4/14/2010 - bknysak wrote:

There's a lot going on here... first 2009, bottled very young (apparently they changed their bottling schedule). Much better than previous Perrin Nature bottlings, lots of sweet red fruits, some damp earth, and a surprising amount of tannin. Could use a few months to pull itself together, but this bodes well for the vintage.

9/4/2009 - bknysak wrote:

After having spent most of the summer on the 07 CdRs, decided to change it up slightly. Compares very favorably, with woody herbs, concentrated red fruits, maybe a little cassis. Ample acidity keeps the fruit from being overwhelming but still mouth-filling. Probably the best California take on a CdR I've had -- similar enough but distinctly Californian.

2/25/2009 - bknysak wrote:

More pigmented than most generic Bourgognes, offers up a nice, if somewhat demure, nose of cherry pit, red licorice, and a flowery quality. A touch spicy on the palate, adding ripe sour cherries and a hint of menthol. Nice deal here.

2/9/2009 - bknysak wrote:

Tons of fruit, tons of oak, yet remains very Grenache. Very well integrated on day 1, with all components in place, harmonious and powerful. Slight candied character, but does not come across as sweet, save the ripe, round fruit. On day 2 this was a lumberyard in the nose, almost to the point one would expect to find wood shavings in the sediment. Score is on day 1, though...

12/31/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Drinking very well right now, with lovely black fruit liqueur, woody herbs, a little incense, all playing around a fantastic mineral streak. Great stuff.

12/13/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Tasty, character-filled Dolcetto, with loads of black fruits, a touch of graphite, and a slight zippy/tangy edge. Yum.

12/5/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Really interesting stuff with a big nose of red and blue fruits, woody herbs, a little musk/incense, and minerals. Extracted, with lots of round fruit, but has a warm, zippy quality on the palate. Love these L'Oustal Blanc wines. 12 hours later: pure, sweet raspberry and cherry preserves. Still a little coarse around the edges but well-made stuff for a VdT (only vintage indication is on the cork).

Just checked the cepage here: 60% cinsault, 20% carignan, 20% syrah/grenache.

12/3/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Loads of menthol-laced strawberries, red licorice, baking spice, and sweet black cherries. Not as forward as I remember the 2006 to be, with a little tannin at the edges. Still a good value year in and year out.

11/21/2008 - bknysak wrote:

This is a great vintage for the basic CdR. Juicy, with prominent notes of charcoal, fennel seed/Italian sausage, red and black fruits, and just a hint of spice. Good stuff, and a killer deal for $12.

11/21/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Good amount of tropical fruits, nearly oily in texture, but comes across hot, especially on the second day.

11/14/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Pretty open and forward, showing a great nose full of iron, blood, and hot stones backed up by earthy red fruits. Slightly tannic, and while it will improve over the next few years, it shows fairly well already.

11/9/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Lush, more intergrated and forward than the previous bottle. Big, enveloping nose of black cherries, cola, and spice. Doesn't quite follow through on the palate with the same sensory intensity, but does show a seductive, lush texture. Yes, it is not a wine of subtlety, but delicious nonetheless.

11/11/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Very different bottle from the others noted here. Iintensely honeyed, with some petrol and roasted nuts, but very dry, with only a small notion of sweetness, mostly conveyed by the texture. NR.

11/6/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Classic Sauvignon Blanc, with some grassiness, crunchy apple, mineral, a small hint of green chili. Nice body, zippy acidity, very low residual sugar here. Outdoes most New Zealand models at this price.

11/1/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Very strong nose of licorice, raspberry, tar, and a little woodsmoke. Flavors echo in the mouth, with menthol and mint notes. A little tannin peaks out. Not as rich and powerful as the 1998 or 2001, but a very nice wine, elegant, and pleasure to drink.

10/29/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Stones, minerals, rocks. Some weight here, but more of a classic, well-made Muscadet. Love this stuff year in and year out.

10/28/2008 - bknysak wrote:

50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. Deep ruby in color, shows a round nose of cherry and raspberry preserves, a little cassis, and spice. Medium+ in body, round, sweet fruit with a bit of tannin present. Delicious, modern-styled, but remains very Bordeaux.

10/22/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Nice notes of tobacco, cassis, herbs, and a pleasant vegetal quality backed up by youthful, juicy blackberry fruit. A great find! (Wish I could find this outside of New York)

10/19/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Have had numerous bottles of this wine over the past few months and there is a great deal of variation. Some bottles are very fresh, bright, and acidic, others have a great notes of aged tobacco, smoky cherries, and spice. I understand this is a solara production, therefore a blend of young and aged wine. Perhaps there is an issue with blending? I believe all of the bottles I have had are from the recent release (though I can not prove it). The bright examples, while okay, are nothing special, but the bottles with more of an aged character are certainly great values.

10/17/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Very interesting stuff--again, red fruits galore, a nice mineral streak, a little racy, slight sparkle. Picks up a little complexity with air. Paired wonderfully with mixed grilled seafood.

10/10/2008 - bknysak wrote:

The most dis-congruous wine between nose and palate I've had in a while--nose is all earth, funk, with a little spice peaking through. Palate is very good Cabernet Franc, with candied raspberry, white pepper, red bell pepper, and a nice amount of tannin. The funkiness in the nose just doesn't come through on the palate. Perhaps an odd bottle, or give it a few months?

10/10/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Ditto the previous poster, this is a delicious wine, great notes of garrigue, blueberry, licorice. Slightly tannic, backed up by good fruit. Bought a few more and will cellar for a few months... very curious where this could go.

10/8/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Easily one of the best values in the market right now. Medium-bodied, lush, great silky texture complicated by a little tannin. Mouth-filling, shows some notes from the Cabernet Franc (60%) but tempered by the Syrah (30%) and Merlot (10%). While not complex, for $10, compared to something from California, this is a crazy deal.

10/7/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Quite unexpected. Deeply pigmented ruby with hints of purple, shows a nice Pinot Noir-like nose of sour cherry, spice, shoe polish, and dirt. Light- to medium-bodied, nice palate presence, ripe acidity, a little minerality, cleansing finish. Admittedly, I have very little experience with Austrian red wine, but this was a wonderful dinner partner, a very nice Burgundy alternative.

10/5/2008 - bknysak wrote:

A restrained nose of decaying leaves, dried cherries, and orange zest. Fruit is fading fast here, but very nice notes of baking spice, orange zest, cola, and a little earth are zippy yet persistent. Was much nicer 4 years ago with the last bottle.

10/3/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Needs some time. Very disjointed at first, with bite of acidity and tannin, but comes together with some air, showing some smoky red fruit, and a touch of wood. For a California-styled wine, this is a nice value. But give it 6 months or so.

10/2/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Awesome Kabinett. Stony, salty, a little earthy, with great citrus and white fruits. Nicely proportioned, with ample weight checked by acidity that seemed both zippy and round, a paradox perhaps helped by the nice prickle.

10/1/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Elegant, slightly zippy Cotes-du-Rhone knock-off. Aromas of sweet cherry, underbrush, hints of blueberry. Very food-friendly. Good stuff.

10/1/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Okay inexpensive Bordeaux. A certain amount of roundness on the palate, with a good amount of weediness. Some cassis floating around.

9/29/2008 - bknysak wrote:

From 375, double decanted. Oh so yummy, chocolate ganache, fruitcake, a little framboise. Round, plump, pleasurable. While not the most rich or profound vintages of VT, and certainly holding something back, it is a lovely wine with a nice medium-term future.

9/27/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Opened for an hour, double decanted. From the beginning, I could tell this would be a struggle. After the double decant, the nose blossomed with notes of blueberry, iron, bits of black olive, and a little smoke. Very racy, approaching VA levels on the palate. Eventually, as the fruit awoke, the acidity melded in better. By about 3-4 hours in, it was a nice, typical Cote-Rotie. Left 1/3 of the bottle for the next day.

On day 2: the nose now is quite dumb, and while it is a tad rounder in the mouth, the finish has an overpowering note of nasty dirt, almost a foxy-like quality, only noticeable on the finish. Scoring here is based on day one, but append a ?? to the end. This being my first Burgaud, I liked it when at peak, but the rest of the time it was a struggle. Bottle variation, perhaps?

9/25/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Very reluctant nose of spiced cherries, a little cola, and raspberry. On the thin side, walks a delicate line between acidity and obvious sweetness. No lingering impression in the mouth. Even for the $20 closeout price it still was a disappointment.

9/24/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Some notes of cassis, a little bell pepper, spice, and smoke; although it is lighter on its feet than many California Cabernets, it is diluted and lacks focus. My first Clos du Val, recommended as a good California version of a Medoc wine, but just a little disappointing.

9/23/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Pale gold. Creamy pears, baking spice, a hint of baked apple. Some earthy undertow. Medium-bodied, a bit of oiliness. Good value.

9/22/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Better than the previous bottle, tighter cork. Loads of raspberry and cherry preserves, fruitcake, incense, a little soy. Sweet, a touch porty, a little bit tannic yet.

9/11/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Hmmm... can't agree much with the previous poster here. As a 100% Syrah Cotes-du-Rhone, it shows very differently from Grenache-dominated examples: slower to open, the nose initially showed spiced blueberry, before showing wonderful sausage and cassis, a wonderful minerality shows through. Slightly dusty, almost sweet tannin lurks in the background, not hot. I can agree that it is somewhat California-like but without excessive sweetness. Made by Louis Barruol (Ch. de St-Cosme).

9/5/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Tasty stuff, nicely restrained (read: not jammy, not heavy), slightly tannic. Nice perfumed nose, with cassis, blueberries, and smoke. Spicy, a bit hot--not going to make old bones, but a welcome change from the ooze monster Syrah.

9/2/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Plush, with a bit of a tannic bite. Porty, roasted notes which seemed to grow with time, eventually becoming akin to ruby port. Some notes of incense, tobacco, spices, and licorice. While very lush, the porty/roasted notes grew to be too much and too sweet over time for me.

8/29/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Nice nose of smoky cassis, some bacon and brush, but short and clipped on the palate, not a lot of meat on the bones. Okay, but not great.

8/24/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Under-ripe, sharp, harsh. Bears no resemblence to the grand vin. Only the price is protecting it from more complaints ($9).

8/23/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Agree with others that this is a down-scaled Amarone, without the big sweetness, a tad more restrained. Still lush, with cherry pits and chocolate galore. Still some tannin in the background. A slight roasted note does creep in with time, but it's not overbearing. At $40, this would be a tough buy, but for a $20 closeout it's darn good.

8/18/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Deeply pigmented, this shows a fabulous richness from the get-go, with loads of cherry preserves currently dominating. Lurking beneath seems to be licorice and spice, but it is well-concealed under the wall of fruit. Very tame tannins, given the vintage. Considering this is a more modern-style wine, it was not showing any wood spice, just loads of seductive fruit. Hopefully the secondary notes will develop in time to make this more than a one-trick wine (impressive as the trick may be).

8/19/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Crisp, with a slight carbonation. Loads, and I mean loads, of cloves, with some floral, mango, and white fruit notes. Good medium body plays off the crisp feel. Fully dry. A singular style of Riesling.

8/16/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Black, barely a hint of ruby. Roasted black fruits dominate, sappy, almost Australian. Somewhat dumb nose, big in the mouth but muddled flavors. Low acidity. Not for me.

8/11/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Nice typical Northern Rhone characteristics in a lighter style. By the second day, it fleshed out a little, adding some textural interest. Ripe, well made, for a summertime steak.

8/9/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Drank in Cortona at Taverna Pane e Vino and here in the states. Perhaps it was the location, but it was much fresher and crisper in Italy than the bottle which made the trip here. Still, a very pleasant, minerally, crisp Sauvignon. A very tasty lunch wine.

7/10/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Dry, stony/minerally, coarse bubble (closer to a lager in style). Very refeshing, very fun. Great summertime stuff.

7/7/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Nice notes of cassis, tobacco, forest, and a little bit of hot stones. Very Graves. Though not a blockbuster, a very nice, easy wine.

7/4/2008 - bknysak wrote:

Full ruby, no orange at the rim. Elegant, sweet notions of strawberry, maraschino cherry, and oak spice. Medium-bodied, with above average acidity. Refreshing, flexible at the table. Thankfully, not cooked, given some of the notes here.

6/29/2008 - bknysak wrote:

When I poured the first half ounce for a 4 hour slow oxidation, I was really worried... this was seriously funky (think George Clinton, not James Brown). Though I love funk, this was more than I expected from this cuvée. Eventually the funk gave way and the wine seemed to bloom (perhaps double decanting here would help) -- great, complex notes appeared: smoked meats, tobacco, cherry pits, incense. Seemed to darken with time and the light tannin noticeable early on seemed to melt into the growing texture; the red fruits grew and became sweeter. The last few sips were the best -- actually, it was the nose which was so capivating.

This was slowly drank over 4 hours against a 2004 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel (rouge) -- in the beginning the Tablas Creek seemed like the better, more polished wine, but as the Usseglio opened, it became akin to the difference between mountains and hills...