8/19/2021 - Greg_O Likes this wine:

Incredible Saint Aubin. Wish I had more.

9/5/2021 - Greg_O Likes this wine:

Forest floor, spice, cherry, and cedar notes. Surprisingly elegant. Aging very nicely and ready to drink.

8/20/2021 - Greg_O Likes this wine:

Exceptional Cote Rotie in a great place. Excellent density with great acidity. Cured meats and olives. One upped the 09 Jamet CR served side by side.

8/2/2021 - Greg_O Likes this wine:

Very nice. Tannins softened. Licorice, tobacco, floral, and fruit.

7/30/2021 - Greg_O Likes this wine:

Fantastic SA Chenin. Nice oat and almond creamy aspect without being heavily oaked. Sea salt brine, honey, florals, and orange rind provide excellent complexity.

7/28/2021 - Greg_O wrote:

Not a great showing. Too much alc. Has not aged gracefully.

8/2/2016 - Greg_O Likes this wine:

Wow. Oh my god. I am usually too lazy to write notes anymore but this wine shook me from my complacency. Lifted violets, perfume, dark fruit, menthol, smoked meats and thyme on nose. Excellent ripeness, high acidity, with an unusual mix of blackberry, watermelon, and pomegranate fruit with herbal savoury notes on finish. Long finish but also extremely mouth watering and drinkable. Best Canadian wine I've ever had. I will be seeking everything I can find from David Enns and Brad Royale.

6/30/2016 - Greg_O Likes this wine:

Cherry, tar, spice, earth, and a lovely counter balance between sappy pine and stems. Open for business with excellent mid palate and finish. Somewhat surprisingly it has the stuffing to age for some time yet.

3/17/2016 - Greg_O Likes this wine:

Lovely nose of smoke, barnyard, bacon, and violets. Very nice balance of fruit and tertiary characteristics on the nose. Lovely style of Côte Rotie. Will look for this producer again.

10/11/2015 - Greg_O wrote:

Really nice floral and cherry notes on the nose but didn't quite come together on the palate. Perhaps more time will help.

4/26/2015 - Greg_O wrote:

Gorgeous nose of perfume, olive, dark fruit and chocolate. Ripe fruit, high acidity, med grip and tannins, some green notes provide the clue that this tuscan wine is bdx varietals and 40% cab franc at that. The 15.5% alcohol and fruit are balanced really well by high acidity and freshness. While this wine flirts with my limits for ripeness and oak it does so in a way that respects the place, varietals, and style which just exudes sexiness and class. I will keep Le Cupole on the buy list based on this latest showing.

4/25/2015 - Greg_O wrote:

Nose of bright cherry, juicy cranberry, smoky oak, some match sulpher notes that largely blew off with air. Tart and acidic fruit on palate with lots of crunchy cherry and mouthwatering cranberry fruit. The oak is present but adds a nice smoky and meaty aspect without overpowering. There is a subtle green stem aspect which may be from stem inclusion or just simply a cooler climate characteristic. Overall I am quite pleased with this wine and appreciate the restraint shown to allow the pinot character to shine through.

1/2/2015 - Greg_O wrote:

Clean, typical, and balanced. Really nice wine overall that represents the Sancerre style very well. While lacking a wow factor it is a great representation of it's terroir and varietal. Textbook.

12/26/2014 - Greg_O Likes this wine:

Simply stunning left bank just approaching prime. Showing lovely complexity with graphite, green pepper, cassis, tobacco, and cedar. Amazing balance between lush dark fruit and gracefully aged pauillac character. Still on the upswing but must be approaching its peak. What a treat indeed. One of the best pichons I've had

10/18/2014 - Greg_O wrote:

Classic but very young and rather closed.

9/6/2014 - Greg_O wrote:

Drinking nicely now but still very fresh and youthful. Great compliment to local tapas dishes. Should evolve nicely for years to come should you choose to hold on.

9/1/2014 - Greg_O wrote:

Complex and dense for sure. At the time of the night it was consumed I found it almost a chore to drink. Could use some years to tame down. Certainly no light Cab Franc so definitely potential to develop into something more harmonious.

8/15/2014 - Greg_O wrote:

Lovely style of chablis with excellent balance. Cutting lime zest up front with the acidity softened by peaches, cream and chalk notes. Very enjoyable, decent value.

6/15/2014 - Greg_O wrote:

Bright black cherry, forest floor, and chalky/graphite notes on the nose. Wonderful med+ acidity on the palate makes for a mouth watering treat. The black cherry fruit bursts onto the palate with secondary notes of graphite and forest floor. There is some very well integrated oak influence with only a hint of vanilla. The tannin structure is still very much holding everything together as it's drinking wonderfully yet still clearly on the upswing. Lots of room for improvement as it continues to develop more secondary characteristics. I waited 8 years after buying this on futures to pop my first bottle and despite the steep '05 prices it still represents a value wine at <$50. This is yet another bottle that justifies my preferred strategy of buying well scored value bordeaux from great vintages assuming you are willing to wait for the wine to come into it's own.

2/22/2014 - Greg_O Likes this wine:

Black tea, dark cherry, high toned florals, and baking spice make up an intoxicating nose. Although it does seem somewhat ripe with sweet cherry fruit the acidity is still vibrant enough to keep it from coming off too extracted or cloying and the alcohol stays just in check. Finish is pleasant and lingering but perhaps a tad astringent at the moment. What a model co-operative Produttori is, I would be very hard pressed finding a better wine more suited to my style for the price. This has become a perennial buy on sight bottling for me regardless of vintage.

1/12/2014 - Greg_O wrote:

Restrained oak treatment leads to just a hint of vanilla on the nose along with a lemon custard and a flinty note. Just enough fruit on the palate to keep round the edges while still maintaining a lean and clean profile. More stone and steel like characteristics on the palate with the creamy lemon profile. Med+ acidity and undetectable alcohol keep it tasting fresh and well balanced. Finish is pleasant and lingers. Although far from a profound wine this is right up my alley from a stylistic perspective and for my palate a fair value and a buy at $35.

10/19/2013 - Greg_O wrote:

The nose immediately jumps out of the glass with a mix of black tea, florals, perfume and high toned almost candied black cherry fruit. The palate is rich but balanced by very lively acidity. The Barbera softens and rounds the mouthfeel leaving a very polished and full texture on the mid-palate. The Nebbiolo is still present on the finish with a good tannic grip and lingering finish with some spice and anise notes. While the wine has clearly seem some time in oak I feel like it’s an appropriate level of treatment (at least at this stage of its development) as the wine has so much depth and power it can tolerate it well.

10/7/2013 - Greg_O wrote:

Very light and transparent red colour with hints of orange. Beautiful lifted bouquet of florals, red fruit, and spices. The palate is clearly feminine and elegant yet Carema is no weakling as the fruit is expansive and lingers on the finish. There is a hint of black tea mixed in with the red fruit and spice with a lovely freshness and palate cleansing acidity that reflect its high altitude origins. If there ever was a wine that spoke of where it came from Carema is certainly at the top of my list. While it may never land a big score in a blind tasting among its southern peers, it is the perfect wine to delight with a meal or even in a more contemplative setting.

9/29/2013 - Greg_O wrote:

This was very pleasant, balanced and completely non-offensive to my burg-centric palate. I thought it was fair value and would buy again to try in future vintages but it lacked a bit of wow factor that would have had me going back for more.

9/29/2013 - Greg_O wrote:

Lovely cinnamon, florals, and baking spices on the nose. Although showing all the classic notes of an 05 from la morra there wasn't enough density and lift on the palate to live up to the complexity on the nose. On a side note I visited the winery a couple years ago and Mauro was an extremely kind and generous host so I will always have a soft spot for his wines.

9/12/2013 - Greg_O wrote:

lovely nose. more classic in style than the label would suggest. would be interesting to follow.

8/16/2013 - Greg_O wrote:

textbook sancerre. very nice. poise over pizzazz.

7/10/2013 - Greg_O wrote:

Really nice moder barbera. I`m glad I sat on them for 4 years as I find the oak too prominent when young. Nice fruit forward style with high acidity and alc in check.

5/21/2013 - Greg_O wrote:

very good quality for the price.

4/14/2013 - Greg_O wrote:

wow. such a classy beaune, punching above it's weight. minerality, balanced, excellent finish. drinking well now but still somewhat primary. wish i could buy more.

4/14/2013 - Greg_O wrote:

took a little time to open up. still youthful with structure to balance the more typical traditional rioja characteristics. found it to be a better value and probably more consistent than their reserva and grand reserva bottlings.

4/24/2013 - Greg_O wrote:

amazingly complex. racy acidity hides alc.

2/11/2013 - Greg_O wrote:

Very bordeaux like with savory meaty notes and loads of graphite with the dark fruit. Well balanced. Still youthful but drinking well now. I don't think I've had a bordeaux that could compete with this in terms of value.

1/6/2013 - Greg_O wrote:

Perfumed nose with Asian spices. Bright dark cherry fruit, fantastic minerality, hint of stem, and spice. Drinking nicely already - the oak and tannins are well integrated. The wine has verve but no sharp edges. If it was $10 cheaper I would more than happy to stock up and have around as a daily drinker.

11/15/2012 - Greg_O Likes this wine:

excellent balance. restrained use of oak. exceeded expectations.

11/25/2012 - Greg_O wrote:

Very pretty perfumed nose. Took some coaxing but there is some real serious complexity here for such a unassuming easy drinking cab franc. I am really getting into Loire reds lately.

11/2/2012 - Greg_O wrote:

Completely shut down right now, extremely tannic and closed. I was hoping to sneak a peak to assess future potential but it remained tight and brooding. That being said I think there could be potential but will have to wait to find out.

11/25/2012 - Greg_O Likes this wine:

Expressive perfumed nose with exotic florals and spices. Black cherries, spices, minerality and floral notes racing along a backbone of rich tannins and high acidity. Full of character and flavour but still light on its feet. Not a wine for everyone but what wine with this much character is? Another way to describe this wine could be as having the structure of a northern Italian with the profile of a n rhone. I have been following this wine for 6 vintages now and this is the most complete and impressive showing on release yet. Richer and fuller than early vintages but more lively and restrained than the 09 which came off as overworked and flat. I can’t speak to typicity as I am still trying to figure out what typical mencia is exactly…but that’s part of the fun. Petalos is never boring and this vintage it’s showing real potential right out of the gate.

11/3/2012 - Greg_O wrote:

excellent barolo that is drinking well already for my palate although will likely only improve with age. i assume modern techniques are used to soften the tannins and make it approachable and open but the character of the wine is still traditional la morra with lovely floral, cherry, and spice.

9/3/2012 - Greg_O wrote:

Nice nose if slightly muted - shows some barnyard that blows off, cherry, floral and spice. Very lively on the palate - juicy cherry, great acidity, good fruit concentration with a subtle dose of manure and earth - eminently drinkable. Burgundian character with the fresh ripe fruit you would expect from 09. no perceivable oak or heat. It's great to find value burgundy with character band so ready to drink. Consistent notes on 3 bottles so far.

10/25/2012 - Greg_O wrote:

Perennial value burgundy. First impression is that it's not showing the same level of unctuous fruit as the 09 but even more classic in style and structure...which is to be expected. not exciting but very nice and a steal marked down to $16.

10/25/2012 - Greg_O wrote:

was completely shut down for at least the first 3 hours. not in a great spot right now. started at 85 and ended at 89 after 4-5 hours of air.

9/30/2012 - Greg_O wrote:

wow...lived up to the hype...at least relative to my expectations as I was expecting a fruit bomb with high alc. Lots of earth and barnyard notes to compliment the rich tuscan fruit and savory sangiovese character. 08 was lacking any wow factor in comparison which i tasted the next day.

9/29/2012 - Greg_O wrote:

tasted oxidized

9/8/2012 - Greg_O wrote:

excellent rosso. wonderful expression of sangiovese at an excellent price point. glad i stocked up on this one. drinking nicely.

5/21/2012 - Greg_O wrote:

would buy again.

4/27/2012 - Greg_O wrote:

Nice overall quality but showing too much new oak influence for me.

2/17/2012 - Greg_O wrote:

Lime zest, wet slate, pear, with hints of lemon custard and vanilla on the nose. Lively citric lime attack on palate balanced by round green pear fruit on mid palate. The minerality component is more metallic upfront but is quickly rounded and softened nicely by wet stone that carries through on a lingering finish. A well made classic chard – glad I gave it a try.

2/6/2012 - Greg_O wrote:

threw a good dose of sediment. leather, cherry and raspberry fruit, and herbal notes. might have reached it's peak, not sure it would evolve more favourably from here. tannins are still present but have softened.

2/6/2012 - Greg_O wrote:

tired and flat. disappointed i waited this long to try it.