2/13/2021 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

A well made wine, aged in proper circumstances, and shared with good friends. Makes for a perfect day.

9/29/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Remarkable wine from a difficult year. 14% R.S., abv 8.8%, luscious, with an incredible acidic backbone that cuts through all the R.S. and cleanses the palate for the next sip. All the Riesling and botrytis flavors are here, as is the potential to age for a long, long time. 30+ years.

6/23/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Leaking cork but no obvious effect on the wine. Beautifully aromatic with just a hint of petrol. Nice acidity with a mineral edge. Glad we have another bottle because this wine will go quite awhile yet. The best FLX producers are making wines that will age a long time.

6/19/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Has everything it needs to be great. Opening it now was truly infanticide. Needs several years to really shine and will go on for a long, long time.

6/2/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

An excellent bottle of a truly unique wine. I’m glad I have more because I doubt I ever see it’s like again.

4/19/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Surprisingly full bodied. Nice fruit and acidity.

4/19/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Still going strong.

4/19/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

A bit funky when first opened, with dried fruit but still nice acidity. Decanted for over an hour and it came into its own. Nice dark fruit became evident, ripe, rich tannins, linear acidity, still some age notes but showing pretty damn well, especially for a vintage that was not considered classic.

4/18/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

A beautiful wine with a long life ahead of it. Since Damiani disgorges in small batches and now puts the disgorgement date on the bottle, it will be interesting to not only track bottles within the same batch, but between batches as well. We continue to be impressed with FLX sparkling wine from the best producers.

4/18/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

This wine continues to impress, we bought what might be the last couple of cases because I think this is a rose that will stand some aging. It's always an argument on whether to age rose anyway, but we like some Pinot based ones when they start to take on some earthy notes. Depending on how this continues to drink over the next couple of years I might keep a few bottles back for even longer as an experiment.

4/18/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

There's some funk on this bottle without a doubt, but it could be seen as earthy complexity - that's the way we saw it. This would have gone well with a dish that included mushrooms. We drank it on its own. It's past its prime but is still a very interesting wine. Drink up.

4/16/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Nice California cab with a reasonable abv. Approachable now (decant for an hour) but should last at least 7-8 years.

4/16/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

This wine is a restrained beast. It is not anywhere near its drinking window yet. Huge tannins - mellowed a bit with air contact. Nice acidity, intensity, depth, and length. It has everything it needs to go for two or three decades. If you're planning on drinking it in the next five years I would definitely recommend decanting for an hour at least.

4/15/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Nicely typical Gruner. Acidity is refreshing. Phenolic bitterness is there. Beautiful fruit.

4/15/2020 - FLXHoneymoon wrote:

Let me just say that this is a very nice wine. It has intensity, some complexity, good acidity and the potential to age for years and get even better. It's all here. That said, it's just not our preferred style of Pinot. There's not really any jammy notes here like so many California Pinots, but it doesn't have the finesse of a nice Burgundy, or even a Finger Lakes Pinot. It's a really good wine, you just need to prefer a sturdier style to appreciate it fully.

4/15/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Intense flavors of blue and black fruit. Great acidity. Concentrated with a long finish and some complexity with the probability of developing much more with age. I love this wine. Drink or hold 5-10 years at least.

4/14/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Intense ripe fruit with depth and earthy complexity. I always want to compare FLX Cab France with the Loire but this is much less fruit driven and more complex than a Chinon. Then again, I've never had an 11 year old Chinon.

4/11/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Does not like this wine:

Not the wine described in the SommSelect tasting notes. Brett to the point of cowshit. Flawed?

4/9/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

This wine is going places. Intensity of aromas and flavors is over the top. Incredible notes of baking spices, fruit, and some earth. This wine has everything it needs to go for at least a couple of decades. I would recommend not opening one for at least another five years.

4/9/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Delicious.

4/9/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Pretty sweet, could use a little more acid to be completely balanced. Still, delicious.

4/9/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

A wine of finesse. Light yet has intensity. Great acidity. Should go awhile yet.

4/9/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Complex, intense, great acidity, and still oh so young. This wine is going to go another decade possibly, maybe more. We'll try another bottle in two years and reassess.

4/9/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Last bottle. I have to say, if I had it to do over again I would have ordered 12 instead of 6. This is drinking well right now, I'm not sure it will get any better but I think it will hang in there for awhile. Classic aged left bank Bordeaux.

4/4/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Easy drinking, tasty white. Perfect for the deck on a hot summer day.

4/3/2020 - FLXHoneymoon wrote:

Smokey. It will be interesting to see how it does once it has a year or two to integrate.

4/3/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Nice wine. Can't really make up my mind about Saperavi until it's aged for seven or eight years though.

4/3/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Nice fruit.

4/3/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Nicely acidic and fruity. Interesting how the floral notes from the Gewurztraminer are lifted by the acidity of the other two. The only problem with this wine is it's too delish! The first bottle goes down so, so easy. Luckily, with an abv below 13% you can share a couple of bottles and not fall down.

3/29/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Delicate, almost ethereal.. Yet with plenty of depth and concentration. Still young.

3/20/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

The sweetness would be cloying if it wasn't for the wonderful acidity shining through. Another wine that will age for a long time. It's only going to get better.

3/20/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

This is a wine you could buy 6 or 12 bottles of and watch it develop over the next twenty years. If that's your thing - it certainly is ours. It's delicious now but in ten years you could probably get poetic over this wine.

3/20/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Better balanced than the dry Riesling. Not really sweet with the great acidity shooting through. Food wine big time. Should age well for a decade give or take.

3/20/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Nice acidity, almost austere with the dryness. Should age nicely for quite a few years.

3/28/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Nice acidity, fresh strawberry and cranberry. It's a lovely and delicious wine now and will be awesome on a hot day this summer, but don't forget the versatility of a wine like this. If you're wondering what wine to serve with dinner chances are this wine will go with whatever's cooking. We've also had great luck saving some Silver Thread roses back for a year or two (or three) until they develop some nice earthy notes. Hard to keep from drinking them though.

3/29/2020 - FLXHoneymoon wrote:

Tastes like what it is: a branded, highly extracted, high alcohol, fruit bomb. They definitely have their place and I keep a few around for when I want to get drunk sharing one bottle. Then again, that really never happens.

3/29/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Another top producer in the region. Rob Roy was the first McGregor wine I fell in love with. This bottle shows why. At ten years it's fresh and delicious. A young wine yet. It's starting to show some signs of the earthiness and complexity that it will develop over the next decade or so. If you only have a bottle of this left (like me) you have a tough decision to make. Drink it now while it's a sure thing, or take the very good chance that it will be even more spectacular in five or ten years. I wish I had a case.

I know Black Russian Red is the McGregor cult wine but don't forget poor old Rob Roy. I've had some older bottles over the last few years and this is a wine that will stand the test of time.

3/29/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Stunning. I could easily have mistaken it for a high end aged Bordeaux. Of the old style, that is. The wine is perfectly balanced with the structure to go quite awhile yet. Great acidity, silky tannins, the fruit is becoming of the dried type but still has plenty of freshness. Herbs, leather, dried flowers. Complexity, intensity, depth, and a wonderfully long finish. It’s all here. It’s wines like this that make us spend so much of our lives searching for great bottles. I could go on: compelling, mysterious, thought provoking. While this shares many attributes with a Bordeaux, it’s much more. It’s a Finger Lakes red, made by a producer who's operating at the top of his game. Listen up, the Finger Lakes' best producers are making world class wines.

3/22/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Nice fruit and acidity. Food wine.

3/22/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Rich and complex. Would have probably guessed it as southern Italian in a blind test.

3/18/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Does not like this wine:

Went great in a pot of frijoles and ham hocks. Not enjoyable at all to drink. Got 91 points from Decanter. Did I have a bad bottle, or perhaps a bad day.

3/20/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Does not like this wine:

Almost undrinkable. Overoaked to the point that it smells like a barbecued steak, but not in a good way. On the bright side, should do well for a marinade.

3/15/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Not a subtle wine but more subdued than most California Cabs from the last three decades. Perhaps a return to previous form. Alcohol still comes in at 14.5 though, and there is some heat on the finish.

3/15/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Deft hand with the oak. Very enjoyable wine with, as I said, little oak. Or at least it has the concentration to show the oak well.

3/12/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Nice wine. Well made. Delicious. What else can you ask for?

3/8/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Some funk on the nose initially but the palate was clean. Cork was intact. Not the best older BRR we've had but all these older bottles have a lesson and the BRR has never disappointed. We also drank it with a group of friends that are huge fans of the wine and appreciate its uniqueness. Great afternoon with great people.

3/8/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

This wine is in a very nice place right now. We drank it with friends that enjoy older Burgundy and we all agreed that it would also go for many years as well.

3/7/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Aged notes with excellent acidity and still some nice fruit. Not all were in agreement, some thought this wine needed to drunk ASAP but I thought it could still go a year or two. The cork was pristine.

3/5/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Medium golden color. Great acidity with plenty of fizz left. Some nice aged notes have developed. A nice creaminess on the palate.

2/23/2020 - FLXHoneymoon Likes this wine:

Delicious wine. Has the fruit of Gamay, but with the structure, depth, and complexity of a nice Burgundy from further north. Recognizable varietal character, without the banana runt flavors of so many Beaujolais wines. Makes me feel good just drinking it.