1/1/2023 - nanoose wrote:

Lemon brioche. Great mouth feel. Butter caramel with some spice. Long finish

12/3/2022 - Brent25 Likes this wine:

Clear pale/medium garnet; clean medium nose of dusty work shed, dried figs, slight iodine, charred meat and horse saddle; dry; high acidity; medium plus tannins; medium plus alcohol; medium body; pronounced flavour intensity; palate is tarter with addition of cocoa, black licorice, tar and coffee; long finish; drink now or in 5 years but seems close to peak now; beautiful wine!; notes are for straight out of the bottle; the wine was noticeably subdued after about 30 minutes in the glass; we like our Brunellos with a little edge so we’ll be popping and pouring our next bottle

10/4/2021 - Francois Le Mouel Likes this wine:

Another classic Nota Bene, getting close to its peak and as it is the case with many other vintages, it should remain there for a few years. Lots of red/black fruit and the classic sage aroma...especially on the palate. Perfectly balanced and a lot of fun to drink.

2/7/2021 - IanAltman wrote:

Decanted for 3 hours. Dark cherry and leather. Served with Indian (lamb and chicken). The age and decant softened the tannins and made for a nice pairing.

6/27/2021 - PSPatrick wrote:

20 months in new oak. 13.5% ABV. Ripe red fruit, ripe dark cherry, plum, mocha, coffee, chocolate, coconut, spices, vanilla, and clove, with medium-level acidity, medium-fine, partly resolved tannin and good length. Walks the line with its dominant new oak flavors, but does not cross it. And it looks like the wine pulled through its difficult phase and is back on track. Quite enjoyable once you embrace the boatloads of sweet oak. Less deep and concentrated but equally sweet and oaky on day two. No need to hurry. Good value.

8/2/2021 - lwolffl Likes this wine:

Øje: klar, mørk men gennemsigtig, bordeauxrød med let lilla skær, flotte gardiner
Næse: cedertræ, fad, vanilje, syrlige friske kirsebær, mørk lakrids, fugtig skovbund, let solbær
Mund: medium syre, høj tannin men bløde tanniner, friske kirsebær, lang eftersmag, mørk lakrids, rund og blød,

3/20/2021 - KillerJones Likes this wine:

I felt this was very sophisticated SB, kind of took me by surprise, actually.

Part of a WineAlign tasting, this wine has loads of citrus on the nose - almost pungently so: grapefruits & lime.

The palate was like 'Spring in a Glass', with high acid leaving my mouth watering. However, I was not expecting that chalky/salty texture on the mid palate & the long length! Very reminiscent of the Loire Valley!

Give it 30 minutes to allow the SO2 to blow off - but then pour away...preferably in the sun. 🌤

1/26/2021 - Canoehead Does not like this wine:

Meh. Underwhelmed. Not the Bella’s of past vintages. Out of balance. Sticky, sweet black fruits but acid and alcohol more dominant. Virtually no tannic structure. Significant sediment in the bottle. Poor QPR.

11/25/2020 - Barolo Freak wrote:

Orin Swift Abstract is the classic case of more attention to the label, than to the wine. I shared a bottle of Abstract with my nephew recently, and we both agreed that it was nothing special. A typical Cali wine that was overripe, and super fruity. A good purchase if you need to impress your hipster friends.

10/27/2020 - Knxdr wrote:

Big fruit flavors with fine tannin and a light finish. It's lacking the boldness and complexity found in bigger cabs making it an easy weekday wine.

9/19/2020 - Rysling Likes this wine:

Immediately after opening, a great deal of leather and dust. Rapidly resolved into very dark fruit, violets, a touch of sour cherry. I wouldn’t save this too much longer but it’s spectacular right now, one of the best rhone wines of the year.

8/31/2020 - Tubulus wrote:

In a weird spot for me. No longer tastes like a youthful, electric Chablis (though I didn't try this young, so can't say what it tasted like then!) but hasn't gotten very interesting with age yet. Will wait another 5 years on the next bottle.

8/30/2020 - Francois Le Mouel Likes this wine:

Not as opulent and expressive as it was a year ago. Seems to be entering a more restrained phase. Gobs of fruit and tannins that will require another 5 years to reach it's peak probably. Well balanced and offering a good length. Still available, but a bit ridiculous at $170...in a blind tasting last night it finished just behind Nota Bene 2018; you can get 3 Nota Bene for the price of 1 Oculus! I believe that both wines were selling for approximately the same price 20 years ago - around $30 if I'm correct. One producer got greedy!

7/14/2020 - Francois Le Mouel Likes this wine:

Nota Bene is one of the few wines I'd drink on a daily basis. I don't get tired of it and its probably due to its freshness, balance and complex aromas...it's easy to drink, never heavy. The 2014 is just entering its optimal drinking window and will remain there for another 5+ years. Great combination of red berries, sage and this time candy (the famous fun-dip stick).

8/23/2020 - RoyaltyCoins wrote:

Deep ruby, garnet accents

Nose: Black cherry, juniper, charcoal ember, hint of barnyard dust.

Mouth: A huge frame of charcoal, tar, and black tobacco leads the way here, locking down a fruit core of supple, lightly savory black cherry and black currant. A burly tannic grip takes over toward the midpalate as a notable finish of powdered chalk closes out. Flavors come in endless waves however, refusing to give up over time.

Overall: Intense, with a massive midpalate that holds reign over everything, keeping the fruit core from being able to show even 5 years away from harvest. At the moment this needs a 4+ hour decant to unwind but it is utterly stacked with flavor once it does. Hugely structured with triple waves of deep, darkened cherry notes rolling through. Additional melt in the flavors is definitely required, lay this one down for a few years extra. Drink 2026 - 2043

97.

8/22/2020 - Puteljen! wrote:

Perfumed nose of tropical fruit, wet wool and green herbs. On the palate a bit less fruit, medium+ acids and a distinctly herbal character. Slightly bitter and gets more so towards the finish. Also again that feeling of wet wool.

Nah, not bad per se but not my cup. To bitter and lacking a bit of freshness. Will cellar the remaining 2 bottles and hope for the best.

7/30/2020 - Dale M wrote:

The more Bedrock I drink the more I am coming around to the fact that while a few of the reds drink well young, they need to sleep before the real party starts. With that in mind, after 5 years this Bedrock Heritage has up opened somewhat. Reserved notes of black raspberry play off clay and briary notes, good acidity and freshness. The back end shows a lot of power indicating this still has many years to go. Drink now with a long decant.

7/29/2020 - RPerro Likes this wine:

Decanted 1 hour and consumed over 2 nights. Night 1 was all about structure. Robust tannin, nice zippy acidity, and delicious raspberry fruit. Night 2 was just about perfect. A harmony of all things "wine", with lovely flavors and smooth mouthfeel. Nothing is out of place, and this is drinking beautifully. Could still go years I'm sure. Drink now with air - 2025.

7/25/2020 - AlanM68 Likes this wine:

In great shape now, but no rush to drink (that said, if you have a few - this was the first of a case - why not try it now). Black fruits on the nose, opens up into a long, very together, beautifully rich wine.

7/13/2020 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

Disappointing, but it is a '17 afterall.....best at 1 hour in, worse with more time. Fruit and spice is good up front then turns to a bit of a muddled mess. Astringent, herbal and green at the end. Drink them at the pnp and for the first hour they are open.

7/10/2020 - dalemosier Likes this wine:

This was hard to rate. It is a big, robust rioja. I think the 3rd day, after opening was better. I am going to try a freshly opened, decanted for one hour in a side by side at day 5 and compare. I think Wine Spectator said drink by 2018 but I think this will yet improve beyond 2020

7/4/2020 - swapdoc Likes this wine:

From a magnum. Prominent oak with a touch of vanilla on the open, an Italian Camus. Needed a few hours to begin showing a complex and jammy sangio. Concentrated, big wine by any measure; plum, chocolate, dark cherry, earth, hint of ginger. Heat from the warm vintage is evident in the finish. Impressive, wait.

7/5/2020 - jimyeni wrote:

Closed. If you have bottles I recommend waiting. It wasn’t bad just lacked character at this point because it seemed really closed down. Didn’t decant hit drank over 2 hours with no signs of opening.

5/17/2020 - Samborowski Likes this wine:

Excellent blended red. Mild. Not acidic. Expensive. A 96 rating but do not believe the taste is commensurate with the cost.

4/23/2020 - diegorafaelvaldez wrote:

Decanted

4/23/2020 - David_K wrote:

Day 1: Pop and pour out of the fridge. Flat and lifeless. Not oxidized, just not a whole lot going on. Not much acid, not much fruit, not much of anything. Turns out this REALLY needs air and a little time to warm up. A little better after 15 minutes, and much better after 30 when it starts to come alive. Built more like a Vouvray than a Chablis - it's a wine built on texture.

Day 2: Pop and pour out of the fridge. Dammit, same thing again. Forgot to take it out sooner, but was hoping a day of being open would help. Nope, pretty much the same trajectory as night 1. So there you have it.

4/23/2020 - shawnharold wrote:

More time was great for this. Crazy to think I wrote 2020 on the bottle 3-4 years ago. And here it is. Balanced. Deep inky purple. Clogged the sulphate filter. BlackBerry juice

4/12/2020 - BinVA Likes this wine:

Drank with Easter dinner. Decanted 3 hours prior to drinking, really nice merlot. Wish I had more at the release price, too expensive now.

4/13/2020 - AAJR Likes this wine:

PnP'd - dark red fruit, cocoa and expresso flavors. Full bodied.

3/25/2020 - Rob-Rah Likes this wine:

Nice. Restrained but focussed fruit. Zesty and refreshing. Oak is rather obvious at the moment. Recommended!

3/13/2020 - Topsoil Likes this wine:

Wow from start to finish! Very complex and outstanding bottle. So hard to describe other than it’s a chimera (look it up!). Deep, dark fruit on the nose which was immediately present on the palate. Large doses of blackberry and sugar plum, quite a treat! After a few hours in we were greeted by a long mineral sea-salt and white pepper finish. I’ve had plenty of amazing Turley zinfandels but this is one for the record books!

3/2/2020 - sirpat00 wrote:

Margaux vs Sassicaia double vertical: Sassicaia vs Margaux face-off hosted by a private collector. I was surprised by the unambiguousness of the result in this 13- year (2003-2015) double vertical. Margaux beats Sassicaia 10x with Sassicaia on top only 3x. Of the 26 wines tasted, the top 6 (all scored 95 and higher) were all Margaux with 2009, 2010 and 2015 all somewhere between regal and galactic. In sum, the average score for Margaux was 94.4 (range 92-98) as compared to a Sassicaia average of 93.1 (range 92-94). See tasting story for a few more high level remarks.

This kicked of the tasting showing leather barnyard, dark berry (cherry), bramble berry and some fresh herbaceous notes. Fresh acidity, velvety texture, a bit of heat and intense blueberry fruit waited to be discovered on the plate. Maybe lacking some precision and turning somewhat port-like over time, but otherwise a nicely aged wine that didn't have to hide from the Margaux 2004 in the next glass.

10/22/2019 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

Clarity.....stony minerality.....reserved class. All good things. Not for you Cali oaky, creamy chard people. You know who you are, because two nights a week I am one of them, too. This is very different, a fresh alternative to all the oak poisoning from the West Coast. A certain Graves/BDX-like white rendition from SAfrica, for the right evening. It has lighter weight, but yet enough horsepower to state its case with the right meal. Citrus, white flowers, tart apple/grapefruit and pleasing acidity all pass the test. One curious finding......this '17 does better as it warms in the glass to room temp, but its brother, the '18 really needs a chill, IMO.

1/4/2020 - Johnny C NYC wrote:

Nose emerged quickly and represented the best of Piedmonte Nebbiolo. Deep, deep aspects - aging has worked some magic. There is no sharpness on the nose or the palate. Powerful dark fruit on the palate with a long and strong finish. Muted high end (not muted overall) enhances the perception of depth here. Those of you who have visited this winery (right in the center of Barolo village) will appreciate this accomplishment even more. 50/5/14/18/9

12/22/2019 - WildeMeeuw Likes this wine:

Kleur: Robijnrood. Aroma / bouquet: Verfijnd en delicaat bouquet. Niet heel expressief, wel prachtg complex.. Smaak / Afdronk: Wow. Heerlijk. Sassicaia is wat mij betreft nimmer teleurstellend maar ook nimmer groots. Deze 2004 is een uitzondering. Klassiek bouquet. Prettige frisse zuurgraad. Briljant gerijpte tannines, enerzijds voldoende 'bite' voor de structuur van deze wijn, anderzijds boterzacht en dropppig. Echt heel mooi, enerzijds stevig, anderzijds verfijnd en delicaat. Algemeen / potentieel: Wat mij betreft een van de allermooiste Sassicaia's die ik ooit heb geproefd. 50 + Kleur: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Smaak / Afdronk: 19 + Algemeen / potentieel: 9 = 94/100

Google Translate:

Color: Ruby red. Aroma / bouquet: Refined and delicate bouquet. Not very expressive, but beautifully complex .. Taste / Aftertaste: Wow. Delicious. Sassicaia is in my opinion never disappointing but never great. This 2004 is an exception. Classic bouquet. Nice fresh acidity. Brilliantly ripened tannins, on the one hand sufficient 'bite' for the structure of this wine, on the other hand butter soft and licorice. Really very beautiful, on the one hand sturdy, on the other refined and delicate. General / potential: As far as I am concerned, one of the most beautiful Sassicaias I have ever tasted. 50 + Color: 5 + Aroma / bouquet: 11 + Taste / Finish: 19 + General / potential: 9 = 94/100

12/14/2019 - adamanko Likes this wine:

Fantastic today. Sweet fruit and prunes. Complex and mouthwatering. A little touch of stable. Wonderful spices. Oh, so I wish I had more. Long. A little liqourice.

12/1/2019 - Francois Le Mouel Likes this wine:

Excellnent Tignanello, but way too young to fully appreciate. The structure and the depth of the fruit suggest a significant improvement in the next 5-10 years. Had this wine twice in the last 6 months and I'd recommend several hours in the decanter, if you decide to open one now.

10/26/2019 - df1962 wrote:

PnD let air for 1hr.

Consistent with previous note.

Screwed up as I was going to keep this for 10 years. This is in such a great place of exquisite balance depth and complexity. Great finish with cherry and savoury notes. Wow. Who says CCR (even though this is a Rufina it is the same quality) can’t equal Brunello.

10/3/2019 - Fractalage Likes this wine:

Good wine.
Lots of new oak, which works for this balancing out the lovely lush tart cherry and complex spices.
Quality zin, but not worth the money.
If you like big and lush oak driven fruit, then this is the one for you.
I can imagine millions of American palates in love with this one.

If you're thinking about opening this one any time soon, let it rest until clear (that's a given, but most don't know to do this.) then decant off sediment as there is quite a bit, at least there was in my bottle, then let air for minimum 3 hours before serving. It really came together after 3 hours.
For this bottle there was the sediment smoke showing through before half the bottle was poured and I had let it rest for 2 months.

Gassed the leftover and fridged.
The next day poured off the sediment another glass before the sediment smoke showed.
That glass was the best, cold from the fridge. It had complexity of tart spieces that were not noticeable before.

The last glass was big time cloudy sediment.
Tasted of dirty tart cherry spice. Loved it.
This sediment had way more power and spice than the rest. Was very enjoyable.

If you like energy and complexity with powerful spices that go on and on, then give the Pecchenino Langhe Nebbiolo a try for $20. Wow. Discovered this value at Costco, Redwood City, CA.

9/28/2019 - SlimShaney Likes this wine:

If I were in the Italian countryside or even eating a good pasta I can see a romantically higher score but at home and drinking it straight I think this needs another decade for the leatheriness to get deeper and the soureness on the front left palate to dissipate. From memory this gets crazy high scores from 'judges' are they judging it relative to this grape or for outright pleasure and quality?

10/28/2014 - galenico Likes this wine:

SALONE DEL GUSTO 2014; 10/26/2014-10/30/2014 (LINGOTTO FIERE TORINO): Terra, polvere e cuoio. Un quadro Western.
Frutto macerato nel tabacco da pipa. Carnale, e insanguinato.
Entra sottile, poi tante rose, finissimo e profumatissimo.
Assomiglia come registro e come stile al Boca Le Piane 2010, anche se ha meno acidità, più tannino e più frutto.
Mi fa immaginare un blocco di calcare alla rosa!!
Sul finale morbidissimo torna il tabacco. Wow.
Commovente

9/20/2019 - merryberry Likes this wine:

Hasn't changed much over the last couple of years, and that's a good thing. Cherries, sage, spices, dusty tannins, and a long finish. So good. Need to move out that "drink by" date at least a couple of years.

9/15/2019 - greedy wrote:

Maybe too young but nothing special. Very unsophisticated. Weird finish. I much prefer Italian and Napa wines.

8/23/2019 - msuwine wrote:

This bottle has more energy and definition than the one I had about 16 months ago (5/18 - 90 points), but it's still not a wine I would seek out with particular (or any other form of) urgency. Purple red in color and full in body, the wine offers aromas of plum, licorice, and tar. Tastes of stewed blueberry, leather, and gravel, with a loose and lingering finish. This has more life in it than the bottle I had last year, but even that variation gives me pause. 15.1% alcohol. Drink now.

I am a fan of Robert Parker (no wine writer more reliably pointed me in the direction of great wines), but I took a look at his retrospective note about this wine (97 in 2014) - and I couldn't help but laugh at two things:

The first is the idea that this has "skyscraper-like texture." What does that even mean? I could imagine this analogy for depth or complexity, but texture is mouthfeel (e.g., silky, grainy), not height. Lots of reviews, lots of words, I get that it's hard - but, drinking this tonight, I couldn't imagine that descriptor for this wine (or, to be fair, any wine).

The second is that Parker suggests, in 2014, that this wine could age for another 15-20 years (read: 2029-2034). After tasting the wine twice in the past year or so, I can say this: that drinking window is insane. Perhaps it's easy to say this kind of thing when you don't pay for the wine, but this doesn't have the density or structure to go much further. I know free advice is worth what you pay for it, but the same can't be said (at least sometimes) for professional advice, either...

8/5/2019 - RickyT12 Likes this wine:

Big blueberry and blackberry fruit forward nose. Big, round, soft tannins, some tobacco, some herbal notes in the background, little bit of heat, but not overpowering. Hint of milk chocolate. Very nice wine, but no transition, not really complex. A little soft and juicy, but not on the extremes of either.

6/9/2019 - crowino Likes this wine:

Nice big California cab. At $38/bottle tax and deliver included, it’s a great bargain.

7/7/2019 - Jz71 wrote:

375 ml bottle, was on the other side of great. But very nice, though. I would suspect a standard 750 ml bottle would be in it's prime, right now.

6/18/2019 - robferguson1 wrote:

Had the 2004 prior night and it was silky smooth but this was still young so I will give it 5 years and it will like be as good, great value as poor mans grange, May it continue, keep the secret!

6/3/2019 - prasm Likes this wine:

Popped and poured, consumed over 4 hours. Nose: Medium expressiveness, blue and red fruit - blueberry & cranberry, shoe polish undertones, licorice, and allspice. Palate: Medium bodied, perfectly ripe blue and black fruit attack, graphite and camphor appear through the mid-palate, very interesting complexity on the palate, graphite and dark fruit dominate the back-end and persist through a 45-60 second finish. This wine definitely punches well above it's weight class, seriously good juice for $28.

6/2/2019 - SlimShaney Likes this wine:

It will get you drunk on a hot day and make doing your kids spelling homework almost manageable.

Strong flavoured chardonnay as I like it but not too overt, though could do with more acidity. But anyhow a mass produced crowd pleaser, the constructed pop music of the weekend wine scene.