12/23/2023 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

The 05 Rolan de By Médoc Cru Bourgeois, punching upward tonight. With prime NY strip, on the grill. This wine is a contender; stony, rich, balanced. Lots of drive. Yummy, young, complete.

10/22/2023 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Intriguing and inviting nose of honeysuckle, almond, and nutmeg Tasty and full, with peach pit, dilute marzipan, honey, and a hint of ginger spreading across the tongue. This 70 marsanne 30 rousanne blend declared the typicity of its Northern Rhone roots, called like a siren to be sipped again, and tasted delicious with beet and apple salad, squash croquettes, and grilled octopus. Very fresh for its age; no rough edges.

10/22/2023 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Surprisingly fruity; blackberry nose,very pleasant to sniff. Un-syrah-like on the palate, with comments of New World cabernet and merlot. Morphed in and out of Rhonedom over the two hour session, alongside (and possibly upstaged by) fellow outlander Texier CDR-Brèzéme, and accompanying braised pork, wild mushroom rigatoni, sweetish fried chicken, and local pan-seared fluke with Brussels sprouts and squash; @ 5 Ocean Long Beach NY. In the end, a very tasty, fresh, and thought-provoking wine.

9/22/2023 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Yes, yes, yes. This was a delicious bottle; balanced, complex, intriguing. What a joy, and a memorable experience. Dried cherries, velvet texture, long finish. This would be a case buy (for regular drinking), if I could get it for the $50 I paid for it. Impressive!

5/16/2023 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Wasn't sure what to expect; generally, it was a positive outcome. CV'd before toting it to dinner out (delicious veal chop at Chachama Grill). it showed a "swamp thang" nose, but lovable velvet texture with ripe black cherries spreading across the tongue. The disturbing smell dissipated when the bottle was 2/3 empty, and disappeared by the time it was drained. On returning home, I found 1/2 oz of the CV'd sample still in a glass; it was the best sip of the night. Guess it just needed some air after being cooped up for 15+ years. (Will I never learn?)

5/13/2023 - dptrevelyan wrote:

A good way to finish a tapas meal. Clean and correct, but simple rather than complex. Perhaps lacking acid lift. A tasty dram, but uninspiring.

1/10/2023 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Pretty medium ruby, glinting tangerine at the edge. Cherry and dried blackberry leaves on the nose. Distinctly spicy dried cherries, with some meadow hay that spreads out on the tongue. Residual barky herbs penetrate the gums with some noticeable alcohol while the cherrystem tea lingers. Very good. Well worth the $6.99 grocery tab; a real bargain, frankly. Drunk casually with fried chicken. Decent pair.

9/21/2022 - dptrevelyan wrote:

This wine walked an intriguing style line between Old- and New-world. Fine balance--rich without being sweet; mouth-filling without being heavy. I would be pleased to drink this often. Delicious with pumpkin ravioli. Each sip made me mindful of excellence in winemaking. Yum!

9/21/2022 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Nicely fruity and plush for about an hour, then the stink crept in. Good with hanger steak (Orto); glad I didn't decant. I expected little or less, and was pleasantly surprised to a little memory gem. (Drank plenty of this fifteen to twenty years ago.)

3/10/2021 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Delish. Birthday dinner w Cloudview Clan. Intriguing cherry fruitiness w noticeable and welcome Brett. We kept commenting, into the evening, how beautiful it was. Not "in your face" in any way. Very laminar and complete.

10/5/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

This was a love affair that lasted 24 hrs, but not 48 hrs. The first whiff and sip, showed alarmingly bright and light sour cherry fruit, not a fruit "flavor" or essence, but the actual fruit juice. I returned to the physical bottle to inspect the label, because I had mistakenly thought it zinfandel (of which it is 20%), but found it to be 80% carignane. Different game (duh). Very punchy and crunchy juice that drives into the gums and sticks around. Beautiful! Second half in a corked bottle on the counter 24 hrs later was still powerful and slightly more rounded and polished. Delicious again, but I can't say it improved. Last 2 oz at 48 hrs came across as pickled blueberries, as one might expect.

9/16/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Bright deep garnet. Leather nose with a Red Hot candy whiff. Perfect balance, with acid, bitter fruit, and tannin taking turns; moderate alcohol brings a velvet mouthfeel. Long finish of bright cranberry and sour cherry, given weight by fine talcum dust. All seems exactly right here, but would like some complexity to join the correctness. Nice match with (distractingly salty) Wagyu picanha; last sip at following noon was the best yet, therefor the next bottle will get ample air.

8/30/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

This was on form; excellent balance and creamy texture. Yeast, lemon curd, fine bead. Love this stuff!

8/25/2020 - dptrevelyan Does not like this wine:

Super-hard and tannic on opening. Drank half with grilled lamb chop, which helped it some, but still harsh. Placed remainder in 375ml bottle with zero headspace. Next day, tannins softened by half, cherry fruit came out, but still a might tannic for my taste. Maybe it's a long ranger(?), maybe it's just mean.

8/21/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Last bottle, and best yet. Fully mature, without seeming "old". Good toasty popcorn nose, full-bodied slippery mouthfeel with nutmeg allspice interest, and citrus lift. Complex, round, complete.

8/14/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Holy Crow! None of the tasting notes mention wood. Strange, because for me the taste impression is similar to chewing a piece of oak bark. BUT . . . super intense and spicy, deep bramble fruit, dark roast coffee and wood smoke. The deep black fruit is in equal measure to the tannin, with moderate acid lifting it all. So, while it is not a pleasant taste experience on opening, (I will try again tomorrow), there is incredible future for this wine, down the road, down the road. I will try again in ten years, but I think it won't integrate before twenty. I hope I make it.
Next day--Very little has changed; ever so slightly softer.

8/7/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Very good. Spot-on varietal character, with the proper level of green, tobacco-leafy, bell-peppery nuance to make it true to its kind. Very clean and precise, with good maturity (age) and balance; nothing standing out or in the way of enjoyment. I wish I had a case!
Drunk on its own for two hours, and later to accompany shrimp Thai spring rolls with loads of fresh basil and cilantro.

7/29/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Light lemon color with green glints. Beautiful fruity nose with Brach's Circus Peanuts and jasmine flowers. Slightly bitter attack, with generous, weighty mouthfeel, and punchy drive of clove-like intensity. Lots of verve and lasting gum sting, with lemony persistence that doesn't wear out its welcome. Super food wine, punching above its class!

7/29/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

This was really delicious. Commendable for its clean, pure fruit, and excellent balance, while being very fruit-forward. Dark berry fruit balanced by reasoned acidity, and medium tannin. A nice whack of velvety bacon fat gives it substance and an umami note. Very pleased!

5/23/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

A nice, sapid, medium-weight, youngish Bdx for hamburgers. Plenty of fresh cassis fruit, good balance, and, what others describe as brett and barnyard, I read as Merlot character pushing through. I wish I had more to track through the coming years. Fine casual drinking.

5/21/2020 - dptrevelyan wrote:

Clean, thin, not a rebuy

5/14/2020 - dptrevelyan wrote:

Push List Victim -- This was a little "over the hill", I guess. Dryish cork came out in one piece; first pour had a disturbing whiff of low tide, which faded quickly. Dense garnet color with coffee glints at the rim; long legs. Classic Cali Cab nose; currant, raspberry, vanilla (and still the slightest funk). Grippy (but not unpleasant) tannins; nice acidity; plenty of juicy dried red fruit. A delicious, well balanced wine with a very long finish. I say Excellent. Drank half, stoppered, left on counter. Next morning, even more complex, integrated, pleasant, no funk. I guess the air was more friend than enemy here.

5/13/2020 - dptrevelyan wrote:

Tasty dried cherries and mushrooms, low tannins, velvety mouthfeel, excellent balance. Complex, ready, enjoyable.

5/5/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

This was a special cellar grab for me, as I am a fan and have been wondering how they are coming. I was not disappointed tonight. Great stone dust texture after a supreme blood and guts nose, (literally smells of freshly opened game), dried cherries hanging on a dry and grippy oak bark frame, olives and sun-baked scrub. Like drinking refreshing desert tilth, if one could. Remarkable!

5/1/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Delightful wine with good balance, refreshing acidity, remarkable weight, and some complexity from moderate aging. Serviceable bourg blanc for $20ish. I wish I had more; this is in the zone. (Drunk while watching Acker virtual tasting "Lunch with Veronique Drouhin".)

4/28/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

This was on the push list, so I was concerned. No need. Still fresh and correct classic Cali Chard without over-the-top wood. Citrus, then melon, then fruit cocktail. Lovely stuff, in my book. Ready, but no rush.

4/27/2020 - dptrevelyan wrote:

The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are medium. There is light sediment in the bottle. It smells like prune, mushroom, espresso, cabbage and tar. It tastes like tobacco, fur, blackberry, cranberry, fig, black pepper, clove, molasses, alcohol/hot and chocolate. The body is medium. The wine has round texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has medium acidity. Trying out the Tasting Note Assistant here, and I should say, it seems to be reasonably accurate. I drank this, because I figured it had potential for being shot. It was swampy on opening, and cleaned up after two hours or so. Affected, but drinkable. Not my thing.

4/18/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

This was a delicious bottle of Beaujolais. Gamay at its best--rich fruit without the "candy", and a little stoniness in the mouth giving it weight. Excellent balance and poise. Perfect with roast chicken and wild rice sweetened with onions and raisins.

4/16/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Dancing raspberries; tannins almost imperceptible; long finish with the raspberries hanging on. Delightful juice drunk during Ridge Winemaker Roundtable Virtual Tasting (while they were drinking 2010 Montebello ~;O)>). It was delicious and refined, not the fruitbomb I had anticipated. Equally tasty on day two. Drink now.

4/14/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Initially pruney, this wine improved over two hours, revealing a plummy core with acid to carry it. On day two, it was even fresher and full of rich, soft fruit, but not oxidized. On day three, it was still drinking well, but volume dwindled, then disappeared. I expected nothing from this oldish inexpensive wine, and it surprised me with its generosity.

4/13/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

This was a tough customer on opening. Tobacco and ashtray on the nose; stony tannins and tobacco in the mouth. After tiny pours for two hours, it developed some cherry charm and let its shoulders down. Drank half, stoppered, and placed in the fridge. 24 hours later, the cherries are out big time, the tannins are marble dust, and the wine is weighty and serious with some bitter barkiness as a foundation; green tobacco sings in the rafters. This is a wine for the future; should be a beauty in 5-10 years, but impressive now with plenty of air.

4/12/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Wine for Passover 5780 -- Not Kosher/Meshuval, but better than Morgan Davis, and selected for appropriateness since the virtual Seder was hosted from the Columbia Gorge. Pretty brilliant straw color. Slightly hot nose, with baking spices and fresh apple muted by dishwater. Lemony attack with a glycerin mouthfeel, and slight petrol fueling the saliva-induction engines. Broad, tongue coating, and long, but in the end, pleasant and refreshing more than cerebral. Serviceable.

4/10/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

This was excellent with our ribeye/duck breast dinner from Chachama Grill (curbside take-out). Pulled this because I have more. It is in a perfect place. Quintessential Bdx. Cedary old-fashioned nose was like a siren. Perfect balance in the mouth made me not want to swallow it (I did). Lightish without being lean; fruity without being jammy. Just cresting its drinking plateau. Last sip next morning was a delightful way to start the day. (WineauxJ--"Can we still get a case of this?")

4/8/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

This was delicious, but not ready. I mean, it was a pleasure to drink, but jammy--not what I hope for when drinking Bdx. There were no detractors, but if I want that experience I will drink Shiraz or Zin. This was a well-made delicious wine in the pocket of midterm drinking, and if you like that sort of thing go for it. It did have great balance, loads of fruit and good supporting tannins and acidity. Just not Old World. Has all the stuff to keep going, and I wish I had one to drink twenty years from now.

4/5/2020 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Well, I got just what I wanted. In selecting a bottle from my Ready list, I chose (what I figured was) a straight, plain Bordeaux to go with my slow-cooked pork ribs with braised apple and onion. This fit the bill perfectly. On opening sniff, this could be nothing but Bordeaux--classic. This wine had, nose and mouth, what I wait for--why I cellar these wines--that Bdx essence. Straight-up pencil shavings, cigar box (same thing?), dryish with midweight currant fruit, moderate tannin, well-balanced acidity, earthy finish. Next morning (14 hrs), I return to the stoppered bottle on the counter. Now, same as above, with cherry fruit (St-Julien) leading the charge. This is an excellent bottle of "cheap" Bdx. Comfort in a glass.

3/24/2019 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Gadzooks this was a good bottle of wine! I can't say I would have known it was Bordeaux, due to a huge primary fruit presence (Merlot character) and almost infantile development. Not a baby however where structure is concerned. Decanted for 3 hours, then returned to bottle, and the tannins were still massive; got more tannic with several more hours in the bottle. But the overall impact was one of size and perfect balance. Super enjoyable at this point (I want some right now), but I will wait ten years for the next bottle.

1/21/2018 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Gleaming apricot, touched with tangerine. Cedar, yeast, linseed oil, then orange peel on the nose, reminiscent of a good Ch Simone Palette Blanc. Lime and bruised green apple on first sip, followed by slightly tannic almond skin and whole wheat. Finishes with a lingering sting of lime zest that stays and stays. Good complex stuff with verve and individuality. Wow!

4/23/2017 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Opened by inexperienced waiter and waitress (it took both of them) at a favorite Chinese restaurant. They brought about a half bottle of murky crusted wine in a carafe to the table, and apologized. Whatever. It smelled delicious--leathery and very Bordeaux-like. We drank what there was in spite of the haze and considerable inclusions, and it was remarkably fruity and tertiary all at once. Plums, black cherries, green olives, mushrooms, blood and guts. Quite an experience! I can't wait to open one correctly and reassess.

4/9/2017 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Opened this 3L bottle at friends' birthday party with ~50 guests. The "wine people" at the party were fairly enthralled. Beautiful deep purple color; leather and cherries on the nose; plush, velvety mouthfeel, with more leather, tobacco, and Luden's Wild Cherry cough drops, plus a welcome hint of Brett; long, balanced finish, with the velvet lingering. This wine was very correct and clean when first opened, and continued to get more leather and tobacco over 6 hours. Decanted in four stages, with each stage showing improvement. I think there were several Rioja converts at the end of the night.

4/3/2017 - dptrevelyan Does not like this wine:

Thin, lean, mean. I would expect some primary fruit, but would have settled for any fruit at all. Ick!

3/30/2017 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Bright, light lemon color; beeswax and honey on the nose, suggesting some evolution, then mango. Weighty and rich in the mouth, unlike my perception of 1er Cru Chablis--less acidic and more voluptuous. A real nice mouthful, but oddly advanced for its age leading to concern for its future. A beautiful wine now, but think lobster, or roast chicken with buttery mushrooms, rather than oysters.

4/2/2017 - dptrevelyan wrote:

Fluffy. Fruity, but past peak, with no backbone. Like a limp handshake. Still I had to try for $10, and will grab one more just to confirm. No future.

4/1/2017 - dptrevelyan Likes this wine:

Looking for a late afternoon quaffer, so popped this, not expecting much. Turned out to be just what I had in mind. Garnet toward blood orange color; balanced nose with some barky notes, dried cherries and violets in the background; medium weight in the mouth, with bark remaining and subtle cinnamon and hay showing up--dry but not austere. This is old-fashioned, balanced and refined, utilitarian French wine with tame tannin, intriguingly complex aftertaste, in the pocket now. At $13, I think I'll buy a case for afternoons with brie and for making bourguignon beef.