3/30/2021 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

Deliciously fruity taste of red raspberry along with cherry and blackberry. Much liked by all 4 adults at a dinner of baby back ribs, mashed potatoes, and fried plantain. Very smoothly integrates 7% alcohol, fruitiness, and tasty sugar.

2/15/2021 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

I have the honor of being able to review the 1998 as oldest vintage of this Champagne in Cellar Tracker, that I personally bought and stored for 23 years. Somewhat amazingly, this old codger tastes remarkably close to what the younger reviewers found and admired. A very tingly, tangy, powerful, vigorous, lemon-lime and mouth scrubbing Chardonnay, fully capable of taking on and washing aside even a bloody and fatty steak.

2/14/2021 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

In tastings of the A.P. Vin portfolio of Pinot Noirs, the Kanzler Vineyard has consistently been the outstanding wine. And this 2012 has improved significantly from 9 years of storage. Opaque black in color. A fuller bodied wine than most Pinot Noirs. Smoothly textured with a tannic undertow. Strongly fruity from smell to swallow, including black cherry, blackberry, and black currant. Excellent with a wide variety of foods, including meat balls, snails, and asparagus soup.

2/4/2021 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

A very fine and exemplary Chardonnay from the Cote de Beaune part of Burgundy in price, quality, and taste. Pale shiny gold color and nose filling aromatic citrus, lavender, and vanilla, partly from aging in new French oak. The flavors elegantly waltz across the mouth with zero of the sweetness, butter, and heaviness often found in new world Chardonnays. One of the best matches with food, both cleansing and enriching.

2/1/2021 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

Tasted this Cabernet Sauvignon from Mount Veeder along with similar wines from Howell Mountain and Oakville. Of the 3, the Howell was the most powerful and the Oakville was the most lush. But this Hess was a fine wine throughout with ample fruit, acidity, tannin, and richness, ending with an impressive finish.

2/1/2021 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

This 80% Merlot Bordeaux wine is a grand example of how Merlot can make a wine as powerful and rich as Cabernet Sauvignon. So opaque black that there is hardly any red in the edge. Very nose filling, mouth coating, and finishes with an almost endless swallow. But what crowns this wine with greatness is how impressively better the wine has improved when aged for 18 years. Lush, rich, complex, layered, and caressingly textured.

2/1/2021 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

This wine is a Pinot Noir for Cabernet Sauvignon lovers. Bigger all around. Invitingly aromatic. Pitch black to the edge. Strongly tannic. Richly fruity blackberry, black cherry, cassis, and plumcot. Gets even better from additional years of storage, here 11 years old. Delightfully lusher, rounded, smoother edged, and mouth coating.

1/28/2021 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

One of the best Merlots from California. Drunk after 13 years of aging. Shows how well Merlot can get from Howell Mountain in Napa. Pitch black to the edge. Delightful aromas of blackberry and black and red cherry. Perfectly rounded tannin. Lushly textured. Very dense and rich, with a mouth coating taste from first sip to last swallow. Powerful enough to drink superbly with barbecued baby back ribs.

1/26/2021 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

An almost unbelievable 19 old wine long stored in my cellar, where the top 5 inches had leaked out of the bottle, the opened wine had no cork, and the top foil was the only sealer. The color was a translucent reddish brown, which usually means the wine is irretrievably spoiled by oxidation. Nonetheless, the nose had a clear smell of apple cider, lemon, lime, and pear. In the mouth, the acidity was bright, vivid, and cleansing. The swallow added a honey sweetness that nicely balanced the acidity. Overall, an amazingly enjoyable auslese that kept fine in the refrigerator for days resealed with a cork from another bottle of wine.

1/18/2021 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

The consensus best wine of the evening among 16 wines served, that bested even the 2015 Tenuta Arcento Valadorna that the Wine Advocate scored 95+ points. Both were superb Bordeaux blends, but what most made the Walter Clore better was how it took full advantage of being aged for 15 more years. Highly aromatic, deliciously fruity, carressingly textured, and a near endless aftertaste.

1/8/2021 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

An excellent example of how New Zealand rightly made Sauvignon Blanc that was as good as the Loire Valley in France. Very lively citric acidity with lemon lime flavors, a very dry texture, and 13% alcohol. Superb with fish.

1/4/2021 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

This $30 wine is my nomination for being the greatest Cabernet Sauvignon at its price level in the Mondavi line up. I love watching it soundly beat other Oakville Cabs made by non-Mondavi wineries priced 2 to 3 times as much as this Mondavi. Two things make this wine superior - a high percentage of Caberbet Sauvignon of 88% and a high 90% of its grapes from the great Tok Alon Vineyard owned by Mondavi.

1/3/2021 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

A California Chardonnay that can go toe to toe with most great Chardonnays throughout the world. Begins with a lovely translucent light gold color and vivid nose filling aromas of lemon, lime, Granny Smith apples, and snappy and juicy Chinese pears. The swallow grips the mouth with vivid and cleansing acidity. A powerful spike of flavors hangs in a near everlasting swallow.

12/28/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

Flat out the best $20 or less Riesling that shows how great world class Riesling can be from the Saar region of Germany. Delicious and intense lemon lime fruit, powerful acidity, and endlessly long aftertaste. Made by Von Schubert, arguably one of the greatest wineries in Germany.

11/22/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

Put this wine up against a Pinot Noir from Marlsborough, mainly to see whether Central Otago is the best region in New Zealand for Pinot Noir. The wine has a dark red color that is not opaque. The swirled wine has very inviting aromas, both black and red cherry, good rounded texture, fine balance of tannin and acidity. Nicely mouth filling along with a long swallow. 6 of 7 tasters, including myself, preferred the Quartz Reef, chiefly from greater fullness and concentration.

11/22/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

One of the best buys you can get for around $25 for a real Bordeaux, here from Saint Emilion. 77% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aging very well at 15 years old, still aromatic, pitch black, and lushly textured, with no need to hurriedly drink up. Good benchmark to test against an Italian wine made with all Bordeaux grapes, such as Arcanum Il Fauno in Tuscany.

11/22/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

This 16 year old wine magnificently improved into its best ever bottle. Opaque black, strongly aromatic, densely flavored, lushly textured, and richly fruity. All in all, this reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles was not only outstanding among Cabs from Paso Robles. It reached the class of excellent Cabs from Sonoma and Napa. Among 12 wines tasted by 6 people, this 2004 Cab stood out as a strong candidate for wine of the night. But alas, Norman Vineyards was sold in 2012, ending the making of this wine.

11/16/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

A clear example of a Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma County that is fully competitive with Cabernet Sauvignons from Napa County. Pitch black, aeromatic, powerful, highly tannic, richly fruity, complexly layered, mouth coating, and dramatically improves with age for decades. The particular part of Sonoma that makes such great Cabernets is Alexander Valley. Tasted this wine with 20 people against the 2017 Ghost Block from Oakville in Napa, both wines would have been near equally good except for the additional years the 2002 Ridgeline was aged, which gave the Ridgeline a much more seductive, rounded, and caressing texture in the mouth and swallow. Duckhorn bought this vineyard and fully appreciates how great these Sonoma grapes are, but does not separately feature a Sonoma Cabernet like the 2002 Ridgeline all Cab.

11/16/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

Very fine Pinot Noir from Zotovich Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills. More darkly colored than most Pinot Noirs. Tasty fruits of black cherry, black plum, and black berry. Excellent balance of acidity and tannin. Superb with most every food. Very ageworthy.

11/16/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

An outstanding Sauvignon Blanc that clearly shows why the Loire River Valley is rightly famous for making the world's greatest Sauvignon Blanc. Tasting this with 20 people against the 2019 Camus Emmolo Sauvignon Blanc that Bounty Hunter praised as one of the best vintages of the best Sauvignon Blanc made in Napa, the Loire wine was almost universally preferred. Dry, stony, tingly, richly aromatic, strongly fruity, brightly acidic,and mouth cleansing, with a very long aftertaste.

11/13/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

This wine was unexpectedly the best wine at a meal featuring a bloody steak and buttery potatoes along with 3 wines - a German Riesling, an Australian Syrah blend, and this 20 year old inexpensive Bordeaux blend of 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon. Going back and forth through the wines alone and with food, the old Bordeaux simply had improved magnificently. Opaque black in color, deliciously fruity, very rounded tannins, awesomely caressing in the mouth, a lovely balance of fruit, acid, and tannin, and a near endless aftertaste. An important moral - stock up wines from great vintages like 2,000 in Bordeaux, and age them for decades to drink at their peak of perfection.

11/1/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

The consensus wine of the night at a tasting of 15 wines by 16 people. Made from 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, and 30% Cabernet Franc. This wine has been unfailingly good from release, and at 15 years has dramatically improved to be the best it has ever tasted. Begins with an enticing opaque black color. Very perfumed smell of black currants, cherries, blackberries, and walnuts. In the mouth the tannins have rounded, and the overall mouthfeel is caressing. Throughout the taste, the wine is concentrated, rich, and delicious, with layers of complexity, and a near endless aftertaste.

10/25/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

One of best Rieslings from Alsace, made by one of the greatest wineries in Alsace - Zind-Humbrecht. Begins with a translucent yellow. Has a great SMS - smell, mouth, and swallow. Each stage from start to finish is gloriously good, adding up to a very long enjoyment. Aromas of Winesap Apple, lemon, lime, and honey. The mouth taste adds balancing acidity to a sugar sweetness, plus a smooth texture, The swallow is a crowning spike of intense fruit that coats the whole throat and lasts for minutes. Has improved in the 8 years after release, and should continue to get even better with additional age.

10/24/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

Very delicious with a streak of excellent sweetness balanced by refreshing acidity and citrus fruit. Irresistibly swigable and superb with most every food. Lacks the depth and complexity of the greatest Rieslings but remains a fine drink any time wine.

10/24/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

A superb example of why Zind Humbrecht is rightly famous for its great Gewurztraminers. Light gold color. Aromatic, lushly textured, rich, and mouth coating. With 13% alcohol the sweetness is more an undertow without dominating the wine. Lacks the red raspberry that Gewurztraminer usually has, but utterly fantastic with blackberry cobbler.

10/22/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

Pretty translucent gold color. Inviting aromas of pineapple juice, honey, flowers, and lemon lime. The sip has a sweetness closer to brown sugar than white cane sugar. A superb balance of acidity cleanses and refreshes the mouth and swallow from the sugar coating. Very tasty fruits. At 17 years old, remains wonderful provided the cork has not disintegrated.

10/22/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

This is a good wine to serve to people who like their drinks to be sweetly fruity, gently acidic, and mildly alcoholic, here 8%. The color is an opaque pink and orange. Has an invitingly fruity smell dominated by peach and pineapple. The sweetness is strongest in the mouth and swallow.

10/22/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

Just opened, this 15 year old wine had a see-through redish color, and a taste dominated by the 15.5% alcohol. Blends 65% Syrah, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 19% Merlot, which normally would have a highly fruity and complex taste. Thankfully, the wine tasted much better by the next day, and was especially good with a bloody steak, rice, and small potatoes.

9/21/2020 - Kenny_G wrote:

A very French Burgundy style of Chardonnay from New Zealand, that combines citrus fruit and bright acidity. Very lively and refreshing, with no flavors of wood barrel or butter. Very enjoyable with food.

9/21/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

This Pinot Noir is a generic blend from Santa Rita Hills rather than a single vineyard like most of Loring's wines from the Santa Rita Hills appellation. While not as great as his single vineyard bottlings, it is a less expensive introduction that shows how good Pinot Noir is from here. This 4 year old bottle was disappointing on the first day opened, but strongly recovered on the second day. Excellent balance of fruit, acid, and tanin, delicious, darker, richer, more complex, smoother textured, finishing with a longer aftertaste.

9/9/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

Why, in the midst of some of world famous Rieslings made in the Saar region in Germany, would some vineyard land be devoted to Pinot Blanc? A common reason is that someone in the family estate likes this very dry, steely, tart, sugar free, pallet cleansing wine as an alternative, which also goes well with many foods. As the vines mature and more gets bottled, they discover that this wine can even be sold to their customers as a low cost alternative, partly because metal tanks make a fine Pinot Blanc without any need for expensive wooden barrels All across Europe, many great estates produce a tucked away plot of Pinot Blanc.

9/7/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

One of the Napa Valley wines that demonstrates how Cabernet Sauvignon from California can be as great as Bordeaux wines. Pitch black with an inch pour, lushly textured, powerfully tannic, and deliciously fruity. Every bit as great with aging as Bordeaux, amply demonstrated from being grately improved at 19 years old. From the great Sacrashe vineyard atop the Rutherford region of Napa. Finally, even superbly priced at the $30 I paid.

9/4/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

This wine is from the Saar region in Germany, which arguably makes the greatest Rieslings in the world. What distinguishes it is that the vineyards are on mountain slopes with slate soil, on the highest altitude and coolest hillsides in the Mosel River Valley. Zilliken is arguably the greatest Riesling maker after Ego Muller. The 2002 vintage was one of the greatest in Germany. What most distinguishes the Saar is the acidity of the Riesling, which is powerful, mouth coating, rich, and complex, without being vinegary or astringent. Also the wine captures the distinctive fruitiness of lime, lemon, Northern Spy Apple, and passion fruit. Finally, Saar Rieslings age magnificently, here a clear light gold despite being 18 years old.

9/3/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

Clos Pepe Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills is California's version of a premier cru Burgundy. And Loring's version is one of the top Pinots from Clos Pepe. Ages magnificently, with no loss of color or fruit, adding complexity, texture and lushness to this 11 year old wine, with no need to drink up soon either.

9/1/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

Just opened, this German Pinot Noir begins as an embodiment of what most red wine drinkers dislike: a translucent see through red color, a light weight body, hardly any tannin or texture, a pungent acidity, and meager fruit. But an improvement on the second day opened reveals some hope for a better wine: a somewhat darker shade of red, an emergent black cherry fruit, and a longer lasting finish. The third day was a wonderful discovery of how this kind of Pinot Noir can be fabulously enjoyable as a meal time additive. Led by a now juicy and rich red cherry that did not overpower, replace, or suppress any of the flavors in the foods, the wine and food were so much better together that I keep sipping the wine with each bite of food. The crowning glory of this wine and food experience was a magnificent, complex, and persistent aftertaste.

8/23/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

All of the Robert-Denogent old vine wines are magnificently great aging Chardonnays. At 15 years old, this Cuvee Claude is at its peak and yet has zero signs of deterioration. Concentrated, lush, rich, complex, and delicious. Knocks the best Chardonnays from California and Washington off the table. Far better than Bordeaux wines with creamed cheese pasta and salt cod. Overall, a tribute to how great the French Chardonnays from Burgundy can be.

8/21/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

An excellent example of how Bordeaux wines are rightly famous from improving with age. Superb at 21 years old. Even the color remains opaque with an inch pour. Wonderful tannin that is rounded, silky, and integrated. Ends with a swallow that is long, spikey, powerful, fruity, and throat coating. Excellent with beef steaks.

8/21/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

At 13 years old, far better than when released. Pale yellow color. A highly enjoyable combination of vivid acidity and citrus fruits that is good by itself and superb with most every food. Competitive with top Pinot Gris from Alsace and northern alpine Italy, at a significantly lower price.

8/16/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

At 6 years old, the best this Pinot Noir has ever been. A highly lovable wine that is delicious and mouth filling. Tasting it side by side with a much more powerful Syrah, I kept coming back to the Pinot Noir. The contrast to the two wines reminded me of the commercial for Arby's that says in a very insistant masculine voice "We have the meat!" The Pinot Noir's voice for this grandly enjoyable Pinot was a very French "We have za Pee No Noir" here in Quartz Reef appellation in New Zealand. Delicious, smooth, endlessly delightful, encapsulated as a most lovable wine.

8/2/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

Deep purple color just short of being opaque. For a reserve level Cabernet Sauvignon, an unusually low alcohol content of 13.5%. Very fruit forward in the nose, with blackberry, cherry, and black currant. Features the juicy, deep black taste of Plucot plums. Much more lushly textured and smoothly tannic than most powerhouse Cabernet Sauvignons. This all Cabernet has a creaminess that is makes the wine very enjoyable and even easy drinking, somewhat more resembling Bordeaux wines that include some Merlot.

8/2/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

An amazing transformation of Chenin Blanc grapes into a dark brown, dense, and heavy dessert wine, with powerful flavors of chocolate, pecan pie, and honey. I have repeatably bought vintages of this wine, and never have been let down by it, nor ever had a bottle that deteriorated from decades of aging.

8/2/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

Pale gold color. Very bubbly from sip to swallow. Excellent aromas of yeast, lemon lime citrus, peach, and light butter toasted sourdough bread. Mouth coating and palette scrubbing. No hint of any sweetness. Near perfect shape at 14 years old, and fully enjoyable any time in the next decade.

8/2/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

A fine dessert wine that is superb with cakes and chocolate. The nose begins with impressive aromas of apple pie, pecan, maple syrup, and passion fruit. Lushly textured and mouth coating. Enough acidity to complement the sweetness and fruits, ward off any excessive cloying sweetness, and end on a refreshing note. An excellent wine to show novice wine drinkers how special and enjoyable wines can be.

7/29/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

I have very mixed feelings about this wine. It is tasty and enjoyable. But, for a top wine from this winery, from an excellent wine maker with many Pinot Noir offerings, it remains disappointingly lacking in greatness. No top level richness, lushness, complexity, and depth. Instead of being soaringly great, it remains just good, with a nice balance of fruit, acid, and tannin. The glass bottle is deeply punted and extremely heavy, out of place for so modest a wine inside.

7/29/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

Lovely deep bright pink color. Very refreshing mouth entry from bright acidity and lively fruit flavors of watermelon, cherry, and raspberry. Long savory finish. Overall, the best rose I have had from South Africa, that is competitive with the Provence roses from France. Remains enjoyable even where kept in the refrigerator for weeks.

7/29/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

The Axel line of La Playa is a higher end wine, and one of the best value Syrahs from Chile. The main difference is that the vineyard source of the grapes is closer to the cool Pacific Ocean. Opaque black, with a very aromatic cherry and black currant. Has an excellent balance of fruit, acid, and tannin. At 12 years old, the wine shows no flaws or deterioration, and is a terrific food match with curried chicken.

7/12/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

One of the best below $12 wines I have tasted. Blends 60% Shiraz, 20% Mourvedre, 15% Pinotage, and 5% Cinsault. While far from great, the wine has a likeable texture, a good balance of fruit, acid, and tannin, and is tasty popped and poured. Overall, a best buy.

7/12/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

Tasted this 14 year old French Burgundy side by side with a dozen people against the significantly more expensive 3 year old 2017 Maritana Dutton Ranch Vineyards from Russian River in California, that Suckling rated 95 points. The consensus was that while the California Chardonnay was very good, the French Chardonnay was significantly greater. Much more aromatic, concentrated, complex, layered, textured, mouth coating, and rich, with a near endless aftertaste.

6/29/2020 - Kenny_G Likes this wine:

16 years old and tastes magnificent. Opaque purple. Delicious aromas of cherry, blackberry, and black currant. In the mouth, refreshing acidity, strong undertow of rounded tannin, and amply concentrated. Near endless in the swallow. Scored 95 points when released, and merits a 95 now. The grapes come from a mountain top vineyard partly in Napa and partly in Sonoma. Flawless.

6/29/2020 - Kenny_G wrote:

In side by side tastings of this modest Cabernet Frank against more famous and expensive Cabernet Franc, this wine has been strongly preferred. At 6 years old, there are zero signs of deterioration. Opaque purple in color. Impressively aromatic with black current and black berry. Very refreshing acidity. Strong undertow of rounded tannin. The mouth entry is refreshing, rich, and rounded. Long aftertaste. All this for a modest price.in the mid 20s.