4/22/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

I guess this is a new wine? This is not a field blend like in Vienna. 50% GV, 25% Riesling, and 25% Weissburgunder. Prerrt, savory aromatics with white flowers and spices. Lovely, with lots of savory notes. Very savory, White fruit. Well balanced. I'd really like this if it's around $20.

4/22/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

Pretty pink aromatics. Like roses and pink flowers. This is a high quality rose. Shows some elegance. Quite lovely, with a little softness. 18 hours skin contact. Nice.

4/21/2024 - hutch wrote:

And then this got opened! It's been down in the cellar for almost 50 years. What I find fascinating is they were just making wine back then, I'm not sure how much focus on quality there was, but obviously someone cared, because this white wine was still alive. A little musty, but then that blows off. Mostly savory, not a lot of fruit, but in balance, and quite interesting. I thought this was really cool. Would have liked to spend more time with it, but Carl demanded I move on to the next wine!

4/21/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

White flowers and citrus. Super fresh and floral. This is really fun, but it's also $35-40 in the US, and I'm not sure there's really a place for it at that price.

4/21/2024 - hutch wrote:

More Champagne like? In the bready and oxidation notes that are present. It's fun and different in the context of these other wines. It seems odd in this line up, but I guess that's the point.

4/27/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

Amazing aromatics. Salt. Unbelievable wine. I can't believe they didn't bottle this still, as this is incredible quality. But I guess that's their philosophy. 93-94

4/21/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

Richer, fuller style from the regular bottling. Apples, and this has a terrific, creamy texture. This is fuller, and heavier than the regular bottlings. I'm not sure the price makes sense to me in relation to sparkling wine, but it's pretty cool stuff. 92+

4/21/2024 - hutch wrote:

Wow, this is Sauvignon Blanc, through and through, even with some slight herbal elements. Very fresh and lively. I'm not sure if I like this as much as the Gruner and Riesling, but it might be more fun, because of the explosive SB flavors and aromatics.

4/21/2024 - hutch wrote:

I believe this is called Brut Reserve in the US. Richer aromatics. Yellow apples on the nose. This is really nice, but it's so cool to get the purity of the grape on the other wines, which makes me not as excited about this. It's quality Brut sparkling wine.

4/21/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

Super intense aromatics. Bright with citrus. Very lively and lovely wine. Lemons everywhere. So bright and fresh. Just delightful stuff. 92+

4/21/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

Fresh, with Gruner aromatics, that makes you want to keep taking a sniff. It's so fresh and lively. I really love how the flavors and even essence of Gruner are all through this, but it's still a high quality sparkling wine. Really cool stuff. 91-93

4/21/2024 - hutch wrote:

Very nice, lovely fruit. Fun. You can taste the Cab.

4/21/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

A Visit to Paul D: This is not currently available in the US. My favorite wine from this producer. It's very classic, very fresh, riper than the liter bottle but just really fun and delightful. 88-89

4/21/2024 - hutch wrote:

A Visit to Paul D: I believe this is the 2nd vintage of this wine. In the United States, it's called Hand Werk. It has richer aromatics than the regular bottling, and in fact a little more of everything, but I'm not sure how much better it is. It's tough, because the entry level bottling is so good.

4/26/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

This is absolutely gorgeous. On the nose, red fruits and soy and savory and oh boy! Bright acidity, tannic, and hey, this is a really big wine, but it's kind of balanced, you know? The fruit is gorgeous. This is a really spectacular wine. Great price. Naoussa is a special place.

4/26/2024 - hutch wrote:

Big wine, but I guess that's to be expected considering the name. The oak is a bit much right now, and considering the dryness of the grapes I question a little bit if it's ever going to really work. This is modern, and it's not a Greek wine as much as a big rich wine that wants to beat some 2nd growth Bordeaux in a blind tasting, get a 95 point rating, and proclaim Greece as the place to drink big red wines. On the positive side, a lot of people are going to love it, the price is reasonable, and it's 80% Agiorgtiko.

4/26/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

It's all about the mineralty (bordering on saline) with citrus fruit. Pretty intense stuff. Laser acidity. It's not cheap, but at $50 I think this can outshine many a premier cru Chablis, and it's better than the majority of Sancerre out there. I am curious to know what it will taste like in a couple of years, as right now the intensity is here but not really the complexity.

4/26/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

This is round and delicious. It has the suggestions of sweetness without being sweet. Rather dark color. This is fun, if a bit challenging in its floral qualities, in the sense that people seem to often have a difficult time pairing it understanding these wines. Low acidity, and I would drink this in the short term as I imagine oxidation is likely to become an issue.

4/21/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

A Visit to Paul D: New wine from this producer. Blend of four grapes. Spontaneous fermentation, no sulfer. This is a tiny bit funky, but it's fresh and fun. It can scratch the itch of natural wine people, but also be a nice intro for those curious about what the scene is about. The price is good and the label is great. Nice effort here. I would want to try a bottle again once it crosses the ocean, but looking forward to this.

4/21/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

A Visit to Paul D: Pretty aromatics. Light pink/salmon color. Lovely fruit. Dryish, with good acidity. Here's a shocking description of a Paul D wine: Fun and easy. This will also pair with so many foods, like many of these wines? I really like that it's showing the Zeigelt fruit, and not just badly aping a provencal rose, like so many roses these days.

4/21/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

A Visit to Paul D: 4.4 G/RS. Very aromatic. White flowers and citrus, very soft bouquet. On the palate, this is light and easy, with a little textural weight on the back end. Again, there's a theme here. This is fresh and easy, but it's a well made wine using quality grapes. And it's a liter bottle, so what's not to love here?

4/21/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

A Visit to Paul D: Nice label. Fresh and easy. It's simple, but exactly what you need on a sunny day. Forget the Prosecco, drink some sparkling Zweigelt Rose!

4/21/2024 - hutch wrote:

A Visit to Paul D: Pretty raspberry aromatics. Juicy, bright, and easy. A bit simple. This is fine, but doesn't reach the levels of the white wines. It drinks easy and balanced, so there really isn't anything to complain about considering the price.

4/21/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

A Visit to Paul D: This is really good for a liter bottle of wine, especially given the entry level price. Lovely fruit aromatics, with a lot more interest then I would expect. Has that GV white pepper and celery thing. Terrific zippy, fruit. When I go back for another sip I am surprised at how complex it really is. This is a step up from the entry level Gruner expected of entry level. 87-88

4/20/2024 - hutch wrote:

This wasn't my favorite. More international in style. Ripe red and black fruits with hints of Vanilla. I can only blame myself, as the name should have warned me but I couldn't help myself.

4/20/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

Apologies, guessing the vintage. This was a fun wine, and my first Austrian Syrah. I see no reason why they shouldn't grow more. Cool climate style, reminiscent of a rhodderinnes (sp). Easy and fun with fresh fruit, peppercorns, and maybe even olives. A little greeness. Very nice.

4/18/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

This is just wonderful. It's so great that this family ages the wines for us and still sells them at a reasonable price. Still quite primary with dark red fruits, but the tannins are so perfectly integrated at this point. This is such a wonderful Bordeaux, and a stellar value.

4/14/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

This is still fun and easy and terrific for the price. In my head, it's not quite as berrylicious as last time I had it (2019?). But this has great fruit, is well balanced, and is a a terrific value.

4/11/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

Fresh, super light, with great acidity. I love this for being fun and easy, real, and utterly delicious. It's the perfect weekday wine. We need more wines like this!

4/9/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

This is still so young. The first CDP I've really enjoyed in a while. A hint of garrigue, some savory notes, and lots of dark fruits. At 14 years old this is still very primary, with lots of fruit and medium tannins. I would have guessed something from the late teens. Really not getting much age here. With a couple hours of air the fruit veers toward boisonberry. This is lovely stuff, and it's sad that this estate doesn't exist anymore.

4/8/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

Jadot Seminar: Lovely aromatics. There's some purple in here. Rocks and also cool tones. Really lovely aromatics . That's great Beaujolais. Complex, great fruit, well balanced. This is serious. I'm digging this. Easily worth the $30. The bargain in Jadot's portfolio

4/8/2024 - hutch wrote:

Jadot Seminar: Pretty Gamay notes that belie a little seriousness on the nose. There's something that bothers me about this. It has great acidity, and nice fruit, but there's a slight saw dust thing going on that bothers me.

4/8/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

Jadot Seminar: The richest nose of the three burgs. Pretty but powerful. This has a little sweetness on the front that the other two did not have. Really showing well. Great acidity. This is a wonderful Burgundy. Not incredibly complex, but well balanced and delicious.

4/8/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

Jadot Seminar: Red fruits, some spice on the nose. Very pretty. Still a little hardness, maybe give it some time. But this is good. Better than the Pommard for less money

4/8/2024 - hutch wrote:

Jadot Seminar: A little musty on the nose. Red fruits. Rich, big PN. Savory. I like this, but I don't want to pay $75 for it. Maybe even a little heat? Finishes a little hard.

4/8/2024 - hutch wrote:

Jadot Seminar: A little richer than Chassagne. Fuller, rounder. This is a preference thing for me. I prefer the brightness of the Chassagne, but if you want a little more broadness in your Burg, go for this. I wonder if it's going to age as well, it doesn't seem as put together to me.

4/8/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

Jadot Seminar: Lovely aromatics, not over the top at all. This is beautiful. Some richness, lovely acidity, intense. This is a great AC burg. Finish just goes on. I like this.

4/8/2024 - hutch wrote:

Jadot Seminar: Bright fresh acidity on aromatics. Fresh, lovely acidity. A little oak? There's something like that here. It's fine, but I don't know why anyone would pay $40 for this. There are other Aligote's available for much less that serve the same purpose.

4/8/2024 - hutch wrote:

Jadot Seminar: This ups the richness and oak quite a bit from the Chablis. This is a little rich for me. It's good, but a little too toasty without enough intensity for be. It's not working for me.

4/8/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

Jadot Seminar: Nice aromatics. Some yellow fruit in here. Nice intensity. Fresh and lively. I would like a tad more intensity/mineralty, but this is well done. Reasonably priced at $30.

4/7/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

This is a classic throwback Napa Cab. I would imagine the percentage of Cab is above 90, if not 100%. There's lots of green, herbal notes. Not in an underripe way, just in a Cab way. Red and done darker fruits, well structured, and a bit of food helped this quite a bit. It's actually a little lean, which is surprising considering the 14.5 listed alcohol. I enjoyed this, but anyone expecting the chocolate and blackberry Cab prevalent in Napa is going to probably be disappointed.

4/5/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

Wow, I'm inputting the first red wine from Christophe Patrice, that's exciting! This is really nice, fresh and red fruited but not screechy. There's actually some weight here. It looks like climate change is making Irancy and Chitry the place to find value Burgundy, maybe? Anyway, it's clean, fresh and lively, ready for food, and I would like to try this in a half year or so just to see if it gains a little bit of savory or stays so fresh.

4/4/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

This is fun. We've got some Romorantin here. There's a little bit of Rhone action here to me, in the sense that's there's a little bit of waxiness to the wine, and the fruit veers from white to yellow. It's midweight, and offers some unique qualities that would make it a fun wine to pair. I wonder if you could put a little tropical fruit in a dish with this wine. Nice acidity.

4/4/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

Nice bubbles. Lots of flavor, and finishes dry. This is the type of sparkler that's easy to enjoy, a step in the direction of Champagne, and usually in the high $20s. At closer to $20 this a great value for bubbles to have on hand.

3/26/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

I feel like this is the Riesling that over delivers in the Wiemer portfolio. Dry, intense, with fruit more yellow than white. Tried this next to another Finger Lakes Riesling and stylistically this was the Austrian as compared to the others Germanic qualities. This is a really fun, well balanced Riesling.

3/26/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

Disgorged 11/23. Very nice sparkler. Great acidity, fresh and lovely. Nice bubbles, well balanced, and a high quality traditional style bottle of bubbles.

3/26/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

First time trying this wine and it is a pure delight. Generally my problem with a lot of finger lakes wines is they don't distinguish themselves enough for the extra cost as the same varieties from Europe. Well, not this wine. It is most definitely Gruner Veltliner, but it has a personality all it's own. An absolute delight aromatically. Lots of green. Not underipe, but I associate the color green with this wine. On the palette there is white pepper and other Gruner notes, but it is so vibrant and delicious. Based on this bottle, there should be a lot more Gruner planted in the Finger Lakes. Also a great price.

3/16/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

This wine seriously over delivers. I am pretty sure if served blind I would call this as Brunello and feel pretty proud about my ability to get that. And there are plenty of Brunellos I've had that aren't at this level. This is a serious wine, amazing with food, and can benefit from aging.

3/13/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

I prefer the white to the red, but this is also a really tasty wine at a more than fair price. It fits squarely in that bistro style red. The combination of both Bordeaux and Rhone grapes (which I believe is required by the appellation), makes a tasty wine, but one that is hard to really narrow down outside of a French red. There's a little meatiness here, nice acidity, and on the whole it seems more Rhone than Bordeaux. It should pair with a wide variety of foods, and is pretty tasty by itself.

3/13/2024 - hutch Likes this wine:

This is super fun. The fruit of the Viognier really came through on the aromatics. Lots of bright peach. On the palate this is medium bodied with really nice acidity. There's a lot going on here for a sub $20 wine, especially considering the producers pedigree. A great sunshiny wine that will be terrific in the Spring and Summer.