| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| White |
2015 Fairvalley Chenin BlancCoastal Region more |
5/11/2016 - ftc Likes this wine: 87 pointsLight straw color. Mild citrus nose. White grapefruit, lemon candy and lemon zest. A strangely strong salinity. Good zing, fairly long finish. Only 12.5% ABV. |
| Red |
2005 Château Barde-HautSt. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more |
4/17/2016 - ftc Likes this wine: 92 pointsCork disintegrated during extraction. Lots of sediment stuck to side of the bottle. |
| Red |
2005 Ridge Syrah Lytton West VineyardDry Creek Valley more |
3/31/2016 - ftc Likes this wine: 92 pointsPretty, vibrant garnet, a touch of brick on the rim. Tremendous and promising amount of sediment both on the side of the bottle and loose. Silky texture. Red and black fruit, caramel and wood smoke on the nose. Mercifully restrained on the oak. Exuberant blackberry and cherry fruit, but definitely not over the top, just right. Secondary black tea and cedar flavors, nice bright acidity. The midpalate rises and rises, to a long, enjoyable finish like driving home after a good date. Very harmonious and balanced, tannins are just right. Somehow this bottle (1 of 1, sadly) called to me and said "I'm ready" tonight and I'm glad I waited-- and waited just this long. |
| Red |
2013 Juan Manuel Burgos Avan Ribera del Duero FesceninoTempranillo more |
1/15/2016 - ftc wrote: 84 pointsLots of oak and some AV and sweaty socks on the nose. Bright acidity but too much acetic for my palate and not enough fruit or structure to balance it out. |
| Red |
2012 Willowbrook Pinot Noir Russian River Valleymore |
1/5/2016 - ftc Likes this wine: 89 pointsPop & pour. Nice light color although lacks a bit of saturation. Light body. All the right aromas for the varietal, black cherry and cola, not too much oak. Quite fragrant. Nice acidity on the attack, cranberry comes in early and stays through the medium short finish. Not much oomph in the middle-- the black cherry and raspberry are there, but just there. The flavor mimics the color - it's close to right but lacks concentration. Very slightly gripping tannins. Still a solid score for its loyalty to the varietal and its subtlety. Deserves credit for not going on steriods with the fruit or oak which happens too much at this price point. Similar to "lower priced" (i.e. at least 50 percent more expensive than this) Burgundies without the barnyard component. Would perform well with roast duck or pork. |
| White |
2010 Palazzone Orvieto Classico Superiore Campo del GuardianoTrebbiano Blend, Trebbiano more |
12/14/2015 - ftc wrote: 89 pointsLight straw color. Pineapple and lemon zest on the nose. Intriguing blend of citrus flavors with quite a bit of rind. It has a lot of alcohol to cover and it doesn't quite do it-- would be a 90 if it were integrated better. Super choice for sushi. |
| Red |
2011 Domaine Cabirau Côtes du Roussillon RougeGrenache Blend, Grenache more |
9/5/2015 - ftc Likes this wine: 91 pointsVery chunky sediment. Ruby to garnet color. Black cherry candy nose with a slightly piney herbal touch. Nice blend of black and red fruits, a little bit of chocolate, modern candied style, soft tannins, nice slightly bright acidity, solid momentum from attack to finish. Moderately long. Delicious, just what I'm looking for in a modern wine from this area. Could be mistaken for one of the newer styled CdRVs or a lighter bodied CdP. Tasted "price blind" - amazing QPR! |
| Red |
2008 Dupéré Barrera Côtes du Rhône VillagesRed Rhone Blend more |
6/15/2015 - ftc Likes this wine: 91 pointsSurprisingly, some chunky sediment. Dark garnet. Nose: if Jolly Ranchers came in blackcurrant flavor. New world attack of highly extracted cassis, with a bit of basement funk and red currant. Dips a bit in the midpalate but a fairly long finish. Pleasantly gripping tannins. |
| White - Sparkling |
NV Domaine Collin Crémant de Limoux BrutWhite Blend more |
6/12/2015 - ftc wrote: 90 pointsOutstanding value - drank with a fine Indian dinner and as a good Champagne does with this cuisine, paired wonderfully. Filled the place of a $30 sparkler just fine in this context. |
| Red |
2011 Sky Vineyards Zinfandel Mt. Veedermore |
6/2/2015 - ftc Likes this wine: 89 pointsI bought this wine because it was a California Zin with just 13.5% alcohol. I was intrigued. This wine is off the beaten Cali Zinfandel track; blackcurrant on the nose but with an evergreen/pine aroma and some tar. Nice black berry flavors and a brighter than typical acidity. Lighter bodied than most. Scores strongly for originality but there is some disjointedness there as well. |
| Red |
2005 Bodegas Elías Mora Toro Gran Elías MoraTinta de Toro, Tempranillo more |
6/2/2015 - ftc Likes this wine: 90 pointsAlmost black color. Time was kind to this wine. Second bottle, first consumed shortly after release and was almost undrinkably bitter and tannic with fruit hiding deep in the corners. The (not surprisingly) black fruit is now expressing itself in the nose and flavors along with black pepper. Tannins are still muscular and pleasantly puckering for a food wine. Interesting and enjoyable, screams to be paired with Cheshire cheese. |
| Red |
2009 Portal del Montsant Montsant SantbruCarignan Blend, Carignan more |
6/2/2015 - ftc Likes this wine: 90 pointsOpaque black/purple/ruby color. Literally mouth-staining. Nose of oak and prune. Attack of bitter plum, red cherry and red currant, the red flavors carrying through a long finish. Tannins are soft. An enjoyable departure from the usual; would score it a 91 but things are a little out of balance: the oak is a bit much for my palate and there seem to be a number of secondary flavors clamoring for attention, but none rise up enough to define themselves clearly. Some aging might bring them out but I'm not sure it has the backbone to go more than a couple of years. |
| Red |
2011 David Moreau Côte de Beaune VillagesPinot Noir more |
5/30/2015 - ftc wrote: 86 pointsMedium light ruby. Somewhat complex nose of cherry, red currant, roses, VA and some alcohol showing through. |
| White |
2013 Nervi Erbaluce di Caluso Biancamore |
5/30/2015 - ftc Likes this wine: 88 pointsVery light straw color. Lemony nose. Lemon zest with a little bit of lychee. Zingy acidity. Quite refreshing. The concentration and complexity are a bit low. |
| Rosé |
2013 Bodegas San Alejandro Calatayud Rosado Las RocasGarnacha, Grenache more |
5/29/2015 - ftc wrote: 83 pointsNice blush color. A strange bit of frizz. Not nearly enough fruit (strawberry and maybe pink grapefruit) to match with the alcohol. Overall had a rubbing-alcohol-ish quality that was pretty unpleasant, with or without a good amount of air. |
| Red |
2007 I Capitani Irpinia "Emè"Aglianico more |
5/13/2015 - ftc Likes this wine: 90 pointsExtremely dark ruby- almost black. Cassis, honey, anise on the nose. Assertively fruit forward, admirable for taking it to the limit without going over the top. Interesting interplay of jammy black fruit on the attack with another layer of bright food-friendly acidity that lingers into the finish. Tannins are nicely balanced with the extracted fruit and pleasantly grippy. Drinks like a big boy but only 14 percent alcohol. |
| Red |
2011 Bodega y Viñedos de José Quattrocchi SA MalbecMendoza more |
5/1/2015 - ftc Likes this wine: 88 pointsNice dark ruby color, bluish at the rim. Silky texture. Appealing nose of blackcurrant candy and rock dust. Black fruits, pepper and a little caramel on the attack that give way to redcurrant on the midpalate and the moderately long finish. Soft tannins. Outstanding value at under 10 bucks-- avoids the common pitfalls at this price point of jacked up fruit and oak. Only criticism is its lack of typicity for the varietal and region-- would have guessed a $25-30 zin if not for the lower alcohol level and bright acidity. |
| Red |
2012 Vietti Langhe Nebbiolo PerbaccoLanghe DOC more |
4/28/2015 - ftc wrote: 90 pointsPopped and poured, but the alcoholic heat was brutal and the flavors disjointed. Drank a glass, corked the bottle and drank the next day (notes are based on day 2 tasting). |
| White |
2011 Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les VergersChardonnay more |
4/7/2015 - ftc Likes this wine: 93 pointsLight golden straw color. Fragrant bouquet of lemon curd and spring flowers with oak and a little buttered popcorn. It is instantly identifiable as a white burg but stands apart from its lesser brethren with a very weighty midpalate filled with citrus and floral complexities. The midpalate rises rather than falls into the finish, which goes on and on for minutes. Texture is luscious. Don't cheat yourself by serving this at any lower than 55 degrees F. It showed its best at room temp - this wine has nothing to hide. Expensive but it tastes expensive. |
| Red |
2004 Cuvée du Vatican Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve SixtineRed Rhone Blend more |
3/19/2015 - ftc Likes this wine: 91 pointsStrip of sediment in bottle. Garnet with a light touch of brick at the rim. |
| Red |
2009 Domaine Michel Goubard et Fils Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise Mont AvrilPinot Noir more |
3/14/2015 - ftc wrote: 86 pointsA good light ruby color is obscured by notable cloudiness. Oak and cherry candy on the nose. Appropriate but uncomplicated cherry flavors with a little cola. I would have guessed an inexpensive California PN based on the fruit focus with no earthy or barnyard funk, or tannic backbone, to tell me otherwise. Overall the wine comes across as flaccid, but works as a food wine. QPR is very good for the region but could probably find something comparable or better for about the same $ from a new world producer. Definitely a drink now. |
| Red |
2007 Patrick Lesec Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée BargetonRed Rhone Blend more |
2/23/2015 - ftc Likes this wine: 93 pointsTasted this "price blind" (didn't check how much I paid before tasting). Every aspect of the wine told me "expensive." Dark garnet, almost opaque. Raspberries, oak, cassis on the nose. Intense attack of cherry syrup, red currant and some fig, anise, dried herbs and tapenade, which swells on the midpalate into a minute plus finish. After several hours of air, unexpected flavors of cedar and tobacco surfaced. Nice waxy glycerin level. Tannins perfectly balanced at this point, barely drying. 1 of 3 bottles in the cellar and thinking I will enjoy them all soon, as I am not sure there will be a payoff to waiting, particularly with some recent disappointments with grenache-based wines that have had some time in cellar. |
| Red |
2010 Giovanni Sordo BaroloNebbiolo more |
2/21/2015 - ftc wrote: 89 pointsLovely dark ruby with a bluish tinge at the rim. Fairly tight nose even after several hours of air - some rose petals and red raspberries. Cherry cough syrup and red currants, a bit of anise and light floral touches. There is some nice, typically bright acidity, with just a touch of VA. Tannins are soft. This wine has some appealing flavors but seems unbalanced towards fruit rather than vegetal notes-- I look for these to be more in parity with Nebbiolo. At 20 bucks, exceptional QPR for this varietal though. |
| Red |
2004 Calabretta Etna RossoEtna DOC Nerello Mascalese more |
1/17/2015 - ftc Likes this wine: 92 pointsMaroon to brick. Smells like a smoked baseball mitt and dried rose petals. Sour cherry and caramel are heavily counterbalanced with cedar, tobacco, wood smoke and leather. This turned heads at an Italian meal - was a recognition of how amazingly different a bottle of fermented grape juice can be when you step outside your comfort zone. Timing seems just right, tannins in the sweet spot. 92+ |
| Red |
2005 Château Tour St BonnetMédoc Red Bordeaux Blend more |
1/8/2015 - ftc wrote: 88 pointsShowed much better than the last bottle. Older and wiser but not tired. Nice bright acidity and the dark red fruit still bold with cigar box. 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1) |
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- Tasting notes: 93 notes on 90 wines
