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N.V. Lantieri De Paratico Franciacorta Satèn Franciacorta DOCG Chardonnay Blend, Chardonnay

12/25/2020 - VlgJeff wrote:

91 points

Last of four bottles purchased in late 2018 from a local retailer. Markings on the cork seem to indicate that the wine was bottled in early 2016, and does lose a bit of freshness as it ages.
The wine has lively (but small) bubbles that give an almost creamy effervescence, lots of lemon and lime, some minerality, some toasted nut, and very little (if any) yeasty brioche - to our preference. This wine is made with 100% Chardonnay, but drinks a bit heavier/creamier than a Blanc de Blanc Champagne. It has very good acidity, and the sugar is listed at 6 g/l.

Red Don commented:

2/11/22, 4:39 PM - Thanks so much for the Tasting Note(s) VLGJEFF. I first heard of Franciacorta from a waiter (Yuri, ironically) at a fav Italian restaurant in San Francisco. Its almost impossible to find; while visiting daughter in NYC (2017) I bot 3 bottles at Astor Wines in Greenwich Village. MARVELOUS, but I've been saving the best (the Satèn) for last - sadly, I'm in SF and the bottle is on East Coast (covid travel restrictions). I've been trying to find it on the west coast; the last I checked Astor no longer has it. This website has an article on Satèn you might like (you might have to scroll down "Meet Satèn, Italy's Silk Wine"): https://www.foodandwine.com/wine-regions/italy/wine-101-soave-verdicchio-and-gavi

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Red

2015 Artevani Saperavi Kakheti

6/20/2017 - Red Don Likes this wine:

89 points

Restaurant purchase @ BLT Prime Restaurant by David Burke, Washington, DC (I won't mention the (outrageous) price, but avg retail is $24). Sommelier suggested this wine to accompany an entree of Porterhouse Steak.

Served @ room temperature, wine is Deep (Royal) Purple in glass; actually imbues the stemware with color. Thick legs, Nose is of Plums & dark red fruit, with alcoholic overtone (14.0% abv). Very Hearty and Full-bodied; more than Hearty enough to stand up any strongly-flavored meat or game, such as Wild Boar or Venison.

Palate of Dark fruits; Plums, Black cherries and earthy spice. Wine features prominent tannin's, but not harsh, although I did notice some fuzziness on the tooth.

Bold, complex structure yet smooth and well-balanced acid. Lingering tart, rather pleasant finish.

Good choice for any strongly-flavored dish, meats, or wild game. Rather like a Blaufränkisch, on steroids (please may I have just one more sip!).

The (glass) bottle seems double thick, and twice the weight of most 750 ml bottles. I've heard some wine producers use heavier bottles just to enhance the illusion of quality, but I think this instance is only because of it's region of origin. This wine may also be available in a ceramic container.

Drinking this wine reminds me of the Grape Crushing scene in 1996's beautifully-photographed, academy award-nominated, Best Foreign Language Film from the Georgian Republic, "A Chef in Love" ('Shekvarebuli kulinaris ataserti retsepti' original title) with Pierre Richard, Micheline Presley & Nino Kirtadze. See it and you'll know what I'm talking about. (Lovers of Georgia should see it.)

EDIT: Some research reveals that Georgia is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, wine producing regions in the world. I acquired some more to see if this young wine benefits from cellaring.

Red Don commented:

5/2/20, 11:25 AM - Thank you Fractalage. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did (drinking it &) writing it.

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Red

2010 Teliani Valley Kindzmarauli Saperavi

1/16/2013 - Rob-Rah wrote:

Dark. Deep, fruity. Strawberry and roses. Iodine, a little tar. Palate powerful and rather tannic. Covered up by a little residual sweetness. But this is off-dry rather than really semi-sweet. A bit one-dimensional. This appears to be in need of bottle age. Well balanced. I have 12 of these so will save rating until I understand it a bit better. My impression is good though.

Red Don commented:

8/10/19, 7:07 AM - I'm curious Rob-Rah whether you ever followed up this review with a rating after consuming your other bottles; and whether cellaring helped. (if not perhaps it's time (wink).)

Addendum: I was quite surprised by your prompt response, Thank you. I understand, my cellar/cooler space is also quite limited. I was gifted a bottle of 2018 Kindzmarauli I'll be reviewing soon that you may want to see. (I reviewed a 2015 Artevani Saperavi that you might also find interesting)

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Red

2014 B.R. Cohn Cabernet Sauvignon Silver Label North Coast

2/5/2016 - andrewdodd86 Does not like this wine:

88 points

Pretty mediocre. Didn't love. Sweet fruit. Little funky. Pass

Red Don commented:

5/21/16, 8:01 AM - 88 pts and voted 'Likes this wine.' Yet comments are: 'mediocre, didn't love, sweet, funky. Pass'
Are we talking about the same wine here?

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