11/8/2007 - Lou Briccant wrote:

A nose of spices, cherry liqueur and even a little chocolate covered cherries. Flavors of berries, berries and licorice. Finishes with some nice tannin and excellent length. No hurry to enjoy this one. 16.2% Alcohol, but I can't see that! Well done, Thomas!

7/23/2007 - Lou Briccant wrote:

This Spring and Summer('07'), I've had two really nice Chardonnays, under $25. Both are very different, yet always reliable. The first is the Trevor Jones 'Virgin', and the second is this wine. I'm not one to truly enjoy heavily oaked Chards, so that's why I enjoy the 'Virgin' in the summer. Having said that, I do prefer a little oak, and that's where the Belvedere comes into play. This wine has a wonderful balance between oak, fruit and acidity. None of the bottles I've enjoyed, had anything out of line. Sure, it's no Kistler when it comes to complexity and ageability, but for what it is, you'd have a very hard time, finding better! 90+

7/23/2007 - Lou Briccant wrote:

I really like this wine. There's plenty of fruit flavors; cherries, raspberries and citrus. Nicely balanced and I think this wine will be hitting it's stride in time for the holiday season ('07). In this day and age, it's a bargain! 88+

7/1/2007 - Lou Briccant wrote:

Tasted as part of winodepot.com's monthly Tasting With Friends. This month Sacred Cow chose wines from the Rhone.
I decanted this bottle for about 75 minutes. A beautiful nose of spice and cherries, which was much more intense after the 75 minute decant, and I started getting a slight licorice scent, at that point, too. On the palate, the first thing that hits you, is the wonderful velvety texture of this wine. It just coats your mouth. On the palate, there are a wide range of red fruit flavors, spice, and the tannins were completely in check. A little more acidity, and I would have given this wine another 2-3 points. Long, tasty finish.

6/11/2007 - Lou Briccant wrote:

Decanted for 1 hour, probably could have used 2. Slight bricking. Earthy and dark fruits, on the nose. A really nice, well balanced CdP. Dark fruits, lots of spice. Smooth tannins, plenty of fruit and wonderful acidity level, makes for an extremely well balanced wine.

6/8/2007 - Lou Briccant wrote:

Herbert the roofer!!!

3/20/2007 - Lou Briccant wrote:

No formal TN. 91+

3/20/2007 - Lou Briccant wrote:

No formal TN.

2/23/2007 - Lou Briccant wrote:

It's a nice drinker, plenty of fruit, and virtually no tannins to speak of. Nice for the price, but this isn't the PS I know and love. 2nd bottle, same results. 88pts.

1/11/2007 - Lou Briccant wrote:

No formal TN, but if you factor in price, this could be a 90!

1/11/2007 - Lou Briccant wrote:

No formal TN. 92+

1/11/2007 - Lou Briccant wrote:

92+ No formal TN.

12/17/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

No formal note.

9/1/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

No formal note.

11/11/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

No formal note.

12/29/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

No fromal note.

1/6/2007 - Lou Briccant wrote:

Corked.

12/4/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

A very nice wine. The nose was a little reticent at first, but after an hour in the decanter, it came alive with scents of ripe berries, licorice and a little smokey oak. This wine was very mouth filling, with flavors of black cherries, licorice, vanilla, dark chocolate and a little roasted meat. Medium weight, with a medium to long finish. Once the tannins smooth out a little, I can see this being a solid 93-94 point wine.

Thanks, HurrahSyrah!!

11/8/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

Underwhelming, even at $9/bottle.

12/29/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

Drank this one with Bud & Family. These just keep improving. TRB sure seems to have this varietal down!

6/12/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

This is an outstanding Grenache!

12/16/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

Thin and underwelming. I would drink these sooner, rather than later.

7/18/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

No formal TN.

8/8/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

My favorite '98 Cabernet!

10/8/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

Mediocre Cab., from a poor vintage. A Gift from Byron.

8/28/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

No formal TN.

5/31/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

No formal TN.

9/1/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

No formal TN.

7/15/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

No formal TN.

7/14/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

No formal TN.

1/2/2007 - Lou Briccant wrote:

When I first opened this wine, I was concerned. There was an odd and familiar odor that I could not pinpoint. My wife took a whiff and said "that smells like Super Elastic Bubble Plastic". That's it, that's what I was smelling. I had forgotten about that stuff, but remembered the odor. I let it sit in the decanter for about 90 minutes, poured some, and the odor was gone. Replaced by cherries, raspberries and licorice. With the first sip, the first thing you notice is that the wine just spreads across your palate. It's full of cherries, raspberries, licorice, toasty oak, dusky tannins and plenty of acidity. Medium weight. Moderate to long finish. A little "stemmy" on the finish, but I found it quite nice. 92+

8/18/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

No formal TN. This was an excellent wine!

9/28/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

No formal TN.

11/8/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

No formal TN.

9/18/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

No formal note.

12/31/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

Bought and opened to take part in winodepot.com's, monthly Tasting With Friends. This month Board-O chose the wines of Alsace.
Upon opening, the nose was very subdued, and this never really changed throughout the night. What was there, were light fruit and floral notes. The first sip was wonderful, maybe made better by the fact that the nose didn't havie me anticipating very much. There were flavors of fresh citrus fruits, spice, apricot, apple and pear. The wine had a wonderful, creamy texture and a medium to long finish. Very nice. I picked up 2 more. 91+ pts.

11/16/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

Tasted as part of winodepot.com's Tasting With Friends (TWF). This month, MrWalker chose Priorat as the featured region.

This blend consists of 35% Garnacha, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot and 10% Syrah.

My original plan was to save this bottle for 2009, but TWF calls, so WTF! The aromas emanating from the wine as I was pouring it into the decanter were wonderful! All dark fruits and flowers. I let it sit in the decanter for 2 hours. This wine is loaded with sediment, so decant carefully.

When I poured the first glass, the nose was still incredible, with everything noted before, but with slightly more intensity. With the first sip, it's clear this is a special wine, possibly one of the more complex wines I've had this year. Dark fruits, licorice, roasted meat, blueberries, black cherries and a pepper/tobacco bite to it. The finish lasted forever, and was somewhat tannic (not overly so).

I still think my initial intention to let this wine sleep another 3 years (2009), IS the way to go. By then the tannin and acidity should round out and make this wine even better! If you have to open one now, give it a good two hours in the decanter, then enjoy!

11/3/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

A light to medium weight wine. Nice balance. Old World in style. $15. High 80's kinda wine.

10/31/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

Tasted as part of winodepot.com's Tasting With Friends. This month, HurrahSyrah chose, M. Chapoutier. This wine resembles the '98, but in a very lightweight style. Light, floral nose. Light color. Light raspberry, vanilla and cherry flavors. Medium finish. Not worth the price of admission..

10/31/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

A nice wine, but not outstanding. Nose was mostly floral. Color was fairly light, with a fair amount of bricking. The wine was balanced and easy drinking. On the palate were flavors of currant, raspberries and a little vanilla. Easy drinker, but I can't imagine anything will be gained by cellaring these further. Medium finish.

10/26/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

Popped & Poured. 14.9% alcohol, but initially it seemed higher. Over the past hour, much of that has blown off. Now it's full of ripe fruit and a little chocolate, on both the nose and the palate. Nice acidity. I'll let the other bottle sleep for another year, and I can see this wine improving by another point or so. Thanks, Cal-Duck!

8/31/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

Somewhat sweet, but not too much so. Lots of cherries and another red fruit that I just couldn't figure out. Also, a little spice and mint. Although high in alcohol, I thought it was not overly so on the palate. Nice wine for the money.

8/21/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

Very nice. Nice vanilla/candied cherries(?) nose. Spice, cherries and a slightly tannic finish. I'll save my last for next summer, hopefully by then it will be just right. Low 90's right now, with a mid 90's nose.

8/4/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

Tasted as part of winodepot.com's Tasting With Friends (TWF). This month TBird chose Rosenblum Cellars.
Soft, somewhat muted nose, but opens up a little in the glass. Some nice floral notes (very light though), and ripe plums. Dark fruits, alcohol, sweetness and a little spice. Somewhat simple, more like an everyday drinker, but at $23 dollars, it's not, for most.

7/17/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

Decanted for 1 hour. Dark Garnet in color. Aromas of ripe blackberries, blueberries, roasted meat, pepper and flowers. Full bodied, with flavors of blackberries, spice, roasted meats, vanilla, blueberries and pepper. The acidity has settled down from the previous bottle, and the balance is much better. I'll let the last one rest another year.

7/14/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

2 hours of air and not nearly enough. Wait another year and try again.

7/11/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

Had this about a week and a half ago, no formal notes taken. A very nice 'food' wine, well balanced. Paired well with grilled Filet. A real nice wine for $14.

7/8/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

For $11, this is a great drinker! Lotsa fruit, and a little dark chocolate. 100% Grenache, from 80-120 year old vines.

6/26/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

I took this to the Fredericksburg offline.

6/26/2006 - Lou Briccant wrote:

I took this to the Fredericksburg offline.