| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| White |
2013 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie VineyardSonoma Coast more |
5/14/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 92 pointsI can see some back and forth on this bottle - I thought this wine was good but definitely not worthy of a 96-ish caliber scores. The color is about right where you’d expect, medium yellow-golden and visually shows a high degree of viscosity. Nose is not exactly typical California with a style that is both rich yet a bit austere with burnt caramel, vanilla and even a little bacon fat just to make it interesting. Drank rather quickly so perhaps I’m not doing it justice by letting it open up but I think we got a good glimpse of what this is. Viscosity gave it a nice finish too. Above average for a California Chardonnay but if you rate this 96, not sure how you rate a Batard-Montrachet. |
| White - Off-dry |
2011 Weingut Johann Peter Reinert Wiltinger Schlangengraben Riesling Spätlese feinherbMosel Saar Ruwer more |
5/13/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 89 pointsThis is a wine that is drinking fairly well but the several years that I spent aging it didn’t make it any better. Despite being a Spatlase, there is a simplicity to this bottle in that it’s really just pretty much straightforward fruit. Nice nose of lemon peel, lime, and some marzipan but with low acidity (even for a Spatlase), it’s a bit one dimensional. This is a very small producer so happy I tried it, but would drink these younger if you can get your hands on one. Drank over several nights with consistent notes. |
| Red |
2001 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Tychson Hill VineyardNapa Valley more |
5/12/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 94 pointsVery impressive. Still going strong, showing a dark purple red color right out of the bottle with very little bricking even after 20+ years. Drank decanted, the nose was incredibly intense with notes of dark fruits, blackberries, chocolate but also a very nice backbone of secondary charcoal and cedar notes that blend harmoniously and to uplift the complexity of the wine. The palate is rich and chewy, still some tannin preserved to provide some structure. This is only the second year they made wine from this vineyard and given the price point vs current offerings, I’d highly recommend this vintage to those wanting to try Colgin (it’s a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than circa 2019). Overall, excellent bottle, will be a crowd pleaser. |
| Red |
2013 Boich Family Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Wall RoadMt. Veeder more |
5/4/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 92 pointsI bought this wine at a tasting with the owner many years ago when they first started this winery. This is a big, bold wine but isn’t really made for longer term aging and lacks some complexity. The color is a medium purple-red with definite bricking staring to appear at the rim. We drank decanted. Initial nose was promising - good fruit backbone with some lingering notes of smoke and a faint hint of green pepper. But as the evening wore on (2 hours+), the wine did not evolve and no other secondary elements were present. Very strong fruit here - black, red, blue but little tannin to back it up. Still a nice bottle, unmistakably California but don’t think it has a long aging trajectory ahead of it. For similar price points, I’d rather recommend Melka, Corison or Tor Kenward. |
| White |
2017 Georg Mosbacher Forster Ungeheuer Riesling Großes GewächsPfalz more |
4/27/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 92 pointsI drank this over several nights and glad I did because the wine evolved quite a bit over that time, suggesting to me it still has a long drinking window ahead of it. Color is medium straw yellow right now. The nose is pretty much the “fruit salad” of every other review, with very present notes of lime, lemon peel and pineapple but it’s clear to me that this wine is currently making the transition to show some more tertiary characteristics of beeswax and ginger. Petrol notes were also present for me (I love the petrol). Full and luscious palate with still-present acidity makes for a pleasant finish, though it’s surprisingly tight. I really like the wine but being very familiar with the region, I think lacks some of the depth of fruit that other producers show. Admittedly my first bottle from this house so I’m still rating it well, and deservedly so. But it’s just a half step behind some of the other Pfalz greats (though it’s reflected in the price!). |
| White |
2021 Ridge Chardonnay Monte BelloSanta Cruz Mountains more |
4/18/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 92 pointsAn excellent bottle, and one that will age well. Displays a medium-light straw yellow color at the moment. The nose is very Burgundian: burnt caramel, lemon cake and bitter orange. Quite restrained on the oak and the fruit. The palate exhibits great depth with a richness complimented by a wonderful tension, minerality and “dryness” resulting in a really terrific structure. Yet is still retains a bit of a California terroir with a strong backbone and approachable style at a relatively young age. Will be great in 5 to 10 years as everything further integrates. Not sure how they make it so special - apparently only 15% new oak, so perhaps that’s it. Anyway, very enjoyable, loved it, highly confident it will score 94+ at peak. |
| Red |
2018 Podere Ruggeri Corsini Barolo BussiaNebbiolo more |
4/6/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 92 pointsThis was my first experience with this producer and the first 2018 Barolo, which are apparently drinking very well. I was generally impressed on both fronts. The wine has a dark garnet ruby color right now with medium level transparency at the rim. Nose is pretty typical Barolo and definitely evolved over the course of the evening: dark cherry, spearmint and fresh herbs which eventually transitioned into a bit more tar and roses as the wine opened up. High degree of acidity present early on also blew off but was not misplaced, as it adds to the structure of the wine. Notes of iron and just a trace of roasted red pepper on the finish completed the cycle. Drank over four hours without decanting (we weren’t sure we’d finish it), I’m generally impressed with this winemaker and will try again! I think this is a potential 93-94 in five years. Excellent price point too. |
| White |
2018 Sanguis Spiritual GatheringsCentral Coast Chardonnay Blend, Chardonnay more |
3/31/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 93 pointsI really enjoyed this wine, a wonderfully rich and complex bottle. Displays a medium dandelion yellow color that foreshadows its layered texture. On the nose, I’d almost mistake this for a grand cru Burgundy with its nose of burnt caramel, white flowers and perhaps even a hint of ocean breeze. The chardonnay is nicely restrained here which gives the wine structure and backbone, while the roussanne adds an elegant flourish of fruit - a combination that works so well I question why it’s not more typical. Lengthy finish given above noted richness ends with just a hint of petrol. Definitely one to age and I’m guessing will be even more delicious in five years, maybe deserving of 95. I have one bottle left, so we’ll see! |
| Rosé - Sparkling |
2012 Pol Roger Champagne Brut RoséChampagne Blend more |
3/24/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 94 pointsI will add to the comments of Therealpepe and XavierAurbach in scoring this as an excellent, elite wine. I too reviewed it earlier, Christmas Day 2020 (see below) and at the time I rated it 93 with a potential to go to 95. Still true. Color today is soft pink, salmon. The nose is wonderfully fragrant even right out of the bottle with notes of strawberry, rose petal, blood orange all melding to provide an incredible freshness. As many other note, the mousse is very light and almost hard to see after about five minutes, but in no way does this subtract from the wine since it’s still present on the palate. This finish is equally complex, still-present acidity provides a nice structure, framing the fruit and elongating the palate. Just love it. |
| White |
2014 Louis Guntrum Niersteiner Hipping Riesling Großes GewächsRheinhessen more |
3/22/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 94 pointsAn outstanding wine. Purchased at the winery and tasted shortly thereafter. Color was a beautiful golden straw yellow with some shards of orange. What I love most about this wine was its expression of absolute typicity. The nose is all petrol, honey, and white flowers. Incredible concentration. Wonderfully integrated with a medium-level acidity that highlights the secondary elements of almond, smoke and just an ever so slight touch of saline. The weight is absolutely full, with its high viscosity lends itself a nice long finish. This is an excellent expression of Rheinhessen, so I’m a bit surprised this is the very first review give the quality of this bottle. Absolutely terrific! |
| White - Off-dry |
2015 Louis Guntrum Niersteiner Hipping Riesling AusleseRheinhessen more |
3/16/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 94 pointsAbsolutely wonderful wine with great structure and richness. The color is a medium golden yellow, about age appropriate. The nose is an excellent cacophony of primary and secondary elements at this point with apricot, ripe mango and honey mingling effortlessly with candied almond and fresh cream. Petrol notes also present and, along with the high viscosity, nicely elongate the finish. A hard to find wine, I’d say it’s “punching far above its age” and drinks more like a 15yr+ bottle, owing to the complexity. Still has room to run as there is still some acidity lingering in the background. Really special, loved it. |
| White - Off-dry |
2003 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Auslese GoldkapselNahe more |
3/15/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 94 pointsDrank this from a half bottle and it was outstanding, what a treat. Unlike some of the previous reviewers, I felt the color was a medium-dark golden yellow, definitely showing its advanced age. The nose is really full yet well balanced at this point, with clove, ginger, papaya and caramel all making an appearance. The acidity - the strong suit of elite German wines - is present but mostly sanded down, as you’d expect, but still enough to balance this out a bit. I don’t have another bottle in the cellar but I’d love to see how this evolves. The secondary and tertiary elements will just get more interesting. I also think it has a super long life ahead of it. Plenty of fruit to keep this going. Wonderful viscosity lends itself to a beautifully long finish of 20+ seconds. |
| Red |
2005 Château Beau-Séjour BécotSt. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more |
3/8/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 91 pointsI liked this but wasn’t blown away. First time trying this chateau and I have to agree with the plurality of previous reviews that this just lacks a bit of something. Still has a nice medium-dark purple red color. The initial nose was a little soft, with some very fruit forward notes of cassis, black currant and cherries. Not a lot of tannin here, very much sanded down. In the first 30 minutes of drinking (undecanted) I almost would’ve guessed California cab. After an a hour or so it developed a bit of secondary aroma with tobacco, cedar and a bit wet earth balancing out the fruit and elevated the wine a point or so in my opinion. Honestly not sure this rises to the level of other Grand Cru Classe B but it’s a contender. Good, just not amazing - but not bad for the price. |
| White - Sweet/Dessert |
2017 Henry of Pelham Riesling IcewineNiagara Peninsula VQA more |
3/4/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 92 pointsA well made bottle that still has a nice life ahead of it. Currently a medium-dark golden brown color. Nose shows very well with wonderful aromas of apricot, ripe pineapple and candied lemon. Even better was the palate and the finish as the winemaker somehow manages an ever so slightly savory finish of salted caramel to emerge. Very pleasant and interesting. What knocked a point or two off for me, however, was the lack of acidity which others seemed to find but I thought was wholly absent, thus making the wine a bit one dimensional. Still - really delicious, and the weighty viscosity lends itself to a nice long finish. Great producer. Don’t buy this in 200ml format, it’s not enough! |
| Red |
2008 Paolo Scavino Barolo Bricco AmbrogioNebbiolo more |
2/13/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 93 pointsCan’t believe there have been no reviews on this since 2012? And other vintages have hundreds of bottles in CT cellars, this one has 40? Well in any case, if you happen to own this wine, trust me it’s great. It still has a deep crimson red color, more intense than I was expecting. We decanted and it proved to be a good decision. Initial nose was a little more on the savory side with pencil shavings, tobacco and black licorice being predominant. As the wine opened up, it softened a little bit both on the palate and the nose with notes of caramel, baking spices and roasted nuts rounding out an elongated finish. Tannins are still present and well placed. I toyed with scoring it a 94 - it was close. Still has room to go. Color and tannins pointing to a beautiful 5-10yr wine at this point. |
| Red - Fortified |
2015 Bogle Vineyards Petite Sirah PortClarksburg more |
2/7/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 89 pointsThis is not the first time I’ve had this wine - I reviewed the 2008 version back in 2017 and it had 21 other reviews…so not sure why mine is the first here. Small bottling? Anyway, very pleasant wine. Comes out of the bottle very dark, deep purple red. Nose is all fruit at this point, ripe red fruit, blue fruit, with a hint of red licorice sneaking in there. Palate is weighty with high viscosity and very little acidity - something that ultimately took it down just a notch or so. Granted it’s a bit one dimensional and not comparable to, say, a vintage port but it’s also a fraction of the cost. If you like straightforward, bright dessert wines that can be drunk over several nights, this is your bottle. |
| Red |
2003 Château La Fleur-PétrusPomerol Red Bordeaux Blend more |
1/29/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 93 pointsAn interesting evolution on this bottle. Opened and tasted a bit tight so decanted. Color was medium crimson red, light on the rim. Initial nose was really hard to coax out, all sorts of savory and earthy notes of tobacco smoke, roasted meat, violets. Tannins almost completely sanded away at this point. So far was not too impressed and angling for a 91(ish) rating. But the decanting helped - we had a final glass three hours later and the wine had indeed opened up. While still somewhat savory on the nose, the palate had developed some complexity with perhaps some of the oak helping to provide some nice balance. Would’ve rated that last glass an easy 94, ergo current score. Hard to believe it would benefit from decanting but it did, no question. |
| White |
2022 Kimich Deidesheimer Paradiesgarten Riesling Erste LagePfalz more |
1/27/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 91 pointsI’ve had this producers wines a few times while visiting Pfalz and have always found them a bit if a hidden gem. I think this is the first year they’ve ever done something from Paradiesgarten, one of the “premier cru” vineyards in the area. It is a very well made wine indeed. Still a bit light on the color, very pale sunflower yellow - age appropriate. The nose is very fresh with lime, white flowers and yuzu. Acidity is definitely present but already a bit soft, which suits the wine at this stage. Finish is clean and refreshing. I’d guess this is a five year wine or so (max ten) but very ready to enjoy now. A great slightly-above-entry-point wine for the money. |
| White |
2018 Dr. Bürklin-Wolf Ruppertsberger Gaisböhl RieslingPfalz more |
1/26/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 94 pointsI seem to like this much more than the previous reviewers. I was blown away by the balance as this transitions into a mature wine with interesting secondary elements. Shows a slightly above medium straw yellow color in the glass with above average viscosity. Nose is pure Pfalz: lychee, guava, lemon peel, but evolving into caramel and a touch of smoke, again, opening a window on its evolution. Like all B-W wines (at any price point) I found a superb level of acidity, just about right - not sure how they do it. Finish lingered wonderfully but also hinted of what was to come given petrol scents haven’t even kicked in yet. Might be 95+ in a few years, my delineation between great and elite wine. |
| White |
2019 von Winning Deidesheimer Kieselberg Riesling Großes GewächsPfalz more |
1/25/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 93 pointsA super concentrated, yet elegant, elite riesling. This wine comes out of the bottle a medium dandelion yellow with gold tinges in the middle of the glass. The nose packs a nice punch with absolute telltale signs of Pfalz: strong lemon zest, candied grapefruit and quince all forming a perfumed approach that is followed up with some secondary (and pleasant) notes of burnt match. Palate is weighty with good viscosity and plenty of acidity holding this together. Finish lingers in the palate for a good 20 seconds+ as some of the above noted elements evolve into a creamy, luxurious finish. Tasted at the winery, hard to get in the US unfortunately, but worth seeking if you love this genre. |
| Red |
2014 Sanguis French BooksSanta Ynez Valley Cabernet Franc more |
1/13/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 94 pointsThis is a beautiful, well structured wine. Comes out of the bottle with a medium-dark crimson red. Initial nose is almost savory, with charcoal, tobacco, maybe even some roasted game. After about 30 minutes in the glass, some of the subtle dark berry fruit starts to make an appearance. But the wine never lets you forget it’s a Cabernet Franc (85%) and retainers a wonderful earthy typicity throughout. Firm, chewy tannins provide an excellent backbone and structure. Loved it to the last sip, and is the most original American wine I’ve had in a year. Superb, interesting wine making at Sanguis. Drank undecanted. |
| Red |
2006 Paolo Conterno Barolo Riserva GinestraNebbiolo more |
1/7/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 93 pointsReally loved this bottle, wonderful expression of the region. The color is very much a mature purple-red with a dark ruby hue. On the nose, you get typical licorice, charcoal and dark cherry flavors but after a bit of air, some softer caramel notes start to appear, beautifully complimenting the primary elements. We drank decanted over about three hours and it held up nicely, with firm tannins that stood up to a hearty Italian meal. Last sips were the best, always a good sign. I started with a 92 in my mind and by the end of the evening almost toyed with a 94 (a high score for me). The Ginestra Riserva from Paolo Conterno is a bit of an undiscovered gem, I think - hard to acquire in the US. We purchased directly at the winery. |
| White |
2011 Reichsrat Von Buhl Ruppertsberger Reiterpfad Riesling Großes GewächsPfalz more |
1/5/2024 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 91 pointsThis is an excellent producer form the Pfalz (one of the best, in fact) but this wine falls a bit short of an elite bottling. The color is medium straw yellow with slight tinges of gold. The initial nose has a lot of offer: fresh flowers, yuzu, and honey, all embraced nicely with some austere vegetal notes. But I really miss any level of acidity here - something needed to tie this all together, particularly in such a strong vintage as 2011. We drank this over three nights and the secondary elements kicked in with more marzipan and sandalwood supplanting the initial fruit. Still, the acidity is surprisingly lacking. Perhaps the vintage was too ripe? Great wine but not their best. |
| Red |
2010 Melka Cabernet Sauvignon CJNapa Valley more |
12/31/2023 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 92 pointsI’m a big fan of Melka’s and this is another solid cuvée. I rated this 92 back in 2015, and feel it’s held up very well though I do think it’s well within its peak drinking window right now. The color of the wine was a medium-dark purple but closer examination and swirling in the glass reveals quite a bit of crimson. The nose is giveaway California with loads of cassis, dark blue fruits, ripe plum and lavender all present. We drank the wine undecanted for about four hours so it had a chance to breathe and indeed, it held up nicely putting on some velvety weight with notes of dark chocolate and charcoal showing toward the end. I’m not sure why the consensus says to drink by 2019 (that’s clearly off) but I’d recommend within a few years at this point for certain. |
| Red |
2009 Château DauzacMargaux Red Bordeaux Blend more |
12/28/2023 - hrazdiiv Likes this wine: 90 pointsI’m perhaps a bit less enthused on this wine than most of the other reviewers. It’s good, but definitely not great, and I don’t think it will evolve (for the better) much from here on. The wine shows a nice mature color with consistent bricking throughout. On the nose you get some telltale Bordeaux scents of asphalt, tobacco, and wood smoke. On the palate, the wine still had decent tannins but was a little too high on the acidity front for my liking, and had little fruit development - so it’s a touch one-sided. We drank decanted and the nose continued show nicely on the austere side with some iron and cedar peaking out, but still little fruit. For the price, it’s a nice deal. |
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- Tasting notes: 603 notes on 557 wines
