8/6/2018 - grantsky wrote:

Good, balanced concentration, deep rose pedals, tar, dried
Herbs, cola, there is some concentrated red fruits, but it takes a back seat. Broad, coating tannin, Very present, but not overtly aggressive.

5/13/2018 - LucB wrote:

Not the same complexity as in previous vintages

11/4/2009 - grantsky wrote:

Very nice prosecco. The Pinot Noir adds more depth and character to a normally light sparkling wine. Very good QPR.

8/10/2017 - JWdeSommelier wrote:

Traditional style Rioja, quite a nice nose, fresh red cherries, redcurrants, plums, nicely integrated oak, sandalwood, leather, iron. Palate feels a little bit tired and thin for a good vintage like '04, dried red fruit, not very broad, meaty, lovely oak, spicy, good length. Expected more from a Rioja like this, is it time or just the way this wine is made...

4/14/2017 - voldar Does not like this wine:

Recommended by some yahoo at Total beverage. Worst brunello ever and the $85 price is simply insulting. Decanted for 3 hours. Never had a brunello like it dominated by peppery taste, very thin, lacks and hint of brunello. Everyone hated it completely. Some could only do a sip. The idiot at wine enthusiast that gave it a 96 must have tasted the wrong wine

2/15/2017 - Burgundy Al wrote:

Hubert Lignier Wine Dinner (Cherry Circle Room - Chicago IL): In Lignier 1999 horizontal. This was the sleeper of the flight, starting off backward and almost awkward, but ending up as the star. Clearly the wine with the greatest concentration, this was slightly burly to start, but then perfectly balanced within 30 minutes in glass. A real 1er treat, but a wine that demands attention.

10/28/2016 - Hammar Likes this wine:

wiscgrad nailed it, drinking well, slight acidity issue

10/8/2016 - Drankard wrote:

Aged 24 months in large Slavonian oak barrels and is composed of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Canaiolo. My first Montevertine and it was very disappointing. This one was thin, diluted and lacking depth. Perhaps shutdown.

1/22/2016 - Shaddo wrote:

Tastes a bit new world. Solid and linear; not un-sweet. Not sure how I feel about this one. But very tasty nonetheless.

1/7/2016 - Anthony Lombardi Likes this wine:

Slowly decanted to remove sediment, let it breathe around an hour before serving. The Tradizione largely refers to the Slovenian oak treatment which brings a lovely spicy nature to the wine. Structured with balancing dark fruit to match the firm tannins & spicy oak. Full bodied, largely scaled wine with a push pull of plush texture & grippy tannins. The spiciness does lead to some brighter red fruit as this opens.

I kept this around a bit longer than I ever intended to. Brunello is something I don't buy in large quantity & I talk myself out of opening them and can ultimately forget I have them. I fully expected this to be way past prime, but the "traditional" elements here have produced a nicely aged wine with plenty of life ahead. It is on the powerful side of Sangiovese, but shows well with food and is something I would buy again if I see it on a shelf.

9/7/2013 - SMagowan wrote:

Well, I just don't know.

I was looking forward to opening this bottle very much. It did not start out promising. First, there was some water in the bottom of my wine refrigerator, which has not happened before. Not a lot, but enough to notice. Then, when I opened the bottle, the cork was a little crumbly, and I wondered, "Did water somehow get into the bottle?" In the end, I don't think so.

This wine reminded me of Orson Welles. Not the young Citizen Kane version, but the Captain Hank Quinlan Touch of Evil Orson Welles. It was brooding and yellow at the ages and the first tastes were overwhelmingly tannic, rustic and rude. It was disappointing and not at all what I expected. "Is it corked?" I wondered. Well a corked wine for me has always had strong tinges of vinegar or formaldehyde. This had none of that. Instead, the nose was overwhelmingly funkadelic with earth, fresh tar, salt and rot. It was earth juice, not grape juice.

We decanted and let it sit for 90 minutes +/-, and we told our guests that we had the bottle opened but they were more than welcome to enjoy the 2006 Karl Lawrence Cabernet (91pts) or 2006 Bourdy Jura Chardonnay (92pts) we had also opened. I said, "I have been so looking forward to this Garblet Sue, that I cannot say how disappointed I am." I would love to say that it turned into a swan, but even though it greatly improved and had a 20 - 30 second finish, the tannins were still massive and it was hard to find the fruit under all that earth.

As I said, "I don't know." Was it too early for the wine? Was my bottle defective? Will my other bottles be better? Is this just the style of the Garblet Sue? I have had other Barolos from the Castiglione Falletto that have been wonderful. I will have to wait and see how the other bottles taste.

11/5/2015 - LW31 Likes this wine:

First bottle of the '13. Nice showing--wild herbal notes, ripe strawberries, nice balance. A somewhat short finish but may just need more time and air. Suited grilled quail with roast fruits wonderfully.

11/29/2014 - grantsky wrote:

Great as always

2/3/2015 - wondersofwine Likes this wine:

I believe this is the top white Sancerre from Lucien Crochet. Labeled as 13% abv. Imported by Rosenthal Wine Merchant. This had a longer-than-usual cork which I had difficulty extracting. It was pale to medium straw in color with transparency. The nose and palate conveyed lemon and lime notes accompanied by nice acidity and minerality. It is a vibrant drink suitable for molluscs or pairing with salads with vinaigrette or green vegetables. This wine has most of what I seek in a Sancerre--maybe falling just a bit short of elegance. I wasn't very happy with the premium price I paid for the bottle, but I was happy with the contents of the bottle and may repurchase if still available. I may order the Alphonse Mellot "La Moussiere" to compare having liked both Lucien Crochet "Le Chene" and Alphonse Mellot "La Moussiere" in previous vintages.

9/9/2013 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

Smells like a dirty glass but such is life. Penetrating minerality on the finish. Lemon and grass and candied fruit.

Has the appellation strayed from it form about 40 years ago? That is the question facing us. The related experience is wines that were intensely mineral and took years to develop.

On the north of the Lorie Valley so its a very different terrior than down the Loire - which will be riper and almost always bound for RS.

Nowadays, sadly, the wines are much more open at an earlier stage. But NR constantly pushes these producers to maintain a sense of minerality - the "almost bitter, searing minerality on the finish".

11/26/2012 - JesseBeckerMS Likes this wine:

Vinified 18 months in 970 to 1220 gallon American and French oak upright fermenters and aged an additional year in old French barrique. An extraordinary wine revealing layers of deep black fruit, licorice spice and mint. The palate is saturated with flavors of black currant liqueur, black olives and black truffles. Dense but round tannins and a cleansing finish, this wine would seem capable of several more years of cellaring.