1/8/2023 - jsroge wrote:

Write off never received got $125 PayPal from Corkscrews

8/8/2020 - jsroge Likes this wine:

Consumed with rack of lamb, pea mint white truffle pasta w goat cheese. Youthful and wild, modern and edgy, punches above its weight and compliments the meal. Recommend as a solid weekly drinker. Thanks Rosenthal for importing 🍷

8/5/2020 - jsroge Likes this wine:

Rosenthal import. Dominant tannins, bright and tight, would benefit from several more years, but showing excellent potential.

9/18/2019 - jsroge Likes this wine:

When in Lugano drink like the locals - that means white or red Merlot - paired wonderfully with the rocket and cherry tomatoes, with beef tartare. Spicy, full body, aromatic, and conveys the locality, love it.

5/3/2019 - jsroge Likes this wine:

This varietal can be jumbled in youth but with age (13 years now) there is harmonization of fruit and grip, resulting in a superb integration across the palate and a lovely pairing with beef and mushrooms. Dried darkest plum, cedar, spice and balanced with tannins that would in youth overwhelm but in age maturely announce their presence. This is a great value as well - IIRC ~$35-40. Recommend.

12/18/2018 - jsroge wrote:

This incredible Croatian surprise, its golden hue and tangy aromas hinting of an intentional oxidation, pleasant brettyness and unctuous on the palate. I could not be happier at what was a difficult bottle to figure out, locate on CellarTracker, convince my wife to try. Kudos to Superior Liquor for the bottle, a Louis Dressner import.

6/12/2014 - jsroge wrote:

Although quite young we enjoyed this. Appearance: bright, straw but hint of green, even and clear, but (oddly i thought) hints of carbonation in the glass along the bottom and sides. Immediately tasted and there was "spritz" but then allowi it to sit for a period allowed it to receed, but remain, and it was pleasant. Bouquet of stone, lime, melon, light floral, and dew. On palate it was crisp, acidic, as expected from the youth, but also the complexity that it is reknown for, stones, ripe peach, apricot, flowery without being cloyingly so. Will let pther bottles age.

5/27/2014 - jsroge Likes this wine:

From the winery, this is young and tightly wound but very enjoyable with steak and roasted vegetables. Medium body, scarlet center w faded edges. Appearance belies its youth. Bouquet of licorce, spice, pepper, oak, mint. Typical for Zin but more complex and subtle than most. On taste it has dark cherry, ganache, plenty of spice and pepper, cedar, bit astringency. Will age remaining two bottles a few more years and report back.

5/25/2014 - jsroge Likes this wine:

I consider this more exotic due to origin of Canary Islands. Medium body, light garnet, clear throughout. Bouquet is spicy, flint, hints of floral notes and barnyard. Taste is thinner, smoked meat, pomegranate, under-ripe berry. Only 10% of the Listan Negro grape undergoes 12 months in French Oak, the remainder in concrete. From a combination of 100 y.o. and young ungrafted vines. Would love to visit. At under $20, a great opportunity to visit a location few think of in the wine aisles.

5/23/2014 - jsroge Likes this wine:

Delivered Mar2014 from C&S Casali club. Visually dark, rich, even, slight variation to purple at edge. Aromas of blackberry, eucalyptus, mocha, burnt orange peel. Taste full and velvety, pepper, stone, cedar, long finish. Paired well with lamb and potato hash with asparagus and brussels sprouts. The 50% Malbec is dominant, there is Cab Sav (33%) and Petit Verdot (17%).

5/22/2014 - jsroge Likes this wine:

Light pink, clear and even body. Bouquet of clove, vanilla, light berry, gravel. On taste, medium acidity, with strawberry, creamy, mineral, dry. Enjoyed this pick by Matej, at $26 mid to higher priced for a Provence rosé but we enjoyed greatly and will repeat the purchase. Recommended. We had with shrimp & veggie risotto.

5/11/2014 - jsroge wrote:

We enjoyed this, source was SommSelect. Layered with spice, cedar, plummy notes, rich and typical for a Bordeaux blend. Found it refreshing that it went easy on the oak, with a zippy lingering finish, briary. Good QPR on this at $34 for 3 incl ship.

5/1/2014 - jsroge Likes this wine:

I thought this was an incredible expression of Cab Franc. A low alcohol (11.9%...!) whole cluster Paso Robles, there's no alcohol or barrel flavors to overwhelm the subtle flavors of Cab Franc. Even with the whole cluster, there's no roughness to speak of. Hints of spice and berries, lighter than a comparable from Loire, silky and yet firm, this really was remarkable and surprising. I wish I had bought a case, only got 2 and they're all gone. A new world negociant to watch.

**Note, I don't rate with points

4/30/2014 - jsroge Likes this wine:

First bottle available from Ian Cauble's SommSelect service. Drank with a Jura Arbois for comparison. The Gagnard exhibits typicity with tones of extraction/barrel notes, which lends more body and length. We enjoyed this C-M with a touch of Cali. At $32 we felt it was good QPR. Looking forward to more of his selections.

4/25/2014 - jsroge Likes this wine:

Recommended by Pavle at FnB in Scottsdale, a Kermit Lynch selection, great Aligote expression. Clear, concise, lightly mineral, citrus, floral hints. Bouzeron is a great QPR for those times when that other white Burgundy lightens your wallet. $64 at the restaurant, probably $25-30 retail. Paired wonderfully with a fruit and cheese plate.

1/19/2014 - jsroge wrote:

Surprisingly oaky, resembled a CA chardonnay in respects but with a pleasant blend of apricot, tangerine, lemon, some minerality to bring you back to France. There was a hint of a bitter bite but among us I was the only one to note it, could have been my palate was off. Nicely complex and evolving in glass, which is enjoyable. We'll try this again given it is $23 locally.

1/19/2014 - jsroge wrote:

We enjoyed this bottle, moderately priced locally at around $30+. Lots of earth. Light spice, smoke. Very enjoyable, plenty of texture but less integration. Good for a young PnP.

1/9/2014 - jsroge Likes this wine:

We enjoyed this $23 KL bottle, good QPR. Nose exceeded palate, typical for this style and age. The sediment emerged as a single solid piece, odd but allowed us to decant it entirely. On opening we poured a bit into each glass, a great nose of cedar, damp earth, cherries. Palate was reserved, I like older Bordeaux where the fruit & tannins have receded a bit.

1/5/2014 - jsroge Likes this wine:

Typical, but hint of sour apple and perhaps a bit grassy help keep it interesting. Bonus, was $23 locally.

1/5/2014 - jsroge Likes this wine:

We enjoyed this, unexpected at this price point, high QPR. Complex on the nose: dark fruits, cedar, smoke, musty. Lighter on the palate, fruit dominating as the earthier elements receded. Will pick up more if available.

1/4/2014 - jsroge wrote:

Decanted 2 hrs, and tasted at decanting. Opened wonderfully. Initially cedar, dark fruits, spice. Later opened to mint and eucalyptus. Sad it is our last bottle. We've been to visit, both in the early days and recently, Chris and family have a great small family winery. Recommend a visit and the wine highly.

12/31/2013 - jsroge Likes this wine:

The somm at Sweet Basil in Vail, CO walked to the bar with this bottle opened. A customer had ordered it but sent it back claiming it was "past its prime". Their loss was our benefit. The somm was so very kind to share some of this bottle, which had a wonderful nose, and this Chinon had aged beautifully. Elusive, subtle, minerally, the fruit was in retreat but not surrender. One of my most memorable bottles, for the context of it all created what it was. A gift.