2/19/2024 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Clear and lightly golden color. Nose of honeyed almond, jasmine, white tea and mead. Viscous and slightly tannic in the mouth, with phenolic sweetness and acidic bite. Long finish. Seriously delicious, with a long way to go. Trebbiano (45%), Malvasia (35%) and Verdicchio (20%), with skin contact.

Editorial note: this is a cultish wine from central Italy, sometimes known as the Nun Wine as it’s made by hand at a monastery with oversight from Paolo Bea.

Sourced from Westgate Wine, Raleigh, NC.

2/3/2024 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Bing cherry color. Modest fade at rim. Effusive aromas of boysenberry, blackberry, black raspberry and raspberry. Flavors replicate the nose - berry compote/coulis, backed by cherry cola, root beer and sarsaparilla. Medium weight and slight tannic grip. WOW. Best of Sonoma, especially from the early 2010s. Hard to imagine this getting any better, but it will hold for another 3-5.

Sourced directly from the winery.

2/2/2024 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

This has evolved positively since my September note. A bit weightier and more orange in the color, with strawberry, rhubarb, watermelon rind and hibiscus flavors. Really lovely and delicious, and a great day to say arrivederci to dry January.

Sourced from Westgate Wine, Raleigh, NC

11/27/2023 - Vinsboro wrote:

SILTON’s note captures accurately the balance and verve. This has a bit more heft on the palate and dense aromatics than usual, but as with the other Peay wines the vine maturity is beginning to show. Drink now or hold for up to 10.

Sourced from the winery.

10/13/2023 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Slight fade to orange at rim, dark cherry core. Floral red fruit nose. Bright red fruit on the palate. Overall this is a bit awkward and forward - fruit and booze (15.5% ABV%!) with moderate acidity but without the tannic structure to tie it all together. Fared well in the bottle over a few days. This has outlived Galloni’s “drink in the near term” assessment but won’t, I think, ever develop complex tertiary characteristics due to its modern nature. Pour ‘em if you’ve got ‘em.

Sourced from Enoteca di Ghino, Pienza, IT.

9/22/2023 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Drank this over three days and it morphed and improved during that time. Bright and saline and lemony on Day 1, full-bodied, svelte and expansive by Day 3. Delicious now, but will improve easily for the next 5 years, maybe longer. Well done!

The winery notes state this is now 80% estate fruit, which shows.

Sourced from the winery.

9/3/2023 - Vinsboro wrote:

Consistent with my note from last year. Dark cherry core color, bricking at rim. Dark red fruit, Tuscan herbs and maple syrup on the nose. Full attack on the palate, with dried cherry, blood orange, menthol and a hint of rosemary. Medium weight and acidity. Lots of chunky sediment.

Tasted at the winery, sourced from Westgate Wine, Raleigh, NC.

9/3/2023 - Vinsboro wrote:

Pale watermelon color. Watermelon and strawberry nose, echoed on the palate with medium body and cleansing acidity to finish. This really improves as it warms to 55-60°F. Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto. Consistent with the house style of modernly classic. Great with food, and I think will be good for a year. $20 is on the high end for me for rosé, but this is worth it and a bargain compared to Bandol and Tavel.

Sourced from Westgate Wine, Raleigh, NC.

8/18/2023 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Pale garnet. No fade. Fruity, minerals nose. Bright acidity. Watermelon Jolly Rancher, strawberry, bright acidity. A hint of herby rhubarb from the Pinot Meunier. Seriously delicious, and a testimony to a master winemaker’s touch and salute to cofermentation. Sourced from the winery.

7/29/2023 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Dark cherry color at core. Bricking at rim. Looks like a ten year old Brunello.

Doesn’t smell like it though! Maple-covered cherries on the nose. Cherries on the palate. Impeccably balanced, with loooong acidity to the back of the tongue. Fills out with air.

This is from a ripe vintage, so carrying 14+% ABV which is atypical of the house style. Lovely.

Sourced from the winery.

6/9/2023 - Vinsboro wrote:

Medium yellow color. Melon and pit fruit and honeysuckle nose. Honeydew melon palate, full and luscious mouthfeel, moderated by slight bitterness on the finish. Well made. Sourced from Westgate Wine, Raleigh, NC.

Chardonnay, Albariño, Viognier and Pinot Grigio.

5/25/2023 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Oh my.

Brick red at rim. Dark cherry core in the center. Aromas of bacon fat and mint, tar and molasses in the background. Persisting acidity and tartness on the palate. Light in weight, but long with dilute cola echoes. Really delicious, and prime.

The cork crumbled.

Sourced from the winery.

Oh my.

2/5/2023 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Extracted, opaque purple color. Ruby at rim. 80% Carignan is unique. Perfumey and dense. Nose is fruity, palate is meaty.

2/4/2023 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Dark, opaque cherry color. Minimal bricking at rim. Leather, wood and saddle aromas, with a hint of plum. Medium weight, medium tannic grip. Ferrous and somewhat fleshy in the palate, with dried fruit and pencil lead. Cocoa powder emerges with time and air. Still very much alive. Sourced from Carolina Wine Company.

10/29/2022 - Vinsboro wrote:

Garnet color. Zero fade at rim. Tertiary aromas - roasted red fruits rolled in loam. Medium weight on the palate. Tight with acidity and superfine tannins. Agree with the “serve cool” recommendation. This is northern Rhône through a California lens. Drink now. Benchmark US Syrah. Well done Nick in the vineyard, Vanessa in the cellar and Andy in the market.

9/18/2022 - Vinsboro wrote:

Brown at rim, brick core. Aromas of maple syrup and brown sugar, muted cherry compote. Medium tannic grip and weight, persistent acidity. Tertiary flavors of strewed strawberries and figgy pudding.

Editorial: past peak, and likely fading, but this will appeal to some. Clearly well made and intact, just in the autumn of its life. Drink up.

Sourced from Enoteca la Fortezza, Montalcino, Italy.

7/14/2022 - Vinsboro wrote:

Deep maroon color. Nominal color fade at rim. Meat, iron, menthol, cocoa and stewed fruit aromas. Medium weight in mouth, with surprising tannic grip and acidic bite. A touch hot. Dried berries and cherries on the palate, along with Italian herbs and cocoa.

This bottle doesn’t seem to show some of the aging characteristics described in more recent tasting notes.

Sourced from Westgate Wine, Raleigh, NC.

5/22/2022 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Extracted and filtered ruby purple color. Cocoa raisins on the nose. Baking spices and some sort of savory fruit in the background - rhubarb or persimmon maybe? Mouth is medium weight with lively acidity. Berry blast compote, vanilla and hints of chocolate raisins on the palate. Goes long. Dang that’s tasty.

3/2/2022 - Vinsboro wrote:

Brett bomb - Band-Aid-Sharpie-barnyard aromas so powerful there’s no fruit. Palate replicated this experience. This is not “hints of barnyard,” it’s Old MacDonald. It’s not “a little funky,” it’s George Clinton and Parliament. Not the same wine I put tasted and purchased at the winery.

Also not bottle variation, as I sampled a second bottle with Coravin with similar results.

Not rated, as most would regard it as flawed.

12/24/2021 - Vinsboro wrote:

Flat brick red, with bricking, orange and brown at the edge. Roasted red fruits, menthol and Tuscan herb aromas. Moderate tannic grip, with balanced acidity and a lingering finish. Heavy sediment. Absolutely terrific, and can’t imagine this getting any better.

Editorial: this is definitely an example of Brunello made in a “modern” style, ie riper, fruitier and higher alcohol. This bottle was delicious. We drank one three weeks ago that was much more advanced and evolved (browner, little fruit) and not nearly as good despite being identical. Word to the wise: significant bottle variation. Use your Coravin if you have one.

5/31/2021 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Watermelon rind in color. Mouth-puckering acidity, medium weight, watermelon rind with a sprinkle of salt. Summer in a bottle. Sourced from the winery.

5/15/2021 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Klezman is right on - strawberries dominate. But it’s not at all one dimensional. And it’s delicious. I think these are better one year on, rather than on release. This makes me wonder what the rest of the portfolio would be like with more modest alcohol levels. Sourced from the winery.

12/25/2020 - Vinsboro wrote:

Presents with opaque purple-black color and minimal fading at rim. Smells of leather, magic marker, shoe polish, tobacco and roasted plum emerge. Firm, fine tannins lead the way on the palate, with iron, blood, saddle and reticent fruit on a medium weight with electric acidity. Similar impressions repeated the next day. Sourced from Carolina Wine Company as futures.

Editorial: if Margaret Thatcher were reincarnated as a wine, this would be it. Proper and polished and pedigreed; firm, austere, consistent and unyielding; classic. I think this wine will hold for more than another decade or more and with little change. It sliced through the prime standing rib roast beautifully but didn’t add much to it.

11/6/2020 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Chez Genèse/Compass Virtual Tasting (Home, Greensboro, NC): Highly extracted purple. Opaque. Cassis, lead pencil. Medium weight, high acid, minimal tannin, medium weight. Balanced. Roasted tomato, olive, vanilla and chocolate. This is tasty and direct, and pretty much satisfies while honoring the Wente name and heritage.

11/6/2020 - Vinsboro Does not like this wine:

Chez Genèse/Compass Virtual Tasting (Home, Greensboro, NC): Dark purple-red. Vanilla bomb nose. Hot. Sweet and viscous in the mouth, with background baking spice.

Editorial: Definitely the house style if you know Rombauer's Chardonnay. It has its fans and place, but just doesn't appeal to me. I originally scored this 80, but removed the score because the wine tastes exactly like the winemaker and Rombauer's customers want it to taste. Not my thing, but it may be yours and there's no harm in that!

11/6/2020 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Chez Genèse/Compass Virtual Tasting (Home, Greensboro, NC): Medium cherry red. Bacon and bright red fruit fruit aromas. Tart acid on entry, moderate tannic grip, bright red fruit flavors. Quite nice.

11/6/2020 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Chez Genèse/Compass Virtual Tasting (Home, Greensboro, NC): Medium yellow color. A hint of lanolin and white peach nose. Honeydew melon and white tea flavors. Soft and fat. Barely any acidity. A little oily with slightly bitter almond to finish.

11/6/2020 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Chez Genèse/Compass Virtual Tasting (Home, Greensboro, NC): Very SB-y. Pale, barely tinged yellow. Clear. Citrusy and grassy nose. Ripe and tropical, with zippy acidity to finish. Medium
Weight.

9/14/2020 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Garnet color; pink ruby at rim. Spice box and blueberry pie with graham cracker crust nose. Bright blue fruit flavors, with zippy acidity and echoes of rhubarb savoriness. This is totally in balance and dangerously drinkable. Great effort. Sourced from the winery.

8/2/2020 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Opaque inky purple color. Looks like it's been heavily extracted, but doesn't feel or taste like it. Prominent dark berry profile aromas and flavors, then minerally and sanguine and French herbs. Terrific wine, atypical Chinon. Baudry suggests trying this lightly chilled (55-60°F). Purchased at the winery.

4/12/2020 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Light ruby with some amber flecks. Clear. No fade. Tart roasted strawberry nose. Some secondary & tertiary aromas and flavors. Tart strawberry and rhubarb flavors dominate the palate. Light and elegant, with tart acidity. An iconoclastic, idiosyncratic, enigmatic wine - maybe eccentric too. From magnum. Sourced from Westgate Wine, Raleigh, NC.

4/2/2020 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Clear and bright. Medium ruby color. Pale but not faded at rim. Explosive aromas of cherry cola. Fruit forward on the palate, with breadth and depth in the mouth. Flavors of cherry cola, pomegranate and undertones of maple and bacon. Persistent and long. Really gorgeous. At peak, exemplifying what's possible from the Sonoma Coast. Sourced from the winery.

Editorial: This is really a standout effort. Who would have imagined a Sonoma Coast Pinot made in 2010 going a decade so gracefully? Lots of heralded producers make good wines from this area, but even among that group Peay stands tall. Peay's aging recommendations and tasting notes (https://www.peayvineyards.com/wines/aging-recommendations) for this wine advise "Drink/Hold to 2020. Yummy." Cheers to that.

2/4/2020 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Black cherry color, moderate fading at rim. Aromas of candied cherry, menthol, black olive. Sleek and weighty in the mouth, with modest tannic grip. Deep candied cherry flavors, balanced acid, resonant. Some superfine sediment at the bottom of the bottle. In the drinking window, but with at least three good years left. Sourced from Enoteca Ghino, Pienza, IT.

EDITORIAL: This is a modern style Brunello - sleek, ripe, 15% ABV, prominent fruit. Fans of a more traditional style may not like it.

12/7/2019 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Dark burgundy color. Clear. Moderate bricking at rim. Aromas of meat and menthol. Medium weight. Acidic, yet soft - zero tannin. A hint of rhubarb. Really delicious, but not obviously Syrah and at the end of its drinking window. Don’t decant; drink up! Sourced from the winery.

10/13/2019 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Extracted purple color. Kirsch aromas. Viscous in the mouth, with lots going on - blackberry crumble, vanilla, bacon, coffee, maple, sun-dried tomato. Finishes hot. Sourced from the winery.

10/6/2019 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Dark cherry red. Clear. Baking spices, vanilla, blackberry. Medium tannic grip, with briary black fruit flavors and a touch of root beer. Very good. Sourced from the winery.

10/5/2019 - Vinsboro wrote:

Dark cherry red. Pink at rim. Meat, bacon and mineral nose. Very light weight on the palate. High acid. More like a cool climate Pinot or Dolcetto than Syrah. Sourced from the winery.

Aside: the cork crumbled completely. Couldn't get it out with any tool known to man.

9/15/2019 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Dark cherry red. Clear, slight fade at rim. Poised and elegant. Right in its prime. Light, but with zingy acidity and barely lingering tannins. Prime. Sourced from the winery.

8/24/2019 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Deep dark cherry red. No fading at rim. Opaque. Roasted cherry nose, with some leather notes. Malty oak. Tons of tertiary flavors going on around the licorice red fruit. Statuesque. Balanced. Mildly tannic. Really impressive, and unique. Sourced from the winery.

7/27/2019 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Deep, dark cherry red color. Shoe polish nose at first, with reticent dark fruit flavors. Bright acidity on the palate, medium weight, plushly textured. So balanced, and in a perfect spot right now. Wow. Best Syrah I've had from Copain. Easily good for five more years. Sourced from the winery.

4/14/2019 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Dull medium cherry color. Some fade at rim. Clear. Maple and candied Bing cherry nose. Bacon and rose petal too. Medium weight in the mouth. Soft. Fully mature. Strikes me as elegant and feminine. Flavors echo the nose, and on the second day brass and graphite emerge which are mentioned in the winery's tasting note. Inaugural vintage for this wine. Not yet in decline, but at the end of its drinking window. Sourced from the winery.

Original tasting note for comparison: https://peayvineyards.com/docs/2009amatastingnotes.pdf.

11/17/2018 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Dark cherry core color, bricking at waist. All leather, graphite, cigar box and pencil shavings upon opening. Fleshy merlot texture, acidic balance, integrated tannins. With aeration smoky and roasted fruits came to the fore - like charcoal filtered plums. Textbook 60/40 blend. As others have observed, this is squarely in its drinking window and showing really well. Sourced as futures from Carolina Wine Company.

9/16/2018 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Cork was wet 3/4 of the way up, but no seeping. Deeply extracted purple color, no fade at rim. Kirsch and plum pudding aromas and flavors upon opening. Superfine tannins create a velour texture. At 45 minutes savory notes emerge - soy, balsamic and black tea. At 90 minutes the complexity advances and resolves with cola and sarsaparilla flavors coming to the fore. The small amounts of Petite Syrah and Alicante Bouschet really balance out the Zinfandel beautifully. The wine has some fine sediment. Outstanding, with a long life ahead of it. Drink now - 2023. Sourced from the winery.

8/11/2018 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Dark brick red. Minimal fading at rim. Roasted plums on the nose, with minerals and menthol. Medium weight on the palate, with bracing acid and an elegant balance of dried fig, currant, pencil lead and cedar flavors. Decanted for an hour. Very good now, and good for at least three more years. Sourced as futures from Westgate Wine, Raleigh, NC.

8/11/2018 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

Pale salmon color, almost rose gold. Meaty aromas, along with dried strawberries. There's real depth here - almost an umami flavor - with very balanced acid and bright red fruit. Much more substantial than most rosés. Sourced from Westgate Wine, Raleigh, NC.

8/4/2018 - Vinsboro Does not like this wine:

2011 J. Rochioli Single Vineyard Chardonnays; 8/4/2018-8/6/2018 (Home, Greensboro, NC): Brass colored. Aromas of burnt caramel and butterscotch. Oxidized. Lots of bitterness and exhausted fruit on the palate. Far past prime. Not really drinkable. Sourced from the winery.

8/4/2018 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

2011 J. Rochioli Single Vineyard Chardonnays; 8/4/2018-8/6/2018 (Home, Greensboro, NC): Medium yellow. Intensely sulfidey nose - burnt rubber, match sticks, almost skunky. Any fruit overwhelmed by the other aromas. Blossomed as it warmed and took on air, with apple and pear crostata aromas emerging and echoed on the palate. Drink now, with decant. Sourced from the winery.

Epilogue: drank this again two nights later. Much more integrated and approachable.

8/4/2018 - Vinsboro Likes this wine:

2011 J. Rochioli Single Vineyard Chardonnays; 8/4/2018-8/6/2018 (Home, Greensboro, NC): Medium yellow. Crystal clear. Roasted banana nose. Very tropical. Mild notes of oak. Medium weight in the mouth. Toasty apple and pear, with almond and apricot. Vivacious and persistent, long reverberating finish. Best of the three. Drink now. Sourced from winery.

7/19/2017 - Vinsboro wrote:

Medium yellow. Clear. Tangy approach, light in the mouth with tart acid. No sign of aging. White tea nose. Tasty. Sourced from the winery.

7/16/2017 - Vinsboro wrote:

Brick purple. Raspberry nose. Tobacco-y flavors, and Scotch. Sweet fruit. Sourced from the winery.