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Comments on my notes

(9 comments on 9 notes)

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Red
2008 Col Solare Columbia Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
4/20/2014 - Motz wrote:
91 points
The four vintages of Col Solare I've tasted have displayed noticeable nuance, no two are the same. The 2005, 2007, and 2009 vintages, however, can generally be categorized as bold; the 2008 is subdued, even elegant, by comparison. The nose is mostly mute, the attack soft. The wine comes to life at the mid palate, showing refined grainy tannins, and very nice acidity. This is accompanied by charming dark berry fruit that emerges from behind the oak. In a word, racy.
  • VinLancaster commented:

    5/5/14, 10:44 AM - Nice descriptor. Sounds like it won't hurt to continue to lay my bottles down.

Red
2010 Domaine Saint-Damien Gigondas Les Souteyrades Red Rhone Blend
5/5/2014 - Motz wrote:
94 points
Open for business from the outset, and oh so very loud! An intensely savory bouquet of smoked meats, Mediterranean herbs, garrigue, violets, schist, crushed granite, graphite, metallic ores, and salinity emanate from the open bottle and spill over from the glass. Ultra rich palate, excellent acidity and tannic grip. The wine features a tremendously earthy core covered in drenching ripe fruit, floral aromatics, and savory elements. Very meaty and gripping finish of tremendous length. Racy and delicious!

My lingering question regarding this wine is whether it will improve. It seems possible that it could put on additional weight and roundness with two to four years of cellaring. If so, it could score a couple of points higher. In my opinion it is not quite as deep or rounded as Santa Duc's 2010 Prestige des Hautes Garrigues at present...but it might be with time. Ridiculous value! 94-95.
  • VinLancaster commented:

    5/5/14, 10:36 AM - Great Note, Motz. I have been enjoying your excellent & descriptive notes for some time now. You are quite the power taster. I only wish I could taste as much wine as you (and then find the energy to write about it). Keep up the great reviews!

Red
2010 Proper Wines Syrah Walla Walla Valley
Sexy spiced blood and game with a punch of fruit, polarizing soft funk, herbs and savory brick. Intricate, for this Syrah appeared different with every sip over several hours. The substantial and sophisticated finish lingered on for what felt like like an eternity. An exceptionally well made and intriguing wine. I look forward to trying another in a couple years.
  • VinLancaster commented:

    4/30/14, 5:10 PM - Thanks w_s, I enjoy reading your notes and have so for some time! Cheers!

Red
2009 For a Song Syrah Columbia Valley
12/9/2012 - VinLancaster wrote:
89 points
Comparable notes to last bottle with the addition of a few descriptors not noted previously: bing cherry, balsalmic glaze, brier, loam and plenty of mid-palate minerality. A big wine, hint of heat which mellows over a couple hours. Smooth and silky on the final sip.
4 cases of this will be far more difficult to stretch over as many years, than I had thought.
  • VinLancaster commented:

    1/9/13, 5:19 AM - Yes and at Eric's price (Sec) it was easy to justify a few extra cases after trying it from Full Pull originally!

Red
2009 Dunham Cellars Trutina Columbia Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
12/4/2012 - ob2s wrote:
92 points
So I am a bad CT tasting note writer, in style and quantity. If a wine is 70-88 I don't bother. Kind of like internet reviews, 'it sucks !', 'its awesome (sic)', passionately enthused or passionately miffed. I digress, ahem. This wine may not be ready for drinking, but I can certainly say it is one of the few wines I have had SECONDS out of the bottle and been wicked good. The wine is balanced so harmoniously, it is almost uncanny. The depth is certainly there, but not deep enough to be a 96-98 wine, I mean you have to spend at least $100 to score that high right ? The QPR on this wine is huge. Yes like the others said, plum, vanilla, caramel, 65% Dark chocolate. Not 64 or 66, not 75, 65, exactly. I only have 3 left, and am sad for it. If you take this wine to any wine event it would be at the top or near top every time. Thank you Dunham and Full Pull, together you almost make forget all the Garagiste sh*t I have to stomach.
  • VinLancaster commented:

    12/6/12, 6:06 AM - Ok, you have to tell me where in PDX you found some <20?!

    =)

Red
2012 Goat Rocks Winery Cabernet Franc Fewel Family Estates Vineyard Yakima Valley
11/15/2012 - VinLancaster wrote:
Yakima Valley Maiden Voyage Tasting Tour!; 11/14/2012-11/18/2012 (Yakima Valley AVA, Naches Heights, Snipes, Horse Heaven Hills, Red Mountain, Rattlesnake AVAs): No score, as this was taken from a pre-ML mason jar sample, one week from pressing; generously offered by Chris (YakYak) & Barb.
100% Cabernet Franc from Fewel Vineyard.
(Not oaked at time of tasting. Per the winemaker, plan is 2nd year fill, 100% French oak for ~12months)

No formal notes taken. However, this budding wine left quite an impression on myself and others around the table (including a very well respected winemaker from the area).

Perfumed with black fruit in the form of currants and PNW mountain raspberries. Also showing suggestions of green peppercorn, sage, allspice and tobacco leaves. Initial flavors were showing black fruit, plum, cassis and winter herbs, which were surrounded by a brightness from the new fruit acids. Palate feel was overwhelmingly velvety. It coated my entire mouth like silken chocolate poured over creamed berry fruit.

I hope this is the prelude to what's to come in 2013-2014 after a year in barrel! I am very excited about this wine, even at this early stage. Gorgeous fruit, gently handled; a valiant first effort for Chris and Barb on their inaugural Cabernet Franc.

Thank you for letting us have a sneak peak!
  • VinLancaster commented:

    12/3/12, 6:08 AM - Thanks for the clarification Re: oak or no oak. I've edited my note, let me know if I've left anything out. Thanks!

Red
2009 Cowhorn Grenache 80 Applegate Valley
6/25/2011 - VinLancaster wrote:
90 points
Aged 9 months 33% new French oak, 67% neutral French oak. Linda Donovan is the winemaker and knows her stuff. Great refinement in this grenache. I love the old world/new world dichotomy of their wines, they've captured this nuance well without too much heavy metal (none, in fact) and less cedar notes. It's a grenache to savor to the last drop.
  • VinLancaster commented:

    12/2/12, 9:46 AM - Hi OR-Wine. Thanks for your note. When I visited June 2011, I was told Linda was still making the wines. Thanks for clearing this up. Cheers!

Red
2005 Frenchman Hills Syrah Sentinel Gap Vineyards Columbia Valley
11/30/2012 - ob2s wrote:
80 points
Maybe worth $8, but there is an off note. offputting. No, I am not a brat reared on Oaky WA Syrah, Mr Pontificator aka abunawwas. I drink a bit of N Rhone syrah. In fact all of the 2005 Frenchman Hills Garagiste offerings have this off note. The Syrah has it the least. This wine is worth about $8, but sure is hell is not worth the drive I made to collect it. In fact since I bought too many, I have been mixing it with another Syrah, which does a good job in diluting the off note making it more drinkable.
  • VinLancaster commented:

    12/1/12, 8:10 AM - Great note. I know and respect your palate. We'll find a use for this garagiste plonk; Glühwein, perhaps?. Tis the season!

Red
2005 Frenchman Hills Syrah Sentinel Gap Vineyards Columbia Valley
11/15/2012 - fitchbuck wrote:
85 points
This started out awful - putting off a chemical scent/taste I couldn't quite place, married with a strong cherry overtone. Now, over the few hours I've been sipping away, it's become more pleasant ... although something about this juice is still ... off.
  • VinLancaster commented:

    12/1/12, 8:04 AM - Great editorial! 'REAMERman' is really falling out of favor with his used car salesman techniques. It's only a matter of time before it really catches up with him.

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