Community Tasting Note
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Francois Le Mouel wrote: 88 points
April 16, 2019 - Maybe the first time I'm not super impressed by a Little Engine wine. The attack is overwhelming because of the alcohol level (14.9%)...and it remains a distraction on the mid-palate as well. The nose is not very complex, with dominant notes of raspberries and espresso. On the palate, the first thing you notice is the richness, the low acidity (which makes the wine a little heavy throughout the tasting) and some bitterness due to the high alcohol level. The texture is quite polished without any aggressive tannins. Medium length on the finish. I'm puzzled with what to do with my other bottle...IMHO it doesn't have the balance to be cellared for 10 years, so I'll wait a year or two and see if it improves a bit. At $45 a bottle, I wouldn't recommend it...it would be MUCH wiser to buy a Laughing Stock Portfolio, a Painted Rock Cab Sauv or even a Black Hills Punch Down Red at almost half the price.
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7 Comments
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bboard commented:
4/17/19, 2:25 AM - Thanks for note. Dang, that sounds a little disappointing as I have yet to have a bad red wine from them yet. I wonder if it was bottled recently and needs to settle a bit? strange...
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Francois Le Mouel commented:
4/17/19, 2:31 AM - The bottles have been delivered only a few days ago, so you're absolutely right when you say they need to settle down...I usually see a significant difference after three months...but in this case, it's the alcohol that is the main issue, so I don't think that will change in the future. Let's wait and see.
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bboard commented:
4/17/19, 6:15 PM - Interesting. I emailed Little Engine and they said wine was bottled Mar 15th 2019 (so quite recent!), and they've been tasting daily and its been good feedback. Thus in conjunction with your bottle that was delivered recently, I guess its some sort of shock from bottling & travelling across the country. I think I'll still open one up in 1.5 weeks, when I have some friends over, and report back to see.
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Francois Le Mouel commented:
4/17/19, 8:43 PM - It all makes sense if you combine the very recent bottling and the definitive bottle shock due to transportation. I'll wait several months before trying my other bottle. Thanks for the info and I can't wait to read your note.
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bboard commented:
6/13/20, 10:30 PM - I finally posted the note from Apr 2019, and tried wine again March 2020. A little improvement, but not quite my cup of tea... perhaps its the style?... I don't really get it...for that price, there's better choice in BC
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Francois Le Mouel commented:
6/14/20, 6:03 AM - I agree and I feel they're being a bit greedy with their price policy...and without a long proven history of quality. I'm thinking of Painted Rock, a high quality producer, which has kept ALL of its prices in a very reasonable range for years. Switched my Little Engine membership to Lariana and very happy with my move.
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bboard commented:
6/15/20, 2:12 AM - Haven't join Larianna but bought some of their wines recently. Tasted their flagship here and there over the years and liked it... haven't tried Cab Sauv or Carmenere yet. Little Engine i'm still in as wife likes the pinot and chard