3/2/2024 - talbot61 Likes this wine:

Jura wine dinner, with Michael M. and Susan: Served with leeks vinaigrette. There doesn't seem to be any consensus about whether the grape known as 'melon a queue rouge' in Jura is the same as chardonnay, a local variant, or really a different grape altogether. Gahier seems to express some opinion by labelling some of his wines as chardonnay and this one as melon, and if this is chardonnay, it is definitely not your grandmother's chardonnay. Aged for four years in untopped casks, but not showing the sherry quality of many of the Jura wines aged like that, though it does have an unusual intensity and wildness. The wine doesn't look fully oxidized -- dark yellow with a slight pinkness. Initial blast of smoky, charred aroma, followed by a long lemony intensity. I opened it about an hour before dinner and found the acidity to be quite searingly elevated, so I decanted it and that helped a lot. When we got to it about 90 minutes later, it still had the initial charred quality, and the lemony acidity, but much more complexity had emerged -- salinity, apple cider, lavender. Impressive complexity and length.

1/6/2024 - talbot61 Likes this wine:

My daughter was making Thai Green Curry Chicken, and my wife uncharacteristically agreed that a white wine would be appropriate but she specified that it not be 'odd,' and I selected this wine, because I thought it would go well with the Thai food, which it did, and because I was eager to drink it regardless, but we were surprised at the dark color of the wine, and my wife decided it was oxidized and pushed it aside, and when I explained that it was supposed to be like this and that it wasn't oxidized but orange, she said that was odd, which was precisely what she had said that she didn't want, so it was clear that I had failed as a husband and as a sommelier, but my guilt didn't last very long because she had made Manhattans before dinner, and so I could turn my attention back to the wine, which, the more I drank, the more I loved, for its structured weightiness and for the complex array of delicious flavors -- pear and strawberry and caramel and something herbal with a long grapefruit-rind aftertaste -- and though the suggestion of oxidation provided some confirmation of my belief that the Vie di Romans wines, like the Verget/Guffens-Heynen wines, have a huge payoff with a very narrow drinking window, I decided that I could increase my total happiness by ensuring that I have a small, steady flow of the Vie di Romans wines (and particularly this bottling) to drink four years after the vintage, harboring the faint, lingering hope that my pleasure will not be completely solitary if I can convince my wife that oddness is a virtue.

11/28/2023 - talbot61 Does not like this wine:

Somebody brought this to a dinner party, my wife opened it for cooking, and I decided to taste instead of sneer. 15.2% alcohol. Dark color. Low acid. Strong vanilla aroma. Tastes like a cocktail of cream soda and blackberry juice, with a slightly metallic finish. Non-disgusting, but I don't think it would go very well with food, and I'm not sure I could drink more than a glassful.

12/23/2022 - talbot61 Likes this wine:

Sardinian carignan (with small doses of Cabernet and Merlot), from the producer of Sassicaia -- a smooth, modern wine, completely approachable already, and with some sweetness emerging by the end of the bottle.

10/3/2022 - BillBell73 Likes this wine:

Typical youngish Bea with high tannins, dark cherry fruit, and a huge medicinal and spicy nose. I know the prevailing wisdom is to drink Bea with a lot of age but I’m not so sure after having some older bottles that were a bit tired and oxidized - besides, how many people have actually tried a lot of really old Bea? I haven’t had enough to form a proper opinion but enough to be a bit leery of the variability that comes with age, and I’d love to hear from anyone with more experience. I really like them at this stage where the tannins have receded a bit but the fruit and primary herbal wallop are still there. This is a big and aggressive wine that will benefit from a big hunk of grilled or braised meat served alongside it to tame some of the muchness.

6/16/2022 - talbot61 Likes this wine:

At Noreetuh, New York City: Persistent mousse, like the crema on an expresso. Medium body. High acidity, crisp, incisive, citric, with a foreground flavor of grapefruit and an intriguing background flavor of peppermint. Does it make sense to say that it tastes like champagne, but not like other champagnes?

6/6/2022 - talbot61 Likes this wine:

If a friendly space alien asked me to explain California wine, I might just hand over a bottle of Ridge Geyserville 2017. I know, I know, lots of dedicated and intelligent California winemakers are working to move away from this model of California wine. I know, I know, California is a huge state, with hundreds of grape varieties and blends, and hundreds of climates and styles. But still, there are gods and monuments, totem poles that loom over the landscape. This oaky smooth powerful beast, oh so drinkable, is the apotheosis of a traditional style of California wine, one of the monuments in a crowded landscape. No sediment, so no need to decant. Might gain some complexity with age, but really no need to wait. Open. Drink. Repeat.

5/7/2022 - talbot61 Likes this wine:

Extra-mineral: a dry, stony wine, with nice balance, moderate length, and a restraint that makes it a good food wine. It might not be good enough to lead me away from Muscadet, but it is an appealing and slightly exotic alternative.

1/7/2022 - talbot61 Likes this wine:

As good as it has ever been: Rich and plummy, with an intriguing aftertaste of sweet Indian spices -- black pepper, clove, cardamom.

1/30/2021 - talbot61 Likes this wine:

Perhaps I shouldn't be arguing with the bottle, but its label asserts that the wine is full-bodied, and I had the distinct impression that it is not. I would describe it, moreover, as surprisingly light-bodied (and very light colored, verging on pink). The irony is that the bottle itself is suggesting that 'full-bodied' is an indicator of quality, while I believe that the wine is much more interesting because it is not full-bodied. But who am I to argue with a bottle?

The aromas are of oak and leather, while the taste is dominated by blackberry, cherry flavors. The acidity is fairly high, and the aftertaste is dominated by the tannins. It is drinkable now, especially for those of us who have a higher tolerance for acidity, but it will probably improve with at least two more years of rest, and it will last a while longer than that.

5/26/2021 - talbot61 Does not like this wine:

The Italophile wife, expecting something robust and warm, found something lean and acidic, and did not like it one bit. I was also surprised, but more curious, and so tried it again the next day. Then I found that some dark fruitiness had emerged, but mostly concealed behind a wall of sourness. I confess I don't understand what the aim was, nor what the longer-term prospects might be, but I can report confidently that the experience of drinking this wine now will be pleasure-free.

8/14/2021 - talbot61 Likes this wine:

Scholium wines should be sold only to informed consumers, or perhaps they should have a warning label: "This wine is an experiment. We promise that it will be interesting, but there is a chance that it will not be good."

I am generally happy to take the chance. Some of the wines are very exciting and stunning bargains -- the 2015 Naucratis Lost Slough, for instance -- and others have compelling stories and educational values, even if they don't in the end provide much pleasure. This wine is, unfortunately, in the latter category. It is 100% cinsault from a vineyard in Lodi, and it has a dominant aroma and flavor that I no longer have the sensory acuity to identify precisely -- at best, I can say that it tastes of some kind of herbal bubblegum. Behind that flavor, there is a light-bodied, cherry flavored wine of impressive intensity.

7/10/2021 - talbot61 Likes this wine:

Too young. Not unpleasant to drink, but still predominantly wooden, with a foreground of dry tannins. The 2010 was fully mature a few months ago, so I would give this another four years in the cellar.

5/21/2021 - talbot61 Likes this wine:

This is really too young to assess properly -- intense and acidic, with a fair amount of bitterness, even on day two. But there are layers of flavor in here waiting to be revealed -- right now there is grapefruit rind on top of sage, with a strong slate undercurrent. Give it at least two years.

5/8/2021 - finediningnyc Likes this wine:

Knockout nose, depth, power and layered complexity. It has terrific structure, floral lift and a palate caressing texture. Fantastic length. In a really great place.

3/8/2021 - talbot61 Does not like this wine:

This provides a helpful calibration of my numerical ratings. Most of my ratings are between 88 and 92, but I am now reassured that I am mostly drinking well-made wines that I like. This wine I do not like.

There is an overwhelming aroma of rubber. There is a strongly charred taste, carrying over some of the rubber notes, not altogether enhanced by the sweetness of the wine.

I see that half the tasters posting here like this wine, so I don't know if I'm genetically aversive to rubber smells, the way some people are to cilantro or broccoli, or if there is some bottle variation, and others are drinking non-rubbery versions, or if the rubberiness has emerged as the wine ages. So I will abstain from ranting about the cynicism of a wine production and distribution system that allowed the creation and sale of this wine.

4/10/2021 - talbot61 wrote:

My first time trying this, so I couldn't tell if the oxidative notes were a quality of the wine or evidence of a slight taint. I have one more bottle, so will enter a more complete assessment based on that one. In the meantime, this was a very toasty wine, underpowered, not fully integrated.

3/7/2021 - Rabaja Likes this wine:

This is the best Sancerre experiences I've had. It's a bit more advanced in its aging process than I would have imagined. The tart, crips notes have completely resolved but the subtle acidity keeps the structure in tact. The palate is savory, perhaps even a touch saline, but the orchard fruit remains long and it strikes a poignant pose on the finish. It gorgeous in the mouth, generous orchard fruit (apple/pear) and it's clearly from a warm vintage. There are still high quality oak tones but most of the aromas are of ripe pear, baked apple, pie dough, lemon meringue, and a touch of lime. This wine seems to have entered its maturity window. Perhaps it's in its middle-years as I believe this will last another five years but it's beautifully resolved now. Why wait?

2/8/2021 - talbot61 Likes this wine:

Too young, of course, but still showing itself as a greyhound of a wine: sleek, streamlined, elegant. It has a well-integrated acidity and strong dark cherry flavors. Despite some chewy tannins, it is still a pleasure to drink -- I would happily buy more to cellar for five years or so.

12/18/2020 - talbot61 Likes this wine:

When first opened, fiercely tannic and wincingly acidic. Not much sediment. Consistent, translucent blood color. Medium to light body. The acidity mellowed with two hours in a decanter, but while the tannins softened a bit, they were present all the way to the end. Strong flavors of leather and tar, and the last glass smelled distinctly and appetizingly of plum pudding.

We bought this for less than $30, maybe 5 years ago, and for the price it offers a lot of complexity and intrigue. That said, it is somewhat rustic and limited next to cru Barbarescos, though those will cost at least $20 more. Also, I would expect this to continue to improve, possibly for another 5-10 years.