3/22/2024 - Volleyball Likes this wine:

Interesting rose. Much more muscular than a typical pink - not quite Sine Qua Non territory but half way there. Also had an interesting, savory flavor with just as many bell pepper and asparagus notes as strawberries.

12/25/2023 - Volleyball Likes this wine:

Fully mature Bordeaux with the nose and flavor dominated by earth and forest floor. Still quite muscular with a fairly full body and decent finish but there is certainly no reason to wait to drink this.

1/21/2023 - Brucie69 Likes this wine:

Moving seamlessly between primary and secondly development. A lovely wine.

On the nose: Roasted Asian spices, earth, menthol. Red and black fruits compliment these secondary notes supported by nice vanilla from the oak.

A beautifully resolved palatte. Starts on the red fruit spectrum, cherries, strawberries, before darker plums come to the fore. Menthol vanilla , asian spices and earthy notes complete the picture. The wine at 18 years still has a healthy acid kick and a resolved but still noticeable tannins.

Lovely now and showint no signs of stepping on the down escalator.

4/17/2022 - TastesGoodToMe Likes this wine:

I was really hoping for more from a bottle of wine that has both Shrader and Thomas Rivers Brown on the label - even if a second wine. It was good - but I have had plenty of other $65 bottles I have enjoyed more including TRB's Caterwaul. I would say this wine was just "medium". Medium mouthfeel, medium finish, medium fruits, medium tannins. Very good - but not excellent. I will sit on my remaining bottles and hope they improve with time.

8/20/2021 - Julian Marshall wrote:

In order to choose a wine for a wedding, I tasted four vintages:

2014: aromas of blackberry and wild strawberry, before quite a plump mouthful of blackcurrant, plum and blackberry, very suave and classical in style, still a little tannic, fresh, elegant and reserved. I had this a month a go so knew what to expect, but it's a fine example of Larose.

2015: the bouquet is richer and deeper than the 2014, with prominent blackcurrant and plum. The attack is fuller too, quite a full-bodied mouthful of blackberry and blackcurrant, with at this stage just hints of plum and violet. Less elegant, more concentrated than the 2014, this needs another three to five years, but very promising indeed.

2016: notes of red cherry and cranberry, very bright and at first, rather disconcertingly so. The attack was just as odd, quite sharp notes of red cherry and cranberry, with a wave of redcurrant, none of the blacker fruit I was expecting. It took a couple of days to calm down and in the end, the bright flavours became quite enjoyable, but certainly the strangest Larose I have ever tasted - like a bio-dynamic experiment gone wrong.

2017: fresh notes of dark cherry and spring flowers, with quite a sappy mouthful of black cherry and blackberry, clearly not the finest vintage but with lots of easy-going charm.

For the long term, the 2015 was clearly the best. The 2016 needs revisiting in a couple of years time, but for the wedding, the choice was between the 2014 and 2017 - the 2017 has a very appealing brightness, but the 2014 is a lot more classy, so the 2014 will probably be the chosen wine. I had expected that it would, but the 2017 gave it a run for its money.

5/4/2021 - Jason Wu Likes this wine:

Appearance: pale garnet.
Nose: medium plus intensity; aromas of dry herbs, coconut, dry flower, balsamic, fennel seeds, star anise, subtle red currant, coriander, tomato leaves, stewed vegetable in a good way.
Palate: dry, high acidity, medium plus tannins, high alcohol, medium body, medium plus flavour intensity, medium plus finish.
Overall, it’s a very good wine. Can drink now, has potential for further ageing.
Classic Brunello with a lot of herbs notes. Despite 15% alcohol, the vivid high acidity provides balance to the wine, fresh, delicious and mouthwatering. Beautiful tannins structure, quite smooth actually, but it’s more complex on the nose than on the palate.
On day 3, the tannins are better integrated. The flavour intensity is actually better with more red fruits coming through, plus some sweet spice, black tea. A very well made Brunello.

3/11/2021 - swifty6 Likes this wine:

Rich flavors wit lasting finish.It triggered a fond memories of previous great wines tasted.
The best chardonnay I have had recently .It's pricy but well worth it.

10/3/2020 - Volleyball Likes this wine:

Amazing wine. Enjoyed with a wonderful slow cooked braised short rib on my birthday.

Inky ruby color, no sign of age. Aroma is only medium intensity, ripe plums and blackberries, mint and eucalyptus, sweet spices and mocha.

The mouthfeel is wonderful, thick, plush and very full bodied but also soft and silky, but very well integrated tannins. Clearly high alcohol. Medium acid. Flavors match the nose, more emphasis on the coffee and chocolate tertiary flavors but very well balanced by the soft fruits and the eucalyptus. Very, very long finish.

2/22/2019 - Ms. Bubblehead Likes this wine:

Peach, white flowers, raw apricot, Canadian honey on the nose, on the palate, white peachy fruits along with some green apple and lychee, the acidity was very lingering and not overwhelming, modest touch of creaminess on the finish. Very enjoyable and I prefer this over 2011 vintage

2/14/2020 - tenorselbow wrote:

Intoxicating nose with great height reminiscent of the froth of freshly squeezed oranges, cranberries, aged wooden furniture and ever so slightly sweaty saddle (but in a good way!). Elegant mouth of loganberry, rhubarb and tapenade with more height but not much depth, almost like a Pinot Noir. Long sherbet mineral finish with notes of cinnamon popcorn and balsa wood. Was even better with lamb shanks.

8/15/2020 - Volleyball Likes this wine:

Medium lemon color with a green tinge

Fairly aromatic, with the oak most prominent. Coconut and buttery scone, plus some straw.

Tart acidity (medium+) with lime fruit, also some straw, but the primary flavors don’t seem to be perfectly integrated with the fairly strong coconut-and-scone flavors of the oak. Fairly full body and long length, but not explosive.

A good wine, I like it, but the oak is a bit too heavy and needs to be better integrated. Not an “oak bomb” my any means though.