4/8/2024 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

This is a wine that I think the name may blind the drinker to reality. It was a good Sauv Blanc, there was precison and balance. I can name other Sauv Blancs for half this that I prefer more. no doubt the name gets people excited when I opened, a well made sauv blanc for sure, but for the money, I will go elsewhere. I do believe 3-4 more years will add some complexity to it. And I am talking Sauv Blanc, not the Cabernet, as the KE cabs are killer....

4/8/2024 - zimmy07 Does not like this wine:

Over the hill, dead!

4/4/2024 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

My Note 18 months ago said wait 5 years, wish I listened. This is way too young, very primary. Lemon curd, crisp apple and still edges of razors. The MV at 15 years of age shine, hold!!!

4/4/2024 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

I am a broken record, Ceritas is so damn good! Not a chard I enjoy more right now. Crisp, lean, floral with mineral notes. I am a very patient wine drinker, except for these, keep ripping them open.

3/20/2024 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

"Lions Share" tasting note is a great descriptor of this wine, my score was less but the tasting note is on point. These wines to me need 10-15 years to get that secodnary profile. This was still primary but the value of this wine is off the charts

3/20/2024 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

oh yes!!! This was so on point. It is rich, it is very round, but not flabby. Can go another 3-5 years but open for business now. Lemon, apple, tropical fruits. One of my favorite things is saving a 1/4 glass of Chard in the glass for last sip of the night, so 5+ hours open, as I think we dont give chard ever enough time. Did that last night and the wine was at its best. PM chards are the real deal, and with some age they transform..

3/20/2024 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

wow!!! silky, seductive, and lush. Sexy AF with violets, rose petals, dark fruits and mocha... This has decades left, decanted 5+ hours and needed more. a '99 Mondavi Reserve went off and challenged for WOTN, but no way to get around this is a world class wine... I would hold for another 5+ years but can be ripped now

3/20/2024 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Decanted for 4 hours and this was smashing. perfect provenance and it showed. Tobacco, dark fruits, and a bit of leather. Still a bit tannic, this has years on it left, but not sure it will get much better. Classic Cali Cab and this wine went toe to toe with a 1998 VCC which was a smokeshow as well.

3/5/2024 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

I needed this wine. I have had 2 young Cayuse wines (2018's) in the last 18 months and the funk, young fruit dominated, and astringent wines left me not liking Cayuse as much (although I have 20+ bottles left). This was on point. The age is perfect. I now know 10 years+ on all future Cayuse. Do not drink earlier (note to self). The Viognier is spot on, this is a dead ringer for a Northern Rhone with the brambleberry, earth, spice and olives.

1/14/2024 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Really well made Chard and the style I like. Not overly oaked or buttery. I opened as I follow MJPHOU and drink many of the same wines. This was lean and crisp, fruit shined through but a bit of a green streak in it. I had it served too cold. Missing some complexity but overall a great wine and the first vintage for Alex. Reminds me a bit of a Ceritas Chard in style, who is by far my favorite domestic Chard made. Alex is a badass wine maker and all his wines shine..

1/14/2024 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

I drank this with a 2018 Lynch Bages, a right vs left bank night. First, I rarely drink wines this young, but both decanted for about 7 hours. First, this was cloudy and ruby red in glass where the Lynch was shiny pure purple. The Larcis was in great harmony. well rounded red fruits, the Merlot brings a silky texture and a hint of chocolate, and some bakers spice. If alone this would have shined more but the 2018 Lynch Bages may be the best LB ever made. The longer the Larcis was open though the more it started to rival the LB.

1/14/2024 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

I rarely drink Brodeaux this young. But it is always fun when I do. This was decanted for 7 hours. Holy hell, this wine is insanely great. Best Lynch Bages ever made? Better than 85 and 89, maybe!!! This wine is in perfect harmony already, deep blue fruits, the cab just soars. Graphite, toasty note of oak, just great. Maybe 96 is too low, this could easily get to 99 points in 10-15 years. For this price point, why buy anything else.

1/1/2024 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Decanted 4 hours, this is way too young. It did open up a bit with a heavy dose of sulfur (matchstick). enough I looked up Powder House vineyard as maybe it was due to gun powder. I like this note on chard, but this was heavy and more than any other Aubert I have had before. Classic Aubert with a great balance of weight and precision with the oak and butter. all well balanced, with grapefruit, peaches, and touch of lanolin. Needs 5 more years, but this is no where near my favortite Aubert SV wine

12/26/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Ridge MB is a top 3 wine for me and by far my most collected wine. They are best at 20 years of age or more to me, but 2011 is in a great wndow. Yes not the greatest vintage, but that is what I like most. I like it not being a huge fruit bomb, 2011 with a 5 hour decant is classic MB. Bordeuax ringer, with cedar, blue fruits, and the Amercian Oak perfectly integrated. Ths wine is rounded out to near perfection. This will get better with time, but with a decant rip one open. Damn good!!!!

12/26/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Not sure there is a wine I prefer right now more than Ceritas. I love wihites but like a bit of body but without massive oak and butter. This is easily my 10th Ceritas this year, I could drink it all the time. apricot, citrus, and some gravely tones. I will continue to buy all I can as just such a great wine

12/6/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

holy hell this was good. Insane Provenance and it showed. Dark fruits, plenty of life left, still dark purple in glass, no signs of age. Would have said 10 years old in a blind. Cedar, pencil shaving, and cocoa, just amazing. Have thought about this wine every day since I had it

12/10/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

This is so damn good!!! needs many more years, but decanted for 6 hours (needed 10 hours, for real). a bit sweet, big sappy red fruits, massive volume to this wine, very primary still but this wine will be insane in 15 years. For the price point tough to find a better wine

12/10/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

This is showing really well, if you can hold for 5 more years, do it. But this has opened nicely, the most approachable of the big houses. crisp apple, melon, and the touch of Dom sweetness on the mid palate, no real secondary flavors, but drinking well!!!

11/25/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Not really showing as well as I hoped. good balance but lacking depth and structure. Probbaly needs more time

11/25/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

This was really damn good!!!!! Love this style, crisp apple, honeysuckle, and perfect balance. Not sure a better wine made under $80. Need 3 years but was showing really well. So glad I am on this list as these guys are delivering insane wines!

11/25/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

This is really good!!!! I always said I liked the Sangio more, but this was fire. deep violets, mocha, and a silky backbone. In 4 years this will be really good. Great wine!!!

11/22/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

This is good, no where near the best Marcassin Chard I have had. started off orangish and after 2 hours brilliant gold, this needs time. I agree served cold or room temp changes this wine dramatically. At the end all the richness, butter and oak from a classic Maracassin but too damn flabby. No other way to say it. I like the leaner style and that is usually with vintage, but this was so over the top not the biggest fan

11/17/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Nanda said it best, this was a smoke show, damn good!

11/17/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

this was great! yeasty notes, apple, walnut. You can taste a bit of age but it can go way longer. Sweet notes early on and then true balance and elegence. One of the better Doms I have had of late

11/17/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

This was not a perfect bottle, but held together great. I decanted 45 minutes and it needed longer, I was scared to go too long. Fruit to tannin profile was very good. Not as great as I hoped for, but still good.

11/12/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

still very young. very sweet out of the gate with a nice yeasty component. after 90min in ice bucket the sweetness died down and almond, brioche and pear shined through. Decent bottle of bubbles but for the price the regular Bollinger is my preferred option.

11/12/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

why do I take notes??? Had this wine in March and said hold many more years, well ripped this open last night. This wine is great, but young. Decanted 3 hours and this is still primary. Dark purple in glass, cedar, pencil shavings and blue fruits. this is damn good!!!! in 7-10 years maybe a 97-98pt wine, that damn good!

10/11/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

I handled this wrong, pulled cork about 40 minutes before drinking. Color was spot on, great nose. At that point should have trusted my instincts. We consumed over the next hour and the wine had a very sharp metallic taste, not on the entire mouthfeel, just an edge in the mouth. after 100minutes (40 min opned before and hou drinking it) the wine really started to round out and brighten up, we had small pours left. Stewed meats, violets, and some baking spice. should have opened longer as the last sip was the best by far..

9/24/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Stet has a great tasting note on this, agree with all. This is still a bit young, but this will be great in a few years. This is my favorite Chard from Ceritas

9/24/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Classic Krug. Still very young, needs another 3-5 years for sure, but a touch of brioche, apple, melon, and still a few hard edges. I like 171 more than this but it outshines the 169 IMO

9/11/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

By far the most approachable 2008 compared to Dom, Cristal, Taittinger Comtes and Krug. This has a touch of sweetness, with crisp apple, honeydew, and toasted brioche. Still think it has many more years left on this, but a great example of how good 2008 is and it is approachable unlike the others listed. Bolly GA are maybe the best price to quality in Champagne. These are great vintage in and vintage out!

9/4/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Could not have said it better than ozonelayer's note.

9/4/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

This is young. Some green notes early. That mostly blew off after 7 hour decant but always remained. Menthol, eucalyptus, and dark fruits. The petite Verdot shines through (loved the old component tastings). This is very Napa like from a fruit structure. Usually far more like Bordeaux than Napa, but not this one. I can see why people love this, but this is a wait and see for me. Needs at least 10-15 more years to evolve, but based on the score, came up short and got smashed by the 2013 at same age. Actually the 2014 and 2016 were hands down better.

8/31/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Had at a restaurant and decanted for about 15 min. Needed 2 hours of decanting to be right. This was damn good... licorice, earthy tones and gravel and earth. I have had the 2005 twice this year and they were cranking, this was on point as well. An often over looked second growth, but really good!!! You can hold, but with a 2 hour decant this is ready to go

8/12/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

It is amazing how polarizing these wines are. A few people hated this, poured back the wine into decanter. This is classic Cayuse. Beyond funky, with bbq smoke, bacon fat, and a stringent after taste. Classic. This was decanted for about 6 hours and needed it all. The fruit is still really nice and a solid mid palate structure. I would wait for another 5-6 years min.

8/11/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Classic Allemand. Young for sure but decanted for 3 hours. Bakers spice, black and blue fruits, with a silky mid palate. Just a damn good wine, I dont have many as they have become expensive (I remember $80 for the 2008 vintage). anyway great wine, I suggest holding for 3-5 more years but can be decanted and enjoyed

7/25/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Killed a baby! I had 3 bottle blind for a customer and when done we wanted one more, so I pulled this, decanted for 5 minutes (not ideal). I am very vocal I like SQN at 10 years of age min, but keep openig these young as this is a crowd pleaser. This was very primary. This needs time. But typical SQN, massive dark fruits, chocolate, strawberry, big hit of espresso. This wine will be insane after 2028, wait if you can. But SQN is somewhat approacable young and I do get why people lose thier minds over these. The people who tasted it loved it, I liked where it is and know it will be better with time

7/25/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

This is damn young. I bought 2019 and 2021 of all 3 wines, never had a glass of this, had a sip a year ago. Needed to get into one. This was almost black in the glass, dark fruits, heavily perfumed, very complex on mid palate. It is 6 years away. I usually say these wines need 10-20 years but this was approachable with a 9 hour decant, yes young but approachable. A lot going on here, chocolate milk shake, with bakers spice, asian spice, white pepper and toasted oak. damn good!

7/25/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

This was damn good, had a 2 hour decant. Earthy tones with blue fruits, cedar and toasted oak. This has a few years left but not going to get any better IMO. great showing

7/11/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

S. Wayne described it better than I could have...

7/11/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Damn good bottle of wine for this price point.. needed 3 hours in decanter but was on point. Yong for sure, ideally in 5-6 more years but in a good place with decant

7/11/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Decanted for over 5 hours, knocked the Cayuse "nasty"off it. This was really damn good. One of the better Caysue I have had in past couple of years. still has the funk, but less than past vinatges and real nice dark fruits.

7/11/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

This was really closed down, decanting it could not open it back up. This will be really good in 5 years, but muted and dull (although fruit and tannin were in good shape). needs time

7/11/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Not sure 2015 is the best reflection of Almaviva. A good wine, but on the heavy side with massive fruit and not a ton of balance. Great fruit profile for sure, but these are usually great Bordeaux ringers and this was not that. enjoyable yes, not a great Almaviva thoug, they make exceptional wine and many vinatges are better than this

7/11/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

This was tightly wound. Very masculine structure for a Rochioli Pinot, no real finesse, it was okay, one of the worst Rochioli SV Pinot I have had

7/2/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Classic d'yquem. spot on and drinking in a really good place. always fun to drink. Missing the complexity and finish of the legendary 2001, but still a great wine to drink and always delights

7/2/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

Unbelievable depth of flavor in this wine. By far more compact and closed down compared to 2008 HB and 2000 Ducru. It was not decanted like the HB was and it showed. Big dark fruits, forest floor, and clove. It is so well built, just young. Needs many more years, but with a 4-6 hour decant can be approached. great wine, maybe best made wine opened, but not drinking the best at this moment

7/2/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

I delayed opening as scores were not good. This was ripping. Opened on First Growth night and this was damn good. Obviously not of that caliber but for $40 delivered the crispness, fruit, and floral notes needed in a Sauv Blanc. I will buy many more of these.

7/2/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

I just can't drink SQN young. Opened for about 2 hours, needed about 10 more hours to even be approachable. typical huge blue fruits, floral with a big tannic backbone. No doubt well made wine.

7/2/2023 - zimmy07 Likes this wine:

This is one of my all time favorites. I popped this after my 2003 Marguax was corked. Violets explode off the nose and first taste. backbone of blue fruits, mocha and cedar. The wine is pretty. well put together. I will hold my remaining bottles another 5-10 years, but this is ready to go with 3 hour decant