6/5/2022 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Agree that this isn’t dry...but it’s a good wine. Intensity of flavor, acidity, aromatic, longish finish. Not overly complex but easy drinking on warm evenings. Screw top.

5/29/2022 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Lovely, perfumed BDX. Incredible value here (and typically from Taillefer). Soft tannins, medium finish. Decanted for 4-5 hours with good results.

5/29/2022 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Beautifully balanced with a kiss of fruit and some dryness. Subtle, easy drinking. Terrific length on the finish. We had with appetizers and it was fantastic.

5/24/2022 - jeffal66 wrote:

Fresh and fruity, a pleasing tannic push. Great warm weather, everyday drinker, perfect for pizza. Serve slightly chilled.

5/6/2022 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

A lean and intense output. Petroleum notes, sour fruit, minerality, acidity, lengthy finish. Good focus, food friendly. Some heat. Best consumed closer to room temp. Another year or two could add some weight and depth.

5/1/2022 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Honest wine at an attractive price. Clean with body and flavor intensity. Great feel in the mouth, lingering finish. The acidity could make for an oyster pairing. Lovely and an outstanding value.

4/24/2022 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Dependable twist topped any day PN. Decent concentration of flavor and length, some acidity, moderately aromatic and tannic, earthy, a little thin. Some heat on the finish.

4/21/2022 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Juicy and easy to drink. Good nose, light tannins and a decent finish. Not a big red, so it doesn’t require a hunk of beef. I could see a pair with chicken, tacos, whatever. An OK value for the jing.

4/20/2022 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Exceptional. Plenty of body and intense, concentrated flavors, aromas. Lasting finish, balance, the works. Good tannic structure. Showing very well at this age. Drink now or over the next couple years.

4/12/2022 - jeffal66 wrote:

A bold Grenache profile, if a little simple. Long finish, aromatic, big bodied and tannic. Naturally, a food wine.

4/10/2022 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

A lighter touch Chard with less of the wood and more of the zip. Leaner, on its toes, with good length and acidity.

9/11/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Good value for a 1L bottle ($20). Zippy and mouth watering, fragrant and delicious with a long finish. Good intensity and balance. Drink now or let it age a few. Stelvin top.

8/24/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

For $14 from Garagiste, a quality bundle of round fruit, earthiness, herbs. Firm structure, medium finish, grippy. Spicy. Solid value. Will revisit next year. Shelving closure.

7/30/2019 - jeffal66 wrote:

A North Fork red with a lot to like. The wine shop guy recommended, with good reason. Structure, stiff tannins, earthiness, savory notes, deep and subtle fruit. Screams for food. Shelving top.

7/19/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Lots of aroma, vitality and complexity, with scores of acid and a lovely blend of tart fruit and savory notes— smoke and bacon. Medium length on the finish, plenty of intensity. Lots of life left here, and best suited by at least an hour of decanting.

6/18/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Fresh, damn this is fresh. Lively and fruit-full, with zing, length and some intensity. A good sipper or with food. Consistent with my previous bottle.

6/12/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Simple, somewhat shallow, acidic. There’s life here and some redeeming qualities (see acid above) but no great shakes, and not surprising based on the value price tag. Nice nose, light flavors, good vitality. I’d actually like to revisit after a couple more years of aging, as it will likely take on weight and depth.

6/6/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Massive and dense (and that’s OK when offset with personality), and outshined the night’s CdP. Drinking well and well enjoyed with our steaks. One-plus hours in the air required.

6/6/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Intense and up front. No notes but memorable for its spice and firm structure. Dark dark fruit. Plenty left to this wine, needs at least an hour of decanting.

5/26/2019 - jeffal66 wrote:

Delicious. Lots going on here — blueberry and spice, menthol, vegetable (V8 juice), cocoa. Intensity and length on the finish. Well done, a solid barbecue wine, and drinking well now from first pour.

5/22/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Loving this wine, a ridiculous bargain at 14 bucks. Lean yet expressive, acidic, aromatic. Really no complaints. Punching high above its weight, drinking very well. Extra point for the value.

5/21/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Chalky, cocoa, blue/blackberry, menthol, spice. Moderately complex with extraordinary length with a subtly vegetal finish.

5/18/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

No notes but a very well done pinko. Expressive, flavorful, tight. Great with a simple meal of chicken and salad. A good sipper, too. I have another bottle, which means: a) I have more to enjoy b) I’ll pay closer attention and take more notes.

5/8/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Great wine and a terrific $20 value. Extremely fragrant, ripe, spicy, herbal, expressive. Garrigue-plus. Good length, some acidity. Drinking well from first pour. I’d buy this all day long.

4/26/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Similar to the George Harrison I’m listening to...very very impressive, slightly understated and chock full of quality. Vibrant, expressive, slightly moody. Great value, good for drinking right from the bouteille.

4/26/2019 - jeffal66 wrote:

Very impressive for the money ($14). On the leaner side, expressive and true. Not many notes but looking forward to my other 3 bottles. Screw top.

4/26/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Perfect

4/22/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

True to Pacific Northwest versions of the variety, a more angular and aggressive effort that lines up squarely with Cab. Bitter/tart fruit, some char, a little veggie, herbal notes...quite tannic and lengthy. Interesting and fairly complex, if slightly disjointed. But not unlikeable to my taste. Best with several hours of decanting.

4/4/2019 - jeffal66 wrote:

Good but without the depth. Shortish midpalate and finish, tannins, medium intensity. Some heat, a bit disjointed.

4/2/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Dark, rich, aromatic, slightly vegetal and, to the point, complex. Nothing over the top, it’s all about firm tannins, spice, body and flavors ranging from mocha/leather, herbs and earth to plum and dark berries. Some tartness mixed in as well. Medium finish. Color me impressed. At this point, give it a couple hours of decanting for full impact.

3/29/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

So good for the money ($29). Lovely finish, all the requisite Champagne notes, decent acidity. Matched well with oysters and a shrimp entree. All day long drinking.

3/23/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Terrific. Wine of the night. Great balance, lively...punched above its weight, fared really well against wines $25 above its range.

3/23/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Interesting wine. Vegetal, celery especially upon first pour. Acidity, red fruit mixed in. Gains more gravity with air...I’d give it at least an hour. Not a heavyweight but lots of personality here.

3/16/2019 - jeffal66 wrote:

Thinner bodied, bright, acidic, longish finish. One hour later...continues to be very thin. Disappointed that I bought four bottles.

3/12/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Pretty darn good if not exceptional. But also a value. There’s some imbalance to the side of sweetness, plus almost a tart bitterness on the finish, a touch of vegetable. Stoniness, long finish, intensity-plus. Tons of fragrance.

3/8/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Vibrant and fresh 10 years in. Impressive intensity. With three hours of air it’s going strong, showing spice, acidity, muted tannins and a mix of dark and red flavors. Strong finish too. More sinewy than muscle bound, an impressive show of Cali winemaking. I think the scores here nail it.

3/2/2019 - jeffal66 wrote:

Stewed fruit, light acidity, vanilla, medium intensity. I’m stuck on its somewhat indistinct flavor profile. I’m going to give my other bottles some rest to see if they improve.

2/22/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Why aren’t we guzzling more Washington State Merlot? For the money, this is an outstanding value. Now, mind you, WS Merlot drinks more like a Cab, with more severe notes of charcoa/tar and without the fat, rounded characteristics we’ve come to expect in the varietal.

It’s honest wine — taut, expressive and complex. Intensity, acidity, aforementioned flavors mixed with dark fruits, medium finish, excellent balance. Outstanding, ready to drink now.

2/20/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

My wife instantly declared the wine delicious, and I couldn’t disagree. High acidity, sweet, apple, Jolly Rancher, maybe light vegetal notes, long finish. Aromatic. Not much complexity, maybe a touch disjointed. Good any day Riesling, well served just under room temp.

2/16/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Dark and brooding, a balance between charcoal-earthiness and deep dark fruit. Leather, light menthol, plum, blackberry, blueberry, spice. Good tannic structure, excellent finish. A big and serious wine. Give it a couple hours of air and/or another year in the bottle.

2/11/2019 - jeffal66 wrote:

Yeah, I don’t know. The wine doesn’t really know what it is. Muddled, a bit hot, seeking a hook. Not horrible, just unclear and without distinctive qualities, flavors or profile. Was expecting more.

2/3/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Very enjoyable. Focused flavors, tart fruits, black/blue fruits, light vanilla, moderate tannins, good finish, medium intensity and some heat. Metallic, blood on the finish. Solid, everyday Merlot. Give 60 min of air.

1/26/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Rich rich rich. A pound of black pepper meets a pile of blackberries. Enormous nose, and an overwhelming flood of flavor, butterscotch early on. Thick bodied, jammy-plus. There’s finesse on this monster, and it evolves over a couple hours in air, though I think this wine is in decline.

1/26/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Gorgeous. Flush with Vidal flavor, balanced with excellent acidity and salinity. Fairly short finish.

1/26/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

No notes but a weightier counter to the Willamette PN we opened the evening with. Screw top, drinks we’ll from the first pour.

1/26/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Kind of lightweight. Light spice, light body, medium tannins, subtle fruit. Pleasant sipper.

1/21/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Bright and stewed-cherry-filled, tobacco, a medium level of acidity, very long finish, moderate tannins, traces of oak. Good weight. Some burn on the finish.

1/19/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Beautiful dark aromatic from first pour, but give it a couple hours in the air for good measure. Complex, smooth, and a long finish. Tart red fruit, blueberry, blackberry, spice, tobacco, coffee, hints of green pepper, blood, the works. Showing really well.

1/11/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

Showing well. The body’s the thing, full and satisfying. Nutty flavors, some pear, tropical, stony, herbs, white pepper. Strong and long finish.

1/9/2019 - jeffal66 Likes this wine:

At this point, give the wine at least a two-hour decant. It’s wrapped tightly around heavy black-blue fruit, spice, leather, menthol, medium tannins and a very long finish. Quality, yes, if not overly exciting. Good, status-level Napa Cab.