7/29/2023 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Nicely made Riesling. Aromas are citrus and floral - petrol more of a suggestion, than a feature. That's a positive by the way. Although characterized as Med. Dry by the vineyard - the flavor is not sweet. I'd call it balanced, finish is also on the subtle side. Paired well with summer squash with (mild) chicken sausage and a selection of herbs. No need to reserve this for Spicy Thai food which is not a dish that I choose when deciding to have a decent bottle of wine.

4/22/2023 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Proving that some 2005 are ready to drink, this wine has recaptured its youth with elegant red cherry fruit with tasteful cinnamon spice notes. Aroma and flavor are consistent. Finish is gentle and balanced. Mouthfeel is seductive.

5/22/2023 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Classic Meursault butter, definitive oak character, fruit profile is lemon, age provides softness and improved mouthfeel. This is one of the beautiful faces of Chardonnay.

2/14/2023 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Mature but not old CdP. Plenty of lighter red fruit base with just a hint of the tobacco flavors from maturity.

2/12/2023 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Classic Pommard bouquet - fresh and medium red fruit based. Smooth texture. Elegant flavor and finish.

12/31/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

This is a great bottle. Fresh floral and fruit aromas are unleashed upon opening. Decanting required and about 1 hour needed to revitalize the wine. Flavor profile is plum with a hint of the youthful cotton candy notable some young Beaujolais. Smooth mouthfeel and cool finish. Minimal interference from the leather, tobacco side of things - which is fine by me. All in all this is excellent at the 20 year mark. I'd say that there will be bottles that can hit 30 years old.

11/28/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Superb early drinking Pommard. Elegantly light in the glass. Classic Pommard nose. Cherry flavors and mineral finish.

11/28/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Balanced citrus based aroma and flavor, medium body, superior finish.

11/26/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Stone fruit profile with some delightful bread.

11/26/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Excellent aroma and flavor with deep red fruits held up on a solid mineral structure and finish. Aging brought more clarity rather than adding a lot of tertiary components.

11/26/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Initial pour was not well integrated but it was rescued with a decant. After that solid fruit base with decent acidity. Not a long finish.

11/19/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

This is an excellent inspiration of the French style of. SB. Perhaps closer to Graves than Sancerre. But free from any cloying tropical fruit. Oak is prominent but appropriate.

10/30/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

This benefitted from a decant. Aroma - initial was classic G-C, but added a lot more after a couple hours. Very strong cinnamon spice, just a hint of fruit is left in the aroma. Extremely concentrated deep red fruit flavor profile. Pretty smooth mouth feel - but the tannins have some bite. The finish actually should be called a finale. A sophisticated note that is completely cleansing and of satisfactorily length - actually short but highly intense. This complements the flavor well.

10/24/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Apple and spice aroma, subdued citrus as well. Flavor follows the aromas and the wine has an excellent mouth feel. Butter notes from the malolactic fermentation are present. Balanced finish with plenty of acidity. It is drinking really well to accompany food - especially opulent dishes. It has years left, but it will get more delicate

10/16/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Fresh floral aroma reminding me of spring fruit blossoms. Gentle citrus flavor. Buttery and nutty with some vanilla elements from the oak are subtle and balanced. The finish is cool.

9/23/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Classic Pommard nose. Medium red flavor, smooth mouthfeel, balanced finish

9/23/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Well integrated at this point. Floral aroma, Lemon flavors and cool finish

9/4/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Bright red fruit flavors, classic Gevrey-Chambertin nose. No real changes from release at this point

9/4/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Deep red fruit flavor with modest tertiaries. Velvet mouthfeel with tannins excellent for high end steak. Successful evolution

8/29/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

You can tell there has been a lot of effort to tame the inherent jammy character of a California Cabernet. It is certainly successful, but it can't be splashy or sophisticated.

8/25/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Cherry fruit profile in the nose and on the tongue. Classic lighter style of Burgundy Pinot Noir. Modest mouthfeel and balanced finish

8/28/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Black cherry fruit profile with a touch of barnyard in the aroma. Full mouthfeel and long finish

8/22/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Citrus, peach and toast. Refreshing, youthful and not complicated - just enjoyable

8/15/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Fully mature at present. Full citrus flavor with a nice mineral balance. 12.5%ABV.

7/3/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Initial aroma is reminiscent of port - so some oxidization has occurred. Next a clear meaty aroma and the fruit consists of darker red varieties. The taste is quite nice, lighter red fruits are dominant. The mouthfeel is acceptable. The finish is astringent, but not that long. So the conclusion is that this wine shows the attributes of aging and is interesting and enjoyable but certainly not a 'great bottle'.

6/29/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Vibrant floral aroma complimented with red fruit and spice. The floral notes have become very dominant in the aging process and are delightful. The texture is silky and on the lighter side. The finish is medium and worthy of the overused ‘elegant’.

6/20/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Vibrant black raspberry fruit profile. Refreshing and clean. Superb structure to appreciate the fruit.

6/7/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

I know there are those who love to age their Burgundy, but this wine is drinking superbly young.

6/4/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Young burgundy with nicely concentrated fruit. Solid finish

6/4/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Fruit forward - plum if you need a flavor

6/4/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Citrus, hazelnut, spice aroma. Flavors follow the bouquet Well rounded mouthfeel consistent with the aging process.

6/1/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Deep red color, aroma of lighter red fruits and spice. Fruit and tertiary flavors of tobacco alternating. Perhaps this happened as I did not decant the wine. It did not deter from the enjoyment. Remarkably long mineral driven finish. Overall an excellent experience and a great wine to have with food. Ample sediment which I strained through a coffee filter, that sip was too astringent for my taste.

5/15/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Strawberry and bubblegum, youthful freshness but a solid finish.

5/9/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Initial petrol aroma, then citrus and floral aroma. Bone dry flavor with powerful mineral finish

5/7/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Plenty of deep red fruit flavor and aroma. Excellent mouthfeel and finish

4/8/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Red fruit aroma with some cloves and a hint of floral notes. A light touch of tobacco as well. Flavor follows the fruit aroma. Medium body and finish. I would count this vintage as a winner.

4/3/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Fruit forward Malbec - which is expected. Dark red fruit profile, not that complicated - perhaps a touch of tobacco - but that is not persistent. Silky mouthfeel and balanced finish.

3/13/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Subtle oak and butter at this point. Citrus. pineapple and are the fruit flavors. Silky mouthfeel, minimal astringency and balanced finish.

3/7/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

A lot of fruit flavor - medium red, but some blueberry also. full body for low ABV wine. Appropriate finish - mainly based on tannins. There are some Nîmes wines with low ABV and flavors that can take on robust (winter) meals and this reminds me of those.

3/6/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

citrus and tropical fruit aromas. spicy flavors with a nice mouth feel. excellent finish and balanced to the power of the wine. which is considerably more than the regular label Otella Lugana

2/25/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Cherry red color with pink halo. Aroma dominated by cherry with some spice and fading vegetal notes. Excellent mouthfeel and solid deep red fruit flavor. Tertiary aging components are pretty subtle. Long finish that really still seems tannin driven even at this age.

2/21/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

tangerine, vanilla, butter and some spice in the aroma, taste follows with the tangerine, excellent mouth feel. Refreshing finish

2/14/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

This qualifies as a great bottle. Color -a hint of gold especially in warmly lit environment. Aroma - lemon, hazelnut, vanilla and butter. Flavors - lemon cream with spice. Rich mouthfeel and a long balanced (and slightly warm) finish.

1/30/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Bouquet is right on - cherry fruit with tobacco and earth. Age has certainly smoothed the tanins and the flavor is still fruitful. Lengthy finish.

1/25/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Drunk over several nights, which is not typical. This wine was best on day two, the bouquet was traditional: raspberry, spice and some earthiness. The initial night flavors included cola which I don't usually find in Burgundy. But the second day, every thing came back to the raspberry level red fruits and a balanced finish.

1/15/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Honestly benefitted from some air. This is an oaked Chardonnay. Quite light gold in the glass. The apple, spice and lemon in the aroma are balanced. But the citrus is very nice in the flavor and the finish is appropriately modest. The age makes the mouthfeel silky and removes any features of tightness - and it is daring to age Burgundy to that point these days.

1/1/2022 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Clean Pinot aroma with lighter red fruits. Flavor profile is slightly darker red fruit. A hint of cola so we know this a New World wine. Powerful without being rough. Balanced finish.

12/26/2021 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Decanted an hour or so. No sediment noted and not much halo. Dark cherry red color. Fresh dark red fruit profile with minimal raisin and leather notes. Full body with smooth mouthfeel. Finish is quite emphatic and enduring.

12/25/2021 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Redeems the 2009 vintage for me - or perhaps makes true the adage about great bottles.

12/25/2021 - grizzlymarmot wrote:

Citrus and pear fruit profile. Plenty of oaky butter as well. Full body with balanced finish. Superb with rich lobster casserole.