3/28/2024 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

What is it about so many California wines that are meant to be drunk young? Five years ago this wine was in perfect balance as per my note back then. Today it has aged much more than expected. Bricking on the edge and cooked prune fruit. Still great acidity, and still reasonably complex but some elements have faded already. Drink it up.

11/25/2023 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

Ha ha reading previous notes was fun. This wine is amazing.Very dark fruits are still prevalent. The only criticism if it could only be a criticism is that it is port-like. But having said that it isn't as sweet as any port. it is incredibly well extracted, high alcohol but high fruit content. it has amazing depth and complextiy and viscosity.

7/27/2023 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

This wine is still going strong. Great flavors of toasted nuts, caramel, good acidity. Hints of apple and spice. Rich, thick, viscous. The finish lasts for a long time. It fades in glass only slightly after 30 minutes. Gorgeous, but no need to wait.

7/3/2023 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

Typical Cotes de Provence Rose in many respects. Salmon color. Well balanced with the right amount of fruit, sweetness and sourness. A touch of minerality. Dry in spite of the sweetness hint. Just perfect, but not highly extracted.

7/1/2023 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

Drinking beautifully already. Medium body, color is rather lighter than expected. Fragrant flowers, bright red fruit. The back end was very interesting and reminded me of hazelnuts. Not a lot of tannins.

4/29/2023 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

Gorgeous layers of flavor, acidity is not over the top, just right. Great cherry, herb, just a classic interpretation of chianti. Second day, it still holds up and reveals extra terroire without getting a vinegar taste.

3/31/2023 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

I read Burghound's review of this wine and I agree with his assessment, but why did he give it 89 points? He said extremely sauvage. Yes. Roasted plum, dark pinot fruit and plenty of earth. Yes. Excellent volume and richness to the velvet-textured medium weight flavors that also display marked rusticity on the serious, complex and lingering finish. Yes.
Won't win any awards for refinement, but I do like the depth and focused power. Yes.

Me too. So yes, at least 93 points. This wine is so delicious and wonderful.

2/22/2023 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

What a beautiful wine. Not because of its complexity or extract, but because it has a perfect balance of acid, minerality, honey and nutmeg and spice. It grows in the glass as it warms, like all great chardonnays. I am not that familiar with the commune of Pernand-Vergelesses but this wine is so pleasureable, it reminds me a little bit of Puligny-Montrachet minus the hazelnuts. Get this, drink it, be surprised and wowed.

12/26/2022 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

What a revelation. What a perfectly amazing 54 year old wine firing on all cylinders. Opens to notes of funk, passes into excellent fragrances of flowers, herbs. After 30 minutes, viscosity presents itself. Fruit is prevalent all the way through the entire tasting. Acid is not too overpowering, tannins are nearly gone, the balance is intriguing throughout as it walks the tightrope of an extremely old wine's fragileness. Absolutely no pruning, no maderization. I am not sure I can wait until tomorrow morning to taste it again, but there are more bottles... ha ha

3/11/2022 - ChaineMatt wrote:

What a pleasant shocker. Chewy, viscous. Much bricking at the edge but still fragrant, still earthy, minerals, flowers. Medium body, few tannins left, fruit is a little muted but good light to medium cherry. It changes in the glass of course, and after only one hour it has opened nicely. Probably won't need further air and I certainly don't intend to give it any more, haha.

12/10/2021 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

I was very pleasantly surprised by this wine, it is holding up so well, it is still fresh as a daisy. The tannins have mostly melted away, the color is still very dark with a little bricking on the edge. The nose gives up sweet dark cherry, earth, spice, vanilla, toast, all kinds of wonderful. The extraction is big, chewy. The wine is viscous, has a beautiful long finish. The only thing I wondered about is the acidity, which isn't bracing but perhaps that is because the complexity just smashes right through the acid.

We left a glass for the second night. New flavors have developed. The wine is still excellent. Absolutely floored!

12/2/2021 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

What a shock, probably no one will ever see this review since this is 11 years after the last review but every now and then an inexpensive wine can last longer than you think and surprise you in general. I stumbled upon this in my cellar, I have no idea when or how I got it which means I probably need to do a full audit of my inventory! (probably a gift from someone who didn't know about wine, but hey it's all wonderful)

Anyways, the tannins have melted away, the color is lighter than others have remarked and there's a little bricking on the edge but that's expected too for 15 years in bottle for a wine that never aspired to live this long in the first place. The nose is pleasant, sweet red or bing cherry. After 30 minutes a bit of oregano appears. The acids have helped prolong its life and any imperfections due to tannin or youth in general have sorted themselves out. This is not just a pleasant quaff, it is well-balanced and lighter styled of course since the grapes could not possibly have been from a low-yield vineyard.

But it is still just lovely. It will not go with steak, but almost any chicken dish in lieu of a medium intensity white.

8/6/2021 - ChaineMatt wrote:

Reading back on other reviews I honestly think there might have been weird production problems. There is inconsistent quality among the reviews. My own experience has been abysmal until this bottle. I still have 3 more in my cellar and I asked myself why am I keeping this when it has been awful every time? So I opened another fully expecting the same experience.

But no this bottle is different. Which makes me think there was something that happened somewhere along the process that ruined only a portion of the production and not the other portion.

This bottle has all the characteristics that the others had in the beginning: complexity, balance, fruit, some wood, excellent nose but high alcohol. The problem was the rest of them fell apart. This bottle is showing extremely well, after 16 years, is that what it took to blow off the problems, or are some bottes just flawed and others fine?

This bottle is starting to fade after an hour but not a lot.

Too many questions unanswered. For now, I will simply enjoy. If anyone still has some, try it.

3/5/2021 - ChaineMatt Does not like this wine:

A good bit of earth smell at first but there is not much fruit here. High acidity without freshness, without citrus, the acidity just feels like white vinegar. Creamy, too creamy without support. Light style, not much depth. No herbs or spices. An off bottle?

2/28/2021 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

Tasted by 38 people blind against Kistler, a Premier Cru Burgundy, and a NZ top producer, this won hands down. It tricked most of us because it had terroir, beautiful barnyard, cheesy nose, and then great body. Most perceived it as French. This is a great compliment one could pay but although it won the competition it was not perfect. Which is of course totally fine.

Medium body, medium red fruit, not a lot of acidity but as mentioned above, great terroir. Stinky, cheesy at first then herbal. Great nose. Great extraction.

2/14/2021 - ChaineMatt wrote:

This wine is absolutely stunning and entirely improbable given its age and the fact that it isn't Lynch Bages' first bottling. I have not had a wine like this in a very long time. Get ready because this wasn't just great tasting wine, it was a journey in the glass.

At first, the cork smelled old and a small pour revealed huge funk, a lot of burnt wood and that signature cheeseburger and mushrooms that attracted me to Lynch Bages in the first place.

After a bit of breathing it began to reveal more. A bit of leather, funk, barnyard. Still cheese but also fragrant wood, not charcoal but a more hickory note that made your nose ecstatic. Fruit was a bit muted but there was so much complexity of earth and terroir it didn't matter. On to the lamb loin with demi glace.

After half an hour to an hour it began to reveal extraordinary dark cherry fruit, almost like an extraction of luxardo without the sweetness. The tannins throughout the entire experience wove a web of warmth, not too prevalent, not absent. The wood changed again to mahogany.

The acid throughout was in the background, simply supporting the entire experience. After an hour, dark cherries faded into black plums. After two hours the fragrant wood returned but with a note of charcoal also, the fruit went blacker and faded a tad. Thoroughly an incredible erxperience.

1/2/2021 - ChaineMatt wrote:

Sixth time from magnum and this last one was showing its age but in general all six magnums were lovely and a very pure expression of what I expect a Puligny Montrachet to be. Wonderful hazlenuts, butterscotch, full and grassy, good citrus notes. Good acidity, very well balanced.

11/15/2020 - ChaineMatt wrote:

Hot. Alcoholic. No finesse. Dark, black, yay. But is a wine about 15.6% alcohol with big sweet fruit? Can Paso Robles copy Spain?

I hope it improves over time but I suspect the alcohol will not help it much.

Second night, it softened. Very sweet fruit coming through. Still a lot of alcohol coming through. But it's better than last night.

9/26/2020 - ChaineMatt wrote:

This wine is bursting with so many variables. The complexity, the depth, the variety of different fruits that assault you. The minerality is much higher than average for California.

You could argue that this is made in a Burgundian style, but yet it has some sweetness, but it doesn't seem to come from oak. You could argue it's classic California because of its tropical fruits and honey but then you come back to the minerality argument, and you taste the petrol which was practically non-existent in California chardonnays until more producers started "finding" it.

You could say that some pear fruit slipped in, meyer lemon as opposed to straight lemon and you would be right. Where does that come from? I have tasted it in a couple Oregon wines.

In short, this wine has so much going on that everyone probably picks up very different things. But the bottom line is the complexity, extraction and nice long finish, At five years it is great. If you have more, do one per year. It could evolve amazingly.

Don't drink it at 38 degrees, it does quite well at cellar temp of 57.

9/25/2020 - ChaineMatt wrote:

I agree with most peoples' assessment of QPR. This is a very pleasant wine, and yes a lighter more feminine style of malbec than most. Tannins are fading a bit, making it ready to drink now. Good medium fruit, almost raspberry-like. A bit of charcoal in the early going which turns to finer wood if you let it breathe. Not highly extracted but tasty.

8/16/2020 - ChaineMatt wrote:

It's hard to rate this against its peers for me because I do not have a lot of experience with pecorino, but this wine has changed rapidly over time. I purchased a case and have been drinking it over the last 2 years.

Highly extracted, minerally, honeyed, a little sweet, but great slateyness (if that's a word). In its youth it showed a depth of minerals, less honey, good acidity. Honeysuckle, melon, the fruit isn't quite tropical but it is dense. Excellent wine.

8/16/2020 - ChaineMatt wrote:

Bitter all the way down. Highly alcoholic on the nose and through the throat. Bitterness on the throat. Acidity is high and overpowers the rest of the taste. However, extraction is ok, sweet fruit, leather, tannins are fading a bit but this won't be any better. Not sure where I even procured it. Cellartracker has only one vintage of it.

6/25/2020 - ChaineMatt Does not like this wine:

Parker gave this a 92? It’s time to ignore the “critics” because point inflation only means they get quoted most often. Look at James Suckling who is always 2 points higher than the rest of the world. Sickening.

This wine was bitter, astringent, lacking in depth, body, and fruit, and it was a bit sour. Bright acicidity is nice, underripe sourness isn’t. It ruined all food put with it, and it did not improve with food. It did not improve much in glass, it added a very small amount of sweet fruit.

6/13/2020 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

Drinking at 38 degrees F which is of course too cold. High minerality, both slate and something more bitter, but I must confess I don't lick rocks often. Thick mouthfeel, lots of glycerin. Fruit is very green, almost like underripe pineapple. Therefore high acidity.

Warming up, apples, rose petals on nose. Surprisingly unctuous for this part of the world and this price point. It's a style that to me is a departure from a typical Touraine, but it is compelling.

Rating a wine that isn't what you expect is an interesting proposition and it opens it up to more comparison. But in the entire universe of Sauvignon Blanc this is as good as many others around the world.

5/24/2020 - ChaineMatt wrote:

Unbalanced, very sharp, acidic, the charcoal and tobacco elements cover up the fruit which is nice black cherry but mostly this is a mess. Medium body, no finish, this doesn't work on its own it needs big steak and cheeseburgers to hide its flaws.

5/24/2020 - ChaineMatt wrote:

It's hard to rate this against classic verdelho because of course Australia has a hotter climate. Verdelho is supposed to be green and acidic, right? Well this wine has good acidity but it is ridiculously rich and viscous. It is hard to compare it to the classic, so let's try to rate it on its own merits. It starts out rather closed, rather spare, rather lean, but a few swirls and it starts to open up quite well. We drank it with a salad which is a no-no for most wines due to the dressing which had lemons, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, in short, not a compliment to any wine. But the Violinist soared with this combination. Literally. It got richer and fuller and sweeter when paired with the salad. Later in the day it revealed a salinity and the viscous mouth feel was still most prominent. A gem, diamond in the rough, sometimes you pair a wine with food perfectly. I would try this wine with asparagus. Winks to those who know that asparagus is impossible.

5/24/2020 - ChaineMatt wrote:

This wine is showing beautifully right now. It took an hour or so to open up but it revealed gorgeous sweet blackberry and cherry fruit, a bit of chocolate, very little tannins left. Great body and structure, but the alcohol is noticeable. A pleasant surprise given its age.

5/23/2020 - ChaineMatt wrote:

Clearly meant to be drunk young, hurry up and finish this. A bit flabby, muted nose of hay, lime, not well-extracted. Lean and forgettable.

5/23/2020 - ChaineMatt wrote:

What a stunner, at this age. Stored in a neutral vat and bottled recently? I threw a party for 145 people and opened 12 of these, all showed perfectly. All labels and fills were pristine. Great acidity, minerality, beautiful delicate flowers, green apples, it lasted as long as we could quaff it, and no one wasted their time!

9/25/2019 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

This wine sings. It stuns. It is incredible after only 9 years. I have tried it three times before this time and it was not revealing its true character and perhaps it isn't now but it has revealed much more than before. Chewy, dark, fragrant, its nose gives charcoal which fades fast but herbs which last. After the charcoal the tannins come through which are way too big right now but they begin to reveal the underlying fruit which is black cherry, blackberry, the viscosity is intense, the smoke is intense, the tannins are big still, but the stuffing underneath will outlast all the tannins, all the preparation, save this wine as long as you can. Tonight it revealed a power, an acidity, a presence, all of which could not hide its underlying extraction of fruit which should present itself for decades.

8/5/2019 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

A beautiful, expressive wine. Dried herbs, flowers, bing cherry. Well balanced between acidity, fruit and tannins. Ready to drink upon release, this wine is medium-body and graceful. Delightful for all 8 people who tried it on this night.

7/30/2019 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

This has improved in a year and the tannins have faded enough to bring out all of the wine's strengths. I was a little concerned a year ago that the high alcohol would affect the flavors as it aged but this was not the case with this bottle on this date.

Everything is in great balance now, lovely dark fruits, a hint of chocolate and vanilla. It opened nicely after only 30 minutes. I think it has entered an excellent drinking window now.

6/24/2019 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

This wine is well balanced and pleasant in all aspects. Color on the rim is still pink after 7 years, good fresh acidity, bing cherry, raspberry, not too sweet. Medium body. Tannins are soft now. Not a lot of evidence of oak but that's OK in a wine like this made in a lighter style. It developed in glass quite nicely, blowing off initial funk. Very good quaff.

6/17/2019 - ChaineMatt wrote:

Great fragrance, great minerality, but low fruit and low acid. Good grip and structure and a lot of bubbles even for a Txakolina. Bitter core. Well extracted but not in a balanced way. This could go flabby very soon.

Screwtop is disappointing since those who know Txakolina know that normally the cork is unique and part of the spectacle of opening a true Txakolina.

6/17/2019 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

Very fruity and extremely pleasant to drink. Absolutely quaffable. Well balanced between sweet medium cherry, raspberry fruit and acidity. Not a lot of terroir. Slightly bitter note came through when consumed with a steak. Drinking perfectly after 10 years. A screaming bargain.

5/27/2019 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

Extremely black in color. Still steely on the nose the next day after opening. This could last three days. Swirled to reveal earthiness and dried herbs, oregano. Char, tarry, thick and viscous. Very dark fruit, prune and blackberry but some decent acidity behind it. Tannins at this stage are still quite present. This needs at least ten more years to mature and reveal its true self.

5/25/2019 - ChaineMatt wrote:

Perhaps the community will take me to task on this but to me this wine is a 99 pointer but I cannot in good conscience go out on that limb. But here is my perception of this wine: Amazing clear color for a cab merlot cab franc blend. Huge nose of dried herbs, wet earth and bright fruit. Mostly red cherry or even bing cherry. This suggests medium body which will make most critics ding it. Why? Does a wine have to be titanicly dark to merit a perfect score?

Very acidic but also sweet on the palate, providing perfect balance between the two. Fruits are almost creamy and sweet and strawberry. How can this be a cab merlot. Tannins are very soft. A hint of vanilla from the oak but not too much. A hint of charcoal from the tannins which have softened already after 5 years. In short this wine is so incredibly balanced in the mouth it hits on all cylinders.

Second night it was even better, revealing a bit of olive and more terroir and for some reason more viscosity and a touch of prune. Some wines decay rapidly. This one was better the second day. Can't say enough about it. Stunning in so many ways. Unexpectedly beautiful. Finessed. On the second night it revealed an aging potential. And the acids will help that.

2/5/2019 - ChaineMatt wrote:

Nose is extremely sweet fruit with a bit of tartness. Bing cherry, strawberry, even raspberry. Tons of fruit help define the entire wine. After a long time in glass finally more notes come through. Bits of spice and a little oregano perhaps. Tannins are already melting away but I would save it for 2020 or 21. A lighter style of pinot, light in color and mouthfeel has astringency along with the pound you in the face cold climate fruit. How did they do this? Compelling if you like this style.

1/9/2019 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

A myriad of flavors, possibly because they blend grapes from all over California. It makes the wine more complex but in a disorganized way if that makes sense. What is this wine's soul? Not a lot of depth or extraction but for $12 to 15 that's ok. Sweet but with some acid, vegetal notes, a bit of flower, no gooseberry tartness like a NZ sauvignon blanc. Pleasant quaffer which became more interesting on the second day if a little flabbier.

1/5/2019 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

Pale yellow color. Fragrant nose, white flowers. On the palate you get straw, nutmeg, a bit of clove, lime, earth, even a touch of leather. Well-balanced with a surprisingly long finish. Well extracted and viscous. As it warms to room temperature even more character comes out.

Beautiful wine. Possibly the best alvarinho I have ever had.

1/1/2019 - ChaineMatt wrote:

One professional critic thought it was low in acidity, I disagree. Refreshing, well-balanced between acid and sugar, lemony, a little toast, light body. Thoroughly enjoyable!

12/6/2018 - ChaineMatt wrote:

How does one rate any grape, any wine? Against its peers? Its history? The number (94) doesn’t describe how absolutely lovely this wine is. A pure Concord grape nose and flavor, a bouquet of honeysuckle, a beautiful chalkiness almost like the mouthfeel of milk chocolate but yet there is only a hint of chocolate flavor. Extremely approachable but yet much more extracted than the typical montepulciano d’abruzzos that I have tasted.

Emilio Pepe (usually recognized as the best montepulciano d’Abruzzo) is in a class by itself, being crazy savage, so one should not compare this wine to Pepe, but in terms of its viscosity, color, brilliant hue, and its mouthfeel it stands head and shoulders above any other montepulciano grape I have ever tasted. Hopefully this is the future of the grape as winemakers will realize its full potential. It sings from the glass, revealing a seductive, soft feel that is neither cloyingly sweet nor possessing a lot of acid. In short, it is worth the taste at $27 so that you can see the potential of this grape.

After 30 minutes in glass a slightly bitter note comes through yet the fruit isn’t fading.

Luca Maroni rated this wine a 99. Not sure about his methodology.

3/9/2018 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

Beautiful nose of chocolate, cedar, vanilla, perhaps a high amount of new oak. Blackberry, dark red cherry on the palate, high alcohol but doesn't overpower the flavors. Needs to soften, tannins are still prominent, needs more time but will the alcohol make it more unbalanced? Good extraction, good acidity, I'll try it every 6 months until it peaks, probably in a couple years.

Quite powerful for a chianti.

2/13/2018 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

This is the most unusual while at the same time excellent chardonnay I have ever tasted. Sourced from the Shay vineyard in Willamette Valley Oregon, which would be a Grand Cru plot if the Oregonian government were inclined to identify land as such. Shay is low altitude and south-facing, this is the only chardonnay planted on it.

But enough of the background, this wine had lovely aromatics, widely varied fruit, both slightly tropical but also pear and lime elements. Unctuous mouth-feel, but with good acidity. Very complex and long finish. Reminds me of a Meursault but even more varied fruit profile.

Remarkable in that it seemed to combine both cool and warm terroir.

10/23/2017 - ChaineMatt wrote:

Provided 6 bottles of this vintage to 36 people at a special Lynch-Bages vertical tasting. All 6 were in beautiful condition. This wine has lasted much longer than many 1970 Bordeaux. Beautiful color with only light bricking. Very little soft tannins left, but delicate earthy and herbal notes still on the nose. Quite feminine for a Lynch-Bages. Fruit was perfect, cassis, blackberry, not a lot of acid, in short, drinking perfectly now. Don't wait but it hasn't passed yet.

6/22/2017 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

Extremely dark color with no bricking yet on edge. An assault of sweet blackberry, currant on the nose. Chocolate, vanilla, some spice. Very thick and extracted on the palate, gorgeous gobs of sweet fruit balanced by acidity. Huge tannins still. After 30 minutes it entered a dumb phase. On the next day the fruit had returned and the tannins were even more prominent. This wine should last another 10 years as long as the fruit can hold up, and it is not drinking ideally well at this time.

6/22/2017 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

Opened to a weird pruny, highly sweet aroma and taste. Had to swirl for quite a while, as the evening progressed this wine opened up quite a lot. It might need a couple hours, and certainly should be decanted.

After an hour... Color is medium red with bricking around the edge. Nose is complex, black cherry, tomato, herbs, a little smoke, oregano. On the palate, beautiful elegant sweet cherry fruit, no prunes, smoke, tar, chalk on the mid palate, long finish. Medium tannins still. This could last a while longer easily.

What is compelling about this wine is the complexity of flavors and aromas, but the body overall is medium.

6/22/2017 - ChaineMatt wrote:

Clear deep dark ruby with pink tint on edge. Highly viscous, great legs. On the nose, several bright fruits including cherry, blueberry, even almost blackberry. Very powerful fruit aromas, very little oaking if any. Spices of clove and cinnamon. On the palate it is hugely viscous, massive layers of fruit with little minerality, very focused, clean, laser-like precision. Good acid balanced with sweetness. Medium to long finish.

An hour later, the spices came through, including a slight interesting bitterness on the backbone. More tannins came through. The fruit in this wine could help it last for years. What a powerful, muscled wine. If it had more terroir and herbs and breadth of flavors it would be closer to perfect.

5/5/2017 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

Beautiful tangerine-like color, you want to stare it and wonder how a wine can look this good! Very bright. On the nose and palate there is a fruit basket of bing cherry, strawberry, melon, a tad sweet but the acidity balances it out. Very complex. This is not a dry minerally rosé, it is unctuous and assaults you in several directions. Compelling but not for one who is searching for lean and dry.

3/26/2017 - ChaineMatt Likes this wine:

Excellent color and clarity, on the nose there is cherry, blueberry, a touch of spice. On the palate, it shows elegance, finesse, excellent balance of fruit and acidity, with fruit and spice in harmony. This wine will age gracefully and is drinking well now. Medium to long finish.