2/17/2024 - MariusA wrote:

Acetone nose. Volatile acidity. Flawed. Poured half the bottle down the drain.

1/23/2023 - whitmanlholt Likes this wine:

Popped and poured. This is a medium red wine. On the nose, I primarily get cherry and rosehips, although there are some interludes of beautiful sweet scrub. In the mouth, the wine is nicely integrated, showing mixed red fruits and some herbal elements. Moving into the finish, the wine is chewy with some modest tannins creeping through, all of which pulls one back for more. Overall, this was a very nice Brunello. It’s fully drinkable now but should continue to improve over the next 5+ years. 92 points.

5/1/2022 - acyso wrote:

Vinetasters: 2019 Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Skokie, IL): Served double blind. Heightened floral/herbal notes on the nose, with a distinct candied strawberry note. A similar herbal note on the palate, but somewhat obscured again by the sweet red fruit and a bit of vanilla as well. Clearly a grenache-heavy wine. Thin structure with a little more acidity than most in the lineup. Bitter finish. My 1st, group's 2nd.

2/7/2021 - whitmanlholt Likes this wine:

Popped and poured. This is a ruby-red wine (I agree with the prior note that called the color somewhat "muddled"; it's not a crisp or translucent red). On the nose, I get BBQ ribs, seaweed, sweat, and some charcoal pit. In the mouth, this is salty and moderately heavy with an iron foundation – it comes off more as a sauce or braise than a wine. The finish continues the theme with some meaty, briny notes. Overall, this is a distinctive, umami-beast of a wine. I’ve now had several of these HP wines from different vintages and varietals and am amazed by their singular nature (little to no fruit, major funk, a powerful sense of burnt meat) – I’m not sure if that’s an aspect of the site or a winemaking trick, but I enjoy it (as I’ve observed in prior notes, this won’t be for everyone). There’s really nothing else quite like these wines, and that statement includes experience with many examples from throughout the Northern Rhone (Grenache, of course, is not a Northern Rhone grape, but the savory trick that is done with all the HP wines is much more reminiscent of the north than the Southern Rhone; I've never had a CdP anything like this, but have had some broadly similar wines from Cornas or Hermitage despite the varietal variation). 91 points.

2/14/2021 - whitmanlholt Likes this wine:

Popped and poured and then served from a wine basket in which I had left the still-corked bottle for roughly 30 hours. This is a medium red wine; the bottle looks to have a meaningful amount of sediment, but the basket did a terrific job eliminating virtually all of it from any glass. On the nose, I get crushed dark cherries, underbrush, and some tobacco leaf. In the mouth, the wine shows good acid and structure, but it doesn’t display a lot of fruit or character. The finish is medium plus, with a crisp aspect that would pair well with most food. Overall, this is a more restrained Cos. I’d suggest drinking before 2026 with no need to wait until then. 91 points.

7/11/2020 - rmalloy Likes this wine:

Interesting aromas that I find appealing. Although I agree with the tasting notes referencing horse manure and bandaid (brett, I believe), I find sweet floral and fig aromas more prominent. In my view, the weakness of this wine is not in the aromas but rather in the structure, where the acidity is so low that the wine seems flat and dull. Low acidity is the Achilles' heel of CdP, but some wines can overcome it with outstanding concentration, which this wine does not have. Sorry to say, this wine does not come close to the 96-98 reviews I see from prominent critics.

I would drink now.

4/6/2019 - whitmanlholt Likes this wine:

Screened into a decanter, although this wasn’t strictly necessary since there wasn’t too much sediment left in the bottle. This is a medium-red wine with notes of cigar, wet soil, cherry, and mushroom on the nose. The mouth is layered and mid-weight, with various red fruit and ash aspects, all of which leaves a crisp finish supported by lingering red fruits. Overall, this is a wine in a throwback style, although not obviously Bordeaux; it is a nice wine, but ultimately doesn’t match the hype for this producer. 91 points.

9/16/2018 - whitmanlholt Likes this wine:

Stored in the main refrigerator for a bit and then popped and poured from split. This is a medium-yellow wine with notes of marmalade, honey, and wax on the nose. In the mouth, the wine is mid-weight with a distinctive stone-fruit flavor, all leaving a rich and lingering finish. Overall, this is pure class with a lot of good years left. 92 points.

9/2/2018 - whitmanlholt wrote:

Popped and poured and drank from a Zalto universal glass. This is a light-yellow wine with moderate bubbles of medium size and spacing. On the nose, I get peach, yeast, and some lemon zest. The mouth has a notable sweet aspect and a bit more lemon — there is not a lot of depth or layering to it. The finish is zippy and refreshing. Overall, I would suggest enjoying this with some food rather than as a stand-alone experience. This is undoubtedly a “house product” attempting to satisfy a given slot on a brand range chart someone (or, more likely, the scourge of a “committee”) cooked up. That’s all well and good, but personally I find this a bit anonymous and, well, I don't believe the hype. There is better Champs for the money. 88 points.

12/12/2015 - whitmanlholt wrote:

Popped and poured. This is a deep golden colored wine with a nose of marmalade and flowers. In the mouth, it is very rich, with an extremely thick texture and an impression of some oxidative aspects. The finish is lingering but slightly hot (likely due to the 15% (!) alcohol in the wine). Overall, this was a unique and interesting wine. It seemed a bit too loaded, and I’m not sure this style of white is for me (I have a few younger Hermitage blancs I’ll need to try soon), particularly for the price. I’m not ascribing a score due to the lack of perspective on how these should perform.

2/20/2017 - whitmanlholt Likes this wine:

Drank from a split with dinner. No formal notes or score, but this was good as always. Rich, lush, dark fruits, with all the typical scents. Really in a great spot now. Very good deal to get these for $26 each.

1/6/2017 - Jimywags wrote:

Decanted for two hours. This is a caveman's wine. This is a Paleo and Atkins diet wine. This is a wine crafted for a T-Rex. This wine is a 48oz. Peter Luger porterhouse steak. This is a Medieval Times eat your meat off a leg bone wine. A blood suckers wine. This is not a namby-pamby vegan or vegetarian's wine. This is not a suburban soccer mom pumpkin spice wine. This is not a 1999 98-point Parker Australian Shiraz ooze monster. This is a Pizza Hut meat lover's wine that should have a warning sticker on the label that reads, "Meat Only...No Fruits Allowed!" I'd love to hand a glass of this wine to a vegan/vegetarian and ask them to describe what they are smelling. I think they'd lack descriptors because this wine smells only like various types and preparations of meat. Grilled, smoked, sauteed, fried, even a la plancha. A carnivores delight, this wine is. This wine is not for the masses and I wouldn't presume to serve it to friends at a Saturday night dinner while playing Cards Against Humanity. This is an old school Cornas syrah lover's wine. Drink at your own risk. 98pts.

12/22/2015 - DemonC2H5OH wrote:

Garnet color with distinct bricking at edges. Nose was very closed and showing very little. Since I could smell or taste no TCA, brett or other obvious faults (or much of anything for that matter), I'm hoping this is simply in a mute phase and would love to hear from others who have tried this wine recently. Second bottle with similar notes this month.
P,S. I bought these on release and they've been perfectly stored so that's not an issue.

7/13/2015 - pmarlo wrote:

Solid pull, no infiltration of cork. Bouquet leaped out of the bottle, heady and thick. Taste to me was predominately syrah so I will be surprised if someone indicates primary component is grenache. this flavor is intense without the wine being thick and super extracted, a nice achievement. first set of legs ran like turkeys, then slowed down eventually to a medium slow crawl. Lost some intensity when stored overnight in bottle but still very good. High alcohol too but did not hamper this tasting but got me a nice CdP buzz just the same. There is a dense flavor here; others have indicated cassis and raspberry. I detect a bitter finish at back of tongue. Was pleased with wine but can't predict years left. Think it will do 5 years easy.

2/20/2015 - texanoblues Likes this wine:

Dark and inky in the glass. Smooth black fruit, pencil shavings, anise, and charcoal on the nose. Very concentrated and intense on the palate with long tannic finish. This is a stunning beauty of a wine! Deep and dark, with magnificent intensity.

Immediately after opening, the wine seemed quite rough and herbaceous and was not pleasing to me. The above notes were based on the wine after four hours in a decanter and I feel the best came between 6-8 hrs after decant.

What a pleasure to experience this one come to life!