A little musty on the nose showing beautiful ripe golden fruit. Some earth and malty yeastyness / brioche qualities. Some light minerality. Agree with Psmith some serious sweaty clothes action - but intriguing and enjoyable. A fat nose showing some oak though not overdone. Palate is a bit austere but mineral driven. Nice elegant finish showing some cool waxy yellow crayon. Clean and crisp but still showing some nice medium body. Very nice.
Have been looking forward to trying this bottling for some time. Really unique bottling. Vibrant fresh clean medium bodied light red berries with some cool layering. A little rhubarb and meaty spiciness. Elegant floral rose petals. Quite oaky but well-harnessed - not overbearing at 15.7% alcohol. Not over-extracted. Really doesn't seem like a $70 Syrah. Note there's also some viognier, roussanne, and marssanne in the blend. Really unique. Just okay though - kind of one dimensional in fact - I expected more. Somewhat muted fruit. Elegant and well structured. But again, somewhat dissapointed considering the pedigree of this wine maker.
Maybe an off bottle. Light ruby color. Musty off putting bizarre nose. A little Manischevitz on the nose! Candied cheap wine. Peachy, white grape with a hint of fresh plastic. Just plain old weird. Palate falls short - bretty. Earthy with a bit of spice. Very thin. Pass.
A great big wine. A massive bohemoth of dark fruit, vegetation, coal, flowers, chocolate and more black fruit. Brooding dark black / dark purple color. Figgy and well refined showing some up front black floral components. Dark cherries, some nice Napa dustyness - oaky and big. Full throttle but not too heady or over the top (only 14.1% alc. on the label). A blockbuster of a wine. Totally Foley styling. The finish is well endowed showing sweet tannins that are very well integrated. Black licorice shows it face on the back end of the nose and palate. Black olives and some cool blue raspberry fruit as well. This is a great wine. Layers of dark fruit, some coal and again - BLACK FLOWERS all day long. Drinking well but could be cellared for another 5-10 years with ease. Bravo.
Some nice age showing in the medium brick ruby color. Some nice funk on the nose. Some dirty molasses and balsamic qualities. Barnyardy, woody - dirty sticks. Not necessarily over oaked, just sticky. Rustic but New World in style - showing nice fruit. Inky and leathery with some leather saddle as well. Palate is well balanced and drinking well right now.
Alot of hype surrounding this vintage of Ornellaia. Really nice complete wine. A little rusty raspberries coupled with intriguing tarry play. Spicy pretty cotton and fresh linen doused with yellow curry powder. Lovely acidity and well integrated tannins. This is really young but shows serious promise to age well. Medium bodied - a sexy finesse driven feminine bottling. Shows great mid-palate. Again, just an overall well made wine. Absolutely classic Italian qualities and structure.
My first Bryant experience and it was fantastic! Definitely WOTD just edging out the 2003 Robert Foley Claret. This wine was all about the balance. It wasn't too heady and hedonistic or over the top with ripe fruit. It was an elegant royal wine. Plummy, purple flowers with some anise and ginger characteristics. A little green pepper with some inky creme de cassis on the back end. Lovely medium bright red berries with a great Belgian milk chocolate mid palate. Fine sweet tannins. A little salene solution lending a pure clean quality to the juice. A cool candied fruit aspect as well - Jolly Rancher candy - cherry. Really nice moderate high acidity, tannins and moderate high alcohol though its barfely noticeable. Thank you so much to Jeff W. for allowing me to sample this gem of a wine. Thank you, thank you.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Weighty shroomy pungent wine. Focused acid with pure medium light red fruit. Funky cheesy strawberries and cream, showing powerful definition and length. Some nice light spice. Very very young. Needed more time to open up, but still really enjoyable. My style of Burg.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
I've been a big fan of this producer since first tasting his Burg's at Knightsbridge. Really funky shroomy profile. Spicy ripe red berries. Nice stinky cheese nose. Bulky and very young. Light sulfur play but really enjoyable. Great acidity and purity of fruit and earth. More spice driven than the Fourrier St. Jacques tasted just before. Really good but really juvenile in its lifespan. Needed some more time to open up in the bottle at this age. Some nice reduced fruit aromas on the back end. Excellent wine.
A super big wine showing lots of menthol, anise and piney qualities. Dark and really really rich. Borderline too over the top. Unique style with layers of flavors. Pruney almost Amarone like with its raisinated liqueured fruit. Big and sappy Grenache - one of the biggest wines of the day by far. A monster effort almost equalling the weight of the actual bottle. High alcohol, high tannins, though well integrated. Showing a good dose of oak, but I like this wine. Very well endowed. A masculine tour de force. Excellent but for the money you may as well get the regular Moncayo bottling for 1/3 of the price.
Lighter brick color. Has aged well. Have always wanted to try this bottling, and from such an early vintage was a true treat. Some rustic light cherry and strawberry notes. Barnyardy. Lots of acid. A little cantaloupe as well which is clearly unique for a red wine. Also some nice banana and sea breeze aromas as well. Classic palate displaying more bright red fruit, some rusty qualities. Elegant and feminine. Not your typical big Spanish bottling. Really enjoyable.
2005 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
A little musty on the nose showing beautiful ripe golden fruit. Some earth and malty yeastyness / brioche qualities.
Some light minerality. Agree with Psmith some serious sweaty clothes action - but intriguing and enjoyable.
A fat nose showing some oak though not overdone.
Palate is a bit austere but mineral driven. Nice elegant finish showing some cool waxy yellow crayon.
Clean and crisp but still showing some nice medium body. Very nice.
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2004 Agharta Wines Black Label 90 Points
USA, California, North Coast
Have been looking forward to trying this bottling for some time. Really unique bottling.
Vibrant fresh clean medium bodied light red berries with some cool layering.
A little rhubarb and meaty spiciness. Elegant floral rose petals. Quite oaky but well-harnessed - not overbearing at 15.7% alcohol.
Not over-extracted. Really doesn't seem like a $70 Syrah. Note there's also some viognier, roussanne, and marssanne in the blend. Really unique. Just okay though - kind of one dimensional in fact - I expected more.
Somewhat muted fruit. Elegant and well structured. But again, somewhat dissapointed considering the pedigree of this wine maker.
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2006 Alcina Cellars Pinot Noir Sangiacomo Vineyard 87 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Maybe an off bottle. Light ruby color. Musty off putting bizarre nose. A little Manischevitz on the nose! Candied cheap wine.
Peachy, white grape with a hint of fresh plastic. Just plain old weird. Palate falls short - bretty.
Earthy with a bit of spice. Very thin. Pass.
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2003 Robert Foley Claret 94 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
A great big wine. A massive bohemoth of dark fruit, vegetation, coal, flowers, chocolate and more black fruit.
Brooding dark black / dark purple color. Figgy and well refined showing some up front black floral components.
Dark cherries, some nice Napa dustyness - oaky and big. Full throttle but not too heady or over the top (only 14.1% alc. on the label). A blockbuster of a wine. Totally Foley styling. The finish is well endowed showing sweet tannins that are very well integrated. Black licorice shows it face on the back end of the nose and palate. Black olives and some cool blue raspberry fruit as well. This is a great wine. Layers of dark fruit, some coal and again - BLACK FLOWERS all day long. Drinking well but could be cellared for another 5-10 years with ease. Bravo.
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1999 Justin Vineyards & Winery Isosceles 92 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Some nice age showing in the medium brick ruby color. Some nice funk on the nose. Some dirty molasses and balsamic qualities.
Barnyardy, woody - dirty sticks. Not necessarily over oaked, just sticky. Rustic but New World in style - showing nice fruit.
Inky and leathery with some leather saddle as well. Palate is well balanced and drinking well right now.
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2006 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia 93 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Superiore
Alot of hype surrounding this vintage of Ornellaia. Really nice complete wine. A little rusty raspberries coupled with intriguing tarry play.
Spicy pretty cotton and fresh linen doused with yellow curry powder. Lovely acidity and well integrated tannins. This is really young but shows serious promise to age well.
Medium bodied - a sexy finesse driven feminine bottling. Shows great mid-palate. Again, just an overall well made wine. Absolutely classic Italian qualities and structure.
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2005 Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 95 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
My first Bryant experience and it was fantastic! Definitely WOTD just edging out the 2003 Robert Foley Claret.
This wine was all about the balance. It wasn't too heady and hedonistic or over the top with ripe fruit. It was an elegant royal wine.
Plummy, purple flowers with some anise and ginger characteristics. A little green pepper with some inky creme de cassis on the back end.
Lovely medium bright red berries with a great Belgian milk chocolate mid palate. Fine sweet tannins. A little salene solution lending a pure clean quality to the juice.
A cool candied fruit aspect as well - Jolly Rancher candy - cherry. Really nice moderate high acidity, tannins and moderate high alcohol though its barfely noticeable.
Thank you so much to Jeff W. for allowing me to sample this gem of a wine. Thank you, thank you.
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2007 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques Vieille Vigne 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Weighty shroomy pungent wine. Focused acid with pure medium light red fruit. Funky cheesy strawberries and cream, showing powerful definition and length.
Some nice light spice. Very very young. Needed more time to open up, but still really enjoyable. My style of Burg.
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2007 Olivier Bernstein Mazis-Chambertin 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
I've been a big fan of this producer since first tasting his Burg's at Knightsbridge.
Really funky shroomy profile. Spicy ripe red berries. Nice stinky cheese nose. Bulky and very young.
Light sulfur play but really enjoyable. Great acidity and purity of fruit and earth. More spice driven than the Fourrier St. Jacques tasted just before.
Really good but really juvenile in its lifespan. Needed some more time to open up in the bottle at this age. Some nice reduced fruit aromas on the back end. Excellent wine.
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2002 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Garnacha Aquilon 93 Points
Spain, Aragón, Campo de Borja
A super big wine showing lots of menthol, anise and piney qualities. Dark and really really rich. Borderline too over the top.
Unique style with layers of flavors. Pruney almost Amarone like with its raisinated liqueured fruit.
Big and sappy Grenache - one of the biggest wines of the day by far. A monster effort almost equalling the weight of the actual bottle.
High alcohol, high tannins, though well integrated. Showing a good dose of oak, but I like this wine.
Very well endowed. A masculine tour de force. Excellent but for the money you may as well get the regular Moncayo bottling for 1/3 of the price.
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1992 Artadi Rioja Viña el Pisón 92 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alavesa, Rioja
Lighter brick color. Has aged well. Have always wanted to try this bottling, and from such an early vintage was a true treat.
Some rustic light cherry and strawberry notes. Barnyardy. Lots of acid. A little cantaloupe as well which is clearly unique for a red wine.
Also some nice banana and sea breeze aromas as well.
Classic palate displaying more bright red fruit, some rusty qualities. Elegant and feminine. Not your typical big Spanish bottling. Really enjoyable.
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