4/21/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent
Even better than the Sept. 2022 bottle, the nose and vibrant transparent color make it a ringer for Langhe Nebbiolo (or Alta Piemonte?) Very pretty wine with great typicity. This will probably age quite well. Such a beauty, making the death of all the Italian varietals of Luna Matta vineyard at the hands of the acquiring Daou even that much more distressing.

14.0% abv

Empty bottle weight: 543g

4/20/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent+/Outstanding-
What BRETTAY wrote back in 2020. The depth, purity of ripe fruit, precision and texture here was amazing. Drank well over two nights. I may be underscoring it. Loved it.

Importer: Free Run

15% abv - really hard to believe its that high. Above 14% I can see, but I'd not have guess a full 15%

Empty bottle weight: 566g

4/19/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent
Surprised on the upside here, I wasn't expecting as much. Savory salted meats and black olive while showing brightness on the nose, early on there is still some tanning closing in on the back, slightly dry, but this yielded. Great food wine. Really drank well with kurobuta pork chop with a pesto of sundried tomato, garlic, parsley, and hazelnut.

Importer: Adventures In Wine

13.5% abv

Empty botttle weight: 594g

4/18/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent
That I had this sub-$20 '14 CdR purchased nearly six years ago rattling around in the cellar is a testament to some overzealous buying in the past several years. Kind of sad, as this domain no longer produces this cuvée and ownership changed last year. It came and went with little notice, but wow, what a wine. I wasn't even sure if this would be decent at 10 years. Lucky!

This is pure Syrah with a cool climate cut and a Gang Of Four vibe all the way through. Savory cool tones with crunchy red fruits and then peppery notes and stony feel. Even a bit floral in the nose. It felt upright, like it could have been austere, but is perfectly filled in and has energy and drive. I really liked this wine! But I get a melancholy feeling knowing that I've just met this wine after it's already long gone...

Importer: Planet Wine, Inc.

12.5% abv - That's right, kids, and I believe it.

Empty bottle weight: 608g

4/16/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Very Good++/Excellent-
Drinking well now and probably best to drink up. Went well with a Malaysian-ish dish with moderate heat and spice.

This was nice sub-$20 QPR

13.7% abv

Empty bottle weight: 584g

4/16/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Very Good++
Ditto the previous several TNs. It has some creaminess, yes, but not a round, coating mouthfeel, nicely balanced with acidity, nice ripe orchard fruit. Domestic, yes, leaning Burgundian. My first experience with this producer and I want to try more.

13.5% abv

Empty bottle weight: 474g

4/15/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent
I'd written in Oct. 2021 "I sense lots of upside. Next one 2023 at the earliest." Indeed. It was very nice then and better now. As others have said, like a mini-Mersault. Beautifully ripe citrus fruits on a modestly mineral frame. Long finish.

What a wine for $35 USD.

Importer: Kirkcrest Imports

14.1% abv

Empty bottle weight: 621g

4/13/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent++/Outstanding-
I'll just lazily ditto DEVRAJ's recent TN and say this might have been the best bottle of the half dozen I'd purchased. Drank beautifully over two nights.

Happy I went long on this six years ago at $30. Sad that this is the last bottle and that 1er Cru Chablis prices are up, up, up.

Importer: {none shown, Vins Rare?}

13% abv

Empty bottle weight: 911g

4/14/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent
Wow, this last bottle of four purchased seven years ago was the best even though it's a couple years past the consensus drinking window. Still vibrant and with some tart cherry and a restrained funk and some tertiary decaying leaf and forest floor, subtle spice, maybe some rosemary. It is fairly deep and full bodied, yet far from feeling warm or heavy.

Went great with grilled flour tortillas stuffed with Rancho Gordo pinto beans, grilled butternut squash, corn, and shitake mushrooms. Drank so well on its own too, from PnP forward.

Outstanding QPR for the $17 paid back in 2017. (Sadly, K&L stopped carrying this producer after the 2018 vintage.)

Importer: Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines

12.5% abv

Empty bottle weight: 634

4/12/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Very Good++/Excellent-
Drank nicely over two nights. Reminds me a bit of Tablas Vermentino (a high complement). Nice combination of crispness, minerality, and stone fruits. Screwcap. Probably best to drink sooner rather than later.

12.5% abv

Empty bottle weight: 477g

4/9/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Very Good++
I really liked this zippy medium-light bodied wine. On PnP it showed a bit of a wild nose and even hinted at vinegar, but the wine's acid worked great and that nose was more akin to fine sherry vinegar and didn't indicate spoilage or flaw. Underripe strawberry, tart cherry, crushed herbs. I wanted a wine for pierogies and found a winner!

A couple of nights later the ~1/3 bottle still drank well, maybe even better, then showing some smoke along with raspberry and bramble.

Importer: Oliver McCrum Wines

13.5% abv

Empty bottle weight: 584g

4/13/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent-
With only an hour decant this was probably not showing itself fully. Also, I'm not sure if these go through a closed phase, but that's a possibility. It was showing a bit tight and the profile was upright with savory to slightly sour and even saline along with just-ripe black fruits. I might say it's a bit austere, but still there is sufficient fruit and a drive to it, that is it's not pushing you away.

Went really well with a daube, such a nice pairing with the stew's inclusion of olives and a bit of orange zest.

Next one 2027?

Importer: {none shown}

13.5% abv

Empty bottle weight: 579g

4/11/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Interesting now. At nearly nine years, not what I was expecting on PnP and I wouldn't have called in Tablas or guessed Mourvedre blind. Bright and mid-weight, cherry, some red fruits. I decided to decant and vigorously aerate in the decanter a couple of times. The half hour+ helped reveal touches of depth and with our meal and over a couple hours it reached towards a more typical profile. Only now have I glanced at the most recent Tablas Creek vintage chart that recommends decanting! Still, even a couple hours in we'd get visits from vanilla and sweet tones. Some earth and soil came in towards the end.

This is my first of two and my intent is to lay the other one down another 4-5 years. Even though it's not particularly tannic nor especially deep, Tablas wines even when mid-weight often age really well.

Right now this is a good wine - and it was a really nice choice with a small dinner of lightly seasoned baby back ribs with white beans. Very good, really, but not particularly noteworthy.

13.7% abv

Empty bottle weight: 468g

4/6/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent-
If you lean towards that ripe, smooth New World style, you'll score even higher than I did. This is really nice and beats other domestic non-traditional blends of Bordeaux-Rhone it higher prices. Pleasant to sip on its own, never cloying, just pure vibrant deep fruit with some dusty earth. Great with grilled steaks.

14.2% abv

Empty bottle weight: 788g

4/5/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Solid rustic, deep wine. I probably have held on to this too long, which doesn't help with its already ripe to overripe fruit profile. Still, it was a really nice pairing with cassoulet. If you've got this wine, really consider that as a pairing. Or go with wood-grilled seasoned meats or even loaded grill burgers.

Importer: Vinifera Imports

14% abv

Empty bottle weight: 469g

4/5/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Drinking well over two nights, but has likely lost a bit on complexity since the previous bottle consumed four years ago. I'd lean towards drinking up if you've got these. Nice wine.

12.5% abv

Empty bottle weight: 596g

4/2/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Very Good-
I liked this wine, thinking it was a solid Rosso friendly at the table. Nice cherry, this is smooth and easy drinking without much in the way of earth or herb and such. It was the wine I was happy to have with the (ad hoc recipe pasta with a cream sauce made with leftover diced ham, diced tomato and puree, and Boursin garlic and herb cheese).

Importer: Connoisseur Wines USA

14.5% abv

Empty bottle weight: 655g

4/1/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Very Good++
Loved this from PnP, this is a Zin-fruit-core, low tannin, so drinkable rendition. Some faint spice dancing around the edges, dusty earth.

I was looking for a red wine to go with a dish of rice, beans, and sweet potatoes that takes a sauce with tarragon (or cilantro, we had two versions of the sauce) made with some sour cream and yogurt. Hmmm... I stumbled around the virtual CT cellar and remembered I had some heritage vineyard Zins that might do the trick and this one did the trick!

No gimmicks, such purity.

13.5% abv

Empty bottle weight: 461g

4/1/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Very Good
Really liked this, but no notes, had with company. A smoky flinty edge with edgy stone fruit, mineral. Tilts towards classic Chablis, but it's definitely something different.

Importer: Free Run

13.5% abv

Empty bottle weight: 497g

3/27/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent (90-91)
Drank with company, no notes, several days ago, but I loved this. Rustic, some funk, dark, nearly brooding, but still with energy. Not as advanced as I feared, but drink up.

Importer: Beaune Imports

13.5% abv

Empty bottle weight: 532g

3/27/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Still drinking well, but held too long to capture the magic of this wine. If you've got these and they've been stored in a cold cellar, they'll still drink well, but drink up!

Importer: Thomas Wine Imports

13.5% abv

Empty bottle weight: 558g

3/26/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Very Good / Excellent
Consumed a week ago over two nights, no notes, but great aromatic wine. Shows Muscat family heritage with orange and floral notes.

Importer: Envoyer Imports

12.5% abv

Empty bottle weight: 720g

3/30/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent
Drinking well now, first from Coravin and then uncorking several nights later. Plummy spice, tannins still with some grit, slight anise, fennel dust in the middle, nice dark fruits, showing hints of aged character, a bit of leather. Faintly sour in a very good way.

Nice QPR from K&L sub-$30 about six years ago.

14.5% abv

Empty bottle weight: 483g

3/30/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent
Lesser vintage excellence here, drinking well right now. Little funk here and nearly mid-weight. Other's TNs tell the story well. This is really nice with food, too, in part due to the lean towards elegance vs. heft. but there's not doubt from the time you pull the cork that you've got a Grenache-driven CdP in hand.

Nice with a plate that include cast iron Zabuton and hanger steak!

Lovey stuff and nice QPR at an all-in delivered sub-$40 USD price about six years ago.

Importer: Vineyard Road Inc. for LLE LLC

14% abv - I'd believe spot on 14%

Empty bottle weight: 657g

3/30/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent-
Wow, this is singing to me again. The varietals are all expressive in their proportion with Viognier's floral nose the wine is really aromatic and then there's a texture and minerality (OK, I'd expect the Roussanne to have been higher than its 8% share), nearly creamy balanced with nice acid cut and a nice finish.

13.0% abv

Empty bottle weight: 468g

3/29/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Very Good++
A big bump up in my impression vs. the previous bottle. Showing great varietal expression with texture. Nice. Drank well over two nights.

Importer: Italian Wine Imports LLC

13% abv

Empty bottle weight: 497g

3/29/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Very Good+
Still living this. Blackberry and floral elements, very light tannins, the dark fruits with no weight thing. Pretty, easy to drink, nice with food. (Here we paired with a seafood risotto with tomato puree.)

Aside: the empty bottle has the coolest amber-pink color.

Importer: An Aussie Friend Of Mine

13.4% abv

Empty bottle weight: 611g

3/25/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Very Good
I really liked this. Crunchy red fruit, some strawberry, cherry, a hint of smoke?, an appropriate mountain austerity with a mineral frame, medium-light weight and great at the table.

Very nice QPR at $10 USD!

Importer: Grape Expectations

12% abv

Empty bottle weight: 421g

3/24/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Very Good+
I love what many of the ancient varieties bring to the table. This mid-weight red had a modestly feral, wild edge to it. Some dark fruits and warming spices, but leaning more to Etna than the Rhone, with a zest and savory quality. Most importantly, it paired great with our pasta amatriciana.

Importer: Free Run

14% abv - I doubt it was that high

Empty bottle weight: 559g

3/23/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent
I've not been in the mood to take notes and contemplate. Rich with great depth and gaining length with air. Yes, more modern in style - very smooth and fruit-centered without more 'rustic' elements I find in the CdPs (and similar) that end up being my favorites. But there's no denying the enjoyability and excellence here.

Importer: Adventures In Wine (Daly City, CA)

14.5% abv - believe it, no heat, but you will feel it

Empty bottle weight: 607g

3/22/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Very nice, more cut, taut, and mineral for a Semillon, but typical nose with the typical texture. Enjoyed this over two nights with and without food. Nice wine.

11.0% abv

Empty bottle weight: 481g

3/16/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent+
Similar to prior TNs. Beautiful savory Syrah. Give it some air. (Not scoring here to avoid a single user over-weighting the community score, but '93'.)

Importer: Paul M. Young Fine Wines

14% abv

Empty bottle weight: 572g

3/17/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent
Similar to my May 2023 TN, but this time the lemon essence was more pronounced. Drank beautifully over two nights.

Importer: Envoyer

12.5% abv

Empty bottle weight: 683g

3/18/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Drank casually at elevation and it was fine enough, but came across kind of simple and grapey. Went well with food but wasn't compelling enough to finish. Solidly good, but not as impressed as I was with prior bottles.

Importer: Kermit Lynch

13% abv

Empty bottle weight: 588g

3/20/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent-
On PnP it drank well enough, but not interesting. The second night after some air exposure it really drank well if you like the cooler Bordeaux style and particularly if you like Loire Cab Franc. Cabernet Sauvignon is in the lead at 75%, but here is shows more classic profile, getting a touch of cedar and pencil led and black current, upright, joined by IMO a perfect thread of chili pepper (not spice heat, but the essence) and even cocoa nib. Nice wine for the table.

14.3% abv (I'd have guessed a full point lower)

Empty bottle weight: 597g

3/15/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent-
Similar to last April's TN. Excellent Langhe Nebbiolo. Showing some mature notes, but still great fresher fruit, too. In a great spot right now. Drank well on PnP and over an hour and a half with dinner.

Importer: Free Run

14% abv (seems lower)

Empty bottle weight: 506g

3/13/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent-
Poured half a glass from Coravin the first night and it seemed quite primary, so decanted a couple of hours the next night and it showed better. This is full throttle Grenache, no mistaking it from the nose through the body. Ripe, very smooth, kirsch, some baking spices and scorched earth. Very nice, mildly warming. Clean finish, not gloppy or tiring despite the heft and abv.

Not sure about QPR here at full price, but I'm OK with the value at close-out $50 USD. Lay down the other bottle until ~2029?

Importer: Misa Imports

15% abv - I believe it, I didn't got alcohol heat, but it was there in the body

Empty bottle weight: 618g

3/11/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Outstanding
This keeps getting better. This drank well from PnP and through a second night. Simultaneously chiseled and taut and ripe. This was never tired through the last drop even in its tenth year. Such mineral-centered tension, citrus zest, crushed seashells, the essence of tropical fruits comes in, pineapple the second night? Starts to layer on a nearly creamy feel while staying minerally.

Buying these in the mid-upper $20s USD 6-7 years ago was very nice QPR.

13% abv

Empty bottle weight: 914g

3/12/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Very Good+
Perfect pizza night Sciaccarellu. The nose was unmistakable even if this rendition wasn't as vibrant as most I've had. Low tannins, gorgeous floral nose, berries, blackberry.

Purchased in Corsica.

14% abv

Empty bottle weight: 495g

3/11/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Very Good++
This seems to be around its peak now. Inviting even on PnP, more of a comforting Pinot. Good with our meal.

Importer: Envoyer Imports

12.5% abv

Empty bottle weight: 563g

3/10/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent
This bottle increases the regret of having missed the first few vintages of this varietal bottling and also having missed the 2021. While this was very nice when consumed nearly three years ago, it's at another level now. Wow.

First night: Something about this seems to be on a thread from southern France to the Somlo hill in Hungary. I cannot put my finger on it. Palate shows minerals, crushed rock lime with "limesickle" on the nose, fresh hay and alpine herbs and flower blossoms, lemongrass, a developing creamy texture, some honey comes in. A subtle very long finish.

Second night: Had on its own and with scallops with a tarragon cream sauce. Fantastic. On its own I kept thinking Roussanne. Seriously, did some make it into this bottle??? Still showing some lime and other first night elements. Long finish. Beautiful.

If these vines continue producing this quality of fruit, Picardan needs to be more than a novelty at Tablas Creek. Shunned at home, this variety may have found a welcoming place to shine in the New World.

Screwcap

12.0% abv - way more texture than you'd expect at such a low alcohol level

Empty bottle weight: 471g

3/9/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Very Good++
No notes but this was smooth and down the middle but not boring. Not a great wine, but really solid Burgundy.

Importer: ?

13% abv

Empty bottle weight: 588g

3/10/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent
Not much to add to my prior TN and others' TNs. Drinking great now as it pushes towards its tenth year.

Consumed over a couple of nights from Coravin before popping the cork. I decided to not have any of this with food to simply enough the wine on its own.

$27 paid years ago, current vintages trading in the upper-$30s to low-$40s still represent sharp QPR in the world of fine wine.

Importer: Thomas Wine Imports

14% abv

Empty bottle weight: 648g

3/10/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Very Good++/Excellent-
This bottle got stranded deep in an offsite locker for years and was finally retrieved. Though it showed its age, coming onto some baked character, I loved it. A rustic and deep and slightly wild southern France Grenache blend. Lots of kirsch and also reminding me of Sardinian Cannonau. A burly wine, but not a tongue-coating extract bomb. Surprisingly easy to drink.

Drink up if you've got 'em.

Solid QPR at $14 USD paid half a dozen years ago!

Importer: Weygandt - Metzler (Peter Weygrandt Selection)

14.5% abv

Empty bottle weight: 577g

3/9/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent
Wow! I usually wait at least a few weeks after receiving a delivery to open any of the bottles in it, but this one was calling out and so got opened just a day after. Consumed over two nights, the only shame was that this cries out as a gastronomic rosé. There's a lot of substance here. And varietal character. Vibrant and deep reddish color. Full bodied rosé. Like the best of a ripe or baked strawberry, rubarb, herbal undertones. Fantastic purity of fruit. I think this could age several years.

14% abv

Empty bottle weight: 634g

3/8/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent-
Love this from PnP and over a couple of hours. Starts off with a rather feral nose, a hint of smoke. Wild just-ripe berries, tart cherry, raspberries. Not really rustic as the initial nose would have suggested and also showing more depth than at first appears. The finish is interesting, seemingly clipped, but then continuing long, subtle.

Importer: Beaune Imports

12% abv

Empty bottle weight: 596g

3/6/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Very Good++
Drank well over two nights. A more voluminous take on Vermentino without losing its essence.

("Lot 20/02")

Importer: Free Run

13% abv

Empty bottle weight: 656g

3/6/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent
Glad I waited nearly six years since popping the first bottle. This is in its drinking window, for sure. Others' recent TNs capture it well. Midweight and food friendly.

Importer: Kysela Pere Et Fils

13.5% abv

Empty bottle weight: 516g

3/6/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent
See my 2020 TN. I'm glad I decided to lay this down a while and it was best the second night!

Importer: Rare Wine Co.

13% abv

Empty bottle weight: 556g

3/7/2024 - tward Likes this wine:

Excellent
In a great spot right now. This was my last one and I wish I'd have waited longer on some earlier bottles. Pitch perfect Nebbiolo.

Importer: Free Run

14% abv

Empty bottle weight: 503g