| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 |
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 |
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 |
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 |
2011 Booker Vineyard WhitePaso Robles White Rhone Blend more |
6/5/2013 - MarkC Does not like this wine: NRKind of a weird mix between a hefeweizen, and IPA, and Champagne. Not my cup 'o tea. |
| 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 |
2010 Stone the Crows Cabernet Sauvignon Three Twins VineyardNapa Valley more |
6/8/2013 - MarkC wrote: 90 pointsSolid wine--and 90 points is definitely not a bad score by any stretch, although in recent years people seem to gravitate towards 95+ as if everything else is crap, which simply isn't true in my book. This had a lot of things to like--ripe fruit, soft/fine tannins, solid finish, good balance. It also didn't exactly stand out--there wasn't anything particularly memorable about it. (PE: 90) |
| 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) |
| Red |
2010 Sanguis Pinot Noir Loner R10-a John Sebastiano VineyardSta. Rita Hills more |
5/13/2013 - MarkC wrote: flawedCorked. |
| Red |
2010 Bedrock Wine Co. Papa's All-BlacksSonoma Valley Red Blend more |
3/9/2012 - MarkC Likes this wine: NRExcellent field blend, but needs time. Recommend at least 60 minutes of decant time if you drink now, or 1-2 years in the bottle. Note to self: hold last bottle until 2015 at least. |
| Red |
2010 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Sonoma Coastmore |
3/2/2012 - MarkC Likes this wine: 90 pointsWow--all I have to say is that if this is the lowest scoring Pinot of the 2010s, I can't wait to try the other ones. I think this is awesome. Rich and vibrant, with a silky mouthfeel, plenty of Pinot character, but also plenty of New World oomph. Loved it. (PE: 93) |
| Red |
2010 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Monte Rosso VineyardSonoma Valley more |
11/9/2011 - MarkC wrote: 93 pointsWow! This was awesome. Very unique yet totally identifiable as Zinfandel. Red and blue fruits with plenty of acid. Despite the high alcohol (15%), I did not find this hot at all, and actually was surprised at how high the abv was. A hint of meatiness that reminded me of Syrah. Elegant cyet bold at the same good. Really good stuff. (PE: 93) |
| Red |
2010 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Monte Rosso VineyardSonoma Valley more |
11/9/2011 - MarkC wrote: 93 pointsWow! This was awesome. Very unique yet totally identifiable as Zinfandel. Red and blue fruits with plenty of acid. Despite the high alcohol (15%), I did not find this hot at all, and actually was surprised at how high the abv was. A hint of meatiness that reminded me of Syrah. Elegant yet bold at the same good. Really good stuff. (PE: 93) |
| White |
2010 Bedrock Wine Co. Compagni PortisSonoma Valley White Blend more |
11/7/2011 - MarkC Likes this wine: 92 pointsPerfumed, citrus, and waxy nose. The palate had a ton going on--plenty of acid but also a lot of rich fruit (zesty lemon, tangerine, orange peel) that made for a complex experience that seems like it would please both an Old World and a New World palate. Morgan Twain-Peterson is doing great stuff with old vines, and heirloom blends that you just don't find many other places--kudos! (PE: 92) |
| Rosé |
2009 Sine Qua Non Packin' RosyCentral Coast Grenache Blend, Grenache more |
3/12/2011 - MarkC Likes this wine: NRI have had only a handful of Rosé wines in my life, and generally do not "get" them. This was a bit of an epiphany, and freakin' delicious. Grabbed from the box as it came off the truck, Carolynn and I took this to dinner at a Peruvian place. They chilled it to probably cellar temperature, which was just about right (i.e., not sure cooler would have been any better, probably worse). If served in opaque glasses, I may have guessed it was one of the Krankl's white wines, as it had a certain fresh, white/yellow fruit element to it along with a freshness and vibrance that really stood out for me (turns out it has 14% Roussanne). It also had a hints of strawberry, and a great balance of acid, fruit, and pure enjoyment. The bottle went pretty quickly, and my only complaint was that 15.5%, I was hurting when the alarm went off the next morning for the gym! (PE: 93) |
| Red |
2009 Bedrock Wine Co. Lorenzo’s HeirloomDry Creek Valley Red Blend more |
4/12/2011 - MarkC Likes this wine: 90 pointsGood stuff. Plenty of ripe red and blue fruit (especially after an hour in the glass), with the overall palate leaning towards Syrah (would be curious what the mix actually was). Definitely a nice quaffer, especially at this price. (PE: 90) |
| 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) |
| White |
2009 Sine Qua Non On The LamSanta Barbara County White Blend more |
11/8/2011 - MarkC Likes this wine: NROne of my favorite things about getting new wines is drinking new wines. These arrived today so I brought one home from the offsite storage and popped and poured it. It was a little warm at first, but 25 minutes in the refrigerator got it just the right temperature (probably about 58 degrees or so). One thing I'm learning, after many vintages of the SQN whites, is that these are age worthy wines that benefit from decanting, and whenever I don't decant (which, sadly, is often) I miss out on some of the goodness. That said, this was still classic SQN. A rich mix of Roussanne, Chardonnay, and Viognier, this shows layered yet truculent fruit. At 70 degrees the waxiness of the Roussanne is much more noticeable than when it's below 60 degrees. Lemon, hints of petroleum, other citrus, and wax make for a complex drink. |
| Red |
2009 Bedrock Wine Co. Syrah Kick RanchSonoma County more |
4/15/2012 - MarkC wrote: NRGood stuff from Morgan Twain-Peterson. The nose is somewhat reticent, but the palate has opened up and shows more luscious fruit than a year ago, but still plenty dense and structured (as is fitting from a Sonoma County wine), with good acid and fine tannins. Blue-black fruit dominates, along with a streak of coal/tar to keep things interesting. (PE: 92) |
| White |
2009 Aubert Chardonnay Larry Hyde & SonsCarneros more |
5/2/2011 - MarkC Likes this wine: NRQuite a lot of acid and good minerality balancing the lemon zest and lemon peel flavors. Rich and unctuous nose, showing hints of petrol, yellow and white fruits, and a touch of flower. I think this is a great vineyard for the Auberts and hope they keep making wines from here. (PE: 96) |
| 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. |
| White |
2009 Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Estate VineyardSonoma Coast more |
4/14/2011 - MarkC Likes this wine: NRNo formal note, but this was delicious. It was surprisingly good too cold as well--normally it seems that very few high-end whites show well if below 45-50 degrees, and usually they are better at 55-60. Laser-sharp white and yellow fruit, citrus elements, nice acidity. |
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- Tasting notes: 1,143 notes on 777 wines
