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

2021 Black Sheep Finds Syrah Holus Bolus "Franc de Pied"

 Sta. Rita Hills more
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5/7/2024 - WineJ2019 Likes this wine: NR

OK this was interesting to me. I recently had the 2022 which knocked my socks off and IMHO is drinking great now. This showed the same qualities but was more restrained. And I recently had the 2021 Dragonette from the same vineyard which also showed potential but seemed to need a few more years to show its stuff. So I’m going to infer that it is a vintage phenomenon, ie 2022 warmer end of season and showing better now, 2021 cooler and maybe ages better. I’d say 91 now and 93-94 potential. We’ll see!

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    5/7/2024 8:46:00 PM - I should have posted a TN, but I have tasted the 2021 a couple of times at the Holus Bolus tasting room, and it does strike me as a wine that needs age. The tannins are firm and it's tightly wound. Having just tasted the 2022 this weekend, in comparison it is much more open and ready for business.
Red

2017 W. T. Vintners Syrah Destiny Ridge Vineyard

 Horse Heaven Hills more
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4/28/2024 - wino121 wrote: 86 points

Pretty rough mid to end, bitting with a short tannic finish.
Pass.

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    4/28/2024 7:53:00 PM - Worth noting this bottling is listed as Hold on W.T. Vintners' vintage chart: https://www.wtvintners.com/vintage-chart

    Though a short finish is not typically resolved with age . . . .
Red

2010 Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Les Grézeaux

 Cabernet Franc more
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4/14/2024 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine: NR

PnP. Very good showing, fully mature though still very much in its preferred window. Little to no sign of age on the medium ruby core. Soil, plum, the occasional barn note, some sage and forest, etc. Lovely medium/med+ body with exceptional balance and good+ persistence. A joy. Hard to believe I paid just $22 on release; way over-delivered that on that. Easily highly recommended

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    4/14/2024 9:53:00 AM - Thanks for the note! I too paid $22, and have a lone bottle left that I plan to drink between 2023 and 2026 per my thoughts in my prior note from 2018. Right in that window now and your bottle gives confidence I'm within a sweet spot :)
Red

2019 Solomon Hills Estate Pinot Noir

 Santa Maria Valley more
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4/13/2024 - travelme Likes this wine: 93 points

Cabfrancophile and I enjoyed the exact same bottle. His note is exactly what I thought about the wine expressed even better than I could have done. Great wine and I believe my lone bottle of this vintage.

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    4/14/2024 9:48:00 AM - Glad to hear it's holding steady! And a good reminder I am about due to open another bottle.
Red

2020 Dusty Nabor Grenache Spear Vineyards

 Sta. Rita Hills more
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12/27/2023 - EMTAME wrote: 92 points

Easily bested a Tribute to Grace Granache that was opened alongside it. This was full of beautiful fruit, some complexity from what I believe was stem inclusion (just guessing), and a clean, elegant finish. Terrific wine.

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    4/7/2024 10:29:00 AM - Regarding smoke taint, indeed Santa Barbara County fared very well in 2020. There were a few smaller fires that were hyper-local affecting basically no more than several adjacent vineyards. If I remember correctly, certain blocks in Sebastiano (SRH) and Bien Nacido (SMV) were exposed, that's it. Smoke from the north was basically a non-factor.
Red

2021 de Négoce Syrah OG N.365

 Santa Barbara County more
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2/19/2024 - ElJefeTX wrote: NR

I have had the same experience as @cabfrancophile. A few bottles have been excellent while the others have been very subpar, if not undrinkable. Looking back at my purchase history, I bought three N.365’s in May, and enjoyed each one. However my subsequent case purchase in October has been a complete wildcard, with another bottle opened last night that sadly disappointing. No signs of TCA, VA, or the wine being cooked, just a dying version of the earlier success from this dN offering.

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    2/21/2024 12:14:00 PM - Glad I am not crazy, though it's thoroughly irritating the bottle variation is so severe. I am working down the case buy from the later in 2023, knowing that it mostly sucked, and will see how the earlier purchases fare.

    Heat damage is a growing suspicion. It doesn't taste obviously cooked, but heat damage can just totally strip a wine sometimes rather than make it taste like baked/oxidized fruit. It's something like that, or they slapped a 365 label on shiners of a much crappier wine.
Red

2018 Tercero Grenache Spear Vineyard

 Santa Barbara County more
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2/2/2024 - Cabfrancophile Likes this wine: 90 points

Open aromas on pop'n'pour, strawberry, petrol, fresh herbs. Red fruited attack, full bodied and round, gentle disposition, not heavily extracted. Soft tannins with prominent whole cluster/stem flavors and spice. Alcohol shows through a bit on the finish.

Drinking well now, no hurry to drink, though don't see this evolving further with age, very accessible.

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    2/3/2024 4:18:00 PM - Hi Larry, no day 2, it was more than enjoyable enough for two to share in one evening. I am fairly sure it would have made it without much issue.
Red

2021 de Négoce Syrah OG N.365

 Santa Barbara County more
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1/26/2024 - Cabfrancophile Does not like this wine: 81 points

Ughh, another sub-par bottle from the case buy. Wonder what is going on here--one bottle from this order was like the prior ordered earlier, but now five have been extremely average and lacking expression.

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    1/27/2024 4:27:00 PM - Yeah, thinking that’s the case, or the wine was heat damaged at some stage. Though it was shipped in good weather, so I doubt it was on the last leg.

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    1/28/2024 5:51:00 PM - The below average bottles were not in a "dumb phase". That would be the case when the structure comes forward and the fruit recedes, while bottle bouquet and tertiary flavors haven't emerged.

    This is a case where there are undesirable flavors, contrasting against prior experiences. Maybe off flavors developed in bottle due to microbial issues, but that would be odd for wine that is sterile filtered pre-bottling.
Red

2015 Agricola Brandini Barolo La Morra

 Nebbiolo more
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12/15/2022 - Sanlucar Does not like this wine: 85 points

Weak and wimpy. This was rosé in color, body and mouthfeel, and it was an embarrassment to pour for some Italian friends who are very proud of their wine culture and had to explain why this was so miserable and poor. This bottle had some sense of cherry and leather but mostly just underripe fruit. What's the Italian word for crap? It's "Merda"! And now we know what MERDA tastes like!

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    1/13/2024 4:22:00 PM - Your note is curious. You call the wine crap, yet score it an 85, which is a good wine in standard scoring interpretation. Though certainly better is expected from Barolo, of course, but an 85 is decent and more than drinkable. And then your friends from Italy had to apologize for all of Italy due to one bottle of subpar wine? So bizarre!
Red

2021 de Négoce Syrah OG N.365

 Santa Barbara County more
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12/23/2023 - Cabfrancophile wrote: 86 points

Another on the less good side of bottle variation. Not bad, but not great. Peppery, meaty aromas, higher toned character in the background. Mid weight and fine texture. Finish is very average, decent tannins, but with generic oaky impression. It's like there are two different bottlings of this lot.

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    12/24/2023 8:31:00 AM - Yes, all the 'variations' are from the case sale so far--I have these stored in a separate location to keep track.

    Usually wine bottled from a single lot is very consistent--it's blended in a single tank and homogenized. Maybe there was a second 'sub-lot' here? Or the provenance was not as good for bottles shipped out later?
Red

2021 de Négoce Syrah OG N.365

 Santa Barbara County more
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5/20/2023 - Cabfrancophile Likes this wine: 91 points

Best dN Syrah I have tasted. Violets, white and roasted pepper, savory umami of indeterminate origin, subtle yet very attractive cool climate bouquet. Well balanced palate, dark fruit, herbs and floral inner aromas, a complete wine. Long finish, fine sandy tannins, minerality as a bass note, nicely mouthwatering.

While this doesn't have the amplitude aromatically and in the mid-palate or perhaps overall depth of a 'designated' cuvee--that might be why the source producer parted with this lot--all of the layers are in harmony. A realization of the promise dN can, and often does, deliver.

Update: Finishing the rest of this bottle tonight, after keeping it in the fridge with a Re-pour stopper for 2 days. This is killer juice, the pedigree truly shows, sanguine, layered, and perfumed. The tannins are delicate.
My initial score might be conservative . . . .

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    10/17/2023 8:01:00 AM - Good question. Maybe more on the briny, olively side of the spectrum than pure bacon fat or smoked meat. But that was the thing, it was not an obvious component, but a flavor or impression, kind of like in a good dish where its integrated rather than tasting of specific ingredients.
Red

2019 Black Sheep Finds Syrah Holus Bolus "Franc de Pied"

 Sta. Rita Hills more
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10/11/2023 - kostaslonis Likes this wine: NR

Tasting Ground official tasting, Holus Bolus (Oinoscent): 13.50% Santa Rita Hills
Sourced from a vineyard called John Sebastiano in Sta. Rita Hills, also a cool coastal location about 10 miles from the Pacific. The soils here are a mix of clay loam with a few bits of limestone, though not too much. This block is planted with a “suitcase clone” from the Rhone Valley called the Alban clone. John Alban is a wine maker in our area and has brought budwood over from France. The vines are also planted without rootstock so we call them “franc de pied” or French foot as they are a French selection and not on American rootstock. In the vineyard, the vines produce less fruit, have smaller clusters and make a more savory wine.

The winter of 2018-2019 had good above average winter rainfall (all of our rain comes between December-April) after a very dry 2017-2018 winter. The Syrah was harvested on September 20 under good conditions. Harvest chemistry was 3.60pH and total acidity of 5.3 grams per liter with potential alcohol of about 13.8%. These grapes are partially destemmed, about 70% and 30% left as whole bunches. Fermented with native yeasts for about 15 days in 2-ton stainless steel tanks. The hard press wine is separated and declassified and the remaining wine is aged in about 10% new oak, mostly 300 ltr French oak for 14 months before bottling.

Bottle uncorked at 09.35, tasted at 12.00
-/-
Far more reserve and “serious” than 2019 Presqu’ile Syrah with its deep fruit core and nuanced spice frame. This is not shouting or parading like a peacock but walks slowly at you with the certainty of a big-ass lion! Ethereal and dense, spicy and seductive like a top Rhône wine
Palate shows velvety tannins, juicy texture, , fresh red fruit framed masterfully by a rustic spice frame, med body, electrifying acidity and never ending finish
Outstanding quality! As far as I can remember, this is probably the best American Syrah I’ve ever had

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    10/17/2023 12:18:00 AM - I see from your tasting notes you have tasted some Sine Qua Non . . . . calling this the best American Syrah you have had is high praise. Though of course the style is quite different.

    Anyways, this is excellent wine, and the vintners are great people, too :)

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    10/17/2023 7:58:00 AM - Indeed, the wine is excellent independent of the vintners' character. That wasn't consideration when we started purchasing their wine, but is a real plus as regular customers.

    I don't have much context with N. Rhone Syrah, though from an objective standpoint I do think their wines are world class. So it becomes hard for me to pay 2x to 4x the price in my market for a Syrah that I may or may not like as much. And probably needs 5-10 years of age to peak.
Red

2016 Cagliero Barolo Ravera

 Nebbiolo more
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9/24/2023 - wiri Does not like this wine: 52 points

Ich war enttäuscht. Kein schönes Geschmackserlebnis.

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    9/25/2023 9:16:00 PM - Hmmm, seems like maybe this was a bad/flawed bottle? Usually a score 52 is for cynically bad or amateur wine. Hard to see a proper bottle of this dropping that low.
Red

2021 Melville Pinot Noir Terraces

 Sta. Rita Hills more
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9/3/2023 - n2caves@gmail.com Does not like this wine: 83 points

Melville is not making good Pinot anymore. I'm a club member but now I change all the Pinot for Syrah. I may just quit the club as Chad doesn't want to hear this. He is trying to make wine as though he's in France. He should just move to France.

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    9/4/2023 10:16:00 AM - I also saw your note on the Block M, with a similar impression. The 2021 Melville Pinots have been very structured/brawny from what I have tasted. It was a generally cool, even vintage, so it wasn't an issue of a heat wave making the grapes more ripe and desiccated around harvest.

    It certainly feels like even though they are still using 100% neutral oak and high % whole cluster, something changed in 2021--the PN feels more extracted. Certainly it's not ready to drink at release. I have also found the Estate PN to be less of a complete wine in recent vintages--they have a Rancho Nuevo SV and the Buscemi side project that may be diverting some fruit.

    In any case, I suspect Chad is making the wine he wants to make, and the critics dig it, all the same. I will sit on my 2021s, though they could just as easily dry out as resolve/unwind. Like you, I do plan to shift my club shipments to Syrah--I have always preferred the Syrah anyway and it's a no brainer for me at this point. Their Syrah is so distinctive, moreso than the PN, IMO.
Red

2018 Le Pianelle Bramaterra Robino

 Nebbiolo Blend, Nebbiolo more
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6/9/2023 - aagrawal wrote: 92 points

Le Pianelle Tasting with Cristiano Garella (Dig Wines): 100% stems. Berries, a bit floral, red fruited; palate is light bodied, elegant, red fruited; finish is medium-plus length. Pricey, but good. 92

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    6/10/2023 3:11:00 PM - Thanks for capturing the stem inclusion %! I thought I heard 100% from Christiano at the tasting I attended, but then the distributor rep said something different. I am a huge fan of stem inclusion in Pinot Noir and Syrah, this was my first encounter with Nebbiolo and stem inclusion. Burlotto Monvigliero--a wine so expensive and rare I doubt I will ever taste it--is the only other example that comes immediately to mind. When discussing stem inclusion with Christiano, he mentioned Burlotto as a 'friend', and it seems pretty likely where his inspiration originated.
Red

2021 Bedrock Wine Co. Syrah Angeles de Arena

 Santa Barbara County more
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5/23/2023 - Rieslingfan wrote: NR

Decanted for two hours prior to serving, this would have been better served by four. Initially rather blocky, it opened up and gained layered complexity the longer it was open. Eventually there was the classic smoked meat, and dark berry fruit characteristic of Syrah. More time created more nuance, and the wine became brighter in the mid-palate. It’s delicious now, but given how it evolved over several hours I won’t be opening any of my other bottles anytime soon.

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    5/25/2023 8:03:00 AM - I commented in the WB discussion--judging from other producers, the vineyards contributing to this bottling should drink well fairly young, but I suspect this one will be similarly 'shocky' for a year or so before settling into its brilliant youth.
Red

2021 Bedrock Wine Co. Syrah Angeles de Arena

 Santa Barbara County more
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5/7/2023 - ChateauShiny Likes this wine: 94 points

Coravined glass from one of my bottles and tasted from a PnP

Nose of squid ink, blackberries, cedar, some umami, unorganized herbs, and some black pepper. Medium bodied, a perfect acid level, but the wood notes indicates to me that this was a bit too early to open. The first thing I notice on the palate is a dusty fresh cut cedar. After that is just pure Syrah goodness. Tart blackberries, blueberries, a bit of beef fat, squid ink, a bit of fresh tobacco, and umami. Structured medium-heavy, but smooth tannins. Long herbal and spicy, finish with dusty cedar, a heavy dose of black pepper and herbs. After the finish fades, there is a bit of violet left on the palate.

Nuanced and balanced is the best way to put this. I can see this pairing well with many meat based dishes. Personally, I think this needs at least another year down before they are ready. I regret not getting more of this - will make sure I stock up when the 2022 are offered.

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    5/7/2023 4:56:00 PM - Excited to see this note--I started ordering from Bedrock because this wine piqued my interest. Definitely want to hold a year or so for bottle #1 (of 3). Given the vineyards contributing to the blend (mostly White Hawk and Presqu'ile), your note definitely describes what I am anticipating.
Red

2002 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon

 Napa Valley more
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12/17/2018 - M.Batard wrote: flawed

First of two opened tonight. Decanted, and obviously corked from the nose, with the decanted ‘01 to sniff alongside. (Cork broke, but only a bit saturated.)

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    3/31/2023 6:56:00 PM - Interesting you had this experience. My bottle was corked--TCA was obvious. And the cork also broke on the way out--I noticed the TCA at that point, actually. Makes me wonder if there was a bad group of corks.
Red

2019 Melville Syrah Estate Donna's Block

 Sta. Rita Hills more
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1/28/2023 - Cabfrancophile Likes this wine: 92 points

Literally made my mouth water smelling it from the glass--Kalamata olive, smoked game, basil oil, white pepper, violet. The level of complexity is mind warping--as it opens up, roasted peppers, thyme, mulberry, and a sanguine character come into play. Mid-weight, medium plus acidity, rounded mid-palate, herbaceous finish. Ripe, but grippy tannins, with a mild bitterness on the finish that didn't shake fully with air.

I am increasingly thinking this vintage needs like 5-7 years to knit together, with the 'raw' flavors and ripping acidity likely to integrate. The finish held back this bottle a bit (and very well could improve), but otherwise this was like a M.C. Escher or perhaps a Hieronymus Bosch for the gustatory senses.

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    1/30/2023 7:30:00 AM - Yeah, this vintage for Donna's stood out, almost as if it's like the Estate Syrah on steroids, rather than the more perfumed style of other recent vintages. It reminds me of a young Loire red--angular and brimming with non-fruit complexity, but also savory and fresh. And those take until age 10+ to really knit together.
Red

2016 Cascina Chicco Barolo Rocche di Castelletto

 Nebbiolo more
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10/29/2022 - stschutz Does not like this wine: 83 points

Is there even any fruit in this? I don't remember having a Barolo this bad. I can only imagine how disappointed the owners of this vineyard must feel to create a wine so mediocre in such a great vintage. The alcohol right off the first sip is so strong (14.5%) and with such little fruit that it completely destroys any mid-palate or finish thereafter. We tried before, during, and after dinner, and with an hour and a half decant as of now, this wine seems to be getting stronger on the alcohol with every minute. The aroma has practically disappeared at this point, taking on a strange brandy/ whiskey smell to it. A good wine feels alive, like a living breathing thing, but this wine embodies the opposite of that, like there is nothing moving or living in it. Confused as to how this Barolo even competes with other Barolos. The only thing good about this experience is that we now only have one bottle left...

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    10/29/2022 10:26:00 AM - Mildly corked or heat damage, perhaps?
Red

2020 Melville Pinot Noir Terraces

 Sta. Rita Hills more
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6/12/2022 - Cabfrancophile wrote: NR

Raspberry, sage, WC goodness. Dark fruited, even a bit sanguine, structure wraps back to the mid palate, long finish. Somewhat more fruit driven than the Block M, though not simplistic. Would benefit from 2 to 5 years.

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    9/22/2022 9:27:00 PM - WC = whole cluster
Red

2019 Rock Wall Wine Co. Nebbiolo Heringer

 Clarksburg more
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8/5/2022 - Cabfrancophile wrote: 82 points

Not a fan of this wine. Heavy on the VA (nail polish remover), somewhat nutty. A bit of dried fruit, though overall not overripe, good acidity with varietally appropriate tannins. But overall a very rustic wine, given its youth, a bad cork is not likely the source of its impression. Drink now.

**Update: re-corked immediately after opening and stored in fridge for 2 weeks. More enjoyable, interestingly, VA less noticeable, though still 'muddy' in terms of flavor profile. New oak showed both on the nose and palate, though not too dominant. Structure and weight were varietally appropriate, very Neb-like to handle a long time since initial opening. Revising review accordingly.

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    8/21/2022 9:18:00 AM - I saved the bottle in the fridge for the last two weeks after immediately re-corking. I won't say that it transformed, but I liked it better than on the pop'n'pour. Still comes across as sort of muddled, rather than the pure strawberry-raspberry profile I prefer, but it wasn't off-putting like initially. Kind of promising it held that long, most wines have a major dropoff after that long.
Red

2018 Melville Syrah Estate Donna's Block

 Sta. Rita Hills more
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4/5/2022 - scorbett Likes this wine: NR

Everything I want from a syrah.

Nose: tons of underbrush, blood iron, black olive tapenade, whiff of black pepper.

Palate: all of the nose plus a nice mineral-textured bite of dark fruit.

It's not cheap, but there are plenty of popular US syrahs that are more expensive and deliver much less. Melville gets syrah.

  • Comment posted by Cabfrancophile:

    4/5/2022 9:22:00 PM - Yes, Melville does get Syrah. So much going on at a young age, yet so much material that may evolve in fascinating ways. Great wine.

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