Ellen5181
Member #348,268 signed up 9/1/2014
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2022 Ottella Lugana Le Creete
4/26/2024 - Ellen5181 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Appearance - ok so I know this is about the wine and not the packaging, but I do need to call out the beautiful packaging. It immediately caught my eye on the shelf and offers a lovely elevated look. Would make a lovely gift.
Ok, wine review - clear, medium light 10 vs 24 k gold.
Nose - youthful, clean, perfumey, medium plus intensity, very aromatic. Orange blossoms, floral, a bit of animal sweat in a good rustic way. Ripe grapefruit notes but none of the bitter, more perfume smell. Maybe mandarin orange then. Tropical notes. Getting some herbal. It’s a very interesting nose especially at this price point.
Palate - lovely, fresh, refreshing. Youthful, clean, crisp, medium body, acidity is medium plus, balanced, alcohol is medium and well integrated. It’s alive on palate. You get dancing acidity I will call it. A little frizzante. The finish is medium plus and I would add a plus to my acidity rating. As the wine touches other parts of the palate the acidity lingers. A great food wine and look forward to pairing it with my dinner (chicken). Notes are ripe tangerine. Some salinity. Italian herbs. Minerality. You can taste stones.
I think this is drinking nicely now. Not sure I see this as aging any longer. A perfect summer wine as we head into the season? Yes. I can see as an aperitivo with meats and cheeses, olives, or shellfish. Light summer meals, salads, and I’m optimist about my chicken tonight. Pretty elevated packaging. I’m a fan. And I’m heading to Lake Garda in a week and very excited if this is what I can expect to be drinking. A nice discovery even if I’m paying a NYC mark up. This is an interesting wine with character.
I personally think a wine like this is for enjoying now. I am curious s out those who feel it has a longer window. And would be interested in tasting what it turns into but I would probably enjoy this now.
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2014 Tercero Mourvèdre Zaca Mesa Vineyard
4/6/2024 - Ellen5181 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Love this. Drinking it early but so enjoyable.
Appearance- clear, medium plus/ opaque deep ruby.
Nose - clean, youthful, it’s been open for a few hours now and the nose is quite powerful. I am getting alcohol burn. It’s listed 14.3 abv and this is not an exaggeration. Lush black berry fruit. Cocoa. Meaty. Menthol. Bloody raw meat which of course sounds gross but you know if you know.
Palate - has emerged quite a bit with air. Delicious on first sip. Still delicious but the wine is stepping out as it’s true self with air. Making me think that more veg time will let it settle down and wonderful notes and complexity will emerge. Body is medium plus. Alcohol is high. Notes are currently let’s say, not as integrated as they could be but because it’s young. The components seem to be there. Tannins are medium to mild at first but emerge inside gums after you swallow the sip and your mouth tingles. Wine is very juicy beckoning for next sip. Acidity is medium at first but again, as the tannins emerge, your mouth waters for another sip. Finish is medium plus. Notes of black fruit. A dark chocolate feel on the palate. Cocoa powder taste. Dusty chocolate. Think this would taste great with something chocolate. It’s a rich wine. I can pull a bit of cinnamon out. It’s a very interesting wine. Not getting any sour or tart but more of a rich bittersweet chocolate. With a wonderful creaminess in the palate.
Paired it with a Chinese stir fry tonight. Black bean sauce. It worked. Now sipping on its own and trying to imagine what else. Seems relatively versatile and like the label suggestion of a pizza wine. Can see it matching with the richness of the cheese, garlic, sausage, salt.
Very interesting wine and suspect it has an interesting road ahead. Don’t be like me. Let it sleep though if you had to open it, it’s lovely.
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2015 Tercero Grenache Larner Vineyard
3/26/2024 - Ellen5181 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Appearance - beautiful deep ruby. From the color I would be thing black fruit notes vs your typical Grenache which we know is red fruit. Medium intensity
Nose - medium minus intensity. You need to swirl and pull the note. Clean, very youthful. Feels a bit separate. Components are the but from the nose suspec it’s not ready yet for prime time. Stemmy red fruit. Berries. Definitely feel the alcohol on the nose.
Palate - wow on palate. Pop of flavor and acidity and it all pulls together in away that is fresh and enticing. Juicy. With a oak sizzle on the back palate and swallow. Ripe red fruits. Berries. Raspberry. Plums. Acidity is medium plus. Finish is medium plus if not long. Tannins are not really perceptible but you taste the time in oak and it rounds out the finish. Very balanced on palate. Body is medium.
This is a lovely wine. I do think more time waiting would pay off as there is more to show for this wine. To me this is wine you buy and hold for a bit longer. Maybe I’m drinking too soon.
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