Some wet hay, melon, and a bit of almond. Fresh with a lot of energy to the palate. Not especially complex -- but quite good for the $15 price. Very nice. (non-blind)
Very light straw color. Citrus blossoms and a Mosel-like lime / slate note to the nose. Good from start to finish. Mouthwatering acidity really begs another sip. Full and concentrated without being the least bit heavy. Outstanding stuff and worth seeking out.
Strong petrol aromatics dominate with some slate and apple in the background. There's good length here, but the overall impression is cloth rather than lace. A bit monolithic.
Quite (too) oaky both on the nose and palate. Any varietal signature is just wiped out. Seeming almost CA Rhone-ranger-like with its oily texture. The oak also contributes some green tannins to the wine -- some raspiness that's unappealing. High alcohol and really washed out finish. I can appreciate the big and bold versions of California Chard (the Auberts, for example), but this seems a brutal failure within that genre.
If you want something this full and oaky, why not go for a red wine? There's no lift, energy, or refreshment value for me in a wine like this. Not recommended.
Nose features a light note of eucalyptus / mint and some dried flowers -- some cherry fruit in the background. A little heat from the warm serving temperature. This is a nice and mature California Cab in the 'old style'. Great grip extends the finish. Nothing over-the-top here. Pretty nice juice.
Attention-grabbing nose here -- cellar smells mixed with mushroom/sous-bois, flowers, and fresh strawberries. On the palate, the stawberry / cherry fruit is deep but masked by the (too) powerful acidity of the vintage. The acids throw the wine out of balance a bit -- but everything else about it pulls you back to the glass. An exceptionally pure and beautiful nose adds points here. Serve with chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce -- something for the wine to cut through -- as it needs some food. Really nice, though.
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Reminded me of a Felsina Rancia. Whiff of sulfur blows of fast. Balances great ripeness, freshness, and grip. Quite dense but so full of energy too. Solid beginning through to the long finish. Terrific and, along with the Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet for follow, wine of the tasting for me. Improved from earlier showings of this wine -- it should be great in five years or so.
Foul, stinky, sour sweat socks on the nose. A light floral note emerges underneath. The fruit is light and lacks depth. Not deserving of a note, really. As can usually be said of wine from this producer, not recommended.
Lots of adjectives here -- huge, ripe, jammy, dense, coconut, pure, tasty, balanced, and long... what more can you ask for? This is really wonderful California Cabernet. Much, much better than last week's 2005 Switchback Ridge -- and, I suspect it will improve with age. If more people were making wines like this one at this price level, I might start buying them again. Reminds me of the 1992 on release. Really terrific stuff with some upside.
Dark chocolate, tar, and a lightly musty top note on the nose of this one. Another nice Cabernet -- again, dense, ripe, very lush with some grippy, sandy tannins covering the fruit. I like the grip here. Nice wine.
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Very, very ripe plums -- almost prune on the nose. Not quite stewy, but approaching it. A bit disjointed -- the wine doesn't all come together. I liked this more on release -- it seems to have closed up a bit. Not sure where this one is going. I'll probably hold off on opening another for a few years and hope for the best.
Spanish, right? I mean, the fruit has Aussie / California like sweetness but there's an earthiness to it -- something European that takes you to Spain. Really compact wine. Blueberry pie nose. Blueberry compote palate. Pretty simple at this early stage -- but, there's so much packed into this, and the balance is very good. Very fine grained and long. I would expect this to improve significantly with age. Nice wine, but drinking it today is a bit of a waste.
2007 Terredora di Paolo Falanghina Irpinia 88 Points
Italy, Campania, Irpinia
Some wet hay, melon, and a bit of almond. Fresh with a lot of energy to the palate. Not especially complex -- but quite good for the $15 price. Very nice. (non-blind)
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2007 Sineann Pinot Gris 90 Points
USA, Oregon
Very light straw color. Citrus blossoms and a Mosel-like lime / slate note to the nose. Good from start to finish. Mouthwatering acidity really begs another sip. Full and concentrated without being the least bit heavy. Outstanding stuff and worth seeking out.
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1999 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 89 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Strong petrol aromatics dominate with some slate and apple in the background. There's good length here, but the overall impression is cloth rather than lace. A bit monolithic.
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2006 Hartford / Hartford Court Chardonnay Stone Côte Vineyard 82 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Quite (too) oaky both on the nose and palate. Any varietal signature is just wiped out. Seeming almost CA Rhone-ranger-like with its oily texture. The oak also contributes some green tannins to the wine -- some raspiness that's unappealing. High alcohol and really washed out finish. I can appreciate the big and bold versions of California Chard (the Auberts, for example), but this seems a brutal failure within that genre.
If you want something this full and oaky, why not go for a red wine? There's no lift, energy, or refreshment value for me in a wine like this. Not recommended.
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1999 Murphy-Goode Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 90 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Alexander Valley
Nose features a light note of eucalyptus / mint and some dried flowers -- some cherry fruit in the background. A little heat from the warm serving temperature. This is a nice and mature California Cab in the 'old style'. Great grip extends the finish. Nothing over-the-top here. Pretty nice juice.
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1996 La Pousse d'Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Bousse d'Or 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Attention-grabbing nose here -- cellar smells mixed with mushroom/sous-bois, flowers, and fresh strawberries. On the palate, the stawberry / cherry fruit is deep but masked by the (too) powerful acidity of the vintage. The acids throw the wine out of balance a bit -- but everything else about it pulls you back to the glass. An exceptionally pure and beautiful nose adds points here. Serve with chicken in a creamy mushroom sauce -- something for the wine to cut through -- as it needs some food. Really nice, though.
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2000 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino 94 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Reminded me of a Felsina Rancia. Whiff of sulfur blows of fast. Balances great ripeness, freshness, and grip. Quite dense but so full of energy too. Solid beginning through to the long finish. Terrific and, along with the Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet for follow, wine of the tasting for me. Improved from earlier showings of this wine -- it should be great in five years or so.
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1998 Château Simard 75 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion
Foul, stinky, sour sweat socks on the nose. A light floral note emerges underneath. The fruit is light and lacks depth. Not deserving of a note, really. As can usually be said of wine from this producer, not recommended.
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2004 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve 94 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Lots of adjectives here -- huge, ripe, jammy, dense, coconut, pure, tasty, balanced, and long... what more can you ask for? This is really wonderful California Cabernet. Much, much better than last week's 2005 Switchback Ridge -- and, I suspect it will improve with age. If more people were making wines like this one at this price level, I might start buying them again. Reminds me of the 1992 on release. Really terrific stuff with some upside.
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2003 Pride Mountain Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 92 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Napa / Sonoma
Dark chocolate, tar, and a lightly musty top note on the nose of this one. Another nice Cabernet -- again, dense, ripe, very lush with some grippy, sandy tannins covering the fruit. I like the grip here. Nice wine.
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2003 Château Rol Valentin 88 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Very, very ripe plums -- almost prune on the nose. Not quite stewy, but approaching it. A bit disjointed -- the wine doesn't all come together. I liked this more on release -- it seems to have closed up a bit. Not sure where this one is going. I'll probably hold off on opening another for a few years and hope for the best.
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2004 Bodegas LAN Rioja Edición Limitada 93 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Spanish, right? I mean, the fruit has Aussie / California like sweetness but there's an earthiness to it -- something European that takes you to Spain. Really compact wine. Blueberry pie nose. Blueberry compote palate. Pretty simple at this early stage -- but, there's so much packed into this, and the balance is very good. Very fine grained and long. I would expect this to improve significantly with age. Nice wine, but drinking it today is a bit of a waste.
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