4/7/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

CCT Burgundy Dinner (Coray Kitchen, Delmar, NY): [Opened around 5pm. Tasted about 7:40pm.] Needs time to open up. As it opens, it shows lovely red fruit and spice. A long, juicy finish. This should drink well for 15-20 more years, but delicious now with fabulous filet mignon.

4/7/2024 - kenv wrote:

CCT Burgundy Dinner (Coray Kitchen, Delmar, NY): [Opened around 5pm. Tasted about 7pm.] Maybe I had a dirty glass or a pour from an off bottle, but I did not like this. Muted strawberry nose. Tart and sour.

4/7/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

CCT Burgundy Dinner (Coray Kitchen, Delmar, NY): [Opened around 5pm. Tasted about 6:30pm.] Pretty red fruit nose. Lovely sweet red and black fruits in the mouth. Long spicy red fruit finish. Well balanced.

4/7/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

CCT Burgundy Dinner (Coray Kitchen, Delmar, NY): [Opened at 5:15pm. Tasted about 6pm.] Lovely citrus and flint nose. Young and tart in the mouth with lots of minerals and citrus on a long finish. Goes better with the octopus than the beet salad. Should be even better in a few years. 92-93.

4/7/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

CCT Burgundy Dinner (Coray Kitchen, Delmar, NY): [Pop and pour.] Crisp, yeasty, with some mellow apple and pear flavors. Quite tasty.

4/7/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

CCT Burgundy Dinner (Coray Kitchen, Delmar, NY): [Pop and pour.] Crisp minerals and citrus. Tasty but could have used more air. Mellows out over an hour.

3/15/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

[At Salil's. Pop and pour.] Nose of flowers, minerals, and citrus. Dry, thick, super long.
Two hours later: Now it's just signing with peaches and pears in the nose. Tropical fruit up front. Long dry finish. Wow! Complex and stunningly good.

3/15/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

[Double decanted around 4pm. At Salil's with roasted chicken thighs.] Lovely red fruit nose with a bit of spice. Rich in the mouth with tart raspberries. Needs a few more years to fully open up and mellow the acidity on the finish. 92-93.

3/25/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

[Dinner at Salil's. Double decanted an hour and a half before serving.] Loads of rich fruit in the nose with hints of leather and cigar box. Rich red currants and graphite in the mouth. Expansive. A terrific Bordeaux with a long life ahead.

3/25/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

[Dinner at Salil's. Pop and pour.] Lovely floral and citrus nose. Appealingly tart and crisp in the mouth. Lots of minerals and flowers. A pleasure to drink now and for another decade or so.

3/25/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

[Dinner at Salil's. Pop and pour.] Another great half bottle with Salil's fabulous Canelés de Bordeaux. See his note for more details.

3/28/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

[Double decanted for 4 hours at 1pm.] Big spicy red fruit and licorice nose. Big in the mouth but balanced. Lovely. Could use more time.

3/28/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

[Double decanted for 4 hours at 1pm.] Gorgeous nose of rich sweet black fruit and spice. Complex and full in the mouth. Long finish. The most complete wine of the evening, but needs more time. Four hours in a decanter wasn't enough.

4/1/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

[Pop and pour. Cork crumbled.] Gold color seems right for a 22 year old. Gorgeous nose of peaches, pears, and apples. Balanced and complex in the mouth. What a love wine. Great with Chinese food (red snapper and veggies in a well-prepared sweet & sour sauce). Holding up quite well on day 2.

3/31/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

[Pop and pour. Half bottle with Salil.] Gorgeous nose of sweet citrus. Rich and fresh in the mouth with crisp acidity balancing the harmonious sweetness. An incredibly long finish of peaches, apricots and oranges. Expansive and gorgeous. Should be beautiful for at least another 20 years.
A week later: It is just stunning. Virtually unchanged after a week in the fridge.

3/31/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

[Pop and pour.] A hint of oxidation, but it's the brown sugar kind. Brisk acidity, mature flavors of brown sugar, black dirt, walnuts, and forest floor. Goes well with Amy's roast chicken. Drink up.

3/25/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

[Dinner at Salil's. Double decanted for 1.5 hours at 4pm.] Muted nose of black cherries and licorice. Tight on the palate.
Two more hours in an open decanter: Now it's beginning to sing. Loads of red fruit and fruitcake in the nose. Juicy red fruit, licorice and roses. Vibrant and exciting. One of the best non-riserva Fallettos ever.

3/24/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

Brought to a restaurant. No detailed notes, but this was just singing. Everything one expects from the best Donnhoff Spats. Non-wine-geeks were wowed by it as much as I was. "So many flavors!"

3/24/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

[Open in Salil's fridge for 2 days.] Gorgeous nose of wet stones with a hint of green herbs. There's also something beautifully floral in the nose. Crisp and tart in the mouth with more body than one usually gets from Gruner. A very long finish that is full of minerals and citrus. Maybe the best Gruner that I've had.

2/2/2024 - kenv wrote:

Brought to the La Festa Gala. Sadly, this was on death's door.

3/13/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

2006 Barolo (Trattoria One Fifth, NYC.): [Pop and pour.] Gorgeous nose of yeasty dough and lemon custard. Tart, complex, delicious, but needs a bit more time.

3/13/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

2006 Barolo (Trattoria One Fifth, NYC.): [Double decanted around 10am. Bottle left open until around 2pm.] Huge black fruit nose. The youngest tasting wine here tonight. Not surprising, but this needs so much more time. A decade at least. Dark, rich, but quite restrained at this point. 94-96

3/13/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

2006 Barolo (Trattoria One Fifth, NYC.): [Double decanted at 9am.] Big, smoky black fruit nose. Ripe black fruit. Long and tannic. A little too polished for my taste. Doesn't have the character of the best wines tonight.

3/13/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

2006 Barolo (Trattoria One Fifth, NYC.): [Opened around 3pm to check it was sound, so it got just a bit of air.] Stunning nose of black fruit, cloves, and licorice. Sweet red and black fruit in the attack and in the long, complex finish. Expansive and stunningly complex. WOTN.

3/13/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

2006 Barolo (Trattoria One Fifth, NYC.): [Double-decanted for one hour around 10am.] Loads of black fruit in the nose. Sweet black fruit and plenty of tannin in the long finish. A bit better than the last time (2/28/2023). Maybe because it got more air.

3/13/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

2006 Barolo (Trattoria One Fifth, NYC.): [Double decanted around 3pm.] Stunning perfume of black fruit and roses. Thick and rich fruit mostly hides the huge tannins. Classic Rocche. Terrific wine. Glad that I have a few.

3/13/2024 - kenv wrote:

2006 Barolo (Trattoria One Fifth, NYC.): [Double decanted around 10am. Bottle left open until around 2pm.] Muted nose. Sour. Corked? Definitely an off bottle. :(

3/13/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

2006 Barolo (Trattoria One Fifth, NYC.): [Double-decanted for one hour around 2pm.] The biggest surprise of the evening for me. This wine in other vintages always seems a bit thin, lacking the umph of the Brunate Le Coste. Not this one. Gorgeous nose of black fruit, licorice and spice. Big, structured, tannic, but showing loads of promise. The best Cannubi San Lorenzo Ravera I've ever had.

3/13/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

2006 Barolo (Trattoria One Fifth, NYC.): [Double decanted around 11am.] Smoky black fruit nose. In the mouth, elegant red fruit. Long, complex finish of graphite and red fruit. A terrific wine, but I think it will be even better in 5 years.

3/13/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

2006 Barolo (Trattoria One Fifth, NYC.): [Double-decanted for one hour around 10am.] Muted nose of black fruit and brown sugar. Mature but complex and long. Too advanced for this wine after only 18 years. I hope this was just an off bottle. Others in the group said they've had this with random bottles of this wine.

3/7/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

WCC 2004 California Cab Blind Tasting (Fort Orange Club, Albany, NY): [Double decanted all at 1:00 PM, recorked at 5:00 PM.] Rich black cherry nose. Long, complex, elegant. Again, not 100% Cab, but not as balanced as 2.1.
[After the tasting, we realized that this was the Merlot, and not the 2004 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red. At least I was correct when I wrote, "not 100% Cab".]

3/11/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

[Double-decanted for 2 hours around 4pm. Brought to dinner with Dan H, Jared, Matt, Lisa.] Lovely nose with lots of ripe black fruit. Surprisingly tannic on the mid-palate. Rich, long with lots of red and black fruit, tar, and licorice. Still young, but delicious now with Veal Osso Buco.

3/7/2024 - kenv Does not like this wine:

WCC 2004 California Cab Blind Tasting (Fort Orange Club, Albany, NY): [Double decanted all at 1:00 PM, recorked at 5:00 PM.] Austere nose. High alcohol. Disjointed.

3/7/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

WCC 2004 California Cab Blind Tasting (Fort Orange Club, Albany, NY): [Double-decanted around 2pm.] Smoky black fruit nose. Juicy, tart. Has a sour quality not typical of Cali Cab.

3/7/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

WCC 2004 California Cab Blind Tasting (Fort Orange Club, Albany, NY): [Decanted from 3:15 to 5:30pm.] Huge blackberry nose. The tannin shows more boldly here, but still has a long complex finish with enough fruit for this Barolo Head. Group #2 WOTN.

3/7/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

WCC 2004 California Cab Blind Tasting (Fort Orange Club, Albany, NY): [Double decanted all at 1:00 PM, recorked at 5:00 PM.] Smoky black currant nose. This is still young, but already long and complex. Seems a little more Bordeaux-like than the previous wines. I suspect this isn't 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.

3/7/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

WCC 2004 California Cab Blind Tasting (Fort Orange Club, Albany, NY): [Double decanted all at 1:00 PM, recorked at 5:00 PM.] Huge black fruit nose. Rich, complex. Still young, but no harm in drinking it now.

3/7/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

WCC 2004 California Cab Blind Tasting (Fort Orange Club, Albany, NY): [Double-decanted around 2pm.] The muted nose of black currants slowly opens up to brighter fruit and flowers. Young, but so rich and complex. Very long finish. Easily the WOTN for me and the group.

3/7/2024 - kenv wrote:

WCC 2004 California Cab Blind Tasting (Fort Orange Club, Albany, NY): [Double-decanted around 2pm.] Mildly corked.

3/7/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

WCC 2004 California Cab Blind Tasting (Fort Orange Club, Albany, NY): [Double-decanted around 2pm.] Big, waxy, red fruit nose. Rich and complex with lots of sour cherries. Should drink well for another decade.

3/7/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

WCC 2004 California Cab Blind Tasting (Fort Orange Club, Albany, NY): [Double-decanted around 2pm.] Dark chocolate and blackberry nose. Rich, expansive, complex. Gorgeous.

2/3/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

Bring a Great Nebbiolo (Chez Goldberg, Greenwich Village, NYC): [This has V721 printed on the cork. We were told this means this is a 2001 base disgorged in 2007.] Light gold color. Mature, elegant. Yeasty.

2/3/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

Bring a Great Nebbiolo (Chez Goldberg, Greenwich Village, NYC): [Double-decanted around 6:30pm.] Lovely fragrance of violets and red fruit. Gorgeous and expansive in the mouth. This fits right in with all the 2019s I tasted this morning. Plenty of structure for the long haul, but such elegance and perfume now. 96-98.

2/3/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

Bring a Great Nebbiolo (Chez Goldberg, Greenwich Village, NYC): [Double-decanted around 3pm.] Big ripe nose of red and black fruit. Sweet black fruit in the mouth. Long finish. Should provide great pleasure for at least another decade.

2/3/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

Bring a Great Nebbiolo (Chez Goldberg, Greenwich Village, NYC): [Double-decanted around 3pm.] Huge nose of ripe black fruit. Still quite backward at this stage. Loads of black fruit and structure. Needs another 5 years at least.

2/3/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

Bring a Great Nebbiolo (Chez Goldberg, Greenwich Village, NYC): [Double-decanted around 6:30pm.] Lovely nose of earth and spice. Black fruit and smoke in the mouth. Very impressive for a Nebbiolo d'Alba, but the Giacosas are a hard act to follow.

2/3/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

Bring a Great Nebbiolo (Chez Goldberg, Greenwich Village, NYC): [Double-decanted for an hour at about 3pm.] What can I say. This one never disappoints. Dark black fruit and spice in the nose. Big and rich in the mouth. Explosive in the mouth with a finish that lasts forever. Wow!

2/3/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

Bring a Great Nebbiolo (Chez Goldberg, Greenwich Village, NYC): [Double-decanted before noon.] Heavenly black fruit and spice cake nose. Big, rich, and expansive in the mouth but with that classic Giacosa elegance.

2/3/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

Bring a Great Nebbiolo (Chez Goldberg, Greenwich Village, NYC): [Double-decanted for an hour at about 3pm.] Ripe red fruit in the nose. Sweet fruit in the mouth. Complex, elegant. Lacks the structure of the 1996, but delicious and complex. No need to wait on this.

2/3/2024 - kenv Likes this wine:

Bring a Great Nebbiolo (Chez Goldberg, Greenwich Village, NYC): [Opened at 8:30am, quick double-decant at around 4pm.] This goes up a notch from the 1990 with all the added power and structure typical of 1996. Black fruit, complex spices, great grip and length. A great wine. Should show well for at least another decade, maybe two.