A very surprising wine. How did he maintain such great acidity and classic lean tannic herbal (yet not overly green) notes of Loire Cab Franc in a wine from Monterey that ripened to 14.5% alcohol?
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Very consistent tasting notes as the last bottle, I would like to add that there is a wonderful earthiness that I didn't mention in my previous note on Le Pianiste. Tastes of gravel, soil... wonderful accents. 3hr decant, TONS of sediment that I was much better at keeping in the bottle and out of the decanter this time.
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First time trying Madeliene wines... and I am impressed. I purchased 3 different wines from Madeliene and 4 bottles of Le Pianieste because I am a fan of Cab Franc. This is an outstanding wine, very approachable right now. 90 minute decant and this had much more sediment than I ever expected. Deep red/crimson in color and the nose was wonderful. Smells of cassis & blackberry. Medium to Full body, rich tannins that were gentle. To me, this was quite impressive. I enjoy a tannic wine but some can be overbearing needing too much time to calm down. This had such a great balance to it. I'm very impressed and pleased.
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90+ points. Purchased/Consumed at Casanova in Carmel. Le Pianiste was recommended by Tablas Creek winemaker Neil Collins and seemed like a natural choice given that the Madeleine winemaker Damien Georis is also the winemaker for the restaurant owner's label.
From the nose and palate you can tell that this wine was stylistically intended to be approachable fairly early. Aromatically the wine was expressive right away. Off the nose there are notes of red berries, earth and pepper spice. On the palate ripe red currants laid a seamless foundation for the wine to build notes of wild sage, white pepper and wood spice. There's a damp earth characteristic as well which helps keep the midpalate notes more cohesive and a menthol edge that adds some interest.
The wine remained pretty consistent over time but gained some depth with aeration. The red currant fruit in particular gained a "crushed" quality that gave it more character and more longevity into the midpalate. The tannins seem completely hidden and even though there's no real weight on the finish it seems to fade gracefully into spice notes.
Overall, a very solid wine that contains herbaceous and spice notes that are enough to hold one's interest. There's enough textural density to hold the wine together but not enough to express anything profoundly. The acid is dialed in and although the alcohol pokes through at times, it's not at all a distraction. I couldn't say with much confidence that it's suitable to age for long but then again, it probably wasn't intended to. Retails for $22 and is a rock-solid QPR. Definitely worth another shot and I'd like to have it in a more conducive tasting environment at home.
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Dark fruit, baking spice and a hint of flowers on the nose. The black fruit is dense at first but makes way to a more delicate and pleasant finish. Tremendous wine for our thanksgiving table
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14.5% alcohol. A high altitude Cab Franc from the Paicines in San Benito County. Dark ruby red. Nice black fruit and spice aromas. The magic of this wine is on the palate. It is at once round, full, rich and yet somehow light on its feet. Made by Damien Georis in the Loire style, this wine is a local Carmel treasure. At $22 a steal. It's hard to obtain outside of the CA Central Coast, but you can look for it at better restaurants (Casanovas, etc.).
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9/25/2013 - Itriolo Likes this wine:
A very surprising wine. How did he maintain such great acidity and classic lean tannic herbal (yet not overly green) notes of Loire Cab Franc in a wine from Monterey that ripened to 14.5% alcohol?
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4/5/2013 - King of the Farm Likes this wine: 93 Points
Very consistent tasting notes as the last bottle, I would like to add that there is a wonderful earthiness that I didn't mention in my previous note on Le Pianiste. Tastes of gravel, soil... wonderful accents. 3hr decant, TONS of sediment that I was much better at keeping in the bottle and out of the decanter this time.
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3/30/2013 - King of the Farm Likes this wine: 94 Points
First time trying Madeliene wines... and I am impressed. I purchased 3 different wines from Madeliene and 4 bottles of Le Pianieste because I am a fan of Cab Franc. This is an outstanding wine, very approachable right now. 90 minute decant and this had much more sediment than I ever expected. Deep red/crimson in color and the nose was wonderful. Smells of cassis & blackberry. Medium to Full body, rich tannins that were gentle. To me, this was quite impressive. I enjoy a tannic wine but some can be overbearing needing too much time to calm down. This had such a great balance to it. I'm very impressed and pleased.
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2/19/2013 - TSBWine Likes this wine: 90 Points
90+ points. Purchased/Consumed at Casanova in Carmel. Le Pianiste was recommended by Tablas Creek winemaker Neil Collins and seemed like a natural choice given that the Madeleine winemaker Damien Georis is also the winemaker for the restaurant owner's label.
From the nose and palate you can tell that this wine was stylistically intended to be approachable fairly early. Aromatically the wine was expressive right away. Off the nose there are notes of red berries, earth and pepper spice. On the palate ripe red currants laid a seamless foundation for the wine to build notes of wild sage, white pepper and wood spice. There's a damp earth characteristic as well which helps keep the midpalate notes more cohesive and a menthol edge that adds some interest.
The wine remained pretty consistent over time but gained some depth with aeration. The red currant fruit in particular gained a "crushed" quality that gave it more character and more longevity into the midpalate. The tannins seem completely hidden and even though there's no real weight on the finish it seems to fade gracefully into spice notes.
Overall, a very solid wine that contains herbaceous and spice notes that are enough to hold one's interest. There's enough textural density to hold the wine together but not enough to express anything profoundly. The acid is dialed in and although the alcohol pokes through at times, it's not at all a distraction. I couldn't say with much confidence that it's suitable to age for long but then again, it probably wasn't intended to. Retails for $22 and is a rock-solid QPR. Definitely worth another shot and I'd like to have it in a more conducive tasting environment at home.
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11/24/2012 - littletimmy wrote: 94 Points
Dark fruit, baking spice and a hint of flowers on the nose. The black fruit is dense at first but makes way to a more delicate and pleasant finish. Tremendous wine for our thanksgiving table
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10/12/2012 - Mike Dildine wrote: 93 Points
This stuff is so good. Maybe one of the best and best value wines I buy.
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4/29/2012 - Mike Dildine wrote: 92 Points
Excellent wine, excellent value.
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3/30/2012 - Mike Dildine wrote: 92 Points
Excellent.
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3/21/2012 - Mike Dildine wrote: 94 Points
14.5% alcohol. A high altitude Cab Franc from the Paicines in San Benito County. Dark ruby red. Nice black fruit and spice aromas. The magic of this wine is on the palate. It is at once round, full, rich and yet somehow light on its feet. Made by Damien Georis in the Loire style, this wine is a local Carmel treasure. At $22 a steal. It's hard to obtain outside of the CA Central Coast, but you can look for it at better restaurants (Casanovas, etc.).
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