12/2/2020 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Horribly corked.

3/22/2019 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Corked! Bummer!

4/3/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Port tasting (tawnies and rubys); 3/27/2018-4/3/2018 (Todd's): The best of the tawny's on the table. Deep iced tea in color. The nose has crem brulee with a slight spice and a hint of dark chocolate. On the palate, caramel and brown sugar. This has depth and complexity. An amazingly long finish. Impressive, but not inexpensive either.

4/3/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Port tasting (tawnies and rubys); 3/27/2018-4/3/2018 (Todd's): Iced tea in color. slightly cloudy. The nose has caramel, slight saline with bits of milk chocolate. Interesting. On the palate there is caramel, burnt brown sugar. Slightly sweet. Complex. Although bottles don't get better with age, nevertheless, this was about 18 years old and perhaps has lost some sweetness. Quite enjoyable.

4/3/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Port tasting (tawnies and rubys); 3/27/2018-4/3/2018 (Todd's): This was a new one for me. It comes in attractive packaging. Sort of a round, squat bottle. Ruby in color. The nose is slightly oxidized with caramel and a bit of raisin and heat. Mostly dry on the palate with a slight sweetness though. It's a tawny but more like a 10 year and there seems to be some dried raspberry fruit left. I think I wanted to like it more than it is given the "325th Anniversary" and the packaging. At the end of the day, its fine but there are probably a a bunch of 10 year Tawnies for 1/3rd the price that are just as good.

4/3/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Port tasting (tawnies and rubys); 3/27/2018-4/3/2018 (Todd's): Ruby/brown in color. The nose is nice enough with caramel and slight oranges. On the palate, this is medium bodied. The caramel comes thru with a bit of crem brulee. Simple and easy. No depth but enjoyable. No faults just nothing outstanding either. Given the price, that's just fine.

4/2/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Port tasting (tawnies and rubys); 3/27/2018-4/3/2018 (Todd's): This is an Israeli version of a Port. Made with Touriga Nacional and Tinto Cao. Pop and pour. Purple in color. The nose is a bit hot with cherries, black cherries and slight chocolate. On the palate, this is sweet but not overtly. Cherries with some complexity. Some heat. The crowd enjoyed it with a flourless chocolate tort. Some room to improve I think. A nice ending to a Seder.

4/2/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2018 Passover Seder Wines (Our home): Yes, not Kosher for Passover, but we served it anyway. After all, it is our wine (and so, this is probably a biased tasting note). These bottles had been opened 60 hours prior to serving as I knew this was young. Still needed more air or cellar time. Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, slight black pepper and a hint of bacon fat. On the palate, good acidity, black cherry and black raspberry fruit. Nice finish. Worked well with food. This is a cooler climate Syrah that needs about 3 to 5 more years IMO. I don't score the wines officially as it would be biased but if I was, let's say 92 with some possible upside. Again, this is a biased review.

4/2/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2018 Passover Seder Wines (Our home): We drank 3 bottles of this. All consistent and well received. For around $20, this is actually a great value. I believe it is all aged in tank. Mostly a Bordeaux blend with some Syrah. Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, black cherries, slight plums with a bit of herbal qualities. On the palate, this is medium bodied with nice black cherry and black raspberry fruit. Not a ton of depth but some complexity. Nice acidity, it worked well with food. Good finish.

4/2/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2018 Passover Seder Wines (Our home): Not sure of the varieties here. Seemed a bit long in the tooth but Sauvignon Blanc and maybe Grenache Blanc were my guess. In any event, the fruit is mostly gone now. Light golden in color. The nose has a steely quality to it with slight melon notes and a dried floral quality (Viognier?). On the palate, a slightly oily texture is nice. The steely quality carries thru. Refreshing and food friendly. A bit bitter on the finish. Probably better a few years back. Drink up.

4/2/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2018 Passover Seder Wines (Our home): Light golden in color. The nose has some grapefruit with toast and some fresh cut lumber/sawdust. On the palate, its more lemon with some vanilla and fresh burnt toast. A bit heavy handed with the oak for my tastes but not totally out of hand. The Cal Chard lovers at the table liked it more than I. Decent acidity. Worked reasonably well with (vegetarian) Matzoh Ball soup.

4/2/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2018 Passover Seder Wines (Our home): A Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc blend although the SB seems to dominate. Light green/gold in color. The nose has a bit of tropical fruit, minerals and slight grassy notes. On the palate, this is just barely sweet. Nice minerals. A hint of melons. Good acidity. Worked well with a difficult citrus salad to match it to.

4/2/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2018 Passover Seder Wines (Our home): Nice enough for a Kosher for Passover Sparkler. Overpriced in my market at $20. Still, it was a nice start to the evening before we actually sat down for the Seder. Light gold in color. The nose has some minerality. Just a perception of sweetness on the palate. Nice froth. Minerals. Decent balance. Easy.

3/31/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Port tasting (tawnies and rubys); 3/27/2018-4/3/2018 (Todd's): Purple/ruby in color. The nose has nice black raspberry fruit. On the palate, black raspberries with slight raisins. Very clean. Complex. This was pop and pour and took a few minutes to open but then it is drinking just fine. It won't get better at 40+ years, but no real hurry either (depending on how you like your Ports). Slight heat on the finish.

3/31/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Port tasting (tawnies and rubys); 3/27/2018-4/3/2018 (Todd's): Purple/ruby in color. The nose is dusty with black cherries. On the palate, this is a bit rough. Perhaps a decant might have smoothed out those edges. Black raspberries and chocolate. Slight heat on the finish.

3/31/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Port tasting (tawnies and rubys); 3/27/2018-4/3/2018 (Todd's): Decanted for about 8 hours prior to serving. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose is very nice with black raspberries, slight chocolate notes and slight gravel. On the palate, this is complex and deep. Black raspberries, slightly sugary, with chocolate. Long and smooth finish. This had a lot of air, but given that, it seemed about at peak. No hurry at all though obviously. The wine of the night.

3/30/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Port tasting (tawnies and rubys); 3/27/2018-4/3/2018 (Todd's): This was given 3 hours of decanting prior to the tasting. It probably could have been 3 days. That said, it is delicious and drinking very well if young right now. Inky purple in color. The nose has plums, black raspberries and slight prune notes. Very deep it tight. Slightly sweet with black raspberry fruit. Shave dark chocolate (dusty). Long, smooth finish. Gorgeous wine with upside over the next 2 or 3 decades.

3/30/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Port tasting (tawnies and rubys); 3/27/2018-4/3/2018 (Todd's): Purple in color. A very tight nose. After some time it shows some milk chocolate and black raspberries. On the palate, this is more open. Black raspberries, chocolate and slight raisins. There is some heat on the wine thru the finish. I think air or cellar time is certainly needed at this point. Some upside.

3/30/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Port tasting (tawnies and rubys); 3/27/2018-4/3/2018 (Todd's): Inky purple in color. The nose is tight. Some raisin and cherry. On the palate, this is sweet black cherries and some dark chocolate. It turns sweet with a sugar cookie quality. Not a lot of depth but a fine sipper.

3/30/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Port tasting (tawnies and rubys); 3/27/2018-4/3/2018 (Todd's): I don't have much experience with white ports but this was excellent. Deep golden in color. The nose has a nice but slight orange marmalade quality to it. On the palate, this is sweet. A slight mushroom note with some caramel. With air, some butterscotch emerges. Slight alcohol on the finish. There is a nice vibrancy here but also a Madeira-esq quality to it. Quite nice.

3/29/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 German Rieslings; 3/28/2018-3/29/2018 (Mark's): I liked this more than the group (7/8) although it did get one first place vote. Probably not helped by coming after a bunch of sweeter wines. Light golden in color. The nose has a nice minerality and interestingly, comes off as sweet and a bit sugary. On the palate, this is definitely dry. Deep with a nice minerality. It has a slight herbal note with some asparagus and finishing with a sour citrus that made it very different from all of the other wines on the table. It definitely was off putting to many but not all. Past vintages have taken a few years to come around so probably better to wait on this one for now.

3/29/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 German Rieslings; 3/28/2018-3/29/2018 (Mark's): Light gold in color. The nose is tight with a minerality that emerges with air. On the palate, this has a hint of sweetness. Excellent balance. Some fruit (citrus and slight peach) emerge with air. Plenty of minerals though. Long finish. Always a great value, more true in 2015.

3/29/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 German Rieslings; 3/28/2018-3/29/2018 (Mark's): AP#2. Light golden in color. The nose is tight but with air, a nice minerality. On the palate, there is a nice mineral streak. A bit of a sugary/simple syrup note that is interesting but it is sweet. Very deep wine with a nice complexity. Long finish. Drinking well now, but I suspect some upside as the fruit emerges and the sweetness fades a bit.

3/29/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 German Rieslings; 3/28/2018-3/29/2018 (Mark's): Very disappointing showing. Normally, Prum takes some time to come around, but the 2015 was quite open for them on release. Maybe it has now shut down. Of course, this might have been an off bottle but nothing that I could pin point. Light gold in color. a bit of sulfur on the nose but not a lot. Some minerals and some lemon but a strange slightly decayed flesh note that I did not like. On the palate, this is slightly sweet with a lovely texture. Nice minerality and much cleaner. It turns slightly cloying on the finish. Its not bad, in fact, it is quite good. It's just that expectations were high. I will certainly let the bottles in my cellar rest for a while (which is a good thing).

3/29/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 German Rieslings; 3/28/2018-3/29/2018 (Mark's): Light golden in color. The nose has slight sulfur notes with slight lemon and a bit of minerals. On the palate, this is a bit disjointed at the moment. Tart acidity. Lemon fruit. Bitter on the finish. Perhaps this comes together with some time. I don't know this producer.

3/28/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 German Rieslings; 3/28/2018-3/29/2018 (Mark's): Light golden in color. The nose has plenty of sulfur but also some peach and minerals. On the palate, more crisp apple. Slight honey notes. This is sweet and crisp at the same time. seems a bit tighter than i remembered it being a year ago. I would hold or give it plenty of air. At around $23, this is a great value.

3/28/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 German Rieslings; 3/28/2018-3/29/2018 (Mark's): This was the groups WOTN although it only got one first place vote. I enjoyed it but perhaps a bit less. Light golden in color. The nose has some sulfur on it along with some minerals. On the palate, this is sweet. There is a nice complexity her and a lovely texture. Sour lemon candy. Almost a sweet-tart like quality. Nice finish. Great value for this wine although I have no idea how it ages or where it goes from here.

3/28/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 German Rieslings; 3/28/2018-3/29/2018 (Mark's): Light golden in color. The nose is very tight with slight wet rock notes. Much better on the palate. Nice texture. Sour lemon candy notes. Tart acidity. Long finish.

3/28/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 German Rieslings; 3/28/2018-3/29/2018 (Mark's): Green gold in color. A fair amount of smallish bubbles. The nose is nice lemons and seltzer. On the palate, this is slightly sour with slight wet stones. Dry. A slight spritz to it. Clipped on the finish. This is a nice sparkling wine that competes with Cremants and Cavas.

3/28/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 Chateauneuf du Papes (Lou's): Jeff opened this after the tasting. Ruby/purple in color. This smells like it should. Some cherries, macerated cherries and barnyard. It hit me that this is what was missing from all the 2015's. Love that earthiness. Does it develop? I doubt it. Anyway, on the palate, this is very nice with layers of black cherry fruit and damp earth. Tannins are resolved. It seems to be at peak or slightly past but drinking quite well. 20 years from vintage with plenty of life left it all one can ask. Thanks Jeff for the treat.

3/28/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 Chateauneuf du Papes (Lou's): Purple in color. The nose has black cherries. On the palate, this has jammy black cherry fruit. Rough tannins. It seems a bit disjointed at first but smoothes out with some air. It is certainly enjoyable but lacking the complexity of many of the wine on the table.

3/28/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 Chateauneuf du Papes (Lou's): To me the clear star of the night and the groups WOTN as well. Purple in color. The nose has black cherries, slightly dusty with garrique. On the palate, black cherries and spice. Great lush texture with silky tannins. Delicious but also complex and tightly layered depth. Long finish. This has some upside for sure, but is great today.

3/28/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 Chateauneuf du Papes (Lou's): Often this stands out in a tasting due to the Mourvedre but this did not. After the unveiling, I went back and it still seems dominated by the Grenache. Purple in color. The nose has cherries and some anise along with spices. On the palate, black cherries, and spice. It has a chewy texture which is nice. Turns a bit sour on the finish which is not bad, just unexpected. Overall, an outstanding wine now but one would assume it should improve over the next few years.

3/28/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 Chateauneuf du Papes (Lou's): Purple/ruby in color. The nose has cherries, dark cherries, sandalwood and garrique. On the palate, spiced cherries with slight black cherry notes. A bit of warm earthiness to it. Light tannins. Long finish. Donjon is usually a wine that takes some time to open (years) but this is drinking quite well now. Still, it probably has some upside potential and is not yet at peak.

3/28/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 Chateauneuf du Papes (Lou's): Medium ruby in color, clear and bright. The nose is nice with black cherries, a bit of mint and spice. On the palate, I liked this but there were some unusual notes. Sour cherries. Some CdP's get described as Burgundian, this is more Oregonian. Light but present tannins. Slightly bitter on the finish. Some tight complexity, it does open in the glass. Certainly some upside potential to this wine but quite enjoyable today.

3/28/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 Chateauneuf du Papes (Lou's): The groups last place wine which is somewhat surprising though I don't disagree. Light/medium ruby in color. The nose is light with dusty cherries. On the palate, this has a cough syrup quality. Trent called it medicinal which works as well. Black cherries and some anise. Firm tannins. Solid finish. Perhaps this sorts out with some cellar time but nothing (other than history) leads me to believe that. Not what I expected though a wine I am happy to drink.

3/28/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 Chateauneuf du Papes (Lou's): Not a wine that i can recall trying before. Ruby/purple in color. The nose is very tight and never seemed to fully open. Perhaps more purple fruits than red with some spice. Much more open on the palate. Flat out delicious wine. Not a ton of complexity but juicy black raspberries and black cherries. Smooth and easy to drink. Nice finish.

3/28/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 Chateauneuf du Papes (Lou's): I liked this one a bit more than the group. It is very feminine and alluring for my tastes. Light ruby in color. The nose has a cherry juice note along with garrrique and slight earthiness. On the palate, great silky texture. Cherries and warm earth layers. This is a "Burgundian" style CdP and gets a bit over shadowed by the larger wines. Nice finish.

3/28/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 Chateauneuf du Papes (Lou's): Purple in color with some ruby swirls. Lovely nose with spices and black cherries. Open initially, it shuts down and then slowly opens in the glass. Clean. On the palate, this is very tannic right now. Juicy black cherry fruit. Deep but tight. Delicious wine that is tasty today but really needs a few years to develop. Certainly a point or three of upside potential.

3/28/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

2015 Chateauneuf du Papes (Lou's): Very nice showing. Silvery/green/gold in color. The nose is very clean with a chalky note alongside some pears. On the palate, this has a lovely oily texture. More chalky and minerals than fruit but a bit of pear. Slight heat and slightly dry on the finish but otherwise long and nice. Seems to be drinking quite well right now. Going back to it after some air, it had improved.

3/25/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Dinner with friends (Grange, Krug, Caymus ++) (Robert's): In some ways Dow probably could have done a bit better for the vintage. Yet, this bottle has been very consistent (just had one a few weeks ago as a matter of fact). From a 375. A delightful way to end a great meal. Iced tea/ruby in color. The nose has some milk chocolate covered raisins. A bit of alcohol. The palate matches with some heat on the finish. Worked well with some creme brulee. A few sips goes a long way as it is slightly sweet. In this format seems perfect mature and close to peak but no real rush.

3/25/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Dinner with friends (Grange, Krug, Caymus ++) (Robert's): I have been lucky enough to have this at least half a dozen times over the years and this was easily the best yet. In fact, this is still drinking young and continued to improve in the glass with the last sip being the best. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose is deep showing a bit of maturity and a lot of fruit. Black raspberries, slight black pepper, floral notes and a slight gamey meat note. On the palate, this is clean with great black raspberry fruit, some pepper notes. Great acidity and balance. Light tannins. Long finish. Went great with some chocolate desserts. Always a treat.

3/25/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Dinner with friends (Grange, Krug, Caymus ++) (Robert's): If this had a label that said something other than Caymus, I think wine geeks (that like this style) would rave over it. For many though, Caymus is a poster child of expense account wines or over the top wines and it gets dismissed by some.This may be the former but certainly not the later. Obviously for others, this is a rock star wine. It is a gorgeous wine. Purple in color. The nose has cassis, blueberries, slight cocoa and a slight chalk quality to it. With air, more red fruit notes show up. On the palate, this is delicious. Drinking quite well right now. Cassis, cocoa with medium tannins. Great balance. Nice finish. Despite being an off vintage, this wine shows no sigh of that other than possible drinking a bit quicker than other vintages. Still some upside here and not at peak. Certainly up there with the best of Napa.

3/25/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Dinner with friends (Grange, Krug, Caymus ++) (Robert's): In a great place right now. Purple in color, ruby at the rim. The nose hits immediately with that eucalyptus/mint note. Plenty of cassis, with a slight liqueur quality. With air, the cassis becomes more pronounced along with some cedar and plums. On the palate, this is still old school Napa in style. Not boisterous but plenty of cassis fruit. Tightly layered, it continued to improve in the glass. Nice balance and food friendly. Not sure if it gets better but probably more bordeaux-like. In any event, a wonderful wine today.

3/25/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Dinner with friends (Grange, Krug, Caymus ++) (Robert's): Beautiful wine that is still drinking young. It does have some fine particles in it (tartrates?) which didn't bother me but bothered some. Golden in color. The nose has a nice vanilla note with lemon cream. On the palate, this is tight but unwinds in the glass. Deep and complex with excellent acidity. The lemon cream carries thru but more mineral than oak on the palate. Long finish. Food friendly. No hurry on this.

3/25/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Dinner with friends (Grange, Krug, Caymus ++) (Robert's): This has settled in a bit since the early days of release. A great comparison to the Belle Epoque. That was more about the fruit, this is more about the earth. Light golden in color. The nose is slightly oxidized with slight mushrooms, baked bread, sun baked earthiness and some lemon peel. On the palate, this is deep with tight complexity. Pin point acidity. Long finish. Went great with food. It did take a few minutes to open up and kept opening while we drank it, so perhaps some air (or decanting) would be the way to go.

3/25/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Dinner with friends (Grange, Krug, Caymus ++) (Robert's): Light golden in color. A nice amount of tiny bubble and froth. The nose is quite nice with plenty of fruit. Lemons, peaches with just a bit of yeast. On the palate, this is crisp and wakes up the palate. Juicy citrus with peach as well. Deep if still tight. Long finish. Very food friendly. Great way to start.

3/10/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Some Top Shelf Burgs (My home): This was pop and pour from a 375 at the end of the evening. Probably should have been given some air but hey. Purple in color. The nose has black raspberries, raisins and milk chocolate. Those flavors carry thru to the palate. Slightly sweet. Rich body and texture. Smooth with little heat. Nice finish. A nice end of the evening.

3/10/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Some Top Shelf Burgs (My home): Possibly the biggest disappointment of the night. The group had it in last (#10) place. I liked it a bit more, but when you consider that this bottle now retails for $1,500 a bottle or more... Of course, it is very young and probably should not have been opened for 30 years. Medium ruby in color. The nose has nice spice, cherries and strawberries and sandalwood. On the palate, it comes across as a bit darker with cherries and slight cassis notes. The cassis definitely has a liqueur quality to it. Tight, it unwinds in the glass. Certainly, there must be a ton of upside to this. A real treat to try this of course. It is outstanding but perhaps just a victim to over sized expectations.

3/10/2018 - Loren Sonkin wrote:

Some Top Shelf Burgs (My home): A bit disappointing which is perhaps due to its youth (or not). The group placed it about the same as I. Maybe it was hurt coming right after the pair of 05 Dujacs. Ruby in color. The nose is earthy and spicy with light cherries and strawberries. On the palate this is tight. The cherries and strawberries carry thru into tight layers. Nice finish. Pretty wine.