4/25/2020 - CManthei Likes this wine:

tasting great! silky smooth tannins, tertiary complexity like coffee, toffee and mushroom just coming out. Beautiful acidity and structure, long finish. really quite elegant. Can tell it was powerful and big at one point, and now it's shed it's baby fat. Drink away!

3/9/2020 - CManthei wrote:

Remarkable wine. Rich and opulent, with a viscous oily texture. Amazing mid-palate of ripe tropical and stone fruits, well-integrated oak and alcohol. The baking spice and almond character is immensely long-lasting, and really vibrant. Very complex, and this bottle was far from tired!

11/25/2019 - CManthei Likes this wine:

Tasting great - has a lovely dark fruit component (bramble, black cherry) to match the red cherry and strawberry fruit. Great crushed rock/mineral quality. Long on the palate, quite concentrated. Loved it.

4/12/2019 - CManthei wrote:

Stunning purity and elegance. Beautiful nose of rose, mulled strawberry, menthol and tar. Palate is quite light, definitely not a bruiser. Well-integrated tannins.. in a delicious place now.

12/5/2018 - CManthei Likes this wine:

This is drinking so well -- really in a perfect place. Dark mulled strawberries, sour cherry, black tea and menthol. Great structure and concentration. Tannins and acid are pronounced, but everything is well balanced. Wish I had more!

11/9/2018 - CManthei wrote:

nice QPR, good price and quality fruit. Well-balanced with a touch of toasty oak and creme brulee.

8/20/2018 - CManthei Likes this wine:

I love this style of Chardonnay, so I'm potentially a bit biased. Luscious, deliciously ripe fruit, showing orchard and stone fruits, hazelnut and creamy vanilla. Lasts seemingly forever on the palate. I think this wine is ready to drink, and I actually wouldn't hold on to it very long, as I think oxidative effects of aging will only diminish the purity of the amazing primary fruit.

7/31/2017 - CManthei Likes this wine:

Found that the bottle was leaking through the cork on my rack, so popped it a bit earlier than I'd like... The wine is extremely well balanced with ripe, opulent fruit. Acidity is high and perfectly balanced with sweetness. It's nimble and light on it's feet, but also complex, with tertiary petrol just starting to poke through. Really nice.

6/16/2017 - CManthei Likes this wine:

Delicious and quite full bodied with high but well integrated alcohol. White chocolate, mocha, stewed plums and farmy underbrush. Burgundy collides with California. Great stuff!

4/15/2017 - CManthei Likes this wine:

really good spot right now.. extremely well-integrated tannins, long finish of spicy black pepper and mulled blackberries. Has a medicinal quality that is very pleasing.

4/15/2017 - CManthei Likes this wine:

Very elegant! Concentrated plums and strawberry with just a touch of road tar and black tea. Very long on the palate... finish lasts forever. Touch of oak, but it isn't overwhelming

4/5/2017 - CManthei wrote:

smokey and mineral, with abundant orange blossom and white flowers. The finish and concentration of fruit are the only thing holding this wine back a bit

2/10/2017 - CManthei wrote:

elegant to the max. Ripe tropical notes, canned peaches and apricots. Lots of power but it's beautiful.

2/10/2017 - CManthei wrote:

Delicious, excellent value. Perfect touch of oak on great-quality fruit. The ripe vintage shines in this wine

1/2/2017 - CManthei Likes this wine:

Mint and eucalyptus, road tar, smoke and roses. Tannins have mellowed significantly, but it still has power. Will probably hold over the next few years, but may not get better

1/2/2017 - CManthei Likes this wine:

Stunning fruit quality, matched equally by big new oak and medicinal herbalness. Rosemary, thyme and blackberry are standout characters. Fantastic.

1/2/2017 - CManthei wrote:

Buttered oxidized apples, crushed stones, Meyer lemon sorbet. Great tertiary characteristics now, but will likely fade in a few years' time

1/2/2017 - CManthei wrote:

Concentrated and fruit forward in style. Lovely ripe fruit, floral and a delicious wine

1/2/2017 - CManthei Likes this wine:

Absolute stunner. Tertiary and full bodied, loads of toffee and butterscotch, lasts forever on the palate. Bought at auction but the cork was in absolutely perfect condition, so I suspect great storage. Drink or hold another 15 years at least

12/20/2016 - CManthei Likes this wine:

Purchased at the Chateau. Luscious honeyed apricot, textured and full. Long finish, full bodied and excellent balance between alcohol and searing acidity. Still fresh and young but also can easily be drunk. Delish.

12/19/2016 - CManthei Likes this wine:

Big time new oak, vanilla and baking spice backing up a powerful core of ultra ripe black fruits (blackberry, cassis) and licorice. Smoke, charcoal and BBQ add an amazing savoury component, even though the black-pepper character I love in Syrah was nowhere to be found. Maybe as I get older I prefer the Northern Rhone style. Still, this wine is a stunner, and definitely a big boy that needs food...

9/14/2016 - CManthei wrote:

My first introduction to Leroy, all be it Maison. Great perfume of umami, soy sauce, mushroom but also elegant black and red fruits. Beautiful on the nose, slightly light on the palate, but nice round finish.

9/14/2016 - CManthei Likes this wine:

Lush ripe stonefruits, apricot, quince, jam. Perfect touch of oak and yoghurt with plenty of acidity and freshness. Beautifully balanced and on point! Lovely wine.

7/2/2016 - CManthei wrote:

lovely peach and stone fruit, apricot and white flowers. Good body and good structure, also maintains a good level of acidity, which can be lacking in California Rhone varietals... good stuff!

7/2/2016 - CManthei wrote:

Good acidity and creamy texture, marked by lively citrus and stone fruits. Just lacking some complexity and concentration of past vintages...

6/16/2016 - CManthei Likes this wine:

Great spot right now and drinking very well. Pronounced red and black fruits on the nose and palate, but tertiary elements shining as well: earth, mushroom and a bit of umami. A bit on the pricey side for a village wine, but it's a good vintage and is pronounced and concentrated.

5/31/2016 - CManthei wrote:

Delicious, ripe ripe ripe! The blackcurrants and blackberry jump from the glass. Also an herbal blackcurrant bud component and a bit of a eucalyptus leaf thing that will develop in 1-3 years time. Lush fruit but also nice vanilla and baking spice complexity from new oak. Good QPR in my opinion for a $30 wine

4/12/2016 - CManthei wrote:

Fresh and grassy with stone fruit and flint, vanilla and toast. Peach and melon, yoghurt. Lovely balance, retains acidity beautifully.

4/12/2016 - CManthei wrote:

This wine was a little outshone by some powerhouse wines in a recent tasting, but it was one of my favourites. It has great power and concentration with ripe and perfumed red fruits, violets, roses, tar, mushroom and sous Bois. Great elegance! A very sexy wine.

3/23/2016 - CManthei wrote:

Very concentrated and structured, it is in my opinion approaching optimal drinking. Forest floor and tobacco leaf combined with dark ripe black berries, menthol and cassis. A lovely wine with very well integrated alcohol.

3/3/2016 - CManthei Likes this wine:

Absolutely love this wine. Very pure and mineral driven, it is very much in the white burgundy mould rather than fatty, buttery new world chard. Very linear with great acidity and fruit, but also elegant oak and MLF characteristics. A perfect food pair, one of my favorite wines of the year so far.

12/26/2015 - CManthei wrote:

Well balanced between savoury tertiary notes (smoked meats, olive juice, leather, black tea) and good quality ripe fruit (red and black). Drinking well now and will continue to progress over the next 3-5 years in my opinion

12/25/2015 - CManthei wrote:

And enjoyable wine, but very new world fruit/ vanilla bomb in style. 15.2% abv? Really? Just not very well balanced and quite hot in my opinion for a fine wine. Not the quality of fruit of other cult wines with similar alcohol (think California). It's ok, but just not very elegant

12/25/2015 - CManthei wrote:

A "wow" concentration level -- great fruit. Very forward with bright acidity and depth. Ripe black cherries and plums, tilled earth and truffle. Great QPR. Drink now or will hold for years

12/25/2015 - CManthei wrote:

Cracked black pepper, beef jerky, restrained blackberries and cassis. shaved pencil. Elegant. Black olive juice. Fruit is of great quality -- has a blueberry jam and Spring floral mid-palate that is bright and stunning. A great wine

12/25/2015 - CManthei wrote:

Very complex wine with great purity of fruit and concentration. Almost seems sweet it's so ripe. Pyrazines, ripe stone fruit, bright acidity and citrus, honey, melon, and just a touch of oak. Everything is balanced and represented. A beautifully made Sauvignon Blanc

12/25/2015 - CManthei wrote:

Bright acidity, lime cordial, petroleum, rubber hose, even just a touch of ripe stonefruits. Delicious

12/11/2015 - CManthei wrote:

Absolutely delicious, ripe and round dark cherries, plums, tilled earth and menthol. Has this exciting white chocolate/cocoa bean thing going on. Big and somewhat unbalanced alcohol, but perfectly paired with food. More versatile with food than old world Pinots. Delicious and lush, loved it!

12/8/2015 - CManthei wrote:

Very ripe and lush black cherries and plums, deep, dark tar and savoury/chocolate and menthol notes. Good integration with alcohol. Tannins are still pretty grippy and big, I'd recommend waiting to open this one...

12/8/2015 - CManthei wrote:

Lush black cherries and dark plums, pure velvet tannins and well integrated alcohol. Savoury nose and palate with loads of smoke meat, tar, menthol and crushed violets. Aged 7 years in small oak barrel, has a slight oxidative feel, but great integration of oak/fruit/acidity/alcohol. A delicious wine that is drinking now and will hold

11/24/2015 - CManthei wrote:

Very well-made barbera. Big dark plums and cherries, but also tilled earth and farmyard, even some mushroom and underbrush. A perfect pairing with food. QPR is excellent for all of Roddolo's wines

11/24/2015 - CManthei Likes this wine:

A delicious dolcetto from a great producer. Very concentrated, big dark brooding plums and dark cherries, chocolate, savoury notes, game, leather. Great ripeness. Acidity is well balanced with fruit and oak, but it requires food. Tannins are still quite smacking and big. Will only get better over the next 5-8 years in my opinion.

10/30/2015 - CManthei wrote:

An ethereal combination of spring flowers, blueberry jam and bacon fat. An absolute food wine -- I wouldn't recommend drinking it solo in its youth. Very perfumed, pretty and mouth-coating. Very enjoyable, I'm going to get more..

10/10/2015 - CManthei wrote:

A very impressive bottle, and I wasnt sure what to expect. Lush perfume on the nose- typical nebbiolo: smashed red flowers, road tar, grilled meats and earthy loam. Palate was silky smooth with very fine grained tannins - great integration. Palate full of tertiary characters -- underbrush, mushroom, earth. A very pleasant surprise -- drink up!!

9/30/2015 - CManthei wrote:

Jammy black fruits, black cherries and plums. Dried herbal character -- rosemary, oregano, underbrush and garrigue. Great integration of oak, beautiful firm tannins. very pleasurable bottle of wine

9/22/2015 - CManthei wrote:

Fading fruit, this wine is on its last legs. Medium bodied, with plenty of dried figs, plums, toffee, coffee bean and mocha. Very interesting to try mid-90s Paso. Drink it if you've got it!

9/6/2015 - CManthei Likes this wine:

A solid QPR food wine... Nothing to blow your socks off, but good ripeness, good fruit and good length on the fruity finish. Very pleasurable for the price..

9/6/2015 - CManthei Likes this wine:

Absolutely stellar (half) bottle of wine. Becoming a beautiful golden amber color, and it has darkened a few shades since I purchased it a year and a half ago. The fruit is impeccable -- such ripe apricot jam, banana cream, mango, and papaya. Nice fungal component too, just a touch of nail polish remover and new tire. Amazingly well balanced, with totally focused acidity -- like a laser. I'll keep my eyes out for more of this stuff!

9/6/2015 - CManthei wrote:

Solid effort, and nice tertiary complexity starting to show now. This wine is following the same path as several 2008 Cote de Beaune i've tried recently, that is, quickly moving through their drinking window. Old saddle leather and mushroom are mixed with fleeting red fruits. Has a few years left in my opinion...

8/23/2015 - CManthei Likes this wine:

I really like this wine.... a great QPR. Great fruit, very ripe, totally accessible Nebbiolo in its youth. Has austere, musty components as well - lovely tar and roses, combined with plum, chocolate and red cherry. Great with food, as Italian wine should be :)