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Wine Type
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Vintage
Name
Variety
Locale
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Date
Posted
Score
Helpful
Comments
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White
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2022 Aperture Dry Stack Vineyard
Alexander Valley
Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend more
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Light straw color with a hint of green, very polished.
Fruit cup, grapefruit, quince, lemon and floral (honeysuckle) notes along with a stoney minerality on the nose. Very pretty and expressive.
Bright acidity and very balanced palate. Medley of fruits playing tart and sweet - lemon chiffon and orange zest on the finish.
A sublime Sauvignon Blanc that drinks well now but should also benefit from a year in the cellar.
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Red
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2007 B Kosuge Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard
Sonoma Coast
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Cherry red color, garnet core, watery rim. No sign of bricking.
Cherry cola on the nose, vanilla and then strawberry/rhubarb pie, eucalyptus and allspice as it opened up.
Bright acidity - fresh as a daisy. Nice structure, fine tannins. Layered, the same strawberry/rhubarb pie found on the nose that overtakes initial cherry and cola notes with air. Just a delicious wine with plenty more time left.
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Red
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1997 Tom Eddy Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
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Last of 3, bought on release and kept in climate controlled cellar since.
Pretty light magenta color, watery rim, no bricking.
Sweet cassis, eucalyptus, leather, lanolin and a light touch of embers on the nose.
Unbelievably fresh on the palate. Fully resolved tannins. Bright acidity, guava paste, white peach, raspberries, a touch of malted milk balls offset by minerality and lots of citrus on the finish. Drinks more like a Tignanello than a Napa Cab.
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Red
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1998 Castelgiocondo (Marchesi de' Frescobaldi) Lamaione Toscana IGT
Merlot more
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Bought this on release in Rome and have cellared in climate controlled environment since. My last of 6 bottles and showed better than the previous 5.
Medium colored garnet with a watery and rose petaled rim.
Green tobacco, plum, leather, baker's chocolate, spearmint and tertiary notes of pan forte on the nose.
Fine tannins, red and black fruit fruits, dark chocolate and naval orange juice on the finish. Still has vibrant acidity and overall very nice balance. So fresh after 25 years.
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Red
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1999 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde
Syrah more
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Poised on the cliff, drink now! (My last of 6 bought on release)
Just holding its dark cherry color while bricked throughout to a watery rim.
Pretty nose: layered plum, leather, eucalyptus, sagebrush, green tobacco, green pepper, mesquite embers
The fruit is past its prime on the palate but still holding up. Plum, apple butter, pot roast vegetables (celery, carrots, rutabaga) with white pepper on the finish.
The first 5 bottles did not disappoint and am glad to have hung on to this one to see the end of its maturation.
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Red
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2000 Château Grand Corbin-Despagne
St. Émilion Grand Cru
Red Bordeaux Blend more
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As a preface, I bought this wine as a future and have stored it in my climate controlled cellar ever since (20+ years). It has been a while since I pried the lid off an OWC but Friday the night.
Perfect cork, no color absorption on the sides. Decanted for 3 hours before tasting.
Dark plum color in the core and fading to a watery rim. On the verge of bricking but not yet.
Earth, barnyard, cassis and red fruit along with olive brine on the nose. Very layered and complete.
Sweet English strawberries on the palate along with dark berries and olive brine. Medium bodied, great structure front to back - bright acidity, fine tannins and excellence balance. A meal in a glass.
Reminds me of that small terroir where Pauillac meets St. Julien (think Pichon Lalande). I paid $27/bottle, drinks like a 2nd or 3rd growth. If you have any left, enjoy them now - I can't imagine it getting better with more time. Just delightful!
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Red
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2006 Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino
Sangiovese more
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Bought on release and kept in climate controlled cellar. Perfect cork when popped.
Color of wine from a thin-skinned grape, cherry-red and appropriate level of bricking and watery rim.
Black cherry, plum, leather, baking spices and vanilla on the nose. AS the wine opened I get tobacco, raw mushroom and tomato paste also.
Fine and furry tannins on the palate. Plenty of acidity, Christmas cake and ripe plum (close to sweet prune) with astringent finish.
This is the last of 06's and definitely on its last legs - drink now.
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Red
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2018 Castellare di Castellina I Sodi di S. Niccolò Toscana IGT
Sangiovese Blend, Sangiovese more
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Dark black cherry color, dense and polished, watery rim.
Macerated blueberries, syrupy raspberries, vanilla, eucalyptus, and forrest floor on the nose.
Dark cherry, plum. black olive, apple butter sweetness, lots of acid with a long finish and OJ on the finish.
Big wine, lots of years left.
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White - Sparkling
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NV Albino Armani Prosecco
Glera more
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Crisp, perfect for an Aperol Spritz
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Red
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1997 Argiano Solengo Toscana IGT
SuperTuscan Blend more
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Note: this wine was purchased in Rome and brought back on a plane . Stored in climate controlled cellar since. The cork was perfect - fresh as a daisy. I would have guessed the wine was a 2016 not one 19 years older.
Very dark black cherry color, slight water on the rim but not sign of bricking.
Purity of fruit on the nose - creme de cassis, black cherry, secondary eucalyptus notes, ripe fig, saddle leather and tiramisu (espresso, sweet ricotta and vanilla notes) all onto of a dark graphite core.
On the palate, rich black fruit, creme de cassis, ripe plum, very juicy with sweet orange juice on the finish. Powdered cocoa notes as the wine opened and a little olive brine.
It was very satisfying to re-visit this wine. 1997 was the on the cusp of when this wine went big with high scores and then I felt the wine was being designed for scores versus showing itself. he 1997 is powerful with rich purity of fruit but still maintains balance. Think of the 1996 version of Insignia versus the 1997. For those of us who loved Solengo, this was a great reminder why.
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White
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2020 Roberto Anselmi San Vincenzo Veneto IGT
White Blend more
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golden straw color, viscous
lemon meringue pie, verbena, honeysuckle on the nose
tart, bright acidity - lemon balanced with sweetness (think cocktail grape)
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Red
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2018 Zenato Ripassa
Ripasso della Valpolicella Superiore
Corvina Blend, Corvina more
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Dark black cherry color
ripe red fruit, plum, apple butter paste, cherries, muddled orange and bitters spice on the nose
black cherry liquor, minerality, bakers chocolate, rich and velvety smooth with nice balance of fresh acid and depth of flavors
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Red
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2018 Cesari Ripasso della Valpolicella Superiore Mara
Corvina Blend, Corvina more
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Dark black cherry color
earth, dark chocolate, black cherry and baker's chocolate on the nose
bright acidity, tart cherries, baker's chocolate and orange rind on mid-palate and finish.
delicious
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Red
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1999 Whitehall Lane Cabernet Sauvignon
Napa Valley
more
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23 years later and singing!
Dark saturated purple color - no bricking.
Nose like standing in the tasting room of a Napa Winery. Big red fruit plum and leather on the nose wrapped in a eucalyptus garland.
Ripe raspberries and chocolate on the palate. Big wine with lots of energy and balance. No nuances here - delicious!
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Red
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2013 Grattamacco Bolgheri Superiore
SuperTuscan Blend more
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Dark, ink like purple color. No signs of bricking
Rich cassis, fennel and citrus rind all lightly powdered with cocoa on the nose
Palate shows layered dark chocolate (like a molten lava cake), ripe plum and fig with lemon pith on the finish. very Bolgheri - a Sassicaia-like finish
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Red
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2014 Giuseppe Quintarelli Valpolicella Classico Superiore
Corvina Blend, Corvina more
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Color: Lustrous and polished Magenta. Watery rim showing initial rose petal signs of aging.
Nose: initial floral notes (violets) quickly gives way to meat, plum, saddle leather, ripe strawberries, spices and tertiary notes of blood orange. After 4 hours in the decanter, raw portobello mushrooms and earth.
Palate: sweet ripe strawberries, baker's chocolate covered cherries, ripe plum (short of being pruney); olive brine, with beautiful acidity and balance. More layered and subtle than big. White pepper, dried cherries and well crafted bitters on the finish.
Delicious!
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Rosé - Sparkling
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NV Lacourte Godbillon Champagne Premier Cru Brut Rosé
Champagne Blend more
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Fresh and crisp, light strawberry notes
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Red
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2001 Antinori Solaia
Toscana IGT
SuperTuscan Blend more
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Deep, dark black cherry color. Showing a watery edge but no bricking. Lustrous and dense.
On the nose, pure cassis, ripe plum, grape jam, and black minerality in the background. Picks up espresso and black olive notes as it opens. Very expressive nose - jumps from the glass.
Explosive on the palate! Pure and dense fruit and dark chocolate, balanced with mouth watering acidity. Kalamata olives on the mid-palate and a finish that lasts...and lasts...and lasts shows beautifully bitter blood orange rind and espresso notes on the finish.
First growth Pauillac in purity and intensity. Easy another 10 years to drink but open for business now
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Red
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1999 Château Léoville Las Cases
St. Julien
Red Bordeaux Blend more
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Dark saturated color. No signs of bricking.
Ripe red currants dominate the nose with forrest floor, leather and licorice root.
Very fresh on the palate. Juicy red currants, layers of spice, dark minerals through the mid-palate and some astringent orange rind on the finish. Beautifully balanced. The bright acidity of a much younger wine. 3 hour decant but really opened up after 4 hours - a meal in a glass.
I have tasting notes on this wine from 9 years ago and it easily has another 9 to evolve. Drinking beautifully now but no need to rush it.
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Red
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2004 Tua Rita Redigaffi Toscana IGT
Merlot more
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Ink black color with dark plum skin highlights, lustrous
Nose jumps from crushed blackberries to eucalyptus to dark minerals, then comes ripe plum and black licorice, dark minerality then white pepper, layered and elusive. Much like a La Turque or La Chappelle in a great year.
Rich, full wine full of energy but completely in balance. Layers of juicy black fruit, black licorice and white pepper on the finish. Again, the palate is consistent with the nose. Meal in a glass. Layer upon layer and full on front and mid-palate and on the finish.
All of that and I would consider the wine to be in its drinking window but not at its peak - years left to evolve.
The score may be low.
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Red
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2015 Castello di Bossi Chianti Classico Riserva Berardo
Chianti Classico DOCG
Sangiovese Blend, Sangiovese more
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dark cherry color
nose: ripe plum, fruitcake, wet underbrush
palate: Dark cherry fruit, orange rind, bright acidity and rich fruit. Balanced with tart finish. Wine is definitely on the young side, I would think 2-3 more years of cellaring would be worth the wait.
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Red
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2014 Wilde Farm Wines Heritage Bedrock Vineyard
Sonoma Valley
Zinfandel Blend, Zinfandel more
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Dark magenta, plum color
nose: ripe fruit, plum, wet stems, and underlying eucalyptus.
palate: Vibrant acidity, pomegranate, plum, orange rind, red fruits emerge with air. Meal in a glass, delicious!
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Red
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2016 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Côte-Rôtie Domaine des Pierrelles
Syrah more
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Dark plum color.
Ripe plum, black cherry, olive tapenade, black licorice and a hint of bleu cheese on the nose.
Big wine but balanced with mouth watering acidity, Ripe plum, olive tapenade, white pepper on the finish.
Very enjoyable young but likely better with a couple more years.
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Red
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2013 Wilde Farm Wines Syrah Cardiac Hill
Bennett Valley
more
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Dark purple/black cherry color
Ripe plum, kalamto olive, violets, iron/meat, underbrush on the nose.
Nose translates to the palate. Plum, kalamato olive juice, oxe blood, white pepper on the finish - vibrant acidity and well balanced.
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White
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2018 Colterenzio Schreckbichl Sauvignon Lafóa
Alto Adige - Südtirol
more
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Light straw color
Grapefruit, orange blossom on the nose along with some serious funk (sweat socks)
Vibrant acidity on the palate, unripened pineapple, grapefruit, lemon zest - tangy and bright. This is a chilled bottle by the pool on a hot summer day treat. Delicious.
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