| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| Red |
2015 Alban Vineyards PandoraEdna Valley Grenache more |
3/4/2023 - MarkC Does not like this wine: 75 pointsNot my favorite. Thought the first bottle was maybe off (not corked) but second bottle showed exactly the same. Thin, acidic, lacking in fruit, and overall not enjoyable. I love Alban wines but this might be the first I’ve had that I didn’t enjoy at all. |
| White |
2004 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay Sweeney CanyonSta. Rita Hills more |
3/18/2018 - MarkC wrote: flawedOxidized :-( |
| Red |
2014 Andremily Syrah No. 3Santa Barbara County more |
3/1/2018 - MarkC wrote: NRDefinitely needs more time. I have a hard time keeping my hands off new releases, and this absolutely is drinkable, but it will be much better in 2-3 years. |
| Red |
2012 Saxum Broken StonesPaso Robles Red Rhone Blend more |
12/26/2017 - MarkC wrote: NRVery tannic—suggest waiting at least 3-4 years to try another. |
| Red |
2010 Sine Qua Non Syrah Stockholm Syndrome Eleven Confessions VineyardSta. Rita Hills more |
12/25/2017 - MarkC wrote: NRNeeds at least 4-6 hours of decant time. |
| Red |
2009 Sine Qua Non Syrah This is Not An Exit Eleven Confessions VineyardSta. Rita Hills more |
12/24/2017 - MarkC wrote: NRNeeds at least 2-3 hours of decanting right now. |
| Red |
2011 Sine Qua Non Syrah Patine Eleven Confessions VineyardSta. Rita Hills more |
11/25/2017 - MarkC wrote: 98 pointsWow. That's all I got. Spectacular wine--even better given the context of the vintage. Decanted about 30 minutes, but would be better with 2-3 hours. However, pop-n-pour would be fine, too. Dense and rich, but light and ethereal--the old iron fist in a velvet glove. Few wines achieve this incredible balance, but this is worth seeking out. (PE: 100) |
| Red |
2000 Château MonbousquetSt. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more |
10/16/2017 - MarkC wrote: NRI'm not much of a Bordeaux drinker, and only opened this because my wife is avoiding alcohol at the moment (and she is most definitely not a fan of Bordeaux!). Wow! What a great wine. The tannins are mostly resolved, but I'd guess this still has 5+ years at this stage. Ink, pencil, hints of black tea, some dried (but not overly sweet) and savory currants, and some blackberry. Really enjoyable. |
| White |
2013 Sine Qua Non RésistéCentral Coast White Rhone Blend more |
10/14/2017 - MarkC wrote: 97 pointsOnce again, Manfred and Elaine have shown that they have a special ability with white wines. Being a "red wine guy" I still love their reds the most, but their whites are un-freakin'-believable and this is no exception. Dense, yellow fruits, with lanolin, clove, good acid, and a loooooong finish. I opened this one too soon (they typically start to come into their own around year 7 post-vintage) but it was phenomenal. |
| White - Sweet/Dessert |
2009 Bedrock Wine Co. Sémillon Lachryma Montis, Botrytized Old Vine Monte Rosso VineyardSonoma Valley more |
8/20/2017 - MarkC wrote: NRI don't really write notes anymore, but this was awesome. One of the best California dessert wines I've had outside of Mr. K/SQN. Sweet, but not cloying, rich, but not dense. Apricot, honey, hints of spice--wow! 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1) |
| Red |
2011 Next of Kyn No~5 Cumulus VineyardCentral Coast Syrah Blend, Syrah more |
11/28/2015 - MarkC Likes this wine: 97 pointsI have stopped writing frequent notes because they seem to get in the way of enjoying the wine, but this was so flippin' good I felt compelled to write a short note. From a challenging year, this was, IMO, the best NoK yet. Incredibly vibrant, but structured, with zero flab and a lot of intensity. Like a paint job that has been wet sanded and layered to achieve depth, the flavors go forever. From a quality perspective very much like SQN, but otherwise these continue to be their own thing. May have a hard time keeping my hands off the next one... (PE: 100) |
| White |
2007 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie VineyardSonoma Coast more |
9/29/2015 - MarkC Likes this wine: 93 pointsFabulous California Chardonnay. Showing hints of age (in a good way) but still fresh and ripe and full of body. Look forward to trying this at 10/12/15 years. |
| Red |
2005 Pax Syrah Majik VineyardSonoma Coast more |
9/29/2015 - MarkC Does not like this wine: 79 pointsConsistently an unenjoyable wine. So weird. |
| Red |
2004 Copain Syrah Eaglepoint RanchMendocino County more |
12/12/2014 - MarkC Likes this wine: 92 pointsKiller bottle--plenty of life left, but this was singing tonight. If you have them enjoy now or hold for a couple years... (PE: 93) |
| Red |
2003 Garretson Wine Company Syrah The BulladóirPaso Robles more |
10/13/2014 - MarkC Likes this wine: NRMy last of two bottles, purchased from an eBob board member after I posted notes about a prior vintage. Screwcapped, this was an incredibly young wine at 11 years of age. In fact, it left me wondering if corks would be better in terms of letting a wine age. I'm not sure this showed much differently than it did when I last had it 8+ years ago. Incredibly rich, ripe, and dense, I called it an ooze monster back then and that is still an apt description today. Although this would not wine any awards for perfect balance or be called an elegant or ethereal wine, it was incredibly delicious and packed with flavor. Lots of dark fruit--black berry, some plum, raspberry hints, blueberry--with almond and vanilla. Fairly complex, quite frankly. Unbalanced on the fruit site (although if I am going to have a wine that isn't perfectly balanced, I'd prefer it to be showing "too much" fruit--that is, after all, why I drink wine), and with a bit of residual sugar, but at 15.9% alcohol (on the label) it didn't show ANY heat whatsoever. I'd love to try one of these in 10+ years--my guess is that it would show similarly. The only really bad part of this wine is a bit of melancholy knowing that Mat isn't making wine anymore :-( |
| Red |
2010 Aubert Pinot Noir UV-SL VineyardSonoma Coast more |
10/12/2014 - MarkC Likes this wine: 97 pointsI haven't been writing notes a lot, but this was such a standout I had to make mention. Spectacular nose--rich red fruits reminiscent of strawberry and blackberry and plum. Palate was rich and added baking spices to the fruits. Would've been better decanted, but pop-and-pour wasn't the end of the world. Outstanding stuff! (PE: 98) |
| White - Fortified |
NV Jean Bourdy Galant des AbbessesCôtes du Jura White Blend more |
8/6/2014 - MarkC wrote: NRNot sure what to say about this. On the one hand, the nose and palate are so different from one another it could be that I'm smelling Sauvignin Blanc and drinking Port. Which might be interesting if it was good SB and good Port. Medicinal, chemical, artificial--that is what comes to mind. The finish, however, almost redeems the wine. Glorious baking spices, and incredible length, make for a good end to a bad day. Still can't rate it, and probably won't seek it out except as an experiment (which is a bummer because I have two more bottles left). |
| White |
2004 Sine Qua Non The RejuvenatorsCalifornia White Rhone Blend more |
5/3/2014 - MarkC Likes this wine: NRNot an official note, but this was a spectacular bottle. The professionals suggest that the prime drinking window closed in 2011, but I'd say this was close to as good as this wine has ever been. Still plenty of body and solid mouthfeel, notes of clove, but has lost some of the baby fat that these have when young. Would be interesting to see how long this lasts, but it may be hard to keep my hands off the remaining bottle. (PE: 97) |
| Red |
2012 Turley Zinfandel Dusi VineyardPaso Robles more |
6/6/2014 - MarkC Likes this wine: 91 pointsIf this is indicative of the vintage, then this might be my favorite Turley vintage since 2004. Hated the '05s and '06s, while most vintages since have been good. This is the epitome of Turley to me--ripe, juicy, but plenty of structure so it isn't like drinking blueberry syrup. This is missing some complexity, but has a great mouthfeel and great purity of the fruit profile that is there. (PE: 93) |
| Red |
2004 Aubert Pinot Noir UV VineyardSonoma Coast more |
12/30/2013 - MarkC Likes this wine: 91 pointsAfter the last bottle (which was dismal) I felt the need to weigh in. This was really tasty. Perhaps not the lofty heights from a few years ago, but it still has plenty of fruit, with a good backbone of acidity and some secondary flavors are starting to come through. Hints of cola, pronounced dark berries, some herbs and floral notes as well. Well done! (PE: 94) |
| Red |
2004 Linne Calodo NemesisPaso Robles Syrah Blend, Syrah more |
9/2/2013 - MarkC Likes this wine: NRI was a bit concerned based on the most recent CT note. Like that person, I have found that Central Coast wines of this age are often disjointed, unbalanced, devoid of fruit, hot, etc. This wine, however, was not any of those things. Truly a superb expression of New World Syrah, this had fruit in spades, but was backed up with solid tannins, good acidity, and was still full of youthful voluptuousness. I'd guess this wine has a year or two left at this level. |
| Red |
2008 Bedrock Wine Co. Syrah Kick RanchSonoma County more |
9/2/2013 - MarkC Likes this wine: NRMy favorite Bedrock to-date--too bad this was my only bottle. Rich and complex, yet balanced. This seemed to show a lot more breadth in flavors and was a lot more accessible than some of MTP's newer releases (obviously age has some impact as well). Will be interesting to taste some of the newer ones at 5 years of age and see how they stack up. |
| Red |
2004 Martinelli Zinfandel Jackass VineyardRussian River Valley more |
9/2/2013 - MarkC Likes this wine: NRReally awesome bottle of wine. Definitely not a wine for the faint of heart, but for a wine that claims 16.9% alcohol, I was surprised that there was no evidence of heat, either on the nose or the palate. The nose ruled this evening, and I could have smelled it all night--lots of notes, more complex than the taste. On the palate it was still excellent albeit more subdued and without as much complexity. I tend to think Zins need to be consumed within 5 years, but this one seems to not only be in a good place, but I think it has some decent life left--will be interesting to see it in 2-5 years. |
| White |
2005 Sine Qua Non The PetitionCalifornia White Blend more |
8/18/2013 - MarkC Likes this wine: NRIn the last 2-3 years I have come to realize I have made grave errors drinking the SQN white wines way too young. Don't get me wrong--I like most of them young--so much so that I go through them quickly. But in the last few years I've noticed that they seem to hit a sweet spot around 7 years of age, and I've had both the Rien Ne Va Plus and the Whisperin' E this year (12+ and 10+ years of age respectively) and both were phenomenal (to be fair, both were from magnum). This bottle of The Petition is every bit as good as every other bottle I've had--vibrant, rich fruit, great balance, beautiful gold color. (PE: 96) |
| Red |
2006 Sine Qua Non Syrah Raven SeriesCentral Coast more |
8/18/2013 - MarkC Likes this wine: NRI think this wine has been one of my dark horse favorites that got lost in the wake of JFTLOI, Papa, Poker Face, and Atlantis. Reminded me a bit of the Atlantis--just like the last bottle nearly 18 months ago. There is a streak of raciness, and something like black pepper, along with a grainy (in a good way) aspect that gives this a really interesting mouthfeel. Decanted for only a couple hours, it was nonetheless showing well, with plenty of dark fruit balanced by a lightness that, to me, is the hallmark of SQN Syrahs and Grenaches. As a bit of a soapbox moment, I'm always amazed when these are referred to as "heavy" or "ponderous" or "over the top"--I don't believe I've ever gotten that, even with brand new releases fresh off the GSO truck. This is starting to soften a bit and integrate, but just barely. I hope I can hang on to these for at least 10 more years. (PE: 96) 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1) |
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