A To Z Engraved
Château de Camarsac (Thierry Lurton)
Selection Vieilles Vignes Supérieur Red Bordeaux Blend 2014
De Toren
Fusion V Stellenbosch Red Blend 2015
Third wine with Charles at De Toren. Set to be release in early 2018 similar to the Z.
Darker than the Z, deep and dark ruby red. Needed to open up a little bit on the nose. Gained some dark cocoa on the nose with minerality, pepper and dusty notes. Heavy tannins (7/10) and full bodied. Darker berries on the palate with some black cherries, cassis and a touch savory in the backend. Dry and long finish. Drink till 2030.
Made up of around 56% Cabernet Sauvignon and around 16% Malbec, the rest is made up of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. — 8 years ago
Domaine Guiberteau
Les Motelles Saumur Cabernet Franc 2010
Yes, there's still oak here, but it has seamlessly integrated for the most part. Which leaves a deeply savory, herbal, red fruited Cab Franc that doesn't shy away from adding a little spice to the leather and tobacco. Some days you want the rustic log around the campfire, other days you want the La-Z-Boy. Best years still ahead, I think. — 9 years ago
Vino z Czech
Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
From a little research, it appears this bottle is actually a grape that's a cross between Cabernet Franc and Zweigelt (i know, be still your beating heart). It was perfect with the Slovak food at the Riverside Restaurant in the Chicago suburbs. The wine featured a berry forward nose, with deep earth notes underneath, a balanced tannin to acid structure, and a touch of herbaceousness. — 10 years ago
Milat
Zivio Port-Style Zinfandel 2006
Tasty dessert wine. Not as sweet and dense as a port. easy to drink. — 11 years ago
Weingut Berger
Niederosterreich Zweigelt 2011
Introducing a friend to the dark perfume of Zweogelt, in a 1 ltr crown cap closure. I enjoy the the black sun inside the fruits, the medium-light tannins, and the snap crackle pop of good acidity here. Versatile food wine that surprises rookies how very delightful a decent Zweogelt can be! (Which is why these crafty Austrians made the Z from a hybrid of St. Laurent & Blaufrankisch...) — 11 years ago
A to Z Wineworks
Chemin De Terre Red Blend 2006
$25 @ City Cellars — 12 years ago
A to Z Wineworks
The Essence Oregon Pinot Noir 2015
Solid wine. Best I have had by A to Z. Nice cherry notes. Nice color, light in body. — 8 years ago
De Toren
Z Merlot Blend 2015
Second wine with Charles at De Toren. Set to be released in January 2018.
Deep ruby red with notes of cassis, mushrooms and dust on the nose. A touch green as well. Medium tannins (6/10) and medium plus bodied. Excellent structure and finesse on the palate with dark cocoa, red cherries, pepper and minerality. Long and lingering finish. Still a baby that will need a nice decant to open up. Drink till 2027.
Merlot led blend with around 53% Merlot then around 25% Cabernet Franc and the rest made up of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Petit Verdot. — 8 years ago
Clos du Val Wine Co.
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1984
CVed 10/28/16. Still a nice Ruby color despite the age. Nose has some Sherry aroma that blew away. Then it's a nice mix of Forest floor and leaves and black berries. On palate it is a balance of earthiness and mature fruits and leather and hints of tobacco and very long elegant and complex finish. A bit of dryness on the body. Very nice mature cab! Z Auction. Opened 6/11/17. The oxidative Sherry note more prominent than I remembered. Otherwise drinking nicely but did not go well with grilled steak pieces that turned out to be somewhat spicy. — 9 years ago
Domaine Zind Humbrecht
Calcaire Alsace Pinot Gris 2012
A little pre-trade show catnip. Z-H is always beautiful. Touch of RS to balance it. — 10 years ago
Kutch Wines
McDougall Ranch Pinot Noir 2010
Jamie nailed this one. Great structure and concentration. Only an hour on and just so pretty. Elegant but the body has some depth. Great acid, savory finish. Textbook A to Z... And then something else. Can't wait to see where my last two or three go in the coming years. Excellent wine! — 11 years ago
Jeff Runquist
Z Massoni Ranch Zinfandel
This one was crazy out if the bottle. Aerated it twice and it calmed down considerably. Great body nice flavor acidity is right where it should be. Just enough jammy to compliment and not over power. A must buy again. — 12 years ago
Z. Alexander Brown Wines
Uncaged Monterey County Pinot Noir 2015
A rather fruit forward Pinot. Grapes from 3 California regions. A very good “go-to” Pinot. — 8 years ago
Torbreck Vintners
Descendant Barossa Valley Shiraz Viognier 2014
Right behind the Rurig in this tasting event, and almost just as equally my favorite!
Before I get too far ahead here, I want to thank Matt, the VP from Torbreck for an awesome presentation, and @Kyle Groombridge, TWP for orchestrating this extremely last minute tasting event of some AMAZING shiraz. Truly a special event to kick off this new year!
The Descendent is also a co-fermented Shiraz/Viognier in style of Hermitage. Compared to RunRig, much more lean and slightly muscular in the glass - lean muscle like a kangaroo. Also, very dark in the glass, if not more dark purple notes than any other of their wines. Burnt ends from beef brisket, lavender syrup, black plum, hickory smoke, black and green peppercorns, silver dollar eucalyptus, and blackberry jam. Again, lean structure and grippy tannin.. meaty, which I absolutely like - rhubarb, anise, baked black plums, herb de Provence, crushed rock dust, fresh picked cherries, and a gripping finish, yet completely elegant and silky tannin.
The Torbreck team spends a lot of time working in Rhone, often times getting to work with amazing producers such as Jean-Louis Chave and Guigal, so if you can imagine they have high standards and most certainly perform at their level and higher. They also pay homage to Rhone with an engraved crest on the bottle such as CDP or Lirac; a tribute to the Torbreck Forrest. — 8 years ago
Frog's Leap
Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 1999
CVed 10/28/16. Obvious notes of that cab franc herbal and peppery notes. Under that some dark fruits. Dark Ruby color. Body of acids and elegant floral nose that are very ripe. Good finish of floral notes minerality, unlike the other cabs. Z Auction. Opened 2/9/17 and yes it still holds. The nose still has the Cab Franc character but better balanced and palate is supple yet firm with good structure and a sense of soft tannins. Long finish that seems to show that dust character? Yum. Upping the score from 9 to 9.2 — 9 years ago
Stags' Leap Winery
Ne Cede Malis Stags Leap District Petite Sirah 2012
Engraving party at The Wine Cabinet in Reston. Supposedly one of the first stores to get this wine into Northern Virginia. Thick, dark, opaque ruby red with purple hues. So thick it covered the glass. Nose was lovely and intriguing. Started of with a ton of black pepper, earthiness, dark chocolate and smoke. String tannins 8/10 with a moderate body. Needs at least 2 years before trying again. Very dry and austere finish. Ended with some cherry notes. Great wine bought two to go, getting both engraved. — 10 years ago
Zaca Mesa
Z Cuvée Santa Ynez Valley Grenache Blend 2011
Sommelier, International Wine Guild; Balistreri Vineyard; Sales, Joy Wine and Spirits
2011 vintage. Very ripe blackberry and bramble fruits with just a touch of garigue and brush terroir notes - this wine tastes very "old world" and is a fantastic value. There is a bit of oak here, but only enough to keep everything else balanced. — 11 years ago
Paraduxx (Duckhorn Vineyards)
Z Napa Valley Zinfandel Blend 2010
Dark red color. Cab nose, cab on palate at the start. Then with air the zin comes forward. The wine gets very chocolate-y in the center and is nicely oaky making this something to drink with a big smile. The fruit leans to the black fruits but is not too ripe, the structure is still there. It's drinking well but all that chocolate indicates there's no hurry here. Supposed to be Merlot in this but I don't/can't see it. Sorry I only have one more bottle. 2010 vintage — 11 years ago
Brandborg
Bench Lands Pinot Noir 2009
Still prefer A to Z for an Oregon Pinot but this was very good! — 12 years ago
A to Z Wineworks
Night & Day Red Blend 2008
Good balance. No longer made. — 13 years ago
Rob Moose
Exceptional. Burgundian-esque poetry in this election night offering thanks to Ed Z. I’ve never liked a CDP as much! — 7 years ago