| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| Red |
2001 Château Pavie DecesseSt. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more |
12/22/2021 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 92 pointsTasted after slow-ox for 4 hours. Berry and violet aromas exploded out of the bottle as I pulled the cork. Dark ruby color with the slightest amount of bricking at the edges. The prevailing note on the nose is aged leather with some underlying dark fruit, spices, and tobacco. The flavor profile is similar with a great balance of acidity. It is so smooth but still has a surprising amount of tannin on the finish, adding notes of baking chocolate. Finish lasts for 30-40 seconds. Really nice 20 year old Bordeaux that paired nicely with filet mignon. |
| Red |
2017 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de ThalabertSyrah more |
5/15/2020 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 91 pointsDrank over 3 days. Did not decant, but opened the bottle 8 hours before the first glass. Very reticent. What was coming through was subdued blackberry and tobacco notes. Day 2 offered more of the same giving up slightly more acidity. Day 3 offered new notes of black olive with blackberry reduction. It seemed to be headed in the right direction and would have likely been great on day 4. This wine needs time in the bottle. If I get antsy over the next year and open another, I’ll probably open it a few days before drinking. |
| Red |
1995 Topolos Zinfandel Rossi Ranch Sonoma Valleymore |
7/17/2019 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 88 pointsInteresting 24 year old Zinfandel. Nose had a hint of floral notes buried under wet leather and anise. Palate surprisingly had some vibrant acidity with the slightest hint of strawberry reduction but mostly tertiary characteristics that resembled the nose. Soft with hardly any evidence of tannin. Surprisingly good! |
| Red |
1993 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Bella OaksRutherford more |
4/28/2019 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 93 pointsBeautiful! Double decanted for sediment, which I was surprised to find wasn't as much as I'd expected. Medium to deep garnet with almost non-existent bricking. For the first 5 minutes, it had a nose of ripe red berries with some wet leather. The wine evolved into 4 or 5 different stages over the course of 3 hours. First started with a bit of a strawberry rhubarb with bright acidity. Through the night, the fruit notes got darker moving from dark cherry to blackberry and finally an earthy dark fig/beet note. Anise, tobacco, and vanilla persisted throughout the night. This was a fun one to drink as a celebratory wine with filet mignon. Showing the slightest bit of age, I'd move the drinking window out to 2024 to 2027. |
| Red |
2014 Le Cecche Nebbiolo Nebbiolo d'Albamore |
10/19/2018 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 88 pointsThis is a really good bottle of entry Nebbiolo. Pale garnet in color. Acidity paired well with tomato based pasta dishes. This bottle evolved a lot over a few nights ranging from mostly floral and mineral on the first night to stronger notes of cherry, citrus, and leather the next few nights. Really enjoyable stuff to drink now while the Barolo sits in the cellar. |
| Red |
2002 Turley Zinfandel Grist VineyardDry Creek Valley more |
10/15/2018 - mktaylor23 Does not like this wine: NRI bought this bottle hoping that there might still be a little life in it. Popped and poured. I like old wine, but there was an overpowering mustiness and cloudiness that didn't give me much hope. First sip tasted like what I can imagine were old, musty books. Gave it about 10 minutes and some life sprung back into the glass. Cherry cola and wet leather with a fair amount of acidity. That lasted about 20 minutes before it fell apart and was virtually undrinkable. Too bad, because I can tell it had some great character in its youth. Way past prime, and if you have any left, pop them now and plan on having this consumed within 30 minutes of opening. |
| Red |
2014 St. Clair Brown Syrah EstateNapa Valley more |
9/26/2018 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 93 pointsSt. Clair Brown is a must-stop for us any time we're in Napa. It's a cool little urban winery, nano-brewery, and urban garden run by some really great folks. |
| Red |
2013 Rutherford Ranch Abela VineyardRed Blend more |
9/12/2018 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 89 pointsAfter 30 minutes of air, the Malbec really stood out. The wine evolved quite a bit over another hour going from tart, bright cherries to black raspberry then expressing smoky cigar box, cocoa, and espresso toward the end of the evening. It was better on day 2. Enjoyable blend, but a bit overpriced. |
| Red |
2013 ZIOBAFFA The Filmmaker's Edition Toscana IGTSangiovese Blend, Sangiovese more |
7/10/2018 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 87 pointsMakes a perfect Italian table wine to drink now. Paired with homemade five cheese tortellini and pesto. Acidity is perfect for food. Bright cherries, saddle, and hints of espresso just begging to be paired with tomato sauce. At $12, I’m going to try and snag a bit more to go with the tomatoes and basil that are coming out of the garden. |
| Red |
2013 Durant and Booth ReserveNapa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more |
7/7/2018 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 93 pointsDecanted for an hour and enjoyed over several more. Excellent example of a left bank style wine from Napa. Deep ruby color. Hints of red cherry with more prominent graphite, cacao, and oak. Already throwing a small amount of sediment, this wine is fantastic now but has a ton of potential upside by aging an additional 3+ years. |
| Red |
2009 Razi Cabernet SauvignonNapa Valley more |
6/22/2018 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 91 pointsDecanted for 30 minutes. Dark ruby colored with slight bricking. Very little sediment. Strong aromas of stewed red fruit and a slight herbal note. Soft but present tannin. Tasted of stewed plums, anise, with a lingering minty finish. This is drinking at its peak, but sure to evolve for a few more years. |
| Red |
2011 Vinedos del Quorum Monastrell Jumilla Nacido del Quorum Seleccion (NdQ)more |
5/21/2018 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 88 pointsSad that this is my last bottle. This has been very consistent. With only a few minutes of air, this wine really opens up. Nose of sweet red fruit, licorice, and slight tar. Candied cherries, tobacco, and a mineral note on the palate. Nice acidity to pair with all kinds of food. I expect the tannins to resolve over the next year or two. |
| Red |
2016 Dalliance Red WineLake County Red Blend more |
5/18/2018 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 88 pointsTasty. One really can't set this one apart from many of the other juicy kitchen sink blends in the same price range. I agree that it seems to be dominated by zinfandel. Fruity, white pepper, and decent acidity. Really nice QPR. |
| Red |
2003 St. Francis MerlotSonoma County more |
4/10/2018 - mktaylor23 wrote: 84 pointsPast its peak, but some decent aged characteristics for a bottle that I picked up for $8. Heavy old, musty leather aromas upon pulling the cork. After 15 minutes or so, much of the mustiness blew off making way for aromas of stewed red fruit. Simple palate of mostly red cherry with perhaps a hint of licorice. Much better than I expected! |
| Red |
2014 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valleymore |
4/1/2018 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 91 pointsOne of the more elegant Hall wines that I've tried. Gave this one a couple hours in the decanter. Super closed off the first night, but could tell there was some big flavor characteristics waiting to shine. Night 2 was slightly more open, but still pretty closed. Nights three and four the wine offered up notes of red and dark fruit, graphite, cedar shavings, and anise. I don't think I'd call this approachable yet - it's quite good over the course of several days, but it has 93+ potential with 2-5 more years. |
| Red |
2010 Tinto Negro Malbec Co-FermentMendoza more |
3/25/2018 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 88 pointsDark purple, but showing some of the slightest signs of bricking. Nose is very floral with some cedar and coffee notes. Layered with a nice touch of sweet dark fruit, clove, espresso, and oak. The cab franc and petit verdot lend nicely to the the blend. Drink now. |
| Red |
2004 Tenuta San Mauro Barbaresco Riserva CanovaNebbiolo more |
3/11/2018 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 92 pointsThis wine is still a monster. Needed air as it was closed on the PnP. The wine is ruby red with little sign of bricking. There was a moderate amount of sediment, yet the tannins are still big and lend a ton of structure to the wine. With air, enticing aromas of berries, rose petals, and earth came out. There are a bunch of layers on the palate - crushed red berries, a prevailing balsamic note, tar, cigar box, and rosemary. I bought 3 of these thinking they might be ready to go right away, but I'm thinking it might still be on the uphill. |
| Red |
2008 Spring Valley Vineyard UriahWalla Walla Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more |
3/7/2018 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 90 pointsNeeds at least 30 minutes of air. Nose of mint and sage. The cab franc shines with flavor notes similar to the nose plus blueberry and soft plum. Still pretty tannic. There are still several years of life ahead of it. |
| Red |
2013 Lucien Muzard Santenay Les Champs Claude Vieilles VignesPinot Noir more |
3/2/2018 - mktaylor23 wrote: 91 pointsThis is a great example of what I love about Burgundy. I decanted this wine for an hour and it evolved throughout the entire night. The wine has brambly, forrest floor aromas with hints of red fruit. Cranberries feature on the front palate which resolves to limestone and orange zest on the mid and back palate. The finish lingers for a good 30 seconds. This bottle is drinking very well right now, but I think I'm going to give my last bottle another couple of years. |
| Red |
2013 d'Arenberg d'Arry's Original Shiraz/GrenacheMcLaren Vale Red Rhone Blend more |
2/27/2018 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 91 pointsHave to agree with the previous reviews on night 1. After a few hours in the decanter, the wine was still pretty hot an disjointed. It really came around night 2 and was even better night 3. It had a silky mouthfeel with prominent plum, coffee, and anise. The tannins are huge the first night, but really mellow out over the course of a couple of nights. I think the pros are spot on, this will be very, very good in 5+ years. |
| White |
2016 Gundlach Bundschu Gewürztraminer Estate VineyardSonoma Coast more |
2/4/2018 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 91 pointsGundlach Bundschu makes Gewurztraminer about as dry as it comes. Floral and mineral notes at the forefront with undertones of Granny Smith apple and grapefruit. The acidity hits you on the finish. Paired really well with spicy Thai food. |
| White |
2014 Jarvis (California) Winery ChardonnayNapa Valley more |
2/3/2018 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 92 pointsI far prefer this chard bottling to the Finch Hollow bottling. Prominent oak on the nose with muted baked apples and caramel. Excellent structure with notes of toasty oak, creme brûlée, pineapple, and dried apricot. Multi-layered with ever-so-slight creaminess while maintaining crisp acidity. Finish lasts and lasts. |
| Red |
2009 Alienor Grand VinLake County Red Bordeaux Blend more |
2/1/2018 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 91 pointsThis wine just keeps getting better and better with time. Great right bank qualities - red cherries, blueberries, and green pepper with some secondary notes of leather, anise, and a sense of minerality. Lots of life left with big, grippy tannic structure. |
| Red |
2014 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Villages CuvéeWillamette Valley more |
1/26/2018 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 90 pointsVery closed as a PnP, so let it set for an hour in the glass. Pale ruby in color. Floral and earthy nose with some bright cherry. Started off with loads of dried strawberries which resolved to some tart cranberry and earthy notes with time. Would pair well with a wide variety of food. Great Oregon pinot for the money. |
| Red |
2014 Spell Pinot Noir Umino VineyardSonoma County more |
1/31/2018 - mktaylor23 Likes this wine: 90 pointsOpened up very nicely after a 30 minute decant. Nose full of baking spices, cinnamon, black tea, and candied cherries. Sort of a cab-drinker's pinot as it's pretty extracted with notes of blackberries, black cherries, orange rind, and cinnamon. The wine is well balanced with soft tannins. Drink now or hold and it might gain some additional interesting characteristics. |
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- Tasting notes: 40 notes on 40 wines
