I am usually a big fan of Dave Phinney's wines, so I was excited to find this bottle on clearance for $12.
Violets, mixed berries, and spices on the nose. Plums, blackberries, currants, earth, and tobacco notes on the palate. The wine is dry. Tannins are medium, alcohol is high. Finish is medium in length. Paired with a sausage platter on a cold night.
Okay wine for the price, but not remotely French in style, and therefore ultimately disappointing. Will not buy again.
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NV ( non Vintage blends are difficult to evaluate in my opinion) especially when the grape blends and age / region are not published as in the Location series of wines. Maybe paying Russian roulette In making a purchase decision. To the wine: picked it out of a tasting for the super rich fruit jammy later I felt the concentration would reward. Chambord on the nose, and a bit of herbs and dust, fruits are muddled. Where fruit was before , I’m getting more overripe stewed fruits and acidity. There are some earthy / meaty tones and the taste as become simplified, short and bitter. I know being in the business how to ferment and blend these varietal to jump out of the glass on release, but they fade fast with a few years of bottle age. I think I will leave the Blends to the wine writers trying to report on the next value bottle of joy, and return to real known estates & Varietals, And predictable aging periods for my cellar. I’m always learning. ��
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Fruit-forward. Much better opened and gassed the third day. Became more balanced. Still hard to place this as "France", but a pleasant enough Tuesday bottle.
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A high-octane (15% abv) French fruit bomb. Have enjoyed previous renditions of the F Series. But this presents like an Australo-Cali hybrid drenched in sun and overripe fruit. No nuance here. Slathered with ripe black cherries, overripe raspberries, black plums and a hint of soy sauce. Extra long finish. But doesn’t offer anything you would look for in a French wine. Won’t make old bones. Drink now. (��= Pass)
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Short decant from cellar temperature. As with all other Locations wines, chocolatey, plummy, and somewhat flabby. This works for the Argentinian and Californian Locations wines, but is painfully incorrect for Italian, French, and Portugese blends. Drinkable, but just "good," 84/100.
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Rich red fruit on the nose. The red fruit continues on the palate but picks up a solid acid backbone along the way. Finish is clean with a hint of astringency at the very end. An excellent wine for the $15 price tag to be sure.
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From yesterday's virtual tasting hosted by talented winemaker and founder of Orin Swift, Dave Phinney, this non-vintage blend from the Locations project. The blend from France is especially compelling, laden with black currants, roasted strawberries, and a slightly wild, earthy streak of underbrush, damp tilth, dried mushroom, and spearmint. Fruit sourced from the Rhone, Roussillon, and Bordeaux are artfully knit together, giving this wine structure, acidity and body in just the right proportions. 14.5% ABV | Sample
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3/5/2022 - chelidon Likes this wine: 91 Points
Best of the bunch, has really hit its stride, about as good as it will get.
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12/11/2020 - chelidon Likes this wine: 91 Points
Significant improvement from last bottle, still needs to breathe for an hour or so.
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8/9/2020 - LightDancer wrote: 90 Points
Even better now. I wish I had waited on all these bottles. Very well blended,and delightful south France flavors and fragrances.
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4/19/2020 - LightDancer wrote: 89 Points
Finally seems to have matured. Flavors of south and southwestern France. Perfectly serviceable wine.
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5/30/2019 - Alaskawino Likes this wine: 89 Points
Big fruity and smooth. Just not that complicated. Good for another few years.
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4/22/2019 - LightDancer wrote: 89 Points
Serviceable wine. Not complex, but good flavors. Could probably guess France, but maybe not!
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2/11/2019 - Stephen.Somm wrote: 85 Points
I am usually a big fan of Dave Phinney's wines, so I was excited to find this bottle on clearance for $12.
Violets, mixed berries, and spices on the nose. Plums, blackberries, currants, earth, and tobacco notes on the palate. The wine is dry. Tannins are medium, alcohol is high. Finish is medium in length. Paired with a sausage platter on a cold night.
Okay wine for the price, but not remotely French in style, and therefore ultimately disappointing. Will not buy again.
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1/2/2019 - merlot78 Likes this wine: 88 Points
Easy drinking and enjoyable.
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10/15/2018 - redz wrote: flawed
not working
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9/20/2018 - merlot78 Likes this wine: 87 Points
Well made. My week ight go to wine.
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8/25/2018 - edog77 Likes this wine: 86 Points
Needed some time to air out then came together with dark cherries and licorice spice with pepper.
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8/22/2018 - glaufman Does not like this wine: 75 Points
A bit spicier and more earthy han I like... H says not bad for a Tuesday nite pizza wine. Drank with pasta bolognese
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4/17/2018 - Zinslut Likes this wine: 84 Points
NV ( non Vintage blends are difficult to evaluate in my opinion) especially when the grape blends and age / region are not published as in the Location series of wines. Maybe paying Russian roulette
In making a purchase decision.
To the wine: picked it out of a tasting for the super rich fruit jammy later I felt the concentration would reward. Chambord on the nose, and a bit of herbs and dust, fruits are muddled. Where fruit was before , I’m getting more overripe stewed fruits and acidity. There are some earthy / meaty tones and the taste as become simplified, short and bitter.
I know being in the business how to ferment and blend these varietal to jump out of the glass on release, but they fade fast with a few years of bottle age. I think I will leave the Blends to the wine writers trying to report on the next value bottle of joy, and return to real known estates & Varietals,
And predictable aging periods for my cellar. I’m always learning. ��
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4/4/2018 - merlot78 Likes this wine: 87 Points
An excellent wine that is well worth the 16 bucks.
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2/12/2018 - LightDancer wrote: 87 Points
Fruit-forward. Much better opened and gassed the third day. Became more balanced. Still hard to place this as "France", but a pleasant enough Tuesday bottle.
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1/13/2018 - jonahfactor wrote:
A high-octane (15% abv) French fruit bomb. Have enjoyed previous renditions of the F Series. But this presents like an Australo-Cali hybrid drenched in sun and overripe fruit. No nuance here. Slathered with ripe black cherries, overripe raspberries, black plums and a hint of soy sauce. Extra long finish. But doesn’t offer anything you would look for in a French wine. Won’t make old bones. Drink now. (��= Pass)
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11/21/2017 - BC28 wrote:
Mediocre.
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10/26/2017 - Magicny1 wrote: 85 Points
Nothing special. Leave it in the shelf
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7/22/2017 - pkbowen wrote: 84 Points
Short decant from cellar temperature. As with all other Locations wines, chocolatey, plummy, and somewhat flabby. This works for the Argentinian and Californian Locations wines, but is painfully incorrect for Italian, French, and Portugese blends. Drinkable, but just "good," 84/100.
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6/15/2017 - JasonG wrote: 85 Points
Ruby in color. Nose is hot and alcohol, very ripe plum with some gravel. Clean, but astringent and cloying. 15% fruit bomb.
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6/7/2017 - TK Mastres wrote: 89 Points
Rich red fruit on the nose. The red fruit continues on the palate but picks up a solid acid backbone along the way. Finish is clean with a hint of astringency at the very end. An excellent wine for the $15 price tag to be sure.
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4/16/2017 - Christine Havens Likes this wine: 89 Points
From yesterday's virtual tasting hosted by talented winemaker and founder of Orin Swift, Dave Phinney, this non-vintage blend from the Locations project. The blend from France is especially compelling, laden with black currants, roasted strawberries, and a slightly wild, earthy streak of underbrush, damp tilth, dried mushroom, and spearmint. Fruit sourced from the Rhone, Roussillon, and Bordeaux are artfully knit together, giving this wine structure, acidity and body in just the right proportions. 14.5% ABV | Sample
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2/12/2017 - Rwhfly Likes this wine: 90 Points
Another wonderful Phinney wine. Great fruit/tannin balance makes a great drinking wine from day one. It is drinking really well now.
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