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Wine Type Vintage Name Variety Locale Date Posted Score Helpful Comments Comment Date Community Score More...
White - Sparkling

2009 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut

 Champagne Blend more
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12/29/2023 - Brolawa wrote: NR

B3. Solid but not off charts

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    12/30/2023 3:00:00 PM - Solid but flawed????
Red

1973 Cantine del Castello Feudale di Montegrosso d'Asti Barbaresco Riserva Speciale

 Nebbiolo more
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11/3/2023 - WetRock wrote: NR

Not madierized in any way. Just coming to the end of it's life. About thirty minutes of air does bring out a bit of herby complications. The fruit expression just never gets beyond a light cherry and tea thing. A wine in this state certainly excites some more than others. At the price it was a gamble anyways.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    12/24/2023 9:11:00 PM - Hi EM. Maybe a decant for sediment if you are sensitive to that. I just wouldn't expect a lot. It seems to have lived but its more for fun at this point than star of the show. I'd have another bottle open in case someone isn't into ancient wines. ;)
Red

2021 Ridge Zinfandel Benito Dusi

 Paso Robles more
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10/26/2023 - WetRock wrote: NR

This was quite a roller coaster. It went from simple and fruity to more dusty Paso classic with stops in between. For a time it was more Central Coast tar like even. At any rate there just didn't seem to be the backbone of the better vintages of this wine. I'm a bit surprised they didn't do the declassify down to the Paso Robles bottle thing. But maybe it just needs some rest.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    11/14/2023 8:27:00 PM - It was an odd performance. I thought the previous year was more consistent. Its never my favorite wine but its certainly fun when a full throttle old Zin hits the mood. The 2015 was really good in its time. Super high in ABV for Ridge but just kinda perfect all the same.
White - Sparkling

NV Dhondt-Grellet Champagne Premier Cru Les Terres Fines Blanc de Blancs

 Chardonnay more
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11/5/2023 - WetRock wrote: NR

This appears to have nearly identical stats to the Cramant bottling. 70% base 2019. Disg 07/22. Just a half gram more dosage = 1.5 g/L. I wonder if this is merely a difference in lot selection. I'm enjoying this one more. More is going on here. Some complexity and toastiness. The fruit has a touch of sweetness to it. Seems to close up some overnight. In any case I think it could use a touch more rest to take the edge of the pronounced citrus on the palate. I remember being impressed with this bottling on my first introductions a few years back and I continue to like this. Especially since they went to a more realistic bottle.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    11/6/2023 6:32:00 PM - Naw. I'm not one to fuss over it too much. The Special Club and Krug bottles are annoying to store but if the wine is great, so be it. The previous Dhondt-Grellet bottles were comically big and heavy. Just big, wide, heavy and long. They are still big in comparison to many but the previous renditions were just dumb.
Red

2013 Forman Cabernet Sauvignon

 Napa Valley more
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10/30/2023 - WineDuq Likes this wine: 93 points

Strangest experience with this wine. Opened it, deemed it unflawed, poured into a decanter to breathe for 2 hours. First glass had no nose, very little flavor, dry and tart. I thought maybe it was ever so slightly corked. Came back to it 2 hours later and now the nose exploded with sweet floral notes, oak, blackberries. Very nice California cabernet with no overblown oak or extraction. Very enjoyable. Thankfully I didn't pour it down the drain at the 2-hour mark.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    11/1/2023 11:05:00 AM - I'm not surprised at your experience. Forman makes a more traditionally styled wine. At ten years its still young.
White - Sparkling

NV Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut

 Chardonnay more
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4/28/2023 - forceberry wrote: 89 points

100% Chardonnay from four Grand Cru vineyards in Côte de Blancs. Based on the 2018 vintage (80%) along with a small addition of perpetual reserve (20%). Aged on the lees for a minimum of 36 months. 12% alcohol, dosage 2 g/l. Tasted blind.

Pale, youthful whitish-green color. The nose feels ripe and sweet-toned with aromas of leesy creaminess, some white peach, a little bit of apple jam, light floral notes of apple blossom and a hint of chalky minerality. The wine feels dry, crisp and slightly austere on the palate with a medium body and somewhat linear flavors of mealy red apple, some crunchy notes of white currants, a little bit of fragrant floral character, light mineral notes of chalky bitterness and wet rocks and a hint of leesy creaminess. The wine is pretty high in acidity with a silky smooth mousse. The finish is dry, crisp and moderately long with a bright but also somewhat linear aftertaste of fresh red apple, some leesy notes of yeast, a little bit of stony minerality, light bitter nuances of apple peel, a hint of chalk dust and a touch of ripe white peach.

A nice and balanced but also somewhat linear and slightly austere Champagne. The wine isn't too lean or bracing, as there seems to be more than enough of ripeness to offset the acidity despite the very low dosage. However, there's very little in the way of depth or complexity - this feels more like a straightforward palate-cleanser with youthful white fruit flavors and some mineral overtones. The wine drinks nicely, but offers very little of anything that would keep me engaged. While I happily drink stuff like this, there's really nothing that would make me fill my cellar with these kinds of wines. I hope additional age would make the wine develop some additional depth of flavor, breadth and tertiary complexity.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    11/1/2023 11:00:00 AM - I'm glad to see some agreement in the notes. This is priced locally quite aggressively at $65 now. That makes the value quite poor, even given the overall increases from Champagne the last couple years. Remarkable they still made an austere wine with 2018 fruit.
Red

2006 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia

 Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more
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9/3/2023 - kalissa Likes this wine: 89 points

The 2006 vintage has not been outstanding in my experience, and while this is a strong effort, it lacks the fruit of more successful vintages. While there is still some tannin on the finish I feel it would be best to drink this now before it dries out too much.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    9/10/2023 4:08:00 PM - I'm glad someone agrees with me. A good wine but just that IMO. The surrounding vintages are certainly more apt to benefit from cellaring than the '06.
Red

2017 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Summa Old Vines

 Sonoma Coast more
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8/15/2023 - Remon K Likes this wine: 96 points

It's like licorice, orange, and Fanta
The peach scent feels like white tea
It's full of sweet, sour, and bright scents
You can feel the carbonation
Wine that I thought was very lovely overall

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    8/16/2023 9:30:00 AM - Fanta and carbonation? Maybe you meant this note on another wine? :)
White

2015 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Viña Gravonia

 Viura, Macabeo more
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7/6/2023 - WetRock wrote: NR

As expected, this needed plenty of air to be at its best. But its best falls a bit short of expectations. That only speaks to the high expectations this wine carries. The fruit is a bit thin. There just isn't the depth you want from this wine. After a night or two it does get a good deal more complex but without the body it never really finds its groove. A good wine but check your expectations. Its only going to really need a couple years more rest.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    7/27/2023 9:13:00 PM - I mean that its not quite fully mature. I think it will be mature earlier than most vintages of this bottling as there doesn't seem to be the fruit depth we expect from the Gravonia. Its still a strong wine but a lesser vintage.
White

2017 Domaine Macle Chardonnay Sous Voile

 Côtes du Jura more
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7/1/2023 - The Wine Dispatch [b2w.wine] wrote: NR

Rich, nutty, carmel apple. Dry with aldehydic hay notes. Just a hint of salinity. Acidic and intense, richly textured and more round than Savagnin under veil.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    7/7/2023 10:40:00 AM - Sous voile means under the veil.
White

2015 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Hengst

 Alsace Grand Cru Gewürztraminer more
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8/12/2022 - foyfrcs Likes this wine: 90 points

Medium amber.
Sweet.
Full bodied, complex, long finish.
Stone fruits&t topical fruits on the nose with some marmalade .
Lychees, figs, prunes palate.
Difficult to know what to drink this with (food wise.)
Very good wine, may improve, I probably, on current showing, drink this pre-dinner or with dessert.
Have enjoyed Gewürztraminer with curry in the past, but I think this is too sweet.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    6/28/2023 12:46:00 PM - One of my favorite pairings of all-time is Alsace Gewurz with Peking Duck.
Red

2020 Ridge Mazzoni Home Ranch

 Sonoma County Zinfandel Blend, Zinfandel more
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5/4/2023 - ChateauShiny wrote: 87 points

Decanted for about 60 minutes before I wrote the TN.

Even on the PnP, this invokes a nose of the I associate with the 2020 vintage - strawberries, violets, citrus blossoms, and a bit of spice. Medium-light bodied, a bit flat on the acidity, drinks like a Ridge, but this is just shallow. Palate of strawberries, a bit of bramble, violets, baking spices, and a bit of leather. The tannin structure is a bit disjoint, sometimes it is non existent and other times the structure is overwhelming. It can't make up its mine. Medium-length finish of tart strawberries, black pepper, light American oak spices, and a bit of darker minerals.

Oof - it pains me to score this so low. I think this is a product of the 2020 vintage. Maybe this needed more air. It was starting to pull together a bit more at the end of the bottle, but that was not enough to save it. There's a lot less Carignane than previous vintages we love and adore - and it shows to me.

This is still a decent wine. But it does concern me that Ridge is avoiding talking about the 2020 NorCal fire season and how it effected harvesting and the winemaking.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    6/19/2023 6:33:00 PM - I am find this bottling just doesn't have the guts that it usually does. In looking at my notes for the other 2020 Ridge wines I am starting to wonder about the effect of the fires. Ridge is weirdly silent on it when they have been a winery that liked to talk over most of its history. The fact that the wines from areas where there would be possible fire taint are showing weakly and other wineries chose to do other things that year is highly suspect. As in they may have chose some mitigation but didn't want to say anything about it.
White - Sparkling

2014 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année

 Champagne Blend more
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6/17/2023 - Isa&Steve wrote: NR

We only bought two bottles I mistakenly entered it twice

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    6/17/2023 10:30:00 PM - Hi. I think you accidentally wrote in the tasting note section instead of private note area. Just copy it, delete and paste into the right area.
Red

2014 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco

 Nebbiolo more
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6/1/2023 - KNNOngQW Likes this wine: 91 points

prominent tertiary on the nose
- Barnyard, forest floor
Primary
- Black cherries/dark fruit
Secondary
- Oak

Alc - Med
Dry
Acidity - Med +
tannin - Med +
Body Med +
FI Med +
Finish Med +

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    6/1/2023 7:21:00 PM - Tertiary!? It's not even ten years old.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    6/1/2023 7:50:00 PM - Tertiary notes are what you get when a wine is going past its secondary phase. As in past the place where most people would put it in its prime.
    Primary >> secondary >> tertiary
    A wine made in a traditional style like Produttori will take decades to get to where it's giving tertiary notes. A young wine in its primary phase will often give characteristics we might refer to as secondary like tobacco and earth due to things like reduction or oak treatment. But it's clear by the context that a wine like this would barely be getting to maybe it's secondary phase. Honestly, lots of people who are not fans of well aged wines will call wines in their tertiary phases "tired" or "over the hill".
Red

2019 Château d'Issan

 Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend more
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5/29/2023 - Rune Schwartz Likes this wine: 92 points

Lively, still quite undevrloped. Would guess feminine style.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    5/30/2023 6:56:00 PM - Mature?
Red

2019 Château d'Issan

 Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend more
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5/27/2023 - Sundbyberg wrote: 90 points

Napa evening with one bottle of Bordeaux (semiblind):

2016 Dunn Howell Mountain: A bit thin, lacking power. I have only had the 2013 before, but it was better. Wait 5 years or so: 92 pts.
2017 Beringer Private Reserve: A really good wine with depth and seductive fruit, without being over the top. 95 pts
2018 Gallica - I really liked the 2008 but the 2018 was just so-so: 91 pts
2019 Chateau Issan: Not convincing. Loved the 2018 but the 2019 did not deliver. 90 pts.

All bottles were opened 5 days in advance and then decanted before dinner. They all improved during our dinner.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    5/27/2023 4:09:00 PM - Five days!? No wonder you got mixed results. I would certainly be curious about wines open that long but I would never judge their relative quality after being open that long. That's like having some people stay up 72 hours straight and then judging them on a dance contest. Some might do great. Some might do fine. Some might be terrible. What you wouldn't know is actually how good they are at dancing from that contest.
Red

2019 Château Laroque St. Émilion Grand Cru

 Red Bordeaux Blend more
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5/16/2023 - WetRock wrote: NR

Quite tight and austere on night one. It did show plenty of tannin and acidity behind decent density. Night two shows the fruit opening quite nicely. Plummy fruit with facets of tobacco, chocolate and rocks. The aforementioned tannin and acidity really makes this wine work. It's likely to be at it's best with a few more years rest. The tannin is still lengthy and a touch astringent yet. And the fruit should unfold further. All that just makes this a very nice value. A stupid, crazy value if you can get it at Costco for $23 still.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    5/18/2023 5:23:00 PM - Never. Most $100 St Emilion is way overpriced. ;)
White

2015 Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains

 more
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5/11/2023 - wmccone54 Likes this wine: 94 points

As pointed out in my detailed tasting note from October 2021, this is an exceptional California Chardonnay (assuming you enjoy the richer, more buttery style). If I hadn’t seen the label, I would have pegged this for a well aged Village or Premier level Chassagne Montrachet, or Meursault (French White Burgundy). Still a few secondary notes, but mostly tertiary, indicating this is in the early mature phase. Balanced, Lengthy, Intense, and Complex. Perfect with the baked Chilean Sea Bass over riced Cauliflower and Broccoli florets, topped with white Queso cheese. Drink through 2025+.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    5/15/2023 5:38:00 PM - Perhaps you mean secondary? If this wine is exhibiting mostly tertiary notes at 8 years in, its probably been treated badly and is damaged.
White - Sparkling

NV André Clouet Champagne Un jour de 1911...

 Pinot Noir more
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5/13/2023 - WetRock wrote: NR

Served blind. Apparently the base is from 2008. Lots of color. Fresh and complex nose with a golden quality. Juicy, fresh and very dry. I thought a no dose wine but I do not believe that is the case with this bottling. Intriguing wine as it showed young and mature at the same time. One of the better wines on the day.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    5/15/2023 1:02:00 PM - That information was provided by the owner of the bottle. I assume there is some code on the bottle or one can calculate if from a disgorgement date if that is provided.
White - Off-dry

2005 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel #9

 Mosel Saar Ruwer more
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5/12/2023 - WetRock wrote: NR

From a 375. This is very engaging. Petrol and fresh apple aromas greet immediately. Sappy palate yet with a light spritz that fades out in short order. Gets rounder and shows riper characters with air. More pear and melon come forward. The sugar seems pretty close to being fully integrated now. One knock would be that it doesn't quite carry all the acidity to give it good lift. Its so expressive and tasty you forget pretty quick. Very good.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    5/13/2023 10:34:00 AM - That depends on what you are looking for. As I mentioned the sugar is nearly completely integrated. The wine itself is quite bright and sunny at the moment. If you like your Riesling more lean bodied in maturity, its not quite there yet. It will certainly age for many years longer if you want but its in a terrific spot now. I do have a 750 that I think I will keep a bit longer just because of the size difference.
Red

2006 Terredora di Paolo Taurasi CampoRe

 Taurasi DOCG Aglianico more
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5/6/2023 - WetRock wrote: flawed

This bottle was marred by either the brett that can smell like TCA or TCA itself. In either case it was not pleasant. There was never enough fruit expression to combat that or the herby tannins. Given how the other bottles were I have to conclude this one was flawed.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    5/10/2023 7:58:00 AM - Thanks for the comment, Queen. Your bottle sounds just like mine. I only had two so I was 50% on these. I would like more from this producer even with the brett issue or whatever that may have been. The rusticity is so rare these days.

    But now I have Abba stuck in my head. ;)
White - Sparkling

NV Bollinger Champagne Special Cuvée Brut

 Champagne Blend more
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5/3/2023 - xyc Likes this wine: 92 points

Why does Cellar tracker list both Special Cuvee - no "Brut" on the bottle and Special Cuvee? The site cares none for such details, I guess. One of hundreds of examples of "our site, not our problem."

Bollinger has mastered the art of Champagne, toasty but no assertive yeast, fruit so subtly integrated, floral on the nose and the tongue. It has a personality and a signature.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    5/5/2023 5:15:00 PM - You can report listing issues. There are too many entries for them to police all of them real-time. New wine listings are by user input.
White

2014 R. López de Heredia Rioja Blanco Viña Gravonia

 Viura, Macabeo more
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5/2/2023 - Ozric wrote: 84 points

Nose: Sneakers, rubber, wax, chemicals.

Palate: Soft entry with low acidity initially. The acidity creeps in on the mid-palate along with a bitterness. There is some vanilla and bread i the aftertaste.

As a big fan of sherry I was expecting to find some similar characteristics. There is nothing about this wine that is close to any sherry.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    5/3/2023 8:23:00 AM - This is not a Sherry. Its just a normal still, unfortified wine.
Red

2010 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia

 Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more
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3/18/2023 - mimik Likes this wine: 92 points

This wine was sublime and one of the better incarnations of the tondonia reservas. Still young and will need another decade before it shows it stuff. Long cedar finish.

Disclaimer: I do not only drink Leroy/drc/1st growths but appreciate wine for more than just the label.

  • Comment posted by WetRock:

    3/18/2023 5:53:00 PM - lol. Trolltastic. That poster deleted their original note and then posted it again with comments closed. He clearly cannot accept other opinions.

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