3/22/2012 - reese Likes this wine:

As much as I wanted to drink this wine cold on an unusually warm March day in Vermont, it really needed to warm up before its personality showed.

Lemon nose, peach and lemon palate and a texture that sort of makes my taste buds wonder what's to come but it never really does (translation: short mid palate). finishes with nice acidity. Great summer quaff but unfortunately my last bottle and we are only a couple of days into summer..

3/3/2012 - reese wrote:

Sewer stew. Something went really wrong with this bottle. Stunk up the kitchen for a good while after I had poured it down the drain.

3/3/2012 - reese wrote:

The last bottle was great so I know this one was not representative. Very bretty. I could not drink it.

3/3/2012 - reese wrote:

Could it be ... brett? This bottle tasted old before its time. Marred by brett and tasting pretty thin. I bailed after a couple of sips. Surprising.

Day 2 notes.. OK, I clearly suck at wine tasting. I tried this bottle on day two and the wine had definitely plumped up and the brett notes (which I'm realizing may also just be green, unripe fruit .. I sometimes confuse the two) have receded somewhat but still present. Overall, while not my favorite KL this bottle ended up being perfectly drinkable on day two... mid-eighties score.

4/16/2011 - reese wrote:

I don't drink a ton of sauvignon blanc so caveat emptor. This just arrived today and I figured, why not ? Pop and pour. The nose is grapefruit, minerals (like I would identify in riesling) and a hint of burnt rubber.

The wine is medium bodied with grapefruit, apple, a little ETOH and acidity framed nicely with a medium finish. I liked this as it had good flavor and body and was unlike some of the SBs I've had in the past which tended to the leaner side.

Went nicely with herbed chicken in puff pastry.

4/15/2011 - reese wrote:

corked

3/28/2011 - reese wrote:

Brought by C&W and unfortunately, moderately corked.

3/28/2011 - reese wrote:

mildly corked.

3/12/2011 - reese wrote:

Very lean with wood tannins prominent on the finish. I don't think the fruit will outlive the tannins on this wine.

Day 2 - well, I may have blown the initial call on this one. There's a nice dark fruit aroma that is appealing. The tannins have subsided, the fruit altho very elegant is nicely in balance now. Day 2 score - 85.

12/3/2010 - reese Likes this wine:

Pop and pour. Seems to be emerging from its slumber when compared to my last bottle (maybe 6 months ago) which was quite tight. Cherries, coffee, licorice on the palate. Tannins are still present and grippy but not too obtrusive. Medium finish.

10/11/2010 - reese wrote:

Alcoholic and out of balance on day one.. This had mellowed significantly by day three and was a decent drink at that point.

10/3/2010 - reese Likes this wine:

Pop and pour. First impression is very different from my last bottle. This one seems way lighter/thinner although I can't detect any TCA. Once the appetizers were served this wine really shined. Funky nose. In the mouth, very food friendly with some berry fruit and a hunt of green veggies (celery ?!?!) ... smooth medium finish.

10/3/2010 - reese Likes this wine:

Pop and pour. Restrained nose. Medium body. Black cherry, cinnamon and fine grained tannin. Medium finish. Understated and elegant.

5/30/2010 - reese Likes this wine:

I never get to try old bottles like this so special thanks go out to my friend Pete who generously raided his cellar to provide this gem.

The cork came out fairly easily but broke off a chunk near the bottom. It was saturated throughout. We had already opened up a couple of Bordeaux that were past prime and no one knew what to expect with this bottle but a few swirls and deep sniffs were very promising.

The nose exhibited an alluring Chambord / raspberry, smoke and a slight but in no way obtrusive brett/barnyard that I could easily just smell and nothing more and be happy. On the palate, I was surprised by the amount of fruit still in this wine. Deep raspberry, and subtle herbs buttressed by still gentle tannins gave way to a beautiful, smooth and long finish. A great wine and a surprising special treat surpassing all of our expectations. Well stored bottles would, I am sure, last longer but this was perfectly ready to drink.

5/11/2010 - reese wrote:

My last of 6 bottles and this wine, while showing some bottle variation along the way, never really did it for me. Light and one-dimensional with some pepper and red berries that just never seem to balance out the wine overall. Perhaps I should have waited longer but my sense is that this won't evolve into much more than it is today.

2/14/2010 - reese wrote:

Storage was suspect on this bottle and it was cooked.

2/7/2010 - reese wrote:

Nose: Lemon meringue and petrol. Palate: Orange zest w/ medium finish. Nice pairing with Paad Thai.

1/15/2010 - reese wrote:

Trying to decide if I'll go for more of this in the "spring" offering... 2.5 hour decant. Pretty nose, somewhat restrained but impressions of violets and smoked meat. Deft balance that seems to be a trademark of the Rhys winemaking team. Seriously mouthwatering for me (did I just slobber a little ?) blueberry and dark fruits with a hint of pepper(tactile) and vanilla on the finish. Oh and ... yes.

1/8/2010 - reese wrote:

Loamy, cran-cherry nose.. On the palate, medium body. I'm getting a very nice core of red and dark fruit. Cranberry and currant. Well balanced finish that lingers. This wine makes me happy....

12/13/2009 - reese wrote:

Nice bottle. Very smooth, tannins mostly resolved. Typical Pauilac nose. Cigar box and hints of berries. In the mouth , very smooth and mid-weight. Went well with our food.

12/13/2009 - reese wrote:

The last bottle I drank of this wine was wonderful. Fruit, spice very complex and in nice balance. This bottle was flawed. While there were no evident signs of TCA, the fruit was completely stripped from the wine. Wood and butterscotch with some alcohol ... tasting somewhat like watered down scotch. I don't think this bottle is representative.

10/31/2009 - reese wrote:

Pretty aromas of raspberry. On the palate, a light weight wine - very light weight. Almost flavorless. Some red fruit and sap but not enough to make it interesting.... You are left with the impression of "where's the wine" ?

10/8/2009 - reese wrote:

My last bottle and sadly, corked :(

10/5/2009 - reese wrote:

Pop and pour. Nice nose of cherry fruit and spice. The wine had the slightest bit of dissolved CO2 which was only noticeable for 30 minutes (I will decant or shake next time)... Once again my impression is of a very nicely balance wine with very pure fruit and herb flavors. Better than my last bottle several months back.

9/21/2009 - reese wrote:

Seemd to have put on some weight since the last time I tried it. Not a blockbuster but a pleasant drink. Round raspberry flavors. Tannins seemed resolved. Went well with goat cheese, walnut and herb stuffed pork loin.

8/30/2009 - reese wrote:

Had to try another of these tonight... again, not a terribly complex wine but quite easy to sip on... high yum factor, Good QPR.

8/29/2009 - reese wrote:

This seemed like a good value... Intensely sweet with some acidity to balance. Quite tasty.

8/23/2009 - reese wrote:

Petrol and lemon-lime mousse on the nose... the palate delivers a nice flinty flavor and mouthfeel with a bright beam of lime.. Paired nicely with Paad Thai.

8/9/2009 - reese wrote:

Odd nose dominated by lactic aromas and some blue and black fruits. On the palate medium weight, blackberry and an interesting compost note but the lactic aromas distract... On day two, the funky nose is gone and I find the wine pleasant but more acid dominated. I will hold my last bottle for a few years to see what happens....

7/13/2009 - reese wrote:

corked... :(

7/13/2009 - reese wrote:

Badly oxidized... yuck.

6/28/2009 - reese wrote:

The first wine that has really captured my interest in a while... Great right out of the bottle with excellent fruit and texture... Seamless and well balanced.. Fruit and spice on the finish. In a really nice place right now. Kudos to the Rhys team.

6/8/2009 - reese wrote:

I think that winemakers who create high octane pinots often walk a very fine line between dramatic, intense wnes and train wrecks.. To my taste this wine falls into the latter category.. Upon opening the wine reveals some cran-cherry notes and noticeable alcohol on the nose... On that palate, the wine is boozy with monolithic dense fruit (cran-cherry as was promised by the nose) on to a shrill, alcoholic aftertaste... the last KB I have in my cellar... quite a disappointment as I have enjoyed many of their wines... similar notes on day 2 with everything being a little less intense.

5/26/2009 - reese wrote:

No formal notes. I remember very fine minerality and great balance between the sweetness and acidity in the wine. Very nice.

4/26/2009 - reese wrote:

Bottle was badly oxidized.

4/3/2009 - reese wrote:

Similar to my last bottle. Perhaps a little less petrol on the nose (serving temp?) .. still this is a great value and I wish I had backed up the truck at $12.30 + free shipping ...

3/29/2009 - reese wrote:

Raspberries, raspberry liqueur and spice... distinctive mushroom note on the nose.. Nice wine for the $$.

3/27/2009 - reese wrote:

Warning : I am a riesling noob. Upon first opening this wine, the aroma was very lite and gave the impression of a dry wine. After some time in the glass I got a very interesting petrol aroma that I could only describe as reminiscent of machine grease... That migh not sound appealing but it was. I also got some apple.. The body is light/medium light and follows thru with apple and some residual sweetness... If I had to rate it I would say about 87 ?

3/5/2009 - reese wrote:

Medium bodied. Primarily cranberry with cherry and a zippy acidity on the palate. Slight heat on the finish but not too much of a distraction. Quite quaffable.

2/20/2009 - reese wrote:

Was this bottle defective ? Possibly. Overwhelming scotch-like oak flavoring. There is a hint of what seems like pinot fruit peeking through but the overall impression is OAK. I could also sense the alcohol but it wasn't overbearing... the oak was. Did I mention this bottle was oaky ?

2/8/2009 - reese wrote:

This bottle was a little better than the last one.. Cherry, cola and some pinot funk on the nose. On the palate the alcohol is still a distraction for me... decent wiine, but not my cup of tea... my wife liked this quite a bit.

2/2/2009 - reese wrote:

Cranberries, oak and ETOH on the nose... In the mouth, the wine is a bit disappointing with berries, vanilla, ETOH evident and a bitter finish...

1/9/2009 - reese wrote:

Didn't take any formal notes but this wine was my first Grüner Veltliner and wow, what an eye opener. Great, amazing mouthfeel, really unique, light on it's feet and yet very complex with great minerality... I need to start trying more GVs!!

1/5/2009 - reese wrote:

very slight spritz at first. I put the rest of the bottle into a decanter and gave it a good shake which fixed that.... wonderful wine, gorgeous deep cherry fruit. Excellent mouthfeel.

1/5/2009 - reese wrote:

Seemed more cloying and alcoholic than I remember on the last bottle... too much so for my tastes.

12/20/2008 - reese wrote:

I couldn't get over the sweetness and roasted fruit flavors in this wine... Not a terrible wine but I didn't enjoy it...

11/19/2008 - reese wrote:

This wine surprised me. Wonderfully distinct nose of camphor/menthol... more of the same on the palate along with red berries... excellent value.

10/13/2008 - reese wrote:

Initially, hints of raspberry on the nose and palate but the overwhelming and lasting impression in the wine is the overbearing alcohol. After some time in the bottle, this recedes somewhat (or am I just getting used to it ?) and reveals a smooth, straightforward wine with a core of raspberry. Disappointing.

10/13/2008 - reese wrote:

Strong smell of reduction (specifically rotten eggs) in the nose and on the palate a thin wine with not much going on and a somewhatter bitter aftertaste.. Seems like a bad bottle..

10/12/2008 - reese wrote:

Iodine and cherry fruit on the nose... A slight hint of brett on the palate which is not too distracting. Pretty decent wine experience for the money.