4/19/2024 - guribh wrote:

Proper daily-drinker and spot on for the price. Nicely balanced zip (SB) and body (Semillon). No complexity, nor any OTTP grapefruit and cut grass notes. Drink now.

4/9/2024 - guribh wrote:

Over the hill with no redeeming qualities left.

3/31/2024 - guribh Likes this wine:

Last one of 17 purchased. Still excellent, but will not go much further, let alone improve. Proper Burg.

3/21/2024 - guribh wrote:

Meh. Entry level RDD from an esteemed producer. Nothing too outrageously flawed, but rather pedestrian and uninsured effort. Somewhat weedy behind the usual tempranillo fruit. Medium finish. Rather forgettable.

3/3/2024 - guribh wrote:

A "correct" wine. Nothing wrong with it, but also nothing stands out. Probably the cash-cow for the Pesqura owners. Well made, yet boring. Clean (not taken for granted..) uncomplicated fruit and strong dusty tannins (yes, taken for granted in a young RDD). Not certain a swan will emerge if/when tannins resolve, but if you treat it like a Cotes du Rhone priced similarly at ~$15 - (Costco pricing here), those expectations will be met just fine.

2/29/2024 - guribh wrote:

Excellent daily drinker and a killer value at $15. Very pale color (no oak?), well balanced nose with apples, clove, and a nautical whiff. Medium bodied, slight flint and saline mixed with the elegant apple & citrus fruits. Fresh enough to hold for 2-3 years longer. Almost Chablis-esque...

2/29/2024 - guribh wrote:

Winery TN: Aged 18 months in 50% new French oak, the wine shows loads of ripe black and blue fruits, crushed rock, tobacco, spice, shaved chocolate and licorice aromatics. Medium bodied, this meaty, chewy, mineral driven Cabernet is supple enough to consume over the next 2-3 years and structured enough to age for another 10.

2/27/2024 - guribh wrote:

Perfect bistro wine. Light-medium bodied, beautiful chrries-laden notes. pronounced acidity, not crossing the line into astringency or weedy. For around $15 (Invino) I can not keep wondering why wouldn't most restaurants stateside sell this (and similar) for $30-$35 and endear themselves to returning patrons.

2/9/2024 - guribh wrote:

Lovely at the moment. Balancing apple and honey notes with a hint of ox slipping through. Given the heft an the TNs, I'll polish off the last bottle in stock sooner, rather than later.

1/26/2024 - guribh wrote:

Sometimes you get exactly what you paid for. This one is a case in point. A muted, simple version of CdP, which is slightly disappointing, given the vintage, but mitigated by the $19 paid. Drink within 5 years, as I doubt it'll get better.

1/24/2024 - guribh wrote:

Serviceable at the Costco price point of $19, but nothing that merits a revisit. Some muted fruit, hints of tobaccos leaves and a decent enough finish.

12/8/2023 - guribh wrote:

All the ingredients of a solid CdR. Being higher on the Southern Rhone pecking order (CdR < CdR-V < Named villages Cairanne, Rasteau etc. < Vacqueyras < Gigondas < CdP), I expected a bit more distinction. However, I contend that the pedigree in the Southern Rhone shows better with age and thus (coupled with a $14 CdR-level pricing) it makes an intriguing proposition to stock a few bottles for mid term aging. At present: a solid daily CdR drinker.

11/13/2023 - guribh wrote:

Correct for what is: a drinkable Zin, not overly done. However, there is nothing here to make me want to reload the glass, let alone the cellar. It's a good hamburger wine, if that's a thing.

At ~ $20 there many better choices (Southern France, Spain and Oz come to mind).

11/11/2023 - guribh wrote:

Solid in the Tantara style ("wet", sous-bois > cherry). maturing nicely and drinks well now.

11/10/2023 - guribh wrote:

True to the winery style of "wet", more forest-floor than cherry-bomb wines. However, this cuvee is a tad weedy and uninspired to me. Possibly a combination of being an "entry level" bottling (cast-off juice from the single-vineyard cuvees?) and a mediocre vintage. 3 more bottles to go with reserved pessimism..

10/18/2023 - guribh Does not like this wine:

To quote Nobel Prize Laureate Simon Cowell: " Utterly forgettable ".

9/23/2023 - guribh wrote:

Like may things in life, it can be a matter of expectations fall short, met or exceeded. Even though I am well familiar with both this Domaine and their better known neighbors, Domaine de Trevallon, It's been a while. Gearing up for a typical styled Southern French with sunshine in its bones and octane to match, I was taken aback by the high toned, somewhat more articulated expression as displayed tonight. Being the producer's higher end Cuvée, I'd lay off for 3-4 years to allow this to come into full bloom. Very promising. Rating is for the drinking pleasure tonight.

9/8/2023 - guribh wrote:

Solid, yet rather uninspiring wine. Probably not a great end product of the "Gran Selezione" recently established designation. One was hoping for a BdM like intensity. Alas, nowhere near. Rather simplistic, albeit solid Sanjo.

8/24/2023 - guribh wrote:

Great showing for this one. Complex, yet fresh, with silky, subdued beam of clove and mineral running through. Excellent.

7/9/2023 - guribh wrote:

On the "Juicy" side of PN, albeit intermingled (at this point) with an abundance of wet leaf. A unique style that may not work for traditionalists, and certain to be questioned by Burg heads. Well, it works (for me, on most occasions, but only when my expectations are properly set).

6/30/2023 - guribh wrote:

Best showing of the past year. Brilliant!

6/15/2023 - guribh wrote:

Annual TN: manged to finish the case I (unfortunately) bought. See previous notes. No improvement. Still got a few of the 2015s. Downgrading expectations to "strong sell" . I doubt I will have takers, so stay tuned for TNs on those as well.

6/3/2023 - guribh wrote:

Uninspiring. Dark, promising visual. Subtle nose, and muted flavors. Tried to consider "elegant" but failed to to attach to this showing. Possibly over processed or something like that.

5/4/2023 - guribh wrote:

Yes, slightly past its prime, but still a viable drink. Mature, black cherry with some lapsang suchong tea notes. Good length. Well made, and good buy at close out price.

4/24/2023 - guribh wrote:

A barely midweek quaffer. Cherry syrup, dusty tannins and just a faint hint of something beyond supermarket wine. Pass.

3/23/2023 - guribh wrote:

Wow....at 10 YO I would bet against it. I'd be losing....

At first, dark gold color would support initial notions. Nose has a slight hint of oxidation, brown butter and toast. A bit of time and poof: the off notes dissipate and harmony settles. Toast, a hint of maple(?) and a long, complex finish. Big but not crossing into the cloying side. Drink asap as this is IT...

3/22/2023 - guribh wrote:

Like its stablemates sold by WTSO, (Panzano & Clement VII) this is simply ok for me and thus a bit of a letdown, being a "Gran Selezione". Either that, or the whole new Premium Level is BS. The wine is solid Chianti Classico, but would not outshine a riserva or even some "village" CC from the better producers. Not feeling too cheated for $20, but will not repurchase.

2/19/2023 - guribh wrote:

On the downward slope, but still enjoyable. Garnet with some bricking. Faint forest floor and tobacco, frame some fruit. Fine dusty tannins, and decent acidity. Will not evolve any further, but a nice wine to open asap.

1/12/2023 - guribh wrote:

Inoffensive.

1/12/2023 - guribh wrote:

Inoffensive.

12/22/2022 - guribh wrote:

Ok at best. Rather pedestrian, still tannic, without discernable fruit substance underneath. Another JR over hype.

12/20/2022 - guribh wrote:

Annual TN: still waiting for the 🦢 to emerge. Not hopeful.

11/21/2022 - guribh wrote:

Happy to report that last (less than positive) note was very likely an abortion. Tonight's showing was superb. Everything you'd look for in an aged Nebbiolo

11/20/2022 - guribh wrote:

Very much a going concern. While drying, still shows class. Mature but not faded fruit. Good length. Dink up and enjoy.

11/15/2022 - guribh wrote:

Consistent with my February 2022 notes.

11/11/2022 - guribh wrote:

My 7/24/2020 TN just got vindicated...!!! Rather fresh, tobbaco-leaf and sous-bois notes intermingle with a hint of fruits. Added complexity thanks to my buddy, Bret.

Solid garnet/ruby color with a slight brick on the edges. An interesting wine, to me - more so than the 2000 Croux de Beaucaillou I had last night (on a mission to drink my wines regardless of whether it's a feast or Thursday). None left. Will buy 2019 to share TN's in 2052 (I plan on being a sprite 90 years old then).

11/4/2022 - guribh wrote:

Fixin' (as they say in my adopted environs..) to give up on this bottling and possibly the winery's PN lineup. Too frequently weedy and thin without offering the benefit of the varietal's eloquence. This one is a case in point.

10/12/2022 - guribh wrote:

Consistent with my notes 2 months ago. More cranberry and "blood" notes. Missing some punch, garrigue and thus - character

9/7/2022 - guribh wrote:

Quality shines through the slight oxidation.

8/22/2022 - guribh wrote:

This is singing at the moment.

8/6/2022 - guribh wrote:

A very drinkable wine, very much along the line of what @Everything Ahead wrote a few months back. Alas, I find many of Yves Cheron's Gigondas bottlings to be short on distinction. I would have hard time distinguishing this "Vielles Vignes" cuvee (setting higher expectations..) from a decent CdR-V which does not command the premium of the Silver Medalist of the Southern Rhone (to CdP's Gold status..). Several more to go (in this an younger vintages).

7/6/2022 - guribh wrote:

Annual TN... : still not enjoyable. Likely never will be. A Syrah behaving like a Cab Franc in a less-than-positive way.

6/27/2022 - guribh wrote:

Well, I may have been overly optimistic about the longevity prospect of this one (or bottle variation may have crept in). This go-around all is in place still, but starting to fade. See my previous TNs on this wine over the years. All that notwithstanding, the wine is a very enjoyable experience still.

6/24/2022 - guribh Likes this wine:

Very good, well balanced Bojo, with no life-changing properties. Solid midweek drinker and well worth the $17 I paid. I usually compare these to ~$20 PN (stateside or entry level Burgs) and inevitably, the Bojos usually prevail. This is no exception. Rather low octane, but checks all the boxes otherwise. May be a letdown given the snazzy label and Cru, but great as a $17 drinker.

6/20/2022 - guribh wrote:

Deep crimson with some brown edge. Dense, nuanced but I am not sure I'd nail it as PN tasted blind (possibly a reflection on my tasting skills...). Drinks at the end of its evolution, so I'd consume sooner rather than later. Side note: I have the 2010 Tantara PN Bien Nacido Old Vines as well, which seems to be more refined at this point. I will post notes on that one next time we uncork one.

6/18/2022 - guribh wrote:

Trying hard, but can not love this wine. Not much going for it beyond "OK, I already opened it. It's serviceable with food. Maybe I can polish it ofc with some cheese.. ". Inoffensive for $15 if you insist on Nebbiolo. Otherwise, avoid. Plenty of better choices, even at this pricebpoint (Costco price)

5/14/2022 - guribh wrote:

Still lovely.

5/13/2022 - guribh wrote:

To me this is a "product". Somewhat formulaic with slight over extraction, right color, fancy bottle and "good" price point. It is rather uninspired, but drinkable nonetheless. I hoped for more. A few more to go, but not a repurchase

3/16/2022 - guribh wrote:

All came together nicely.

3/3/2022 - guribh Likes this wine:

What a pleasant surprise! In full form, dark-colored with no noticeable bricking. All the components are there and well integrated: cassis, tobaccos, hint of cedar...lovely length and very enjoyable all around.