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Wine Type Vintage Name Variety Locale Date Posted Score Helpful Comments Comment Date Community Score More...
Red

2007 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo

 Nebbiolo more
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8/30/2020 - aagrawal wrote: 89 points

Stood up for a month, decanted with a normal amount of settled sediment for its age. Light ruby color with slight hint of bricking, younger than expected for Nebbiolo at this age; nose is moderately aromatic with some roses and red fruits; palate is light-medium bodied with a velvety texture, tannins present but well integrated, medium-plus to high acidity, high alcohol (15%) but well balanced and not hot; finish is medium length and balanced with some dominant tannin. This is a very nice barolo, well balanced, at a good stage for drinking, though I agree with other notes that it is just a bit lacking personality. This certainly isn't unexpected for a Barolo classico, and this does not strike me as overpoweringly modern, so overall nice. 89
Tasted over 7 hours: no additional complexity, tannins if anything became a bit more intense. Acidity is still high and refreshing, but this is still a darker Barolo, not a lighter ethereal style. 88-89
Day 2: This held up surprisingly well, without any dropoff but also without gaining in complexity. A good food wine, excellent balance without anything out of place.

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    1/10/2024 6:21:00 PM - Thank you for posting an actual note- after the first 6 were not particularly relevant. We drink many wines in common and your comments are always appreciated.
Red

2010 Gérard Courbis St. Joseph

 Syrah more
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9/24/2018 - COWineLover wrote: NR

Nondescript. Nothing special. Drink.

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    8/30/2023 6:24:00 PM - Cowinelover:
    Think you got this too early. Not the best Northern Rhone, but it is St. Joseph and reasonably priced. If you pass through LA- feel free to reach out.
Red

2005 Château Montrose

 St. Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend more
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5/29/2023 - landonemory@gmail.com Likes this wine: 96 points

I gave this a 9 hour slow ox. Then served it at a friend's house in which we drank it over a 3 hour window of time.
The bouquet immediately compelled my intrigue with glorious
aromas of violets , sage , basalmic , ripe figs. One of the most attractive gathering of smells I've ever experienced in a Bordeaux.
We couldn't stop whiffing it. My friend said this was the 5th time he has had the '05 Montrose and every one of them smelled just as amazing.
On the palate it was just as spectacular with such precision and purity of all elements coming together with no one component dominating. Blackberries, blueberries, and mission fig melded with savory thyme as a necessary graphite frame pulsed through the mid-palate and beyond .
Tannin , acidity , fruit and secondary flavors were all in harmony to create a fantastic wine experience. I give it 96 pts and ponder if it will get WAY better than this in the next decade. For me and my friend Nick it definitely doesn't need to wait any longer but the key to that conclusion is giving it lots of patience by slow ox as stated earlier. Maybe the only thing lacking is the finish could be even longer. It was a 15 second length.
On an extra note , we started our tasting by drinking a 2000 Leoville Las Cases followed by a 2002 Chateu Musar from Lebanon and then the 2005 Montrose. We left some of the first two bottles to revisit. The Musar was absolutely delightful and had an almost brandy like quality on the nose. The Las Cases was good but for some reason Las Cases has never performed as well as expected given the cost.
I would describe the '05 Montose as a girl next door kind of beauty that does seduce you but not in a slutty way. This was pure class and that's the way I prefer it to be.

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    7/6/2023 10:07:00 PM - Hello
    05 (and 00) is a baby- but tasty. I wouldn’t touch the 10. Own 8 05 and drank one last year, and with a several hour decant was delicious but young. Just in case you want to ever try really aged wines- for the price, Montrose is probably the best Bordeaux to experiment with- (with old Latour the best if 500-700 is OK with you for 50+ year old bottles). I have had the 66, 70, 71 (supposedly an at best average vintage) all in the last year and all are drinking really well even if on their slow descent. With wines of that age- provenance is even more crucial though. Get to know your local auction house (live or on-line) to be able to get basic information about how the wines were stored.
Red

2003 Château Branaire-Ducru

 St. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend more
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7/5/2023 - nkirsch wrote: 87 points

The cork was dried out as were a few other bottles. I think this wine is 5 years past its drink by date. Wine was alright, and drinkable, but nothing special

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    7/5/2023 10:36:00 PM - You mention that the cork was dried out as were several others. Where are these wines being stored? This sounds very much like a storage issue as this wine is just starting to hit its drinking window. All of my wine is stored at 57 degrees and 70 percent humidity at 2 professional facilities. Fairly recently I have had Branaire as old as 1966, and while I would agree those have seen better days, 2003 is not at all in decline. Happy to discuss drinking windows at anytime.

    P.S. I lived i. Kalorama triangle, Dupont circle and Arlington decades ago. Calvert Woodley was basically the best and almost only place back then- has it stood the test of time?

    Best
    Alan
Red

2017 Liparita Heritage Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak - Napa Valley Atlas Peak

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6/30/2023 - robmatic wrote: 91 points

Super dense, blueberry milk shake, could dilute this 50/50 with water and have two bottles of wine. Great stuff if you're in the mood.

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    7/3/2023 4:48:00 PM - F-ing falling over laughing! Thanks for the “two bottles”!
Red

1970 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

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3/11/2023 - Venice Al Likes this wine: 93 points

Remarkable at 50! From a 750 that was stored at the Wine Locker untouched since 1976. Great fill, cork saturated but intact with Durand. Significant bricking and in a tasting pour can see through to the stem. On the nose it clearly shows age with tobacco, dried flowers, cherry fruit, cedar, a nice saline mineral component. On the palate it is consistent with good acid - tannin balance and great mouthfeel. Fruit is still alive - though if I had well stored bottles, I would drink it rather than risk decline. Beautiful showing from this “regular” Napa cab!

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    6/9/2023 8:43:00 PM - Funny! I was actually at a primarily Bordeaux and Burgundy dinner last night. We started discussing the 1978 Mondavi - both reserve and “regular” Napa valley. 1 friend has a 6 liter- but he knows not if it is the reg or reserve as it is hidden away. Based on my experience with magnums of the 78 “reg” - the last of which I finished about 6-8 years ago, with a 6 liter, it will be great!
Red

2012 Domaine Michel Gay et Fils Chorey-les-Beaune

 Pinot Noir more
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4/9/2021 - Owen97 wrote: 75 points

A tad light on intensity, found myself constantly swirling to try to grab more aroma. That said, there is some juicy cherry fruit along with a hint of some forest floor complexity from the bottle age.

Not overly interesting. Probably not getting any better for most, but I’m keeping hold of the rest of mine for a couple of years to see if it changes into a mushroom fest, as the balance is there to hold a few years.

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    6/10/2021 7:15:00 PM - Very different experience tonight with perfectly stored bottle. Raspberry, pomegranate, cherry, some warm spice,and forest floor. Still young! Not a blow your mind wine, but solid at the price and clearly burgundy! Had many clunkers at 3xs the price.
Red

2015 Domaine Grand Nicolet Rasteau Terres de Bertrand

 Red Rhone Blend more
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1/24/2021 - Francophile Does not like this wine: 85 points

My wife and I try to agree a score on our evening wine. Her comment about this was it is very acidic has no fruit and the smell of this wine is not nice. I drank my glass, I would agree that it was difficult to find the fruit but I thought the smell just bland and lacking fruit. I see others thought this wine was good and mine has been kept in ideal conditions. Maybe this bottle was off but we tossed it away.

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    1/27/2021 5:44:00 PM - I found my recent bottle an alcoholic mess and completely out of balance- but it did have fruit. I am going to let my 3 remaining bottles sit and pray for some southern rhone magic.
Red

2014 Covalli Barolo

 Nebbiolo more
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1/24/2021 - klezman wrote: NR

As others have noted, this is a perfectly fine bottle but nothing special. Nice with food.

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    1/27/2021 5:40:00 PM - Unfortunately, my 1st bottle had an unflapple reductive nose. Hoping that it was an aberration. I wasn’t expecting fireworks at the price- but hope they are serviceable for weeknight imformal dinners.
Red

2008 Pertimali (Livio Sassetti) Brunello di Montalcino

 Sangiovese more
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12/31/2020 - TexasBob Likes this wine: 88 points

Medium garnet color blended with a burnt orange hue. The bouquet is a broad mish-mash of multiple fruits I can’t even begin to deconstruct, but mixed overripe red berries stand out from the rest of the contributing pack. Very soft and smooth texture with notes of stewed raspberries and, unexpectedly, prunes and figs. It almost has a ripe-year Madeira aspect, which could be indicative of subpar storage, but the overall effect is quite pleasant. .

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    1/8/2021 6:41:00 PM - Bob
    I’m glad it was an overall pleasant experience- but judging from your notes and the bottle in front of me, I think yours had some heat damage. No prune or fig at all. Just nice melange of red fruit, good minerality, leather, tobacco, baking spice. I purchased on or near release and kept in professional storage at 57 degrees and 70% humidity. Glad I have 4 left of 8. If your in LA- I’d bee happy to share one after this craziness dies down!
Red

1998 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape

 Red Rhone Blend more
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12/15/2020 - dase13 wrote: flawed

Oxidized. Won this at auction on winebid.com. The bottle also had a sticker on it from a prior Zacky’s auction. So, I guess it was a well traveled bottle, which unfortunately developed some problems overtime.

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    1/1/2021 1:03:00 PM - Just had it on New years from professional storage locker. Owned since near release. A very nice bottle with savory herbs de provence, anise and dark red and black fruits. Glad I have 3 left of a case. Some were better than others, but all were at least good and none obviously flawed. I rarely if ever buy one bottle at auction as storage is an obvious concern. If I do - it is when several bottles are individually listed by the same consigner. Wine bid might refund you- isn’t that what those big consigner and purchaser premiums for?😉
Red

2018 Maison Pierre Brisset Bourgogne

 Pinot Noir more
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11/5/2020 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine: 92 points

Just got it, so I cracked one. Super primary. This is a big wine - not shy , but pretty packed to the gills. The fruit is bright and blue-purple with blackberry, black raspberry and a touch of blueberry. There is some nice spice here and a bit of florals. Definite graham cracker sweetness and it is lively. A touch of orange zest. Again, on the palate, this is a big wine - tons of dark fruits, a dollop of citrus, graham cracker. This isn't light and elegant Pinot, and maybe verges on being a tad big for me, but it does have some lift, good acid, and crunch. Honestly I can't tell if this is just really young or if it is a bit modern for me. Nice drying tannins in the finish go with the dark fruits and the florals. I've been drinking some of Marcus Goodfellow's Pinots lately and for the price, his style is more in my wheelhouse than this right now, but it is still quite good for the price and could have a lot of potential if it expands and develops with air or age. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5+?/6, Finish - 4.5+?/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 15.5/20 (with 15.5-16.5/20 potential).

Day 4: this has finally opened up. It’s still big but the fruit has come out over the acid and the structure and it’s really enjoyable and juicy now. Nice plushness and a bit of seve. Fine drying tannins still on the finish. Very good QPR. Now probably a 16/20.

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    11/13/2020 3:41:00 PM - Seth
    I liked it quite a bit a think it will develop with time- but I will probably drink most of mine before their time as I wait for the premier crus! With coaxing, I got much more red fruit than you- cranberries and pomegranate with the spicy minerality. Happy at this price as it is clearly Burgundy! Enjoy
    Alan
Red

2004 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904

 Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more
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3/11/2018 - Seth Rosenberg Does not like this wine: NR

Big spicy oak banana. / ripe. Too heavy. Very oaky. I just can't drink these young. Way to much oak for me. Will it age? the older ones are much better but who knows.

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    9/7/2020 2:03:00 PM - Seth
    I don’t even bother opening any of my rioja before 20 years from vintage. Those American oak flavors need more time than any others in my collection. Unfortunately, I am at a age where I have stopped buying current vintages of rioja (as well as Barolo, and ( “classified” )’Bordeaux. Fortunately, I do have have many of these getting close to maturity😜
Red

1994 Podere ai Valloni Boca Vigna Cristiana

 Nebbiolo Blend, Nebbiolo more
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5/24/2020 - schwank wrote: flawed

Another corked bottle. These are terrible, across multiple 90s vintages from this producer, they get popped and poured down the drain.

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    6/29/2020 7:06:00 PM - This is my 4th bottle. 1 corked- tca. Have you tried decanting for several hours? This bottles had a bit of funk on opening- 4 hours awaiting and now it has cedar, cinammon, clove, anise, old coat, tar, leather and cherry and is really a lovely aged nebbiolo. I do find that once I taste an old italian- and get scared of cork taint- it is sometimes warranted, and sometimes a funky nose with strong oak barrels that blows off with time (or with tca- gets worse). Skeptism is fair, but patience is sometimes greatly rewarded.
Red

2015 Brice Coteaux Champenois Rouge Bouzy

 Pinot Noir more
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10/13/2018 - James Kim Likes this wine: 90 points

Decanted. Now 2.5 h later. Took about 2h in decanter to open up. Beautiful tart cherry, blackberry aromas intermingled with herbs, some green stems and mild baking spices. Palate is more blackberries with bark, herbs, and unsweetened chocolate and some minerals. Definitely more bass notes on palate compared to nose. Mild tannins on the midplate. Finishes with cherry fruit, earth, and bark. Very good acids give this lift but more toward the weightier side of medium bodied, which caught me a bit off-guard. Still very nice.

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    5/18/2020 6:47:00 PM - James
    This wine with 1 hour is now delicious! Big minerality!!! Crunch- yum. Nice sweet blackberry/ cherry fruit. Very with my purchase - crap from California at this and double ptice point.
    Enjoy
Red

2016 Réyane et Pascal Bouley Bourgogne

 Pinot Noir more
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5/15/2019 - MrOctoberfest Likes this wine: NR

Very nice Bourgogne rouge, but their village Volnay is a huge step up. Also, what’s with all the different labels? Mine said Pierrick, others said Reyanne et Pascal. Plus, what is up with that freaky black label? Is it the same wine?

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    4/26/2020 5:26:00 PM - These are the same wine - different bottling. Pierrick, the son is taking over and trying to make a name for himself. Burghound still reviews the estate as Rene and Pascal. Most of the wines from 2015 and on - that I have had are fantastic at the various levels. However, I am trying to give my premier crus several more years. Still always tempted!
White - Sparkling

NV Duval-Leroy Champagne Brut

 Champagne Blend more
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7/28/2019 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 91 points

Citrus, dough, baked pie crust, sour apples and toast points. Complex and medium plus finish. I had this for about 2 years and the cellaring has paid off.

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    4/8/2020 4:24:00 PM - Yes 2-3 years on this makes a big difference. Really nice!
Red

2016 Juliane Eller Alsheim Spätburgunder Juwel

 Rheinhessen more
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11/2/2019 - James Kim Likes this wine: 91 points

PnP at gathering. Lovely aromas of green stems, damp earth, bar, and ripe red cherries. Flavors mirror the palate with excellent acids in a medium bodied frame. Elegant but with very nice concentration. So German - no way to mistake this for anything else but German pinot. Will be great to see how this evolves with time.

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    11/7/2019 7:49:00 PM - James:
    With 1.5 hour open - iit actually starts to taste very similar to many Oregon Pinots. However- your general take on the wine is correct. Will it develop with time is the big question.
Red

1994 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon

 Napa Valley more
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6/7/2014 - alittle wrote: 84 points

Super Tasting 3 of 5; Going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali (Maciej and Steve host a 1994 California Horizontal) (George, Toronto, ON): Served blind. Popped and poured. Deep garnet in the glass. On the nose, quite simplistic again. Dark fruits, menthol, brown sugar, raisin, vanilla, wood, and a touch of heat. On the palate, ripe prune, vanilla, wood, fruit cake and alcohol lingering on the back end. Not particularly enjoyable, and surprising to compare with the Special Selection on reveal.

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    12/27/2018 9:41:00 AM - Sounds like several of you had the same bottle. Having recently had the wine- it sounds like your bottle was heat damaged in some way. Pruney qualities were completely absent.
Red

2003 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape

 Red Rhone Blend more
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9/1/2015 - Frank Schneider wrote: 88 points

This is a cooked prune stew !!!!! Overripe and tired. No freshness. i will sell the last bottles !!!! Dont touch !!!

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    11/27/2015 5:01:00 PM - How does that note get 88 points?
Red

1998 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape

 Red Rhone Blend more
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10/25/2014 - RussK wrote: 88 points

Russk K&A's Group at Vienna Cafe . Nose over mature. Rancid nose. Wine drinkable.

  • Comment posted by Venice Al:

    12/6/2014 6:19:00 PM - Wine Strategies- Amen!!!!!

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