4/24/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

Last of 4. I had a good run with these but it is now officially over the hill. just a hint of fruit. secondary notes. drying. Would look to rebuy in an updated vintage.

4/19/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

My first btl of this in 5y. Red unripe cherries, coffee, menthol. Nice acid component. This is a bit lean now and probably over the hill. It is not bad, but just seems to be fading away.

3/31/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

Simple, pretty, cleanly made. Don't know the grape (abouriou) but it is pretty indistinct. On a beach in the S of France this would probably kill. Here on a cold Spring day in Northern California, it is just OK.

3/29/2024 - Neurowine1 Likes this wine:

This is really nice. Great terroir-driven wine of bright dark and red fruits, soy, dried flowers. You close your eyes and you're in Provence!

3/28/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

Very interesting. Vaguely familiar, sort of teroldego-like. Bright fruits, steel, no wood. Overall, this has a nice almost Alpine (Jura, Val d'Aosta) quality to it and one I really dig. I can see this having a hard time catching on the US.

3/20/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

At Evvia. Very polished silky and rather international tasting. Great depth of fruit but not a lot of secondary notes. Not overtly sweet but comes across jammier than I am used to in Italian reds. There is no denying this is tasty and will appeal to everyone

3/16/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

With pan-seared corvina w chimichurri. Wow, I truly love this wine. I bought a 1/2 case but realize I should have bought more. The nose is banging and leaps out of the glass. Stone fruit, flowers, and just a really lovely mouth feel. I have had the As Sortes, and still have a bottle or two of that left, but I am not really sure it is that much better (will need to revisit with a 1:1 tasting of the two). In any case, this punches way above its weight.

3/12/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

same as past btl. this is delicious stuff.

3/8/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

meh, as expected

3/6/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

worked nice on a rainy night. Tasting pretty Bandol-y at the moment, perhaps without the depth and polish. Good value at <$15

2/23/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

Final btl of this one. finer and deeper than the last btl. still dark brambly fruit, crunchy goodness, a little jammy but forgivable. Dangerously quaffable stuff. Worked with Indian food.

2/19/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

generic but not unpleasant. easy drinking and one-dimensional. Drink up

2/15/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

Spot on well aged Merlot driven right banker. Not the most complex but unmistakably Pomerol. Plummy, dark fruits, mushrooms, stewed tomatoes. Perhaps a little over oaked. Drinking great now.

2/9/2024 - Neurowine1 Likes this wine:

My first 09 Brunello. Not sure why I opened this amidst a veritable ocean of 04s, 06s, and 07s that I really should be drinking. This is very lovely and true to form. Black cherry, prunes, soy sauce, mushrooms, burnt thyme. A bit simple but cleanly made and drinking very well right now.

2/7/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

Final btl of this on a cold rainy night. It's alright. Still a bit disjointed. This one starts with a slug of cherry jam but then quickly comes a bitterness and rusticity, olives, prunes, and a then dollop of EtOH heat. A bit dried out. Should be drunk up. It is recognizable as a Bandol, although a far cry from Dm Tempier.

2/5/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

First go at this in 8+ years. Last one of these, still holding some 2003s. Similar profile as last time. Very masculine, dark fruits, tobacco, iron (gobs of iron), forest floor. There is a good amount of acidity here. Finishes a bit hot and bitter. Drying out. This should be consumed asap.

1/30/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

Final btl of this. Similar to btl i had in 2022, but perhaps now drying out some. Still very lovely. This is very well made stuff.

1/28/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

Opened to put in a seafood pasta

1/27/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

15 years in the box, my final btl of this. Really remarkably lovely spot-on aged N Rhone. Dark fruits, mushrooms, smoked brisket, and gobs of iron. Some dried flowers on the finish. Really polished. This has aged very well and held up much better than I would have expected given its humble breeding and the vintage. Did I really buy this for $19?!

1/25/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

Last btl of 4. Amidst an ocean of great cru bojos, this is meh. Monolithic, cherry, decaying flowers. A bit of greenery on the finish. Has been past its prime for a while. Not much to recommend here.

1/21/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

this remains solid juice, but perhaps not overly distinctive. tonight worked well w/ a spicy cheese dip. dark fruits, leather, spice box. quite typical. steal for the money.

1/19/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

I was really impressed with this wine. Really elegant, balanced, cleanly made, and easy to drink. I don't know anything about this region or producer but I would like to learn more!

1/13/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

With (sort of mediocre) Burmese food. This remains really nice and evocative of place. Dark brambly fruit incl black cherry, licorice, saddle leather and herbs. Needs food.

1/1/2024 - Neurowine1 wrote:

NYE with a porterhouse w/ red wine mushroom sauce. I have little experience with California cabernets, especially those with age, but this is rather lovely. Dark current, tar, tobacco, and spice box. Lots of mineral on the back end. This really drinks like a well-aged classed growth Medoc, or perhaps more Graves. Slightly flabby with not much in the way of acid or tannin, this likely was better 5 years ago. But still, this is well-made wine for sure.

12/27/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:

Opened to have with a mushroom-laden tomato sauced pasta. While not as stunning as the Zeni Teroldego Rotaliano Vigneto Lealbere, this is certainly respectable juice that punches way above its weight class. Inky black-purple, cool crisp alpiney fruit notes that really could be from nowhere else (except maybe val d'Aosta). Nice chalky bitterness on the finish. Would be better with local cheese than a red sauce, but I am making do!

12/25/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:

17% EtOH, wow, is that even legal in a table wine? This is full throttled and not for the faint of heart. Weirdly different than the ‘05 of the same bottling from years past, this is about as subtle and nuanced as an atom bomb. Booming nose of override black cherry, kirsch, cough syrup, menthol, saddle leather, wet dog, and pine cones. Huge feel in the mouth and really tasting hot and unbalanced. Sort of a meal of a wine that might be best consumed like a port. While it worked on a cold Xmas eve in general, it was not a good match for the spicy tomatoey seafood pasta which it blew away despite the strong flavors in the dish. A specialty wine for sure.

12/16/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:

Last one of these. Remains huge, deep, masculine. Dark as night fruits, leather, decaying mushrooms, bull's blood, gobs of iron. Finishes bitter and sort of mean. This works great on a cold Winters night w/ some cheese to soften it.

12/14/2023 - Neurowine1 Likes this wine:

Like the vast majority of Cornas out there, this is great. Why is the Q:P ratio so damn high in that AC? Tremendous nose of dark fruit, black cherries, mushrooms, underbrush, smoked meat, and dried Italian herbs. Savory, salty, smoky, and very polished. Screams of N Rhone terroir. I could drink this every night!

12/6/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:

Doesn't have D122 on label, but per Garagiste is the D122 wine of past vintages.
My first go at one of these. Wow, really nice. I mean this is actually really good. There is a subtlety and restraint of hand here that is, dare I say, rather Burgundian. Bright cherry fruits, some mushrooms, thyme and maybe some floral notes. Nice acid balance. Med length finish. This is really fine and certainly getting close to the style I like. How many sweet clumsy jammy fruit bombs does one have to endure to find wines like this in the New World? In any event, I am glad I have more of these and a number of other Scott Paul wines I bought from Garagiste for a song. Most have been so-so, but this is inspiring.

12/1/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:

From Premier Cru wines 15+ years ago for $35 (those were the days...). First go at one of these. Took about 1/2 a bottle to open up. This is supremely delicate and silky (as aux Charmes should be) but more bright red fruit than I was expecting, esp given the bottle age. A bit monolithic but really lovely. This has aged flawlessly and is in a very nice place right now. With jamon iberico de bellota and sheeps milk cheese (yes, I know, an odd pairing choice), this really killed.

11/19/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:

Better than the last bottle. Yes, this remains very masculine with dark fruits, tar, leather, and undergrowth, but nowhere near as dried out and tired as the last bottle. Med-long finish with bitey tannins. Great on a cold night.

11/11/2023 - Neurowine1 Likes this wine:

Haven't had this since a btl of the 2010 Zin. As before, I do like this style of zin. Restrained (or as restrained as zin can be), clean bright fruit (barely ripe boysenberry), lots of pepper. Overall nice reflection of the grape itself. While there are certainly hotter zins out there, this still weighs in at 14.9% EtOH so by no means a "low alcohol" wine as the back label proclaims. Even so, this is nice on a cool evening with Indian food.

11/3/2023 - Neurowine1 Likes this wine:

This is very fine. There is beautiful pure crunchy bojo fruit, but also a burgundian silky texture that gives this wine a unique delicacy. It is drinking perfectly at the moment. While I drank with french onion soup and other random Friday night nibbles, this could easily be the centerpiece of something special (eg roast chicken or king salmon)

10/30/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:

w/ Indian food. Still enjoy this wine but this btl seems a bit leaner and stripped down compared to past ones. Either btl variation or this is now a bit passed its prime. Have one more I will try to get to soon

10/26/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:

Seems insane that it has been almost 12 years since I opened one of these (where has the time gone?!). This one is quite dried out and stripped down on first approach. Rustic. Pretty devoid of pleasure. Hoping this is bottle variation as there are several more in the box (along with 04s).

10/17/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:

More like the JULY 21 bottle than the DEC 21 one. Very rustic, reminiscent of an old school Hemingway-style Cahors. Dark, bitter, sort of dirty. Works well on a cool evening. I can feel my chest hairs growing...

10/14/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:

Last of the 1/2 case. Nose of dark fruits, decaying flowers. Lots of iron. Continues to dry out. Drink up.
Overall, this has been a really nice wine over the years. I don't think it is anything to meditate on, and there is probably a reason we don't see a ton of single-varietal colorino, but this trades on the geek factor and it is a well-made and interesting wine. And lovely to look at. Not sure I would re-buy but I might...

10/11/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:

Similar to the last bottle. Iron is prominent tonight. A bit past its prime. I have some 2017s of this that are probably in a better place currently.

10/9/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:

My first go at this. Ripe, international, fruit-forward, and heavy handed with the oak. Having said that, there is no denying that this is enjoyable for a glass or two. Unctuous dark and red fruits, smoked meats, vanilla, cocoa. This is a bit heavy and seems like a meal in the glass.

9/30/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:

Opened for mushroom risotto. This btl seems better than the last one. Bricked margin showing its age. Subdued nose of black cherry and mushrooms. Tar, figs, decaying leaves, tea. Very nice acid balance. Love the finish. Nicely made and evocative of place.

9/29/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:

Yumma! This is a classically styled crunchy ripe M-a-V that is now in top form. Steely and crunchy. This is exactly the sort of bojo I love to drink.

9/26/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:

similar to the bottle last year. this is nice with a very typical barbaresco profile. lots of minerals tonight. a ridiculous bargain at sub-$20!

9/20/2023 - Neurowine1 Likes this wine:

This is a special wine. There is a beautiful sangioveseque flavor profile with dark cherry, cherry liquor, olives and forest floor. But there is also an unctuous jammy thing going on that makes you say "yum". I would like to say there is some special element added by the clay amphorae but I cant say for sure. I do know this is good stuff. Tannins are firm and this has the structure to last. Sadly this is my last btl of this vintage but I have amassed a small trove of Clos C wines and I have enjoyed all of them. This will be my first stop if I am lucky enough to visit Corsica one day.

9/19/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:

Tonight w/ a mushroom pasta. This is really nice stuff. Consistent with the last bottle a year ago. Great expression of aglianico and S Italian terroir. Dangerously quaffable. Happy to have a couple more btls and to have rebought in an updated vintage.

9/17/2023 - Neurowine1 Likes this wine:

Indeed, agree with the comment of avoiding drinking this ice cold (which is always a temptation with the more insipid Italian summer whites that are out there); between cellar and fridge temp is good. This reveals a great nose and flavor profile of citrus, lemon curd, vitamin C, and citrus blossums all with a chalky oyster shell-y Chablisienne sort of vibe. Great acid profile that worked well with the turmeric pasta shells and sauteed baby peppers and rapini. This is a super solid cleanly made juice that punches way above its weight. Nothing not to like here! Trades on freshness now but hopefully will continue to give pleasure for a few more summers. Nicely done Rimmerman, nicely done...

9/14/2023 - Neurowine1 Likes this wine:

From Raul Perez's nephew. With roasted vege quesadillas. Nice structured and rather more firm than your average Bierzo. Dark fruits (black cherry, plum), cola, herbal elements. There is something sort of cab franc about this wine. It is superbly put together and makes for a classy and complex wine that punches above its weight for the region and price. Bravo!

9/11/2023 - Neurowine1 Does not like this wine:

Like many grenache-based S Rhone wines, I find this heavy-handed and tough to drink. My first impression was that it was corky (not fully corked, just some taint) and that never really dissipated. Thick and clunky and just extra all around. Cherry kirsch, leather, lavender. EtOH was front and center. Heavy sediment. Overall tasted dirty. This needs a good decant.

9/6/2023 - Neurowine1 wrote:

This is nice, correct, and very true to place. Nothing fancy or particularly memorable but a nice drink on a Wednesday night with Mexican shrimp. This should be enjoyed in the mid-term.

9/3/2023 - Neurowine1 Likes this wine:

I think everyone is spot on here with the notes. This is fabulous and really speaks to Corsican terroir (at least my limited experience of 6 or 7 btls of various Corsican wines I've had in the past). Not a vin de meditation but something to just open and enjoy for its bright, tart, red fruit and mountain herbs. There is something sort of alpine about this (think Jura or val d'Aosta) but with a bit more density. Dangerously quaffable. I can see this being a somm hit at a cool NYC winebar. Very nice!

8/31/2023 - Neurowine1 Likes this wine:

I really dig this. Cleanly made and perfectly correct barbar. True to the region and varietal. Lots of drinking pleasure. Better than the last btl if memory serves, but this will not improve.