12/28/23, 5:24 AM - Thanks for the clarification. Do you have any more specifics on the vineyards that were sourced for the blend? I saw on your webpage that some of your SB fruit is pulled from areas close to White Hawk. Cool stuff there!
9/13/23, 1:45 PM - Have you experienced many '18 Bords that you would classify as "sucky?" It's definitely not the vintage for all Bordeaux lovers so I was hoping you could expand on your take. Much thanks!
1/23/19, 4:14 AM - By "pros" do you mean one Mr. Fish? Reading his take on Mike's wines over the past few years and his score here, the style you describe seems to be to his liking. And I don't doubt your take on this wine for a minute, but every C Zin I've had over the past six vintages have really settled down wonderfully after those first two or three years in the cellar. Or else Mike has finally gone over to the dark side completely in '16. Only time will tell....
11/23/21, 5:42 AM - I just opened up a third bottle of this '16 Paps and three years in I'm starting to think that everything Motz had said almost three years ago is playing itself out with time in bottle. As a comparison I had the '16 Bedrock Vineyard Zin about six weeks ago and it had none of the same issues as this Papera. And I've been drinking Papera now back to '11. While the Bedrock was a beautifully balanced RR Zin at three plus years this one continues to show itself as just "off." I think it's mostly due to the alcohol level and something else that transpired in the fermentation process. The undertones are still promising but everything at the top of the tasting in the mouth is just feeling exactly like Motz said, some unseemly sense of manufacturing. Two bottles of this vintage left for me and I'm REALLY hoping that in another 3-5 years something will have changed in the mix. Time will definitely tell.
3/29/21, 6:04 AM - Much thanks good sir, a very informative blog indeed! Yes, the Kirkland under $10 selection is always a problematic landmine field if one hasn't tasted all of their bounty previously. I will reference this site going forward to make wiser and hopefully tastier choices.
3/6/21, 1:12 PM - So if comparing to Napa cab or a left bank red, which ones would cork mind? I saw two bottles in my local Wegmans and was pushed to buy it. Would appreciate any reference point you could provide.
3/6/21, 6:25 PM - Apologies for the confusion. I was asking which Napa cabs this reminds you of. More fruit bombs like a Caymus or a more nuanced one like Spotteswoode? If Bordeaux then I was referring to a Rolland wine possibly.
12/7/20, 1:36 PM - Planning on revisiting soon and see if this one still needs to be muzzled and locked down. Hope that's not the case. Too bad it's my last one.
12/1/20, 2:42 PM - Yes, I think that VA would be a prime candidate for the flavor I was getting from that bottle. I have one more remaining so hopefully that will be a better experience.
9/18/20, 6:06 PM - Same here! Love having this day for the world’s most planted red! And I couldn’t agree more, this donjon is not disappointing in the least. Beautifully open and still dancing the tango with garrigue aplenty and onderfully seductive dark fruits. Hope it gets even better by tomorrow. Cheers to you!
3/7/20, 11:16 AM - I was trying to be judicious on my score but share your opinion on this wine completely. I think it was a bad batch that they realized was compromised but needed to move along! In their defense it was one of the few losses U hav e purchased from them in the past nine years. Will use the rest of my allocation for cooking.
7/13/19, 11:10 AM - I'm going through a split right now and until you mentioned the chicken coop effect I didn't even think of it, but yes, there's a certain chemical taste on the finish that makes it last much longer than expected that would suggest this flavor. I really like the wine on the front of the tongue and even though the merlot is a bit too hot for me, it's still a very solid effort if you like more of a fruit bomb profile. Maybe the coop will dissipate once it's been in bottle for another year or two? I definitely didn't get this aftertaste on the 14s and 15s of the SC..
5/29/19, 7:28 PM - Hopefully it will. It wasn't so much of a Barolo essence as it was a lighter style zin.
4/1/19, 7:15 PM - Was wondering how you would compare the '16 to the '15, especially in terms of complexity? I've had two bottles of the '15 and am very impressed with both the high amount of garringue and the solid tertiary flavors that are showing for a wine of barely two years in bottle. If you've had both years do you like the '16 more in bottle at this time?
3/28/19, 10:09 PM - Nothing like getting homer price deals!
2/1/19, 9:10 PM - You're welcome and I also need to grab more before the Costco selection is gone.
9/23/18, 6:52 PM - There was good news for the last glass, which I finished after two more days - it had softened noticeably and the bright fruit profile was still quite noticeable. I think that this zin will age with distinction.
9/14/18, 11:34 AM - How goog is it exactly?
8/17/18, 11:18 PM - I definitely think that the 07s still have plenty of upside, especially the ones with more acidic backbone. The Chalk Hill had enough fruit freshness to give me hope in its short term future, but I don't think it will be a long term keeper. Has Laube done a ten year retrospective on the 07s yet? If not, his notes should be very inf.
8/1/18, 2:59 PM - Thanks for the note. I'm waiting for my order as well. I bought for the same reason you did. Do you think that the overpowering fruit profile will settle down once it's been in bottle for at least a year? Any chance that it was an off bottle?
2/14/18, 3:46 PM - This one's more than just a little - ooh la la!
12/3/17, 1:11 PM - I didn't find it too young at all; instead it feels like it was made to be opened right away. I expected much heavier tannins and noticably strong oak. Neither was the case. Is the '15 vintage overall supposed to be an early drinking one?
12/8/17, 11:51 AM - No, I don't think it's too young right now, but at the same time the longer it stays in bottle the more the tertiary flavors will develop. I think that a lot of the lower priced houses are making their wines much more accessible for the first few years in bottle for those who don't want to wait 10+ years.
11/3/17, 8:46 AM - I just opened my last bottle from this vintage and read your review. It's still very bright and feels wonderfully young. Your note is spot on as far as the glass I'm swirling is concerned. It will be interesting to see how it opens up as the day progresses. Planning on having it with beef brisket for dinner.
5/18/17, 6:45 PM - Time in the bottle for this Melchor. It's just so young now I don't know if the other flavors will develop enough to make it as good as the 2002 and the 2005.
6/10/16, 1:28 PM - I fully agree with your assessment. The Gil family has found a huge winner with this label and continues to put out a so wonderfully solid product year after year. Ringland's presence is the cornerstone of this continuing to be a benchmark in the new Spanish thumbprint on international players in the "fruit bomb" market. I just hope they never sell of the El Nido line. And the '13, oh yes but it's a beauty.
8/22/15, 11:51 AM - I was torn between the expresso and Nescafe, but thought the notes weren't so astringent to choose the latter.
7/31/15, 2:58 PM - maybe you need to concentrate on the tennis. If you do love the case so much though I would love to share a bottle with you.
10/11/13, 6:52 AM - Que syrah syrah:Glad that you have some in your cellar - I wish I had room for more CdPs from this vintage - but I'll need to drink up my older vintages first!
10/1/13, 7:50 PM - Thanks Geppetto - it was indeed my last '05 Melchor. And since I'm unemployed for the present time being, maybe a stint as ad copy writer wouldn't be so bad. Now if I can just find that missing "H" I might finally be able to get some sleep...
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