7/16/2020 - riffcold Likes this wine:

16 year old. Unctuous and chewy, but a bit flatter than expected. Raisins on the decline.

7/8/2020 - riffcold wrote:

Nice garnet color. Spicy with a feeling of prickly brambles.

7/8/2020 - riffcold Likes this wine:

Viscous mouthfeel, with vanilla and apples and quince dominant. Silky finish.

1/8/2010 - riffcold wrote:

Quaffer, but you're clearly taking in the breeze and spray of Sicily here. What a wonderful expression of terroir--enchanting feel of sea mist integrated into simple, yet lively fruit. There's a intriguing sand-blasted steel aroma here as well.

12/14/2009 - riffcold wrote:

Sumptuous, perfumed earth, brandied pears

9/4/2009 - riffcold wrote:

Absolutely incredible. Decanted for an hour before serving. Cherry cola, vanilla, and whiffs of a bit of caramel. Strong blueberry component and finish that should be timed a la Parker.

9/4/2009 - riffcold wrote:

Needs just a bit more time. Decanted for an hour before serving and tannins are not as well integrated as they could be. A pleasant stony herbal mouth-feel though this was outclassed by the 2007 Williams Selyem Westside Road Neighbors.

3/29/2009 - riffcold wrote:

Pine on the Bose, blueberry domination along with spicy notes. Incredibly distinctive.

3/2/2009 - riffcold wrote:

V. Smooth. Raspberries and other ripe red fruit. Sadly not much of a finish.

2/15/2009 - riffcold wrote:

Quite remarkable. A bit of a Riesling nose with notes of petrol and apple with a hint of quince, but the malo attack confirms its distinctiveness with a steely structure and bracing acidity. Poor finish, unfortunately, but well worth the discovery effort.

12/26/2008 - riffcold wrote:

Absolutely incredible. Not as gassy as some of its brethren, but the characteristic aromas are there, as is the spritz. Long, unctuous finish that's a bit like a caramelized pear sliding across your tongue. All of the fresh pear and apple notes a guy could ever ask for. Can't wait to try the Auslese.

12/26/2008 - riffcold wrote:

92 out of the bottle - lovely hay barnyard aroma. Slightly tannic, but possesses the powerful finish I whore out 90+ ratings for. Nice cassis, fruit jam elements integrated with cedar and oak.

10/24/2008 - riffcold wrote:

Must, pears, honey, sweet wood, wet grass on the nose. Overall, this possess much barnyard character. The taste is of caramel apple with high viscosity. However it is a bit tight with spiciness that drifts in and out and is not particularly super rich or contemplative.

9/10/2008 - riffcold wrote:

Pretty good wine, but not an interesting one. Non-existent finish, standard German Riesling flavor and aroma profile.

9/1/2008 - riffcold wrote:

Very good, but lacking complication. Great viscosity. The 2005 Franz Karl Schmitt Spatlese I thought was a declassified Auslese wins out in a direct taste comparison.

9/1/2008 - riffcold wrote:

One of the few Syrahs I've enjoyed. Immense spicy, peppery aroma combined with a bit of the farmhouse funk that people have alluded to but the combination, along with a hint of cherry, is well-integrated and fairly magical in your mouth.

8/27/2008 - riffcold wrote:

Delicious stuff. Typical oily and apple-y Riesling nose, beautifully structured for what is rumored to be a declassified Auslese. Honeysuckle, apple, and pear don't linger long unfortunately, which prevents it from my 90+ category.

8/27/2008 - riffcold wrote:

Inky. Ironic because I thought I smelled smoky pencil lead and then the nose started becoming baby-vomit obnoxious. So on to the tasting note. A pleasant and simple table wine with ordinary red fruits and nonexistent finish. Body held up against the hyperacidity of the tomatoes on my pizza. All in all, I won't cry over having spent these 6 dollars.

7/31/2008 - riffcold wrote:

Not a distinctive nose. Maybe a bit of the "burnt fruit" and earthiness that I associate with Malbec. The taste is much better. Smooth jamminess with the pleasant brace of leather and just a tantalizing hint of mocha.

7/24/2008 - riffcold wrote:

My first impression of Agiorgitiko. Fairly unoffensive grape with an undistinguished nose. Taste was basically Syrah-lite--a hint of well-rounded spiciness that lingered.

12/21/2007 - riffcold wrote:

Amazing! This is the first bottle of wine under $20 that I've felt worthy of a 90+ rating. Long, fruity nose catches your attention and holds on to it with whiffs of coconut, dark berry jam, and tobacco. Excellent mouth feel and balance. Enjoy lots of strawberries and cherries! This is the first wine that's made me want to buy a case (I'm a broke college student)

10/14/2007 - riffcold wrote:

Grassy aroma, gooseberry-driven feel, poor finish.

11/15/2007 - riffcold wrote:

Was not sure what to think, as I don't know much about Gruner characteristics. I smelled honey on the nose along with a stone sort of aroma. Contained powerful minerals and a peppery bite that finished just a tad short. Lives up to its name--"Charming"

10/24/2007 - riffcold wrote:

Chocolate on the nose, pepper, fleeting hints of cassis?

one smell i couldn't place even though i feel as i should--I think it is herb.

complex bouquet, for sure.

fruit bomb! cherries! Medium-hot finish, lingers at the midsection of the tongue. A bit off-balance, but otherwise tremendous QPR.

10/23/2007 - riffcold wrote:

Light, tasty, most definitely a quaffer. Notes of peaches and lemons.

10/19/2007 - riffcold wrote:

Very ordinary. Poured a light ruby-reddish color with a bouquet of apple and cherries. Little complexity in the taste to speak of as this is basically alcoholic Welch's, nothing more.

10/7/2007 - riffcold wrote:

Excellent notes of espresso and chocolate. Finish is long and pleasant

10/7/2007 - riffcold wrote:

Beautiful violet color; well-rounded and many red fruits are expressive, otherwise not very interesting

10/7/2007 - riffcold wrote:

Notes of green apple and honey; finish is a bit hot.

9/29/2007 - riffcold wrote:

Took this to dinner at a Spanish tapas place and asked them to aerate it while we waited, which was about 40 minutes. Bouquet is warm and inviting with its smoked oakiness; the first taste was "closed," hence leading me to declare that it needed another 20 minutes or so. But once the time arrived, cherries danced at the front of my tongue while raspberries supported the most amazing explosive finish at the back of my tongue.

9/27/2007 - riffcold wrote:

An excellent quaffer as it goes down easy. Nothing other than a bit of apple to tantalize you during that journey, though.

9/25/2007 - riffcold wrote:

Crisp and well-made, but it was difficult for me to discern anything other than a hint of nashi

9/10/2007 - riffcold wrote:

Lack of strong tannins leads to a cab that did not age well. Murky nose, very bland and nothing distinguishable.

9/8/2007 - riffcold wrote:

nice notes of currant, dark berries. unfortunately, finish is kind of metallic and not very pleasing

9/7/2007 - riffcold wrote:

I rate this at the low end of Very Good only because I am not a fan of grapefruit, which is one of the wine's strongest notes. I couldn't distinguish a nose, but besides the grapefruit, there were excellent lingering tastes of peach and passion fruit. The finish was slightly jarring for such a delicate wine.

9/2/2007 - riffcold wrote:

Ripe with minerals, vanilla and a hint of citrus.

8/30/2007 - riffcold wrote:

dark chocolate-y, woodsy (oak?), so smooth
burnt cherries finish?
beautifully opaque appearance