4/22/2024 - blaine Likes this wine:

Drinking very well, but much better after bottle warmed a bit from refrigerator temp and also better after about 45 minutes of air. Seems to be in a great drinking window. Impeccably balanced, terrific juicy finish.

4/21/2024 - blaine Likes this wine:

PnP. Medium translucent ruby, no sign of age. Effusive nose, white flowers, hint of creamsicle that got bigger the longer it was in the glass. Palate medium-minus bodied, lush across the middle of the palate, nice fruit, balanced but still could use a bit more time to come together. Hint of bitterness on tip of tongue on the finish, in a nice way. Juiciness, bit of acidity on the finish. Lingering, medium-plus finish. After an hour, still big creamsicle on the nose. Still long finish, shortened a bit on the palate, fruit receded a bit after an hour. Long drinking window ahead!

4/8/2024 - blaine Likes this wine:

Wow, this is drinking very nicely, and even better at $15.99 from WTSO. Light-to-medium gold in color. Beautiful fruity nose, white flowers and bit of stone fruit. More stone fruit on the palate, pears, with a non-oaky bit of creaminess. Blessedly zero tropical notes. Crisp minerally finish.

4/5/2024 - blaine Likes this wine:

In a great drinking window. PnP. Dark ruby color, no sign of age. Oh the nose! Effusive nose goes on and on, right from the opening. On the palate, a bit tight upon opening but opened up nicely with some air. Medium-bodied with fruit, hint of oak, cassis. Plenty of acidity but nicely balanced. Finish length was great at the price. Wife wasn't as excited, but she doesn't have a sensitive nose, and that's what this wine is all about. Will try to buy some more, it still seems widely available out there.

3/30/2024 - blaine Likes this wine:

Glorious. Consistent with my last note from 2021, other than the tropical thing…blessedly. Medium-minus gold color. Expressive nose, caramel, pear, citrus, dash of oak. Palate notable acidity, racy, with white stone fruit, another dash of oak. Finish on and on and on. Juicy, but bit of creaminess after an hour. Front to back of palate, mouth coating, very clean. Wish I had more. Got this early-on for $54, I think this is third of three. Feeling like I caught it at a peak level.

3/23/2024 - blaine Likes this wine:

Super solid wine and great QPR. This was my 4th of 4 from WTSO @ $15.99 from late last year. Each bottle has been better than the previous one. Beautiful dark color. Effusive nose of fruit and garrigue. Very juicy and fruity on the palate, medium+ bodied, juicy acidity. 50% syrah and 30% grenache. I would have guessed those percentages flipped as it didn't show as dark on the syrah side as I would have guessed. Juicy finish. Very enjoyable. I searched on wine-searcher, not available anywhere in the US...but then I checked back with WTSO and it's in their bottle shop. I picked up 4 more with free shipping!

3/3/2024 - blaine Likes this wine:

I think Gregg G sums it up nicely below. I also PnP'd with similar timing. This was our second bottle, and the previous one was opened on a hot summer day...better on a chilly rainy march night and this time it showed better. Amazing lingering finish. Wife and I kept commenting after about a half hour how much we liked this. Have one each of the Vallion and Les Lys, and I enjoyed the first bottle of those more than this one. I passed on the last offer of this wine and now I'm regretting it.

3/3/2024 - blaine Likes this wine:

Really enjoyed this, tremendous QPR for $19 from Garagiste. Very fresh for a Gigondas, and light on its feet which belies the 14.5%. Modest nose, fresh and light on its feet. Medium+ bodied. Balanced all around, tart finish. 80% grenache, 15% syrah, 5% mourvedre...high % grenache a winner at my table. Always enjoy this producer.

2/11/2024 - blaine wrote:

4th of six. 15% alcohol, a little above my usual playing weight. Big fruit, a little lacking in acidity. Certainly round. Nice finish, but not my cup of tea.

2/4/2024 - blaine wrote:

Third of six bottles. Amazing QPR. Clean, fresh, balanced. Zippy acidity, but still plenty of roundness. White stone fruit. long pure finish. In a great drinking window

1/19/2024 - blaine wrote:

Second of four bottles sourced from Garagiste for $16.71 per, and consistent with the first. This is just gorgeous, tremendous QPR.medium ruby color, no sign of age in its youth. Expressive fresh nose of fruit, herbs and garrigue. Nose stays consistently effusive throughout. Palate also fresh, light on its feet at 13.5%. Medium-bodied, fruity, juicy acidity, impeccably balanced. Finish goes on for a good bit. I was flabbergasted by the first bottle, equally so on the second. None available for repurchase in the US. Why can’t we find more basic CDRs like this in the US? Extra points for the fun embossed bee on the label. Need to hunt more down…

1/14/2024 - blaine Likes this wine:

Very good and ready to go. Popped and slow-oz'd over about an hour after arriving at a friend's for dinner. Lovely deep ruby color, no sign of age. Beautiful nose of fruit and garrigue. Medium+ bodied on the palate, great freshness, impeccably balanced. Nice tart acidity. Long finish. Just like that it was gone... Paired beautifully with braised lamb shanks. Many happy years ahead for this one. Glad I have another, might seek more. First 2010 in a bit for me, one of my favorite Rhone vintages ever.

1/3/2024 - blaine Likes this wine:

Notes consistent with my 3/23 tasting

12/31/2023 - blaine wrote:

A little muted and a hint of ox, not showing as well as other vintages of this wine, which is one of my favorites generally.

12/31/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

Drank this last night, very nice. Medium-bodied, moderate dose of oak. Many years ahead, but drinking nicely now.

12/22/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

Very solid QPR. Picked this up for $12.99 at grocery store while getting supplies for Ooni pizza party. Well-aged Chianti, no sign of age on the color. Modest nose, typical sangiovese, earthy with some fruit. On the palate, nicely balanced, good mix of acidity and fruit. Tart finish. Went great with pizza, will go buy some more, a very nice surprise.

12/18/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

Very good on a PnP. Dark color, no sign of age. Modest nose owing to pnp and lack of decant. Nose opened over the course of the bottle. On the palate, medium+ bodied, impeccably balanced with just the right amount of acidity. Very expressive, plenty of fruit, modest oak. Long lingering juicy finish. Many years ahead of it. I'll buy this again.

12/11/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

This was excellent and in a terrific drinking window. Medium golden color, no sign of age. Nose of white flower and white stone fruit with a dash of oak. On the palate, impeccably balanced with a juicy acidity, more white stone fruit and a modest dash of oak. There is a viscous, mouth coating consistency that is typical of these Rochioli SVDs. Long finish goes on for days, lingering in the mouth also due to same viscousness. Only word I won't use is fresh, which again is a word I don't use with these bottlings. But that's not what you're going for here. I often struggle with finding the sweet spot with these, as they need some time in bottle to round out what can be a little angular when younger. But just as often as I hit perfection in drinking window I feel like I might have waited a bit too long. As such, I've recently taken the tact that sooner is often better, same calculation I make when deciding when it's time to leave a party. Drink with confidence, but no hurry either.

11/29/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

Drinking well and ready to go! No sign of age in the color. Modest nose. Classically-styled brunello, medium-bodied, balanced with juicy acidity and lingering finish. Plenty of life left

11/12/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

This was fantastic, no formal notes. PnP, enjoyable out of the gate. Served with herbed lamb :)...rosemary spiced rack of lamb. What a pairing!

11/5/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

Consistently enjoy this wine. Alcohol on label is higher than this wine shows when tasting. Light on its feet, lovely, just a hint of oak. Well-balanced, lingering juicy finish.

11/4/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

Drinking beautifully right now, medium-bodied @14.1%, but still light on its feet. Lots of life ahead but singing on a fall evening.

10/22/2023 - blaine wrote:

Acid bomb

10/15/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

Glorious as always. Tons of life left, light on its feet.

10/15/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

Drinking very well, particularly after about 30 mins of air. Always a winner…more expensive than others’ appellation wines but also playing at a higher level. Continued welcome absence of tropical/pineapple notes…thank you Ted! I think we are in a peak spot for this wine

10/7/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

So much better than my previous bottle which started off mildly corked. This one had no such stink to blow off. PnP, color ever so slightly starting to show a bit of age. Modest nose. On the palate, nicely balanced traditional BDM, with a bit of age coming into play. Nicely balanced, light on its feet, light-to-medium bodied. Juicy acidity. Lingering finish that upped the ante a bit. Very enjoyable over a couple of hours. I probably will drink my final bottle sooner rather than later, but there is lots of life left here.

9/23/2023 - blaine wrote:

I think I waited a bit too long on this one. Pnp. Last bottle of this I had, in 2017, was singing. Then, I said “very enjoyable and remarkably approachable at this young age”. This one showed much more advanced, and my wife and I remarked with the dreaded “OTH” multiple times. Cork was perfect, and cellared by me since release. Just a little tired and flabby. Other current notes are much more effusive, so maybe just an off bottle.

8/12/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

This is just amazing value! As a longtime list member of the rumored producer of this wine, to my palate it certainly lives up to the rumored source. Just a baby, you can cellar this for 10 years and be very happy with the result, provided Cam's corks hold up that long. Certainly lots of fruit, but 5 years in it's starting to round out. This is my third bottle I think, and each has been better than the last. Impeccably balanced, just the right amount of oak, finish is consistent with producer's house style. I got the same price as Deegie below, $11.58 on sale...maybe the greatest qpr cab purchase of my life!

8/7/2023 - blaine wrote:

Borderline flawed. Stored in my cellar since release, but cork had popped up above the top of the bottle by 1/8"...maybe a bit more. Ultimately a little more oxidized than I would expect on a 5-year old Rhys SVD...but of course that wouldn't be unprecedented as I've had cork issues with Rhys in the past. Hard to say drink up as my bottle seemed less than perfect...but I'll go ahead and say it: drink up.

4/7/2023 - blaine wrote:

Not my favorite Allen. Color a little darker than usual. Modest nose. These are usually impeccably balanced, but this one leaned a bit harder than usual. not much roundness, there was a crisp acidity, maybe it’s just that the fruit has faded a bit on this one, surprisingly. Missing its usual creaminess. Did have a longish finish. I’ve had many of these over the years, not the best showing. Usually these can take some age, but maybe time to drink up.

3/19/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

This was fantastic. Drinking very well. Prime drinking window, no sign of oxidation six years in. Beautiful pale gold color, modest nose. on the palate, impeccably balanced. White stone fruits, no tropical notes which is perfect for me. Long finish. Plenty of life left, but so good now.

2/26/2023 - blaine wrote:

Past its prime, my bad. This was so expensive that I broke my own chardonnay rules awaiting the right occasion. Beautiful pale gold color, no sign of age. Effusive nose on opening, toasted brioche, big elegant oak. Palate is tart and a little bitter on the opening, and a little flabby on the mid-palate. Finish leaned toward bitter. Rounded out and integrated after a few minutes in the glass, bitterness faded. But it's clear the best days have passed on this one, a bit oxidized. Palate flatted out, bitterness never went away. My sense is that earlier in life this had more fruit to balance the oak, but that's much gone. Gently stored in my cellar since release. Drink up.

2/25/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

PnP. Probably should have decanted. Was expecting more. Give other bottle some time

2/24/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

In a very good place right now, especially for a rainy Thursday night, wife out with friends and steak done in the grill pan...textbook situation for this wine. No sign of age on the color. Nose muted at first but opened up quickly with some air. Hard with almost a bell-pepper quality on the palate initially, but that completely blew off after 5-10 minutes. What was left was a lovely weeknight Left Bank beauty playing well above its tariff. I've been a big fan of the 2014s for all the reasons I like this wine. Mid-weight, low alcohol. Beautifully balanced with hints of some complexity. Modest clean finish. Wish I could drink this every night. Love if for $19 from Garagiste. Plenty of years ahead but as a cellar defender, why wait?

2/21/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

This was spectacular. PnP. Rich gold color, but not dark. Beautiful nose, toasted caramel, white stone fruit. Impeccably balanced on the palate, moderate dose of oak, round, medium acidity. Everything in balance. Long long long juicy finish. My wife called it some of the best chardonnay ever. 1/2 hour in, nose even bigger, effusive creme brulee. After an hour, nose still there but toned down a bit. Palate tightened up slightly, oak a bit more tannic. Not quite as round. Still juicy finish, but with a hint of bitterness that was not present earlier. Deducting a point to 94 from 95 earlier, but my guess is that most showings of this wine won't make it an hour in...:)

2/4/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

3rd of 4. Consistent with my June note, just better in every way with a bit more age and fully removed from shipping. I could drink this every day. Found more online, got 4 more.

2/1/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

Lovely, clean, pure. Impeccably balanced. Bit of a reductive character upon opening which blew off early. Lingering finish. Another example of my new rule to drink Rhys chards sooner vs later.

1/15/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

Sure showed a lot bigger than the 13.3% would lead me to expect. Dark ruby color. Effusive nose. Palate dominated by dark fruits and round texture. Bit of bitter orange peel. Could have used a bit more acidity for me. Modest finish of more orange peel. Lovely wine

1/8/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

Enjoyed this a lot and I think 4 years is the sweet spot for this bottling. Missing the reductive component I often note in Rhys SCM chards. Pale gold color. Fresh nose, bit of stone fruit, bit of white flowers. Balanced on the palate and richer than the 12.7% would usually indicate. Maybe a bit of tropical...but only a bit, on the fringe. Balanced acidity, less than I expected. Juicy fresh finish, bit not bracing. I think this is near peak.

1/8/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

Exceptional QPR. Hitting way above its $16.99 Garagiste tariff. Fun blend of 80% Grenache and 20% Mourvèdre. Medium+ ruby color. Effusive nose of garrigue, fruit, earth. On the palate, very fresh and juicy, fruity with depth of earth and minerality from the Mourvèdre. Fresh and lingering juicy finish. Solidly in my wheelhouse at 14.2%, I didn’t know they made gigondas like this anymore. Wish I would have backed up the truck. If you see this and fresher/brighter Rhônes are your thing, buy with confidence. If you’re more of a 15-16% bomber type, maybe not your thing.

1/2/2023 - blaine wrote:

Consistent with my March note, I'll add that this time around without food it was very acid-forward.

1/2/2023 - blaine Likes this wine:

Really nice. Older-styled Napa cab, right in my wheelhouse. PnP no problem. No sign of age in the color. Modest nose of cigar box and fruit. Medium+ bodied on the palate, well-balanced and integrated oak, with a slightly juicy acidity. Lingering finish. Comes together as greater than the sum of its individual pieces. Lots of life left.

1/1/2023 - blaine wrote:

Classically-styled brunello. PnP, drank over a couple of hours. Upon opening I thought it was mildly corked, but that turned out to mostly be a corky stink that blew off after about 10-15 mins. Somewhat muted nose after the stink blew off, opened up after an hour. On the palate, light on its feet, medium bodied. Nice acidity. Finish was the best part, lingered for a bit. I've enjoyed this bottling in the past, probably best to decant right now

12/29/2022 - blaine Likes this wine:

This wine was signing on Christmas day. Started out basically a few degrees lower than cellar temp, got a little colder as we drank it as it was kept in the fridge. I'm trying to get to these a little younger...it's always a bit of a dance between too young when they show a bit disjointed and too old when they start to have some reductive character that I prefer to avoid. This one was in the goldilocks zone. Beautiful gold color. Effusive nose of honeyed stone fruits. On the palate beautifully balanced with plenty of acid. Medium+ bodied, more stone fruit, citrus and modest oak. The infinite finish is what always makes these wines. I have to say that I liked the 18 Lafon Meursault I had two days later for appx the same tariff, but they are just different wines. Enjoy this RRV Grand Cru for what it is!

12/29/2022 - blaine wrote:

This was fantastic with Christmas prime rib. Decanted for a couple of hours. No sign of age in the color. Effusive on the nose, cigar box and cassis, oak. On the palate just gorgeous. Lush fruit pushes right up to the edge but no further. Impeccably balanced, perfect structure. This Reserve has a welcomed lighter touch than in years past, which is perfect for me. This has decades ahead of it

12/29/2022 - blaine Likes this wine:

Still seems youthful, big dose of oak on the nose and palate. No sign of age. Note to self-wait 5 years on this (2027)

12/27/2022 - blaine Likes this wine:

Spectacular. PnP. Light straw color. Modest nose of stone friuits. On the palate, impeccably balanced, faint use of oak, nice creaminess…more of a big dose of deliciousness! Long juicy finish, but acidity is totally in harmony. Just a hint of the typical meursault nuttiness. I could drink this every day. In a prime drinking window, gonna come back around to my other bottle soon. Great buy at $85…hard to call it a value at that price but feels like it!

12/21/2022 - blaine wrote:

This might have been oversold to me with a Burgundian pitch. Disclaimer:I generally pass on Aussie wines. PnP. Pale gold color, reticent nose. Big acid and tropical on the palate. I don’t go for tropical, and if notes reflect tropical I pass but when I bought the limited notes didn’t highlight that. Got better as it was open. Puckery tart finish. This might blossom with some age and decanting. Not my cup of tea right now.

12/17/2022 - blaine Likes this wine:

Another example of why I always come back to Rhys. This was excellent, beautiful pale gold color. Effusive nose, pear and white stone fruit. On the palate, impeccably balanced at 12.8%, plenty of acidity and a richer fruit profile than the abv would suggest, with more pear, more stone fruit, just a slight hint of creaminess. Why can't more CA chardonnay be like this? Long lingering finish. Once again, the tropical fruit that you often see in the Rhys SCM vineyards is most pleasantly absent, and these AV wines are always lighter on their feet. Note to self-buy more of these Bearwallow chards!

12/17/2022 - blaine Likes this wine:

This was spectacular. PnP. In a tasting note almost exactly 5 years ago (12/16/17), I described my tasting of this wine "pop and pour, needs time to come together" I didn't rate it. What a difference 5 years makes. Completely together and in a prime drinking place. No sign of age, effusive nose. Light on its feet at 12.9%. Gloriously balanced on the palate, plenty of acidity to counter the very fresh tart cherry fruit, with a hint of candied orange peel. Finish goes on forever, seriously, like minutes. No hurry, will evolve in many good ways from what it's showing now.