Quite oaky on the nose, with a lot of sweet, creamy vanilla and only a little yellow fruit. It's not sweet in the mouth because the acidity is good, but there's not much fruit and it's strangely dilute, and it's a terrible match with oysters. A couple hours later the last pour from the bottle is much better, showing more concentrated spicy pear and a nice mineral crackle, but it's still nothing especially remarkable and I don't quite get all the hype here.
Sweet lime/green apple fruit, round and juicy, gulpable but not particularly interesting. This is sweeter than I would prefer, especially for a kabinett. Not bad, but there's so much excellent inexpensive Riesling out there that this is a bit disappointing for its level.
Lots and lots of very sweet, candied red cherries, like drinking a jolly rancher. Quite dense and concentrated, with medium weight, extremely slick extract. Not much complexity -- the attraction here is the sweet fruit and the texture. This is a well-made wine in its idiom -- there's enough acidity so that it's in balance (whatever that means), and the alcohol is under control and doesn't stick out, so it's not undrinkable lighter fluid. Even though this is a little too candied and sweet for me, I can drink this, and though I don't much care for this candied style of Pinot Noir, I can see the appeal for fans of the style.
Lovely deep, dark fruit, showing a fair amount of mint and well-integrated American oak. Extremely concentrated and powerful, rich and dense with very lush, fine tannins, this is a less structured, less complex, more Californian version of Monte Bello. The structure is well integrated and the this is drinking beautifully now, and I don't think this will improve much from here. It doesn't quite live up to the best-CA-cab-of-all-time hype surrounding this wine, and I don't think it will make truly old bones like some other MB vintages, but it's still a gorgeous bottle of wine.
Out of 375. Supposedly (wink, wink) declassified Yquem. It tastes like the finest French oak money could buy, in a good way, with lots of creamy vanilla and coconut and baking spice and hints of pineapple. It doesn't have the concentration or botrytis of real Yquem, but the acidity is excellent and despite the slender frame it's surprisingly complete and long in the midpalate. Very good with cheesecake. Yum.
2012 Ceritas Chardonnay Charles Heintz Vineyard 88 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Quite oaky on the nose, with a lot of sweet, creamy vanilla and only a little yellow fruit. It's not sweet in the mouth because the acidity is good, but there's not much fruit and it's strangely dilute, and it's a terrible match with oysters. A couple hours later the last pour from the bottle is much better, showing more concentrated spicy pear and a nice mineral crackle, but it's still nothing especially remarkable and I don't quite get all the hype here.
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2009 Dr. Loosen Bernkasteler Lay Riesling Kabinett 87 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Sweet lime/green apple fruit, round and juicy, gulpable but not particularly interesting. This is sweeter than I would prefer, especially for a kabinett. Not bad, but there's so much excellent inexpensive Riesling out there that this is a bit disappointing for its level.
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1968 Mastroberardino Taurasi Riserva Flawed
Italy, Campania, Taurasi DOCG
DOA.
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2009 Marcassin Pinot Noir Marcassin Vineyard 85 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Lots and lots of very sweet, candied red cherries, like drinking a jolly rancher. Quite dense and concentrated, with medium weight, extremely slick extract. Not much complexity -- the attraction here is the sweet fruit and the texture. This is a well-made wine in its idiom -- there's enough acidity so that it's in balance (whatever that means), and the alcohol is under control and doesn't stick out, so it's not undrinkable lighter fluid. Even though this is a little too candied and sweet for me, I can drink this, and though I don't much care for this candied style of Pinot Noir, I can see the appeal for fans of the style.
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2005 Domaine Ponsot Morey-Saint-Denis Cuvée des Grives Flawed
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey-Saint-Denis
Marred by VA. Shame, seemed nice otherwise, but hard to get much out of this.
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1991 Ridge Monte Bello 93 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Lovely deep, dark fruit, showing a fair amount of mint and well-integrated American oak. Extremely concentrated and powerful, rich and dense with very lush, fine tannins, this is a less structured, less complex, more Californian version of Monte Bello. The structure is well integrated and the this is drinking beautifully now, and I don't think this will improve much from here. It doesn't quite live up to the best-CA-cab-of-all-time hype surrounding this wine, and I don't think it will make truly old bones like some other MB vintages, but it's still a gorgeous bottle of wine.
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1990 Müller-Catoir Mußbacher Eselshaut Rieslaner Auslese Flawed
Germany, Pfalz
A previously coravined bottle. Candied orange peel and spice, but it turns oddly bitter in the mouth. Oxidized.
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2010 Sauternes 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Out of 375. Supposedly (wink, wink) declassified Yquem. It tastes like the finest French oak money could buy, in a good way, with lots of creamy vanilla and coconut and baking spice and hints of pineapple. It doesn't have the concentration or botrytis of real Yquem, but the acidity is excellent and despite the slender frame it's surprisingly complete and long in the midpalate. Very good with cheesecake. Yum.
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