12/9/2023 - alexhay Likes this wine:

Solid! Has everything you love in Dhondt, but turned up a little. So balanced yet charming and complex. An absolute pleasure. If you see this, grab all you can and celebrate life there are affordable gems like this.

8/7/2023 - alexhay wrote:

Tasted twice over this summer with similar results. Found this 2008 locked down tight Only after an hour did it begin to show some openness, but nothing like typical LGD to me The more recent bottle was more locked down. I’m keeping my 4 left for at least another year or two before revisiting.

10/21/2022 - alexhay Likes this wine:

Holy moly awesomeness!
Bought a bunch of budget-friendly Chablis from Ben at Cellaraiders in CT, and this was the only one under screwcap. Figured I’d try it out as the likely dud, and wow did this over deliver for sure! Bright but rich with a solid backbone of citrus minerality. Winner! Wish I had another.

6/3/2022 - alexhay wrote:

If you love good Merlot, just say no.
This had so much potential. Alexander Valley. Enough sun to ripen the fruit. What happened?
Drowning in dill, and failing to demonstrate anything more than menial to proper ripeness, this was a huge disappointment.
Boring. Rudimentary. More American oak than fruit flavor.

11/7/2021 - alexhay Likes this wine:

Was a bit fearful, having read earlier reviews. Bought my bottle from Ben at Cellaraiders perhaps a few years ago which has always delivered, and delivered again last night.
Opened it ahead of guests arriving and quickly reconsidered so recapped with the foil lid, but need not have worried. It woke up slowly. After 30 minutes it had begun to show, and by dinnertime was in full swing. This was black fruit, shoe leather, black raspberry jam hints, and with more acid than tannin, which admittedly was all but fully spent.
If you have a bottle, I don't like to say drink up, but waiting will hardly help things. Find a reason to pull the cork on this really enjoyable bottle.
If I could buy this quality once again, I would. I also would not wait to show it off in my and in my guests' glass.

11/6/2016 - alexhay Likes this wine:

Dark fruit flavors dominate. Blackberry and cassis up front. Not overly concentrated. A bit hollow in the middle. Cocoa powder on the back end reflects the merlot quotient. Slightly vegetal finish. Pleasing with filet mignon. Not a world beater.

2/22/2011 - alexhay wrote:

Good wine. This is just one of those wines that did the most with the goods it had. It just had limited goods. Unless I see one again for cheap money, I am pretty much done with 1998 Angelus unless somebody pours me a glass for free.

12/30/2010 - alexhay wrote:

From 3 liter.
I have liked this wine immensely in the past, but I fear time has not been kind. Audozed at 7am on Christmas Day. Decanted at 4pm and consumed beginning at 6 for the next 5 hours. Way too much dominant green vegetal and mint flavor which dominated any red or black fruit present. Tasted the next day and it only improved marginally. Not impressed this go.

12/30/2010 - alexhay wrote:

Nose jumped out the glass immediately. Tons of black cherry amid vanilla and camphor. Cassis and a hint of black licorice. For a wine which the label says will be rewarded for 10-15 years of aging, now at 20 years, the fruit still has life. At the same time, those with this bottle in their cellars ought to know the tannins are stronger than the fruit. Aging further will not likely be rewarded - drink now, and you will be happy you did. I also got iron, pepper, mint, and tobacco on the palate. A super-pleasing drink. Thanks to my buddy Peter Garran who bought this upon release while he lived in Australia and was kind enough to share with me tonight.

12/8/2010 - alexhay wrote:

Believed to have had the 2002 as the last vintage in this blend which annually has the best grapes added to it as the cork read 38-02 on it. Could have been a dead ringer for a beefier 1990 La Grande Dame. Everything in the right place. Nose of mature red fruits, with bright acid amid a mineral backbone. WOTY for me.

12/8/2010 - alexhay wrote:

Mature, but fruit is thin and needs lots more weight. Straightforward at best. Has some acid, but even that small amount is very high compared to the light amount of fruit. Way past its prime, which I suspect, was never that great. Not saying this was bad, it just certainly was not very good.

12/6/2010 - alexhay wrote:

Perhaps I got a good bottle, but the 2009 Sterling SB is a pretty good drink. Having tried many earlier vintages and been disappointed, this is a step up. Medium rich mellon, fig up front, followed by citrus and some acid. Almost a waxy Alsace-like lingering finish. Bright, but not bitter; weighty, but not flabby.
Great, no. But a good alternative if you find yourself in an area with limited wine selections. Pleased.

11/26/2010 - alexhay wrote:

Well made, but mostly faded now. Lovely blackfruits and mature notes. Has that great minty and eucalyptus Napa BDX blend notes, too. Nestle Quik hot chocolate powder notes in the back just before the still somewhat sweet, though drying tannins. Alas, it was consumed too late. I took a flyer and paid $9 for this last week which originally sported a $45 price tag. The fruit is obviously a shell of what it once was, and while what was there was lovely, only pleased this consumer so much because there was so little left. No flaws, just far beyond its consumption window.

11/17/2010 - alexhay wrote:

The foil said Rieussec. The label said Labere. It was just that, declassified Rieussec juice. Tons of honey, apricot up front with secondary citrus, mango, and pineapple. Would have scored in the 90 point range had there been more acid, but there was surely no shortage of fruit. Very pleased and would buy again.

11/15/2010 - alexhay wrote:

My first (and last) bad bottle of a case consumed. All other bottles were spectacular and worthy of tons of praise. Unfortunately this was thin, devoid of fruit, but still trying to show well with cherries, orange peel, and the green mossiness and cola flavors I love in Sojourn pinot noirs. Without the fruit and tannin, there was a whole lot of acid left and little else. Yikes.

10/24/2010 - alexhay wrote:

Solid cabernet which represents outstanding value. Nose is full of blackberries and cassis. Dark fruit up front amid minerality in the middle and dry tannin in the back, which deftly has enough acid to accompany it. My local shop just had its annual tasting with 250+ wines poured. I bought a box of this and nothing else. Fantastic QPR. Pour without guilt. The Villa des Agnes delivers at twice the price.

10/21/2010 - alexhay wrote:

This one is way past it's prime, unfortunately. I like Calera lots, but this baby was not destined to live long the same way its vineyard-designated brethren are. I was hoping for similar, and while I can tell it is well made, it clearly is from younger vines which can be pretty for years, however, just not this many years. Bricking? This had lots of brown and threw a fair amount of sediment. The goods were there, but unfortunately it was some years ago.

10/12/2010 - alexhay wrote:

Everything you want in an aged Rhone, except longevity. Came into its own within 2 minutes and drank wonderfully for the next 10 before it quickly fell apart. The 92 rating is for that brief, but wonderful drinking window. If you have any, drink it soon, and when you do pull the cork, do so with friends as you will need to drink fast!

10/1/2010 - alexhay wrote:

Pop and pour. Wow, this has clearly entered the drinking window. All the flavors are there, but are not delivered among fruit intensity. Lovely in an older school claret sense. I would say 90, but a really tasty 90 point rating.

4/16/2010 - alexhay wrote:

Full throttle, amazing California syrah based Rhone. Too old to recall particulars, but this bottle was absolutely outstanding. It crushed all three bottles of the Saxum James Berry Vineyard I have had subsequently. This is the one to have in my book.

9/10/2010 - alexhay wrote:

Very pleasantly surprised with this one. Had buyer's remorse shortly after purchase upon Bob's low-ish score, but I need not fear. This was my second bottle of two and was better than the first. Tasted too long ago (a month or so?) to recall specifics other than it over-achieved.

9/7/2010 - alexhay wrote:

92 to 94 point nose lead to ripe fruit typical of 2002 Napa. Velvet valley floor fruit filled with blackberry and currant flavors. The nose and front began to drop off after that. The mid-palate was less rich than the front, and what was minty in the middle turned more sour at the back end. Finish lingered for about 20 seconds, which I felt was not bad, though the sour flavors turning slightly acidic and bitter did not have me yearning for lots more. Popped and decanted and poured. Consumed over two hours. The first sip was the best, actually. Reminded me a bit of the 1997 Napa (non-Trilogy) which I went through lots of at $15 per bottle back then. In fact, I liked the 1997 regular more than this 2002 Trilogy.

8/24/2010 - alexhay wrote:

Right now, this wine is anything but elegant. It is in-your-face pinot noir with a level of intensity many associate with Rhones. While there is lots going on, it is not my style, nor is it for those who are not fans of pinot-zin(fandel). Earlier bottles were far more approachable in their youth than today. Complex? Yes. Intense? Also yes, but to a degree that will likely turn off those who also appreciate the subtleties pinot noir can offer.

6/16/2010 - alexhay wrote:

Firing on all cylinders. Was everything I wanted it to be!

3/12/2010 - alexhay wrote:

OK, this was surprisingly good. I have had the 2005 Claret 3 times and was not overly impressed, so how good could the merlot be? As expected with many Foley-made wines, it was a hedonistic cornucopia of chocolate, cherry, and vanilla, with a bit of oak that thankfully is well integrated today. The wine drank in a somewhat serious and non-spoofilated way. There was good front, middle, and back palate presence and a lengthy finish. I was expecting a shortcoming somewhere and I did not find one. The style may not be for everyone, but this wine brought it. I have one more, and will be drinking it before too long as I think this is firing on all cylinders right now.

2/13/2010 - alexhay wrote:

Having pulled literally thousands of corks in my lifetime, this was the tightest fitting cork of all. Fortunately the bottle neck did not chip after I put my favorite waiter's friend corkscrew through its paces. Immediate cassis and blackberry on the nose and little else for the first hour. On hour two some cocoa powder emerged. Come hour three this baby was singing, though still quite young. Started to get tobacco, cedar, and clove. Why do I suggest waiting on this one? While great now, the fruit is tighter than the tannin. The fruit has the strength to go the distance. May I suggest you give it time to so do - if you have the patience!

1/31/2010 - alexhay wrote:

It is very good, but just not an exceptional JJ Prum. It is immediately recognizable with its lime, minerality, petroleum, oiliness, but a bit simple for a winery which usually turns out higher caliber juice for its regular Kabinett. Enjoyable? Yes. Superior? No.

1/24/2010 - alexhay wrote:

My buddy brought this over for the Indy/Jets game. Purchased upon release from the American Consulate from when he lived in Australia. This bottle sure has some miles on it, I thought. Nevertheless, it was still a base neck fill. There was some very slight signs of seepage, so I was a little worried, though it turns out I did not need to be. Cork started to come out fairly easily, then broke, but the last 20% came out just fine. Immediate nose of mature California cabernet. This baby was not corked, nor flawed whatsoever. Popped and poured as we saw no reason to wait. Telltale Mondavi nose of blackberry, eucalyptus, and mint. Color amazingly dark almost all the way to the rim with only slight bricking. This is a 1988 regular Mondavi Cabernet? What a delightful, soft, mature, and really enjoyable cabernet. After the 90 minute mark some (slight) tannin arrived, then faded. Yes, this could go another 6 months to a year, but I'd drink up if I had any myself.