Important Update From the Founder
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Wines from National Wine Marketing Conference
Tasted April 12, 2010 - April 15, 2010 by AndrewSGHall with 777 views
Flight 1 (74 notes)
Red
2007 2 Lads Cabernet Franc Reserve
Has grown in stature with deeper strains of dark fruit, a nicely-rounded body and an overall integration. Lurking power and a perfumed-finish.
Red
2005 Albemarle Meritage
Light nose with good fruit. Light weight, slight EtOH intrusion, some spice. Good finish with fruit that grows. A nice basic red.
Red
2007 Les Bourgeois Norton Premium Claret
Nice balance of tart and inner sweet on the top, but the treatment reared its ugly head.
White
2009 Lynfred Winery Seyval Blanc
Fresh, ripe veggies on the nose, high-toned Sauv B-like. Slight sweet on the palate. A bit thin on the body. Nice.
Red
N.V. Conneaut Cellars Pinot Noir
Good funk on the nose. Light and transparent in color and character. (11.5%abv). Some woody and green notes. Elegant. Hits a good vibe for me.
White - Off-dry
2008 Leonard Oakes Estate Winery Blanc d'Orleans
Nice. Crisp, a little sweet. Slight vegetal. A bit thin on the end.
Red
2007 Barboursville Vineyards Cabernet Franc Monticello
Nice ++ . Solid fruit, round structure with a plushness. Soft finish with some edges. Balanced.
Red
2007 King Family Vineyards Meritage
Solid Meritage with structure, nuts and properly moving fruit. Really good stuff.
White
2008 Inwood Estates Palamino - Chardonnay
Light leather on the nose. Nicely tart with crispness. Short on the finish and a bit mono-dimensional. Good.
White
2007 Alamosa Wine Cellars Scissortail High Valley Vineyard
Light floral and more acidic than expected from white Rhone varieties. Very linear and straight forward. Nice.
White
N.V. Holy-Field Seyval Blanc
Starts nice with good fruit then falls into an iffy finish - thick and off-floral.
Red
White
2007 Red Newt Cellars Gewürztraminer Sawmill Creek Vineyard
Lovely nose of oranges. Nice interplay of the bitter and spicy of the varietal. Solid structure and orange-peel charming finish. Very good +.
White
2008 Les Bourgeois Vidal Blanc
Nice nose with a good floral depth. Very clean and precise. Nice stuff.
White
2008 Pollak Vineyards Viognier
Acceptable white with resolutely middle tones and doesn't deliver Viognier special qualities.
White
2009 Cinder Viognier
Odd. Fresh cabbage nose and palate which has a charm, but also is not typical or even expected at all. I liked it, but it is tough to recommend.
White
2008 Vale Riesling Idaho
Crisp and transparent fruits. Nice quality here and remarkably consistent with a year ago. Well done.
White
2008 Penns Woods Traminette Penns Woods
Resolutely Traminette with floral aromatics, light body and zero finish. Still nice.
White
White
Red
2006 Stone Hill Chambourcin
Nice age-y nose with dusty cherries and clay. Expressive of variety. Medium finish continues. Solid and good.
Red
Red
2008 Heart & Hands Pinot Noir
Really nice cold climate Pinot with floral undertones, slight stemminess and light finish. Nice + .
Red
2008 Cinder Syrah Snake River Valley
Modern in body and nose with plush extracted too-ripe fruit. Noticeable oak. Underneath is a charm and vibe though.
Red
2007 Inwood Estates Tempranillo-Cabernet
Good. Nice open structure, some oak apparent. Good fruits and balance. Good.
Red
2004 Alamosa Wine Cellars El Guapo
Nicely evolved from a year ago with leather, orange peel. Good structure and textures. A bit of funk. Nice finish. Really good stuff.
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Red
Red
2005 Alamosa Wine Cellars Syrah Tio Pancho Ranch
Nice meaty nose. Good Syrah fruit with some treatment. Good + .
Red
2007 Galen Glen Chambourcin Stone Cellar
Nicely done in the context of the variety. Clean and well-delineated. OK + .
Red - Fortified
2006 Veritas Vineyard Othello
Light on the nose and palate which lifts the sweetness. Good acids and a slight leather and mocha element. Very nice.
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White - Sweet/Dessert
N.V. Les Bourgeois Vidal Late Harvest
Nice interplay of floral, sweet and fruit. Enjoyable, nice clarity. Good.
Red
2006 Black Star Farms Pinot Noir Arcturos
This wine exceeded its 2006-ness in the past, but that has caught up now. Thin, hollow, acidic. Some bits of nice fruit left.
Red
2007 Gill's Pier Cabernet Franc - Merlot
Nice nose with brambles and fruit. Great cut and persistence. Some mocha notes. Brawny structure. Really good.
Red
2006 Kinkead Ridge Revelation
Also showing the signs of 2006-ness with a thinning middle and seams showing. Opened bottle was better next day with some of the acids sloughed off and the overall muting helped. Still some nice fruit.
Red
2007 Brys Estate Pinot Noir Artisan Series
Nice nose with flower dust and dark fruits. Good body, nice integration and a sappy appeal. Yummy. Much improved from Fall '09.
Red
2007 Meranda-Nixon Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Estate
Very consistent with previous notes - dark fruits, mocha edges softened, velvet textures and a nicely brooding presence. Very good.
White
2008 Ferrante Riesling Grand River Valley
Good nose with peaches and citrus. Lighter body. Overall nice.
Red
2005 Fiore Cabernet Sauvignon
Raw nut skins on the nose. Light with a good bite and dusty notes. Nice.
Red
2004 Fiore Cabernet Franc
Interesting. Oddly medicinal bitter notes which I liked - in a tasting amount - but are not going to appeal to many.
White
2008 Valley Vineyards Vidal Blanc Ohio River Valley
Nice for what it is and hits it mark, but not exceeding that.
Red
2007 Chaddsford Winery Chambourcin Miller Estate Vineyard
Starts with nice Chambourcin dusty cherries on the nose and palate, but then the oak blasts it apart. (Oak flavors boasted on the label - always a bad sign.) Ultimately a no which is a shame as the fruit behind had promise.
White - Off-dry
N.V. Easley Traminette
Nice floral nose. Hits an odd wheaty sweet vibe. Some floral on the palate. Medium finish and persistence. Nice.
Red
N.V. Mallow Run Winery Traminette
Muted floral nose with some bitters that follow on the palate. Good balance and middle. Slight medicine on the finish. OK.
White - Off-dry
2009 Oliver Winery Traminette Creekbend
Nice volume on the floral nose. Granny Smith apple crispness on the palate. Vanishing finish, but a good overall presence. Very nice.
White
2008 Ferrante Chardonnay Signature Series
Melon on the top. Creamy and thick then oak just totally blasts it. Shame as there is some nice stuff inside.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2008 Debonné Vidal Ice Wine Express Estate
Hits exactly the vibe and presence this style of wine should. Nice in small doses.
Red
N.V. Summerset Winery Caba Moch
Pink apple juice on the nose and palate. Good acid spine gives this some interest. Well done in the style and deserve note for hitting its mark very well.
Red
2008 Mizzou Cellars Norton
True to type in the fruit. Solid. A little too much on the treatment though. Too bad.
Red
2005 Mount Pleasant Norton
Good kind of volatile nose. Some EtOH. Cool funk. Some annoying oak, but restrained. Good delivery. Nice.
Red
2008 Valley Vineyards Cabernet Franc
Nice vegetal aromas. Plums. Nice stuffing. Persistent oak spicing annoys. OK, could have better.
White
2007 Fox Valley Winery Chardonnay Reserve
Oak and malo on the nose. Palate follows suit. Can't escape it. No.
White
2008 Debonné Riesling Reserve
Nice apricot on the nose. Clean, mineral and slight edge of sweet. Balanced. Nice.
White
2008 Montelle Vignoles Dry Vignoles
Good funk on the nose. A little disappointing on the palate as too inert. OK.
Rosé
2008 Forty Five North Pinot Noir Rosé
Better than in tastings last fall. Nice crispness followed by softer fruit. Good bead.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2007 Longview Winter Ice
Sweet honeycomb on the nose. Maple syrup and orange elements. Way sweet. Not my thing, but undeniable quality and charm.
Red
2007 Kinkead Ridge Cabernet Franc
Consistent with previous - dark fruits, some earthy veg notes. Dark. Licorice too.
Red
2008 Hermes Vineyards Nebbiolo
Slight florals on the nose, but too anemic body. Some good fruit. Disharmonious finish.
White - Sweet/Dessert
N.V. Fenn Valley Vidal 42˚ Ice Wine
Nice mangoes and flowers. Kind of trails off on the finish and a little weak on acid structure. Still a nice dessert wine at a great price point.
White
2008 La Vigna Proprietary White Wine
Previously experienced nice cut which has faded on this now. Some good fruit. Lack of precision and somewhat mute though.