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Comments on my notes

(16 comments on 11 notes)

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White
2017 El Enemigo Chardonnay Mendoza
11/28/2019 - passion4wine Likes this wine:
90 points
Very pleasant Chardonnay from south of the border. Balanced with fruit and acidity a hint of smoke and honey on the finish.

  • passion4wine commented:

    4/15/21, 5:28 PM - Thanks. SRH, I appreciate the shout out and kind words!

  • passion4wine commented:

    7/19/21, 2:12 PM - Nice, thanks!

Comment (See all 6 comments)
Red
2015 Varner Pinot Noir Los Alamos Vineyard Santa Barbara County
12/28/2020 - passion4wine Likes this wine:
89 points
Ruby red in color, this 2015 Pinot noir from the California central coast shows was lovely notes of rose petal, plum, and a hit of spiciness and smoke the nose. On the palate it is medium bodied, with good acidity, and rainier cherry, dried herbs, And We bit of burnt toast and spice. A great QPR and with a few years of bottle aged showing quite nicely right now… I found this for about 22 bucks at a local wine shop/bistro.

  • passion4wine commented:

    1/11/21, 2:52 PM - Thanks for the note SRH and for the tip on K&L. I will check it out. Be well!

Comment (See all 3 comments)
Red
2016 Giodo Nerello Mascalese Sicilia Alberelli di Giodo
4/15/2020 - Floyd77 Likes this wine:
94 points
Consistently great —

  • passion4wine commented:

    11/23/20, 6:19 PM - Agreed.

Comment
Red
2016 Arnot-Roberts Syrah Sonoma Coast
11/7/2020 - passion4wine Does not like this wine:
88 points
Tried this wine over two nights, as the first night it was tight and locked down as if in a pandemic ;) - showed little aromatics, and its earthy, brambly, and peppery palate showed only hints of dark fruit and dried meats. The second night its aromatics revealed more dried herbs, curred meats, white pepper, and some dark cassis notes. Indicative of a cool climate Syrah, but I've had better and will drink better in the future. I wanted to enjoy this wine, but it was work to do so.

  • passion4wine commented:

    11/21/20, 5:17 PM - Yeah, I'd agree. Way too young. That's all I've got at this time, might have a 2015 hiding in the cellar. Going to wait on that, too!

Comment (See all 2 comments)
Red
2016 Ojai Grenache John Sebastiano Vineyard Santa Barbara County
12/19/2018 - passion4wine Likes this wine:
92 points
Deep strawberry, rhubarb and hint of white pepper with some nuttiness on the finish. Gorgeous expression of Cal Grenache. Best vintage I’ve tasted from Dr. Tolmash

  • passion4wine commented:

    9/18/20, 2:36 PM - Thanks srh, I'm happy to hear you appreciate the tasting note. Cheers!

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White
2016 Lola Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
5/5/2018 - srh Likes this wine:
Taste Top Wines for May (San Diego Wine Co.): Apparently 20% spends 5 mos in 2-4 year FR oak where it undergoes malolactic; 3,800 cases

N: Floral with an intriguing note -- almost grn olive-like?

P: Med, poss MF, body; RNDISH entry with ALMOST swtish oak/frt deftly bal by acidity. The finish is LONG, tangy/swt, & with the butter under fairly tight wraps. Nicely done for now & through '19! 13.4% ABV per label; My VG+/EXC-. 91 pts Jeb Dunnuck (@ $22) & 90 WA. This vendor's $14.99 puts it towards the bottom of wine-searcher's top 1/3 of entries.

  • passion4wine commented:

    5/7/18, 1:05 PM - I found this wine after trying its 'sister' North Coast Pinot, coming in at same price point and delivering excellent p2v ratio! This Chard could be a default Mon/Tuesday summer sipper.

  • passion4wine commented:

    5/21/18, 7:20 PM - Yep, it's a fave and just discovered the Von's in the 'hood is stocking and selling it for about $13.50 — I've paid triple that for a Cali Chard and been disappointed. Cheers!

Comment (See all 3 comments)
Red
2015 Clif Family Winery The Climber California Red Blend
3/1/2018 - passion4wine wrote:
88 points
I had high expectations for this bottle of "The Climber", but when set those expectations so high, I came away with a "meh" and thinking that 88 might be a bit generous for this Napa pedigree cabernet blend. It was restrained on the nose, showing just subtle hints of spice, mocha, and dried herbs, and on the palate a tad dusty, tart and lacking all but a small swath of cassis, dark plum, and slightly green asparagus. Mild acidity, and the second day the wine improved slightly, but not memorable at all.

  • passion4wine commented:

    5/7/18, 1:20 PM - @TMOVino2 thanks for the clarification, I guess I should've referred to it as a Bordeaux blend, as this would be more accurate. I'm not sure holding the wine longer will improve, but I'm always open to tasting again any wine – as they all deserve another chance! Though it should be noted I paid $38 for this wine and as such the QPR has a lot to say to me. Thanks for your comment! Have you tried this wine?

  • passion4wine commented:

    5/21/18, 7:18 PM - I'm a big Merlot fan and constantly searching for the ultimate expression. A 2013 Beringer Bancroft Ranch was fantastic after many hours of decanting and waiting. A few months ago enjoyed a 2011 Masseto from a Magnum that was phenomenal and the Ricolma, also from Tuscany is a huge fave as well. There's a BC (canada) producer, Le Vieux Pin (sp?) that makes a nice cool climate merlot, though it's rather expensive! What should I try?

Comment (See all 5 comments)
Red
2016 Bedrock Wine Co. Heritage Wine Evangelho Vineyard Contra Costa County Zinfandel Blend, Zinfandel
5/16/2018 - passion4wine wrote:
88 points
This either needs a few years or several hours of decanting. Tight as a drum and a bit flabby. Though it shows through the fog and flab that this is a pedigree Bedrock and just needs some time. Kicking myself for opening a 2016 too soon.

  • passion4wine commented:

    5/21/18, 7:14 PM - Good point, as noted I committed a cardinal mistake by opening this. Agreed scores are all over the place, and perhaps not fair to score given the tightness, but sometimes curiosity trumps patience—that is something I accept as a fault this time! thanks for the comment!

Comment (See all 2 comments)
Red
2015 Tetramythos Agiorgitiko Achaia
4/21/2018 - srh Likes this wine:
Passport Wine Tasting (San Diego Wine Co.): N: Funky, almost barnyd; cherries underneath?

P: Med body; LOVELY frt met by some dustily tannic pucker which pretty much maintains through the LONG, V slightly spicy/tangy finish with those dusty tannins, yet without ever REALLY losing the initial frt. NEEDS a yr, then drinking for 2-3 more? [This vendor's $11.99 is $2 < the next lowest of wine-searcher's LIMITED offerings.] 14% ABV; My VG+/EXC-, although...

...15 mins or so after I'd tasted it, other tasters complained, staff members sampled it, opened at least 2 other bottles, then removed it from the tasting! From what I was able to gather, the consensus revolved around there being an UNACCEPTABLE level of "sharpness" to the wine! While I certainly found it to have HIGH acidity, *I* personally had N-O issues with the wine. Putting all of this together with the previous comment, however...

  • passion4wine commented:

    5/7/18, 1:15 PM - Fascinating and thanks for pointing to your note @srh — I guess those tasters perhaps tasted a bit of what I did when I was put off initially by this wine—unitl re-tasting the following day when the beauty of the wine revealed itself. Interesting you enjoyed this straight off!

    Note: I enjoyed the notes on the Romanian Moldova wine in your notes, having traveled there last year and tasting many white and red Feteascas during my meanderings…

Comment
White
2016 Le Vieux Pin Ava Okanagan Valley VQA White Rhone Blend
3/22/2018 - passion4wine Likes this wine:
92 points
A lovely cool climate white Rhone blend consisting of 50% Viognier, 32% Roussanne, and 18% Marsanne — from British Colombia.

Lovely notes of apricot, pear, honey, and nectarine with a full body mouthfeel and nice viscosity and a delicate acidity with good balance. Very well made.

I wish I could find this in the States—purchased from a BC wine store in Vancouver in Yale Town.

  • passion4wine commented:

    4/16/18, 4:21 PM - Hey Wine Tonite – thanks for you note and tip regarding the Petit club—I'm not sure whether we in USA can bring or have shipped that many bottles. And shipping could be very expensive! Though maybe it's just a good excuse to make a journey to Van a couple times a year and bring my allocation back to USA! Agreed, they are perhaps my fave BC winery—a killer Merlot too!

Comment (See all 2 comments)
Red
1996 Pahlmeyer Merlot Napa Valley
1/12/2018 - passion4wine Likes this wine:
97 points
Out of the magnum the 1996 Pahlmeyer Merlot was chewy, unctuous, and explosive showing massive fruit with dark plum, black cherry, and spice—close your eyes and you might think this had some cabernet blended—it was beautifully balance, smooth and incredible structure for a 21 year old California Merlot. So glad we had the bonus of an extra 750ml to continue to enjoy as this evolved and got better throughout the evening.

  • passion4wine commented:

    2/19/18, 4:26 PM - @winotim — yeah, I was completely surprised by this amazing showing of the wine, especially since I'd had the 96 Red just in the past few months and the Merlot showed so much better—perhaps due to the magnum and of course great storage.

  • passion4wine commented:

    3/1/18, 11:20 AM - Ahhh, yes the cat!!! Thanks, that's Dar and she found me and adopted me a few years ago. It's her house and, likely, her cellar! Thanks!

  • passion4wine commented:

    3/1/18, 7:57 PM - No haven't seen nor heard of Mondovino, but thanks for the tip. I'm going to check it out—sounds fascinating! Thanks!

Comment (See all 6 comments)
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