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Comments on my notes

(32 comments on 27 notes)

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Red
2018 Rasa Vineyards Founder's Reserve Columbia Valley Red Blend
11/3/2022 - Pedroel Likes this wine:
87 points
Now that I've been through half of the case, the attributes are pretty clear. It's a well made mutt wine, with seven varietals competing, rather than complimenting. There's little distinctive varietal flavor or character. Good grab-and-go wine for get-togethers, and it's a good value. Won't buy again.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    11/4/22, 11:47 AM - Your description of the wine is very similar to what I posted two years ago. It's just a bunch of varietals mixed together. It's not bad, but it's not very good, either.

Red
2018 de Négoce Cabernet Sauvignon OG N.66 Napa Valley
9/3/2022 - LCHammer Does not like this wine:
85 points
3rd bottle. Weird, nothing really there, even on day 2. Fruit muted, little tannin, nothing really bad but nothing to speak positively about. After 3 bottles I've concluded there are way better wines for ~$15 or so.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    9/5/22, 9:12 AM - There are better wines for $10.

    As far as I'm concerned, the de Negoce is a bust....a marketing scam.

White
2017 Tablas Creek Esprit Blanc de Tablas Paso Robles Adelaida District White Rhone Blend
5/3/2022 - Momsumner wrote:
75 points
Dark. Buttery. Rosemary.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    5/4/22, 1:24 PM - Your wine sounds like it was oxidized. It should not be dark, buttery or rosemary.

Red
2005 Château Lascombes Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend
12/14/2021 - chatters wrote:
Coravin fun - Lascombes & Belgrave (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Toasted oak, cream, slight nail varnish remover, black and red currant jam, cedar tends to cigar box, pyrazine here as well as a little spiced plum. Medium plus intensity acidity, tannins are chalky and drying, fruit struggles a little beneath this but shows through with some buttery creamy notes on the long finish. Time?
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    12/22/21, 2:00 PM - That "slight nail varnish remover" that you mentioned is a potential sign of VA.....a flaw in the wine.

Red
2018 de Négoce Cabernet Sauvignon OG N.66 Napa Valley
12/20/2021 - 10xM wrote:
86 points
Im going to keep this short.
I stand by my last TN. Jammy fruity wine that offers nothing of interest. It's not a bad wine but whatever hype this NDA wine came with is absolutely crap. Give it to non-wine geeks. Drink it for what it is and nothing more. I feel bad for those that bought shit load of NDA wines. They are probably still fooling themselves in thinking they got a deal of a lifetime.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    12/21/21, 8:51 PM - Welcome to the club. I bought a case of this drek, too.

Red
2019 Quilceda Creek CVR Columbia Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
11/24/2021 - BobbaWA Likes this wine:
90 points
Popped a 2019 after an exceptionally satisfying 2016. The 2019 lacks the fruit and balance, but holds up on its own. Muted by comparison.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    11/25/21, 10:04 AM - The 2019 is too young to drink now. It will likely compare favorably with the 2016 given the same amount of time to develop.

White
2020 Tablas Creek Vermentino Paso Robles Adelaida District
10/8/2021 - khmark7 wrote:
88 points
Some freshness, but also more medium bodied than i would have expected. Best without food. Solid.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    10/9/21, 2:38 PM - Agree. The vermintino, while pleasant to drink, is pretty much one-dimensional. The lack of sufficient acid makes it a poor choice to pair with most foods.

White
2020 Tablas Creek Vermentino Paso Robles Adelaida District
6/22/2021 - rmalloy Likes this wine:
89 points
I’ve yet to rate any vermentino higher than 90 in ten or so reviews. It isn’t a very impressive grape in my opinion. This wine is, however, soft and likable, with peach, green apple, floral, and almond flavors.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    6/23/21, 10:34 AM - I find vermentino to be a one-dimensional wine. It tastes good, but it has no depth, no complexity, and no acid. It's a very simple wine...the Hawaiian Punch of wines.

White
2018 Tablas Creek Côtes de Tablas Blanc Paso Robles Adelaida District White Rhone Blend
6/14/2021 - ziavino wrote:
92 points
Such a great, refreshing wine. Notes of ripe stone fruit, mineral, honeydew melon, and lemon coalesce, with perfectly balanced acidity throughout. Effortless in all the best ways, and an outstanding choice for a 102 degree afternoon in the desert.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    6/15/21, 4:53 PM - Good review. thanks!

    I buy this wine by the case. Tablas gives great case deals and, like you, I find this wine to be perfect for hot days. THe great acidity allows it to pair will with many foods.

Red
2011 Betz Family Cabernet Sauvignon Père de Famille Columbia Valley
Popped and poured. Truly a terrible showing for this wine.

Poured it down the drain, then felt bad for the poor drain. Glad it was my last bottle.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    5/18/21, 4:42 PM - That's tough to answer. I've had many different vintages of this wine and liked most of them, but not this vintage. I have no notes for the first two bottles that I consumed, which leads m eto believe that I liked the wine when it was younger.

    It's not corked. It's not oxidized. It just doesn't taste like a cabernet. I really tried to like it.....drinking a glass before finally giving up.

White
2020 Tablas Creek Vermentino Paso Robles Adelaida District
5/1/2021 - mwneil wrote:
88 points
Drank in Kiawah, light with good acid, touch of oil, ok finish, never took off, drank with SC steamed shrimp and potatoes, might drink again .
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    5/4/21, 2:56 PM - Good review. Thanks.

    The Vermentino usually seem very one-dimensional to me...somewhat boring. I haven't tried the 2020, yet, but your review gives me hope.

Red
2018 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
4/28/2021 - Sanlucar Does not like this wine:
84 points
Now I know what failure tastes like. This wine offers so little in flavor, provides too much alcohol, and demands so much in price. It's the worst quality-to-price ratio of any California Pinot I've ever had.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    4/29/21, 1:17 PM - It appears that you simply don't like KB pinot.

White
2017 Tablas Creek Esprit Blanc de Tablas Paso Robles Adelaida District White Rhone Blend
3/20/2021 - VlgJeff wrote:
89 points
Slo-oxed for ~30 minutes which allowed the wine to open and warm a bit. The nose showed some floral notes and a touch of nuttiness. The medium bodied palate yielded the same floral and nutty notes, along with some stone fruits and touches of citrus, minerality and honey. To our tastes, the acidity could have been a touch higher -- probably why we enjoy the Grenache Blanc and Patelin Blend more. Should hold for several years, and may be better with another year in cellar, or with a full 30 - 60 minute decant now.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    3/21/21, 1:28 PM - Nice review.

    If I have one criticism of the Esprit Blanc, it is too low of an acid level, as you pointed out. It's not just this vintage. It's most vintages.

  • Blue Shorts commented:

    3/21/21, 3:39 PM - Jeff

    I have found the the Cotes de Tablas Blanc has great acid levels. It's a blend of Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne and Roussanne. We use that wine as a daily drinker in warm months. It's a great food wine and the price is nice....and even cheaper if you buy it by the case, like I do.

Red
2017 Quilceda Creek CVR Columbia Valley Red Bordeaux Blend
3/20/2021 - BobbaWA Likes this wine:
94 points
SSSSsssssss BOOM! This wine is a big fruit bomb.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    3/21/21, 10:50 AM - Most wine people, that I know, don't consider "a big jammy bomb" to be a good thing. It sounds cloyingly sweet.

Red
2006 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend
3/19/2021 - Imaging Does not like this wine:
87 points
Flash decanted back into the bottle to remove sediment, then slow ox for 3 hours. Disappointment. The strong and unpleasant Brett ruins an otherwise solid mature Bordeaux. I just can't get past the strong horse sweat and manure crusted leather notes. Completely different from the 2005 which is magnificent.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    3/19/21, 1:13 PM - Based on other, recent comments, it sounds like your bottle was flawed.

  • Blue Shorts commented:

    3/20/21, 1:42 PM - Interesting. I'm not saying that it is them, but I have had quite a few bad bottles from K&L. In one instance, an entire case was bad. To be fair, K&L did make good on that case, but I still wonder about provenance when I buy from them.
    I made my post because my experience with that wine is vastly different than yours.....and different from others that recently drank that wine.
    I only have one bottle left. If I had more, I'd open one to see if I notice the brett to which you refer.

Red
2018 de Négoce Cabernet Sauvignon OG N.66 Napa Valley
1/27/2021 - Rbhan12 wrote:
Not ready, no rating.

Tried again with an overnight decant. Hold onto these for longer.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    1/30/21, 10:34 AM - I have a strong feeling that holding onto these will not help at all. It appears that we've all been sold a bill of goods. I've had better $8 bottles of wine.

White
2017 Tablas Creek Esprit Blanc de Tablas Paso Robles Adelaida District White Rhone Blend
1/17/2021 - mwneil Likes this wine:
94 points
Started out tart and bitter but slowly opened up, a great sipping wine, lots of complexity with many flavors, nice structure and good acid which keeps it going to the last sip, don’t drink it too cold, drank with flounder and potato salad, would drink again.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    1/18/21, 11:25 AM - I agree with your review. I also found that the wine tastes best when it is just cool, just below room temperature.

Red
2018 de Négoce Cabernet Sauvignon OG N.66 Napa Valley
Double-decanted using a decanter and a Vinturi.

Simple nose of dark fruit, somewhat muddled. The taste was very primary, but not bad. It seems to have the tannins and acid to age and improve.

One thing that I did notice was the dark, inky color that stained the glass and the counter where I spilled a few drops. I don't know if Hughs is adding a lot of Mega Purple or powdered grape skins, or something else, but the color is more like ink than wine.

I also had a headache after drinking 2 small glasses. I don't know if it was due to the wine or other things that I ate, but I thought that I'd mention it in case others have similar experiences.

I paid $15/dollars per bottle and so far, it tastes like a $10 dollar bottle of wine (if that).

Edit: I've heard from a few people that are saying that this wine needs a lot more time and/or a lot of air.....as in a day or two after opening.

No score for now. Will review in about 6 months. I don't have high hopes for this wine

When something sounds too good to be true, it's usually because it isn't true. I'm sorry that I bought a case.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    12/25/20, 12:51 PM - Thanks for the comments. I will make sure to give this wine more time before opening another.

Red
2018 de Négoce Cabernet Sauvignon OG N.66 Napa Valley
11/30/2020 - Rbhan12 wrote:
Decanted and occasionally shaken for 2 hours.

Nose is pretty tight, hard to pick out much of anything. Medium-full body palate, some good dark red berries and black fruit. Definitely tannic at this stage, but they felt very "fine-grained" if that makes sense. Picked up some sweet dark chocolate, cinnamon, and baking spice on the finish, presumably from the oak. Felt pretty well balanced overall, no pointy edges. I think this will develop very well over the next 5-10 years, possibly longer. Very happy to have 11 more.

In summary, the quality is there, but wait a few months (if not a year) or give this a couple more hours in the decanter.

No rating yet--needs more time.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    12/7/20, 4:50 PM - This was my first purchase from de Negoce.

    I haven't tried the wine, yet. I did notice that the corks appear to be composite. I don't know if this is a bad thing, but I would have paid $1 more per bottle for real corks. Hopefully, these corks wot degrade or add odd flavors tot he wine, over time.

Red
2012 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
5/31/2020 - akinisky wrote:
flawed
Had that corked flavor from first sip to 5hrs later after decanting. Too bad.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    6/1/20, 4:35 PM - You should have been able to detect it on the cork..."wet dog" smell. You may want to contact QC to let them know.

Red
2011 Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard Rutherford
5/24/2020 - Blue Shorts Likes this wine:
93 points
Popped and poured.

At first, I was surprised that the cork had almost no smell at all. I poured some wine in a glass and the nose was very muted. After about 20 minutes, the wine started to exhibit a wonderful bouquet of dark cherries, cassis and spice.....but it was still pretty muted.

The wine is somewhat thin, but not in a "watered-down" way. It has wonderful flavors of cherries, mocha, nutmeg. It dissolves on the tongue like a great butter-frosting, leaving a long, lingering tasty finish.

I wish that I had more of this great wine.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    5/24/20, 2:25 PM - Addition to original review:

    The wine is likely at its peak now, so I'd drink it within the next few years. It has a lot of sediment, so decant or pour very carefully.

Red
2009 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Panoplie Paso Robles Red Rhone Blend
3/27/2016 - ntruder wrote:
80 points
So disappointing. Frankly it drank like a bag of spanners. Disjointed and so acidic that the fruit was completely over shadowed. This bottle was bought on release from the winery and stored in ideal conditions, so not sure if it was flawed or.... Very poor QPR here.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    3/28/16, 12:53 PM - Tablas Creek is recommending that the 2009 Panoplie be held for more ageing. They post a vintage chart that covers all of their wines.

  • Blue Shorts commented:

    4/2/16, 11:44 AM - Interesting. I've recently had the standard 2009 Esprit and while not one of the best vintages, was a good Rhone-style blend. Now I'm concerned about the 2009 Panoplies that I have in my cellar.

    I also notice that some other reviewers have downgraded this wine.

    The only Panoplie that I've had is the 2007, and it was superb.

    Thanks for the reply to my comment.

  • Blue Shorts commented:

    4/3/16, 2:27 PM - I drink a lot of TC wines and I've never had that experience, which is odd considering that you made sure that your wines are stored properly.

    Do you live on the east coast or somewhere far enough away that shipping could be an issue? I live near the winery, so shipping is always one day.

  • Blue Shorts commented:

    4/7/16, 3:37 PM - I doubt that it's a problem, too. Odd.

White
2009 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc Paso Robles White Rhone Blend
3/5/2011 - alr6767 wrote:
84 points
Straw color, muted mineral nose. Zingy acidity but weak fruit and finish.

Good, but not very good. Not an easy wine to nail blind (one would imagine).
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    3/7/11, 2:40 PM - The 2009 Esprit Blanc is currently way to young to be drinking. I think that you'll find that this wine will be much better in a couple of years. Tablas Creek posts a Vintage Chart for all of their wines. The 2009 Esprit Blanc is listed as "Hold".

    http://tablascreek.com/pdf/vintage_chart.pdf

    The 2006 vintage, otoh, is drinking beautifully now.

Red
2006 Foxen Syrah Toasted Rope Santa Ynez Valley
12/25/2010 - brigcampbell wrote:
89 points
Christmas 2010 (Kim's House in Encinitas, CA): Wow, the most amazing this about this wine is the scores of the previous tasters.

It's very nice wine but seriously? piling on 95 and 96? reviewers lose credibility and I'm a foxen fanboy.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    12/28/10, 1:42 PM - Maybe this particular wine and/or vintage is not your favorite. Maybe you had an off-bottle.

    Either way, declaring that reviewers lose credibility for posting 95 or 96 points when the average and median is 93 points, is a bit over the top, don't you think? 2 or 3 points above the average and one loses credibility. Quite frankly, I find your score of 89 to have less credibility than the others.

    Viva la difference!

Red
2007 Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Volant en demi-muid Central Coast Red Rhone Blend
6/28/2010 - 3daywinereview.com wrote:
94 points
Bonny Doon Tasting in Minneapolis; 6/28/2010-6/29/2010 (Minneapolis): 60% Grenache, 32% Syrah, 4% Mouurvedre and 4% Cinsault. Medium purple and features raspberries, tobacco, cherry, and spices. On the palate the wine is showing a touch of sweet fruits and sublte oak. The finish is pleasing and medium tannins present. An enjoyable US CDP experience. 92 points

Day 3 Experience is even better!

Roasted meats, scorched earth, raspberries, blueberries, minerals and spices. A wonderful, long finish packed with flavor. A beautiful wine. 94 points
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    9/19/10, 5:48 PM - Isn't "en demi muid" basically a barrel sample, prior to the final blend being bottled?

    It sounds like you did a tasting where you had the demi muid (smaller barrell), a foudre (a large barrel) and normale.... the final blend.

    Is this correct?

Red
2006 Havens Wine Cellars Merlot Napa Valley
6/18/2010 - Fritzels wrote:
85 points
Not consistent. Some bottles appear to be flawed; others you feel like you got a steal
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    6/19/10, 11:19 AM - About one bottle out of six seems to be corked. It's not horrible, and I think many people drink wine like this all the time, but it's still corked.

    I'm also a bit skeptical about how the wine was stored at K&L. It's supposed to be temperature controlled, but the bottles were all at room temperature when they wheeled them into the store for my pickup. I suppose that a constant 70 degrees is temperature controlled... just not what I expected.

    Also, given that these wines are most likely from the Havens Winery liquidation sale, we have no idea what happened prior to the wine being sold to K&L.

Red
2006 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau Red Rhone Blend
"So back to CdP. This is about a 20 minute west from Giogndas. About the same latitiude but west. The altitude is lower. This is a higher place in cdp call low-crow, but 150 above sea so its not a big deal but in this region its important and we are one of the highest in the region. 100 years before my great grand-father arrived in 1898 we had a tower called semi-fore tower which was the first comunication process and it was....they comunicated from tower to tower with flags. And that is why they are called telegraph. Because then we begin to plant the vines... in 1898 because it was already a 'old' tower. It was already unbuilt. IT was already used and old. It was a Neopolianct invention?" Daniel Brunier noted.

The Giogandas is in the glass still slightly overpowering it. There is so romantic notion going on in the room about flag waving on towers and the speed of which they occured.

This is 60% Grenache. Fairly soft and easy. "A big part of this wine comes from a vineyard that is 80 to 100 years old that was planted by my grandfather. When the vines are 30 years or younger we seperate them from the Vieux Telegraph and then we produce the wine Vieux Telegram. Which is why we have such a high age in this wine." Daniel Brunier finished.
  • Blue Shorts commented:

    6/9/10, 10:07 AM - I don't know why this review is even here. It looks like press-release material from the producer.

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