Slight reduction (crushed rock), classic New World chard - medium plus body, elevated alcohol (feels a bit hot), medium plus acid (good acid balance). Feels like 30% new French oak. Ripe Chardonnay fruit character - slight peach.
Juicy pyrazinic New World Bdx blend with some ripeness. Combination of black fruit and ripe bell pepper. Dry, full-bodied, high alcohol, medium plus acid, medium tannins - soft.
Clean slightly confected red cherry (30% whole berries). Ripe wine with elevated alcohol and only medium acid. Very modest impression of vanilla-toast oak (25% new French oak).
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Syrah-Grenache-Mataro
The nose has some fruit but is dominated by strong coffee notes - feels like 100% new French oak. GSM style structure - ripe attack with possible 2-3g RS, high alcohol, medium plus body, medium acid, low tannins. Clean winemaking.
Has good fruit ripeness and decent length, but the oak overpowers it.
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
Eucalyptus (elevated alcohol, possible eucalyptus, and also some pyrazines notes). Some vanilla (sees around 30% new French oak). Juicy with full body, elevated alcohol, medium plus tannins (fine) and medium plus acid. Ripe bell peppers. Missing some black fruit - has some ripe red cherry.
This is a ripe New World cab from a moderate climate - not as overblown as say a Barossa Shiraz. But riper than a typical Coonawarra cab.
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
Classic Shiraz nose of coffee liqueur, black plum, roasted blackberry, sweet cassis juice, and slight smoked meat. Full bodied, high alcohol - but well-contained, superb medium plus acid, medium plus tannins (surprisingly structured for Shiraz). Around 25% new French oak. Incredibly persistent finish - a well-knit shifting finish of sweet-and-savory fruit. This is what I think of when I think of great Shiraz.
Leaner than '17. Properly high acid. Some burnt match reduction. Low alcohol. Still needs lots of time to transform, but has potential. 11% 6.9g TA 0.91g/L RS
Lactic character - cream, yogurt. 11.5% alc. 7.3 gl acid. 2.7g RS. Creamy then classic reductive young Semillon notes. Citrus notes. Less aggressive reduction than the '11. Also less aggressive acid impression than the '11. This seems atypically creamy and low-acid for Hunter Semillon.
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula
Aggressive noble reduction and struck match. Nice new world style. Ripe lemon and tangerine. 25% new oak. Missing a bit of acid. Barely medium-plus. 13% alcohol (feels hotter - 13.5%).
Lots of vanilla new oak. Structured with elevated acid and tannins. Savory red meat notes. Ripe red fruit. Some sweet-tamari development. Slightly elevated alcohol. I didn't really understand this - need to taste again.
Malbec-Carmenere blend. Carmenere green pea notes but with ripeness and richness. Interesting. Savory yeasty toast. Good structure. Some black plum from Malbec. It tastes exactly like someone mixed Malbec with Carmenere. It's not bad, but I don't understand why. The Carmenere only detracts from the Malbec, and the Malbec doesn't really save the Carmenere. It's like a Bdx blend with a bunch of components missing.
Superripe cab franc. Reminiscent of Bartlett reserve blueberry wine (which is incredible by the way). Also reminds me of the '12 Oakville East Franc-n-Stern. Elevated acid and high tannins. 14.8% alcohol. Dense texture. Very good.
Pale ruby color. Fruity light rosé - red fruit aromas. Estery strawberry. Freshly structured - medium plus acid and medium tannins - fine grained. Like a new world Grenache rose. Elevated alcohol. It's not bad but doesn't really have any varietal character. Very cool to taste this historical variety though.
68 cab 20 Carmenere. 8% cab franc. Burnt buttered popcorn (diacetyl fault - like what happens in young high-end Bdx) sweet black fruit and vanilla spice. Modern BDX winemaking. On the palate, full bodied. Dense black fruit. Hint of Malbec-y weedy black fruit, with slight savory pyrazines. Medium plus acid and medium plus tannins. Ripe. Excellent new world example. Integrated like creme brûlée.
More prominent pyrazines than the '14. Earthy jalapeño with toast. Ripe bell pepper with baking spice. Nice. Structured - elevated alcohol, acid, tannins. Good integration.
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
Pale red color. Bright strawberry fruit - pretty nose, with expressive shades of red fruit. Slightly sweet on the palate (possible slight RS), high alcohol, medium body, elevated acid - possibly acidified. Low tannins. A very nice example of Aussie Grenache.
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
Precise fruit ripeness. Nose of sweet blackberry jam. Tastes 30-50% new oak. Well integrated. Sweet palate. Long finish. Med minus tannins. Med acid. Very nice.
Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Serra Gaúcha, Vale dos Vinhedos
Noble reduction. Oak is well done. A bit of spiced pear. Ripe lemon. Med plus acid, medium body, medium plus alcohol. Long finish. Very good. Stylistically most similar to Margaret River or Oregon. Not as ripe or oaked as a Napa/Sonoma Chard, but not as high acid as New Zealand. Fruit character speaks of sunlight, but the acid is still vibrant.
Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Serra Gaúcha, Vale dos Vinhedos
Faulty bacterial nose, underripe, and lactic. On the palate it's unpleasantly pyrazinic - green pea, raw bell pepper. Medium-plus body, medium-plus alcohol, medium plus acid (disjointed - possibly acidified), medium tannins (harsh and bitter).
Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Serra Gaúcha, Vale dos Vinhedos
Reductive struck match and burnt toast (heavy toast barrels?). Fruit is ripe but a bit thin. Medium plus alcohol, medium plus acid. Medium tannins - good texture. Not bad. A bit short.
Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Serra Gaúcha, Vale dos Vinhedos
Slight bacterial notes and a bit of Brett. Dry med plus body med plus alcohol super bitter with harsh med plus tannins and med plus acid (tastes acidified). Decent concentration of flavor but a bit of a mess.
Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Serra Gaúcha, Vale dos Vinhedos
Single vineyard merlot. Ripe blueberry. Slight bacterial and manure notes. Possible Brett. Dry, medium plus body, 13.5% alcohol, elevated acid, elevated tannins - a bit scratchy. Decent length.
Ripe, perfumed. Malbec-like slightly weedy fruit. I'm not a fan of the fruit character - cloudy strawberry jam palate. Elevated alcohol and acid, medium plus tannins. Strange.
Reductive Pinot-like fruit but with dark black cherry and some blackberry. High acid and medium plus tannins. High alcohol 14.5% Medium plus ruby color. Elevated alcohol. Not bad!
Opaque purple. Nose is dominated by Malbec fruit but with some blackcurrant. High alcohol, aggressive possibly acidified acid, and medium papery tannins.
Beautiful peppery jalapeño nose. Dark ripe blackberry fruit. Dry, full bodied, elevated acid and tannins. 18 months in new French oak, and carries it well - a backdrop of modest vanilla-toast sweetness.
Nice black cherry, forest leaves, correct high acid med, minus soft tissue-like tannins. Slight oak - probably 20% new French oak or less. A great Otago pinot.
NV Peter Vella Cabernet Sauvignon 70 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
@Blockchain meetup.
From a box.
Medium minus ruby. Sweet - 8-10g RS. Generic red wine. No flavor. Medium plus alcohol.
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2015 Yeringberg Chardonnay 87 Points
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
Slight reduction (crushed rock), classic New World chard - medium plus body, elevated alcohol (feels a bit hot), medium plus acid (good acid balance). Feels like 30% new French oak. Ripe Chardonnay fruit character - slight peach.
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2014 Yeringberg 87 Points
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
Juicy pyrazinic New World Bdx blend with some ripeness.
Combination of black fruit and ripe bell pepper.
Dry, full-bodied, high alcohol, medium plus acid, medium tannins - soft.
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2015 Giant Steps Pinot Noir 84 Points
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
Clean slightly confected red cherry (30% whole berries). Ripe wine with elevated alcohol and only medium acid.
Very modest impression of vanilla-toast oak (25% new French oak).
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2013 John Duval Wines Plexus 84 Points
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Syrah-Grenache-Mataro
The nose has some fruit but is dominated by strong coffee notes - feels like 100% new French oak.
GSM style structure - ripe attack with possible 2-3g RS, high alcohol, medium plus body, medium acid, low tannins. Clean winemaking.
Has good fruit ripeness and decent length, but the oak overpowers it.
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2012 Leeuwin Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Art Series 85 Points
Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River
Eucalyptus (elevated alcohol, possible eucalyptus, and also some pyrazines notes). Some vanilla (sees around 30% new French oak). Juicy with full body, elevated alcohol, medium plus tannins (fine) and medium plus acid. Ripe bell peppers. Missing some black fruit - has some ripe red cherry.
This is a ripe New World cab from a moderate climate - not as overblown as say a Barossa Shiraz. But riper than a typical Coonawarra cab.
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2013 d'Arenberg Shiraz The Dead Arm 90 Points
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
Classic Shiraz nose of coffee liqueur, black plum, roasted blackberry, sweet cassis juice, and slight smoked meat.
Full bodied, high alcohol - but well-contained, superb medium plus acid, medium plus tannins (surprisingly structured for Shiraz).
Around 25% new French oak.
Incredibly persistent finish - a well-knit shifting finish of sweet-and-savory fruit.
This is what I think of when I think of great Shiraz.
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2011 De Iuliis Sémillon Aged Release
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Leaner than '17. Properly high acid. Some burnt match reduction. Low alcohol. Still needs lots of time to transform, but has potential.
11% 6.9g TA 0.91g/L RS
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2017 De Iuliis Sémillon
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Lactic character - cream, yogurt. 11.5% alc. 7.3 gl acid. 2.7g RS.
Creamy then classic reductive young Semillon notes. Citrus notes. Less aggressive reduction than the '11. Also less aggressive acid impression than the '11. This seems atypically creamy and low-acid for Hunter Semillon.
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2014 De Iuliis Shiraz 83 Points
Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley
Reductive. Ripe blackberry jam. Slight smoked meat. Underripe blackberry.
Hot. Medium minus tannins. High acid - disjointed, possibly acidified.
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2014 Moorooduc Estate Pinot Noir 84 Points
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula
Ripe red cherry - slightly confected (possible partial carbonic/whole-cluster). Sweet. Medium acid. 25% new oak.
Good fruit character but needs acid.
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2012 Moorooduc Estate Pinot Noir Robinson Vineyard 85 Points
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula
Ripe fruit, more forest floor / leaves than the '14 Estate, but also feels a bit faded. Leaner structure, medium plus acid.
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2012 Moorooduc Estate Chardonnay Estate 86 Points
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Mornington Peninsula
Aggressive noble reduction and struck match. Nice new world style. Ripe lemon and tangerine. 25% new oak.
Missing a bit of acid. Barely medium-plus. 13% alcohol (feels hotter - 13.5%).
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2013 De Martino Vigno La Aguada
Chile, Maule Valley
Lots of vanilla new oak. Structured with elevated acid and tannins. Savory red meat notes. Ripe red fruit. Some sweet-tamari development. Slightly elevated alcohol. I didn't really understand this - need to taste again.
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2014 De Martino Old Vine Malbec Carmenere Las Cruces 87 Points
Chile, Rapel Valley, Cachapoal Valley
Malbec-Carmenere blend.
Carmenere green pea notes but with ripeness and richness. Interesting. Savory yeasty toast. Good structure. Some black plum from Malbec. It tastes exactly like someone mixed Malbec with Carmenere. It's not bad, but I don't understand why. The Carmenere only detracts from the Malbec, and the Malbec doesn't really save the Carmenere. It's like a Bdx blend with a bunch of components missing.
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2012 Gillmore Cabernet Franc Old Vines 88 Points
Chile, Maule Valley, Loncomilla Valley
Superripe cab franc. Reminiscent of Bartlett reserve blueberry wine (which is incredible by the way). Also reminds me of the '12 Oakville East Franc-n-Stern. Elevated acid and high tannins. 14.8% alcohol. Dense texture. Very good.
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2017 Garage Wine Co. País 215 BC Ferment 86 Points
Chile, Maule Valley, Cauquenes
Pale ruby color. Fruity light rosé - red fruit aromas. Estery strawberry.
Freshly structured - medium plus acid and medium tannins - fine grained. Like a new world Grenache rose. Elevated alcohol.
It's not bad but doesn't really have any varietal character. Very cool to taste this historical variety though.
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2014 Viña Almaviva S.A. Almaviva 88 Points
Chile, Maipo Valley, Puente Alto
68 cab 20 Carmenere. 8% cab franc.
Burnt buttered popcorn (diacetyl fault - like what happens in young high-end Bdx) sweet black fruit and vanilla spice. Modern BDX winemaking.
On the palate, full bodied. Dense black fruit. Hint of Malbec-y weedy black fruit, with slight savory pyrazines. Medium plus acid and medium plus tannins. Ripe. Excellent new world example. Integrated like creme brûlée.
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2013 Viña Almaviva S.A. Almaviva 90 Points
Chile, Maipo Valley, Puente Alto
More prominent pyrazines than the '14. Earthy jalapeño with toast. Ripe bell pepper with baking spice. Nice.
Structured - elevated alcohol, acid, tannins. Good integration.
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2015 Angove Shiraz Grenache Warboys Vineyard 88 Points
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
Pale red color.
Bright strawberry fruit - pretty nose, with expressive shades of red fruit.
Slightly sweet on the palate (possible slight RS), high alcohol, medium body, elevated acid - possibly acidified. Low tannins. A very nice example of Aussie Grenache.
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2010 Angove Shiraz The Medhyk Old Vine 88 Points
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
Precise fruit ripeness. Nose of sweet blackberry jam. Tastes 30-50% new oak. Well integrated. Sweet palate. Long finish. Med minus tannins. Med acid. Very nice.
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2016 Pizzato Chardonnay Legno 88 Points
Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Serra Gaúcha, Vale dos Vinhedos
Noble reduction. Oak is well done. A bit of spiced pear. Ripe lemon. Med plus acid, medium body, medium plus alcohol. Long finish. Very good.
Stylistically most similar to Margaret River or Oregon. Not as ripe or oaked as a Napa/Sonoma Chard, but not as high acid as New Zealand. Fruit character speaks of sunlight, but the acid is still vibrant.
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2014 Pizzato Tannat Fausto 60 Points
Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Serra Gaúcha, Vale dos Vinhedos
Faulty bacterial nose, underripe, and lactic.
On the palate it's unpleasantly pyrazinic - green pea, raw bell pepper. Medium-plus body, medium-plus alcohol, medium plus acid (disjointed - possibly acidified), medium tannins (harsh and bitter).
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2014 Pizzato Merlot Reserva 85 Points
Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Serra Gaúcha, Vale dos Vinhedos
Reductive struck match and burnt toast (heavy toast barrels?). Fruit is ripe but a bit thin. Medium plus alcohol, medium plus acid. Medium tannins - good texture. Not bad. A bit short.
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2012 Pizzato Alicante Bouschet Reserva 78 Points
Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Serra Gaúcha, Vale dos Vinhedos
Slight bacterial notes and a bit of Brett. Dry med plus body med plus alcohol super bitter with harsh med plus tannins and med plus acid (tastes acidified). Decent concentration of flavor but a bit of a mess.
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2012 Pizzato Merlot DNA 99 82 Points
Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Serra Gaúcha, Vale dos Vinhedos
Single vineyard merlot. Ripe blueberry. Slight bacterial and manure notes. Possible Brett.
Dry, medium plus body, 13.5% alcohol, elevated acid, elevated tannins - a bit scratchy. Decent length.
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2015 Achával-Ferrer Cabernet Franc 85 Points
Argentina, Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo
Ripe, perfumed. Malbec-like slightly weedy fruit. I'm not a fan of the fruit character - cloudy strawberry jam palate. Elevated alcohol and acid, medium plus tannins. Strange.
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2015 Achával-Ferrer Malbec 86 Points
Argentina, Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo
Reductive Pinot-like fruit but with dark black cherry and some blackberry. High acid and medium plus tannins. High alcohol 14.5% Medium plus ruby color. Elevated alcohol. Not bad!
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2015 Achával-Ferrer Cabernet Sauvignon 82 Points
Argentina, Mendoza
Yeasty indistinct ripe red cherry fruit, high alcohol, high acid. Medium tannins - papery. Not great.
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2012 Achával-Ferrer Quimera 82 Points
Argentina, Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo
Opaque purple. Nose is dominated by Malbec fruit but with some blackcurrant. High alcohol, aggressive possibly acidified acid, and medium papery tannins.
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2013 Achával-Ferrer Malbec Finca Bella Vista 87 Points
Argentina, Mendoza
Malbec-y weedy black plum with some floral cherry. High alcohol, elevated acid and tannins. Better tannin texture than the Quimera.
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2013 Achával-Ferrer Malbec Finca Altamira 86 Points
Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco, La Consulta
Floral black cherry nose. Riper palate than Bella vista. Medium plus tannins, high alcohol, high acid.
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2013 Achával-Ferrer Malbec Finca Mirador
Argentina, Mendoza
Closed down. Hints of dense black fruit. High alcohol, high acid, and medium plus tannins. Good density and length but closed. No score.
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2013 Pulenta Estate Gran Cabernet Franc XI 88 Points
Argentina, Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo, Agrelo
Beautiful peppery jalapeño nose. Dark ripe blackberry fruit.
Dry, full bodied, elevated acid and tannins. 18 months in new French oak, and carries it well - a backdrop of modest vanilla-toast sweetness.
· Alcohol: 14.5 %
· TA: 5.70 g/l
· pH: 3.78
. RS: 2.05 g/l
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2016 Clearview Estate Syrah Cape Kidnappers 88 Points
New Zealand, North Island, Hawke's Bay
Peppery, elegant blackberry, softened medium tannins, high acid. A great example of NZ Syrah.
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2014 Ceres Pinot Noir Composition 88 Points
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
Nice black cherry, forest leaves, correct high acid med, minus soft tissue-like tannins. Slight oak - probably 20% new French oak or less. A great Otago pinot.
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