2/17/2024 - swlevison Likes this wine:

From the Maconnais, this wine has all of the features of a premier cru from the Cote de Beaune. it has a lovely nose, with aromas of lemon chiffon, ripe pears on top of a chalky minerality. On the palate, there are green apples, pear, white flowers, lemon chiffon and lime zest (on the finiish). The wine has a full body with med+ acidity. A terrific QPR!

1/22/2024 - swlevison Likes this wine:

The nose has brambly red fruits, violets, raspberry, hints of forest floor and a touch of mint. On the palate, there are dark cherries, rose petals, earth, cinnamon, a touch of tar and smoky minerals. The wine has Med+ acidity, Med+ tannins and a pretty long finish. Don't rush to drink this as it needs a few more years for the tannins to smooth out.

1/11/2024 - swlevison Likes this wine:

A dark ruby colored wine with aromas of cherries, strawberries and rose petals. The palate is very fruit forward, with flavors of raspberry jam, some baking spices, peppercorn, mint and toasted oak. The wine has Med+ tannins and med+ acidity with good body. Great QPR.

1/11/2024 - swlevison Does not like this wine:

This wine has a powerful nose with sour cherry, sumac, earth and animal. On the palate, there are again sour cherry, rhubarb, leather and game. It has light tannins and med acidity. I thougth that perhaps I'd opened an off-bottle, so I used my Coravin on a second bottle and it had the same tasting profile. Perhaps this wine will improve with a few years of age, but it's hard for me to say.

12/14/2023 - swlevison wrote:

Gave to Kelly X-mas 2023

11/23/2023 - swlevison Likes this wine:

More modern in style, but well-balanced, this Crianza has aromas of strawberries, raspberries, spice and a little earth on the nose. On the palate the wine has a medium body with flavors of raspberry and hints of mint and toasted oak. It has med+ acidity and is a little gamey on the finish. it's young and will benefit from a couple more years of aging.

11/23/2023 - swlevison Likes this wine:

A restrained Rioja made in the traditional style. It has a rich nose with aromas of raspberry jam, earth and a touch of vanilla. The palate is full with bright flavors of raspberries and cranberries, cinnamon bark, and mushroomy earth. The tannins are well integrated and it has med+ acidity.

11/19/2023 - swlevison Likes this wine:

Made from the "Melon Queue Rouge”, a white grape with skin that bleeds towards red as it approaches the stem, this is a classic Jura Blanc. The wine has a deep yellow appearance. It has an assertive nose wafting aromas of hard apple cider, dry sherry and baking spices. On the palate there are evolving layers of flavors that include ripe baked red apples, dry sherry, baking spices, hazlenuts and a touch of toffee. The wine has high acidity with a long finish of lime and sea salt.

8/23/2023 - swlevison wrote:

Lots of petrol on the nose and palate. The wine is balanced with good acidity and orchard fruit, but it doesn't have the minerality that we love from Alsatian Rieslings.

8/23/2023 - swlevison Likes this wine:

Still delicious. Sadly, this was our last bottle.

6/22/2023 - swlevison Likes this wine:

On the nose, red current, blackberry and some barnyard. On the palate there's ripe blackberry with some tar and full mouthfeel with Med+ acidity, smooth tannins.

6/21/2023 - swlevison wrote:

Very much a fruity Russian River Pinot. Drinks more like a Washington State Syrah than a Pinot Noir.

6/19/2023 - swlevison Likes this wine:

On the nose, aromas of black current, tar and black olives. The palate is rich with fruit flavors of black current, blackberries and bing cherry. In addition to the fruit flavors there is tar, black olive, vanilla and some baking spices. This wine now has soft, med+ tannins and med+ acidity.

5/21/2023 - swlevison Likes this wine:

On the nose there was flint, lemon chiffon, tendrils of smoke, apricot and a hint of butterscotch. The wine was nicely balanced with a full mouthfeel, and mouthwatering acidity. The palate was lively with flavors of ripe lemons, lime zest and chalk. It had a long finish with flavors of Terri's key lime tart.

5/21/2023 - swlevison Likes this wine:

Amanti Vino described this is a baby St. Joseph.
My Tasting Note with some help from Amanti Vino's:
On the nose there are aromas of violets, brambly berries, black pepper, minerals, cured meat, wild strawberry and hints of eucalyptus. The wine is well balanced with medium body, medium acidity and smooth tannins. The palate has lots of fresh blackberry fruit, with bacon fat, black pepper, smoky minerals, grape juice and wild strawberries. It has a long finish. In my view a really good QPR.

4/23/2023 - swlevison Likes this wine:

This wine is a little over the hill. It's lost some of it's acidity, so it's a little flabby and has predominantly orchard fruit flavors on the palate, which wasn't what I was expecting.

4/10/2023 - swlevison Likes this wine:

A light bodied white wine, but packed with flavor. On the nose, honeysuckle, ripe pear, citrus and wet limestone. On the palate, Med+ acidity, ripe orchard fruit, lemon chiffon, minerals and honey.

1/17/2023 - swlevison Likes this wine:

Tasting note modified from Amanti Vino's notes:
Barat’s 2018 Monts de Millieu has an intense nose of honeysuckle, zesty sea salt, citrus and green apples. On the mid-palate, the wine is bone-dry with hallmark Chablis acidity and chalky minerality intertwined with lime and lemon citrus fruit. It has a clean finish that is long and complex with undertones of almonds and stony minerality. This Premier Cru is drinking well now and will surely age gracefully for the next 8 years.

1/16/2023 - swlevison Likes this wine:

Frangy is a wine to go for when you're looking for an un-oaked, mineral, ripe orchard fruit driven white wine. The intense nose is full of ripe apples and pears, oyster shells and ripe lemon. The mouth feel is round and full, yet there is med+ acidity on the mid palate with chalky minerality. It has rich flavors of ripe yellow delicious apples, lemon zest and hazelnuts that has a long finish.

9/3/2022 - swlevison Likes this wine:

A lighter style Pinot Noir, but it's balanced.

7/8/2022 - swlevison Likes this wine:

A light red with low tannins, red fruits (strawberries, red cherries and ripe pomegranite) and rose petals on the palate.

Here's the tasting note from Amanti Vino.
Rustic red strawberry, rose petals, violets, tar, dried garden herbs, cinnamon, rhubarb and a touch of citrus zest on the nose. On the palate, the wine offers real structure and nuance with an undercurrent of fine tannins and hallmark Italian acidity reminding you of its Piedmontese origins. On the finish, a final layer of complexity is added by the classic note of tar that is central theme of northern Italy’s finest terroir-driven wines.

6/25/2022 - swlevison Likes this wine:

Modified from Amanti Vino's tasting note:

This is a very lightly colored rose. On the nose, aromas of wet rocks, wildflowers, strawberries and lime zest. On the palate, the wine is bone-dry with high acidity and a med. body with no tannins. The palate is delicate, dominated by flavors of wild strawberries. The finish is mineral-forward with layers of wet rock, sea salt and the highly prized “marine minerality” that can only be expressed from the fossilized limestone soils of the Apennine mountains.

6/19/2022 - swlevison Likes this wine:

On the nose there are aromas of Blackberry, black plum, black currents, baking spices, tangerine peel and a little old whicker chair. On the palate the wine has Med+ body, Med+ acidity, and soft integrated tannins. Flavors on the tongue include blackberry, black plum, black currents, baking spices, aged tobacco and it has a little black licorice on the finish. Too bad we only had one bottle.

6/14/2022 - swlevison Likes this wine:

Modified from Amanti Vino's tasting notes:

On the nose there are aromas of wild flowers, white peach, wild strawberry, herbs de Provence, tangerine, citrus zest, and hints of sea salt waft. On the palate there are flavors of tangerine, persimmon and freshly cut limes, with fresh floral nuances and rocky minerals on the finish. Crisp, dry and very refreshing.

5/22/2022 - swlevison Likes this wine:

This wine has evolved since I last tried it. The nose has aromas of dark fruits - Blackberry and plum, with some herbs and earth. On the palate there's a lot of fruit - again, mostly dark fruit - black plums and blackberries. The wine has med+ acidity, soft tannins, good body and a pretty long finish. But, it's a little hot.

5/7/2022 - swlevison Likes this wine:

Made entirely from the Jacquere grape, this is an interesting white wine that lies somewhere between a white burgundy and an albarino. The nose is dominated by honey and white flowers with a some scents of pear. On the palate, there is tangerine peel, apricot and orchard fruit with good minerality and a little saltyness on the finish. The wine has some acidity, but could benefit from just a bit more in our view.

4/17/2022 - swlevison Likes this wine:

I very much like this wine from the Jura. It has the flavors that I'd expect from a plousard, but with ~20% pinot noir co-fermented, this wine has a bit more body and richer flavors. The nose has aromas of raspberry, black plum and mushrooms. The wine has a medium body with a complex mix of red plum, ripe pomegranate, red cherry, rose petals, thyme, spearmint and some earth. It has med+ acidity and a dusty mouthfeel with a long finish.

3/14/2022 - swlevison Likes this wine:

This is an interesting wine made from the Pineau d'Aunis grape. On the nose there is raspberry, rose petals and earth. The palate has fresh red fruit, with rose petals, eucalyptus, some salt and white pepper. It has med+ tannins, but the tannins are all in the front of the mouth, so the finish is a little weak. This wine paired beautifully with sockeye salmon broiled with a spicy rub.

2/20/2022 - swlevison Likes this wine:

A nicely crafted melon de bourgogne, with nice acidity, a round mouthfeel and flavors of lemon, lime, green apple and apricot. It But it doesn't have the minerality of a french Muscadet.

2/19/2022 - swlevison wrote:

A light style italian red that took about half an hour to open up. Dried cranberries and cherry on the nose. On the palate this wine has med tannins, a light body and medium+ acidity.
Flavors of ripe cherry, blood orange, light baking spices and a little earth.

1/22/2022 - swlevison Likes this wine:

A very light bodied version of Nebbiolo with bright cherry fruit, balanced acidity and low tannins.

10/16/2021 - swlevison Likes this wine:

This wine took a journey that demonstrates how wine can truly change as it ages. It started out tasting delicious, then it went through a period where it had some bitterness to it, and some funky flavors, and now it's drinking beautifully. Too bad this was our last bottle.

10/2/2021 - swlevison Likes this wine:

A beautifully crafted Riesling that can go head to head with those from Alsace.
Nose: White flowers, lime-zest, petrol and minerals.
Palate: Ripe apple, lime-zest, lemongrass, petrol and minerals.
Round mouthfeel with medium+ acidity that gives a little effervescence on the tongue. The finish is long.

9/12/2021 - swlevison Likes this wine:

Nose: Cherries, nutmeg and dried rose petals.
Palate: Med+ acidity, with round mouthfeel and soft tannins.
Flavors of ripe red cherry, raspberries, cranberries and strawberries with some baking spices. It has a medium finish. Wish it had just a bit more tannins, but we preferred this wine to the 2017 Rastaban and Cahiers as it had a bit more complexity and balance.

9/11/2021 - swlevison Likes this wine:

Simply a superbly balanced red burg. Full bodied and rich with ripe red and black cherry, some raspberry and pomegranite and a little mushroom, with rhubarb on a very long finish. It has just the right amount of acidity and tannins.

9/5/2021 - swlevison wrote:

On the nose there is ripe apple, lemon zest, orange blossom, baking spices, lactose and wet slate. On the palate flavors of green apples and pears dominate, but there is a sour taste almost like that of sauerkraut present. This is a med+ acidic wine with a full and rounded mouthfeel that has lime zest on the long finish.

5/31/2021 - swlevison Likes this wine:

Note written with assistance from AmantiVino's tasting notes:
The nose offers chalky minerals with a mix of green apples, stone fruit and citrus rind. As the wine warms in the glass it reveals its true personality with complex notes of melon, honey, white flowers, star anise, hazelnuts, beeswax, dried apricot, chalky minerals and alpine herbs. On the palate, the wine is bone dry & medium bodied balanced by mouthwatering acidity. The palate is both fresh & savory with a flavors of pears, apricot, zesty tangerine, chalk and a subtle hint of star anise.

5/29/2021 - swlevison Likes this wine:

A lighter styled red burgundy with scents of dried cherries, rose petals and a hint of mint. This a medium bodied wine, with med+ acidity and smooth tannins with flavors of tart cherries, cranberries and a little salinity.

5/19/2021 - swlevison Likes this wine:

A very clean tasting white burgundy, with minimal oak. Lots of acidity, green apple, lemon and lime.

5/9/2021 - swlevison Likes this wine:

A very well crafted sauvignon blanc, with lots of acidity, minerality and lemon-lime citrus. This wine reminds us of what Sancerre's used to taste like. It has very little of the grapefruit or gooseberry flavors so common in many other sauvignon blancs with a great QPR.

5/2/2021 - swlevison Likes this wine:

On the nose, aromas of pink grapefruit, lime zest, fresh white flowers, citrus zest, thyme and hints of sea salt. The palate offers an undercurrent of zesty acidity with flavors of pink grapefruit, rose water, lime zest, minerals and hints of sea salt). Overall a crisp, dry rose with med+ acidity.

5/2/2021 - swlevison Likes this wine:

A more darkly colored rose with scents of pink grapefruit, lemon zest, rosemary, thyme and pine needles. On the palate, there are flavors of pink grapefruit, lime zest, strawberries, minerals and thyme.

5/2/2021 - swlevison wrote:

A light colored rose with scents of orange blossom and watermelon on the nose. The palate is dominated by flavors of tangerine and candied orange rind. This wine has a nice body with med+ acidity.

4/17/2021 - swlevison Likes this wine:

On the nose there are nuances of wet rock, underneath scents of meyers lemon and fresh cut flowers. On the palate wine is well-balanced with brisk, underlying acidity but a round mouthfeel with flavors of myers lemon, pear limestone, a touch of mint and a pine resin on the finish.

4/6/2021 - swlevison Likes this wine:

A light orange colored rose. On the nose there are aromas of pink grapefruit, strawberries, watermelon and lime zest. On the palate there are flavors of ripe watermelon, ripe strawberries, lime meringue and rose water on the finish. The wine has high acidity, some minearilty, and a round mouthfeel.

4/3/2021 - swlevison Likes this wine:

Still delicious. A very feminine style of Chablis, rather like a Chassagne-Montrachet.

3/14/2021 - swlevison Likes this wine:

An interesting wine, rich with cherry and ripe pomegranite flavors, Med+ acidity and Med+ Tannins. Kind of like a Barolo, but not as heavy or complex.

2/22/2021 - swlevison Likes this wine:

A light colored ruby red wine. On the nose, there's red cherry and a little wild strawberry. On the palate, this wine has Med+ acidity and med+ tannins. There are flavors of of pomegranite and red cherry with a little orange rind on the finish.

2/22/2021 - swlevison Likes this wine:

A clear, light ruby colored wine. On the nose dried rose petals, violets, earth and licorice. On the palate flavors of ripe pomegranite, cherries, red plum, licorice and some hazlenut on the finish.

2/22/2021 - swlevison Likes this wine:

Dried rose petals on the nose. On the palate this wine tastes like a fresh cherry pie, with flavors of sour cherries and almond extract.This wine has high acidity and med+ tannins.