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Comments on my notes

(29 comments on 23 notes)

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Red
2015 Tushpa Haghtanak Reserve Ararat
11/16/2022 - FiggySmalls wrote:
BTG at Albi in DC. Blind, I would call as same vintage super Tuscan largely from Bdx varietals.

It drinks hotter than 12.5% abv and oak is present. Too present for my tastes, but it's also a very youthful wine.

Needs more acid

Delicious plummy fruit and very suave in style (particularly for this rustic grape) while unmistakably "old world" on the nose and in the mouth.

Not sure I feel like I tried Haghtanak, but I tried a good Armenian play on a super tuscan with the grape.
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    4/24/24, 1:42 PM - I thought it was a great list at the time. I'm unsure what they have now, though.

White - Sparkling
N.V. Pol Roger Champagne Brut Réserve Champagne Blend
11/6/2023 - FiggySmalls wrote:
Resting firmly on the laurels of the high-end Churchill bottlings, this isn't worth the price.

There are so many great/intriguing champagnes and non-champagnes today, that I struggle to justify the existence of these pricey but entirely unimpressive House offerings.

The wine is correct but it under-delivers in spades... hand after hand, glass after....<<<don't worry, you'll be bored after the first glass.

If Bud-Light had an AOC? That's where these sit.

The only salvation is correctness... there is balance (present acid and bits of toast) but I've never had an UNBALANCED House Champagne, just bland ones like this.

Why?
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    11/7/23, 2:46 AM - Very insightful and no disagreement. There's so much to be had at a value when we look elsewhere and outside branding campaigns.

Red
2021 Bedrock Wine Co. Heritage Wine Papera Ranch Russian River Valley Zinfandel Blend, Zinfandel
4/3/2023 - FiggySmalls wrote:
the nose on young Bedrocks is second to none in not only intensity but in its encapsulation of the drinking experience. you really don't even need to even sip the wine to get any further information... it's all in the nose: intense pure fruit deliciousness thats's wound up and piercing.

needs time to chill but too enjoyable now on even on pnp.
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    5/3/23, 5:00 PM - I would love to do the same. 100% The wines deserve and benefit from more time but 1) my cellar space is limited and 2) they are delicious young. Would I say there's a "benefit," no. On occasion/ depending on vineyard they can be dumb/muted, or have painful tannin. I never detract for this but do note it in my tastings so other impatient drinkers (or newbies) know what to expect

  • FiggySmalls commented:

    5/3/23, 5:35 PM - What do I get? I guess I don't mind a bit of tightness and youthful tannin if on release they are vibrant, boisterous, and fun wines with depth. I've never found they all gain some exponential complexity given time. Mostly just that the tannins meld and the texture approsches silk. Exceptions of course for monte rosso and some other serious long haul bottlings

Red
2015 Château Monbousquet St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend
4/29/2023 - FiggySmalls wrote:
last bottle short notes: tannins still at "ouch" level and the wine is already throwing sediment. not sure there's gonna be much left but alcohol and dried fruit by the time the tannins resolve... if ever. it's okay with food at the moment
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    4/29/23, 1:34 PM - good to hear/know! I'd have definitely held this one if I didn't need to clear out cellar space. I'd agree on keeping this short term so as to not jeopardize the nice aspects of this wine in hopes for super smooth tannin

  • FiggySmalls commented:

    4/30/23, 10:25 AM - in the states!

Red
2015 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot St. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend
4/20/2023 - FiggySmalls wrote:
crazy deep purple in the glass. already showing bricking at the rim. advanced??? I'm getting unattractive advancement throughout.

nice nose! smells like Bordeaux but is very rich and toasted and advanced. not overblown on the palate and without obtrusive levels of makeup.

it's just unnecessarily advanced and lacking any freshness for a wine with young bones.

don't enjoy/disappointing (bottles bought on release and stored in temp control. corks intact with an expected amount of staining)

edit/update: The second bottle was less (prematurely) developed and displayed some nuance that was lacking in the first. Overall impression=rather bland in expression with the ripe/rich characteristics supported by nothing but new oak tannin/extract. I can't see any reason to hold this style hoping for positive evolution. the 2015s are already quite ripe and soft.
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    4/24/23, 5:19 AM - Thanks for the comments. I considered both, opened another bottle, and still feel about the same. I don't think it's flawed just that this style/vintage combo has that tendency.

    I'm not sure holding any longer would benefit this as even the positive pro-reviews aren't suggesting much beyond 2025. I'd say this is inside its drinking window.

  • FiggySmalls commented:

    4/24/23, 8:13 AM - I hope i haven't steered you wrong!

White
2021 Dönnhoff Kreuznacher Krötenpfuhl Riesling Kabinett Nahe
delicious and firing on pnp. all around more aggressive than 2020=perfect.
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    3/27/23, 12:17 PM - for me, yes, I enjoy the aggressive ones more than the rounder/riper more easy-going 2020.

Red
2021 Arianna Occhipinti SP68 Rosso Terre Siciliane Red Blend
Not just a pretty and easy drinking frappato. It's fairly dark in color and has some serious tannin and a rustic mouthfeel. Floral nose with pretty frapatto and menthol as stated below. Sweet briary berries and cough syrup on the palate. Really nice frappato but not crazy about the qpr
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    1/17/23, 1:08 PM - Note is for the SP68. Perhaps it's incorrect to call the SP86 "frappato" but...

Red
2017 Paolo Cali Vittoria Pruvenza Vittoria DOC Frappato
Not fruity in the glou-glou/saccharine way many frappatos (like the Mandragola) are.

quite high acid. low tannin. earthy. spiced raspberry, red flowers, and tar. great length and texture on account of the acid

I'd honestly call this as a nebbiolo from alto-piemonte if the tannin were higher. frappato deliciousness meets alto-piemonte's acid and earth.

really, really nice wine. fantastic qpr
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    12/1/22, 5:28 PM - One stewed/flawed bottle. Next was perfect

Red - Fortified
2000 Fonseca Porto Vintage Port Blend
delicious and well made, but definitely shows harsh alcohol on pnp= ouch! it burns your nose/palate and destroys everything else.

it's quite open and well developed, though.

TRUST the previous notes and open this a night or two before drinking.

day two=alcohol intrusion is 85% gone. delicious

vibrant/far from tiring. developed/soft on the palate, but with youthful fruit. low acid and not a powerhouse. all boxes are checked=thumbs up
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    9/24/22, 5:00 AM - I was drinking from the bottle. I'd think that for a nice occasion merely decanting it into an open decanter at the beginning of dinner (or a few hours before drinking) would work great.

White - Off-dry
1995 Weingut Hermann Ludes Thörnicher Ritsch Riesling Spätlese Mosel Saar Ruwer
5/31/2022 - FiggySmalls wrote:
how did I miss the brilliant color? bright golden yellow.

shy nose botrytis stands out more than anything.

palate: impossible to compare to any pradikat of today. best comparison would be to say it drinks like a fat bodied yet acid dominant kabinett from a hot vintage. and with tons of botrytis.

this is the payoff from aging riesling. no oxidation+ tons of delicious

FYI, there's no hope of getting this cork out. getting past the crusted mold requires enough pressure that it just goes straight in.
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    6/24/22, 10:26 AM - Haha. Glad I'm not the only one.

White - Off-dry
2020 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese #10 Mosel Saar Ruwer
gorgeous. delicious. but...

also not that expressive/impressive even after a few hours of air. <<<didn't get any off-notes when opened, but decanted a few hours before chilling.

maybe it's already shutting down since release?

ethereal pear/cherry and a good whiff of herbal/saline goodness.

acid is medium-low but the overall expression is great... great plus MEH. uber meh

high quality but not a rebuy for drinking now. maybe too whispery for my tastes
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    6/8/22, 11:37 AM - always my luck that by the time I find these, that's the case. thanks for confirming

  • FiggySmalls commented:

    6/10/22, 8:38 PM - Thanks. I've had the kabinetts and spatlesen at various stages. Yes "the whisper" is an indiosyncratic tell of a Schaefer, but like all idiosyncracies, they don't work at all stages of the wine's development.

Red
2018 François Lumpp Givry 1er Cru Clos du Cras Long Pinot Noir
4/6/2022 - FiggySmalls wrote:
WRONG WINE. Note below was for 2018 VINCENT Lumpp de Cras Long. Thanks, Hiker4life70.
*********

color: dark/extracted.

nose: not much, but there's some pleasant plum if you get your nose close enough to snort the wine. no crazy oak and seemingly old world.

palate: with a couple of hours of air it drinks like... brawny plum liqueur. well-chiseled due to great acidity, but muscled, sinewy and dark fruited. not heavy but not good or even interesting.

I'm no burg expert and prefer pretty pinot, so I'll defer. People and critics seem to love this, so I'll defer.

Maybe Total Wine imported a different(ly processed) wine than Kermit Lynch??? One that was obliterated into nondescript land? Not good
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    5/10/22, 11:16 AM - Hiker4life70, you are correct! Thank you. I'm not going crazy! My notes match perfectly with notes I'm seeing for the Vincent vs Francois bottling.

Red - Fortified
1985 Graham Porto Vintage Port Blend
3/25/2022 - FiggySmalls wrote:
86 points
never seen a cork this soaked through (saturated to the moldy tip) but the wine seems intact. my last bottle (same retailer) was nowhere near this saturated.

color: not much bricking. fairly translucent.

nose/taste: shows significant alcohol on pnp (dominates nose almost unpleasantly) but no flaws. tannins are there. lacking

very little acid

it's less youthful than my Christmas bottle and is showing definite oxidation and rough edges.

day two: no positive development. finishing the bottle, the last pour has an inch+ of thick, sludgy sediment. The previous bottle only had a bit. I'm just gonna say "bottle variation" since the wine didn't present overtly flawed. Lacks the vibrance of the previous bottle
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    3/26/22, 5:07 AM - Thanks for catching that! That was a tail-end comment intended for a Roero that proceeded this

Red
1997 Chateau Musar Bekaa Valley Red Blend
1/28/2022 - FiggySmalls wrote:
pristine condition bottle, but cork fairly worn/soaked and almost slipped in.

very light in color--like over 50% translucent. on pnp, shy nose that's honestly reminiscent of DARK cherry punch. zero funk or VA evident.

palate similarly closed on pnp

at 1-3 hours, delicious but still not delivering any fireworks--rather tired tbh. with air, the nose broadens (rather indistinctively) and the palate wakes up with some savory aspects and firmness.

day two=???
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    1/29/22, 2:13 PM - 97 didn't make it to day two ;) I didn't notice any drastic improvement/developments over about 5 hours though

Red
2013 Viña Santa Rita Triple C Maipo Valley Red Blend
Bottle variation? Both recent notes are accurate based on the two bottles I've had.

First bottle was so delicious I inquired into purchasing another case. Cab franc came through aver well, great fruit, great acid, oaking and alcohol were evident but integrated enough that the wine didn't feel clunky or hot.

Second bottle tasted heat damaged. The beautiful fruit in the first bottle were instead heavily stewed with the alcohol, oak, and tannin. Down the drain.
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    2/9/20, 3:37 PM - Third bottle in line with the first: great/not flawed. If I were to complain...

    plum dominates the fruit and the tannins are definitely present... perhaps a bit coarse. This is not a "soft" wine

  • FiggySmalls commented:

    1/5/22, 9:08 AM - Good to know!

Red
2019 Dirty and Rowdy Mourvèdre FAMILIAR California
7/30/2021 - coremill wrote:
89 points
Tastes like cru Beaujolais made from Mourvedre. Juicy, carbonic, some herbs and spice, a bit of Mourvedre funk, high acid, midweight, tasty and goes down easy but perhaps lacking some distinction.
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    11/19/21, 5:07 PM - Nailed it

Red
2020 Bedrock Wine Co. Bedrock Vineyard Heritage Sonoma Valley Zinfandel Blend, Zinfandel
10/25/2021 - FiggySmalls wrote:
Not showing much of anything at this stage. All tannin, concentrated fruit, and a whiff of yeast.

Enjoyable enough, yes<<<It's a well-made wine and a zin=Hard to fail on enjoyability!

But even on day two, there's not much to write home about.. in any respect,tbh
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    10/26/21, 1:08 PM - Yes/thanks. I'm aware and wrote the note with that in mind, but perhaps my "does not like" would give a false impression if someone was unaware of this context. I edited it to neutral with that in mind.

Red
2016 Long Meadow Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
10/20/2021 - FiggySmalls Likes this wine:
90 points
Could use more acid and red fruit for my tastes, but plenty of cassis+plum and lead. New oak presents more as creme de violette than vanilla, which is nice. Modern enough to drink and enjoy young/alone, but not a bruiser or gloopy mess. Combined with the modest abv for the fruit, this would be a house standby if I had space or enthusiasm for Napa/cabs: crowd-pleasing, fairly versatile with food, and a quality/serious representation of Napa/Cab.

Having had the 2006, I don't believe this style really repays extended cellar time.
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    10/21/21, 3:26 PM - Really fell apart overnight in fridge

Red
2016 Julien Sunier Morgon Gamay
10/27/2020 - FiggySmalls wrote:
93 points
The magic here is that it avoids/deftly DANCES between pigeon holes on all fronts. Paradoxes left and right: full/dark fruit, glou glou, bright, with an appreciated intrusive peppery/mineral middle finger...

drinks full and bright with a bit of intrigue.
doesn't deliver beyond "interesting" or "really good". Doesn't strike me as closed or aggressive=I won't be holding my remaining bottles
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    7/29/21, 6:21 PM - 7/29 tasting next bottle alone, this deserves singular attention. this bottle is a singing dark-fruited beauty

Red
2014 Gramercy Cellars Syrah Columbia Valley
8/9/2020 - FiggySmalls Likes this wine:
95 points
bold unabashed fruit retaining ample+ acid and showing all the requisite savory characteristics of syrah!

funk/some rusticity for interest/charm, velvety mouthfeel, little to no apparent oak (15-19 months in neutral oak)

think old-world elegance and funk meets New World flavor sans old world austerity

they do great work on Rhones and imo it's most evident in the QPR of the "entry" wines
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    9/2/20, 6:19 PM - night after Lagniappe of the same vintage, this is delicious/full where the Lagniappe teases most deliciously. All my Lagniappes are gone so can't say if it improves ;) I do intend to buy more of this as I find it

Red
2015 Fontodi Chianti Classico Filetta di Lamole Chianti Classico DOCG Sangiovese
Grabbed by accident. Remembered this having a pretty nose but decided to hold on account of acid...

It's drinking really well now, particularly with rich food. Candied cherries on the nose with some savory aspects that carry over to the modest palate.

Drinks like a good french oaked Chianti=no Sangiovese funk and the oak is in check imo

Rather modest in the savory dept for sangiovese=no "sangio funk". French oak adds generic early deliciousness/smoothness without entirely obliterating with fruit expression. <<<I'd still identify this as italian sangio blend but not 100% Sangiovese

Tannin and acid are present, but pleasantly so. Not sure I'd say either is "fully integrated" (whatever that means particularly in more elegant wines like this) but...

Tannin right now= chalky presence in the mouthfeel and present in slight astringence on the back.

Acid: plenty enough at this stage balancing the dark/candied fruit nicely, but not searing.
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    9/1/20, 4:10 PM - saved half bottle in a 375 filled to top. almost a week later it's still it beautiful self but rounder/softer in a delicious way with chalky tannin presenting as a pleasant "chewiness" on the back rather than astringence. next bottle will be in a few years or start the decant in the afternoon.

Red
2016 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée Red Rhone Blend
Good wine? Yes? Inline with the current 93+ point rating for CURRENT drinking. Yes/No

Many are reasonably grading on a curve of how this will develop, but right now opening this is a waste. Third day open and still hard as a rock with little aroma.

If drinking current Pegaureleases immediately, go for the 2015 with a few hours of air. You'll get a truer idea of why Pegau is so esteemed
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    4/10/20, 9:37 AM - Yes, I'd definitely say it is "shut down hard." It is pleasant in the sense that it's clearly good wine from a good producer, but unpleasant in that the nose is almost non-existent and the palate is harsh and monotone.

Red
2014 Telmo Rodríguez Pegaso Barrancos de Pizarra Sierra de Gredos Cebreros Garnacha, Grenache
2/7/2020 - FiggySmalls Likes this wine:
90 points
Impressive wine but seems closed. Maybe a longer decant was necessary, maybe it's in a dumb phase

Right now this is a blue-balls wine, but a fantastic blue-balls wine. You're enjoying it but...

Fresh and ripe red fruit with orange and very pretty dried floral characteristics. Grenache candy-like hedonism that's checked by a brick WALL of idk how to describe it...

Austere mineral? Drinking below its 14.5% alcohol level? Lack of apparent oak and the fact that the fruit is ripe enough and overtly present, but somewhat green in a good way??

Last Bottle marathon for $25. Definite steal imo

....also, there's sediment=plan accordingly
  • FiggySmalls commented:

    2/13/20, 4:16 PM - Second day and no seeming benefit from increased aeration=idk. Maybe I'm not used to "elegant" wines being so, well... characteristically grenache without the accompanying savory elements you get in elegant Rhones

    Delicious, fun and interesting.

  • FiggySmalls commented:

    3/7/20, 4:46 PM - Second order from LBW: my first bottle seems rather flabby in comparison and with an annoying hint of stewed fruit that wasn't there in the first marathon shipment. This would be down in the 80's for sure. Low 80's at anything above $30

    Still good and enjoyable at $25 ...but I'm really hoping the rest of this order doesn't drink this way. That would be a definite NO to rebuy

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