Comments on my notes

Red

2007 Blankiet Estate Proprietary Red Wine Paradise Hills Vineyard Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend

8/18/2023 - Milano wrote:

One of the worst bottles of wine I ever bought!

D.Callahan commented:

12/24/23, 3:26 PM - Was this bottle flawed, not stored well or just not to your taste?

Comment

Red

2015 Tensley Syrah Santa Barbara County

12/22/2018 - D.Callahan wrote:

flawed

Well I just drank, or rather attempted to drink, the first of my 12 bottles of Tensley Santa Barbara County Syrah. It was seriously bad wine. Harsh sour notes and overwhelming prunes were all that appeared. This bottle came from a massively discounted offer from Invino and I worry about the provenance. It was labeled as "Santa Barbara County"

D.Callahan commented:

9/22/20, 3:44 PM - In answer to these comments, I tried several bottles with very similar results and they would not refund without getting the bottles back which would take way too much time, effort and cost. Also note the tasting note from Chill92 who had a similar experience with steeply discounted 2015 Tensley Syrah.
D.Callahan commented:

9/23/20, 12:47 PM - The reason I did not just say the wine was "Flawed" was that I was not sure it would bring enough notice to what I see as a problem. This was not an issue of just one bottle. The other low rating note I referenced indicated a very similar issue from a different supplier. I do not care about not getting refund.
D.Callahan commented:

10/3/20, 6:45 PM - Dear Laz4wine

I certainly don't have a problem if you disagree with my rating for this wine. My problem with Tensley, at least their Syrah, stem from 2010 where a wine I purchased from a local wine store was seriously flawed and as it was labelled under the wine store's name distributed to just their store, I felt justified in rating it poorly rather than flawed. The wine was labeled as coming from Colson Canyon Vineyard and described as being made by Tensley. I had purchased an earlier vintage with the same description and very much enjoyed it. This event colored my decision on the rating you objected to so vociferously. I worry about decisions made in the Tensley Winery about how to sell off excess wine. The store labelled wine and the bulk discounted wine I purchased more recently are worrying to me. Of course the wine store could have been lying about who made the wine as I have no way of checking so I may be in error through misinformation. I'm certainly sorry my decision on the current rating bothered you as I do not wish to sully the name of anyone nor participate in flaming or other troll behavior.

I really don't keep score on Cellar Tracker interior popularity metrics.

Thanks for your input.

Comment (See all 9 comments)

White

2011 Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin Vineyard Sonoma Coast

12/25/2018 - D.Callahan Likes this wine:

92 points

Excellent, rich, full bodied Chardonnay. A hint of pineapple and brioche on the nose, tangerine and a bare touch of honeysuckle on the palate with balancing acidity on the finish.

D.Callahan commented:

5/5/19, 3:11 PM - It sat out for about 35 minutes after taking it out of the frig and then consuming over about an hour.

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Red

2009 Donelan Syrah Obsidian Vineyard Knights Valley

12/3/2018 - D.Callahan Likes this wine:

92 points

Excellent but big Syrah still with bold liquor fruit flavors. Plenty of acidity adds to the balance but not what you are looking for if the Northern Rhone is your thing.

D.Callahan commented:

12/20/18, 12:39 PM - Sorry! The review you commented on was misplaced so I corrected it just after your comment.

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Red

2009 Blankiet Estate Rive Droite Napa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend

4/18/2016 - BuzzzzOff Likes this wine:

96 points

We popped open one of our favourite California Cabernet Sauvignons (blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot and a bit of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot) to toast the sad and unexpected passing of Blankiet Wine Maker Extraordinaire - Denis Malbec. RIP, Denis...and sip well during the next step in your journey.

Rich purple/brown/red on the eye. Blankiet really knows how to open the door and dare you to jump into the deep end!

Dark, black fruits, coffee and smokiness overwhelms your nose and speaks volumes as to why you MUST decant for at least 5 hours before sipping this Mack Truck.

Palate is overwhelmed with fruit, toasty-oak, silky tannins and happy integration.

We mistakenly let her breathe in the bottle and only felt we had experienced all her glory in hour 8...yup, we are serious. Plan well in advance with this powerful, heavyweight champion...and probably wait another 5 to 10 years before sipping.

D.Callahan commented:

10/4/17, 3:12 PM - Buzzzzoff I think you may have misfiled this review. It is filed as a review of the 2009 Rive Droit but I think your review is for the Blankiet Cabernet blend.

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Red

2006 Haras de Pirque Albis Red Blend

1/20/2016 - bajayngo wrote:

Showing a good does of cab franc notes with graphite and peppers, lots of bdx notes with leather, creme de cassis, a bit of dust and fresh tilled earth. Showing very well in the blind tasting.

D.Callahan commented:

2/24/17, 2:20 PM - I don''t think the 2006 has any Cab Franc in it. What you are tasting must be the 28% Carmenere?

Comment

Red - Fortified

N.V. V. Sattui Winery Madeira California Red Blend

8/27/1989 - buckeye76 wrote:

84 points

PORT LIKE IN ITS AROMA AND TASTE...A DESSERT IN ITSELF.

D.Callahan commented:

11/7/16, 8:31 PM - Hey Buckeye are you going for a record for reviews? You have been hitting some goood sauce!

p. s. Does your computer have a caps lock key?

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Red

2010 Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages Gamay

2/2/2012 - mos wrote:

79 points

Not sure how this made a Robert Parker list.

More like a flat strawberry wine cooler than a real wine. Nose is very yeasty. Red fruity. No body. Drinkable, but flat and boring.

Starting to think French wine is just not my thing. I've had everything from a 95 Lafite to this and 95% of the time I'm unimpressed, or feel I can find a WAY better wine for the money.

D.Callahan commented:

10/16/16, 3:23 PM - What Parker list are you talking about? This wine has been reviewed twice by WA (not Parker), one of those was a different cuvee and neither were the 2010 vintage. Just curious if he had something else to say about this wine.

Year▼ Wine Name Rating Maturity Price
Red Wine 2013 Click to see the Wine Advocate Review(s) of this wine Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages Combe Aux Jacques 88 Old
Red Wine 1999 Click to see the Wine Advocate Review(s) of this wine Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages 87 Old
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Comment

Red

2006 Failla Syrah Phoenix Ranch Napa Valley

7/19/2011 - Lessthanzero wrote:

90 points

Nice enough but served to warm and maybe too much air. Flabby mess of fruit and alcohol. Good syrah typicity, some earth and red current with a low dose of acid. No tnanins to speak of.

D.Callahan commented:

2/16/12, 11:28 AM - I'm not sure how your tasting note can have any relation to the score you gave it??? A "Flabby mess of fruit and alcohol." doesn't sound like 90 points. Just curious. I had poor results from 2 bottles of this wine and I wonder if there was a problem with more than my bottles.

Comment

Red

2005 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

2/27/2011 - godx wrote:

84 points

Opened and served right away. Dark red, almost purple in colour. Massive nose of ripe blueberries, blackberries, plums and lots of vanilla oak. Flavours of blueberry pie, blackberries and more vanilla. A big wine with loads of structure. This is simply not a style of wine I enjoy. Those who enjoy big, ripe, concentrated and heavily oaked Napa cabs will really like this. I can only hope that in 5+ years some of the oak integrates to make a more balanced wine. According to ‘pfleeg’ I don’t know what I’m talking about so best to ignore this. Average. 84+

D.Callahan commented:

12/18/11, 3:16 PM - GODX
I agree that there is no reason to say that someone doesn't know what he or she is talking about if they merely disagree with your judgement. However, there is also no need to post multiple low scoring notes on the same tasting to reinforce your opinion. The benefit of Cellar Tracker is that enough people taste a wine to give a closer to consensus view of each wine.

Comment

Red

2007 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley

5/28/2010 - Matt Scott wrote:

100 points

Decanted for three hours, five times in a very gentle way. Purple and black core with an almost garnet/purple rim. This wondrous and enamoring wine possesses the aromatics of legends: Blackberry jam, cassis liquor, rose petals, candied blueberries, rubbed river stones, cigar box complexity and vanilla bean. The descriptors are endless and the palate is mind-numbing. Very full-bodied with the utmost elegance. The complexity is delineated and the finish is over a minute. This has a freshness on the end that leaves you craving the next sip. Your mouth is coated with the most profound encompassing effect. The '05 is also a 100 pt wine, yet this could be even better. The tannins are round and copious with a soft end. I really can't get over the freshness. The best American Cab that I've ever had. She is hibernating and will out last me. It's not monolithic so much as it is honed. Probably the most elegant Quilceda that I've ever had. Paul and Alex call it their possible best. I think that they are on to something. It's also quite possibly a top 10 wine of a lifetime (with '89 Haut-Brion, '86 Mouton, '82 Las Cases, '95 Margaux, '05 Las Cases, '05 L'evangile, '05 Quilceda Creek, '01 D'Yquem and '00 Lafite). Get it while you can and let her slumber. A level of patience will be highly rewarded. Trust me..... Drink 2017 -.

D.Callahan commented:

9/2/10, 3:46 PM - When you said "Decanted for three hours, five times in a very gentle way." What exactly did you mean? Did you pour it into a decanter and back into the bottle 5 different times over the course of 3 hours or did you do the 5 decantings one after the other then let it sit for 3 hours? I have 3 and I'm trying to decide if I want to commit infanticide on one or not.

Comment

Red

2007 Mas de Boislauzon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée du Quet Red Rhone Blend

3/23/2010 - D.Callahan Likes this wine:

98 points

Decanted at noon for an hour and a half then poured it back in the bottle and corked until around 7:30 p. m.. Drank at a Rhone dinner on the west side of LA. Fantastic nose of smoke and flowering herbs with a little bacon fat thrown in. The palate was bursting with dark fruits but also had a spine of minerality running down the middle with very good acidity and soft tannins with a finish that went on for minutes. This wine is everything that Parker said it was (I just have not had enough CdP to be able to call this 100 pts.).

D.Callahan commented:

3/23/10, 12:13 PM - I don't know if my palate doesn't mind the alcohol or if it was because I was drinking a lot of Rhones that night but I didn't notice the alcohol. Also, the wine had been opened long enough and the fruit was huge enough, that everything worked.

Comment

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