9/26/2023 - gkharrin wrote:

Voted "neutral", as my wife liked it when she tasted it two years prior (I was not there). Neither of us liked this bottle. Either a slightly spoiled bottle or all of the vintage are well past prime their prime. Note: it's not that we only like younger wines.

8/24/2023 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

Solid very pleasant Chardonnay

4/14/2023 - gkharrin Does not like this wine:

Our friends gave us the bottle stating they did not like the aftertaste but were curious what we thought. We didn't mind being guinea pigs. They were right. Bitter and slightly metallic. The bitterness increased along the finish. Would have preferred more fruit in the flavor. The aroma, on the other hand, was quite lovely!

3/30/2023 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

One of the best viogniers I’ve ever had. Exceptionally clean, bright flavor and nose. Excellent balance of sugar and acidity. Fruit and floral, typical for the type and neither overwhelming. Highly recommended. Pay them a visit if you can. The property is gorgeous as well.

3/24/2023 - gkharrin Does not like this wine:

Too sour

1/5/2023 - gkharrin wrote:

Tasted (sober) at the winery and was enthused. We bought 2 bottles. 18 months later, I am not a fan. The bottles were stored at normal room temperature (not cellar temp), but nearly all our wine survives this treatment well.

The 1st bottle had a very sour taste. Aerating and decanting for an hour did not help. It was no better the next day (stored using Vacu-Vin) and was discarded.

I opened the other bottle on the second day. It was immediately better than the first, but not truly enjoyable - still a little sour on the finish. Unlike the first bottle, it did improve noticeably overnight. Still not as good as we recalled.

I suggest drinking yours now, if you have any. They may be OK, but I doubt they have any shelf life remaining.

11/27/2022 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

I think the drinking window end date should be at least another year out. This is fantastic right now - very rich and the fruit is still there. Might be the best Virginia Cab Franc I've had.

7/16/2022 - gkharrin Does not like this wine:

Very minimal flavor. No finish. Should have known since the label had an animal on it that it wouldn’t be good!

10/20/2021 - gkharrin wrote:

Aroma both fruity and spicy. But brownish edges and flavor indicate oxidation. Ran twice through aerator give immediate improvement, but still off. Did not improve overnight in Savino.

7/15/2020 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

Not extremely flavorful or complex, but very clean and pleasant for a $6 bottle. Lacks minerality of a Loire (sadly) and citrus/grass of a Marlborough (gratefully).

7/5/2020 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

Good value

7/5/2020 - gkharrin Does not like this wine:

Far too much residual sugar. Not a sweet wine, but not balanced. Jammy, but not in a good way. No hint of its barrel aging.

5/29/2020 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

Absolutely give this time to breathe!
Upon opening, the aroma was very musty (zweder said rustic, which is also apt) and rather off-putting. The flavor was also objectionable. We opened a different wine and set it aside, returning for an occasional sip. As time went on, the unpleasant odors disappeared and the fruit came forward. Peach and honeysuckle predominated, with a mineral base. In the end we were all fans.

12/28/2019 - gkharrin wrote:

OK, but not worth purchasing again. For 25% more $, I can get 100% more enjoyment.

11/4/2019 - gkharrin Does not like this wine:

Lacking complexity

5/16/2019 - gkharrin Does not like this wine:

Too sour (shortest review ever)

5/12/2018 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

Was described to me as beaujolais nouveau's funky cousin, attributed to the use of natural yeasts. Funky doesn't necessarily sound good. It was funky, but I would say in a good way. Fun to branch out a little.
Served to 14 guests, and most liked it. Tasted a little sour the second day (used vacu vin), which I do not remember the night it was opened. May want open it when you know it will be finished immediately.

5/12/2018 - gkharrin Does not like this wine:

Lovely flavor up front, but did not finish well. Was better the next day (used vacu-vin), so perhaps aerating this white would have been a good idea. Still giving it a "do not like", particularly for the QPR. It's not that good for the current community price of $38, and unfortunately I paid far more than that.

5/6/2018 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

Reviews from 2016 said this was on its way out, so I had low expectations. Pleasantly surprised, nay, shocked. Fantastic! Still had bright color, strong and pleasant bouquet, lovely soft tannin, still a decent amount of fruit with plenty of complexity to go with it. Long finish. No offensive aromas or flavors throughout. Sad that I lost track of who brought this to our house as a party gift. I would give them a big thank you!

3/25/2017 - gkharrin wrote:

"Thunderclap #2", Dry Creek Zin tasting

8/27/2017 - gkharrin Does not like this wine:

Flavor OK, but not remarkable. Objectionable sharp sensation on the tongue

8/13/2017 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

Paired nicely with a salad of shaved raw asparagus, fresh ricotta, and pistachio

1/1/2017 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

I agree with JROBS7777's most recent comment - a very pleasant wine, though not outstanding. It is certainly not too old as of New Year's Day, 2017. Dark fruit with a modest array of secondary notes (which I did not bother to identify or record). Moderate finish. The mount feel was a bit thin. A nice glass to go with our New Year rib roast.

10/29/2016 - gkharrin Does not like this wine:

I described it as bitter. My guests said "stemmy", and I think that is more accurate. The aftertaste was strong and very unpleasant, even after running it through an aerator and over an hour of decanting. After leaving the bottle open all night (about 12 hours after opening) it was greatly improved, but still noticeable. I tasted this at the winery in 2012 and liked it very much. Very disappointed with this bottle. If I could chalk it up to bottle variation, I wouldn't vote "I don't like it", but I can't, so I did.

10/29/2016 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

We were hosting a party and I was busy preparing dinner while we drank this, and a 2011 Dr. F. Weins-Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese, with spiced nuts and blue cheese/fig crisps for appetizers. Being busy, I did not take detailed notes, so my rating is a swag. I can say flavors were clean, bright and vibrant; the sugar appropriate and well balanced by acidity; and the finish reasonably long. I can't name you flavors or aromas, but I was not struck by it being boringly simple. In fact, it was quite delicious and all of our guests agreed. I think the flavors were a bit more interesting than the F. Weins-Prüm, and at least one of our guests declared the Maximin Grünhauser their favorite among the two.

10/29/2016 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

We were hosting a party and I was busy preparing dinner while we drank this, and a 2011 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Spätlese, with spiced nuts and blue cheese/fig crisps for appetizers. Being busy, I did not take detailed notes, so my rating is a swag. I can say flavors were clean, bright and vibrant; the sugar appropriate and well balanced by acidity; and the finish reasonably long. I can't name you flavors or aromas, but I was not struck by it being boringly simple. In fact, it was quite delicious and all of our guests agreed. I think the flavors of the Maximin Grünhaus were a bit more interesting. At least one of our guests declared it their favorite among the two.

8/21/2016 - gkharrin wrote:

Served with she-crab soup at wine tasting dinner. Was OK when sipped before tasting the soup. Took on an entirely different personality (for lack of a better word) after. Paired wonderfully!

8/21/2016 - gkharrin wrote:

Predominately apple. Did not detect any of the other flavors noted by previous reviewers. However, also did not detect any of the unpleasant acidity they noted. Was reasonably balanced. Was a gift 3 years ago. Perhaps I should have opened it then.

3/8/2016 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

Very pleasant. Flavorful, with no detracting elements at all. Each time the glass emptied I immediately reached for more!

9/12/2015 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

Went very nicely with fennel and shrimp risotto

9/11/2015 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

Very good value.

6/9/2015 - gkharrin wrote:

Very thin mouth feel. Flavor begins weak and a bit watery, but does build. It has a moderately long finish that is much more intense than the beginning. Overall quality and complexity of the flavor is above average. Good, but I think there better values.

5/23/2015 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

Needed extended decanting. A Vinturi aerator did not do much. First day had marked (volitile?) acidity. Much better the second day.

2/28/2015 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

Excellent! Big hit with our dinner guests.

2/28/2015 - gkharrin wrote:

I liked the first one I bought enough to buy three more for a party. But 2 of the 4 bottles had severe faults (acidic, almost effervescent). The other two were very enjoyable wines with depth, complexity and intensity. The inconsistency is bad enough that I will be staying away from Colombier in the future.

2/28/2015 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

Strong nose and good flavor. A bit of a sour aftertaste, however. Overall, I liked it. Mixed review from my dinner guests.

2/10/2015 - gkharrin Does not like this wine:

My first Cahors. I've read they need at least 6 years to age, but I doubted that a $9 bottle was meant for that. And I still doubt it, but I think it could use a year or two. However, I don't think I'm likely to give it a second chance - it didn't impress me in it's current state.

1/24/2015 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

Unlike one other viewer, I did not find this at all tart. In fact, it was lacking any objectionable flavors or aromas and was the most easy-drinking rose I've had. Though it must be said I rarely buy them.

I thought the flavor was quite good, but lacking intensity. I would not go so far as to call it bland and lacking fruit, but it definitely was understated.

11/6/2000 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

Deep red, tinge of brown. Simple, but excellent flavor - did not take note of particular flavors. Very short finish. Well-balanced and smooth. Light, refreshing, thin but not watery.

12/27/2014 - gkharrin wrote:

Flavor pleasant, but lacking depth. Thin mouth feel. Moderate finish. Not bad for the price.

12/5/2014 - gkharrin wrote:

Served with a first course salad of country ham, cheese, and pear. I thought a lighter pinot would be good for that, but I was very wrong. The salt in the ham was more of a issue than I thought it would be, and the cracked pepper and arugula that topped the salad completely overwhelmed the wine. Lesson learned.

12/5/2014 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

Needed 90 minutes of decanting, but after that all objectionable aromas and flavors had dissipated. The nose was subtle. I did not take detailed notes, but there was some complexity to the flavor, which was pleasant and deep. The finish was of only moderate length. I would not hold this any longer. Though I enjoyed the flavor very much, I suspect it will fade soon, and perhaps it already has (this was my only bottle, so I have no frame of reference). The tannins were very soft and this needs no further aging on that score.

11/18/2014 - gkharrin wrote:

Must have enjoyed it more in the tasting room. Not bad, but would not buy again.

9/17/2014 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

Bought it at the winery 2 years ago and brought it back to the East Coast. Shared today with friends to celebrate my birthday treat. Well, Happy Birthday to me! It was very enjoyable. We were chatting more than analyzing, so I do not have a detailed description to share - and mine are not worth much anyway. I would say, nice ripe fruit, well balanced acidity, above average finish wrt quality and length. Very pleased.

8/16/2014 - gkharrin wrote:

Strong and pleasant aroma. Very nice flavor profile. But far too acidic. Very sharp - quite a "bite".

7/17/2014 - gkharrin Does not like this wine:

Too acidic. Not much aroma but did seem to open up a bit after 30 minutes. Average depth of flavor, and not very "bright" or "expressive" (I hate using these words, but I'm not sure how else to put it). A bit cloudy. Cork was quite dry. May have been inproperly stored before I received it as a gift. Maybe this led to my negative comments. But no sign of oxidation.

5/24/2014 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

User opinion was best between 2010 and 2011, but I opened this mid-2014 and it showed no signs of being past its prime. Very enjoyable. Clean and well balanced. Decent depth of flavor and aroma.

4/27/2014 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

4 and 6 years after two public tasting notes stating it is past its prime, I found this to be quite enjoyable. But I would not wait any longer! It definitely improved after an hour of decanting. I'll stay away from trying to describe particular aromas and flavors, because I am no good at it. The color showed only a slight tinge of brown from aging. It was rather cloudy, but I didn't deal with the sediment in the bottle very gracefully. Immediately after opening, the pleasing aroma had both intensity and complexity. This has persisted into the next day. There was a slightly objectionable flavor after opening, but that dissipated almost entirely after decanting. I would expect more for the price, but I did truly enjoy the wine.

2/28/2014 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

I did not take any detailed notes. But I can say I disagree with the drinking windows posted on CT. I opened this bottle within the last two months, and it was very enjoyable. Nothing about it gave me the impression it was on the verge of going over the hill.

7/26/2008 - gkharrin Likes this wine:

Saturday, July 26, 2008 - Saturday, July 26, 2008 - Saturday, July 26, 2008 - As guests at friends' wine group tasting. Using their 20pt scale:

Appearance (0-2): 2
Color(0-2): 2
Aroma(0-4): 3.5
Acescence(0-2): 2
Acid(0-2): 2
Sugar(0-1): 1
Body(0-1): 1
Astringency(0-2): 1.5
Flavor(0-2): 2
General Quality(0-2): 1.5
Total: 18.5

Adjusting for 100 points scale:
100 point score = 20 point score * 2.5 +50
1 point out of 20 = 2.5 points out of 50 (50 is low end on 100 point scale)

For each wine in this tasting, this adjustment results in values a little higher than I would normally give, so lowering each by 3 for margin.

18.5*2.5+50-3 = 93