6/8/2019 - rustyRudy Likes this wine:

Terrific,balanced, not over ripe nor over extracted Zin that goes great with food. Drank with 12 Bones blueberry chipotle ribs, and by itself, both with great pleasure. The blueberry flavors in the wine went great with the barbecue sauce. Marvelous match and marvelous wine.

3/29/2017 - MartyL Likes this wine:

Brown/Amber color. Intensely sweet and with a thick syrupy texture. Aromas of burnt orange, honey, and cooked apricots and prunes. It's got some acidity to cut down on the cloying factor, but in my view not enough to make this as dazzling as some of the other notes suggest.

3/12/2017 - galewskj wrote:

Thirsty Games (Jason's House): This wine was given at least an hour to warm up, and I believe it showed better because of that. For as much crap as people give this wine, I believe it is a well-balanced California chardonnay. Yes, there is oak here, but plenty of acid too, pretty golden fruit, butterscotch and lemon.

12/24/2016 - mjwstickings Likes this wine:

This must surely be one of the world's greatest drinks. It is certainly one of the greatest things I have ever tasted. From the Montilla-Moriles DO in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, inland and northeast of famed Spanish sherry-producing region Jerez (and east of Sevilla), this 100% Pedro Ximénez from Alvear offers utterly incredible concentration and intensity, perhaps not surprising given that it's made from a Solera system that dates back to 1927 -- so there are traces of extremely old product in this sherry. And the aromas and flavours are deep and rich, with notes of raisin, prune, dried fig, roasted nuts, baking spices, molasses, buckwheat honey, vanilla, and butterscotch, with faint minerality and oodles of underlying umami character, notably reduced soy sauce / tamari and aged balsamic vinegar. The unctuous texture turns to honey as it warms in the mouth, then it just melts and oozes down. Of course it's very sweet and syrupy, as such a PX must be, but just when it might start cloying a burst of acidity rushes in for balance and refreshment, even if it never loses its richness, like pomegranate molasses. What else is there to say? The length is utterly exceptional -- it seems to go on and on, forever. It's all truly stunning, and such a glorious pleasure to experience, this transformation of grapes in south-central Spain into a luxury of sensuousness and contemplation. (This is also where scores seem to mean little. I would say it's in the 93-94 range, but really it's in a broader 93-97 range. It's not perfect, and nothing is, but it's up there.)

1/5/2017 - jwsmith wrote:

Very dark color, darker than I would have expected. Excellent deep and rich tones.

12/22/2016 - sawira wrote:

Good, not great. Better as it warms, but this has lost a little something in the last couple years, in my opinion. Maybe a less than perfect, or maybe muted, bottle.

12/17/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote:

Another Saturday at Chevalier...Mostly Blind (Chevalier Fine Wines - Chicago IL): Tasted double blind. Black fruit, licorice, roasted game came together to make me think it Northern Rhone, but in a slightly softer style. Pleasant throughout with moderate weight and power. Good for now.

9/12/2016 - lvjohn Likes this wine:

Wonderful zin! Great dark red fruit flavors and spice without being overpowering in direction. Very balanced in other words. Nice mouth-feel and after taste. What a wonderful wine.

9/9/2016 - jmtierney3rd Likes this wine:

Medium/full body with a light buttery/malolactic but a ton of sweetness. Tons of apricot and a little peach on the finish. Finishes clean. A touch of alcohol on the nose but could be because it's so young. Subtleties of honey and peach in the noise. Fantastic value for the price. Delightful wine that I will purchase again!

6/25/2016 - msimoes Likes this wine:

Monster complexity, super long finish. Sirupy on its own but great either ice cold or w vanilla ice cream.

3/20/2016 - Doc90 Likes this wine:

Dreamy nose with Eszencia-like Southern sweet tea notes, minerals, and alfalfa. Refreshing, unctuous, syrupy (relatively). Papaya and apricot. Earthy alfalfa undertones. Wonderful. Paired well with lemon cheesecake. 4.5 % alcohol!

2/27/2016 - Dionysusx Likes this wine:

Smooth, creamy full-bodied wine with medium tannins, currant, leather and tobacco notes dominate the mouthfeel. Finish lingers for minutes on end. Unique and excellent.

2/22/2016 - raiderwes wrote:

you can't beat Rombauer for a great, buttery chard.

2/20/2016 - Rollerball wrote:

24 hour decant. Dark cherry, flowers, cassis, and the breath-stealing warmth of a blazing fire; creme de menthe; sharp bark and ink; dried peppermint, szechuan at the back of the tongue, mocha, butterscotch creme.

7 days in the decanter: still exciting but beautifully softened in texture and most of the edges have been shaved off the flavors too. The nose, while a tad oxidized now also hints of new books and rolled tobacco. This is in an ideal place now for a cigar.

2/7/2016 - ajbergren wrote:

Very deep red with high optical density. Simple, medium intensity nose, with candied red berries (cherry and sugared raspberry) and black currant with some light aromatic tarry forest notes; a bit more like a Cabernet than a Pinot. Medium body and acidity, with a smooth texture (tannins are there, but pretty muted); comes across a little syrupy. Flavours are simple, with sweet red fruit and light hints of baking spices. The finish is medium and sweet, with some notes of cherry cola coming across. A very simple flavour profile, with a concentrated feel and a good amount of sweetness. Not what I like in Pinot, and not my style of wine in general. Must be popular, but disappointing, since this is a "single vineyard" Pinot, and I don't sense any personality, but instead seem to get a non-varietal wine that has little character. Major pass for me!

2/6/2016 - ZaphodB Likes this wine:

Straw yellow. Intense nose with notes of gooseberries, black currant leaves and wood. Rich, aromatic and full bodied taste with nice acidity and notes of gooseberries, black currant leaves, wood, lime and some elderflower. Good length! 100 % sauvignon blanc, but still typic Bordeaux Blanc. Excellent wine!

1/16/2016 - Hollowine wrote:

From 375...I love this wine. I've told my wine friends that when I die, I want to be embalmed with this wine. Every time I have a bottle it just amazes me, it is so beautiful. The nose!!! As one reviewer put it, if you want to know what Botrytis smells like, open this wine. A beautiful mix of spices and mustiness, hints of honey and orange. A finish that lasts for minutes, orange and caramel and acidity. With Foie, pure heaven. Others have said the d'Yquem is even better, that may be mind altering if true.

1/15/2016 - yesillhaveanotherglassplease wrote:

The nose was a bit hot though not overpoweringly so. Hints of plum, overripe berries, and sweaty sox. An easy gulping drink. One-note (the nose is exactly what you get). Nothing too complex and nothing to ruminate about. Fine with an average steak but easily outshone by a pan-seared basic Wagyu. Weight was medium and not unpleasant. Finish was unmemorable.

12/22/2015 - JonnyG Likes this wine:

Some Winning Reds at a Lovely Pre-Holiday Dinner (Beverly Hills, CA): A stunningly intense and ripe Shiraz, with a profound bouquet of lavender, baking spice, dark fruit, licorice and mocha. A velvety, glycerined texture. Full bodied, with a lush mouthfeel. Notes of blackberry, lavender, pepper and smoked meats. Reminded me of a Clos des Truffiers in some respects, yet was singular and distinguished more than anything else. Looking forward to the rest of my 6 bottles.

12/12/2015 - hsacks Likes this wine:

Gold color. Aromas of apricot and orange marmalade. Rich and sweet but nicely balanced fruit in the mouth with great depth and length. Very complex and long on the palate. Though still young, this wine was outstanding with my wife's delicious sour cherry pie.

11/25/2015 - 1964vintage wrote:

Clearly, I'm in the minority on this wine, I've had 6 bottles and just not a fan. Seems light, syrupy'ish, and one dimensional. No worries. This is why they make lots of wines :-)

1/17/2015 - kevinacohn wrote:

Having heard from a number of trusted sources that this was now "a point," I excitedly retrieved a bottle from my cellar for a gathering of good friends. It didn't disappoint, showing a weightlessness and balance than I've never experienced with Sagrantino of any pedigree or age. The palate overflowed with acid and flavors of fennel, oregano, sweet cherries, brown sugar, and rare beef. We drank in near silence, awed by the elegance of this normally untamed wine. Bottle #3171. Rated 3 on a scale of -1 to 3.

11/15/2015 - NH WINO wrote:

Solid wine, decanted 2 hours had with home made pizza.

11/14/2015 - Bill Bucklew wrote:

Seemed to be quite advanced for its age, very dark color, out of balance intense acidity, but if you can put the acidity in the background, there's some interesting favors of green apple, citrus, lychee and a touch of caramel. I believe I have a second bottle, will be interesting to see the differences.

11/12/2015 - tewino wrote:

Corked? Opened a second which was fine. A shame.

I have had comments directed at me that I should not rank a flawed wine. Sorry, I am judging what is in the bottle I bought, which sucks. What if I didn't know what 'corked' was and just thought it sucked?

Perception is everything.

11/11/2015 - aagrawal wrote:

Work hangout (Dolores Park, San Francisco): Same as last note from 2 weeks ago. 89

11/8/2015 - tantotinto wrote:

Beautiful nose. Floral, limestone and must. More restrained on the palate. Quince, stone fruit and marmalade with a long finish. Even after a couple of hours though it had not opened up enough to deliver what the nose promised. First bottle that has held so much back. Bottle variation?

11/10/2015 - lvjohn Likes this wine:

Still seems a bit young. There seems to be a lot of potential for this to become a very special wine. Even so, we enjoyed it a lot. Nice red fruit nose, a pleasant fruity nose, and absolutely no defects. Let's give this one another year or two before trying it again.

11/7/2015 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

A warm November eve in Cleveland (Our backyard): I wanted to let this age, but my wife likes young, bold wines and Carlisle may be her favorite winery at the moment. Perfect for tonight. Purple in color. The nose has kisrch, slight bramble, slight framboise hard candies (those powdered sugar kind), and licorice. Great lush, but juicy texture. Lots of black raspberry fruit, some red raspberries, slight candied note (in a good way). Some tannins left. Great balance. Delicious!

11/4/2015 - cuffthis Likes this wine:

Opaque purple in color, this wine (4% Carignane) reveals intense and linear aromas of blackberry liqueur, licorice, lavender and kirsch. The mouth feel is very full bodied with sweet tannins, noticeable oak and more black as well as blue fruits. The finish is complex and long with the blue fruits and lavender coming out strong, holding the 15.4% abv in check.

Purchased for $48US, this is my first tasting of a Carlisle Zin. The hype is real and justified. Wow. Thankful I bought two of these. I'll drink the other one soon. Why wait?

6/21/2015 - andtheodor wrote:

Cooked cherries, leather, black tea, mushrooms, tar, bitter almonds, and astringency. Doesn't sound very nice, but the pieces fit together and make an enjoyable wine.

9/12/2015 - rmcnees Likes this wine:

Consistent with earlier notes, this exhibited a rich dark purple color, full bodied, and full smooth polished aromas and flavors of raspberries, blueberry, blueberries and smoked meat with notes of spice and floral elements with hints of oak with nicely integrated silky tannins on the lingering finish. However, the fruit was more subdued and a bit leaner than the full throttle profile of previous experience a few years ago.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2015/10/cityscape-syrah-zin-bbq-ribs-wine.html

10/2/2015 - DHJ1968 wrote:

Big and beautiful yet lithe and feline. Rippling and oh so fast. Utterly compelling and completely irresistible. Fresh fruit mashed by stony granite. Of truly freakish proportions and quixotic depths . Like Bo Jackson. The contradiction that is the essence of Riesling. Brilliant!

7/26/2015 - RGCM Gananda Likes this wine:

Drinking beautifully now, but with more than enough energy to suggest a long, long life. Intense tropical fruit at first backed with apple, lemon and peach. An exciting mix of flavors with the sweeter notes well balanced by the more kabinett style green apple. Overall, this is just an extremely enjoyable bottle to drink. The complexity is far and away the best feature. It is nowhere near peak and my only problem will be resisting opening more of them now.

6/9/2015 - acyso wrote:

Chicago ♥ Selbach-Oster (Chicago, IL): #27-11, 8.5% abv. Extremely advanced golden colour. Sweet and fat on the palate, but showing absolutely nothing else. Where's the acidity?

6/1/2015 - *Vine* wrote:

Popped and poured, youthful purple/ruby, dark. Forward potpourri of ripe bramble fruits, black cherry, incense, graham cracker, spice and clay. Medium-plus body, excellent concentration. Tart cherry fruits on the palate along with notes of cedar and the herbaceous. The tannins are chewy and somewhat astringent on the lingering close. Could probably use another 3-5+ years but regardless, this is just a delicious wine, sumptuous even.

4/28/2015 - dsdiii wrote:

The wine looks straw colored.

4/10/2015 - Keith Levenberg Likes this wine:

Dazzling complexity here. And I was initially taken aback as I didn't expect it to be anything like this. At 12% alcohol you assume the wine is going to taste dry or nearly so. But in fact the first sip was a giant fruit bomb that reminded me of some of my asterisked Selbach predicate wines from 2005 - luscious, quite deep and yellow-fruited in tone, and not even especially acidic, almost improbably soft. And then oddly enough it got crisper, drier, and jagged in texture even as the temperature warmed up. It retained those deeper bass notes but it was all deep, dark slate. And then after that the fruit lightened in tone even more to that classic Mosel apple/pear/white-cherry profile. And even then there is a very full and rounded sweetness here, on the spatlese side of spatlese feinherb, which is the official designation. In short, this is not like drinking a Peter Lauer wine. It is very very Selbach and even, dare I say it, very very Terry Theise, even given its throwback identity.

4/17/2010 - The Professor wrote:

THIS WAS THE BOTTLE THAT LITERALLY CHANGED MY LIFE!

I drank this bottle at the ten year mark, in college, in 1998. I went to the local campus' stop n rob to buy a bottle of Boon's Farm Strawberry wine (hey, its college!) and saw this bottle, immaculate, glistening gold on the top shelf of the wine aisle. Apparently it had been there for some time because the owners couldn't sell it and needed the shelf space...and had thereby reduced it to a "final sale" tag for $5. That's not a typo. Five dollars. I paid with one dollar bills. Knowing that Chardonnays, even the best of them, start moaning about Arthritis at age 4 I thought for sure that this would be a cooking wine at best....but the color bewildered me. (hear new age music here) It literally glowed a golden hue and radiated its florescent yellow straw color from within the bottle. I called the boys at Spec's to get a price quote and because it was so old, they couldn't give me one. A few guessed, if not tainted, that it could be valued at over $75 (in 1998). I seriously considered saving it for Christmas but...it kept whispering my name. Eventually, I caved in to its demand...to help it meet its destiny (all wines are meant to be drunk). I spent a day planning the perfect meal.

If you've never had Walleye Pike, you're missing a small piece of heaven here on earth. A Frenchman from Tahiti once said it was the best fish he'd ever eaten in his entire life...the only exception might be, if one were to make a stretch, with that of the fresh water tahitian trout enjoyed in his early childhood. I went to the fishmonger and purchased some cleaned fillets of fresh native american line caught Walleye Pike, brought it home, and lit up the barbeque grill in the back yard. I marrinated the fillets in garlic butter and cooked them to perfection. We sat outside on a pic-nic table and I poured the wine that had been opened an hour earlier.

Smooth as silk! The aromas, even in the open air, perfumed the entire area. It was unbelievable! It caressed the tongue and sides of the cheek with a softness never felt before. It immediately showed enormous complexity and multiple layers of flavors! Lemongrass, hints of lime, butter, fig, and a minerality of terroir not found in Napa. The mineral was extremely subtle and barely showed in the suppleness of the complexities gently and slowly exposeing themselves. Curious, I timed the finish that lasted about 90 seconds. It was a perfect pairing with the Walleye Pike.

Whenever someone asks the perenial question asked of all wine lovers...Which bottle was it that did it for you? I tell them about the ten year old Chardonnay I bought in college.

4/2/2015 - LW31 Likes this wine:

Lovely, racy, sharp, refreshing RS on the finish. Superb balance/pairing with Thai food.

3/29/2015 - budman wrote:

What a shame... incredible potential... where did it go wrong?????

3/12/2015 - pgb67 wrote:

Uncle Rob's Visit: Very classic etna, resembling a burgundian pinot noir with some Italian spiciness layered in. Nose of strawberry and tamarind with a light-bodied but deep flavor profile of cherry and raspberry with sophisticated oak accents. Yet another party where I turned people onto Sicilian wine. Was WOTN for some of the more sophisticated palates.

3/11/2015 - Sennma wrote:

Much leaner than the KK served in the same flight and a sharper acidity. I think this will show better with some time.

1/15/2015 - Brandy2426 wrote:

4th flawed Mer Soleil in past 2 months. 3 silvers and one reserve. Seems like the wine got exposed to very high heat. Winery issue, or distributor issue?

1/1/2015 - Tarpon222 wrote:

Opened 2 bottles. Both had an aged color but looked Ok for this age. One bottle was way over the hill; nasty finish but not corked. the other bottle was plain disappointing. These did not represent the Shiraz I like. probably just too old since both have been properly cellared.

12/26/2014 - kevin h wrote:

A serious vermouth. Plenty of Orange notes and intense herb flavours. Drunk on its own this is very bitter, interesting certainly but an acquired taste for sure. Mixed with orange juice and a little ice it is superb.

12/25/2014 - rustyRudy Likes this wine:

Wow ! Double decanted and drank with Fonseca 94 head to head. Ripe plum, great concentration with tannins that have softened, lightened up to dark garnet to lighter purple in color compared to a few years ago. Impressive! Marvelous. Drank from a split. Corks are soft and easily crumble. Long life ahead for the wine !

11/29/2014 - Rufusjo wrote:

Good pairing with leg of lamb for thanksgiving.
Delish

11/28/2014 - swade wrote:

From my 62 degree passive cellar. Opened for four hours. Some bricking on the edge. Smells like horse sweat. Flat entry. Leather, funk and acid. No discernable fruit. Slightly shrill, tart finish. Below average for me. My wife liked it. Scored for average. 79

8/22/2014 - sp4388 Likes this wine:

Buttery slightly burnt popcorn. Overoaked overhyped and way overpriced. I respect that a lot of people love this style and sometimes I do too. But you can do so much better in $30-$40 buttery/creamy chardonnay land