4/28/2024 - mryev Likes this wine:

Lovely aged with cinnamon, red currant, beats and a powerful hint of forest floor. The cork crumbled on opening.

4/5/2024 - mryev Likes this wine:

Tasted it at the Stag's Leap Wine Cellars during a private tasting event. Excellently aged and preserved! Plenty of fruit is still there (for a 40 year old wine). Lots of powerful tertiary (mushrooms, old wood, barn, leather) but nothing unpleasant.

4/4/2024 - mryev Likes this wine:

A truly fantastic Sonoma chardonnay!

1/17/2024 - mryev Likes this wine:

Very pleasant, moderately bold orange wine. Would recommend this wine to folks that have never had orange wine before but curious to try it.

1/14/2024 - mryev Likes this wine:

Well preserved, lots of tertiary on the pallet, high acidity serves as a strong back bone.

1/5/2024 - mryev Likes this wine:

A very pleasant orange wine - bold but not overwhelming my senses, loved it. However, the bottle I drank was from the Qvevri #20.

12/23/2023 - mryev Does not like this wine:

The bitter aftertaste ruins the overall appreciation of a good young Riesling.

10/27/2023 - mryev Likes this wine:

It had a somewhat angular presentation given a high acidity and strong currant aromas, but with a bit of air time it opened up. Lots of spice - black currant, nutmeg, cloves, tobacco, and a nice long sour finish. I loved the strong black currant flavor although it's quite overpowering. Give it at least 2-3 hours to breath.

9/1/2023 - mryev Likes this wine:

Not bad, but you will be overpaying for the label.

6/3/2023 - mryev Likes this wine:

So much better on the second and the third day.

3/12/2023 - mryev Likes this wine:

Not bad for a 50 year old! Lots of tertiary predominantly wood (pine, cedar, old wood) and mushrooms.

2/8/2023 - mryev Likes this wine:

It quite survived. :) Lots of pleasant tertiary aromas/flavors, but the primary still there though not strong. Almost no sediment in the bottle, decanted for only for a bit, drank within 4 hour window. Some black fruit, barn, old wood, leather, pepper, mushrooms, forest floor, great acidity. Not bad.

1/31/2023 - mryev Likes this wine:

Dark ruby with a thin garnet rim, still feels young - even more on the palate than on the nose. Dark and red fruit dominate with some influence from the floral and secondary (cedar, oak, nutmeg, caramel, earth) and perhaps even tertiary (leather) aromas. Very pleasant, soft black pepper and bay leaf. Acidity is strong and definitely adds to a long finish. Excellent Syrah! Honestly, this is my first bottle of wine from Yorkville Heights. I'm curious to try more from this AVA.

1/8/2023 - mryev Likes this wine:

The cork crumbled when I tried to open the bottle. A good port overall but probably at its peak.

1/7/2023 - mryev Likes this wine:

What a lovely nose! Cheery, raspberry jam, cinnamon, black pepper. The palate is not as exciting, a bit sour, but pleasant nevertheless. Strong but gentle tannins make a nice long finish.

12/24/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

Decanted for about 2 hours before the first taste and consumed it over 3 days or so. It was what I would call- a well aged vintage port! It definitely showed age but all that was present in the youth was still evident. Almost sparkling, a deeper medium ruby color with a very thin rim, or almost no rim at all. I would not have guessed that this port is almost 50 years old judging by just its appearance. Layered aromas and flavors speak of complexity and intrigue. Red fruit, flowers, herbs... what was more pronounced for me - the overripe cherry, lavender, and a hint of bay leaf. Excellent acidity held it all well together and added to a very long, almost a whole minute finish. It felt like a (lingonberry) berry burst in my mouth - with an explosion of sourish flavor and a pleasant long tapered end. Fantastic VP!

12/25/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

A lovely sparkling red - unpretentious and delicious!

12/23/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

Very rich, dark berry aroma (ripe raspberry, black currant) with a hint of nutmeg. Good acidity, soft tannins, and tertiary flavors make a good finish although I wish it would have been longer. Overall, a nice aged pinot.

12/21/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

Amazingly aged barolo - love it! Not the best year in Piedmont, but I think this wine still has some aging potential in it. Excellent tannins provide a strong structure for the wine from the 'mouth entry' to the finish, which is long and velvety.

12/13/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

An old wicker bottle probably from the 80s (IMV label). Heavy sediment, but after decanting for a day, it cleared up quite a bit. Light coffee brown red with an almost white rim. Orange peel, dates, nail polish (but not too much). Finish feels a bit "fruit abrupt" but still lingers with apricots, acidity, and sugar. Overall, better on the palate.

12/13/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

It needed a breath - it really shined on day 1 and 2 after opening the bottle.

12/7/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

Deep ruby with a violet tint. Velvety on the tongue but a bit rough, still quite young. Overall - pretty good though lacks complexity.

12/3/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

The bottle I opened had slight signs of seepage, and the cork was soaking wet, though the level was still at least bottle neck. An hour of decanting was not enough to have all the sediment to settle but it was clear enough when I pored it in the glass. Aromas of ripe (or maybe even over-ripe) raspberry, cinnamon, and spice (perhaps black pepper). Alcohol overpowers the softer fruit aromas at first but with subsequent pores I was more and more pleased. The palate was quite strong and expressive with a good balance of sugar and acidity. Nice soft tannins on the finish. Great VP, probably at its peak.

12/2/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

Deep garnet color with a brownish tint closer to the rim suggesting some age. Aromas of red currant, bay leaf, cedar, and black pepper. Strong and pleasant aroma doesn't match the fruit intensity which was much light at first (also, expected from a Barbaresco). In fact, it felt a bit watery on the tongue before decanting, but after a couple hours of breathing, it certainly opened up. A really nice long finish of raspberry, unripe sour cherry with excellent tannins. Light and pleasant Nebbiolo with a great acidity and tannins. Love it.

11/30/2022 - mryev wrote:

Color is brown tawny, somewhat muddy, clears up a bit after decanting. Walnut and burnt sugar with barely enough sugar to balance acid. Aromas of old wood and varnish. Overall, quite drinkable.

11/17/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

Aromas of black currant (reminded me of a black currant syrup actually) and blackberry with a hint of licorice. Spicy or kinda pungent... semi-rotten leaves / forest floor. raspberry, sour cherry, tomato, spice on the palate. Deep ruby color with a brownish tint, pale orange rim. Overall, aged quite well!

11/11/2022 - mryev wrote:

It survived! I am comparing this vintage to 1974, which I tried a day before and had to spit it out as it was completely undrinkable. The cork was oxidized, and though there was no obvious leakage, the level was mid-high shoulder. This wine had similar strong barn and old wood nose on the borderline of being repelling, but in an hour+, the bottle stench had gone down letting other more subtle aromas to show up. Candied fruit and sour cherry on the pallet although overall not much flavor was left there.

11/6/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

Tasted a 2021 bottling. Dried apricots, caramel, and citrus notes with a 'singing' acidity. Love it!

11/3/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

Tasted an H&H bottling (?, rectangular white label, one of 1102 numbered bottles). It was a bit shy on the nose, but I think it was due to the fact the bottle was opened not too long ago (and I had no control over the decanting time). Nevertheless, elegant and intriguing aroma with a sent of caramel, citrus, and burnt sugar. It was much more expressive on the palate - showing fig, orange peel, apricot, caramel with an excellent backbone acidity. A really nice seville orange like touch on the finish.

8/26/2022 - mryev wrote:

I found it shallow on the palate, almost as if the wine had lost its fruit due to age, but it's only been 6 years since it was bottled. It's better on the nose - bringing out aromas of red currant, cherry pie, and black pepper. Also, high on tannins, which make the finish longer, ending at the roof of the mouth.

8/21/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

Tasted a 2017 bottling and let it breath for about 2 hours. Light brown amber color with a yellowish rim. Punchy on the nose with a strong alcohol smell and some very light formaldehyde-like scent but not unpleasant. Also, aromas of walnut, raisins, and dried fruit. Solid, lively acidity makes me think of this tawny as some tinta negra verdelho madeira and a grassy hint on the nose even reminds me of terranez (!!). Long, long finish powered by the mighty acidity. Excellent madeira... errr... tawny!

8/21/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

A great deal for the money. An array of aromas as the wine warmed up and breathed - peach, bread pudding, caramel, notes of lemon... a very pleasant bready flavors linger on the tongue suggests barrel fermentation...

8/4/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

Tastes a 2008 bottling, which was absolutely amazing! With notes of prunes, dried fruit, bitter orange, and with acidity so high, it makes me think of Madeira!

7/31/2022 - mryev wrote:

A good sauternes overall but some bitterness on the finish was not adding to the palate.

7/13/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

Overall - love it! Lively acidity, notes of raspberry and cherry, easy but with a character, a pleasure to drink! Give it some time to open up in a decanter/glass.

7/10/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

Still holds pretty well, but is probably at the very top of its 'drinking window'. Fruit and aroma (honey, lavender, and lichee) are still present but as you might expect from a 30 year old wine - softened and mellowed down by age. Color is bright amber-amberish. A bit too sweet for my taste.

7/9/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

Very light white with some minerality to it, very pleasant and easy to drink. Still tank fermentation most likely as it is certainly far from the 'kvevri richness', and not what I thought I was buying (as a Georgian white), but I liked it nevertheless.

3/5/2022 - mryev wrote:

Rich and flavorful as Tavel should be, nice minerality. A bit too strong on alcohol and somewhat bitter on the finish. Cork is saturated 98% (on both bottles I opened). Still, quite drinkable. Pair with food.

3/2/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

Holding up really well! What a lovely, vibrant wine!

2/26/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

A pretty strong, volatile acidity kinda nose, but pleasant. Aroma of dried red fruit, figs, cinnamon, with a hint of orange peal. Color is tawny port like - light garnet or mahogany, and not too clear (a bit cloudy?). Not as acidic in the mouth as I expected from the aroma, though acidity was still crisp and very pronounced. Medium-long finish of roasted almonds, yellow rasins, and dried fruit. A very nice boal!

2/26/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

It does what's depicted on the label - pairs well with oysters (I had it with kushi)! :) Gentle but pronounced acidity and a nice mouth feel not overpowering the oyster!

1/26/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

A wonderful young ruby!

1/26/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

Tasted a 2006 bottling. A strong and complex aroma of dried fruit, walnut, and baked goods. Perhaps a bit sharp (alcoholic?) on the nose at first - needed more than 30 mins of air. Dull amber color, a bit murky. Notes of caramel, burnt sugar, spices. Long and slightly bitter finish adds a nice touch. Sugar level is a bit too high for me here, and it doesn't seem to be balanced with enough fruit or acidity. Nevertheless, feels very pleasant in the mouth.

1/16/2022 - mryev Likes this wine:

Decanted for 30 mins (which was probably not enough). Spicy aroma full of cherry, raspberry, and licorice with a light hint of turpentine. Black current, cidar on the tongue. Very tannic with a long pleasant finish on the dry side.

1/7/2022 - mryev wrote:

There was nothing left really besides alcohol and some acidity.

10/15/2021 - mryev Likes this wine:

Tasted samples of 1976 and 2015 bottlings, which I found to be pretty surprisingly close to each other with the 2015 having more smokey notes. Both are beautiful dark mahogany brown color. Hints of coffee, brown sugar, molasses, citrus, cake, brownies, tobacco, and acetone. I did not find acetone aromas to be too strong or unpleasant. A very nice long finish of bitter orange, pastry, cake, brownies... Fantastic malvazia - one of the best I've ever tasted!

10/15/2021 - mryev Likes this wine:

Tasted a 2018 bottling. As the doce type suggests, it's very sweet with 131g of residual sugar. Aromas of bitter orange peel. Strong on both the sugar and the acid making them work nicely together. Long bitterish aftertaste which is a bit unexpected but pleasant nevertheless. Great sweet madeira.

10/15/2021 - mryev Likes this wine:

Fantastic terrantez with aromas of tobacco, orange - kinda smokey but overall, somewhat moderate on the nose, which I found to be an elegant and quite pleasant feature for such an aged madeira. Burnt sugar and bitter orange on the tongue, medium sweet. This was 2020 bottling.

10/15/2021 - mryev Likes this wine:

A truly amazing boal with a long, long finish. This was the first bottling in 2020.

10/15/2021 - mryev wrote:

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed - was hoping for so much for given its age. Still, it's pretty good with a long and bitter finish.