11/15/2010 - NickG wrote:

This lives up to Garagiste's exuberant description below with onderful aromatics, exuberant berry fruit and minerals. Excellent, and exuberant too.

10/28/2010 - NickG wrote:

New vintage, same great value. No nose to speak of, but a lively mouthful of lime, lemon, salt, and herbs make this a very refreshing drink.

10/27/2010 - NickG wrote:

Not what I expected from a Macon-Villages. Rich and heavy on the tropical fruit. Some minerality on the finish, but also soap and quinine. Not for me.

10/23/2010 - NickG wrote:

Wonderfully aromatic, with complex mix of various spices and fruits, and a hint of pine. My enthusiasm waned after that though. Bitter orange peel flavor dominates, with more pleasant fruit and spice in the background. Great length, but that's only a good thing if you like holiday fruitcake.

10/23/2010 - NickG wrote:

Seriously good sauvignon for the price. Lemon curd and minerals on the nose and palate. A bit of creaminess and maybe a a bit of residual sugar balances the acidity very nicely.

2/12/2010 - NickG wrote:

Cherry and spice, but some heat too. Decent, but nothing special.

2/12/2010 - NickG wrote:

Grapefruit. Grass. Gooseberry. Good.
Well, actually I made up the part about the gooseberry, since I've ever tasted, seen, or smelled one, but it seems to fit both alliteratively and stylistically.

2/10/2010 - NickG wrote:

Delicious and gulpable indeed.

2/10/2010 - NickG wrote:

Deep dark black cherry fruit balanced with bright acidity and serious tannins on the finish. Very good and very good value.

2/10/2010 - NickG wrote:

Citrus and rocks galore from start to finish. Excellent and outstanding value.

2/5/2010 - NickG wrote:

California style. If lush sweet fruit, oak, and 14.5% alcohol is your style, this is well-made and fairly priced. Good length.

1/21/2010 - NickG wrote:

Definitelly stinky, but, unlike everyone else, otherwise I thought this was an interesting and fairly good wine. A bit rough, scrubby, and rocky like the place it comes from, but nice length, with marked transitions in the mouth from berry fruit to minerals and tart cranberry to a strongly tannic finish.

1/17/2010 - NickG wrote:

Soft, fruity, and not much else.

1/17/2010 - NickG wrote:

Exotic nose. Round mouth. Delicious. Great value.

1/17/2010 - NickG wrote:

Light-bodied, but slowly fills the mouth with tart and spicy berry flavors, with some woodsy undertones. Tannic finish. Very good.

1/10/2010 - NickG wrote:

Fruits, vegetables, acidity, and tannins. Fancy or elegant it's not, but it is interesting and delicious.

1/10/2010 - NickG wrote:

I used half this bottle to cook some mussels before drinking any and after tasting it, I sure wished I had used something else for the mussels. Powerfully fruity nose. Rich and complex in the mouth, with mouthwater acidity joining the rich fruit on the long finale. Totally lives up to its billing. Outstanding value.

1/10/2010 - NickG wrote:

Crisp and refreshing. Wispy mouthful of lemons and rocks. Good stuff.

12/5/2009 - NickG wrote:

Crisp and refreshing with citrus, and a bit of grass and herbs. Good wine and very good value.

11/27/2009 - NickG wrote:

Very aromatic, with fruit mixing with wet rock on the nose. Rich mouthfeel, with a lovely balance of sweetness, peach, lemon, aciidity, and a hint of minerals on the finish. Excellent.

11/20/2009 - NickG wrote:

Crisp, refreshing, and full of character. Pronounced lime and salt, with herbal notes in the background. Decent length. At $12, this one gets a "buy more ASAP" rating.

11/13/2009 - NickG wrote:

Creamy, unctuous melange of pear, honey, lemon, and minerals, with the lemon and minerals lingering on the finish. Interesting and complex wine. Very good.

11/4/2009 - NickG wrote:

Juicy red fruit and sour cherry flavors, with solid acidity and background tannins. Good stuff and good value.

10/27/2009 - NickG wrote:

Stewed red fruits, some heat, llike countless other hot-climate, inexpensive wines.

10/24/2009 - NickG wrote:

Crisp, minerally, with lemon, lime, and a hint of saltiness on the finish. Very good.

10/24/2009 - NickG wrote:

As noted by others, the acidity is harsh and overpowering on the 1st day. Much better on the 2nd day, and better still on the 3rd, when bright red berry fruit shows more and balances the acidity. Great value.

10/16/2009 - NickG wrote:

Plush plum and cherry fruit, balanced with a hint of tobacco and strong tannins on the finish. Very pleasant, and a great value.

10/16/2009 - NickG wrote:

Loads of character for very little money. Citrus and white fruit on the nose. A crisp and juiicy mouthful of citrus and minerals, with lingering saltiness on the finish. Very nice.

10/13/2009 - NickG wrote:

Cherry, plum, and leather, with black tea lingering on the finish. Very good.

8/8/2009 - NickG wrote:

Very nice and I thought Jon Rimmerman's description was spot-on, fresh and cleansing, with grapefruit, lime, and minerals.

7/5/2009 - NickG wrote:

Perfect wine for sipping while sitting out on the deck on a summer's night. Would be a great match for shellfish also. Fairly light-bodied, with all manner of citrus fruits and minerals, both of which linger on the finish. Great value.

6/30/2009 - NickG wrote:

Crisp and refreshing, with apple and lemon on the nose and palate, joined on the palate with chalky minerality and brisk acidity. Great length. Great wine at any price, amazingly good for $10.

6/29/2009 - NickG wrote:

Honey. Rich. Voluptuous. Beautiful. I think I'm in love.

6/27/2009 - NickG wrote:

Rather unctuous for sauvignon blanc, with pineapple fruit, a touch of minerality, and a touch of glycerin-like sweetness on the finish. Not bad, but not enough acidity for this acidhead.

6/24/2009 - NickG wrote:

Good stuff. Light to medium-bodied with dark fruit, underbrush, iron and minerals, and refreshing acidity. Wish I had more of this.

6/1/2009 - NickG wrote:

Crisp and lively, perfect for a hot summer day. Only 11.5% alcohol for an added bonus. Very nice and great value.

5/28/2009 - NickG wrote:

Aromatic red fruit and spice on the nose. Bright red fruit on the palate, along wiith anise, and a touch of oak spice. Good acidity, discreet tannins, and decent length. Pretty darn good for $10.

5/22/2009 - NickG wrote:

A $10 Pinot Noir that tastes like Pinot Noir! Light to medium-bodied with bright red fruit and refreshing acidity. Very good and excellent value.

5/14/2009 - NickG wrote:

Great bottle of wine for the price. Strawberry and rasperry nose. Similar fruit on the palate, with some woodsy flavors and pronounced acidiity. Dusty tannins on the finish. Should have bought more.

5/13/2009 - NickG wrote:

Powerfully sweet, floral nose. Much dryer than the nose leads one to expect. Rich and viscous mouthfeel, with minerals more predominant than the fruit. As noted previously, the minerals last a long time on the finish. This was much better after warming up to cellar temperature and was better on the second day. Very good.

5/10/2009 - NickG wrote:

Crisp and refreshing, with citrus and minerals. Very good and great value.

5/8/2009 - NickG wrote:

queneau described this one well - strawberry, sour cherry, rhubarb, and a wave of acidity. Vies for the longest finish I've ever encountered on a rose. Very good.

5/6/2009 - NickG wrote:

Sweet cherry and blueberry fruit, with some spice, and soft tannins. Smooth and silky, with a glycerin-like aspect. Decent length. Overall, a simple, pleasant wine, and quite good for the $8 price tag.

5/5/2009 - NickG wrote:

Lots of dark red fruit, with decent acidity and some herbal notes to add interest. Light tannins. Nothing profound, but a pleasant, food-friendly wine for a fair price.

4/30/2009 - NickG wrote:

One of the best $10 bottles of wine I've had in a long time. Beautifully barnyardy nose with some cassis and woody notes. Lots of complexity on the palate, with red fruit, black fruit, minerals, and earthy flavors, all buttressed by solid acidity and soft tannins. Good length too. Excellent.

4/29/2009 - NickG wrote:

Very nice mix of blue and black fruit, some slightly saline minerality, spice, and fine tannins. My first ever encounter with the Marselan grape, which is a hybrid of Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache. Good wine, and excellent QPR, but not enough acidity to balance the lush fruit. Extra points for the unusual variety and the unusual vineyard practices. This is grown on its own rootstock - they don't need to worry about phyloxera since they flood the vineyard every winter!

4/26/2009 - NickG wrote:

Very red-fruity with with cherry predominating. Decent acidity, very light tannins. A pleasant drink, but nothing special.

4/26/2009 - NickG wrote:

Delicious noseful and mouthful of lemon curd, pear, minerals, and flowers from the start all the way through the long finish. Medium bodied and dry. Initially a bit shy, but really opened up after a half hour or so. Excellent.

4/24/2009 - NickG wrote:

Yum's the word for this one. Fresh and lively, with aromatic white fruit, minerals, and lots of acidity to balance the off-dry residual sugar level. Great stuff and excellent value.

4/22/2009 - NickG wrote:

Faint on the nose, but not on the palate. Medium-bodied with berry fruit, earthy flavors, astringent tannins on the finish. A bit on the rough side, but typical for traditionally made Madiran. Shows best with food, and the tannins should mellow with some age.