11/2/2019 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

One of my favorite tawny ports, though I have given a higher rating in the past. Brown with a strong green rim and clear. Brown sugar and orange spice on the nose. Cinnamon red hots, orange juice, black licorice, butterscotch, salted caramel, lemon curd. Bright, balanced, rich, fruity, unctuous, spicy, yum. Lingering finish.

9/8/2019 - sithinfiltrator Likes this wine:

Purple-red and opaque. Blueberries and blackberries on the nose. Raspberries, green strawberries, red hots, blueberries, red licorice, chocolate, Wonderfully balanced, great acidity. Elegant and powerful at the same time. Super nice VP port. Bright long finish. Touch hot.

11/3/2017 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Served with halibut with chanterelles. Rich Chardonnay where the oak is starting to take a backseat to a nice nuttiness. Good acidity still but rich and buttery. If you like stainless steel chards then this is not for you. Could age for years still.

10/25/2017 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

This bottle was absolutely stunning. It blew away my previous scores by a couple of points. One of the best 40 year olds I have ever tasted. Right up there with S. Leonardo, DR, and Romaneira. Wow!

8/4/2017 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Deep mahogany with slight yellow bricking. Clear with slight sediment. Bottled in 2013. Town sugar, kirsch, and curry on nose. Brown sugar, cola, walnuts, super ripe oranges, cinnamon on palate. Great acidity with a big, sweet, fruit, loooooooong finish. Slow burn on the end. One of the top ten year olds along with Romaneira, DR, and S. Leonardo.

6/13/2017 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

One of the most outstanding pinots from Oregon that I have tasted from 2010. Drank with a tasting menu that challenged the wine from scallops to asparagus to smoked brisket and this wine sang with each of them. Wish I had another bottle!

5/7/2017 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Brown w/ yellow tinge and clear. Orange peel, cinnamon, and cherries on nose. Cinnamon, orange, rainier cherries, clove, tobacco, red licorice, horehound. Rich and deep. Acid and sweetness in great balance. Insane!

11/27/2016 - sithinfiltrator Likes this wine:

Everyone felt that this wine could age for a number of years. Still had quite a bit of fruit but the secondary and tertiary flavors were staring to show through. A beautiful wine to have with quiche today.

11/11/2016 - sithinfiltrator Likes this wine:

An amazing grenache that has evolved into something momentous. I remember really loving this boutique grenache when I first tasted it, but after drinking it the other night with stuffed pork chops, my mind was absolutely blown. I wish I had a case of this wine, but memory is that it was a super small production that year. Anyways, an absolute thrill to drink!

10/22/2016 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Opened for Vic's 45th birthday. As amazing as any tawny can possibly be. Crazy amazing flavor with insane balance. Hard to put words to this. Wow!

10/15/2016 - sithinfiltrator Likes this wine:

This is a seriously stunning pinot noir in my book. A beautiful balance of fruit with enough pinot character to carry a long beautiful finish. Had this with slow baked steelhead with a chanterelle mushroom cream sauce and risotto and it did a beautiful job of matching with the food and elevating it. I have been impressed repeatedly by the Artist Series from Trisaetum. They don't make enough to get rated so this is a wine that is off most people's radars.

10/8/2016 - sithinfiltrator Likes this wine:

This wine delivered in a super surprising way. I have always been a big fan of Trisaetum and its pinots, but never have their pinots delivered like this one did. Super well balanced, with a strong fruity midpalatte balanced against mellow tannins and good acidity. Each sip morphed in the mouth, bringing out layers of flavors that delighted and surprised me as we slowly consumed the bottle. Very nice pinot.

8/17/2016 - sithinfiltrator Likes this wine:

This is a special bottling of wine from each of the first ten decades of Barros's history. It comes in a super nice wooden box. Bottled in 2013, the port is mahogany with a yellow tinge and clear. Lemon and spice on shy noise. Walnuts, pecans, carmelized sugar, orange peel on taste. Good balance of acidity, tannins and fruit. Still very bright.

8/17/2016 - sithinfiltrator Likes this wine:

Brown with strong yellow tinge and clear. Lots of sediment. Eucalyptus and spice on the nose. Orange peel, lemon, kind of a strong sweet taste on the finish with a funkiness that I can't describe. Starting to lose its fruit. I have had this before and it rated much higher than this bottle did. Still a nice old tawny, just not as good as it has been.

4/21/2016 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Drunk at the Herbfarm. Amazing bourbon colored and clear. Caramel, Horehound, orange peel, cherries, and café brûlée, rich and unctuous on the palate with a long nicely balanced acidic finish. This white port is in amazing balance. Super friendly a wide variety of foods. These ports from Andresen are out of this world, especially the tawnies.

9/17/2015 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Dark and unctuous, this is an amazing dessert wine. Feels like it was aged for 40+ years in barrel and yet it is only 7 years old. Amazing flavor and length. OMG! Wish I had more bottles!

8/6/2015 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Vic 94, Lisa 92-93

2/28/2015 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

The other three bottles rated 91 to 92 points, but this one was flat and uninteresting. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't good. Not sure if the bottle was bad or it is over the hill.

1/24/2015 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Deep mahogany color. Pecan pie and orange zest on nose. Orange, pecan pie, brown sugar, super long finish. Buttery. Long, super crazy finish. OMG. Super cool. Outstanding. Words can't describe.

1/17/2015 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

This is one of the best sakes I have tasted. The taste evolves with each course in our kaiseiki meal. There is a reason this wins gold each year. Worth the price for those special occasions.

10/22/2014 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Over the hill and flabby. Which is sad because it was a good wine.

10/10/2014 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Bought this wine in a close out bin at the local grocery store. Started intriguing, but quickly oxidized and became uninteresting. My guess is it was two years too old. Worth a shot at $15.

6/27/2014 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Decant at least 90 minutes prior to drinking. The funk needs time to blow off.

6/15/2013 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Was very surprised by this wine. I served it to my husband blind and asked him to guess what Pinot it was. He ended up deciding between Bergstrom and Trisaetum on Ribbon Ridge in Oregon. This Pinot was truly that good. I was stunned. I am a bit of an Oregon Pinot snob, but this opened my eyes to other cold climate Pinots.

4/10/2013 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

We popped this bottle on a mid-week steak night. I remember getting a pretty good deal on this bottle (Cellartracker tells me is was $22.89), so I figured it was time to give it a try. What I found astounded me! Layers of berry flavors (blackberry and blueberry predominating) seamlessly melded with tannins and acidity that tell me this wine can age for a while longer. Surprising for a 2003. The second bottle is going into long term storage to be uncorked in 3 to 5 years. But what a memorable bottle for a Wednesday night!

3/10/2013 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

This wine went amazingly with the carbonara we had last night. A beautiful balance of fruit, tannins and acidity. The best this wine has ever tasted for me. Glad I have one more!

2/22/2013 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Don't know why the ratings have been so poor for this wine. This wine is still quite dense, dark, brooding. Lots of pepper on the palate which paired well with steak. We really enjoyed this wine. It was far from thin.

2/3/2013 - sithinfiltrator Likes this wine:

This wine was a total surprise for me! Received it as part of being in the Alexandria Nicole wine club. It isn't a wine that I would have bought on release. I also never know what to serve it with. Well, last night we bought a roast duck that we were serving in a traditional way with sweet buns, plum sauce, green onions and carrots. On a whim, I grabbed the 2008 Lemberger and we were shocked that it was a beautiful match! Lots of plum notes on the taste which melded well with the duck and the plum sauce. All in all, a pleasant experience! And now I know what to serve Lemberger with!

1/28/2013 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Amazing ine! Blew us away with its flavor! Awesome wi e Anna!

1/27/2013 - sithinfiltrator Likes this wine:

This 1963 Kopke was the crowning jewel for my 50th birthday bash. I had a tiny sip a few years ago when I bought this wine and remembered it as being mind blowing. The full bottle didn't disappoint! Strong pecan pie notes and a finish that wouldn't stop. It was a golden elixir of the gods! Fantastic way to finish my birthday evening!

1/27/2013 - sithinfiltrator Likes this wine:

This bottle was paired with the amazing 1990 Grange for my 50th birthday bash. 1997 was considered an OK year for Grange and it was sandwiched between two amazing years, so its reputation has suffered a bit. Thankfully, I can report that this baby is tasting just wonderfully 16 years later. It was bold and flavorful, with less of the subtlety of the 1990, but still quite an enjoyable drink. A number of folks at the table actually preferred it to the 1990, it was that nice.

1/27/2013 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

This wine was literally the centerpiece of my 50th birthday bash. I acquired it directly from a visit to Penfolds in 2002 and had been hanging onto it ever since in anticipation for my 50th birthday. I have had more nightmares of this wines being broken, corked or just not likable. I am happy to report that it exceeded even my high expectations. Just a wonderful shiraz with a touch of cab. Everyone at the table exclaimed at how young it was. 23 years old and just starting to find its teenage legs. This wine could have easily aged another 20 years! I enjoyed every sip and would gladly trade my second Mouton for a few more bottles of 1990 Grange. Yum!

1/27/2013 - sithinfiltrator Likes this wine:

I drank this as part of my 50th birthday bash. It was one of the flagship wines for the night. Still very young, it has started to evolve into its teenage years. Lots of wonderful fruit melding with the acidity and tannins. While it was very nice to drink, it didn't blow me away or give me one of those life moments. Considering how much it goes for on the auction market nowadays, it is nowhere near that good. I paid around $200 for it and it was fine for that price. This was the first 1st growth from a classic vintage I had ever tasted, and my hope was that it would show me what everyone is excited about. Alas, all it did was confirm to me that high end Bordeaux is just not my thing.

1/27/2013 - sithinfiltrator Likes this wine:

This was the youngest bottle we opened for my 50th birthday bash. I had tried it a few years ago while at Domaine Serene and it was too young. However, it has developed into a beautiful wine. A nice melding of fruit, acidity and tannins. We all drank through our allocated pourings and moved onward into the dinner. One of my guests kept some for the end and we found that three hours later, the wine had evolved from nice to amazing. It was simply beautiful! If I had a full glass of that wine to taste, I probably would have went even higher with my rating, it was that good. Thankfully, I have another for a future date, this time with a long, long decant.

1/25/2013 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Drank this for my 50th birthday. This Riesling in magnum format is one of the best wines I have ever had. The 750ml format bottles don't hold a candle to the magnum bottles. There is an 8 to 10 point difference, IMHO. This bottle lived up to it reputation. Amazing!

1/25/2013 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Drank this for my 50th birthday. Had amazing memories that didn't stack up to the final product. Was expecting 97 points, but got 88 points. Very floral, nice acidity, but the fruit had diminished. Had a spatlese tonight that was richer and thicker than this BA. My sole disappointment for my 50th birthday.

12/15/2012 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

This wine is on the downward side of its life. Had a strong bottle funk when opened but it blew off with two hours of decanting. Still had some fruit, but mostly secondary age characteristics. Drink up if you still have some!

12/15/2012 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Showing very nicely despite its age. Still had a great blend of fruit, acidity and tannins. I think we hit the sweet spot in terms of aging. Could go another year or so, but is drinking really well right now! Wine of the night in a flight with Joseph Phelps Insignia 1992, Col Solare 1996, and Fanti Tenuta San Filippo Brunello 1999.

12/1/2012 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

This very well might be the best bottle of this I have ever opened. It wowed me with it's freshness, balance and vivacity. Was so overwhelmed that I even emailed John Bigeliw, the winemaker, to let him know. I hope my last bottle tastes this good!

11/15/2012 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Needed some time in the decanter to open up.

11/4/2012 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

This was a gift from my friends at Black Book Editions in France. It was a special 2011 bottling for famous French chef Paul Bocuse. Orange spice on the nose with some vanilla alcohol. The port was elegant with some nice framing acidity. The palate was a nice balance of vanilla carmel and orange peel. The port got better and better as the night dragged on. I gave the wine a 95 on day one, but have improved that o 97 on day two. A masterful tawney!

10/28/2012 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Tasted again blind with 11 other twenty year olds and came up with an identical score.

10/24/2012 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

This merlot was absolutely amazing. It blew Vic and I away!

10/22/2012 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Still a good wine. Starting to take on a lot of secondary notes of earth and tobacco. It may be starting down the backside of its life.

10/20/2012 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Starting to feel its age, though it still had some nice fruit.

6/16/2012 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Vic 93, Lisa 91.

2/7/2012 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Lisa 90, Vic 89.

1/26/2012 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Vic 93, Lisa 90.

1/2/2012 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Vic 91, Lisa 88.

12/27/2011 - sithinfiltrator wrote:

Lisa 91, Vic 90.