9/2/2012 - Joshiemac wrote:

Came off as disjointed unbalanced. There was a solid core of black fruit and pepper, but it was out of sync with the tannic bite at the end. Not the experience I expected at this price point. Probably needs more time in the bottle.

8/29/2012 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Jammy black fruit nose, gamey/leathery/rustic notes on the palate initially followed by some brambly fruit and tannins on the finish. Not a small wine in any sense, but not as in your face as you might think. If you like Bonny Doon's Contra you'll like this. A fine California table wine. I wish more people would make wine like this here. Solid effort.

8/27/2012 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Had a few glasses of this at a party. Nice purity of bright red fruit with a solid acidic backing. Even a bit of depth and structure there. Nice stuff.

8/25/2012 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Fine example of a quality Lambrusco. Good froth, grapey-earthy flavor profile, crisp & dry across the palate.

8/23/2012 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Balanced, pure, clean. Great stuff all around.

8/21/2012 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Sweet strawberries and watermelon followed by a tangy finish. A fleshier, fuller, and more fruity rose/rosato than most I've tried this season. Not bad at all, but I'm generally looking for something a little more crisp & food friendly. This would overpower many lighter summer dishes.

8/19/2012 - Joshiemac Does not like this wine:

Horrible stuff. Barely drinkable, even as the base of mimosa.

8/19/2012 - Joshiemac wrote:

Heavy, ripe nose of waxy flowers, citrus, apples. Much of the same on the palate, with a stong mineral presence. Slight hint of oxidative notes but not much. Heavy mouth feel. Sweet on the finish, almost too much for my taste. Blind I would have guessed this a riesling. I'd like to try this again with heavier food--seems geared toward the fall--perhaps pork and pears or something. It's completely over powered the roasted tomato pasta.

3/3/2012 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

An almost salty/briny attack on the front palate backed by raspberry and melon. Refreshing acidity throughout. Everything I want from a rose.

2/8/2012 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Fruit forward but with a focus and precision you don't often see in domestic Rhones. A fantastic effort. Can't wait to try another bottle.

1/29/2012 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Decent QPR under $10.

1/28/2012 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

This was a tale of two wines. On night one it was all spritzy red fruit with a touch of VA. Interesting, but a little disjointed. By night 2 it had mellowed, showing chalky strawberry meringue, some cracked black pepper, and a smooth acidic backbone. Decent stuff, but I liked the previous vintage a little better.

1/28/2012 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

A very ripe and expressive nose with hints of lychee, ripe melon, and lime rind. Dry and angular across the palate. Restrained in style. Nice stuff. Good QPR at $14 from Costco

10/22/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Like most Cornelissen wines I've tried, the first night is an aggressive attack of primary flavors and aromas--pomegranates, raspberry, orange, rose flowers, rock--all backed by a crazy amount of acidity. Each element fighting for supremacy. It's interesting, but not what I would call enjoyable.

On nights 2 and 3, all of these elements formed a cohesive whole around a thick mineral core, and the sometimes brash, sometimes annoying, always interesting teenager became a fascinating adult. That's the best way I can put it.

10/22/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Dark plummy fruits, dusty tannins, a touch of acidity. Full-bodied. Lush without being jammy. My first few glasses of this were a bit too warm, but I put back in the wine fridge for awhile and it cooled off and regained it's structure and elegance. This would be a great bottle to share will people who prefer new world wines. Very enjoyable, will pick up a few more bottles to hold and see where they go.

10/22/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Young and tight, even with a few hours of air. Red fruit notes were dominated by earthy tones, minerals, and acidity. Medium-body and angular throughout, maybe even thin at points. Really enjoyed the structure of this wine, but for the flavor profile I wish I held on to this for a few years.

10/9/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Dry strawberries, apple, melon, and herbal notes wrapped around an acidic core. Agree with other tasters, you can tell this is a cab franc. As rose goes, this was rather profound with layers of flavor and some depth to the body. Worth contemplating a bit as you drink. Good stuff.

10/3/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Balanced, with nicely integrated red fruit (maybe even some peachy notes?) wrapped around a nervy mineral core. Perhaps on the expensive side for a rose, but this is very well made.

10/1/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Very dry and tart, sour cherries, bit of funk. Good stuff.

10/1/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Wood was a little more present in this bottle for some reason, otherwise consistent with previous notes.

10/1/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Not too peachy or cloying, which is about all you can ask from a domestic white rhone blend at this price point. I'd buy again.

10/1/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Crisp and dry, with green apple and lemon notes. Solid QPR.

10/1/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

no formal notes, but remember it being big and lush but not over the top. no complaints for $4.

10/1/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Strong aromatics on the nose full of black fruits, earth, and leather. This was smooth and easy drinking on the palate, bordering on lush, dominated by strawberries, black cherries, leather, and forest floor. Some acidity towards the end but not much. Like so many Bonny Doon wines, this is a nice balance of old and new world, and represents a fine value.

10/1/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Almost no nose, on the palate showing very faint green apple and some citrus notes. Decent structure with some crispness and no flabbiness to speak of. Reminds me of a house white I'd drink somewhere in Venezia. Nothing special here, but it's going to be nice to have this around when when I'm in the mood for a glass but don't want to open a bottle, or for cooking.

9/29/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Just finished Kermit Lynch's book, so when I saw this on the shelf at Whole Foods I had to pick it up. This was my first Joguet, but it will not be my last. Bright fruit notes with vegetal undertones. Bit of barnyard funk, lot of acidity. Good balance. A little tight now, I want to purchase a few bottles and see where they are at in a few years.

9/23/2011 - Joshiemac wrote:

No formal notes, fine for the price but nothing more.

9/23/2011 - Joshiemac Does not like this wine:

Smokey wood notes on the nose give way to brambly black fruits and toasty oak on the palate. Though I liked the silky texture, I couldn't get past the oak treatment.

9/18/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Notes of crisp raspberry upfront, followed by strawberry and faint hints of cantaloupe. A nice strain of palate-cleansing acidity throughout. Good frizz and froth. Near perfect balance of sour and sweet. This is by no means a deep and profound wine, but man, oh so fun to drink and great with food. Paired amazingly with a salad of seared albacore over baby greens with a warm ginger vinaigrette. This is going on my list of top ten enjoyable wines of the past year. Perhaps a tad too sweet for some palates, but this was right up my alley.

More please!

9/17/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

More mineral-driven, angular, and acidic than the '09, with notes of lemon and green apple. A really nice bottle of wine for the price.

9/1/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Tried this at The Flying Pig in Vancouver, great balance between bright red fruits (think strawberry, raspberry, and ripe cherry) and palate cleansing acidity. Really enjoyable, the most enjoyable BC wine I've tasted to date. Look forward to tasting more!

8/21/2011 - Joshiemac wrote:

Decent enough as an aperitif on a hot summer day, but doesn't have much else going for it. There is much better vinho verde out there at this price point.

8/20/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Nice nose of cherry cola, earth, and barrel notes. On the palate this is medium weight with notes of raspberry, cherries, cola, and earth. Medium weight, slightly tannic with a touch of acidity through the finish. Good QPR for $14.

8/4/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

A nice lambruso, with cleansing acidity and notes of candied fruit and forest floor a little lighter than with other examples making it a very good paring with many types of foods. I had it with pizza and it was wonderful.

8/4/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Notes of plum, berries, dried apricots, flowers, and forest floor. Tannic bite through middle and finish. There was an incredible power and clarity to the flavor profile, and it had a sense of nerve and energy from start to finish. Loved this. Drank pretty much pop and pour, would have loved to taste this after some more air.

8/4/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

This was showing less candied fruit and vivacity than '08 vintage. Instead, it was a little more grounded, more earthy, deep and brooding. Perhaps a little more profound in flavors as well. Still very enjoyable and a great example of the varietal. I'd like to taste this again in 6 months or so to see where it goes.

7/24/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Spice, wood, dark black fruit, earthy-forest floor. Fruit forward and earthy at the same time. As others have mentioned, this is really a mix of old and new word. An interesting effort from a trusted producer.

Even better on night 2: everything nicely integrated and balanced.

7/24/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Consistent with previous note. Great QPR.

7/19/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Full bodied, dry, notes of watermelon, strawberry, and cranberry. Sour and slightly hot finish. Not bad, about what I expect from a rose at this price point.

7/14/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Light-bodied and fairly sweet with notes of sweet cherries, wet stone, and raspberry. I liked the refreshing effervescence, but it was a little too sweet for my palate. That being said, I enjoyed this experience and I'm glad I have one more bottle. Would make a nice post-BBQ bottle or something similar. The 7.5% ABV lends itself to easy quaffing.

7/12/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Not incredibly complex or complicated, but that's not the point. This one is pure enjoyment: lots of lemony citrus backed by cleansing acidity and refreshing effervescence. All too easy to drink. Honest, approachable, and fun. I will definitely go back to the well with this one.

7/11/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Fruit forward with notes of plum, raspberry, and cherries. Oak is present in aftertaste. Not much acidity or complexity, but a nice enough quaff. Paired well with BBQ ribs.

7/10/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Sad this was my last bottle.

7/10/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Apples and lemon cake on the nose, palate is rich and deep with toasty notes at first giving way to a hint of pears and apples in a nice lemony finish. Very nice bottle. Glad I held on to this for a few years as it's drinking as well as it ever will.

7/10/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Great example of what's possible in CA Pinot when crafted in the right hands. Refined and elegant, with strawberries, bright cherries, barnyard, and earth all playing very well together. A big flavor profile in a very sophisticated package.

My first offering from Peay and I look forward to more.

7/10/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Nice depth on this one: pulls off thick, brambly red fruit without being overly ponderous. Elegant structure and mouth feel. Oak is there, but integrated so it isn't overwhelming. Short on the finish, maybe even a little tight at this point. A steal for $14--Garagiste comes through again.

I'm going to hold on to my other bottle for a few years to see where it goes.

7/10/2011 - Joshiemac wrote:

Sort of "meh" overall on this one. Decent enough flavor profile, but came off as too candied and syrupy for my taste.

7/10/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Green apple and lemon nose, same on the palate, medium weight, good acidity from the middle palate through the finish. Nice balance, good effort.

7/10/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Harsh and leathery on night one, with aggressive black fruit and an overbearing smokey element. A lot of great elements at play, but almost undrinkable without the Vinturi.

Night two was something very different, a more balanced offering with the chalky and earthy notes wrapped around a smokey blackberry core. Silky body with integrated tannins and a long finish. Another Mystery Wine winner from Garagiste. If you have this, hold on to it for awhile.

6/30/2011 - Joshiemac Likes this wine:

Consistent with previous notes. A good example of its type.