine with juicy bramble and strawberry fruit, a smooth texture and really soft tannins. Finish: reasonable aftertaste. Drinking window: now–2026.

Toegankelijke, makkelijk drinkbare maar niet al te complexe Puglia-wijn (100 percent Primitivo) met een zweem van restsuiker. Rijping: zes maanden in eikenhouten vaten. Kleur: donker robijnrood met paarse schakeringen aan de rand van het glas. Bouquet: mooie aromatische neus van rijp kersenfruit, gestoofde pruimen, zachte kruiden en wat nuances van cederhout. In de mond: een vrij volle wijn met sappig bramen- en aardbeifruit, een zachte textuur en zeer milde tannines. Finale: redelijke afdronk. Te drinken: nu–2026.

4/18/2024 - ocwineo Likes this wine:

Nuanced robust wine. Pinot Noir evident from first sip. Wonderful wine and only available for purchase at the the winery.

4/7/2024 - DWStyle Likes this wine:

Still tight but enjoyable. Big and astringent to me. Needs extended decant to allow the wine to open, IMO. 4-6 hrs. 1 bottle left, hold for 4-5 years.

4/6/2024 - DWStyle Likes this wine:

First impression was not good; off aromas and flat, but with extended decanting (6-8 hrs +) really came alive and was quite delicious! Have some more bottles to experience, will provide better notes next time.

4/18/2024 - EnkiMinki wrote:

Acrobat Pinot Gris 2019: Like encountering a unicorn amidst the vines, its aroma beckons with the allure of ripe pear and citrus. On the palate, it unveils a mystical balance of crispness and refreshment, akin to sipping from a hidden spring. Versatile and enchanting, it pairs seamlessly with a myriad of dishes, transcending the ordinary into the extraordinary. Acrobat Pinot Gris 2019 is not just a wine; it’s a mythical journey, a testament to the magic found in every bottle.

4/18/2024 - Trazzle wrote:

Superb bottle for our first anniversary dinner. Huge coconut bomb when first opened, but after an hour of being open the blueberrries started come through and to coconut relaxed. Paired nicely with wagyu ribeye and after the raspberries had their say, the tannins got real grippy. Should have some good life left in it, wish I had more bottles.

4/18/2024 - J_Smallwood Likes this wine:

Honestly, probably best descriptors I can give for this wine are like a combo of Chablis and Meursault…sort of combines the textural opulence of your typical CdB with the steeliness and salinity of your typical Chablis style chards…liked this wine, and no doubt this style will hit with some, but I sort of like each separately rather than combined. Blind, there is no way I’d peg this as Chablis. Good but not great imo

4/18/2024 - orobono wrote:

On the nose, floral honey with a hint of brett. High acidity and short finish.

4/17/2024 - MarcPal wrote:

Good wine, a little less approachable than the 2019, needs air to open up. Strawberry, red fruit, short finish. Will be interesting to see if this improves with age.

4/18/2024 - Jshire Likes this wine:

Just as pleasant now at 17 years as it ever was. Deep golden color with peach,apricot, and candied apple still prominent.

4/18/2024 - orobono Likes this wine:

Golden color. Aroma of very ripe pineapple, apple, etc. Flavor is concentrated fruit and M+ acidity. A great Northern Loire Pouilly-Fumé chablis experience. Peak now. I'll buy it again when I get the chance.

4/18/2024 - StefanAkiko Likes this wine:

A happy surprise.
A very nice Tannat expression that's in touch with the times and our time's preference of instant gratification.
Beautiful deep: pipe tobacco, dark fruits and kiwi fruit. Tannins feel like a muffled Rothweiler on a leash, but still alarmingly close to you.

I love this!

However, I really think this wine is going to evolve nicely over the next 10-15 years.

Next btl in 2026

Btl 1/6

4/18/2024 - P_Hansen Likes this wine:

Light to medium bodied with some acidity, but also with some fruit to the taste. A perfect fit for my taste - especially to this price. It is definately ready to drink, but the colour and taste shows no sign of being “over the top”.

4/17/2024 - studleytrey wrote:

"...a few more years..."
*checks notes*
10 years ago...
Well, this bottle was drinking a little tired with some cooked/stewed fruits going on. With 3 more bottles to go, I will definitely pop another soon to confirm status.

4/18/2024 - jnewman77 wrote:

This was ok, not great, had some reduction that blew off fairly quickly, but had a bit of raspy drying tannins on the back. Maybe more obvious now as the fruit is fading a bit? Still enjoyable, but maybe showing some signs of the hail

4/18/2024 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

This bottle seemed a bit better than my prior; nose was fresher with lovely red fruits, still some earthy underbrush and forest floor notes developing, and some minerality. The palate remains tannic, but this bottle seemed better integrated and with food it was solid. A bit much for me on its own as the tannins definitely poked out.

4/18/2024 - D!n@sh Likes this wine:

I am a little bit on the fence on this one. A complex and very fruit friendly wine. Had the brioche notes that I like. But it felt like the wine lacked a bit of freshness and acidity.

4/18/2024 - D!n@sh wrote:

Decanted for an hour. Surprisingly drinkable. Not overtly oaky, as I had feared it might be.

A lot of sweet plums - almost too sweet for me. But over the next hour or so it mellowed out (or maybe my palette adjusted) and I would have rated it a point higher at 94

4/18/2024 - Dionysos55 Likes this wine:

Avec 10 mois supplémentaires de vieillissement par rapport à ma dernière dégustation,cette cuvée m'a plu encore davantage.C'est surtout le bouquet qui a gagné en intensité (toujours le duo cerise et poivre blanc) mais aussi le palais qui est encore plus suave.Bref ce gamay saint romain de Loire profite bien de son séjour en cave pour nous montrer qu'il peut tenir la dragée haute aux crus du Beaujolais plus réputés.Superbe quille !!!!

9/11/2023 - forceberry wrote:

100% organically farmed Pinot Noir from a vineyard planted in 1983. Harvested on 7th of September, 2018. Fermented spontaneously, aged in old oak barrels. Bottled unfined, unfiltered and with a sulfite addition of 7 mg/l on 11th of April, 2019. 12% alcohol and oH 3,55.

Somewhat translucent and a bit murky reddish color with a rusted iron hue. The nose feels perfumed with sweet-toned aromas of blackberries and blueberries, some primary lactic tones, a little bit of ripe red cherry, light floral notes of violets and more heady flowers, a fragrant hint of zesty Chinotto, a touch of cranberry juice and a primary whiff of raspberry jelly. The wine feels bright, juicy and quite twangy on the palate with a light-to-medium body and vibrant flavors of brambly raspberries and leathery funk, some saline and stony mineral notes, a little bit of lifted VA, light crunchy cranberry tones, floral hints of violets and sweet, aromatic herbs and a touch of ripe cherry. The structure relies mostly on the high acidity, although the supple, gently grippy tannins lend a bit of firmness to the mouthfeel. The finish is long, crunchy and slightly grippy with a vibrant, dry aftertaste of tart lingonberries, some blueberries, light fresh cranberry tones, a little bit of brambly raspberry, a rustic hint of bretty funk and a touch of floral lift.

A characterful, very balanced and enormously drinkable Jura Pinot with a very perfumed, floral overall character, exhibiting wonderful interplay between youthful fruit flavors and nuanced non-fruit flavors. Although it feels like the wine is so charming due to its very youthful, almost exuberant yet not excessive character, I have no doubts this wine will keep - maybe even evolve - just fine over medium term. Fun and delicious stuff, recommended.

4/18/2024 - Dionysos55 Likes this wine:

Absolument merveilleux !!!! Robe grenat à couper au couteau:on ne voit pas au travers.....Cet IGT (50% MER 30%CS 20% SANG) offre un bouquet magique d'intensité et de complexité: de la cerise noire,de la prune,café,cacao,réglisse,graphite s'entremêlent, virevoltent constamment dans un ballet ma foi étourdissant.Le palais dévoile un équilibre parfait entre acidité et alcool les tanins étant complètement fondus.Longueur impressionnante....Voilà la récompense d'avoir attendu presque 20 ans pour déguster cette bouteille.Un superbe toscan....

4/18/2024 - Mallards wrote:

Wine #19 in our weekly Washington Wine Wednesday series. 52% Grenache, 34% Mourvèdre(M) and 14% Syrah(S). Finally! A GSM that we would buy again. A 2 hour decant revealed a nose that was red fruit, leaning towards berries. First glass reminded of Oregon Pinot. Second glass started to show the characteristics of the blend, with both the M and the S weighing in to give more depth, balance and oomph to the wine. Not the typical Rocks characteristics you get from some of their other wines but very good. Possibly the best GSM we have had so far. Would include in a future case from this winery.

4/18/2024 - Dionysos55 Likes this wine:

Un 100% merlot qui a ravi nos papilles !!!!belle robe grenat,arômes de fruits noirs,de réglisse.Bouche élégante aux tanins fondus,longueur finale satisfaisante.Un bel échantillon pour l'appellation Bergerac.

4/17/2024 - WineGuyFL Likes this wine:

This is a very good Chardonnay. A touch of sweetness without being buttery. A set of subtle tart notes in the background.

4/18/2024 - 831900_ Likes this wine:

The other notes are accurate. As usual, do not pop and pour: needs at least two hours. Elegant and just slightly powerful.

4/15/2024 - PVJC Likes this wine:

I forgot about my note last month to not open the next of these for a while and regretted it. This initially came across as much oakier than I expect with Carlisles, partly the contrast after finishing off the last glass of a very different wine, and partly a reminder of why I thought I should give these more time. Better day 2. Wait or decant.

4/18/2024 - 831900_ Likes this wine:

Typical Patricia Green nose: a mix of earth, creamy berries, some pleasant greenness and a touch of cola in the background. The mouthfeel came off a little creamy, leaving me wanting a bit more acidity.

4/18/2024 - Eliasli wrote:

Lots of caramel

4/18/2024 - Marius Cavasdan Likes this wine:

color shows a bit of age, but still youthfull. Nose a bit reduced initially, then opens up with ripe cherries, sour cherries. Graphite, some mineral notes. Juicy and some bloody notes. On the palate is fresh, with nice structure, blue fruits and ripe cherries, but with sustained acidity. Integrated tannins. Very nice Cabernet Franc.

4/18/2024 - Eliasli wrote:

Olorosa cask, wonderful