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Tasting Notes for S Spade

(87 notes on 82 wines)

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Red
4/9/2023 - S Spade wrote:
87 points
I waited a while on this bottle given all the ballyhoo. Sorry to say I am disappointed. My bottle is toward the edge of overripe. Good typicity and good finish. Tannin is discernible but not intrusive. I have read of bottle variation and can only conclude that I did not get one of the good bottles. Impression of heat gets in the way of everything else.
2 people found this helpful Comment
White
12/22/2022 - S Spade wrote:
93 points
One of the best kabinetts I have ever had. Beautiful integration of fruit and acid. Pineapple, yellow currant, impressive mineral finish. Great QPR. The master at the top of his game.
2 people found this helpful Comment
White
9/9/2022 - S Spade wrote:
91 points
Reminiscent of a good Western Australia dry riesling with lime notes and a long finish. I also get a touch of bitterness that reminds me of grapefruit pith. Pure with good balance. Medium bodied. Good with or without food.
Red
8/11/2022 - S Spade wrote:
86 points
Ripe, medium bodied, black cherry, smooth tannins, would be good with beef on a weeknight. I would not expect this to decline anytime soon.
White
8/4/2022 - S Spade wrote:
86 points
86++. I found this to be in a dumb phase, with a hollow mid-palate. There seems to be very good underlying material, though, and I think this could blossom into something really good in 5 or 10 years. Balance also seems good. Pleasing finish. Hold.
Day 2: More open, with some nice honeyed pineapple flavors, confirms good aging potential.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
7/2/2022 - S Spade wrote:
88 points
I can't agree that this wine is soft. There is a solid acid structure. It has good concentration but without the cloying aspect of so many mass market wines. This gives it some character. Good typicity and a decent finish. Seems like a wise choice for a large event or backyard barbecue.
White
5/31/2022 - S Spade Likes this wine:
91 points
One of my favorite producers of affordable white wines. A great summer sipper, but also a good food wine because of the (balanced) acidity. Medium-bodied with unripe pineapple and a long slatey finish.
Red
2/3/2022 - S Spade wrote:
89 points
Black cherries with black pepper and a hint of dark chocolate bitterness that is not unpleasant. Ripe, but not overly so. Juiciness shows good balance. Medium bodied, with medium tannins that suggest a long life ahead. A crowd pleaser.
Red
11/13/2021 - S Spade wrote:
90 points
Great $12 red. Red plum and dark cherry, herb and mineral undertones, medium/full body, very good balance, medium finish. Held up well in the fridge for several days, so should have a long life. Great food wine.
White
9/25/2021 - S Spade Likes this wine:
90 points
Less dry than I expected for an Austrian terrassen. Strong QPR at less than $20 from Binnys. Dead ringer for a good Mosel kabinett.
White - Sparkling
12/25/2020 - S Spade wrote:
91 points
Citrus, dough, almond. Medium bodied, well balanced, long finish. Fine bead. Classy.
Red
4/12/2020 - S Spade wrote:
89 points
I found this ripe, but not as ripe as other Spanish wines. Pleasant dark berry fruit and a little pepper, with minor tannins and good juiciness (speaking to skillful balance). A good food wine, especially for meat-centric meals. Very good QPR.
White
7/1/2019 - S Spade wrote:
88 points
On the lighter side of medium bodied, which makes sense given the 12% alcohol. Well balanced. Typicity is apparent more on the nose than the palate. Would make for a solid summer sipper.
Red
7/18/2018 - S Spade wrote:
85 points
Noticeably ripe and manipulated, but just enough balance to make it tolerable.
Red
5/7/2018 - S Spade wrote:
88 points
Good nose of blackberry and garrigue. Palate: Something of a bruiser, no doubt partly due to the vintage, but well made--solid acid support. Has the typicity, with plum, earth, and blood. Decent finish. Moderate tannins show this has a long life ahead. I think this would work best with food, especially beef or lamb.
White - Off-dry
11/23/2017 - S Spade wrote:
87 points
A bit thin and sour on opening; improved with air. Typical of a Mosel halbtrocken: lemony with white fruits and slate. Light body and prominent acid makes this best with food. Worked well on the Thanksgiving table. Screwcap. Edit: two days later, remainder of bottle showed improvement. More of a medium body and fuller mid-palate. Perhaps a couple of hours of air is advisable.
White - Off-dry
6/10/2017 - S Spade wrote:
92 points
This is the second Hexamer wine I have tried. Both have been spatlesen with terrific fruit. Approaches auslese level in sweetness (and weight), but excellent acid balance. Honeyed pineapple, white peach, and a little lychee, with a good finish featuring slate. Screwcap, and did not have the initial fizz some others have reported. Delicious. A wine that is both fun and classy.
White - Off-dry
4/16/2017 - S Spade wrote:
92 points
Terrific fruit here, led by pineapple and pear. Starts out distinctly sweet, but acid emerges midpalate to stop this from being cloying. Loaded with extract and spicy botrytis. Long finish with some mineral. Quite delicious.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
2013 Domaine Lafage Tessellae Old Vines Côtes du Roussillon Red Rhone Blend (view label images)
3/30/2017 - S Spade Does not like this wine:
84 points
Typical Grenache nose of beef blood. A poster child for manipulated wine: ripe, hollow midpalate, little complexity, watery finish. Jesus juice added? I like the Roussillon for traditional wines of integrity. This is not one of those. Edit: given other glowing reviews, I am starting to wonder if there was heat damage here.
3 people found this helpful Comment
Red
1/25/2017 - S Spade wrote:
89 points
I bought this because of the supposedly heathful qualities of the tannat grape (i.e., resveratrol), but this is a quite good weeknight drinker in and of itself. Full bodied with black cherry and plum flavors, decent finish. A good food wine for heartier fare. Held up well over several days.
White - Sweet/Dessert
6/4/2016 - S Spade wrote:
87 points
My first disappointment from this producer. The acid balance just doesn't seem to be there; this comes off as cloying. Delicious apricot flavor, but not much of a finish or nose. Give this more time or lots of air in case this is just in some sort of dumb phase.
White
2/28/2016 - S Spade Likes this wine:
92 points
Just a hint of color. Unripe pineapple on the nose. Lime and quince on the palate with an undercurrent of chalky minerality. Great balance. On the lighter side of medium bodied. Long, mouthwatering finish. At $14 from Vin Chicago, a steal. Would be great as a summer sipper. Good with or without food. Screwcap. Should age beautifully, but hard to resist now. Back up the truck.
White - Off-dry
2/3/2016 - S Spade wrote:
93 points
This has taken on some secondary notes since my last bottle four years ago. Honeyed pineapple dominates the palate, with slate building on the long finish. Notable sweetness is balanced beautifully by the acid. One reviewer said it is time to drink up; I beg to differ, if provenance is good. This should have a long life ahead of it, though it is delightful at present.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
1/9/2016 - S Spade wrote:
91 points
Almost all of the notes from recent tasters are on target. I would add that the wine has a juiciness that is lacking in too many Rhones of the vintage, i.e., this wine has excellent balance. Medium body and good typicity. A winner from one of my favorite appellations.
Red
1996 Château Pontet-Canet Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
12/25/2015 - S Spade wrote:
93 points
Audouzed in the cellar for 12 hours. Throws a fair amount of sediment, so stand it up a few days before serving. Full bodied with a lovely deep color. Black cherry flavors predominate, with an underlying mineral streak. Tannins were quite smooth after extended air. Acid balance was excellent, and finish was very good. This brawny yet classy wine seems like an excellent pairing for steak.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
4/7/2015 - S Spade Likes this wine:
90 points
Roses and iron on the nose. On the palate, black cherry and plum with a strong mineral streak. Nice acid structure and a good finish. Tasty, and a great food wine. Very good now, but no hurry to drink.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2001 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend (view label images)
8/5/2014 - S Spade Likes this wine:
92 points
Pleased that my last bottle was very good after a couple of earlier ones were lightly corked. Full-bodied; only negative (minor) is that it seems a little too ripe. But great flavors of apricot and golden currants and a very long finish. Delightful overall.
1 person found this helpful Comment
White - Off-dry
8/5/2014 - S Spade wrote:
91 points
Not profound but very enjoyable. Solid balance of acid and that great 2001 Mosel fruit. Little secondary development, moderate finish, tasty. Good typicity.
White - Off-dry
4/20/2014 - S Spade Likes this wine:
95 points
Cellared since release; cork was in much better shape than my other Donnhoffs from this era.
Floral, lemony nose. Burnished, secondary fruit on the palate with honeyed pineapple and lychee. Lots of extract creates a very long and slatey finish. Terrific interplay of RS and acid. One of the very best spatlesen I have had the pleasure of tasting. In a very good spot.
Red
4/19/2014 - S Spade wrote:
87 points
Carefully stored since release; cork was perfect.
Popped and poured. Surprisingly primary. Firm tannins and somewhat grapey. Good acid structure. Full bodied and ripe. If your bottles are of good provenance, suggest forgetting about them for a while. Or give lots of air. Probably would have been better with food.
White
2/4/2014 - S Spade wrote:
89 points
Rather disjointed on opening, which I attribute to the minor deacidification done this vintage. Improves significantly with air, resulting in good value for the $20 purchase price. Palate is slightly lemony with good purity and mineral notes. Very little color. The glass closure makes me wonder about aging potential; I guess I would say drink it in the near term but give it a couple of hours of air while still serving it at cellar temperature. Not as good as the 2007, but no slouch.
White - Off-dry
2/2/2014 - S Spade wrote:
92 points
White flowers and pineapple on the nose. Decent acidity, given the vintage, and not flabby. On the palate, white peaches and quince. Notable for its very long, mineral-driven finish, full of slate. Beautifully integrated, with some complexity emerging. Another admirable effort by a master of German Riesling.
Red
8/16/2013 - S Spade wrote:
88 points
Initially the finish was a little bit funky, but on day two this was very good. Excellent purity. Should hold for a while longer. Not quite as good as a couple of other Cal cabs I've had recently from the same era, but a pleasure to drink.
White
10/25/2012 - S Spade wrote:
90 points
A true Kabinett -- not an easy thing to find these days. Well balanced, unlike so many regrettable efforts of the vintage. Good typicity, with a cascade of slate one usually gets from a wine twice the price. The house once again lives up to its reputation of producing low-priced wines of surprisingly good quality. An excellent everyday drinker. Screwcap.
Red
9/15/2012 - S Spade wrote:
92 points
Purchased from a local shop that had cellared it since release. Still significant tannin, but it has smoothed out. Full bodied with strong typicity. Somewhat monolithic, but lots of character. Bottles with good provenance should continue to improve. Impressive.
Red
8/16/2012 - S Spade wrote:
92 points
Purchased from a local wine shop that had stored the bottle in its cellar since release.
Classic Cabernet flavors of dark fruits, dried violets, and a hint of iron. An elegant wine with a beautiful acid balance. Ideal as a food wine, but also good to have a glass by itself beforehand to appreciate how even standard wines from that era can age well. Holding the score down a bit for a lack of complexity, but a a real pleasure to try. Acid starts to stick out a bit on day two, so I doubt there's any upside.
White - Off-dry
5/6/2012 - S Spade wrote:
92 points
My third and last bottle from the famous bargain Premier Cru lot. Still quite primary compared with 5 years ago. What impresses me this time is the exuberant fruit and, given the vintage, the solid acid structure. Pineapple, Queen Anne cherries, and a hint of red fruits. An undercurrent of slate and a long finish with acid-sugar interplay. Long life ahead. If you like the Mosel, a bottle like this one will please you. Two of my three bottles were excellent.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2001 Château Lafaurie-Peyraguey Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend (view label images)
4/11/2012 - S Spade wrote:
flawed
Lightly corked. A pity, as there was good material beneath the wet cardboard. The wine was even drinkable, but not quite enjoyable as one is left pondering how good it could have been.
Red
3/8/2012 - S Spade wrote:
88 points
Significant tannin smooths out with air. Black cherry and boysenberry fruit with a nice undercurrent of minerals. The long, juicy finish picks up some spice. Body is on the lighter side, as is to be expected with Cru Beaujolais. An enjoyable wine that seems to have some upside and is even better with a full meal.
Red
2000 Château Moulin Saint-Georges St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
1/1/2012 - S Spade wrote:
89 points
The riper vintage was apparent. Smooth, black cherry and plum, a bit monolithic. Rather full-bodied, well integrated. A slight disappointment for me, but well received at the family Christmas dinner. Not sure there is a lot of upside.
Red
10/19/2011 - S Spade wrote:
91 points
From a half. The last bottle I had was a wee bit hot, so I served this a few degrees below room temp, which helped. Very smooth, with black cherry and black raspberry on the palate, along with hints of minerals. Tasty, with a nice finish. Don't see a lot of upside.
White - Off-dry
10/3/2011 - S Spade wrote:
93 points
Terrific acid tension (for an auslese) against the rich, classic Mosel fruit. A dynamic wine with great material. Long finish with a crescendo of slate delivering some nice complexity. Little secondary development, but the sheer deliciousness makes that moot, at least in my book.
Red
9/13/2011 - S Spade wrote:
87 points
The dark garnet color is rather pretty. I found more acid than others, maybe even a touch of VA. Bottle variation? Impressive grenache nose of beef blood and violets. Palate has black cherry, spice, licorice. Medium body. Juicy finish gives way to smooth tannins. I would give this a couple of years in hopes of a bit better integration. But a good food wine now.
White - Off-dry
8/25/2011 - S Spade wrote:
93 points
Oh yum. Among Prum ausleses, this is notable for its heft and creaminess. Pineapple, lychee, and slate on the rather muted nose. But what a terrific palate. Peaches, minerals, and a hint of cherry spread out with admirable oomph. Acid hounds may want a bit more cut, but I think the balance is fine for an auslese. Outstanding slate-driven finish. Few get as much out of their Mosel fruit as Manfred Prum--fruit so good that I could care less about secondary development. Great with or without food.
Red
8/15/2011 - S Spade wrote:
89 points
This wine is all about texture. Heavy but smooth tannins bring the word "worsted" to mind. Dark fruits such as plum and black cherry predominate, with typical notes of graphite and tobacco in the background. I found the flavors somewhat muted by the tannins, which also definitely cut short the finish. The finish seemed less clipped on day 2, so decanting might be in order. Nice acid balance makes this a good food wine. No hurry to drink this one. A solid effort in a so-so vintage.
Red
7/27/2011 - S Spade wrote:
89 points
Quite ripe, but decent balance. Good typicity. Doubt this will improve much. Best with food; steak or roast lamb seems a good bet. Significant sediment, so consider standing the bottle up a few days ahead.
White - Off-dry
6/9/2011 - S Spade wrote:
89 points
Nice balance, nice fruit, but still pretty primary. Pineapple flavors dominate, with some mineral undercurrent and a pleasant finish. The Donnhoff finesse is there. A good warm weather quaff.
White - Off-dry
11/20/2010 - S Spade wrote:
86 points
I thought this pretty average on release because the residual sugar was sticking out. It's better integrated now, but still noticeable. Good Mosel typicity, with plenty of minerals, but the acid is more prominent than one would expect from a spatlese. A sour note emerges toward the end of the long finish, indicating the inclusion of some grapes that were not fully ripened, not unusual for the freakish weather of this vintage. Cork also had a sour smell. Probably bottle variation here, but seems better as a food wine. This producer did better in other vintages.
Red
2000 Château Montlisse St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
8/20/2010 - S Spade wrote:
89 points
A nice lower-alcohol Bordeaux. Well-balanced, oak has integrated, and tannin becomes less prominent with air. Typical St. Emilion nose; palate features red fruits with hints of tobacco and cedar. Enjoyed with cheese and crackers, but probably even better with a full meal. May develop some additional complexity, but not far from peak now. Lovers of in-your-face wines should look elsewhere.
Red
8/10/2010 - S Spade wrote:
92 points
Nose of red fruits and herbs. Prominent tannins smooth out with air. A very well-balanced wine. Not terribly complex, but delicious. Palate features black cherry and plum. Was excellent without food, but seemed as if it might be even better with. Has many years left, but very enjoyable now.
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