Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
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Red |
2008 COS Nero d'Avola ContradaSicilia more |
9/22/2019 - CarterBenjamin Likes this wine: 93 pointsStunner of a Nero. 12,5% alcohol and so well balanced. Mid-weight and everything in it's place. |
Red |
1992 Newton Cabernet Sauvignon UnfilteredNapa Valley more |
9/22/2019 - CarterBenjamin Likes this wine: 93 pointsDrinking really well - well integrated and balanced. Still plenty of fruit + acidity; secondary notes of earth/tobacco/spice; fine grained tannins. Drink them if you got them, but should hold for a few more years no problem. |
Red |
2004 Bodegas Akutain Rioja Gran ReservaTempranillo more |
6/2/2019 - CarterBenjamin wrote: flawedCorked |
Red |
1967 Nervi-Delsignore GattinaraNebbiolo more |
1/30/2019 - CarterBenjamin wrote: flawedUnfortunately corked, some beautiful notes below upon open, but became increasingly more TCA affected. Bummed. |
Red |
2001 Feudi di San Gregorio Irpinia SerpicoAglianico more |
1/1/2018 - CarterBenjamin Likes this wine: 94 pointsDecanted for 2 hours, back into bottle and consumed 6 hours later. This was incredible - so well balanced with enough freshness and acidity to carry the fine tannins and earthiness. Tobacco, cured meat, blue and red fruits, fresh herbs, leather. Compelling. |
Red |
2012 Bedrock Wine Co. Heritage Wine Dolinsek RanchRussian River Valley Red Blend more |
12/26/2016 - CarterBenjamin Likes this wine: 92 pointsTook a mixed case of wine to the family's house for the week of Christmas and this may have been my favorite red wine. Full fruit profile with baking and herbal spices. Acids and tannins in check -- well balanced wine through and through. |
White - Sparkling |
2011 Analemma Wines Pinot Noir Blanc de Noir Atavus VineyardColumbia Gorge more |
12/26/2016 - CarterBenjamin Likes this wine: 93 pointsThe best domestic sparkling wine I have had to date. Wonderful balance between crisp acidity and a leesy body. It has a flightly, lifted quality while still delivering complexity and a long finish. Still young, but not as angular as a winery tasting six months ago. If you have one bottle, I would wait until this time next year, possibly longer, but no harm done drinking it now. |
Red |
2015 Arnot-Roberts TrousseauNorth Coast more |
12/18/2016 - CarterBenjamin Likes this wine: 90 pointsVery unique. Looks almost like sherry in the glass. Soft aromas of light red fruits (strawberry primarily, some pomegranate), savory herbs, autumnal leaves and dried floral notes.. Palate matches the qualities of the nose with mostly savory notes. Fresh acid, light tannins. Took me a while to warm up to the wine (was pop and poured), but in the end this is a very enjoyable, albeit very different wine. Will try again in six to nine months. |
Red |
2008 Fattoria Galardi Terra di LavoroRoccamonfina IGT Aglianico more |
12/7/2016 - CarterBenjamin Likes this wine: 92 pointsDecanted for an hour. Smells of blood (iron), crushed volcanic soils and dark cherries. Palate matches with a mixed of red and black fruits, tobacco/cigar box and a hint of spice. Lots of savory elements. Tannins are big, but fine grained and well balanced by the acidity. Long finish to this leaves you wanting more. Will revisit in 2019+ although no harm drinking now. Very enjoyable. 92+ |
Red |
2012 Reynvaan Family Vineyards Syrah In the HillsWalla Walla Valley more |
4/3/2016 - CarterBenjamin Likes this wine: 93 pointsFirst Reynvaan and I was impressed. Expecting a riper Walla Walla style wine, but this delivered a more restrained experience. Should have noted the 13.7% alcohol. Elegant, silky and integrated tannins. Typical blue fruits, gaminess, herbs and black pepper/spice for syrah - all in a polished package. Not sure how these wines age - but I don't think there is anything lost by drinking them now. 93+ |
Orange |
2012 COS Terre Siciliane Pithos BiancoGrecanico, Garganega more |
1/17/2016 - CarterBenjamin Likes this wine: 91 pointsDefinitely a more unique white - which I think bumps the score(s) a point or two. Savory, herbal, interesting = very enjoyable and well received by guests. |
Red |
2013 Robert Biale Zinfandel R.W. Moore VineyardCoombsville more |
1/21/2016 - CarterBenjamin Likes this wine: 91 pointsLush, fruit-forward Zinfandel from a ripe vintage. Decanted for three hours, and consumed over two hours. At this point, the palate was pretty primary - although delicious. Alcohol shows through a bit leading to a jammy feel. Will try my next bottle in 2 years. |
Red |
2012 Maison Nicolas Perrin Crozes-HermitageSyrah more |
1/23/2016 - CarterBenjamin wrote: 90 pointsThe nose is dark fruits and green peppercorns leading to a palate of blueberries, blackberries, smoky/fatty notes, black pepper and subtle dried herbs. This wine is medium bodied with the tannins and alcohol well integrated - I think if the alcohol was higher, the perception would be for this to be a more full-bodied wine. Good buy, and in my limited experience, a good example of varietal typicity. |
Red |
2010 Tenuta Caparzo Brunello di MontalcinoSangiovese more |
1/24/2016 - CarterBenjamin wrote: 90 pointsThis is not the most complex Brunello, but it was dang tasty and drank very easily. I popped and poured, consumed over 3 hours. Medium body, med+ acid, med tannins = well balanced. Red fruits, touch of tobacco/earthiness and some light spice. Fantastic value at $30 - buy and drink, no need to hold, although it I'm sure it will hold up for some time. |
Red |
2008 Castello di Ama Chianti Classico RiservaChianti Classico DOCG Sangiovese Blend, Sangiovese more |
12/22/2015 - CarterBenjamin Likes this wine: 89 pointsPop and poured and a restaurant and consumed over two+ hours. As expected, the wine got better over that time and would have benefitted from a couple hours decant. Nose was not terribly expressive, yet definitely a chianti. Mostly non-fruit notes of leather, tobacco and mushroomy earth with a bit of sour cherries. Palate comes through with more fruit, mostly cherries and with a strong tobacco presence. Dusty, fine tannins; tart acidity - well balanced food wine. I paid $25 a couple years of years ago for this and pretty good buy. |
Red |
2013 Ridge GeyservilleSonoma County Zinfandel Blend, Zinfandel more |
12/22/2015 - CarterBenjamin Likes this wine: 90 pointsPop and pour then drank over two days, with the majority on day two. Nose of black fruits, sweet oak and some earthy notes. Palate matches with blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, Craisins, with a touch of cocoa, sweet vanilla and a lively spiciness. Oak comes through sweet on the palate and may contribute to the spicy quality of the wine. Overall it was enjoyable although somewhat simple. I knowingly drank this 5 years too soon - and I expect the the score to rise to 92+ points. |
Red |
2011 Passopisciaro PassopisciaroTerre Siciliane Nerello Mascalese more |
12/15/2015 - CarterBenjamin wrote: 88 pointsWine was decanted, and tasted/consumed over the next four hours and finished the following evening. Aromatically the wine was pleasant enough with high toned red fruits, a strong mineral component and a touch of flowers. The palate lacked any real depth and was driven by the acidity. The wine showed slight improvement, and was decent, but not worth the $40 I paid. There are better etna rosso/nerello mascalese for less money. |