1/29/2016 - dmoritz Likes this wine:

A towering achievement in wine. One of the wines of my life. Drank at EMP after being opened with great care. I was nervous as I have a pretty strict long decant protocol with older Nebbiolo but given the situation this was pop and pour. The color was so much deeper than I anticipated and the nose exploded out of the glass. Had everything I look for in aged Nebbiolo in spades. Tar, clove, stewed red fruits. Intensity. As the wine sat in the glass it continued to improve but this was incredible out of the gate. The palate was amazing with a finish that went on forever. I rarely post tasting notes but I couldn't resist. This was astonishing.

4/19/2011 - dmoritz wrote:

Couldn't resist opening one for an early taste. Decanted 3 hours. Nose was beautiful. Pure silk on the palate, thoroughly enjoyable as a baby.

2/1/2011 - dmoritz wrote:

There were some rought notes on this about a year to 6 months ago. Opened this to celebrate moving to a new house and thought it was open for business. Big powerful and intense, reminded me of a Harlan. No details, too busy enjoying, but wanted to post a good data point for the wine.

10/2/2010 - dmoritz wrote:

I wish I could remember all of the descriptors and tasting notes on this wine, but all I can remember from last night is that it is one of the best wines I ever had, and the best Sine Qua Non I've had. Nose was intoxicating and finish literally went forever. Incredible.

4/12/2009 - dmoritz wrote:

Weekend Tasting Notes - Aubert, Jemrose, Carlisle, Garrigue; 4/10/2009-4/12/2009: There is a reason why I have more Carlisle than any other producer. The wines are just consistently great. This is the second bottle of this wine that I've opened and I've really loved it both times. Really meaty on the nose, with a core of black fruits. I just love the nose. Full bodied. Great wine and one that improved on the 2nd night.

4/11/2009 - dmoritz wrote:

Weekend Tasting Notes - Aubert, Jemrose, Carlisle, Garrigue; 4/10/2009-4/12/2009: Decanted about 2 hours. Been lucky enough to have this wine a few times now, and the nose is so consistent every time. Big dark fruit, pepper, smokiness, black licorice. Love the nose. Pretty big tannins, the wine definitely opens up with air time. Very good finish. Excellent stuff.

4/11/2009 - dmoritz wrote:

Weekend Tasting Notes - Aubert, Jemrose, Carlisle, Garrigue; 4/10/2009-4/12/2009: I love Aubert Chards. If I had never had an 04 or 05, I'd say this is one of the finest Cali Chards out there, but I don't think its quite at the same level as the previous vintages. Hoping the 07s are a return to form. Doesn't show what I call the Aubert cloudiness. This wine has a nice golden yellow color. Nose is lemon all the way. Really good acidity. Not quite as lush as the earlier vintages though. Still really good Chard.

4/11/2009 - dmoritz wrote:

Weekend Tasting Notes - Aubert, Jemrose, Carlisle, Garrigue; 4/10/2009-4/12/2009: Really nice wine for the price. Brought to dinner with a number of non-winos and they all really loved the wine. Nice nose of dark fruits, licorice. Grenache stands out from the blend. Very enjoyable.

2/14/2009 - dmoritz wrote:

Lots of Recent Tastings Notes, Valentines Day, etc - SQN, Maybach, Insignia, Delas, Clape, more; 1/31/2009-2/15/2009: Drank Valentines Day, paired with chocolate souffle. Decanted for several hours, but still extremely tight. Plum, licorice, blackberry fill the nose. The palate was somewhat hot, dampering the overall exprience of the wine. Unchanged on day 2. Perhaps too young to drink.

2/14/2009 - dmoritz wrote:

Lots of Recent Tastings Notes, Valentines Day, etc - SQN, Maybach, Insignia, Delas, Clape, more; 1/31/2009-2/15/2009: Drank Valentines Day, paired with Parpadelle a la Vodka, Herb Crusted Lamb Chop, and Braised Short Rib. Decanted about 3 hours before serving and then consumed over the next 2-3 hours. Stunning Grenache. Absolutely Pure in every sense. The nose reminded me of the 05 Deus ex Machina, with raspberry, cherry and blackberry and sweet liquer. Finish is endless, with no trace of heat. As good as Into the Dark and better than Atlantis in my opinion.

2/14/2009 - dmoritz wrote:

Lots of Recent Tastings Notes, Valentines Day, etc - SQN, Maybach, Insignia, Delas, Clape, more; 1/31/2009-2/15/2009: Drank Valentines Day, paired with fried oysters and seared scallops. Excellent young Riesling from a producer that is new to me. Great acidity to balance the sweetness, which was a little more than I would have expected from a Spatlese, but welcome nonetheless. The nose was filled with green apple and pineapple. Quite intoxicating.

2/14/2009 - dmoritz wrote:

Lots of Recent Tastings Notes, Valentines Day, etc - SQN, Maybach, Insignia, Delas, Clape, more; 1/31/2009-2/15/2009: Drank Valentines Day paired with Foie Gras on toasted brioche w/ Apricot Marmalade. Very nice, young, Sauternes. Lots of honey, citrus and apricot on the nose. The apricot paired nicely with the apricot marmalade. Could have used some more acidity on the palate, which would have put this wine on a different level.

2/13/2009 - dmoritz wrote:

Lots of Recent Tastings Notes, Valentines Day, etc - SQN, Maybach, Insignia, Delas, Clape, more; 1/31/2009-2/15/2009: Dinner at home with Flannery strip. Drinking really nicely now at 8 years old. Very polished wine. Tannins have resolved quite a bit. Cassis, vanilla, and some spice on the nose. Solid wine at the moment.

2/8/2009 - dmoritz wrote:

Lots of Recent Tastings Notes, Valentines Day, etc - SQN, Maybach, Insignia, Delas, Clape, more; 1/31/2009-2/15/2009: Brought to dinner at Blue Hill. Awesome rocking wine right from the get go. Reminded me of a lush new world Syrah, without any heat or over-ripeness, that is sometimes connected to the vintage. Dark berries, smokiness, some olive on the nose. Seamless on the palate with super long finish. Would love to own some more of these.

2/7/2009 - dmoritz wrote:

Lots of Recent Tastings Notes, Valentines Day, etc - SQN, Maybach, Insignia, Delas, Clape, more; 1/31/2009-2/15/2009: Brought to dinner at Craft. Oh baby. This wine totally rocks. If I tried this blind, I probably would have guessed a baby left Bank Bordeaux. Lead pencil, earth, with lots of fruit to support it. Seamless on the palate. I think this will hang in there for a while, but why wait. Its so good right now. AWESOME!

2/2/2009 - dmoritz wrote:

Lots of Recent Tastings Notes, Valentines Day, etc - SQN, Maybach, Insignia, Delas, Clape, more; 1/31/2009-2/15/2009: Pretty nice wine. Lots of cedar/cigar box on the nose. Peppery, with cherry. Nice, but not great Turley.

1/31/2009 - dmoritz wrote:

Lots of Recent Tastings Notes, Valentines Day, etc - SQN, Maybach, Insignia, Delas, Clape, more; 1/31/2009-2/15/2009: Still alive, if barely. Some dark fruits still hanging in there. Too much tannin left for the fruit. Drink em up if you have em.

8/18/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

Very Bordeaux like on the nose initially. A bit of a rustic sandalwood element to go with a nice core of black cherry and blackberry. Pretty firm tannins lead me to believe this wine will have a good life ahead. Enjoyable, though not blockbuster.

7/28/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

Weekend Tasting Notes - Mostly Cabs and Rieslings: Very nice dessert wine. Honey and orange marmalade on the nose. Thick and viscous on the palate, showing enough balance to make me continue reaching for the glass. A treat.

7/28/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

Weekend Tasting Notes - Mostly Cabs and Rieslings: The server was kind enough to pour a glass of this to taste side by side with the 1996 Spatlese. Unfortunately it was terribly corked. She was kind enough to open another bottle to give us a taste. Though definitely not corked, I still thought the wine was off, so I reserve judgement. I read some good tasting notes on this wine, so perhaps just 2 bad bottles.

7/28/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

Weekend Tasting Notes - Mostly Cabs and Rieslings: This was a wonderful example of how easily Riesling ages. 12 years old and tasting as fresh as a young wine. Nose showed granny smith apple, floral aromas and petrol. Vibrant acidity and a bit of residual sugar made this a beautiful wine to drink. Lovely.

7/28/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

Weekend Tasting Notes - Mostly Cabs and Rieslings: This was my first bottle from this producer, but having tried and enjoyed other wines from Bien Nacido, I thought it was worth a shot. Nice nose, similar to a nice Northern Rhone, with gamey meaty notes and dark fruits. Big and full bodied, and a fabulous pairing for the duck and pork entrees that it accompanied.

7/28/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

Weekend Tasting Notes - Mostly Cabs and Rieslings: Outstanding wine, and another great example of 2001 Napa Cab. Popped and poured. Gorgeous nose of dark fruits and french vanilla mocha. So silky on the palate. The tannins have totally smoothed out and the finish was long and enjoyable. Would be happy drinking more of these today.

7/28/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

Weekend Tasting Notes - Mostly Cabs and Rieslings: I expected more from this, for over $100 this wine delivered nothing more than what I would expect from a $40 Napa Cab. I enjoy the Harlan and Bond style as well, but this was very plain. Nothing apparently off with the wine, but the failure to me was on the palate, where it just fell short, lacking much of a finish. The nose showed blackberry and currant, alongside some vanilla notes.

7/28/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

Weekend Tasting Notes - Mostly Cabs and Rieslings: The nose showed a bit of promise, displaying some pleasant floral aromas, as well as citrus and tropical fruit. However, the wine fell pretty flat on the palate. Tasted like a typical restaurant "by the glass" sauvignon blanc.

7/23/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

04 Napa Cabs, plus a few more - Schrader, Merus, Foley, LLC: This was a total contrast to the 3 young Cali Cabs it was drank after. Nose of tobacco, cedar, coffee and red fruits. Still pretty tight tannins, but excellent structure and nice long finish. Very solid effort.

7/23/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

04 Napa Cabs, plus a few more - Schrader, Merus, Foley, LLC: Maybe this was somewhat of an off bottle, since I've read some great reviews on the wine, or maybe just in an awkward stage. Decanted about an hour and a half. The oak just seemed to dominate the fruit in this wine, rendering it somewhat disjointed. I remembered an exotic mouthfeel the last time I tasted this back in October 07, which didn't show tonight. Hopefully just in a strange place and will someday revert to what I remembered as a great wine.

7/23/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

04 Napa Cabs, plus a few more - Schrader, Merus, Foley, LLC: The darkest of the 3 cabs in color. Like Cab on steriods. Big nose of blackberry, cassis and espresso. Super concentrated with strong tannins. This wine needs some time, but will be a stunner in the future.

7/23/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

04 Napa Cabs, plus a few more - Schrader, Merus, Foley, LLC: This is my kind of wine. The nose sings with dark fruit, showing a little cedar and vanilla (in a pleasant manner), which hints a bit at the oak on the wine. Easily the most structured of the 3 cabs. Nice concentration on the palate and great long finish. Superstar cab.

7/23/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

04 Napa Cabs, plus a few more - Schrader, Merus, Foley, LLC: Very nice Sauternes, showing a beautiful nose of honey and tropical fruits. Very good pairing with foie gras. Medium bodied and sweet on the palate, but lacking the zippy acidity to make it a great sticky.

7/23/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

04 Napa Cabs, plus a few more - Schrader, Merus, Foley, LLC: As it was served blind, my guess was a late 80s/early 90s Right Bank Bordeaux. I had some of the grapes right. Color was dark enough to lead me to believe this was not a 23 year old wine. Nose was earthy, leathery, though with some fruit still showing. Fruit was more cherry than the darker berries you would expect of a younger Cali Cab. Interesting wine, though seen better days.

7/23/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

04 Napa Cabs, plus a few more - Schrader, Merus, Foley, LLC: My third bottle of this wine, and always an enjoyable drinker. I love the nose, which jumps out of the glass with citrus, mango and tropical fruit. Not really a wine to sit and contemplate but a damn enjoyable bottle. Palate is very good with a lingering finish. Could only use a little more zip of acidity. Great summer wine.

7/12/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

Saturday Night Tasting Menu at Home: Decanted 4 hours. By the time we got to this, it was our fourth bottle and we were on our sixth course...so we were feeling pretty good. Nice end to a great meal. Still quite youthful and very intense on the palate. Very nice fruit. Really enjoyable.

7/12/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

Saturday Night Tasting Menu at Home: Decanted one hour. Inky dark in the glass. Nose shoots out of the glass with gorgeous aromas of dark berries, vanilla, pepper and meat, with a distinct blood orange that I've often associated with this site. Big and powerful on the palate with sizable tannins that make me believe this will age very nicely. Wonderful finish. Thoroughly enjoyable.

7/12/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

Saturday Night Tasting Menu at Home: Nose shows peach, pear, and honeysuckle. Palate seemed to fall short of what I hoped for, likely due to the lack of enough acidity. Was much better as a pairing with foie gras than as a stand alone wine. Definitely served its purpose as part of a great wine pairing dinner.

7/12/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

Saturday Night Tasting Menu at Home: Pleasant nose of lemon, granny smith apple, and yeast. Very nice acidity. Solid NV champagne.

7/7/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

Bought from the list at Troquet. A wine I've always wanted to try. Initially some funkiness on the nose, which blew off in about 10 minutes. Nose of cigar box, roast meat, blueberry, raspberry and leather. Incredibly fresh. Another amazing palate as it caressed your tongue. Great long finish. This was an awesome wine that we savored, and we longed for more as we drank the last drop. Amazing.

7/7/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

Decanted about 2 hours at the hotel prior to dinner. Amanda said it smelled like "bacon cooking on Sunday morning." Loved the bacon notes, white pepper, blueberry and blackberry. Faint parsnip on the nose. Palate is insane. So balanced. Every sip was cherished. Finish easily a minute long. Best SQN yet for me, which includes both Atlantis releases, Poker Face, Lil E, and Into the Dark. Incredible.

4/25/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

This is a fantastic wine. Decanted about an hour prior to drinking. Wish I decanted longer as this wine continued to evolve and get better the longer it had to open up. Ripe dark fruits on the nose, with vanilla and coconut. Seamless palate with very long finish. Excellent first effort by Corra.

2/14/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

Tasting Notes from Valentines Day Dinner: Very pale in color. Gorgeous nose of peach, mango, tropical fruits. Sweet, but not over the top, with a good amount of acidity to balance the finish. Perfect pair with mango sorbet.

2/14/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

Tasting Notes from Valentines Day Dinner: Decanted about an hour and a half. Dark purple color in the glass. Good fruit forward nose of blackberry and raspberry, with notes of black licorice and smoke. In the mouth, its silky as could be. Great mouthfeel. Good finsh. Very good food wine, but lacks WOW factor.

2/14/2008 - dmoritz wrote:

Tasting Notes from Valentines Day Dinner: If tasted blind, probably would have guessed Sauvignon Blanc, not Burgundy. Nose of peach with citrus and grapefruit undertone. Mouthfeel pretty acidic, clean minerally finish. Nice wine but not what I would have expected from this bottle.

12/8/2007 - dmoritz wrote:

Date Night - Alban, Jos Jos Prum, etc: Nice Chardonnay dessert wine picked up during our last trip to the Finger Lakes. Nose of red apples, honey. Tasted like candied apple cider.

12/8/2007 - dmoritz wrote:

Date Night - Alban, Jos Jos Prum, etc: Decanted about 2 hours. As dark as the night in the glass. This wine just jumps out from the glass. I could almost smell it across the room. Black fruit, gamey, vanilla, coconut and distinctively Alban. Velvet on the palate. We clearly committed infanticide, but who cares. This stuff is great. Great pair with our steak and roasted mushrooms. Every sip seemed to get better. Can't wait to try again.

12/8/2007 - dmoritz wrote:

Date Night - Alban, Jos Jos Prum, etc: Shy but complex nose featuring green apple, apricot, crushed white flowers and petrolly essence. Gentle on the palate. The apple is prominent, but great finish of watermelon. A really enjoyable white, and a very interesting pair with both the blue and pecorino cheeses. I always love this producer's wines, and this one did not disappoint.

11/23/2007 - dmoritz wrote:

Smoky nose, featuring intense black and blue fruits, with a touch of cinnamon and spice. Seamless mouthfeel. Beautifully integrated with a nice long finish. Tasty Friday night bottle with dinner.

11/17/2007 - dmoritz wrote:

Light straw colored stickie. Faint aroma of honey, tropical fruit. Palate syrupy and finish with too much heat. Overall moderate wine...would not run back to it.

11/17/2007 - dmoritz wrote:

Wine is a dark dark inky purple color. Upon putting her nose into the glass, my wife said "if I could make a perfume out of this, I would." WOW. Crazy huge fruit forward nose of fig, blueberry, blackberry with notes of coffee. Great on the palate with a relatively long finish. A touch of alcohol on the finish but not enough to detract from what I consider a great wine. At $40, I'd drink this all the time. For those who like big wines, this is for you.

11/17/2007 - dmoritz wrote:

Nose of lemon rind, pineapple out of the gate. As it sat in the glass got more typical buttery aromas. Mouthfeel lighter than many Kistler Chards that we've had before. Medium bodied, not overly oaked, crisp slightly acidic finish. Nice enjoyable wine.

6/1/2007 - dmoritz wrote:

Inky purple color. Huge nose of cassis, blackberry, spices. Drinking great right now. Decanted for about an hour before drinking and it was hitting on all cylinders. Full bodied. Great finish. Wanted to buy another bottle after finishing.