6/7/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Pretty decent port. Nothing fancy, but a nice everyday port. Nice ruby color. Rich, deep flavors.

6/5/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

I think this is a really good Moscato D’Asti. At whatever price. The fact that it’s inexpensive is a bonus. We got honey, lemon, maybe some pear and floral. Sweet, but not over the top compared to some. Very nice.

6/4/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Solid, consistent. Never changes from vintage to vintage. Easy drinking very jammy Zin. Nothing special, but absolutely nothing not to like either. It’s a good buy.

5/31/2023 - kmicho Does not like this wine:

Sadly, the same as my prior review from 3 months ago. Not sure what’s up with this vintage because, like my prior review, I’ve so many great Little Feet Merlots from Talbott’s Vineyard produced by Balistreri. I gave it a little higher rating because my prior 79 might have been a little harsh, but this doesn’t taste like a merlot to us (2 of us this time).

5/30/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Dried red fruit, tartness - like cherry in particular. Some prune, a little leather. All in all fantastic wine for $10. Overall a pretty decent Chianti, but particularly for the price. A good patio pounder that pairs easily with a lot of meals.

5/23/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Just another great wine from Hendry… I get a ton of cherry and mushroom. This is a deep, rich, full bodied Pinot. As full bodied as many Cabs or even some Zins. Pretty earthy more than other flavors. This paired amazingly with pork, but could go as light as chicken or as heavy as a prime rib. Just an incredible wine. (I’ve only ever rated one other 94 points and I’ve done many hundreds of ratings.)

5/13/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

This wine is a bit grippy, and maybe even tart if you drink it on its own, but pair it with something with fatty, and it becomes a very different wine. The sharp edges of the wine disappear and you get characteristics like plum, cherry, stewed tomato(?) and strong cedar. On the nose, I get strong leather as the dominant smell. Maybe wet forest leaves or tobacco as well.

5/11/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

This is a good QPR wine and just an overall pretty good rosé. I get a lot of minerality and strawberry. It has a little strong acidity, but that’s just a matter of individual taste. It has some tannin as well, being a little grippy on the sides of the tongue. Overall, I like it and will buy more for the summer.

5/10/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

I would say it is a serviceable Cabernet Sauvignon. It is not terribly good, but it is perfectly fine for a night at home with a simple meal. You would not serve it to impress anybody, but it is very drinkable. Nothing bad going on here, just not much in the way of complexity or stand out flavors.?

5/7/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Drinking perfectly right now. A perfect representation of what a Zin should be. Bold, but not overly jammy. Full of flavor and complexity. Just love, love, love this wine.

5/7/2023 - kmicho wrote:

Agreed with KentW below who wrote in 2022: “Medium plus weight. Plum and blackberry notes. A bit sour, and strong mid-palate acidity that stays through the finish. Just a mid week drinker. Better with food but not memorable.”

I won’t be buying this wine again. For my palate, there are many many wines better at the $20-25 price point.

5/3/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Same comment I made in Sept 2021. Great wine.

4/24/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

This is a delicious Petit Syrah. I get plum, chocolate blueberry, maybe some other berries. There is black pepper on the nose and maybe white pepper on the palate, which is why I like this wine so much.

4/22/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

This is a really, really serviceable Chianti. Ultimate QPR. Can’t believe how this drinks for the price. Agree with Donkeycong’s (of all things) review from May 2021, the notes they pull out are dead on, but I rate this an 89 instead, with the same comments. I’d be happy to drink this Chianti almost any time. Drinks way above its price point.

4/21/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Delicious, complex, agree with the comments of the last reviewer. I think it needs a few hours of decanting. Popped and poured through an aerator and it was still a bit tight.

4/17/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

I wrote the below a few months ago. It still stands. This is a great Zin. Super well balanced. Really, really, really enjoy. This is a pretty awesome Zin.

The wine looks ruby colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It tastes like cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, raisin and prune. The body is medium. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity.

4/16/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Very oaky. Very delicious. This is a nice chard, if not a little heavy on the oak. But I would definitely buy this again IF you like a good oak forward chardonnay.

4/9/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Absolutely a great QPR Prosecco. Good, not great, very much should be a go-to for summer.

3/31/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Ok, but not my favorite. Plum, brown sugar, vegetables - green pepper, vanilla. It’s ok, but a bit strange to me for a Tawny Port.

3/27/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Same comments as December 22. Delish!

3/23/2023 - kmicho wrote:

I’m going to rate this “neutral”, but barely above “don’t like it”. Not much good going on here and I guess I should expect that for a $11 Pinot. The nose is medicinal. The taste is cherry + medicinal + mineral. Really don’t enjoy this. Just tolerable. Have another bottle. Will maybe wait another year, but not holding out much hope this will improve.

3/21/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

It’s lost a little with age. Become a little unidimensional. Was better when younger.

3/11/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Drinks like a more expensive rose. Dry and lightly tannic. Cherry, citrus, some vanilla. Medium acidity. Quite nice as a patio pounder or a wine to open an evening with friends.

3/10/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Fabulous. Mushroom, cherry, maybe raspberry and a hint of vanilla or even caramel. Definitely earthy. Smooth. Moderate tannins. Low acidity. Incredibly well balanced. A great wine.

3/5/2023 - kmicho Does not like this wine:

Really having a hard time with this review. We’ve had so many good Balistreri wines, but something was not right with this wine. It wasn’t corked. That wasn’t the issue. 4 of us tried it and all thought the same thing: Tart and sour. It had this very weird tartness to it that I’ve never tasted in a wine. Almost like a sour beer, but it should not have had this flavor. Couldn’t really taste the merlot, just a tart/sour wine.

I’ve had Talbots’s Vineyard Little Feet Merlot before and it’s been some of my favorite from Balistreri. This was the first run at the 2018 vintage. I have another bottle and will write another review after we open that in some number of months.

2/28/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

It’s a good Zin, but not my favorite Russian River Valley Zin. I tend to like my Zins slightly jammier than this one. I don’t think this is jammy at all. This Zin is well balanced. Lots of oak, pepper, some blackberry and maybe cherry. I get vanilla as well.

Again, it’s a good Zin and the community ratings reflect this. But for my palate, I tend to like a little more jamminess in my Zin.

2/17/2023 - kmicho wrote:

Plum, blackberries, brambles, black pepper. Agree with the comment “rustic on the mouth”. It’s a warm wine, for lack of a better descriptor. Great QPR. A great every day Zin.

2/2/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Cherry, pepper, oak, herbaceous. This is a bright, not jammy, Primitivo. Enjoy quite a lot. Great color. Nice legs. On the nose, cherry and herbs. A bit tight, still, after 6 years. But yeah, buy this. :-)

1/31/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

I get exactly what A1002 got last July. Entirely agree with that review. Very pleasing wine and a great QPR.

1/23/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Probably one of the very best Chardonnays I’ve ever tasted. Beautiful color, crisp, bright, a lot of citrus, lemon specifically. Pear and minerality are next. Doesn’t really strike me as a Chardonnay, but maybe I’ve not been exposed to many great Chardonnays. :-)

1/21/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Nothing special, but for the price… awesome. Pineapple, lemongrass, fresh grass/weeds. Extremely drinkable. Easy pairing.

1/21/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Just had this a couple weeks ago. Drinking great right now. Same comments.

1/18/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

My rating is based on the fact that I do prefer my Zins jammier.

This is a good Zin. The nose is fresh and bright. On the palate, I get plum, pepper, oak, some slightly tart cherry. Still pretty tannic. Still quite grippy on the sides of the tongue. I would have expected it to mellow more by now. It’s a beautiful deep ruby color. All in all enjoyable, but I think there are other options which are similarly good at a better price point. Hendry comes to mind. Perhaps the higher end Four Vines or Murphy Goode.

1/15/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Vanilla, oak, ripe red raspberry or blackberry, maybe some kind of berry compote. Minerality. A lot happening in this wine and it’s delicious. Great at this price point. Still decent, but mellowed tannins. Opaque great ruby color.

1/14/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

I think this may be Restoration’s best wine. There is a lot happening in here. I get raspberry, blackberry, tart cherry, and plum. There’s some oak, vanilla, and some kind of spice I an’t specifically pick out.[

1/8/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Repeating my review from May 2022. I still feel exactly the same way about this wine: “Perhaps the best Sauvignon Blanc I’ve ever tasted. Smooth. Lingering flavors of grapefruit, grasses, and passion fruit just burst into your mouth. Perfect level of acidity and well balanced. Just an incredible wine.”

1/8/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Perfect amount of carbonation. Deliciously complex flavors coming from the Pinot Noir gape. Really love this wine.

1/5/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Lemongrass, apple. Crisp. Not a ton of depth, but a very, very enjoyable white. Had with a Greek salad and paired beautifully.

1/1/2023 - kmicho Likes this wine:

I don’t understand the 83 ratings. This is a phenomenal Rose. It is fresh, a little floral, but not sweet. Off dry with perfect acidity and slight tannins gripping the sides of the tongue. I (we) get strawberries and apricots on the palate along with a little minerality. On the nose, I’d add some fresh green weeds. It’s a very nicely complex and incredibly drinkable wine.

12/29/2022 - kmicho wrote:

Oof. Not sure a better way to start this review. Tart berries, but not cherry, not any specifically discernible berry. Maybe some vanilla? Has an unpleasant aftertaste down the middle of the tongue. Some tannins, feels very acidic to me. Received as a gift and had with pizza. OK combination. I would never choose to buy this, but it wasn’t so awful that I had to throw it away. It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t very good.

12/28/2022 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Nose of cedar and spice and moss. On the palate, damp leaves, forest floor, wet moss. Some spice. No tannins to speak of at this point. Some cedar or oak. A hint of vanilla.

Very good, but not my “type” of wine.

12/22/2022 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Bright and bursting with tart flavors. Cherries, strawberry, cranberry. No tannins to speak of. Slight, slight, slight earth. My first Gamay Noir. Related to Pinot Noir, but without the earthy and sometimes skunky flavors. Really, really like for a light sort of crisp red.

12/13/2022 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Excellent QPR wine. Would absolutely buy again. Nice balance, good tannins. Went great with roasted chicken.

12/9/2022 - kmicho Likes this wine:

A good Bordeaux blend from Colorado. Very surprised and pleased at how well Mesa Park made this wine come together. Very mineral like graphite, lead. Some strong earth tones. Extremely dry. Bordeaux blends are not my favorite type of wine, but this is a very nice representation of such at a good price point.

12/7/2022 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Delicious Merlot. Earthy, minerals, meat. Tobacco, herbs. Serious spice on the nose. Just love the way Hendry makes wines.

12/2/2022 - kmicho wrote:

My least favorite of any Locations wine I have had - and that’s probably about 12-15 of them. This wine lacks body and flavor. It’s a weak Rose, not able to stand up to even potatoes with cheddar cheese and a little salt and black pepper. It was entirely overpowered.

There’s just not a lot to describe here because it’s lacking across the board. With that said, it’s not bad, per se. It doesn’t have an off taste. It’s not horribly unbalanced. It’s not “weird”. It just isn’t really much there.

So many other better Roses with more flavors and much more body at this price point or less. Really disappointed, which is a shame because I’ve tended to gravitate to the Locations wines. I think David Phinney tends to do a good job with his blends in this series. Just not this one.

11/30/2022 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Very light. Aromatic, which sounds odd in a wine review. Very yummy too. Tart cherry, vanilla, cream. It’s a St. Vincent grape, a 1973 hybrid from Missouri. Cherry is the major profile flavor, but there’s a lot more going on as it lingers. Maybe some oak as well.

11/28/2022 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Solid inexpensive Zin. A good daily drinker. Gave it an extra point for the excellent QPR. Had with BBQ pork pasta. Was a very nice pairing. TBT, though, this is so easy drinking it would go with anything that calls for a red wine. Always a good staple wine.

11/24/2022 - kmicho Likes this wine:

7 of us had this and everyone loved it. Realize this isn’t a “tasting note” per se. A lot of wine was drunk this night at a tasting and we didn’t make notes. But this wine was the “winner” of the night. Definitely will get more.

11/20/2022 - kmicho Likes this wine:

Have written tasting notes many times over for this wine for various vintages, so not going to continue repeating the same details here. Always an amazing Zin. Very much worth the price.