3/31/2024 - hotrawd wrote:

This was an interesting wine. It had some characteristics of your typical sauternes or ice wine but other characteristics that were very much Loire Chenin

3/31/2024 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

This is drinking quite well right now. A nice lighter Pinot thats balanced with good fruit and the long finish.

2/22/2024 - hotrawd wrote:

Very interesting wine. My first time having straight petit verdot that wasn't a blend. Extremely bold and very dark color heavy tears and staining in the glass. This wine had decent complexity with a lot of floral notes in the middle but ending almost on a prosciutto or dried meat like flavor. It continually improved with about 30 to 60 minutes of air but then after that point it started to become easier drinking and yet more generic. It had some remaining tannic structure but not a lot. I'm not sure if it be wise to age this much longer or not.. it might become easier drinking but it also might lose all its character

2/16/2024 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

I recently bought this one for $65 from a liquor store that used to be higher end. It was very dusty. I was nervous about it, and the cork mostly disintegrated when I opened it. After I filtered out all the pieces of cork, the wine actually ended up being very good. It still had a lot of red fruit and some dusty tannins. There was just the slightest hint of vinegar on it so I certainly wouldn't wait any longer to open it if you still have some.
It did take a while to open up.. needed about 2 hours of air

1/15/2024 - hotrawd wrote:

I was very nervous to try this as the cork was very soft and disintegrated on us and it took a few pours through the screen to get all the cork out.

The wine was amazing though . We actually liked it more than a 2012 Cayuse we drank recently. It was also much better that a previous Rompecabezas I had (2013 I believe)

The wine was a deep garnet color with the slightest hint of brown . Big rich beautiful well balanced red with dark fruit and some minerality and well integrated wood

I would drink very soon if you have some

12/25/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

I got this bottle from winebid recently. It's a bit more mature than I would have expected.. tannins well dissipated and not a lot of fruit.. light in color. Opened up more after aerating and decanting

12/19/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

First vintage with the new winemaker. It's a little different than the previous Heidi Barrett vintages. It is a very fine Sauv Blanc and is more characteristic of a typical Sauv Blanc but it lacks a bit of the uniqueness.

12/19/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

Tasted like vinegar and wet mushrooms, clearly a bad bottle

11/6/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

One of the better relatively inexpensive Sauternes I've had. Syrupy with strong notes of apricot and honey. It is not a super complex wine but yet still very interesting and tasty.

11/6/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

I purchased this bottle from an auction site about a year ago so I don't know much about its history. The cork was extremely dry and cracked into numerous pieces trying to open it. I was able to filter out all the cork. The wine was still very drinkable however it tasted extremely mature and the color was extremely dark. The tannins had almost entirely dissipated and the wine was very earthy with not much fruit remaining.

11/1/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

I used to be able to buy this wine in Massachusetts but it hasn't been sold here in quite some time. I bought a few bottles in Mexico and brought them home. It's even better than I remember it for a wine that only costs around $20. There is lots delicious red fruit and even some decent complexity

10/7/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

Interesting champagne .. very bold and wild .. untamed .. very very dry. It's very good although not one where you can easily finish a bottle in one sitting

9/18/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

Had this with Mediterranean food today. This wine definitely tastes well aged at this point. The tannins have mostly dissipated and there is not much fruit but more of a leather taste. There is some decent complexity. I think it's best to drink this one sooner rather than later.

9/10/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

Someone brought this to my wine blind tasting class. It's an extremely fruit forward wine with dark fruit (cassis blackberry) being dominant. Most of us guessed Cali Cab Sauv. It reminds me a little bit of a heavy fruity burgundy or Sancerre Rouge as well. It doesn't have amazing complexity or a particularly long finish however definitely an interesting very fruity wine
.

9/6/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

I wish I had bought more of this. It was delicious and paired really well with a slice of lemoncello cake. I wouldn't say it has the quality of ice wine. I will say though that this was the perfect nice easy cold dessert wine for a very hot summer day.

9/6/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

I felt like this was a good solid cab made in a way that any cab drinker would enjoy. When I think of California cab this is pretty much exactly what I think of. I wasn't particularly impressed for the price though. There was nothing particularly memorable or exciting about it

9/6/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

This wine was interesting and had a little complexity to it. I did decant it for about 90 minutes. It was a little past peak for my liking, I was getting a little bit of vinegar on the nose.

8/28/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

I got a 375 of this from the winery earlier this year. Was still drinking very prime. A light Chardonnay that was easy drinking and pleasant

8/23/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

I'm not sure what to make of this barolo. There was a little bit of vinegar on the nose which made me think it might be approaching its peak or even past peak. On the other hand the super long finish still had some substantial tannins. The critics only gave this wine and 89 to 90 but I think it's a lot better than that. Super long finish that just keeps going. The color is a little brownish but not overwhelmingly so.

8/21/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

Very tasty for a bottle that only costs around $20. It's a blend of a number of different varietals and The taste actually reminds me a little of assyrtiko. It's a relatively light and refreshing wine with a little bit of sweetness and also some minerality.

8/12/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

This is a very fruity and easy drinking style of Pinot Noir. You could have it with or without food. It's not super complex however it's a great wine to have when you just want something casual

8/6/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

I love this wine. It is so potent with beautiful fruit and yet so easy drinking.

7/29/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

This is an extremely fruit forward Pinot Noir. I almost mistook it for a sweet wine. On day two it was more balanced and less fruit dominant however I enjoyed the wine more on the first day.

7/29/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

Very tasty zesty Rioja the tastes a bit youthful. Went great with Middle Eastern food

7/24/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

Nice easy drinking relatively inexpensive Riesling

7/19/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

Outstanding Riesling. This Riesling is a project by Nicholas Keeler to create a German Riesling similar to the ones where his mother grew up. To me it actually tastes more like a really good finger lakes Riesling than a German Riesling. Beautiful stone fruit, a little bit of minerality and just so much flavor and depth for the price.

7/9/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

Delicious light easy drinking albariño.. great summer wine

6/29/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

Good solid Amaroné. Heavy but good fruit and long finish. Takes 2-3 hours to open up

6/18/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

Nice soft easy drinking Pinot Noir with great cherry flavor

6/16/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

Good bubbly from a Magnum. Very bubbly and quite tasty. A bit acidic and floral. Not as good as a Krug of course but easy drinking and not overly filling like I'm drinking bread like many other champagnes.

5/23/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

Very interesting blend of many varietals. I'm not really sure what to use this wine for. It's very sweet and has a similar profile to a dessert wine and yet a lot less bold. It's basically like crossing a Riesling with a sauternes. It's a very good quality wine with a lot going on but seems like a little too sweet for dinner but not potent enough to do as an after dinner wine. I was told by someone who loves Alsace wines that the sweetness should calm down with more age

5/20/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

Strong vanilla on the nose. This is a very heavy and bold red wine blend although smooth and well balanced

5/20/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

Drinking well right now. It would probably soften a little with age but I wouldn't hesitate to open one if you have a couple

5/8/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

Decent wine for the price. It tastes like a real Cabernet unlike many other wines I've had in that price range

5/5/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

Very brown in color. Is this normal? I'm not sure since I haven't had a Vin Santo before. Very sweet and syrupy. It was okay but I didn't enjoy it as much as an ice wine or some of the late harvests I've tried. I expected more for the price.

4/29/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

The last of my Samsara bottles from my wine club membership a few years ago. This was much better than the 2014 Turner. This syrah is heavy and bold yet smooth. It's drinking well right now

4/22/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

My mother picked this up on an Alaska trip. This is a pretty interesting wine, a blend of cab sauv and cab franc and the grapes are grown in a greenhouse. There's a mix of fruit and earthiness and very little oak. It's definitely a bit acidic. I'm not sure about the aging potential of the wine it did seem to oxidize relatively quickly after being open for a while. It seems to be drinking well right now.

4/18/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

Meant to be drank young like a sauv blanc. This is a fresh and crisp White The barrel aged version is smoother but this version has a certain bite to it that gives it a lot of character.

4/14/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

Good relatively inexpensive Syrah/Nero blend. Fruity and easy drinking

4/10/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

This pinot noir is very light in color and easy drinking. It has a fruity and almost a little salty taste to it. I could easily drink a whole bottle of it in one sitting but I tend to prefer burgundy's that are a little heavier

4/5/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

Decanted for 2 hours. I was a little concerned the cork soaked through and there was a tiny bit of seepage but the wine was still great. My first Oregon Syrah. It was a little acidic but not too much, tasty fruit and a bit earthy as well

3/31/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

Good Cab Franc. I only had time to decant it for 45 minutes before drinking which wasn't long enough. It continued to improve over the next hour it was open. This is an earthy but approachable cab franc with a long finish

3/29/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

90 minute decant. Very interesting cab with a lot of character. The wine was earthy and a bit Oaky when first opened and became a little more acidic and softer as the time in the glass went on. Very well made wine with a long finish

3/15/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

ABC tasting room purchase. This syrah viognier blend is tasty and on the lighter side. It's not super complex and the finish is slightly rough for me. It does however have that very Central Coast syrah character I always enjoy.

3/9/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

This is good wine. The fruit is tasty, the oak is not overpowering, it drinks well with or without food and it's drinking well right now with a good decant. Although as someone mentioned for a previous vintage, at $75 a bottle it's a little steep, definitely worth it if you can get a deal on it though

3/7/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

Cork soaked all the way through

3/4/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

This is a bold 16% wine. I've had two bottles of this wine now. It has great complexity and a long finish. It is more earthy rather than fruity. If I wear blind tasting it I would assume that it costs a lot more.

3/4/2023 - hotrawd wrote:

This dessert wine is tasty and easy drinking. It has a honey and syrup like texture to it. However despite having a beautiful nose there's not really anything else there.

2/25/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

This was an extremely impressive wine and drinking very well right now . It has this magnificent dark ruby red color color , amazing smell and a nearly flawless balance. I've had other cabs with longer finishes and more complexity but very few with this finesse. It has a bit of everything you want in a cab all balanced in perfect harmony. I decanted for 90 minutes which seemed to be about right

2/25/2023 - hotrawd Likes this wine:

I'm not sure this is 100% Cab. It tasted to me like it was blended with a.bit of Syrah or grenache or both. It tasted very Central Coast.. almost more like a rhone varietal from the Central Coast then say a cab from Napa .. I enjoyed it.. fruity, acidic