6/23/2010 - Linda wrote:

Color- brickish
Aroma- Some H2S upon opening, then canned asparagus
Taste- astringent, not any discernible fruit, asparagus, tart finish. No bueno.

6/23/2010 - Linda wrote:

Took to Berserkerfest 2 at Loring Wine Co.- CORKED

6/25/2009 - Linda wrote:

C- medium yellow/gold
A- Slightly grassy up front, with a nutty quality (NOT oxidized nutty), and a hint of cinnamon bun.
T- This has a very round and weighty mouthfeel, with some apricot and cinnamon spice. Not overtly cinnamony, just a feeling of cinnamon, if that makes sense. Also some pepper and spice. The biggest feature of this wine is the mouthfeel. If I had any complaint at all, it would seem to need some acidity (an Italian wine needing acid?), and this got me curious. I suspected the mouthfeel was due to some RS, although it did not taste overtly sweet, so I checked the pH- it was actually 3.51, so plenty of acid. This made me more sure that there was probably some RS, and the acidity was balancing it out. Anyway, very nice and big white. Thanks Roberto!

2/1/2009 - Linda wrote:

A- Not much nose. Tiny hint of reduction up front, some floral aromas.
T- Cantaloupe up front going into lemon and a slightly bitter (but not unpleasantly so) grapefruit rind, some white flowers, and a nice full mouthfeel. Good acid up front but softens at the finish. Great QPR.

1/5/2009 - Linda wrote:

A- slight EtOAc, chocolate, vanilla, hay, hint of EtOH.
T- "aged" taste, some chocolate and vanilla, some nice berry fruit. Lighter style of Syrah for Paso. Rather simple, but not bad for the style. Starting to open up after an hour. Fruit coming more toward the front. Decent acid and soft tannins.

12/27/2008 - Linda wrote:

A- decanted. At first I was getting nothing but tobacco/cigar box on the nose. After about an hour, started getting funky propane nose, along with the cigar box. Later finally started getting some fruit along with the other stuff.
T- Haven't had this in several years, but not quite as good as I remember. Took a while in the decanter to start getting fruit- at first I was only getting the cigar box that I was getting on the nose. Finally after about an hour+ in the decanter, started getting some sweet raspberry fruit along with the cigar box. Just not as complex as it used to be- might gain this with time. Good acidity (pH- 3.56) and slightly astringent tannins.

7/31/2008 - Linda wrote:

A- Has a slightly grassy/grapefruity nose like Sauv blanc, floral soap, apricot, slight cheesiness.
T- Has an overrripe and almost rotten quality, like the fruit may have been damaged or sat around in the sun too long. Has a hint of the Sauv blanc quality that is on the nose. Might have guessed it as an SB if tasted blind. Not minerally like really good Chenins.

7/30/2008 - Linda wrote:

A- nose is almost like a muted Sauvignon blanc- some grassiness and grapefruit and a hint of reduction and floral notes.
T- Simple but nice. Grapefriut and lime, with a hint of stone fruit. Nothing exciting, but a good refreshing white with nice acidity and good food-friendliness.

6/18/2008 - Linda wrote:

A- very pronounced new mown grass, citrus, grapefruit
T- the grapefruit on the palate is more pronounced than the grass. Mostly grapefruit, but also a hint of sweetness to it- more like pink grapefruit, with botht the bitter rind, but also the slight sweetness of the juice. Everything I like in a NZ SB.

5/16/2008 - Linda wrote:

Raisin wine. Blech.

5/15/2008 - Linda wrote:

A- not a lot going on aroma-wise- hints of citrus, floral, and melon.
T- a hint of sweetness is balanced nicely by good acidity. Some lemon/lime citrus, honeyed melon, and a hint of peach. Not complex, but a good inexpensive summer sipper.

5/4/2008 - Linda wrote:

A- peaches, apricot, slight buttery-caramel.
T- Peaches, apricot, cantaloupe, citrus, some oakiness, nice mouthfeel.

4/2/2008 - Linda wrote:

A- frosty peach, lemon/lime, floral soap
T- slight floral soap, mineral/metallic, Myer lemon, grapefruit rind, crisp acidity.

3/30/2008 - Linda wrote:

A- dried fruits, raisins, caramel, hint of clove.
T- very nice acidity trailing off to a hint of cigar box, white pepper, caramel, brambly red fruits, with a hint of cocoa on the finish. Nicely done!

3/30/2008 - Linda wrote:

A- slight kerosene and citrus- not much else
T- nice but not interesting. Kind of thin- some citrus and floral flavors, some melon, but not much else. A good daily drinker, but nothing more.

3/26/2008 - Linda wrote:

A- peaches, tropical fruit, citrus, orange blossom, slight kerosene when first opened.
T- off-dry, peaches, some minerality, rich mouthfeel, lemon-lime, slight bitterness on the finish.

3/24/2008 - Linda wrote:

A- lime, kerosene, lychee, white flowers, wet stone
T- flavors burst on the palate! Lime, wet stone, hint of baking spice, peach, honeydew melon. Lively acidity, complex and changing palate. I could drink a lot of this.

3/23/2008 - Linda wrote:

No detailed notes. Tanninc, astringent, not much fruit, no complexity.

3/15/2008 - Linda wrote:

A- eucalyptus, cocoa, white pepper, cigar box, forest floor.
T- good acidity, brambly red fruit, cigar box, forest floor, white pepper, cocoa. Not the most complex GSM I have ever had, but also not ponderous and over the top like some CC Rhones can be. A very food friendly wine.

3/13/2008 - Linda wrote:

A- at first, thought it might be slightly corked. Had a pool water aroma. Saran Wrapped it and tried it a couple of hours later- still the same. Nose of pool water, white flowers, grapefruit rind.
T- does not taste corked. Flavors of pink grapefruit, wet stone, newly mown grass, still has a bit of a pool water flavor. Has quite a similar flavor profile to Sauv blanc. Aside from the inital worry about corkage, has evolved into a nice, very crisp white.

3/7/2008 - Linda wrote:

C- Very dark purplish garnet.
A- The nose on this keeps evolving. Hambone, menthol, forest floor, cigarbox, vanilla. Got some licorice as well, when first opened.
T- This is very well balanced. Very well integrated- nothing sticks out or dominates. Very dark brambly fruit, slightly grippy tannins (they were fairly grippy before decanting), menthol, vanilla, licorice, some black pepper. Well done, John!

3/1/2008 - Linda wrote:

A- forest floor, menthol, cigar box, slight gaminess/bacon fat.
T- flavors fairly well match aromas, especially the forest floor and menthol. Good acidity with some dark cherry notes and black pepper on the finish. Not terribly complex, but enjoyable. A nearly 9 year old wine found at a health food store. Not a bad find!

2/29/2008 - Linda wrote:

A- not a huge nose, but has some melon, peach, and apricot, with a bit of a Brie cheesines to it.
T- acid and minerality, but not much else. Bit of a lactic quality on the finish. Well made but not complex.

2/16/2008 - Linda wrote:

Decanted for 5 hours
Aroma- menthol, cigar box, forest floor.
Taste- very acidic, menthol, forest floor, cigar box, grippy/astringent tannins, not much fruit. Needs a lot more time, but lack of fruit is disappointing.

2/13/2008 - Linda wrote:

Aroma- forest floor, menthol, not much else
Taste- not much fruit, wintergreen, grippy tannins, forest floor, slight dark fruit. Grippy tannins overpower any fruit that might be here. Needs a lot more time.
Decant for 3 hours:
Nose is about the same, but wow! Has this wine opened up! Still some forest floor, and now some wonderful chocolate and raspberry flavors, and some spice on the finish. Tannins are still present but no longer grippy and overwhelming. What a difference a few hours make! Very well balanced. Not super complex, but very tasty.

2/8/2008 - Linda wrote:

For as inexpensive as this wine is, it is surprizingly good. Not terribly complex, but there is some nice cinnamon spice and dark fruit.

2/9/2008 - Linda wrote:

Aroma- ever so slight ethyl acetate, oak, some menthol.
Taste- Well, for a nearly 10 year old inexpensive Merlot, it's not too bad. Fairly good acid, oak, some spice. Not a whole lotta fruit, but I really didn't expect much.

1/7/2008 - Linda wrote:

30% Bourboulenc, 30% Grenache Blanc, 30% Ugni Blanc, 10% Roussanne.
Aroma- Melon, apricot, orange blossom.
Taste- nice acidity up front with lemon/lime, hint of apricot in mid palate, slight oily mouthfeel on finish. Uncomplicated but nice. Good food wine.

12/28/2007 - Linda wrote:

Nose- overwhelming bell pepper.
Taste- overwhelming bell pepper. Left the majority overnight, and second day started picking up some dark fruit and chocolate notes, but the bell pepper is still overwhelming. Might be better with food, but hard to drink alone.

12/27/2007 - Linda wrote:

When first opened, the nose was full and rich, although a bit on the raisiny side. As I continued swirling I detected a hint of ethyl acetate.
Taste- total VA bomb! My mouth puckered immediately. I didn't think I would be able to go any further, but I kept trying. Nope. I think if the VA wasn't there it would be too over the top raisiny for my tastes anyway, but the VA is just too much, and the ethyl acetate nose just keeps getting worse (naturally). Definitely a "too much too much" wine. Too much VA, that is!