| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| Red |
2007 Patrick Lesec Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Galets BlondsRed Rhone Blend more |
10/12/2013 - mguglielmo wrote: 92 pointsDrinking beautifully right now, intense fruit, supported by a savory backbone. Loads of bramble, blackberry, some mushroom and coffee. Yum x10. |
| White |
2012 Fattoria Laila Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superioremore |
9/17/2013 - mguglielmo wrote: 86 pointsDrinks much nicer than the $9 I paid for it. Nose reminds me of a flinty Loire Valley white. Lemon sherbet and peach nectar dominate the flavors. Not overly complex, but for $9 who would expect it to be? Perfectly acceptable weeknight wine for a multitude of food options. |
| Red |
2011 Bedrock Wine Co. Syrah Kick RanchSonoma County more |
2/18/2013 - mguglielmo wrote: 91 pointsGobs of fruit on day 1, more refined (and more pleasant) on day 2. Rich nose, layers of brambly fruit with some earth and smokiness. Judicious tannins lead one to believe it'll grow nicely over the next 4-5 years. Wonderful syrah, a winner from Bedrock. |
| Red |
2008 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards Pinot NoirNapa Valley more |
8/20/2012 - mguglielmo Likes this wine: 91 pointsBought on our honeymoon, and alas, our only bottle (that I apparently can't replace). What the heck, popped & let breathe in the bottle for a couple hours. Classic garnet pinot coloring. Huge nose of plum, cranberry, rose petal, and spiced cloves. Palate is gorgeous, and lush, full of cherries and all manner of berries (strawberry & blackberry mostly), with secondary characteristics that are slightly gamey and nicely spiced. Soft tannins and just the right amount of acidity. Fairly full-bodied for a pinot and a somewhat short finish. I have to say, this was great. Delicious! |
| Red |
2008 Achával-Ferrer QuimeraLujan de Cuyo Red Bordeaux Blend more |
8/6/2012 - mguglielmo wrote: 88 pointsAlas, my last bottle. Dark, intense purple gives the impression of seriously concentrated juice. Hugely expressive nose of both red & black fruit, raisins, vanilla, and cloves. Very complex, lots going on. Palate is a bit more one-dimensional in the new world style, though the intensity & concentration of the grapes (lots of 'em, nearly all the Bordeaux varietals) creates a ripe, forward profile. The oak, soft tannins & acidity are all in balance, leaving a juicy, lip-smacking finish of medium length. Very easy drinker, also wonderful with food. If you can find it for under $25, jump on it. 4+12+15+7 = 88 |
| Red |
2005 Patrick Lesec Châteauneuf-du-Pape RubisRed Rhone Blend more |
8/5/2012 - mguglielmo Likes this wine: 89 points70% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah Rhone blend. PnP. Red burgundy/maroon coloring, though the closed-down nose is somewhat disappointing. I do get faint traces of stewed plums, bubblegum, vanilla, and black pepper. The palate is where this shines though, with loads of ripe, ripe fruit, mostly blackberries, cherry liqueur, blueberry jam, and secondary characteristics of charred meat and espresso. Medium-full body, fat with silky yet grippy tannins, subtle acid, this is nicely balanced. Great now, good for another 5+ years easily. Too bad this is my last one! 5+9+17+8 = 89 |
| Red |
2006 Château Fleur CardinaleSt. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more |
8/5/2012 - mguglielmo Likes this wine: 92 pointsDecanted 2+ hours, to go with Sunday steak dinner. This is dark, nearly opaque dark. Bold black fruit, mostly currant, blueberry pie, and rose petals on the nose; lush, ripe blueberry, black cherry fruit on the palate, balanced well with black olives, truffles, and spice. Bitter coffee grinds on the long finish. Nice oak, firm tannins, this has lots of life left in it. Pretty great affordable Bordeaux. 4+13+17+8 = 92 |
| Red |
2006 Seavey Vineyard Cabernet SauvignonNapa Valley more |
8/4/2012 - mguglielmo Likes this wine: 92 pointsPop & decant for 2+ hours, this is a BIG wine. Definitely not subtle as its inky purple coloring stains the glass. The nose is mostly black cherry & cassis, as well as more subtle notes of bacon fat and mint. Even before this opened up a bit, it was rich, and big. Loads upon loads of black & blue fruit, mostly cherry liqueur, blueberry cobbler & fruitcake. Tobacco, spice & dark mocha chocolate fill out the rest of its profile. Mouth-coating tannins, fat & rounded, very well balanced, though it would do well to accompany food. Incredibly complex, lots going on, and will deliver for another 8-10 years with ease. 5+12+17+8 = 92 |
| Red |
2009 Fattoria Viticcio Bere Toscana IGTSuperTuscan Blend more |
8/4/2012 - mguglielmo wrote: 86 pointsPnP with penne with roasted tomatoes, capers, shallots & garlic (great match btw). Brick/purple, with a solid nose featuring plum, cherry, licorice & rosemary herbs. Classic sangiovese-driven sour cherry & cranberry/raspberry flavors dominate, with a touch of olive & earth on the back-end. Nice albeit underwhelming oak and tangy acid create a pleasant light-to-medium-bodied red that is sure to please any weeknight meal. Fantastic QPR @ <$12/bottle. 4+11+14+7 = 86 |
| Red |
2001 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valleymore |
7/29/2012 - mguglielmo Likes this wine: 92 pointsI was pretty excited to open this, as it was a special buy during our honeymoon at the vineyard. Didn't decant, just left open for 1+ hours while I cooked a steak dinner. Its age shows in the gorgeous brownish-red brick color, nearly opaque. The nose is lush, expressive, featuring ripe, ripe red & black fruit, violet, maybe a hint of tea leaves. The palate is even better, with delicious black cherry, blackberry, currant, prunes and tobacco and baker's chocolate coming out during the medium-length finish. Softening tannins say this has peaked, but it's still fully balanced, and more importantly, delicious. The mouth-coating full body paired beautifully with our filet mignon with red wine reduction sauce and roasted tarragon potatoes. Properly stored, this still has 3-4 years of good life in it. Excellent wine. 5+12+17+8 = 92 |
| Red |
2001 Château GloriaSt. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend more |
7/28/2012 - mguglielmo wrote: NROpened this 2 days ago and was nervous that the shop I bought it from hadn't stored it properly, it appeared to be heading toward vinegar. Drank 1 1/2 glasses, vacuum-sealed it & stored it in the fridge. Today, it was much improved, but still not as good as I'd hoped. Coloring was rusty brown-edged brick, so you could see the aging coming on, but the nose was closed-down still. What I got wasn't all that appealing either: smoked meat, herbs, green pepper, mushroom, and bit of funk (that didn't blow off). Palate was substantially better, but the fruit was on its way out. Cherry, tart raspberry, wet forest floor, and coffee grind during the short finish. Strangely enough, it was still moderately tannic, though not very acidic. Hope my other bottle is better. No formal score b/c of the 3 days it was open, but it would have been 85-ish. |
| Red |
2004 Bodegas Roda Rioja Roda ReservaTempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more |
7/25/2012 - mguglielmo Likes this wine: 90 pointsPop, aerate, decant, tasting note over the course of 90 minutes. Tawny, brick color, looks murky. Nose of plum, minty eucalyptus, tobacco. Rich, complex mouth of black cherry, raspberry, tea leaves, earthiness, and espresso. Not too tannic but with evident structure, drinking well right now. Perhaps a touch less acidic than would be ideal, but in a good place. $30 might be a bit much though I still thought it worth every penny. 5+11+16+8 = 90 |
| White - Off-dry |
1971 Domaine Huet Vouvray Demi-Sec Le Haut-LieuChenin Blanc more |
7/20/2012 - mguglielmo Likes this wine: 95 pointsWas lucky enough to live near a Spectator Grand Award winning restaurant that just so happened to have a bottle (or 2) of this in their cellar. It being a celebratory evening (wife got a job, I got a raise), we took the plunge and got to experience a wonderful, legendary bottle of wine. |
| Red |
2008 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Rosella's VineyardSanta Lucia Highlands more |
7/20/2012 - mguglielmo Likes this wine: 92 pointsTremendous wine, and for a new world fruit bomb of a pinot, was amazingly versatile (it seamlessly handled crawfish enchiladas, cajun shrimp/andouille sausage stir-fy, crawfish pasta, and chicken parm). Rich, huge, gobs of fruit, all backed by earthy coffee grinds. Med-full bodied, with a finish that wouldn't quit. Must find more. |
| Red |
2009 Château d'Aiguilhe Seigneurs d'AiguilheCastillon Côtes de Bordeaux Red Bordeaux Blend more |
7/15/2012 - mguglielmo Likes this wine: 89 pointsThis Merlot (80%)/Cabernet Franc (20%) blend delivers the goods, though it took about 90 minutes for it to happen. It really evolved in the glass over time. Popped, tasted within 1/2 hour over the next 2 hours. |
| Red |
2010 Bedrock Wine Co. Zinfandel Monte Rosso VineyardSonoma Valley more |
7/15/2012 - mguglielmo Likes this wine: 92 pointsPopped & tasted within 30 minutes, paired with a Moroccan-spiced salmon dish. Very dark purple-black. Nose is somewhat held back, though brambly, and showing rose petal, blackberries & walnuts. The taste though, the taste is unreal. Huge, expressive, ripe fruit, mostly of the dark kind. Cherry cola, spicy, and a long, delicious mocha coffee finish. This is not your father's zinfandel. Perfectly balanced, a crisp acidity to go along with soft tannins. Wish I had regular access to this. 5+10+18+9 = 92 |
| Red |
2009 Rocca di Frassinello Maremma Toscana Le SughereSuperTuscan Blend more |
7/14/2012 - mguglielmo Likes this wine: 90 pointsPnP, purple-tinted blood red in color. Bouquet is only moderately interesting, mostly floral, with additional notes of cassis, blackberries & sawdust. The palate, however, is rich, ripe, and bold. Lip-smacking bursts of cherry, raspberry, cranberry, and plum start things off, are evened out with a barnyard-like mushroom flavor, and finished up with rich, frothy cocoa. Medium in body, lengthy finish. The smooth-as-silk tannins meld perfectly with the right amount of acidity, wrapping this delightful package up with a bow. Superb QPR. 5+10+17+8 = 90 |
| Red |
2008 Clos Puy ArnaudCastillon Côtes de Bordeaux Red Bordeaux Blend more |
7/13/2012 - mguglielmo wrote: NRThis was likely my fault, but I opened it, drank 2 glasses, vacuum-sealed it, opened it day 2 for a couple hours but didn't drink any (false start) & vacuum-sealed it again, then finished the bottle on day 3. So this tasting note deserves as asterisk. |
| Red |
2006 Sebastiani Vineyards & Winery SecoloSonoma County Red Bordeaux Blend more |
7/6/2012 - mguglielmo Likes this wine: 92 pointsAs others have noted, make sure you decant or aerate this through a screen, as there is much cork sediment in the neck. |
| Red |
2006 Villa Baglio BaroloNebbiolo more |
7/6/2012 - mguglielmo Likes this wine: 91 pointsPsyched I'm the first to give this a review, but surprised because it was damned good and a bargain to boot! Let breathe in the bottle for about 1 hour prior to dinner, looked like pinot noir-esque brick red in the glass. Ripe cherry, flowers, camphor & mint waft freely on the nose, and a delicious mix of rich fruit coats the palate to begin, transforming into an intense mix of mushrooms, earth, mocha, and coffee grinds. Wow, very nice! This is a very ready-to-drink Barolo, but all that nice fruit, coupled with silky smooth tannins and fine structure will let this develop for another 5 years at least, and likely 10. |
| Red |
2008 Bogle Vineyards PhantomCalifornia Red Blend more |
7/5/2012 - mguglielmo Likes this wine: 92 pointsI was completely taken by surprise by this wine. One of my local guys recommended it and I took a shot, and man am I glad I did! Thick, midnight purple, a huge nose full of rich, brambly fruit and hints of cedar and smoked meat. Then bam! Gobs of jammy Cali zin black fruit, but not syrupy and overbearing as can often happen, with a lip-smacking finish ripe with espresso and baker's chocolate. Deliciously integrated tannins and perfect acidity, this drinks like a far more expensive bottle of juice. Definite buy. |
| White |
2007 Argyle Chardonnay NuthouseWillamette Valley more |
7/5/2012 - mguglielmo wrote: 87 pointsStill green around the gills and mostly clear, this exhibits a restrained nose of apple, pineapple, baked spices, honey & stone. Lots of stone fruit and lime sherbert flavors combine with a nutty, flinty finish, where the oak appears for the first time. Standard chardonnay green apple emerges as it warms. Medium-bodied, it's dry, somewhat creamy, yet with sharp acidic tang. Not sure where all the "butter bomb" comments are coming from, this is far more Burgundian in style than your normal American chard. Decent, drinkable wine, but for north of $30, I want better than decent & drinkable. |
| Red |
2006 Caymus Cabernet SauvignonNapa Valley more |
7/4/2012 - mguglielmo Likes this wine: 93 pointsPnP. Not 100% familiar with how Caymus cab typically acts, but this bottle was ready to go the second the cork left the neck. The oncoming fruit intensity was apparent as soon as the murky, black-as-night purple coloring splashed around the bottom of the glass. Nose was enticing, made me want to dive in and take a nap in the glass, full of black currant, berries left laying in the sun, warm cola, dust, and barnyard. Taste was even better; this bad boy came from some seriously concentrated grapes, probably the size of pebbles. Loads of cherry cola, chocolate raspberry cake, and espresso. Medium-length finish, ample body, this wine kicks ass. Velvety smooth tannins, acidity in check, so well-balanced. Killer cab. Buy buy buy. |
| Red |
2005 ReignacBordeaux Supérieur Red Bordeaux Blend more |
7/3/2012 - mguglielmo wrote: 89 pointsAerated/decanted for 30-45 minutes, took notes over the course of 2 hours. When a wine in this dark, I call it "octopus defense mechanism" in color. Almost black, and murky. An opulent, expressive nose greets you right away, with loads of ripe fruit and a backbone of hay, mushroom, and olive. At first, the palate was extremely restrained and basically not much beyond astringent. But after 1+ hours, notes of sour cherry, plums, and brambly fruit open up to complement the secondary flavors of earth, anise, and burnt toast. The oak is ever-present but not overwhelming. Initially, the tannins dominated everything else, but they do soften around the 90-minute mark. The wine is gritty but acidic, and has the foundation to continue to evolve. I would give this at least a 90-minute decant, or 1-2+ years, and I would guess this will be coming into its own within 5. Stellar QPR. 88 upon pour, 91+ potential. Will taste again in 6 months. |
| Red |
2007 Mount Veeder Winery Cabernet SauvignonNapa Valley more |
6/30/2012 - mguglielmo Likes this wine: 92 pointsPnP, notes over the course of 2 hours. Inky, dark, intense, glass-staining legs indicate this classic mountain terroir is in full effect. The nose is surprisingly light, with equal parts violet, black fruit & vanilla. However, the explosion of rich, ripe fruit confirms the best of this winery & its unique Napa location. Black currant, brambly blackberry, mint, and my favorite, mocha coffee. A long chalky finish with plenty of oaky tobacco. It's the wine that keeps on giving. It's so well-balanced, sharp acidity, velvety tannins, it's hard to believe that this is a $25 (I paid $20) bottle of Napa cabernet. Once again, Mt. Veeder Winery proves to me that they produce the best value in Napa, but I'm worried I can't find more! |
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- Tasting notes: 179 notes on 173 wines
