5/14/2013 - wickedwax wrote:

Quaffable. Better than a lot of other things you can get at this price point, but nothing noteworthy.

3/19/2013 - wickedwax wrote:

40% Grenache, 40% Carignan, 20% Syrah. Aromas of watermelon and some red berry fruit. Medium bodied with watermelon also on the palate. Good acidity. Nice quaffing wine for the price.

12/26/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of black and blue fruit with a touch of iron and floral notes. No doubt that this is Syrah, but just lacked some mid palate punch. Acidity wasn't too bad, but doesn't quite meet up to a nice St. Joseph or Crozes. Luckily, I got it at a discounted price ($22), but if I had to pay full retail at $33, I would rather stick with the aforementioned French appellations.

12/25/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of dark fruit, spice and some leather. A well polished wine as you would expect from Chapoutier, but not really what I'm digging these days. Doesn't have the acidity that I usually look for; the fact that I'm not digging CdP so much right now plus the 2003 vintage doesn't make for a great combo. Interestingly, we bought this directly from Chapoutier in Tain L'ermitage in 2005 and quite liked it. Oh how tastes change!

12/23/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of tart red fruit, some green herbal components and minerality. Not overtly complex, but good acidity and a decent food wine. I don't think this will improve with time, but should hold for a little. Drink up.

12/26/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of stone fruit, citrus, some white flower and minerals. Perhaps not the most complex, but this is showing very well for a 2003 as the acidity is quite nice. Fairly good length showing good minerality. Not a showstopper, but very well done given the vintage.

12/23/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of citrus and some orchard fruit with white flowers over a bed of minerality and some baking spice and grilled bread qualities from oak. Will be better with a little more time to let the oak integrate, but not too bad today. High-toned orchard fruit and floral notes with good acidity to keep it fairly balanced. I feel like I am getting more and more into higher elevation White Burgundy. It's nice to be able to drink something at this stage that is showing nicely without having to shell out more for something like a Puligny or Chassagne that needs more time and then only to find it premoxed.

12/23/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Another 375ml. Quite similar to last time and still enjoyable.

12/24/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of crunchy red berry fruit, cranberry with baking spice and earth tones. Still young, but drinking quite well already. Good acidity on the palate with tart red fruit and lower tone earth and mineral notes. Good length. Gahier is simply a great producer; I've yet to have anything that I haven't enjoyed.

12/25/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

After having a Diel Spatlese right before this, this showed so much better. Lively orchard fruit, grapefruit and lime over chalky Pfalzian minerality. Good acidity with some stone fruit on the palate. Nicely balanced with good length. A great showing of the great 01 vintage. Barely hitting secondary, this should have quite some life left.

12/25/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

To be quite honest, this was a bit of a let down. Aromas of orchard fruit and stone fruit with some minerality, but also with some oxidized notes. Definitely far more advanced than what an 11 year old Spatlese should be like. Not undrinkable, but just not what one would anticipate, especially from a good producer like Diel.

12/25/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Similar to last tasting and just as great. This pretty much sets the bar for pear cider. The minerality is just amazing.

12/25/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Medium-fine bubbles. Aromas of citrus, some orchard fruit with some minerality. Good acidity -- a nice, simple sparkler that worked well as a simple aperitif for Xmas day.

12/24/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of cranberry and tart red berry fruit, with some Gamay meatiness, earth and a touch of blue flowers. Nice juicy acidity to keep it bright and focused, but not having as much substance as the 2009 or 2010. Nevertheless, still a well made wine that is highly enjoyable and maintains my position for Lapierre to be one of my favored producers of Beaujolais.

12/24/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of mostly red fruit with some dark fruit, roses, fennel seed and some tar. Mostly resolved tannins, this is drinking quite nicely today without any need to decant (but we did Audoze it for a few hours). Nice acidity and well balanced. Not greatly complex, but highly pleasurable with good length.

12/24/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of white orchard fruit, white and yellow stone fruit and honey with smoke and mineral notes. Rich and full-bodied, but with good acidity to keep it quite balanced -- exactly what you expect from great Pinot Gris. Amazing what Zind Humbrecht does and how long they can age as this was still mainly primary with some secondary notes emerging. Nicely concentrated with good length.

12/24/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Very fine persistent bubbles. Still quite young and taut, but opened up to aromas of brioche, lemon, white orchard fruit, fresh coffee beans, nuts and some baking spices all over a chalky minerality. Elegant, balanced and well-poised and exactly what you would expect from a grand marquee champagne. Very good acidity and wonderful length.

12/17/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Spectacular! First of all, the color was so light that there's no way anyone would have guessed a 20 year old VT. Amazing array of tropical fruits, grapefruit, lychee and baking spice aromatics on the nose. Some RS in there, but with very good acidity to keep it so lively on the palate. It almost felt like a Riesling on the palate, but with the classic flavors that one associates with a Gewurztraminer. In some ways, I almost feel like this was even a bit young and tight and could even use more time to unwind and gain even more complexity. Great length. Quite simply the best VT Gewurztraminer I've ever tasted, and I have no idea how long this could age as it is just in another realm.

12/17/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of bright red fruit, earth and spice notes. Quite elegant on the palate with resolved tannins and a velvety soft texture. Good concentration and good length without any of the over-ripeness that the 1990 vintage can be criticized for.

12/17/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of tobacco, leather, dark cassis fruit, cedar and autumn leaves. Good concentration with resolved tannins. Overall quite similar to tasting about a half year ago and just as enjoyable.

12/17/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of cedar, leather and some red cherry fruit with earth. Resolved tannins with medium acidity and decent concentration. Nice. I would be inclined to say that this won't improve with time, but should be able to hold on for a few years.

12/17/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Crossed our finger this wasn't premoxed and it surely was not! Gourgeous classic Meursault nose of hazelnuts with butter and citrus notes along with some minerality. Rich and round, but still with good acidity to give it drive. Nice minerally finish and a nice pairing with butter poached with melted leeks and king trumpet mushrooms.

12/17/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

My goodness what a great showing! Classic Chablisienne minerality layered over lemon oil and beeswax. Rich on the palate, but with good acidity to keep it beautifully balanced. Made me weak at the knees when tasted with simple fresh cracked Dungeness crab. I've been so much of a Dauvissat convert of late, but this restores much faith in Raveneau.

12/17/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of citrus and orchard fruit with some chalky mineral notes and a touch of brioche. A little austere for the moment and probably could use a little time, but was nice to have with a citrus salad with walnuts and dates.

12/17/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of orchard fruit and some citrus with mineral and some yeasty notes. Medium-bodied with a soft creaminess on the palate balanced by good acidity that made it elegant and quite easy to go down. Very enjoyable with some cheese to start an evening.

11/22/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of strawberries, citrus with yeasty and chalky mineral notes. Fairly good acidity, but not quite as focused nor having the persistence as one would hope. With Chardonnay coming from Le Mesnil-Sur-Oger and Pinot Noir from Vertus, I guess I just expected a little more, especially since I very much appreciate Veuve Fourny's rose coming from Vertus.

11/21/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Again, very minerally with bruleed citrus, honey and some herbal and petrol notes. Very round with a beautiful texture showing some dried flowers and citrus notes juxtaposed against dark minerals. Good length.

11/22/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of red fruit, spice, with dusty earth and leather notes. Fully resolved tannins, but with quite good acidity left. Actually drinking quite nicely for what it is as I'm sure there would be many CdPs from the same vintage that wouldn't have held up so well. A nice surprise. 59% Grenache, 31% Syrah, 10% Mouvedre.

11/22/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of tropical fruit and citrus all glazed with honey. Good acidity with fairly good concentration. Should gain depth with more time, but I wanted to open an Eiswein since I spent Thanksgiving with a couple of dear friends who love German wines like I do and for our Thanksgiving dessert I made an apple pie with a pate brisee and figured it would all work well, which it did.

11/22/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of citrus and stone fruit, with spice and mineral notes. Even though it's the "entry-level" bottling, still has that classic polished sense and poise of a Donnhoff. Sure it's not a Hermannshohle nor a Brucke, or not even a Kirschheck for that matter, but it is so well balanced with just a touch of RS and good acidity. Went well with so much of the food for a classic Thanksgiving dinner. I'm not into having "grand" wines for Thanksgiving -- I just want to have something that will work with all the different food that you make and this was wonderful with that.

11/22/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of red and dark fruit, with some typical Gamay meatiness and floral notes. While not on par with some of the top Beaujolais producers, this was quite nice with good acidity to give it lift with fresh, ripe fruit. Worked well for Thanksgiving dinner.

11/22/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of primarily red with some dark fruit with some floral and spice elements, along with notes of herbs and minerality. Closer to medium bodied; crisp with good juicy acidity with high toned red fruits on the palate. I really respect what Peillot is doing in the Savoie and just can't say enough to support his wines.

11/22/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of orchard fruit, white flowers and minerals. Medium-bodied; clean and crisp with lively acidity. My expectations were that it would drink like a well made Macon and it did precisely that. Worked well as an aperitif while cooking the myriad of food for a Thanksgiving feast.

11/21/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of grapefruit and lemon with some stone fruit and chalky minerality. Rich and round on the palate with good acidity to keep it nicely balanced. Quite good depth already. More on the lines of a Dagueneau than an average run of mill Sancerre that you would have to drink up quickly. This should only get better with more time.

11/21/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Similar to tasting it the last time a couple of months ago. Easy to drink and fun.

11/21/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of strawberries and tart cherries with some minerality. Good acidity to keep it fresh and clean and crisp. A well made and easy to drink Cremant.

11/19/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of orchard fruit and some baking spice with some minerality. Better than the last bottle I tasted. Medium acidity, medium bodied and decent length. More complex than the last bottle, but I'm not sure how much it will gain with additional bottle age.

11/20/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

Aromas of apple and citrus fruit with some yeasty notes. While I usually don't mind a decent dosage, this seemed a bit high and wasn't as focused as I would have liked. Overall alright, but one can find better in the price range.

11/19/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

2005 Syrah Tasting: Aromas of bright baked, raisiny fruit. Cloying without enough acidity to support the dark concentrated and baked fruit. Everyone correctly guessed this blind and unfortunately it wasn't really well received.

11/19/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

2005 Syrah Tasting: Aromas of dark fruit, tobacco and leather. A soft and round mouthfeel with fine-grained tannins. Nicely balanced overall with good length.

11/19/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

2005 Syrah Tasting: Aromas of almost jammy dark fruit, but also with savory meat and herbal notes. Gripping tannins with medium acidity with roasted fruit and vanilla on the palate. Hot finish. Not one of my favorites nor many others.

11/19/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

2005 Syrah Tasting: A little retiscent at first, but then started to show black berry and some blue fruit with some vanilla oak tones. Medium tannins and body.

11/19/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

2005 Syrah Tasting: Aromas of fairly ripe dark fruit and some red berry fruit on the palate. Medium acidity with strawberries and baking spices on the palate. Medium bodied with decent length.

11/19/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

2005 Syrah Tasting: Aromas of blue fruit and dark cherry -- fairly polished. Good acidity and drive and focused with lavender and cola notes. Fine grained tanings with a medium finish with some herbal notes. One of my favorites of the night.

11/19/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

2005 Syrah Tasting: Aromas of dark berry fruit with some savory, meaty notes. Ripe fruit on the palate with some menthol notes with moderate tannins and fairly good acidity.

11/19/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

2005 Syrah Tasting: Some VA on the nose, with bright tart red and some dark plum fruit with a little Brett. Soft, not overly tannic with some blue fruit on the palate. Decent length.

11/19/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

2005 Syrah Tasting: Soft and smokey nose with mocha raspberry notes. On the palate bright acidity with black raspberry and cream. Blind, I had a feeling this was Santa Lucia and guessed it correctly as the Rhys.

11/19/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

2005 Syrah Tasting: Aromas of red fruit, pepper and some earth. Seemingly lower tannins than many other Syrahs we were tasting that night and also less body. Quite surprised to learn this was the Hermitage.

11/19/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

2005 Syrah Tasting: Red and dark berry fruits on the nose, with some brett and coffee notes. Brighter red fruit on the palate and fairly tannic, but fine grained. While I thought this was pretty good, many others appreciated it more than I did.

11/19/2012 - wickedwax wrote:

2005 Syrah Tasting: Aromas of dark fruit and vanilla, quite a polished nose. Seemingly sweet on entry with ripe fruit, tobacco, and creamy coconut notes. Firm tannins. A polished and well made wine, but not quite to my style.