11/29/2023 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

Finished my last two this month. Clearly better at ten years than two, and no sign it'll fade any time soon.

3/1/2021 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

This has really hit its stride - I drank a few bottles around 2015 without leaving notes, and think it found it decent but not very deep or expressive then. This bottle was open for business from early on. Good Chinon with nice concentration and old-world balance of fruit : savory stuff, and versatile with chow as expected. Lost little or nothing by day 3 simply stoppered at cellar temp, so it should have years left... the tertiary aged stuff might come a little more to the fore with a few more years, and I dig that, but it's already there for my palate.

2/2/2021 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

Definitely relaxed but not faded. Agreeable, juicy and a s bit floral.

9/10/2019 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

*Still* showing far, far younger than I'd have expected. Pretty broad-shouldered. Not unpleasant but not terribly interesting either at this point if you're looking for terroir, detail, and/or development. Guessing this might've taken 10+ more years to round into my sweet spot at this rate.

8/29/2019 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

Chatters's Jan '18 note pretty much nails my bottle, except mine came across as somewhat more broad-shouldered. Can't say I completely adored it, but it has some character.

11/21/2018 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

Blind, I'd have assumed this was Chablis (and not "across the street from Chablis proper") - and a really quite good and classic one at that. Plenty of that Chablis oceanic thing. Great for the price - reminded me of when Clos des Briords was south of $15.

10/11/2018 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

I like to think I fall into the camp of "value(ing) elegance and delicacy" per one of the responses to studleytrey's note below, and didn't buy this hoping for an overblown hot-vintage Californian syrah. Still, this one was disappointingly simple and tart. I'd give it a few years, or at least a decant.

6/19/2018 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

Not terribly complex or assertive compared to some other Gruners I've drunk in recent weeks, but still good value @ ~$11. A little bit of savoury / mineral character to go with the moderate citrus.

6/15/2018 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

Quite nice for the price - had a decent hit of that savoury herb-lentil Gruner thing to go with the citric acidity, which makes Gruners so mouth-watering.

4/15/2018 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

Very gentle wine with a delicate structure, fairly faint nose, and initially reserved flavors on the palate that grew a bit more assertive as it warmed from cellar temp (and got some air). Some savory roasted tomato and a bit of green tobacco informed the tangy fruit (cranberry-ish maybe). Squeaky clean. Got along great with a beef burger. Would have been disappointing to serve to a friend as an intended demonstration of "here's what Loire Cab Franc is like" - it's really pretty subtle.

4/8/2018 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

POxed. Same golden color others are reporting, but in my case that was a harbinger of bruised-apple-undrinkably-oxidized. And for a 1er Chablis to be oxidized beyond any hope of salvation seven and a half years after the grapes were harvested is absolutely premature. Cork appeared to be in perfect shape BTW.

4/8/2018 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

Liked it a lot. Didn't make physical or mental notes mid-dinner, but the prior tasting note seems pretty close to my experience too. Also had a 2010 Schäfer-Fröhlich Kabinett (among others) open, and this was pretty close in apparent sugar level - and clearly the better wine, though the S-F is quite good for its level. I'd like to note that this goes exceptionally well with home-cooked Sri Lankan chow too.

12/27/2017 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

Bleh, same as MikeKlein: Pungo, instead of puncturing the cork, pushed it into the bottle, and wine was oxidized.

10/26/2017 - Charlie Pendejo Does not like this wine:

When I paid attention, I was put off by the oak - too much and too obvious - which seemed to provide more tannins than the grapes. Fine for washing down a slab o' red meat with focusing on the wine; but then, just about any red this side of an oddball Ruche would've been too.

7/14/2017 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

Gargantua's 10 July note sums up my experience just about perfectly. If you like 'em young (I like 'em old better, but no complaints) this is drinking beautifully.

7/2/2017 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

Enjoyed with grilled branzino at a beach house, along with 2012 Luneau-Papin "L" d'Or Muscadet. Both wines were fantastic with food and by themselves. This one had comparable (terrific) minerality and refreshing acidity; by contrast this Assyrtiko registered with some tasters as sweeter - I didn't feel like there was actually significant RS but definitely some ripe peachy fruit and maybe that honey note mentioned in multiple notes below. Also a little hint of a spritz, and a fairly light (lighter than the Muscadet) body... it all registered as "energetic" and very refreshing to me.

7/2/2017 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

Zounds, this was fantastic! Mouth-watering sea spray + plenty of acidity, but it also registers some depth and darker tones, and it felt like these were predicated more on a hint of maturity and/or some mineral notes with more oomph, not primarily on any ripe fruitiness - which was very much in the background for me. We also enjoyed 2014 Hatzidakis Assyrtiko and this was notably less fruity than that one. Hard to imagine a more perfect still wine to accompany grilled branzino on a beautiful summer day at a beach house.

2/5/2017 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

Very nice value, balanced and refreshing. IMO sparkling rose, with its fizz and fruit, is easily the best vinous beer surrogate; and indeed this was perfect with some quite picante Mexican which would've been a tough pairing for most reds or whites: beans & greens stew and plantain turnovers with chipotle salsa.

12/4/2016 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

Ha, different strokes! I thought this was just *fantastic* for the flash price, and still appealing at the 60% higher retail number I see online. Wine Spectator's note mentioning black tea and date bread reflects my experience much more than RJ's: this, for me, was firmly in the dry-savory-earthy camp - not tart-cranberry-rosehip, not sweet-cherry-fruity. Open and ready at this young age; I think this is their entry-level pinot and seems made for early drinkin'. To me, this bottle was one version of "about as good as it gets for a $15 bottle that'll go great with a wide variety of dinners" - here's hoping the remaining bottles show as well. The dry (but not tannic or austere) savory character made me think, "new world fruit; old world farming and winemaking sensibilities." No idea if that's in step with their intentions and practices; just how it struck me.

P.S. I do however abhor Last Bottle's ad copy more than any other source I've purchased from - the chest thumping and the over-the-topness really rub me the wrong way. But IMO they're no more or less fundamentally honest than the next guy. If you're looking for a flash merchant who's trying to *sell* you the wine to tell you it's not very good, for more earnestness in ad copy, well, good luck with that.

11/12/2016 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

sold Lisa

5/27/2016 - Charlie Pendejo Does not like this wine:

Had one of these a few weeks ago. Didn't take notes but for my tastes it seemed like a pretty high quality Austrian Riesling underneath a heap of sawdusty oak that did it no favors whatsoever. I won't go so far as to say I want no oak in any of my whites, per Soteriologist - depends on the white as well as the effects and degree of oak - but especially for a delicate Federspiel made from transparent, refined Riesling... too much for me. I'd gladly trade my other bottle.

6/9/2016 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

Completely solid and enjoyable for its pedigree, and the last glass was still going strong on night 3 sans Pungo or any special handling other than a stopper and the fridge. Fairly delicate but still with some fruity flesh: with a bit less of that and a bit more obvious terroir (maybe that happens with more age?), I'd find it more exciting; but hey, absolutely zero complaints about this especially given the price.

4/29/2016 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

What everyone else said. A modest red Burg, still delightfully vigorous at this point. Wouldn't it be sweet to have access to any wine, with a couple decades of aging and perfect provenance, for less than the current release?

4/6/2016 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

Sorry for the other person's bad experience with what sounds like a flawed bottle, but after enjoying this at a tasting and buying a bottle, we found it delightful at home too. Didn't take notes but it clearly wasn't from Piemonte; I recall it having maybe a bit less lively acidity but deeper-registered fruit than some of the Barbera d'Asti (which I've preferred to Alba, in limited samplings of each) I've enjoyed.

4/19/2016 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

Didn't take notes, but this was not very expressive at all on two nights; Gilman seems to be talking about a different wine altogether. Maybe very low-level TCA sucked the life out of my bottle without announcing itself as musty cardboard? Eh, I'm not going to buy a second bottle just to find out.

4/15/2016 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

Nanda's December notes mirror my two-day experience pretty well; I'll just point out that this saved most of its stuff for night two. First evening there wasn't a lot on display aside from, yeah, rainwater - I'm all for restraint but this was beyond that, it was just not open for business in its first hour or two. In the end I quite liked it and found it quintessentially Chablis; I'd guess it'll be better yet in another year or two.

3/14/2016 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

I've enjoyed this before, and enjoyed it at the Louis/Dressner - Partners in Health tasting in NYC. Sweet but stops short of cloying; fizz and decent acidity help in that regard. Aside from its utility as an apertif (or likely brunch mimosa substitute) and as a standby for sweet-toothed guests/family who don't dig dry wines, its secret mission is refreshing a palate fatigued by dozens of searingly acidic Loire whites and then more dozens of infant reds. I'm sure food or beer would also work just dandy, but in their absence this was magic.

The 2015 was a step better though; dunno if that's the vintage or a year of age. But I imagine this'll be just fine for another 6-12 months.

2/22/2016 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

From memory: better the first night, when Bosconia - Burgundy comparisons made a bit of sense; took on a bit of a stewed character (reflecting the vintage, or my biases about the vintage?) a night or two later.

2/27/2016 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

Pretty good and interesting for the price, but this found its higher calling in poaching some veal for vitello tonatto (and then reusing that stock for risotto) where it imparted a delightful characterful delicacy.

2/27/2016 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

Quite refreshing and easy to drink (whoops, what happened to that bottle?) but a little more anonymous than I'd hoped.

2/26/2016 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

Excellent: moderate body, lots of salty minerality, not a ton of fruit (maybe some pear, from memory; wife found it floral): a bit reminiscent of a good Chablis 1er. Super refreshing and satisfying.

2/29/2016 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

Oxidized; 5 hours of air didn't revive this one.

2/8/2016 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

I have nothing to add to the hundreds of notes below; just thinking, in a Repo Man world with wines sporting black-Helvetica-on-white generic labels, this would be a terrific candidate to represent "Old World Red."

2/8/2016 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

This struck me as a mid-weight with lots of energy; unmistakably (well, being able to see the label probably helps) New World (but Newer Breed thereof); and with a surprising degree of spiciness, which I interpret as prominent low-toast French oak. I could easily be wrong but that's how it tastes to me. We're not talking butter or char flavors: just a lot of oak-like spice. This made the wine a bit too aggressive, for me, when paired with milder fare like no-frills pork chops; pitting it against home-cooked moderately spicy Indian was a fairer and more interesting fight. I only have one other bottle and reckon I'll aim to wait maybe 4-5 years: this really seemed like a somewhat awkward adolescent at the moment, with a fair bit of upside potential.

1/12/2016 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

Again superb. Similar to my earlier note and others' observations; the one thing I'd add is that this had, for me, an insistent note of fresh tomato - like a nice heirloom type, not so much a meaty beefsteak. It worked.

1/6/2016 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

Whoa! Considerably darker, more dense and tannic than I was expecting. IMO not quite ready yet (once again I fall in line with Gilman's suggested timeline) but it was fairly engaging with the right meal, which was a pretty robust sausage-y pasta. With lighter fare it was a little too stiff and impenetrable. Give it another year or two.

1/3/2016 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

This is chunkier and more robustly/primarily fruity that the '99 Bourgogne I've enjoyed a few times recently, and I enjoyed it less than that one. Makes me think I'd prefer this with another few years on it.

1/2/2016 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

Bit of an oddball. Pear, with a bit of sweetness (maybe a touch of RS?) with a little grass and floral jasmine, and a little sting at the end which may or may not be alcohol heat. Despite the oily texture, this is very delicate: it doesn't come close to standing up to to foods it was arbitrarily pitted against (salmon burger with capers, green salad, popcorn with goat butter/salt/chipotle powder), nor does it bend to their will. Its moderate-at-best acidity doesn't help, in the dances-with-food department. Tonight, at least, this is a bit of a disappointment, lacking the deep savory quality and the food partnership I expect from Austrian whites. I can imagine this going better with mild, sweet fish or vegetarian fare, like sole or skate or pumpkin. (A few days later: to me, this improved significantly after a day or two - seemed to mellow a bit, in a good way - and with a dinner in its strike zone, which was a roasted tofu with various veggies and a peanut-soy sauce. I'm rescinding my "didn't like it" vote.)

12/20/2015 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

Unlike some other notes, I found my bottle:
- not very tannic at this point (tannins have integrated)
- not quite as acidic as I'd expect or want
- not tired: this seems to be near its peak (though I Pungo'd it so didn't observe it evolve or fall apart over time)
- wide open, entirely ready
The problem for me is that, on three nights with three different dinners, this had too much alcohol heat jutting out. Otherwise it seemed nice enough, with dark cherries and maybe a whiff of tar; but it was hard to enjoy at this apparent octane.

12/1/2015 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

Doesn't aspire to greatness, but it's exactly what it should be. Nice. Took my wife right back to her days, a few decades ago, leading cycling tours through Burgundy.

12/17/2015 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

Popped this one to go with chana masala and saag paneer, and for the second time it was brilliant with Indian takeout. Also went well with a spicy vegetarian dinner with such an identity crisis, I'm not sure how to describe it, the next night. If I weren't out of this, I'd pair all the rest of my bottles with spicy/picante veg or mostly-veg chow too; the broad fruit made lighter via bubbles is perfect with this sort of food.

12/17/2015 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

Opened this after the bottle of 2010 St Siffrein CdP ran out; this was more about meat vs, the CdP's berries. This Gigondas was perhaps more interesting but all found the CdP more straightforwardly tasty.

12/2/2015 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

Enjoyed too long ago to recall specifics, but I needn't have worried that this might be over the hill: tasted like a wine just hitting its stride, and was very enjoyable - balanced, lively, open. Fine now or presumably any time in the next five (or more?) years.

12/1/2015 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

That first note is from someone who chooses to interpret a 100 point scale in a way which bears no relation to anyone else's ratings, as borne out by his other reviews and comments. His words (and all the others) mirror my experience well enough, though my bottle was just fine from the initial pour. Nothing too complex here, but a lovely, lovely balance in a fairly light-bodied Sangio: it's hard to imagine any wine being a more perfect foil to the rotini puttanesca with shrimp this accompanied. Exactly the sort of "just as fantastic with dinner as a good $25 bottle" wine which I really should buy more of. Enjoy this soon, with a not-too-meaty red sauce meal.

11/18/2015 - Charlie Pendejo Does not like this wine:

From reading, thought I might enjoy 2012 Bojo more than many: I often enjoy "green" notes and was prepared to embrace a touch of not-entirely-ripeness. I was wrong at least in this case, and am glad I only snapped up one of these. Maybe the first time I've been tempted to use the phrase "hollow mid-palate" and, while I didn't find as objectionable a candied quality as I.P., there was an offputting disparity where a strong underripe stemmy note (I think, from distant memory) warred with and undermined the fruit. It seemed like an harmonious blend made from two completely different batches of grapes that had too little in common.

10/29/2015 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

Had this a while back. What I recall is really digging it, with its very strong character - I think the same "vivid, wild, brutal" that excited MKS83 also hooked me, and it's probably the same thing that turns off others. Liked it enough, I was inspired to order a few more Assyrtiko to try.

12/9/2015 - Charlie Pendejo Likes this wine:

Wow! Loved this. Combining the two most recent positive notes before this one reflects my experience just about perfectly. I was wary reading 'apples' as a descriptor, but this is indeed pretty (crisp) apple-like, only in a completely good way - and with healthy doses of stone, dry herbs, and such. Dang! Serious stuff, yet all too easy to drink, and fantastic with chow. Glad I bought more than a few from Belluard prior to tasting any, based on a few recs; now I'm super eagerly looking forward to checking out some of the other bottlings.

11/26/2015 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

Thanksgiving. As before, there's obvious quality here and balance of sorts, and it's a crowd-pleaser and goes fine with the ancho turkey gravy - but to me it just registers as duller and less interesting than the other (modest, old-world) bottles on the table.

11/26/2015 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

In the two years since drinking my first bottle, I'd not been drawn to open the remaining bottle - until our 2015 Thanksgiving with "wildly international" theme. With some oddball food pairings (representing Mexico, India, Persia, Peru, China, Israel, Uzbekistan, and a few funky fusions), why not this oddball hard-to-pair Piemontese?

And, ya know - it shone, working at least as well if not better than its comrades-in-vino from Rheingau, Sonoma, and Hungary. It was companionable with some fairly tough customers like an assertive ancho-based gravy and roasted squash with five-spice and Sriracha; and FANTASTIC with braised apples/sour cherry with a healthy dose of curry (yes, again, *this wine adores curry*) powder, and also with the Kermani Polow, a pilaf with lots of pistachios, cardamom, dill, and crucially, rose petals which matched the wine's rosy florality.

This is the rare red wine you don't want to serve with a slab of red meat: it actually probably won't go that well, and it's an enormous wasted opportunity. This bottling is a *specialist* of the highest order just waiting to excel where other reds fear to tread.

11/12/2015 - Charlie Pendejo wrote:

Richer and more powerful than I expected - not that I had much basis, having had no B-H before, too few WV, and possibly no Eola-Amity until now. Lotta dark red fruit. Dug it, and suspect I'll like it more a few years further down the road.