3/13/2023 - jondrinkswine Does not like this wine:

Reeks of sweaty band-aid... NSG Village had a bit more going on, but also had sweaty band-aid

2/11/2023 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Lovely wine. Nail polish remover aromas overwhelm initially, but blow off eventually giving way to sweet cherries, loads of spices, a touch of balsamic, and a classic backdrop of tar and rose petals. Loads of leathery tannins. Should age well for a long while, until it turns into a VA bomb (which it eventually will). Give it a one hour decant.

2/4/2023 - jondrinkswine wrote:

Young and primary with sweet red fruit with a carbonic character, which I hope dissipates with bottle age. Give it 5 years (or more)

1/28/2023 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

From 375. Exactly what you want from a young Barolo, and definitely showing some Burlotto wild strawberry signature. Super floral wine, great acid and lots of grippy tannin. Very enjoyable now, but I imagine this developing nicely

1/7/2023 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Still fresh with great acidity. Has developed an almond character with bottle age. Improved with air and developed a chewy mineral texture

12/8/2022 - jondrinkswine wrote:

I don't know if my bottle was slightly flawed, but there was a strong bitterness and aromas of nail polish aroma that took a while to blow off. When they did, the wine was nice, but felt perhaps a bit past peak with aromas of mushroom and damp earth. If scoring, I'd say 88/100, but again I think my bottle was a bit defective. Cork was in great shape though, so I was surprised.

11/29/2022 - jondrinkswine wrote:

Echoing other comments about oxidative, vinous nose and needing a bit more dosage on the palate. I found the mid-palate to be empty and uninspiring

11/24/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Happy Thanksgiving! Say what you want about the oak usage… god damn this is delicious! Beguiling nose densely packed with licorice, cloves, smoked meats, black pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, potpourri, spiced black cherries, and cigar ash. All these components come together harmoniously in a seriously herbal fashion that reminds of Chartreuse or Fernet. I’m guessing 11% Viognier has something to do with the aromatic intensity here. Love this savory, spicy, well-structured wine — but I do find myself wondering if it might be better with about half the oak… but then it wouldn’t be a LaLa now would it.

11/16/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

My last bottle of this was flawed. Luckily this one showed much better than the last. Pale brown fading to brick color at the edges. Sweet, dried red fruit builds with air to a moderate intensity, but this is not a fruit-driven wine like more recent vintages. Rather, this wine is defined by its maturity, elegance and most importantly balance of flavors, with secondary/tertiary notes of sous bois, dirt, cedar, leather and a hint of balsamic matching the intensity of the red fruits.

11/14/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

The bottle was in pristine condition and the cork appeared brand new. On opening, the wine was acidic and underweight, begging for air. It gained some weight with time, and I started sipping on it around hour 4. Beguiling aromas and flavors with black plums and black cherries accentuated by licorice, cloves, earth, leather, smoke, cocoa powder, espresso and mushroom. Plenty of structure remains to continue aging with elevated acid and plenty of tannin left which came across as a bit sharp. The finish is long and super spicy. Suddenly with my last glass at the 8 hour mark, the wine hit another gear. The fruit gained weight melding with all the tertiary notes, a dusting of green herbs emerged, the tannins softened, and the acidity integrated into the fruit. Lesson learned – next time, I’m decanting 8-12 hours!

11/14/2022 - jondrinkswine wrote:

Taste Coravined from a new bottle, so it hadn’t had time to breathe. Feral nose with an iron core has a lot of intensity early on. The palate is red-fruited, but muted. With air, the nose lost intensity as well and never really opened back up. Seems shut down, but I suspect the future is bright with 92-95 point potential

11/9/2022 - jondrinkswine wrote:

I found this wine to show very differently depending on the glass. I tried it side by side in a Grassl Cru (ie Burgundy stem) and a Grassl 1885 (ie flat bottomed Bordeaux stem). In the former, it was floral, feminine and Pinot Noir-esque (fitting for the stem). In the latter, it was more meaty and gamey, showcasing its more masculine side.

10/27/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

I was surprised how much weight this still had. A pretty typical mature bdx profile, although it tastes 10-20 years younger than it is (except for the fact that that tannins are fully resolved). Nothing particularly memorable about this one though.

10/18/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Delicious, ripe and fresh. Wine is the color of a sonoma zin with lots of extraction. Mix of red/black fruits reflect the balanced ripeness and freshness. Pomegranates, black plums, black cherry. The fruit has a sweet quality (again, its delicious) and some spice. High acid, med+ tannin, elevated alcohol too.

10/16/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Bought from Verve in SF, who got it directly from the chateau. On the nose - baked meyer lemon, cantelope melon, vanilla and caramel. While there are signs of oak, it is very well integrated at this point. On the palate, peach cobbler flavors come to the forefront. Med+ acid does a nice job of balancing out the richness. Around the ~4 hour mark, some beautiful minerality emerged along with some green apple, which was very limestony/Burgundian. Last sip was the best, which is what my score reflects.

10/16/2022 - jondrinkswine wrote:

This bottling came across as confused to me. On opening, aromas of nail polish remover dominated the nose, which surprised me at just 7 years of age. Underneath the funk was some really nice tar, licorice, Italian herbs, Mediterranean spices and cloves. With some air, black cherry, black plum, and blackberries emerged. The finish is long and spicy with a lot of alcohol heat. After a few hours, most of the nail polish remover blew off, which I thought was a nice development. However, a lot of the nice licorice, herbs and spices wore down as well and the wine lost a lot of its Italian character – at which point it was mostly heavy and alcoholic.

10/16/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

A beautifully aged, quintessential Northern Rhone syrah. So savory and animalistic but also elegant at 37 years of age, this is what cool climate syrah is all about. At first site, the wine is gorgeous, boasting a garnet core with orange bricking at the rim. The cork (which was soaked to the edge, but not all the way through) appears to have done its job, and I’m happy I opened this when I did. Green olives and game meat are prominent on the nose, accentuated by a touch of Brett and animal fur. With a bit of air, the fruit profile goes from completely muted to a dried red fruit profile of dried cranberry, red plum, and orange peel and evolves further to darker fruits with dried blackberries, dried boysenberries, moldy blueberries and black plum. It’s also developed a dusty, earthy, mushroomy character, and black pepper grows in intensity across the palate making for a long, spicy finish. However the savory, animal character is the main event here and everything else plays a supporting role. Even at this age, the acidity remains elevated and grippy, chalky tannins persist on the gums, while the body has become lithe over the years. While this wine is still in great shape, its best days are in the past and it's time to drink up if you have any more.

10/7/2022 - jondrinkswine wrote:

Started out lean and tart, but quickly gained weight with air. Once it's had time to breathe, I found this wine to be a bit ripe, but with a lot of acid. For whatever reason, the two components (ripe vs. elevated acid) felt very disjointed here and not very harmonious. Just ok and a bit boring.

EDIT: Day 2, the acid and ripeness are more integrated, and the wine is more enjoyable. Still sort of a generic red burg though.

9/17/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Depressed cork, but luckily wine was in great condition. Dried roses accentuate an awesome, mature red fruit profile with maraschino cherries, raisinated red fruits, and reduced cranberry and raspberry sauce. The character of the fruit screams age, but it's still lively with a nice acid backdrop. The wine is developing a hefty balsamic glaze flavor, fitting for a classic Italian wines, and a nutty, oxidative character, sort of like an Oloroso Sherry. There's just the slightest hint of medicinal eucalyptus also. Despite being 55 years old, there are still some tannins left. Not a lot, but I imagine bottles with better corks being able to age a bit longer.

9/1/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Drank alongside very flavorful Moroccan food, which was a difficult pairing. Purple florals, a bit of funk, and very nice acidity. However, this lacked the intensity and crunchy texture of the 2017. I did find it gained weight over the course of dinner and was improving. Won't score, because it didn't have a fair shot against Moroccan spices and without given proper time to breathe. While drinkable upon opening, I'd recommend at least a 45 minute decant.

8/21/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Took a few hours to unfurl. Recommend 3 hour decant. Elevated acid, needed time for all the classic N Rhone tell tales (meat, smoke, olive, savory) to really shine and for fruit to gain weight and evolve from watery red to moderately full dark fruits. The body is a bit underweight and lacks texture, which could have taken this to the next level. An above average cool climate syrah.

8/19/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

I really like how this has come around. Ripe plums, blueberries, cocoa powder and chocolate, earth. Pleasant tannings are soft with a powdery texture. Touch of mint too. Not particularly complex, but delicious, and I love the texture of the wine. Can age for 5+ years no problem, although I don’t think it will gain a ton of complexity.

8/10/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Notes off memory. Bright orange color with flecks of rust. Waxy body with hints of honey. Loads of orange zest, a touch herbal, nicely mineral, with a strong acid spine. A touch nutty with an almond finish. Should age well.

8/6/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Beautiful, straightforward, well-balanced Nebbiolo offering a lot of typicity. The color is a gorgeous, bright blood orange. Tar and roses waft out of the glass, and the juicy, red-fruited palate is nicely accentuated by orange peel, licorice, black tea and spice. Tannins are smooth and well integrated finishing with a pleasant grip. Elevated acidity leaves the back of the jaw a bit taut, making this a perfect food wine. Nicely mature today, but has the structure for further aging. While it doesn’t offer the depth of a top-end Barolo, that’s not why you open Gattinara, and this wine doesn’t disappoint.

8/5/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

In a great spot right now. TN off memory. Wonderful citrus fruit profile and balanced acidity. With air develops a very nice toasty, creamy vanilla flavor character — reminded me of a pop tart without the filling. I’m nitpicking, but I wish the alcohol level was a bit lower.

8/3/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Very nice, classic Musar. Red fruited with spice, muskiness and game meat flavors. Higher toned with a bit more acid relative to the 99 vintage. Decanted for an hour or two before pouring back in bottle to drink. Probably would have benefited from more air.

8/1/2022 - jondrinkswine wrote:

14.1% abv, 100% concrete eggs. White flowers, ripe fruit flavors, nice acid, some minerality. Tasty.

8/1/2022 - jondrinkswine wrote:

14.7% abv, 100% 1-year old oak (15 months). Inky, translucent purple. Dark fruited. Not my cup of tea.

8/1/2022 - jondrinkswine wrote:

13.5% abv, 60% new oak, 40% 1-year old oak (15 months). More feminine in style relative to the Cohn tasted alongside it. Muted today, so it's hard to judge, but everyone at the table thought this would blossom into something beautiful with bottle age. Red-fruited (maybe redcurrant). Just a hint of cola.

8/1/2022 - jondrinkswine wrote:

13.8% abv, 42% new oak, 52% 1-year old oak (15 months). Ripe pinot, definitely new world, raspberry/blackberry cola. Not bad if you're into the style

7/31/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Drank from magnum which was surprisingly youthful. Lots of old school Cabernet typicity with payrazines+oak spice presenting itself as shishido pepper. Definitely needed air to gain weight and for the nice red fruit profile to come out.

7/31/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Love this producer. Rustic, wild and animalistic with flavors of leather, earth, game meat, spicy red fruits, licorice and elevated acid and plenty of tannin still left. This wine screams “I’m Italian!!!”

7/23/2022 - jondrinkswine wrote:

Cork soaked through and whiffs of VA before it ever got pulled. Wine was still drinkable though, even in this semi-flawed state. Most tertiary notes of damp forest floor and mushrooms. Decent acid and lingering tannins kept it drinkable. Hoping other two bottles are in better shape.

6/3/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Superb but not the epiphany the last bottle was. I think the last bottle was in a perfect youthful spot with tons of energy. All the same flavors as last time but without the “joie de vivre” of the last bottle. Something special about this when very young. I suspect it may be spectacular at full maturity as well.

6/3/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Really enjoyed this. Bright fruit, good acid, nice structure. Early stages of mature notes. Not a special wine but a very good wine, and versatile at this stage.

3/19/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

From memory: Beautiful, dense, velvety wine. Plum/prunes, cassis, graphite, chocolate, hints of menthol. Just entering tertiary phase. Drinking well now, still a lot of oak to integrate. Definitely has at least 10 more years in it.

3/6/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Wild strawberries, red cherries, with a juicy candied element and a slightly stemmy character. The tannins are long and stringy, but not offensive allowing for early drinking. But there’s something buried under the covers here, and I get the sense it’s going to be very special in a few years. 6 bottles left and excited to see how this wine evolves.

3/6/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Had with steak dinner. Decanted in wide bowl decanter for 30-45 min. Classic N. Rhone Syrah with blood, iron, game meat, olive, black pepper, dark fruit profile, nice acidity, great balance. Oak already nicely integrated. Medium bodied. Excellent with all the components of a great Syrah.

3/6/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Wine is in a great spot right in the middle of its drinking window. Mature ripe black fruit profile of prunes, black cherry, black cassis and boysenberry. Tertiary notes are developing nicely with mushroom, umami and soy. Very nice but perhaps a bit generic in the ripe vintage.

3/6/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Incredible nose is classic Saint Julien - black cherries and cassis are married with notes of graphite, cedar, earth, leather and menthol. Fruit on the palate was more lively and youthful and still gaining weight after 3 hours decanting. This wine should continue to age nicely. 93/100 with upside

3/4/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Pleasantly surprised. I was expecting an overextracted, oaky mess. Instead I got a well-extracted, oaked wine in good balance. Not particularly complex but easy drinking with nice fruit and a dollop of chocolate and spice with moderate dusty tannins

3/2/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Exhibits a dark purple/ruby hue, but is translucent at its core. Purple florals on the nose give it an elegant lead-in. Ripe wild strawberries and black cherries with that slightly candied charm of a quality Beaujolais is juxtaposed against tart raspberries and elevated acidity. A broad, mouth-filling frame with a crunchy texture built around ripe, dusty tannins. Beautifully funky with game meat, soy, balsamic, cola and licorice. Elevated alcohol (14%) presents itself as pleasantly spicy. Wonderfully balanced with loads of complexity and just plain delicious, this is a crowd pleaser that will satisfy the most discerning palates and easygoing drinkers alike.

2/27/2022 - jondrinkswine wrote:

Badly oxidized

2/27/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Meyer lemon, lemon rind, baking spices, a touch of honey, and crazy high acid. Great find and great QPR.

2/27/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

The nose is rich and opulent - something you could sit around smelling all day without taking a sip. On the palate, orange marmalade and strawberry preserves are balanced impeccably with mouth-watering acidity.

2/24/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Be sure to serve chilled, preferably with a little time to breathe. Riesling based, but the blend rounds it out nicely. Plastic/rubber aromas typical of riesling blow off with air. Nice acid, nice minerality, not particularly complex, but still tasty.

2/20/2022 - jondrinkswine Does not like this wine:

Overwhelmed with sulfur. All I could smell was rubber and burnt matchstick. Palate is better, but still…

2/20/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

This wine was absolutely awesome. Rich golden color with a brown core. Then the nose is insane… imagine a caramel apple, topped with sprinkled with crushed hazelnuts, doused in honey, and baked in an oven for 90 minutes — that’s what this wine is. And with a firm acidity on the palate to balance out the richness and a nice mineral, baking spice finish to bring it home.

2/18/2022 - jondrinkswine Likes this wine:

Dusty, leathery nose with dried rose petals, dried cherries, strawberries and red plum. Fruit has a little bit of candied sweetness (to me, a Burlotto Monvig calling card) that when combined with tar aromas creates a balsamic character. Med+ acid and med+ tannins which are a bit grainy, inoffensive and very approachable today. A nice, soft Barolo, but nowhere near the level of the ‘15 I had last spring, which had much more beautiful fruit and riper, velvety tannin. Ready to drink with a splash decant but improves with an hour in a wide bowl decanter.

2/17/2022 - jondrinkswine wrote:

Took 2-3 hours of air in the carafe to start coming together. A rustic wine defined by dusty leather, forest floor, garrigue, smoke and cigar ash coupled with classic Northern Rhone flavors of game meat, black pepper and olives. Despite no new oak, there are hints of chocolate, cloves, spices and even a touch of orange peel – which after some research I’ve learned comes from compounds called “thiols.” With air, the fruit profile evolves from red to black, but generally speaking could not keep up with elevated acidity that at times overwhelmed everything else. The wine continued to evolve over several hours and there was a fleeting period where the fruit ripened and everything came together harmoniously, but it really was a short-lived period and eventually the wine turned into an acidic mess. A lot going on here and some classic flavors of Northern Rhone Syrah, but overall the experience was only average and did not live up to the producer’s reputation, the vintage nor the price tag.