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Tasting Notes for Spsmatthews

(104 notes on 102 wines)

1 - 50 of 104 Sort order
Red
2016 Château Petit-Figeac St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
1/13/2024 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
91 points
41% Cabernet Franc, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 23% Merlot.

Blackcurrant. Red fruits. Earth. Touch of cedar.

Delicious.
Red
1/13/2024 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
92 points
Blackberries, herbs de Provence, and violets. Elegant and layered, but with a delightful rusticity. Beautiful finish. Like this one.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
1/13/2024 - Spsmatthews wrote:
flawed
Really wanted to like this, but the funkiness / barnyard on the nose was just too hard to get past - looking at other TNs and professional reviews I think this must have been an off bottle. No way it was supposed to taste like that…
Red
1/13/2024 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
91 points
Purple. Dark berries, bacon, olives, and coffee on the nose. Rich and lush on the palate, with cherries, dark fruit, and herbs / violet on the finish. Nice Smokey mineral streak.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
12/10/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
92 points
Cherries and soft spices on the nose. Delicate on the palate with red fruits, baking spices, and some tertiaries starting to come through but tasted surprisingly youthful still. Powerful finish which somewhat belied the initial delicacy. Lovely.
Better than the last bottle - benefited from a couple extra years in the cellar.
Red
12/1/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
94 points
What a super wine.

Beautiful florals, deep blue and black fruits, pepper, and olives on the nose. Delicate in the mouth with nice acidity and a really long finish.

Buying more...
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
2014 Ridge Lytton Springs Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel Blend, Zinfandel (view label images)
12/1/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
91 points
Drinking great right now
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
11/3/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
90 points
Deep red/purple. Plum and black cherries. Some blackcurrant .
Violet and dusty herbs coming through. Very primary still. Rich and plush on the palate. Obviously young, but enjoyable now.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
11/3/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
91 points
Cherry, strawberry, spices. Nice and fresh with good balance between the fruit and more savory / earthy notes.
Red
2018 Girolamo Russo Etna Feudo Etna DOC Nerello Blend, Nerello Mascalese (view label images)
10/15/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
92 points
Red fruit, wild herbs, and dust / soil. A lot going on here. Powerful and rustic, and yet somehow still retains its elegance. Nice.
Red
10/15/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
90 points
Strawberries, cherries, savory notes, and earth. Just killer value year in year out - crushes other CA Pinots at 2-3x the price.
Red
10/15/2023 - Spsmatthews Does not like this wine:
90 points
Dark purple, powerful nose of red and blue fruits. Big mouthful of fruit with a touch of herbs coming through. But mostly fruit. Maybe just drank way too early but this didn’t do it for me at all. It’s not badly made at all but just came across as way too “grape juicy” for my taste.
1 person found this helpful Comment
White
10/6/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
94 points
This is super. Honeysuckle and citrus. Medium bodied. Intense acid and minerality. On the palate it’s citrus, grapefruit. Not as rich as some of the other bottlings (in a good way for tonight). Love it.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
5/21/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
93 points
Very rich & full bodied. Deep red and black fruit, chocolate. Dry with firm tannins on the finish. Starting to get some leather and spices coming through but plenty more to come with more time.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
4/15/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
92 points
Very elegant - dried flowers, orange, pine, spices. Red fruits and savory spices on the palate. Nicely done.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
2019 La Dame de Montrose St. Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
4/14/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
91 points
On the modern side, and clearly very young, but certainly enjoyable.
Very juicy deep black fruit with dark earthy notes. Big wine with lots of structure.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
2020 Andrew Murray Roasted Slope Santa Barbara County Syrah Blend, Syrah (view label images)
4/14/2023 - Spsmatthews wrote:
89 points
Classic syrah notes and flavors of dark fruits, olives, pepper. Let down a bit by really heavy / toasty oak. Maybe will settle down in a few years but a bit overwhelming at this stage (for me, anyway).
Red
4/14/2023 - Spsmatthews wrote:
89 points
Savory herbs and spices with strong fruit over the top. Pleasant rustic feel overall, but came across as slightly grape juicy for my preferences. Perhaps will improve with time.
Red
3/5/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
93 points
The nose on this is just smashing - cranberry, cherry, pomegranate, lots of herbs / spices and forest floor all jump out of the glass. Nice and light on the palate but with oodles of flavor. Very herbal / savory, with almost a spicy note to it (guess due to the 100% stem inclusion).
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
3/4/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
93 points
Classic old school Napa cab. In a great spot right now. Wish I had more.
Red
3/4/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
89 points
This was fine. Jammy raspberry fruits and anise / other spices. Nicely integrated and well balanced, but just felt a little simple for the price.
Red
2/16/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
93 points
Rich and fruity but not overdone. Black cherries and grilled meats, herbs, and peppery spices. Very nice.
Red
2/16/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
91 points
Very light and delicate. Peppery and herbs. Deep fruit. Lovely
Red
2/2/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
91 points
Big fruit - blackcurrant, dark cherry - with secondary aromas and flavors starting to come through. Medium/full bodied with plenty of tannins still offsetting the fruit. Nice balance of fruit and herbs. Not too much oak.
White
2/2/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
91 points
Apple, pineapple, peach, with a citrus backbone. Creamy and rich, but not overdone.
Red
2/2/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
91 points
Rich pinot. Lots of red fruit and spices - 5 spice, nutmeg, cinnamon. Bit of cola.
Red
2/2/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
92 points
Bright red fruit and savory undertones.
Red
1/8/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
93 points
Love this. Fresh and juicy berries / cherries with wild spices and herbs - black tea, earth, pepper, licorice. Really delicious.
Red
1/8/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
90 points
Fresh. Red berries and plums. Tobacco and hints of leather. Soft tannins at this stage but not flabby at all.
Red
2012 Koehler Magia Nera Santa Ynez Valley Sangiovese Blend, Sangiovese (view label images)
1/8/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
90 points
Nose of red fruits and spices / pepper. Fruit fading but still nice balance between the fruit and tertiary notes and flavors. Soft tannins. Drink now.
Red
1/2/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
94 points
Obviously way too early to open this, but couldn't resist. Decanted 8 hours.

Dense purple. Nose of dark red and black fruits, chocolate, sweet spices / oak. Very concentrated / powerful on the palate. Huge tannins for now. Long finish.
3 people found this helpful Comment
White
1/1/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
93 points
Rich but still fresh and bright. Beautiful balance. Pear, plums, blossom, lemon. Filling in the mouth but nice acidity carries it through. Good clean finish.

Enjoyed with lobster on NYE 2022. Prefer vs the Le Bon Climat bottling which is heavier.
White
1/1/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
90 points
Strong petrol aromas. Zesty, bright and dry.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
1/1/2023 - Spsmatthews wrote:
91 points
Very Barolo-esque. Cherries, leather, licorice. Needed a couple hours in the decanter. Nice.
White
1/1/2023 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
92 points
Light gold in color. Citrus and pineapple / peach. Lovely Smokey / flinty notes on the nose. Medium bodied - touch of oak but nicely integrated and not too bold. Really nice.
Red
2019 Girolamo Russo Etna 'a Rina Etna DOC Nerello Blend, Nerello Mascalese (view label images)
12/14/2022 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
89 points
Interesting - red fruit, plenty of herbs, nice balance, but felt a little basic for the price.
Red
12/14/2022 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
92 points
A great rioja. Really elegant red fruits, cherry, plum, tobacco licorice. Aromatic and complex. Our last bottle sadly, must have had dozens over the years.
2 people found this helpful Comment
Red
12/14/2022 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
91 points
Olive, pepper, spices...all the hallmarks of a classic Melville Syrah. Surprisingly though given the age this felt bolder, more full bodied, and more "plush" than I would typically expect. Still good, but disappointed slightly.
White
9/14/2022 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
91 points
Nice floral dry riesling. Saline and a touch of petrol. Very fresh.
Red
9/14/2022 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
93 points
Love this - lots of tobacco and cedar with red fruits and firm, but well integrated tannins.
Red
9/14/2022 - Spsmatthews wrote:
89 points
Maybe opened too early but found this very uninspiring.
Red
9/14/2022 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
93 points
Bright strawberry, raspberry, and black cherry on the nose, with nice herbal secondaries following through. Touch of tobacco / spice. Very savory. Lovely.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
9/14/2022 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
93 points
No whole cluster, neutral French oak. Nice strawberry notes with garrigue and florals. Very well balanced and elegant. Great stuff.
1 person found this helpful Comment
White
9/14/2022 - Spsmatthews wrote:
91 points
Crisp and mineral driven. Somewhat reminiscent of Chablis.
Red
2016 Clos de l'Oratoire St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend (view label images)
8/14/2022 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
92 points
90% Merlot, 10% Cab Franc. Red & black fruit, tobacco, earth. Juicy and round, but really nice complexity and solid tannins. Really good. Sofia loved it.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Rosé
8/14/2022 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
90 points
Great light rose - strawberries, herbs, bit of salinity. Reminiscent of Provence. Nice.
1 person found this helpful Comment
White
7/15/2022 - Spsmatthews wrote:
90 points
Crisp and citrus, but with a touch of richness / oak. Nice balance.
1 person found this helpful Comment
White
7/14/2022 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
91 points
Citrus, green apple, and a touch of tropical fruits on the nose. Citrus and freshness from the acidity on the palate. Nice pure wine.
Red
2018 Foxen 7200 Volpino Santa Ynez Valley Sangiovese Blend, Sangiovese (view label images)
7/14/2022 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
89 points
Jammy fruit, herbs, licorice.
Red
7/14/2022 - Spsmatthews Likes this wine:
91 points
Red berries and spices. Pure and elegant. Long finish.
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  • Tasting Notes: 104 notes on 102 wines
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