Comments on my notes

Red

2001 Château Pape Clément Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend

3/19/2016 - djdaqm Likes this wine:

93 points

Don's 48th (Home): Decanted and aerated for about 2 hours before drinking. Solid example of aged Bordeaux although maybe a little closed at this point. Some pencil lead and autumn leaves on the nose. More earthy than fruity. Nice balance of acidity, concentration, and flavors.

djdaqm commented:

3/24/16, 8:40 PM - I think there's plenty of life left in this wine. If you're going to drink it now I would suggest considerable aeration beforehand. I would guess that it'll continue to improve over the next 5 years, and will hold well for at least another 5 years beyond that.

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Red

2005 Château Puygueraud Francs Côtes de Bordeaux Red Bordeaux Blend

10/30/2014 - djdaqm wrote:

89 points

It is getting to a good place. Decent wine for the price. Plenty of tannins still left. Make sure to drink all the bottle in one day. The wine does not hold up.

djdaqm commented:

11/18/14, 6:06 PM - Indeed, how did something so simple as decanting got so complicated? Matt Kramer wrote a nice piece about that here: http://www.winespectator.com/webfeature/show/id/49002

Bottom line, I agree with you: most wines are best after a short decant. Very few benefit from a 12-24 hrs decant. With respect to the note, I like to see that at least the wine does not fall apart completely after 24 hrs. In the case of the 2005 Puygueraud, it does. It becomes undrinkable. So, open it, enjoy it, and drink the whole bottle.

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Red

2004 Antinori Tignanello Toscana IGT SuperTuscan Blend

6/2/2014 - djdaqm Likes this wine:

92 points

Starting to show some browning in color. On the nose there is grilled meat and smoke along with dark berries. Lots of acidity and good concentration on the palate. A touch of earthiness. Tannins are still strong, but not overbearing. There is a lot of potential left in this wine. I think it could continue to improve for another 10 years.

djdaqm commented:

7/14/14, 12:26 PM - Hey JV... good question. When the wine starts to age, one sees a bit of a brick color around the edge. When young, some reds are purple/dark/opaque. This change of color takes a long time. After 10 years from the vintage this particular wine is starting to go over that transformation. It is not a flaw. In fact, some people, (like me) like that evolution. Some would even argue that that is what you paid for in a cellar worthy wine. The flavors go from primary (fruits)... to secondary (those from fermentation and maybe barrel)... and then to tertiary (mushroom/tobacco/cedar). At the end is what you like. I prefer wines with tertiary flavors. This one is starting to go there. Will the wine get better? If you like those tertiary flavors, like so many wine lovers do, the wine will get better. If you prefer the young fruits, then it might not get better for your taste.

Color can be a great guidance to know where a wine is. The fact that is starting to brick is not a fault.

As time passes some of us start to get white hair. Not all individuals that get white hair get more interesting. But there are some people that gain so much wisdom, calmness, and perspective in life along with their white hair.

Thanks for your comment!

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Red

2006 Lewis Cellars Alec's Blend Napa Valley Syrah Blend, Syrah

7/27/2013 - SpoochMan wrote:

89 points

Hmm, a bit torn on this one. It's a polarizing style. Huge, dense black fruit, thick mouthfeel, and great concentration. Some hints of spice but not much in the way of secondaries. On the negative side, this really lacks acidity and so it borders on flabby and gloppy, just not enough structure. The alcohol heat is reasonably well in check when served at cellar temp, but as this warms up toward room temperature, look out if you are sensitive to heat. We decanted this for a couple of hours (in the cellar), and it did open a bit but there was not a huge change.

There was a time when we would have liked this more, but it's not a style that appeals to us very much these days. Well made, though, and good if this is what you look for in wine...

djdaqm commented:

4/20/14, 7:37 PM - I couldn't agree more with everything you said.

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Red

2001 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo

5/10/2013 - Blake Brown Likes this wine:

95 points

quite a contrast to the 64` with more vibrant fresh ripe fruit including plum, blackberry and red currant topped with a hint of leather and spice with all continuing on through a long finish.

djdaqm commented:

4/16/14, 9:49 PM - Sounds like a delicious wine, but from your comments, did you mean to review the red rather than the white wine?

Comment

Red

2002 Calabretta Etna Rosso Etna DOC Nerello Mascalese

12/9/2013 - djdaqm wrote:

88 points

Remarkably light color on the cork for an 11 year old wine. The cork looked like it could have come from a recent vintage Beaujolais Nouveau wine. Very clear and sparkly in its look, with a touch of brick color. On the nose it has a mild tobacco and spice, with gentle fruit flavors tending towards cherry. On the palate it's smooth and well integrated, although not particularly long or complex. Fairly one-note, but nice for the price as an everyday drinker.

djdaqm commented:

12/10/13, 8:02 PM - Thanks for the comments jerwin. It seems you have some experience with this wine, and I appreciate your perspective. Incidentally, I aerated the wine for about 30 minutes in a decanter before drinking, and I had it with food. I did actually enjoy the wine, and in general I like this style--fairly subtle, clean, decent acidity, and showing nice signs of age. I just found it to be a little singular in complexity. As you mentioned in your review notes, maybe this particular bottle wasn't up to snuff (I bought it aged off the shelf from a local retailer). I also saved half in a 375ml bottle to try the next day, and didn't feel it held up the second day.

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White

2010 Nicolas Joly Clos de la Coulée de Serrant Savennières-Coulée de Serrant Chenin Blanc

9/20/2012 - Tigg wrote:

93 points

(Tasted and purchased at winery.) The best (and most expensive at US$60/btl) of the Chenin Blancs we tasted on our Loire Valley trip. Good structure, acidity, complexity, and the right amount of sugar for a demi-sec. A range of floral and fruit notes presented. A pleasure to drink by itself and will hold up well against food or strong cheese when one wants a bit of sweetness. Too bad I was driving and had to spit.

djdaqm commented:

12/8/13, 4:19 AM - Sounds like maybe this comment applies to the demi-sec or moelleux bottle rather than to this dry wine.

e.g. see https://www.cellartracker.com/list.asp?fInStock=0&Table=List&iUserOverride=0&szSearch=Nicolas+Joly+Savenni%E8res%2DCoul%E9e+de+Serrant+Demi+Sec+Clos+de+la+Coul%E9e+de+Serrant#selected%3DW1679722_1_K0193268efa012f8259636c025e969035
djdaqm commented:

12/9/13, 1:28 AM - You are right. Yet CellarTracker lists de demi sec as a separate wine ( say for 2009 for example). That should be fixed. It threw me off and might confuse others.

For fans of Nicolas Joly check out the 2 part interview with Gary Vaynerchuk in YouTube.

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Red

2004 Gaetano D'Aquino Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Corvina Blend, Corvina

2/4/2009 - jerobb wrote:

89 points

I've recently become infatuated with amarone wines so I was jazzed when I walked into Cost Plus and saw they put this wine on their half-price sale. I immediately bought a bottle to try and after drinking it, went back and bought the remaining 3 bottles the following day. I find it interesting that the of range of ratings for this wine is so broad, from 70's to 90's. I think it is partly the nature of amarone, it's such a distinct style. This is classic with a deep full color and body, just screaming rich. At first taste, this has huge fruit but that is quickly followed by the slightly bitter/herbal edge that I so enjoy with this wine. I know it's heresy to compare wine to cocktails, but if any of you like Negronis or Manhattans or any of those cocktails that use angostora bitters, you'll know the taste I'm referring to. Very pleasing. Great finish on this wine. Not the most complex amarone I've had but then again, I'm just starting to learn this wine.

djdaqm commented:

3/31/10, 10:13 PM - Nice review. I agree with everything you've said here. Thanks!

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Red

1989 Château Haut-Brion Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend

2/15/2005 - Eric wrote:

100 points

Bordeaux Legends with Leve at Sona (Los Angeles, CA): OK, here we go. Finally, tonight I saw the 1989 Haut Brion strut, and it is a freaking wonder. OMFG, smoke, tobacco, leather, soy and salt abound on this wildly complex nose. And the palate gets an OMFHG, huge, seamless, endless, bloody, sweet, savory, so powerful and yet at the same time so smooth and seamless. Wow, this really speaks to you, and the comparison to the other wines in the flight was dramatic. They were simply all hard, choppy and tannic by comparison to this stunning youngster. Wow, I am hooked!

djdaqm commented:

3/9/10, 5:19 AM - There are some wines that are just eye-openers and expand your palate. For me, this was one of those wines that opened the door to new dimensions on what good wine is. The best wines for me elicit memories and reading your review brings it all back--the smell of autumn leaves while playing in them as a kid on a crisp, windy day... I had my taste at a Christie's wine auction; I went to the pre-sale event the night before, when they were serving some samples. Thanks for the review.

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