2/23/2024 - Doug Fir wrote:

This was ok, but not what I expect from Barbera d’Asti. This is pretty high alcohol, rich, low-ish acidity, and has little of the bright red fruit I associate with Barbera. The fruit was deeper red and hinted at cherry cola. It did ok with some food but not sure I’d buy more.

2/22/2024 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Spot-on Chianti. Red fruit, herbs, tangy acidity, light to medium bodied but good depth and saturation of flavors. San Felice is to me the most consistently good Chianti around. Wish I’d bought a lot more of this 2016, but will just have to wait for the 2020s I have to come around.

2/3/2024 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Beautiful ruby color. Fairly light bodied but good depth of flavor. Lots of red, red fruit - mostly red cherry/candied cherry, and some cranberry. Also a good dose of menthol in there, and some earthiness to balance it all out. Fairly simple but good Nebbiolo, and good value.

1/19/2024 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Interesting take on Syrah (but also 25%Kotsifali). Very gamey/meaty and big on red fruit, also a chalky-minerally thing going on. Medium body, lighter than most Syrah I’ve had, esp new world ones. Quite good alone and with food. Good QPR at about $18 US.

1/9/2024 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Thought this might be getting too old so I only bought one bottle. Boy do I regret that! Excellent and still going strong.

1/11/2024 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Dark red fruits, good balance of savory (thyme, cedar) and sweeter (vanilla - or banana according to others -, butterscotch) flavors. Medium heavy body and medium acidity. Really liked this. Went well with chicken in tomato and Greek-style eggplant sauce. Thank you, winemakers (-:

12/31/2023 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

A bit on the young side, but after opened and warmed up for an hour it developed more depth and was quite good with pasta Bolognese. Dark cherry and a lot of oak. Medium bodied, medium high acid, and some grippy tannins. Guessing it will be best in 2-3 more years.

12/29/2023 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Mostly red fruits, medium body and acid, some oak vanilla. This was pretty good and not too old to my taste. Decent pairing with mid-weight food e.g. chicken-fennel-tomato pasta, and good on its own as well. Too bad these were the last two bottles available.

11/17/2023 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Didn’t care for this much 4 years ago, and at that time thought maybe it could use a few more years of aging. Boy howdy! This was delicious last night with roast chicken dinner and afterwards. It has softened considerably and lost the alcohol heat that I noticed last time. Luscious plum and dark fruit flavors, with some leather, tobacco, and well integrated oak. Glad I waited.

11/10/2023 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Aromas of menthol, red cherry, and a little funk. Flavors dominated by floral and red cherry, some vanilla too. Decent finish with the vanilla mostly at the end. Medium body, low-medium acidity.

11/5/2023 - Doug Fir wrote:

This has softened since my previous bottle a couple of years ago and was in the perfect spot for my taste. Wish I had more -

11/5/2023 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Very Port-like, with almond & baking spices, and then a little tart cherry on the finish. I had heard of Amarones and maybe some ripassos that were Port- like, but never experienced it with any I drank. This was very good, especially on a cool, rainy November evening.

10/28/2023 - Doug Fir wrote:

Ok, but unremarkable and kind of disappointing.

8/26/2023 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Previous notes capture it well, although I didn’t find it so acid driven as some have. Hit a good spot between dry and slightly sweet and went really well with grilled halibut.

7/29/2023 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Medium bodied Zinfandel, not super heavy or jammy, which I liked. Classic Zin aromas and flavors: cherry, plum, lot of raspberry, cinnamon. Did the standard pairing with BBQ (chicken) and it hit the mark. Very good QPR in my book.

6/18/2023 - Doug Fir wrote:

A little bricking around the edges. Aromas of raspberry, cherry, wood shavings, vanilla, and a little dustiness. Similar flavors but more dark cherry fruit and quite a bit of wood and vanilla, and a touch of what I would call sassafras. Medium acidity and medium heavy body. Really liked this on its own and it was great with a Greek-themed meal.

5/27/2023 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Beautiful garnet color. Subtle nose of cherry and something a little savory. Flavors predominantly red cherry, with savory herbs, almond, and a little cedar. Light bodied with medium high acidity. Was great with a Greek style chicken dish with tomato, eggplant, onion, and feta. Very good, and would buy again (in fact just did) - though not the best QPR.

5/14/2023 - Doug Fir Does not like this wine:

Another confected very ripe Cali Zinfandel …. Not my style.

4/17/2023 - Doug Fir wrote:

Half a glass and the rest went in the cooking wine cabinet. Very confected, mass-production-tasting.

4/16/2023 - Doug Fir wrote:

Nose of cherry, raspberry, a little vanilla and a little burnt rubber (just a little, and in a good way). Flavors dominated by bright cherry, oak, vanilla. Medium bodied and fairly high acidity. Pretty textbook Chianti to me, and not quite as good as other vintages of this that I’ve had but still very enjoyable and good QPR when purchased at Costco. This would be great with Tuscan or similar food. I fell flat on my face and had it with calamari and salmon…. And in fact it worked ok. But something closer to its home would really elevate both I’m sure. Even sitting here sipping the last glass after dinner, it’s quite good. Never been disappointed by Monsanto -

3/25/2023 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Deep red-purple. Subtle aroma, slightly gamey/meaty. Flavor was dominated by red cherries, with some of the meatiness mixed in, and a bit of vanilla. Great depth and saturation, with a good lingering finish. Nearly everything about this reminded me of a southern French wine of Grenache, Mourvedre, etc. And I guess they do Malbecs down there too. Anyway, had I tasted blind I’d have guessed a grenache-based something, though it did have less acidity and a more obvious red cherry flavor than I typically associate with those wines. Really enjoyed this and hoping I can get some more to supplement my one remaining bottle.

3/11/2023 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Good value on sale at $16. Medium weight and acidity. Red fruit, savory herbs, a little wood shavings and vanilla. Pretty good for crianza at this price.

2/25/2023 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Loved this. Red fruits, pomegranate, chalk, a little bit of savory herbs, and slight bit of vanilla. Medium + body, medium + acidity. Had some sharp bite to it when first opened but that softened after 30 minutes and some food. Went spectacularly well with a Greek chicken dish. Most enjoyable wine I’ve had in the past year or so. Birthday gift from my son and did he pick a good one.

2/3/2023 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

A quaffing wine, but a good one. Candied cherry, medium -low acidity, low tannins, good saturation of flavor.

12/26/2022 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Very Port-like, but fruitier and sharper. Great with Christmas desserts.

12/25/2022 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Dark cherries, sandalwood, dried flowers. Velvety texture, really well balanced, moderate acidity. Very tasty bottle and hit the mark well with beef bracciole in tomato sauce and porcini risotto. Decanted about two hours before drinking.

11/12/2022 - Doug Fir wrote:

Excellent. Smooth, mid-weight, dark cherries, some oak.

11/13/2022 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

A little thin but pretty good. Dark fruits, light-moderate acid. Went fairly well with Bolognese sauce.

10/29/2022 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

This was surprisingly good. Really well balanced and pretty soft, esp for a CDR. Darkish fruits, sweet tobacco, flowers, and a slight bite of herbs. Great with or without food.

10/22/2022 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Not terribly complex but well balanced, with red fruit, wood shavings, a little garrigue, and nice sweet fruity finish ( “watermelon candy” is a good call). Great value for a restaurant bottle.

9/26/2022 - Doug Fir wrote:

A little green and herbal for my taste. Grippy tannins too. Better on 2nd day, with more red fruit, some wood shavings, and florals, but still a bit of a disappointment. Oh well.

9/18/2022 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Dry, but with rich, apple undertones that give a subtle impression of sweetness. The fizz is light and it has good acidity. Very good with grilled scallops and our dinner in general. Nice surprise.

9/17/2022 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Another tasty bottle. Nice sweet/tangy combo and tension. Taste like a bit of muscat in there too.

9/4/2022 - Doug Fir wrote:

Medium-heavy bodied, rich, slightly sweet. Not much acid or tannin. Dark fruit/plums predominant. A little baking spice maybe.

7/18/2022 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

This was excellent with grilled NY strip. No detailed notes, but the main impression was a really well balanced wine that is Merlot-heavy but not overly jammy or ripe. Had the underlying black/blue fruit but also a bit of acidity and red fruit notes on the finish.

6/16/2022 - Doug Fir wrote:

Enjoyed this much more than previous bottle, but still a bit on the rich, gutsy side for me. I prefer lean, crisp and/or floral whites. Did go well with some Copper River sockeye.

6/11/2022 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Very pale, brick red. Quite light bodied. Red fruits with savory, herbal notes. Great with food.

5/9/2022 - Doug Fir wrote:

Don’t usually like Pinot Grigio much - too flat and monotone. But this was very good, with lively acidity and floral and grassy flavors. Would definitely buy again if I can find it.

4/16/2022 - Doug Fir wrote:

Excellent Valpolicella. Rich, balanced. A bit of candied cherry, fig, toast. I think maybe the best non-Ripasso/Amarone I’ve had.

4/2/2022 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Excellent medium bodied amarone. Prominent cherry, toast, moderate smoke, raisin, and a little bit of baking spice. Seems aged just right to me. A bit of acidity which made it go well with food (including strangely enough, chocolate babka - see BARONFREYA note below), but otherwise soft and smooth on the palate. I’m glad Uncle Louie’s turned me on to Speri wines - they’ve consistently been my favorite Venetos.

3/4/2022 - Doug Fir Does not like this wine:

Not my type. Seemed low acidity, and had a tarry, petroleum flavor that I don’t care for. Not so good with food. Big letdown!

2/27/2022 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Delicious, on the lighter side for amarone. Lots of cherry fruit, some fig, toast, almond, and just a little baking spice. Medium body and acidity. Nicely aged to my taste and don’t think I’d want to hold it much longer. Went really well with broiled sirloin slices and mushroom sauce.

2/26/2022 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Maybe a little past prime, but still quite good. Medium body, red fruit and earth. No more detailed notes, but I thought the nose was a bit more interesting than the flavors. Went well with very tasty burgers from Flip.

1/12/2022 - Doug Fir wrote:

Excellent with chicken-porcini-Marsala dish. Agree with some previous notes that it starts off with a slight stewed fruit flavor, but that dissipated after about 3 hrs open. Nice grenache and Mourvèdre fruit flavors, supple mouthfeel, maybe a little smokiness in there too. Really enjoyed this.

12/5/2021 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Pleasantly surprised after reading some other reviews. It is on the lean side, but that’s what I generally expect in a Chianti. This has nice red cherry flavors, savory notes, and some underlying oak. Somewhat above average acidity (for Chianti) but not too much for my taste. Lean but not thin. Nice, grippy tannins at the end. Very good with tomato-beef pasta sauce.

10/30/2021 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Needed an hour or so of air, then was pretty good QPR at $17. Went well with grilled ribeye, plus pasta with fennel, roasted walnuts, olives.

10/21/2021 - Doug Fir Likes this wine:

Dark color to this - black/purple, though not dense. Amazing nose dominated by aroma of toasting bread, along with seaweed, leather, stones, herbs, smoked meat, chrysanthemums, and sweet cherry. Flavors dominated by the cherry, leather, and herbs with some fresh sawn wood in there. Nice mouthfeel, no rough edges, decent finish. One of the better wines I’ve had this year.

10/8/2021 - Doug Fir wrote:

Lighter bodied than I remembered - like very light. Very light red color, easy to see through. Raspberry, pencil lead, subtle wood smoke aromas. Same on palette but with strong bright cherry flavor. Fairly high acidity. Fine sweet tannins. Liked it, though not as much as I did before. Probably would have been even better in summer, with some chill on it.

8/22/2021 - Doug Fir wrote:

Nose of strawberry, sandalwood, plum, stones, and bright hot sunshine. Same flavors with emphasis on the sandalwood and plum, along with sour cherry and vanilla. Medium-heavy body and tannins. Decent acidity. Went well with grilled rib eye, rosemary butter, pasta with fried sage leaves, and roasted fennel. Celebratory dinner for my son, headed off to college in a couple days. Fare thee well, dear boy!

8/6/2021 - Doug Fir wrote:

Red fruits, wood shavings, slightly sweet. Moderately high acidity. Good with food especially. The 14.5% alcohol is noticeable and became a little unpleasant to me after a couple glasses; but it isn’t overwhelming. A few years aging might do a lot of good.