11/25/2020 - WNissen wrote:

First bottle was flawed, which should never happen with industrial wine like this sealed with synthetic cork. Definitely acetone-ish. Second bottle wasn't bad, a return to mediocrity after a surprisingly wine-like 2019 version. Light tannins, good with food, by itself it's too confected and weird. I know it's out of fashion but I enjoy toasting the end of the upcoming year. Fair+.

11/16/2020 - WNissen wrote:

I tend to shy away from California rosé but this makes a great companion to pork/shrimp dumplings and retains its shine on its own. Very Good+.

8/30/2020 - WNissen wrote:

Not sure if it's Rosch or Leiwen that causes this, but there's a consistent aroma of lurid, green floral melon that I almost always get in their wines. I'd say this is on the sweeter side of feinherb, and it could use some more acidity. Very tasty, though. Very Good.

5/7/2020 - WNissen Likes this wine:

Not showing its age at all, plenty of texture and even maybe a hint of butter, but leavened with acid and an almost red-fruit nose. I was prepared to find this overdone but it's a lovely wine. Excellent.

5/7/2020 - WNissen wrote:

If you ever needed a classic corked wine to show others, this was it. The smell was apparent before I even poured. Foul.

4/5/2020 - WNissen wrote:

A decent drink but nothing profound. Soaked cork with black mold halfway down the sides, but didn't seem oxidized. Just tarter than I'd prefer, and without much in the way of secondary aromas or length. Tasty. Good+.

11/15/2019 - WNissen wrote:

Probably should have held off, but it's terrific. Vivid acids, ample sweetness, very long. Big, but not heavy. Excellent.

11/15/2019 - WNissen wrote:

Elegant and a true Spätlese. I could have used more outright flavor or minerality, though. Closed? Very Good.

10/4/2019 - WNissen wrote:

Just a big ray of lemony sunshine. I'm not sure the vineyard-designated trockens are significantly better than this one, excellent value. Very Good.

10/1/2019 - WNissen wrote:

One of the most confounding experiences I've ever had with a wine. Opened the screwcap to find a profoundly dark color, heavy duty fruit and flower aroma, but painfully tart. I am a big fan of acidity in red wine, but this was like a Belgian sour beer that went bad. Had a half glass, and couldn't drink any more. Decanted the rest into a half bottle in the fridge, left the rest on the counter. Three days later I tried both, and the room-temperature version was the best. Not a bit oxidized. Seems like the excessive reduction of the earlier Screwcaps affected this wine. No rating, but could be quite good if you can catch it at the right time.

9/9/2019 - WNissen Does not like this wine:

There was so much dry extract there that it came across as heavy, ponderous really. Decent acidity, but I really wanted to cut it with sparkling water to make it drinkable. Perhaps if I had a tiny glass with dessert I would feel differently, but I ended up dumping the last glass. Fair.

8/30/2019 - WNissen wrote:

Purchased at a La cave des papilles, a natural wine store on the charming Rue Daguerre in the 14th. I'd never seen a Czech wine before and took a flier. Stand up in advance, quite a bit of sediment and needed a decant. Sort of a baby riesling, dry, decently floral, decently acidic. Harmonious, cheerful and sun-filled, dangerously easy to drink and outstanding with food. Who knew that fine wine could come from Bohemia? Very Good+.

8/30/2019 - WNissen wrote:

I found this quite neutral. Not enough acidity, not much aromatic interest, perfectly decent with food but not a wine I'd buy again. Almost certain this is not corked, it smells very clean. I felt the same way about a 2015 Iphöfer Kalb from the same producer, which has the distinction of being the only Silvaner and only non-dessert Franken on the French Laundry list (though in the context of the list it's a value). Fair+.

7/10/2019 - WNissen wrote:

I liked this, but Puffeney is so famous and I really like Arbois, so I expected to really really like it. Annoying chippy wax to get to the cork, very nice chardonnay but also quite a bit of new French oak influence. Very Good.

4/16/2019 - WNissen wrote:

Based on the balance of tannin, fruit, and acidity, you'd never guess a 14.5% alcohol, but everything is here. Probably will develop with age, but I doubt I'll see because it's so satisfying now. Very Good+.

4/15/2019 - WNissen wrote:

Lovely, classic, balanced demi-sec chenin from the Loire, though I don't know if I could tell it apart from top Vouvray. Honey, wool, just a hint of bitterness, truly a complete wine. Very Good+. In honor of Notre Dame.

3/16/2019 - WNissen wrote:

You wouldn't think a bargain wine in a crown cap would be improving with age, but it clearly is. Taking on a bit of golden color, the bracing acidity and grassy grüner is still there, but there's a waxy flavor building as well. Great length, incredible value, maybe the single best value in wine. Excellent.

11/21/2018 - WNissen wrote:

The pink color precipitated out, leaving a deposit and a slightly cloudy wine. Still great drinking, and remarkably durable.

11/21/2018 - WNissen wrote:

Quite stinky and volatile on opening, probably flawed. Nothing like two previous bottles from the same secondary market source. Color still has some red. No rating.

10/12/2018 - WNissen Likes this wine:

Broc Cellars Pickup: So much flavor, so little alcohol. Jammy, briary, but none of the flab. What I don't understand about wines like these is how there is such a thing as claret-style zinfandel, when this is low-alcohol but would never be compared with a Bordeaux. The complete package. Very Good+.

10/12/2018 - WNissen Likes this wine:

Broc Cellars Pickup: Not giving too much aromatically yet, but piercingly intense, solid acid core, so long, so balanced, bit of pine sap. V.G.

10/12/2018 - WNissen Likes this wine:

Broc Cellars Pickup: Soooo floral. Just lovely. A bit of tannin/bitterness framed neatly by acid. Very Good.

10/12/2018 - WNissen wrote:

Broc Cellars Pickup: Herbal, almost minty, plenty of sap. Fine, silky tannins. Good+.

10/12/2018 - WNissen Likes this wine:

Broc Cellars Pickup: I feel like I've said this before, but it's one big ray of sunshine. A measure each of tannin, acid, and fruit, but such a charming package. It's balance on top of balance, if that makes any sense. Very Good+.

8/17/2018 - WNissen wrote:

Needs air but has a lovely trajectory. Starts velvety, inishes with a cleaning wash of acidic cherry. Very Good+.

6/14/2018 - WNissen wrote:

Nicely balanced but not worth the price.

4/21/2018 - WNissen wrote:

Cool-climate cabernet franc is one of my favorites, and this hits those buttons. Hard to believe that such a flavorful wine is already ready. Juicy acidity, chile pepper aromas, delicious with food or by itself. 840 cases. Very Good+.

4/21/2018 - WNissen wrote:

A revelation. Such length, balance, and complexity. It had this malt / band-aid thing going on that I understand doesn't sound good but it was in the best way. Mendocino is often where I find wines from California that have so much flavor without needing the body of a "big" wine. Great texture, 12% alcohol. The color has changed a bit toward the white wine side since bottling. No sulphur added. Excellent.

4/21/2018 - WNissen wrote:

There's a lovely floral note in the no-sulphur-added, organically farmed, low-alcohol wine that just shines. Technically I think it's a red wine by treatment, but the color is an intense rosé. Very Good+.

3/27/2018 - WNissen wrote:

Boy are these in a great place. Still plenty of fruit, hint of petrol, just a joy from the moment the cap is off to the last drop. For me this completely settles the question of whether screwcapped wines can age, and I'm sorry they went back to cork. Excellent.

3/23/2018 - WNissen wrote:

I've never had a wine I intellectually wanted to hate but my palate loved. There is obvious residual sugar, but also plenty of acidity. Plenty of American oak, but also plenty of fruit to counterbalance it. Color is almost black. Overall the experience is like watching the Incredible Hulk perform ballet. Very Good+.

2/26/2018 - WNissen wrote:

Green fruits, balanced with honey, sweet and tangy, light body and light color for the age but so good. Excellent.

1/31/2018 - WNissen wrote:

A bit sweet but very nice. Good+.

1/31/2018 - WNissen wrote:

It's so rare these days to find a wine with robust flavor and tannins that doesn't have alcoholic heat. But this is only medium bodied, good acidity, and throwing sediment already. Very Good.

1/31/2018 - WNissen wrote:

Not noteworthy. Fair.

1/21/2018 - WNissen wrote:

Affordable gewürztraminer from one of Alsace's leading producers, what could there be not to like? Almost everything. 14% alcohol comes across much heavier than you'd expect, tortured aromas that land with a thud. All power, no elegance. I stuck half the bottle in the fridge for a few days, but the smell when I removed the cap was so strong that I poured the rest down the sink. Poor.

1/21/2018 - WNissen wrote:

Hard to imagine a more food-friendly red. Stones, red fruit, a bit of flowers, acidity tying it all together. Excellent value. Very Good+.

12/9/2017 - WNissen Likes this wine:

Pure crystallinity melded seamlessly with sweetness. Long quartz finish. If I had to guess, many people will regret not keeping modern day Kabinetten to age. Excellent.

10/29/2017 - WNissen wrote:

Fresh aroma, not entirely followed through on the palate, but good value. Good+.

10/29/2017 - WNissen wrote:

This is what the Ravenswood Vintner's Blend zinfandel was like 15 years ago. No complexity but plenty of fruit and moderate alcohol. Good+.

10/13/2017 - WNissen wrote:

I feel a little bad writing this note at this time, but I poured out most of the bottle. Label says 14.7% alcohol, but it was so confected and sweet that I feel like it has to be higher. Oak was intrusive on top of that. Color was near-black, for pinot noir that's a bad sign. Poor.

10/13/2017 - WNissen wrote:

Wanted to open something from Sonoma tonight, this was one of two choices. A weird tomato nose blows off, thankfully, to reveal a cranberry, herbaceous pinot noir with plenty of complexity. Very Good+.

7/17/2017 - WNissen wrote:

This is floral in the way great riesling can be floral, not overwhelming perfume like gewürz, but like being outside on a spring morning. Excellent acidity, superb with food. If this is what the co-op wines are like, I can hardly imagine what the estate wines of Valle d'Aoste can do. Very Good+.

5/21/2017 - WNissen wrote:

A kitchen-sink blend of Sankt-Laurent, Spätburgunder, Dornfelder, and something else I didn't catch. There's no profundity here, and it definitely speaks more of "German red wine" than pinot noir, but it's a fun combo, refreshing and very fruity in an unconventional way. Good+.

5/21/2017 - WNissen wrote:

Freshness combined with honey, long. Showing very well right now. Very Good+.

5/21/2017 - WNissen wrote:

I hesitate to post any notes during the allergy season, but I had never tried a "roter riesling" before and it was a good one. Marion said it is a reddish grape, like pinot gris, that is a parent of riesling, which I wish I could confirm, but my 2005 Oxford Companion to Wine doesn't even mention the variety, and the Wikipedia page is only in German. Still, it shows tremendous texture and richness, while being completely dry and showing an acidic spine throughout. No rating, but I bought this.

3/23/2017 - WNissen wrote:

I suppose it had to happen eventually, but this is the first Selbach-Oster wine I've not enjoyed. Sulfurous, hot, disjointed, and the reddish fruit there is just doesn't appeal. Fair+.

3/23/2017 - WNissen wrote:

This has to be one of my favorite domestic rosés. Great aroma, texture, and acid, and reasonably priced to boot. Very Good+.

3/13/2017 - WNissen wrote:

I'm hard-pressed to say that it's way better than the regular cuvée, but it's very nice. Aromatic, fruity but lithe, good acidity, very pleasant. Definitely not worth the $35 in the U.S., but I'm glad to have tried it. Very Good.

2/24/2017 - WNissen wrote:

Despite a Vinoloc closure, which should create consistency, this bottle was quite different than the one I had before. Still very big, sweet, but not nearly as hot and coarse. Good with grilled pork chops and smashed potatoes. Good+.