5/25/2021 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Lots of pyrazines, good acidity and drinking flow, like it alot

5/25/2021 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Lovely, hard tannins still, complex bouquet - red fruit, earth. Very pure and doing its on thing. Super unique

4/17/2021 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

A bit monolithic on day 1, showing some new wood and delicate floral aromatics. More pervasive and mineral on day 2- you can feel the chalk. Nice acidity, direct and racy. Fun to drink.

4/17/2021 - gdoolan wrote:

9% abv. Developed nose, lots of oxy character, some freshness and minerality still intact- eh.

4/11/2021 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Classic Roilette vintage here, red and black fruit, dense mineral element, and fine acidity. I bet this will age well but so good now.

4/11/2021 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Pato's entry level white bottle. 80% bical 20% arinto, this has some terpenes and yeastiness but also some lovely salinity and acidity, though not as firm as in Nossa Calcario. Tasty apertif, good drinking flow.

1/31/2020 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Lots of complexity, this had some nuttiness, wild cider, orange zest, mint chutney, wax, yellow flowers and iodine. Has really high acidity but just didn't have a harmonious presence on the palette. Not really bitter per say but there seemed to be minor impurity which for me was off-putting.

1/24/2020 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Pretty good, pomegranate, blueberry, smoke, mahogany. Clearly from a warm climate. Could use more acidity and fruit purity.

1/8/2020 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Fuder Palm, Meyer Sydney. A really beautiful wine here, captures that idiosyncratic Falkenstein spring water quality while also having a decently complex nose. The palate is very linear with a great balance and energy. Another great feinherb from Falkenstein that would be fun to see in 10 years.

1/5/2020 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

At peak, decently complex nose, candied fruit, cooling herbs, toast, and cooked nuts. Almost creamy, textured palette. A more forward structured wine than the most precise of champagnes but in a great spot now, great with 1/1 brunch.

12/31/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

The highest altitude of the Girolamo Russo Contradas and also with the most vivid mineral component. This one, probably thanks to the heat of 17, has a really dark fruit profile and less than great acidity. Still a fascinating showcase of terroir.

12/31/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Not sure if these are really worth the hype or price (Id rather drink Susucaru all day). That said, this hard super fresh, airy pink fruits as well as a darkish ashy presence although I seem to pick up on that more in the more classical etna rosso's I have been drinking. Easy to drink, sure, but little structure or acidity to speak of. Still tasty and pure.

12/30/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Another tasty bottle from Girolamo. Not as structured as either the Feudo or San Lorenzo bottling but nevertheless a great example of Etna Rosso with its red fruits, herbs, tar, and balsamic this had good freshness and levity despite its alcoholic weight. A very pure and classical expression of the Feudo di Mezzo Contrada.

12/30/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Popped and poured, took about an hour to really sing. At first was dominated by pretty animals, leather and bandaid notes. With time, dark, almost blue fruit emerged along with spices, tar, and dried herbs. Really powerful wine with a lot of stuffing left, this could be held longer though Im not sure it would get any better. Great stuff from the master of Abruzzo and especially fun to taste after having the 17 last week.

12/27/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Racy, tasty. Really light on its feet with some tension. I prefer more body and complexity in rose but this is an excellent quaffer.

12/29/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Dark yellowish color, perhaps some skin contact which adds body here. I would love more acidity, but anyways this had some lovely citrus and floral elements. Not entirely harmonious or really my favorite style but not a bad wine.

12/26/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Classic etna rossa. Light with elegant touch but with slightly rustic tannins. Pure red fruits and the lovely acidity you expect from 2016 Etna's. Nice ashy terroir element makes this ultimately a very convincing wine. All love here.

12/23/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Infanticide but I love the density and freshness here. Strong meaty core with herbs, complex array of red, purple fruits, and good acidity. Really great acidity, not sure how long this will take to really sing.

12/27/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Really fun lunch wine, light at 10.5 abv, this one shows some amphora earthiness and quince, orange peel, and light zesty, salty palette. I like the texture here, seems to be a cohesive wine here thats just plain fun to drink. Not much sulphur here I imagine, had that natural purity to it.

12/24/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Dão master, Alvaro Castro, at it again with this awesome blend from two old vine vineyards. This wine with classic black tea, dark, ripe dates, blackberries and vivid ferrous, smoky terroir elements which seem really typical of Dao. Elegant style with not so much tannin. This well structured wine will drink very well for another 5 years at least I imagine. A lovely wine of terroir that is just plain fun to drink.

12/24/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Very subtle and restrained, perhaps not on its best day. Really lovely textural component which was the highlight for me as well as dense stemmy core. I would love to try another bottle, this one just felt like it was a bit sleepy.

12/23/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Lovely, clean wine, pure, bright red berries, interesting, powerful mineral component and nice fresh herbs. This has some alcoholic weight, although it holds it well, in addition to fresh acidity (I would prefer more acid). A nice powerful wine, perfect for winter drinking with Sicilian fare. Consumed as Rosso Divino in Taormina. No crime in drinking this now or over the next few years.

12/18/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Damn good, I don't have much to add over these other tastings notes but tasting very young, like old Gattinara + Dão made love. So fun to watch this puppy evolve over some hours.

12/20/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Tasted from tank, only 100 L to be produced! This was great, so fresh and racy with great menthol and earthy complexity. A wine to look out for for sure.

12/18/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

This was crazy good for 15 euro. From what I remember, classic Dão notes of black tea and bark, but with crunchy fruit. Developed nicely over a few hours (didn't last too long!) but maintained a great verve the whole time. Elegant wine made for drinking but it also packs a good complexity. I wish someone would send this to the US. Alvaro Castro killing it as always.

12/19/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Tasty juice, crunchy berries and moss. I wish the fruit was a little brighter and that there was a bit more structure. Anyways, really elegant style that I love with fresh acids. I'd drink this any day.

12/20/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

50% Alicante Bouschet, 50% trincadeira. Really pure, fresh, crunchy light red fruits like maraschino cherries almost but in a really ethereal floral package. Gentle extraction, very elegant texture (stems, perhaps?). Acid could be a touch higher but this is really balanced wine, a real privilege to drink.

12/20/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Another gem from SF. This one still clinging to that classic SF reduction but with a nose of cooling spices, herbs, sea breeze, shrimp shell, lemon pith, grapefruit. Very, very mineral with great acids (especially for 11). This has the chassis for the long haul, no rush to drink.

12/20/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Insanely fresh nose of apricots, marmalade, jasmine tea, and spice inflected slate. Acid + sugars are married harmoniously now, this is so light and delicate to drink, like a butterfly on the palette. Based on this bottle, I would imagine this could develop well for another 10 years or so? Really neat.

12/17/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Very solid, fine acids like a laser beam, this wine is starting to open just slightly but still with a formidable tension. All love.

12/17/2019 - gdoolan wrote:

Very appely, not sure if I got a great bottle, almost tasted baked. Perhaps this is just how it is.

12/17/2019 - gdoolan Likes this wine:

Really enjoyed this, a bit brighter, more intense fruity character compared to the really subtle 17s. Acids are still very fresh but again not the same level as many 17s. This was very composed, nice herbal character, at the end of the day, very solid drinking wine but maybe not the wine I would stock up on to drink over decades.

12/4/2019 - gdoolan wrote:

Dark fruited and very lifted, this is a really big style that for me isn't what I want to drink, although theres clearly a very powerful terroir at hand here. Over 4-5 days this was mostly unfocused, that said it did vastly improve. The heat of the vintage is just a bit too front and center for me here.

12/13/2019 - gdoolan wrote:

Great local juice. An orchestra of bright, nervy red fruits, lots of cranberry, cherry, strawberry, blueberry. Fruits are fresh, clean, but also super tight with nice floral and mineral nuances (this wine is really about fruit though). Not really much tannin which makes for great youthful drinking, though there is nice texture coming I assume from some whole cluster usage. If I had to criticize on a high level it might be nice to see more complexity but for a young wine, this is pretty darn good. Fresh acids, no new oak influence as far as I can tell, a great wine to just drink, enjoy and not think too hard about. I would recommend highly to beaujolais lovers.

11/28/2019 - gdoolan wrote:

To call this wine Bordeaux like might be a stretch with its intense, saturated purple hued fruit(probably from the addition of 30% carmenere). That said, it has some pencil lead and graphitic mineral quality that hold it together in a way thats infrequently seen in Chilean wines. You can taste the effects of the French oak here but its not really toasty, but rather quite integrated at this point. The tannins are very round and almost succulent at this point, reminding me of how a ripe malbec but feel on the palette. This has the exuberance and prettiness of a wine from a coolish vintage while being quite ripe. This can definitely hold for 10 years+ and it will be interesting to see where it goes beyond then.

12/2/2019 - gdoolan wrote:

An immense, brooding and concentrated wine, has lots of dark berries, licorice, cassis, tobacco, black tea etc.. This was very tight and reticent to open up after a few hours of air. Very powerful, polished wine with immense structure but now, no real charm. Masculine gravelly minerality gives this wine drive, it would be interesting to see how this will unfold and gain in complexity in decades to come.

11/19/2019 - gdoolan wrote:

Some orchard fruits in bruised shape, some acidity, but not much in terms of minerality or structure. A bit thin and lacking in distinction.

11/19/2019 - gdoolan wrote:

This wine has outstanding freshness but also a graphitic dense minerality, which was retained as the bottle was open for 2 days. Classic Loire bell pepper notes but real balance in this wine is its back and forth between sumptuous fruit and savory, herbaceous minerals. Floral aspects from stem inclusion give simultaneously elegance and tension. This wine has some grippy tannin and great acidity, it will be fun to watch it age.

11/16/2019 - gdoolan wrote:

Santa Barbara County Chard. Warmness and drought from the vintage express themselves here but wine retains good freshness and cut (thank you so2). All about bright orchard and stone fruits, chalky minerality, not acidity give this wine its gravitas and structure. Definitely some creaminess on the palate from malo, but still tight and with a formidable tension. This wine should age very well for an appellation level wine, I would look forward to tasting again in a few years, though its very tasty right now.

11/10/2019 - gdoolan wrote:

Reductive tropical sauvignon blanc aromas at first, this is true to the tropical but restrained style of Rebholz. After 2 days or so this shed its unappealing screwcap reduction + sulphur thing and became more restrained and mineral, gaining a lot of varietal typicity. I don't love that Rebholz decided to put "pinot blanc" instead of weissburgunder on the label for this wine this year but I guess weissburgunder is a tricky sell in the American market.

11/10/2019 - gdoolan wrote:

Powerful style here but not really fruity or sweet for a wine of 14%. Very solid with excellent purity, this is rounded very natural and fresh wine with lots of herbs, tangy citrus, nuts, wild grass-- classic feral (but in the best way) Jura chard nose. Great dense minerals with lots of tension, as if distilled directly fromm schist and marls. Textural and salty, this got better with time. This would be very fun to try in a few years when it has unfolded a bit.

11/10/2019 - gdoolan wrote:

Outrageously juicy and fresh, this started out somewhat one dimensional with fresh flowers, jasmine green tea, mandarin, ripe lemon, with great minerality. Powerful mineral core is enhanced by 10.5% abc which gives the wine a certain gravitas without seeming too heavy. This is a great auslese for drinking with dinner (not really too sweet at this point). It was a thrill to watch this wine gain in minerality and finesse over a 5 hour period. Very classy wine-- I love the powerful style of Bernd Philippi. It seems to match the terroir so well.