4/21/2024 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Using WSET 3 system:
Medium ruby, medium + intensity on nose
On nose - red cherry, strawberry, red apple peel, rose, cinnamon, baking spice, vanilla, tar, touch of green pepper, prune, black pepper, szechuan peppercorn, meat, plum, tobacco.
Developing
Dry, medium+ acid, medium+ tannin, high alcohol, full body
Flavor intensity is pronounced
Flavors - echoes nose with more notes of vanilla, cinnamon
Finish - long
BLIC - gets all 4 - outstanding
Drink now, suitable for further aging

This is a really nice wine. I have disliked many Rioja in the past but not this one. Well balanced. I think a wine like this really needs a lot of age. Drinking very well now.

4/20/2024 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Using WSET Level 3 system
Color / intensity - deep ruby
Intensity - pronounced
Aromas - blackberry, plum, black cherry, black raisin, meat, smoke, earth, baking spice, vanilla, black olive, rose
Development - developing
Dry, high acid, high alcohol, medium+ tannins, full body
Flavor intensity high
Finish - long
Flavors - replicate nose, add bay leaf
Overall - BLIC 1/1/1/1 - Outstanding
Drink now, but suitable for further aging

Unofficially, this is an awesome wine!

3/9/2024 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Poured from Coravin. I've had these for a while and they are getting nice. Tasting using WSET system:

Appearance: medium garnet
Aromas: moderate aromaticity, red cherry, black licorice, touch of vanilla, tar, black cherry, rose, frangipane, leather, tobacco, seems like it's developing but has some tertiary flavor
Palate: dry, medium+ acidity, medium+ tannins, medium alcohol, medium body
Flavors: mirrors nose, more tar, more cherry; medium intensity; medium- finish
Balance - good - 1
Length - fine but not long - 0
Intensity - good, 1/2
Complexity - good, 1/2
Total 2 = good

That said, I like this wine a lot! Really enjoyable, has some tertiary flavors that are coming in nicely, and the price was right.

3/3/2024 - tak4 wrote:

[From memory]

Big Kistler lover here but this wine was a bit disappointing as I didn't think the oak was properly integrated yet. Was much more toasty/woody than I expected. I believe I consumed this far too young so my recommendation is "hold" at least for another couple of years.

2/11/2024 - tak4 wrote:

Honestly? Honestly honestly?

The honest truth is that I don't think I like Aubert any more.

These wines are just too massive. 15%, gobsmackingly rich, just not my taste any more.

I'm going to stop buying and age the ones I do have. Let's see if that mellows them out. But this 2018 was as massive as the day it was born.

2/10/2024 - tak4 Likes this wine:

From Coravin, my new thing

Appearance: clear, deep, ruby
Nose: clean, medium, blackberry, orange peel, leather, cedar, fully developed
Palate: dry, med+ acid, med alcohol, med tannins, med+ body, med intensity, blackberry forward, med finish

Balance - good - lots of acid and not the fruit intensity I'd like
Length - good, not great
Intensity - fairly intense on the nose
Complexity - moderate, wasn't exactly bursting with subtlety

Nice wine, I'd say good to very good, it's fully mature now but potential to improve over 3-5 years.

2/4/2024 - tak4 Likes this wine:

One glass with Coravin. It's the new regime. A glass, not a bottle.

Also, as part of the new regime, the tasting note will be done in WSET Level 3 format.

Clear, medium intensity, ruby color,
Nose - medium intensity, primary notes of strawberry, raspberry, cherry, black cherry. Secondary, a touch of reduction, a touch of vanilla. No tertiary notes
Palate - dry, high acidity, medium tannins, medium alcohol, medium + body, medium+ flavor intensity, primary notes on palate, medium+ finish, strawberry, cherry, baking spice.

I like this wine! Tannins are softening, still has good primary fruit, great acid backbone. Can drink or age it. Good stuff.

12/31/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

When I was a wine puppy back in the 1990s, I was taught that Champagne doesn't really age well because the freshness of the beverage is lost with time. So, I've generally not been a believer in aged vintage bubbles. But it seems like the world has changed and more and more people are now getting into Champagnes with some time on them. So, let's give it a shot!

Poured into flutes with hips (Sophienwald). This wine is a deep golden color, bright, with fat bubbles that dissipate quickly.

Wine is fairly aromatic, with toast but also honey, a touch of caramel, citrus, and a spice note way underneath. N describes a mellow chalky minerality.

On palate, wine is sound. Well balanced, good strong acid, can't tell on alcohol but likely not very high, long citrusy finish (not sharp lemon but more like preserved lemon - mellow).

Overall this wine is pretty darn amazing. This is probably the best sparkling wine I have ever had. Happy New Year!

12/22/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Excellent. Blackberry, leather, spice on the nose. Palate has clear tertiary characteristics even though visually the wine doesn't betray its age. I don't think this is designed to go much further so I would suggest drinking now.

11/12/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

I love Chablis. I am not sure it's a bargain any more but the wines are just so elegant. And this one is no exception.

Visual: color is a pale lemon, not very intense
Nose: moderate aromaticity, primary fruit of citrus, lemongrass, honeysuckle; no discernable secondary flavors
Palate: dry, high acid, no tannin, med-high alcohol, matches nose, emphasis on a melon note

Overall: very good to outstanding
Balance - outstanding
Flavor complexity - very good
Finish - really long
Flavor intensity - strong

This is a really excellent wine and I am glad I have a lot of it

11/12/2023 - tak4 wrote:

With MM. Didn't expect much beyond a flavor bomb but it was excellent. We both looked at it and said, "wow."

11/5/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Taking the WSET level 2 course so I am going to do the tasting note according to their protocol. Learn from practice, right?

Appearance:
Intensity - medium
Color - lemon-gold

Nose:
Intensity - medium-to-pronounced
Aroma characteristics - Primary - passionfruit, citrus; secondary - smoky reduction; tertiary - touch of fig and spice

Palate:
Sweetness - dry
Acidity - medium-high
Tannin - zero
Alcohol - drinks high (and it is high - 14.6%)
Body - full
Flavor intensity - pronounced
Flavor characteristics - reflects nose, maybe a touch of malolactic (secondary)
Finish - long

Quality:
Balance - very good
Length /finish - very good
Identifiable characteristics / intensity of flavors - very high
Complexity - high

Overall, Very Good

That was fun! No matter how you score it, this is a very, very good wine.

11/3/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Quick tasting note today. This is an aromatic, highly concentrated wine despite being visually less saturated. But my word is it hot. The high alcohol brings a ton of aromaticity but feels spiky when you drink it.

I like the wine, but now I'm stumbling around my kitchen. I would have preferred something more restrained than a 15-handle.

11/3/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

This is a good VJ but not my favorite, which remains the Domaine Macle. Still amazingly weird, though - and I love it

10/29/2023 - tak4 wrote:

Not going to do a full tasting note on this one. A little reticent, pretty nose of anise and rose, dust, and no tertiary flavors. On palate it's shy. A decent amount of acid but I can't see yet how this fully integrates. If I had several bottles of this I would wait another year before cracking the next one. Interesting how there are almost no CT nor critic tasting notes on this.

10/28/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Opened and decanted for an hour before tasting. This tasting note was taken after it had been open for about two hours, and it seems like it's at a peak.

Visually the wine doesn't betray much age. There's some garnet to it but it could very well be a brand new wine.

On nose, it's more closed than I would have expected. There's a meat and olives vibe to it along with some red fruit.

On palate, wine is sound. Tannins still have quite a bit of grip and the acid is prominent. Palate echoes nose.

I like this wine, but I do not love it yet. I think it does need some more time for some tertiary flavors to start coming trhough. So, hold em. No score as I think it would be unfair to the wine, but as of today I'd give this an 88.

10/26/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Short tasting note from memory. I decanted this (with MM) and it was excellent, definitely exceeding expectations. Black tea and red fruit on the nose, tannins had softened, palate was well balanced. Still had youth but the whole thing was coming together. Real upside surprise.

This is entering its drinking window now. LFG!

10/20/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

I let this wine come to room temperature before opening, then decanting.

Visually, wine is still a crimson-purple but it does have a watery vibe that I associate with a touch of age.

On nose, I get black tea, dried cherries, strawberries, and almond paste.

On palate, wine is sound. Dry, medium-high acid. Tannins still have a touch of grip. The black tea comes through, not much else.

I had extracted this wine from my cellar thinking the following: "that Burghound thinks I should wait til 2027. Screw that guy. He always likes his wines old and dusty. I'm going to drink this now." But I think Burghound is right! This could use a few more years to allow the tannins to settle a little more and the more subtle flavors to emerge. So, a moderate score for now, and hoping for good things in the future.

10/12/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Pre vacation. And here's a relevant data point. I cracked this wine with the Coravin expecting to have a glass. I liked it so much it disappeared.

Visually, wine is a turbid, not that bright dark purple-crimson with no visible signs of age. I guess you could say it has a clear rim, if you believe in that sort of thing.

On nose, I get blackberries all day, anise, a touch of green olive. Very aromatic.

On palate, wine is sound. Tannins are softening. Dry. Medium-high acid. Long finish. Mirrors nose with extra olive. N picks up on the tiniest bit of vanilla oak - I do get that but I think it's 95% resolved.

I am really surprised by how much I like this wine. Yes, it doesn't have the complexity of a bordeaux blend but the purity of the cab is pretty nice.

I do believe this is entering its drinking window. Fun times ahead for all of you who had the patience to hold on.

10/11/2023 - tak4 wrote:

Corked! First corked Aubert I have ever had

10/7/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Seriously, what kind of a wine lover am I if I don't take regular tasting notes? It's been too long.

So according to Burghound I am robbing the cradle with this one. But I cannot help myself! Let's see what it's got...

Popped and then refrigerated a bit. Tasting done after about an hour.

Wine is a light straw color, not super concentrated, quite bright.

On nose, the aforementioned Burghound totally nailed it. Glycerol, mineral, green fruits (like green apple), and an appealing reduction note - I think the famous coche-like-reduction, which I refer to as "sea smoke" for zero logical reason.

On palate, wine is sound. Medium acid, dry, alcohol drinks medium, with a nice salinity and mineral foundation.

This is a nice wine! I do think it's a little closed now and will likely open up with age. But I'll save some for tomorrow and see what happens.

Is it worth the price? Do I have to answer?

9/23/2023 - tak4 wrote:

This is an excellently constructed wine and quite obviously a quality product, but it's just not to my taste. I bought this as part of my experimentation process with German wines and I find the sweetness just too high. But if it's your jam, you're going to totally dig it. Apricot, peach, lychee.

EDIT A WEEK LATER: after I made this tasting note I chucked this wine in the fridge and sipped it like a dessert wine. In that setting it was fantastic. Didn't deteriorate over the course of the week and the white fruit flavors persisted and, if anything, deepened. This is actually a really really nice wine.

9/7/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

At Daniel et Denise in Lyon. Amazing price for an excellent bottle. Burghound tasting note is spot on and I do not have much to add, except a couple points to the score.

7/16/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Aubert of late has alternated between impressing me and overwhelming me. Some younger ones of late have just been too *much*. But the word on the street is, give them some time as they settle into a gracious maturity. I can't say 2017 is totally mature, per se, but let's see what a few extra years can do.

I popped this wine, double decanted it, and took this tasting note about three hours after initial opening. I will note that it was massively more powerful when at cellar temperature but this tasting note is closer to refrigerator temperature.

Wine was clear, bright, and was golden with deeper notes starting to show. Definitely not the lemon yellow of a young wine - had visual notes of age.

On nose, wine is beautifully complex and highly expressive. Melon, CLR, apple, citrus, passionfruit, powder candy, it has it all. And nothing that would betray age.

On palate, we have a couple of different wines. At cellar temperature, this was a massive flavor bomb. CLR came through big time, all the notes of the nose fully reflected. At refrigerator temperature, it was understandably a little more subdued, drinking hot with a tough of residual sugar, again reflecting the nose with plenty of CLR.

This wine is pretty great. I really enjoy this but I could definitely see how some people could find it to be quite a lot. I continue buying Aubert because their wines are always exciting and interesting, and I view them as the rightmost part of my power curve distribution.

6/18/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Kistler! Delicious! And I am a negligent wine aficionado for not doing my tasting note until the last drops of the bottle.

In my view, Kistler has really evolved in recent years - moving away from pure power to something more measured. And it has been a great move. The wines are delicious and have fooled my burghound friends into thinking they are Meursault.

Wine is a creamy golden bright yellow. No signs of age nor would I expect any.

So I watched the second episode of "Drops of God" last night so I'm now all about primary vs secondary nez. On primary nose I get powder candy, melon, and grapefruit. On secondary nose I get more passionfruit and a wet concrete mineral.

On palate, wine is sound. Medium-high acid, dry, very long finish that echoes the grapefruit aspects of palate and a spice note comes out.

This is a great wine! But I'd give it a few more years til the next one. And that's to be expected. I do love these wines when young but this will be at its objective best with a little mellowing.

6/17/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Mmm Bordeaux. Some of the finest wines in the world and many of them at a reasonable price. Trying to get back into Bordeaux after my Burgundy dalliances, so bought this on the secondary market from a highly reputable seller.

Popped and aerated a bit. Tasting note taken after the wine had been open for about 45 minutes, still a little cool.

Wine is a turbid purple-crimson with no signs of age. Not bright.

Oh, the nose. So good. Plums, cherries, dark chocolate, pencil graphite, olive.

On palate, wine is sound. High acid, tannins are softening but still have some grip, dry. The only ding I would give this wine is that the finish is pretty short, though it's clean. Palate is more textural than a flavor bomb but I do get a hint of my beloved Bordeaux "white rice" flavor (seriously I have no idea what to call it).

This is an excellent wine. I do think it needs a couple more years to be at its prime. I have one other bottle but it's in a case that I will not access until 2035 so I'll see my next one in a very different state (yes, I create cases for future years; call me weird, I don't care). Great stuff.

6/17/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Quick note from memory last night. I did like this quite a bit but it does need more time. N said it smelled like glazed donuts, which it did! Enjoy a bottle now and then I'd recommend having the next one in a couple of years.

6/11/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

While I have had a tortured relationship with red Burgundy, white Burgundy has been something I have always enjoyed. Really can't think of a bottle I didn't like. The pricing is, of course, extortionate. But Saint-Aubin is the value appellation, right?

I have six bottles of this wine and I wanted to try one on the early side. So here we go!

Wine was popped and poured. Tasting note taken at the three hour mark. Last sip.

Wine is a pale lemon color, clear, but not perfectly bright.

On nose, it's not pungent but there's a lot going on if you get your schnoz in there. Grapefruit, lemon, a spice (anise?), wet-concrete minerality, and a bit of saline.

On palate, wine is sound. No tannin, medium acid, dry, grapefruit and passionfruit forward.

Overall, this is a lovely wine. It's a little reticent, though, and definitely not an in-your-face sip. This is not the kind of wine that makes your wine geek friends weak at the knees, but it's still really nice juice. Went beautifully with grilled chicken and kale.

I'm thinking that given the acid structure, this wine will do well with age. So, next bottles will be in a little bit.

6/10/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Do I love Bordeaux? Or do I love the idea of Bordeaux? These are the things that keep me up at night.

My first fine wine experiences were Bordeaux - but then my wine friends red-pilled me on Burgundy. But Bordeaux is the gold standard, is easier to understand, and the pricing is so much better.... I want to like all Bordeaux, I really do. But, like all wines, there's no magic formula.

Popped and aerated. Tasting note taken on the last sip.

Wine is a dark crimson with no visible signs of age.

On nose I get currants, mushroom, bay leaf, blackberry.

On palate, wine is sound, medium-low acid, medium-low and softening tannins, short-ish finish. Berry forward.

Overall, this is a delicious wine. The first few sips were actually not that great as they seemed almost over the hill - but then with a little bit of time it started to evolve nicely.

I think it is drinking well now but won't suffer with additional time.

The difference between first and last sip on this wine was gigantic. On first sip, I would have poured it down the sink. On the last, I poured it down my throat. There's a lesson there. Bordeaux is a different animal and reacts differently to air than the pinot noir that I am used to.

I need to explore this further. The world of great Bordeaux is deep, rich, and appealing. Fun times ahead.

6/4/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Super quick note as I didn’t have a chance to do a fully tasting. Wine is drinking well now but shutting down. Either drink now or hold for another 5 at least.

6/3/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Bought a half case of this at auction as part of my nebb experiment.

Popped and decanted. wine tasted about 90 minutes after opening.

Wine is turbid, bricked crimson. Not bright. Rim is not totally clear.

On nose, roses, earth, cherry, licorice, and a touch of barnyard.

On palate, wine is sound. Still a few degrees too cold at tasting (sorry - doing my best here). Medium-high acid, dry, still some grippy tannins, medium finish, roses really come across.

This is a nice wine but it's definitely a bit rustic and I do think it needs more time. I'd say the next bottle should be 2025 at the earliest.

5/28/2023 - tak4 wrote:

Super short tasting note, because I respect your time. This wine is not ready.

Meadows is right - give it another five years or so.

It has excellent structure but it's past the initial youthful exuberance and will need time. I don't think this is a wine for decades, though - but a little bit of maturity will make a big difference.

5/27/2023 - tak4 wrote:

I bought this wine for about $80, I think during a pandemic sale of someone's cellar. Maybe it's misleading but I see that wine-searcher has listed this wine for $341. Is it worth $341? Spoiler alert: no.

Wine was left to come up to room temperature and then decanted. It seemed a little closed at first so I heavily aerated it. Tasting note taken about 90 minutes after opening. Still doesn't feel like it has fully opened up.

Wine is a carnelian red with a hint of bricking. Not fully bright with a clear edge.

On nose, it's just not that aromatic. It has lost its fruit but it is only showing the slightest hints of age notes. But it's all so shy that I cannot really describe the aroma.

On the palate, wine is sound. Medium-high acid, medium-low tannins that still have a little grip, drinks hot, short finish. Overall impression is that it is still not fully integrated.

This could be a very good wine but I think Meadows is right - it needs more time. It is just not in a good place right now. I'm not going to have my next bottle until 2025 at the earliest.

5/26/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Okay. Time to get real.

Burgundy is damn expensive. Outrageously so. Yes, I can afford it, but do I *want* to afford it? No. The utils aren't there. The consistency is not there. And the aspirational pricing (and VIP allocations) are completely ridiculous.

The word on the street is that many burghounds who have been priced out of the market are turning into nebheads. Which is basically the wine equivalent of missing out on Taylor Swift tickets and going to the Metallica show instead. So, do I Speak Now or Ride The Lightning? I bought two half cases of Barolo with some age at auction recently. Let's explore..

I let it come up to temperature for an hour, opened and decanted. Tasting note taken about two hours after opening.

Wine is a brick-crimson, with a clear edge, and brighter than I would have expected.

On nose, what a lovely experience. Black cherry, roses, anise seed, bay leaf, and almost like a grainy wheaty undertone. Don't have the vocabulary yet to describe that.

On palate, wine is sound. High acid, tannins are softening but still have a little grip, long finish, fully dry, dark berry notes really come out.

Man, do I like this wine. Wow, oh wow. Now, I have a lot to learn - the name of this wine has eight words in it of which I know two, so my Italian wine ignorance is on proud display. But the rest of my half-case is going to get devoured ASAP.

Off to nebb-er nebber-land

5/21/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Recently the Auberts haven't been resonating with me as much as they used to. Some of them have felt big, blunt, overly powered. I've found that more restrained California or Oregon chardonnays were more my speed. But, a reasonable counterargument could be: hey dude, wait a few years - they'll mellow out and settle down. Pushing 50 myself, this resonates. So, here's an Aubert that was strong-like-ox in its youth with a half decade of age under its belt. What's it like now?

Wine was served a bit cold. Popped, aerated, poured.

On visual appearance it's a light, bright lemon color, perfectly clear, no signs of aging.

When you stick your nose in, the party starts. Holy cow. Like walking into a kaleidoscope. Powder candy, grapefruit, lemon, spice, lychee, CLR, peach.

On palate wine is sound. Medium-high acid, no tannin, a hint of residual sweetness, high alcohol, glycerol, the apple and CLR come forward and the finish is astonishingly long. Holy cow.

Amazingly, this tasting note was taken when the wine was a few degrees too cold so assume it's even more aromatic at a warmer temperature.

This is a pretty insane wine. So powerful, so complex, so rich. It is drinking well right now but could most certainly go for longer, given its complete lack of signs of age. Do I love it? Not yet. Still just a little "much" for me. But I'll have the next bottle in a few years and I suspect time will be kind to it.

5/20/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Occidental has always been my favorite pinot noir, but the vast majority that I have consumed I have consumed really young. And they're great that way!

But I have put several away for aging (and more to come - I just got my annual allocation plus all my wish list request - thank you Catherine and Mia!!), so I wanted to see what this wine tastes like with a few years on it. Yes, I know this is likely an intermediate age, but hey, let's have a little fun.

After letting it come up to temperature, popped and poured and then double decanted to help it open up.

Wine is a deep, dark, turbid, non-bright crimson-purple with no signs of age.

On nose, this is quite the wine. Baking spice, bay leaf, an emerging leather thing. It distinguishes itself from an archetypal top Oregon pinot noir via more of a bright, citrus acid foundation. And there's none of the earthiness I associate with Oregon. Power of suggestion? (citrus = California, forest = Oregon)

On palate, wine is sound. Medium tannins, softening but still a little grippy, high acid, dry, very very long finish. Palate follows nose but I can detect a little bit of the signs of aging - the faintest hint of pipe tobacco.

Man, this is quite a wine! But it's at an in-between age and I think I liked it better younger. But the promise of what it can become is very exciting.

Occidental still is my top ranked beverage. Yes, that beats you, water. Next bottle gets opened in a few years.

5/20/2023 - tak4 Does not like this wine:

Yeah, this is over the hill. Oxidized on the nose and sweet on the palate, but neither in a good way. Bummer as I was looking to try some good vintage port with some age - something I have not previously experienced.

5/14/2023 - tak4 wrote:

I will now provide the world's shortest tasting note. I hope you enjoy.

Drink now.

You are welcome

4/15/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

I have had some mixed experiences with the Kistler Pinot Noirs lately. They really seem to sing when young but I have had difficulty really bonding with any of them when they are 5-7 years old. My guess is that they evolve into something great, so the enjoyment is bipolar. Here's a new young one to test this hypothesis out.

Opened this wine out of my fridge. Popped, poured a little out, poured that back, then decanted to warm the wine up. Tasting note taken about two hours later.

Wine is a really beautiful color. It's a gorgeous turbid crimson with a hint of purple or a hint of brick depending on the light. I would buy a car in this color if I could.

On nose, I get something darker than the typical new world pinot. Cherries, tar, roses (yes, I've been reading about Barolo recently so the power of suggestion is strong within me), subtle baking spice.

On palate, wine is sound. High acid, medium grippy tannin, dry, medium length finish. Reflects nose.

This is a wine that is built to last. It is good now but I suspect it will be really amazing after about ten years of age. So I am cracking my next bottle in 2030. Hopefully the AIs can write my tasting note for me.

4/8/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

So I am not much of a syrah drinker. I've never really had a properly aged Northern Rhone wine so I haven't yet had a magical experience from the OG syrah. They are hard to find. And I find younger syrahs make my tongue turn blue and often give me a headache.

But I got into Antica Terra several years ago and started buying their Lillian, which is highly rated for a domestic syrah and, of course, shares a lineage with Sine Qua Non. So, now that this one is ten years old, let's give it a shot.

Wine is deep purple, no visible signs of age. Maybe the rim is a little clear but that's it.

Pleasing nose of roses, baking spice, blackberry, and a beefy undertone. Red tomatoes.

On palate, wine is sound. Tannins are medium-high but they are definitely softening. Still quite present though. Fully dry, medium-high acid, drinks hot on alcohol. On palate a bit more menthol / bay leaf comes out for me.

Overall, I like this wine! It's not enough to make me a syrahphile but I could see adding a few wines in the style to the collection every year. We are having steak for dinner tonight (aka the healing power of the cow, aka MOOOO) and I suspect it will go very well.

2/25/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

I've been somewhat disappointed with the BF wines in recent times. I'm still a buyer but for some reason their Pommard-like power has not really resonated. Have my Burgphile buddies wrecked my appreciation of an Oregon legend? Is my palate becoming effete and delicate, only to appreciate the ethereal instead of the powerful? Let's find out.

Popped and poured but this tasting note is taken over two hours after opening.

Wine is a deep, turbid crimson, with no signs of age aside from a clear rim.

On nose, it's cherries all day with baking spice, raspberry, toluene, and a mineral undertone.

On the palate, wine is sound. Medium-to-high acid (for a red of this age), medium-to-high tannins, and dry. Cherry is strong on the palate but it's not really a fruit bomb.

At the end of the day, this is quite clearly an excellent wine. But I do think we are at the stage between youthful fruity exuberance (which is when my previous notes were taken, and when I *really* liked this wine) and some complexity associated with maturity. If you have these, I'd wait 3-4 years before opening another one.

Unfortunately, I drank all of mine while young - or maybe that's not unfortunate because I really liked them!

2/24/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

I've already done three tasting notes on this wine previously so this is a short one, from memory.

It was delicious and it is all gone now.

Vs last time there was a bit more of that honey color but the taste profile was quite similar. I noted some passionfruit on the nose which jumped out at me.

Great to drink, would be interesting to see how it evolves further.

2/20/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Popped and poured.

Wine is a turbid crimson with a purplish tone. Not that bright.

On nose, there are strawberries. And did I mention strawberries? Because there are definitely strawberries. A little toluene undertone and what is probably a little reduction underneath.

On palate, wine is sound. Medium-low acid, medium tannins, still grippy, feels like high alcohol. Still red fruit predominant.

Here's the thing - this wine is a totally delicious sipper now. Well balanced, well made, fun. I don't think it's built to last and that is just fine. If you are a PGC or Oregon pinot fan and you come across a bottle of this, just drink it! You will be happy you did.

2/19/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Popped and poured. Wine was tasted at about the 90 minute mark post opening. Did not double decant, despite the admonitions to do so. This is 2017 so should be able to make it without extra aeration.

Wine is Pantone Yellow FFE226 - lemon with a tiny touch of golden. Not totally clear and definitely not totally bright.

On nose, is this Powder House or PowerHouse? Grapefruit, pineapple, lychee, and baking spice are all there, along with a little bit of Coche like reduction that gives it some sophistication.

On palate, wine is sound, with med-high acidity, no tannin, massive alcohol, and what I taste as a touch of residual sugar but could just be intense fruit. On palate, grapefruit predominates. It's borderline viscous.

Overall, I do like this wine, by my goodness is it still really big. Will time mellow it out? I have no idea, but five years from vintage this thing is still massive. I have more bottles and will tuck them away for a little while to see what happens.

2/18/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Grabbed from the remote cellar earlier today and then popped and poured. Tasting note taken about 1.5 hours after opening. Note that initially this wine felt closed at refrigerator temp so this tasting note is with the wine at approximately cellar temp after letting it warm up on the counter.

Wine is starting to show some of the signs of age - lemon yellow verging on golden now.

On nose, I get pineapple, passionfruit, lychee, honey, and a mineral undertone. Aromatic but not really powerful. Definitely feels a bit shy.

On palate, wine is sound. No tannin, high acid, and I do not think this wine is completely dry. The citrus tones predominate on the palate, and it's bolder as the temperature increases.

But there's something reticent about this wine.

This wine is clearly an excellent, well-crafted product. But right now I do believe it is at an in-between age, without the exuberance of youth (because we anthropomorphize our wines) but also without the richness of age. Pushing 50 myself, I emphasize! But I'd rather have this younger or older, so next bottle should be in a few years.

1/29/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Okay, so I have been a little disappointed with the Beaux Freres recently. And it's not like I have a little bit of it - it's probably the #3 producer in my cellar! I've felt like it was too heavy, too concentrated, inadequately light on its feet. My friends MM and RD have perhaps turned me into a burghound. But it's well-made and clearly an important producer in Oregon, one of my very favorite regions. So, time to give it another shot!

Wine is a deep crimson, not very bright, maybe a smidge of a clear edge but no other visible signs of aging.

On nose, I get baking spice, strawberry, and loamy soil.

On the palate, wine is sound. Medium acid, low-medium tannins, dry. Tannins are starting to resolve into something really interesting. I can sense the evolution of that whole "velvety" thing that is so prized.

So what do I think of this wine? I do think it is at an in-between age. It has lost the aggressive fruit of youth (which I do love) but hasn't yet gained the complexity of age. And that's fine.

What's the Burgundy comp for this? Pommard springs to mind but I am not an adequately fluent burgphile to know what else may be relevant.

Next bottle in a couple of years. Let's see what it's got. But this is also telling me that I should drink my Beaux Freres thoughtfully. Or, to be more precise, to NOT drink them - at least for now....

1/27/2023 - tak4 wrote:

Okay, so this is a wine that seems to be somewhat controversial! Dunnuck apparently dug it, Galloni didn't. What do I think?

Normally these wines are kind of a pretty lemon color. This one is definitely more pallid. Like it has Covid.

On nose, this wine is like a mnemonic device. In that earlier this week, my friend Raj taught me that the scent that I so naively refer to as "sea smoke" - kind of a saline minerality - is known in the trade as "CLR" or "TLR" depending on how OG one is. So it is now imprinted in my hippocampus. This wine is CLR all day. To the point where I cannot clearly detect any fruit underneath.

Now, apparently the CLR resolves beautifully over time. This makes me wonder whether this wine was intentionally made this way given what sounds like a crummy growing season. Built to age, not to drink. No fruit? Reduce it.

On palate, it's CLR all day. Not sure I can detect much else. Pineapple?

So, I'd say if you own these, they are not that satisfying to drink right now. But they may be magnificent in the future! So I'd recommend holding on to this for several years before cracking into it.

1/22/2023 - tak4 wrote:

Post hoc tasting note. I did not like this. Shockingly, DW really did. Can't really comment on the wine at this point.

Feel free to mark as "unhelpful". I can take it.

1/14/2023 - tak4 Likes this wine:

Popped and decanted then poured. Tasting note taken a few hours after opening. Wine is up to temperature.

On appearance, wine is a cloudy crimson. Not leggy, no signs of age.

On nose, I get cherries and raspberries with a sort of earthy tone underneath.

On palate, wine is sound. Medium acid, no sugar, resolving tannins. A little bay leaf comes across on the palate which doesn't so much on the nose. A touch of funk as well.

I have to say that this is a good wine but not one that I am crazy about today. I've liked these wines better in the past. Not sure if that is 1) my evolving palate (which could be degenerating, of course); 2) this bottle is at an in-between age; 3) it's just not that great.

I adore the Kistler chardonnays but recently their PNs haven't been doing it for me. The winds of change...

1/2/2023 - tak4 wrote:

This sure tasted flawed. All barnyard.