Delectable Wine

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9.3

The 2015 Syrah Charles Heintz Vineyard is an outrageously beautiful, vivid wine. A rush of blue and purplish fruit, lavender, licorice and dark spice make a strong opening statement. Today, the tannins are a bit overpowering, but time in bottle will do the trick. The 2015 was fermented in concrete, with 10% whole clusters, and aged in a combination of concrete and oak. Readers who can find the wine should not hesitate. Heintz is one of the top vineyards in California. Getting a glimpse of the site through the lens of Syrah it makes for a deeply fascinating experience. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, Mar 2017) — 8 years ago

Paul Chang

9.2

This was our second bottle. First was uninspiring and despite the 97pt RP rating, found it to be disappointing. The trick is to let it breathe for at least an hour to let the flavors develop. It is no Opus One but very satisfying with a juicy steak or just plain enjoyment! — 8 years ago

Matthew Youngs

9.4

Penultimate bottle of my case. Ripe red fruit is still prevalent, but the flavor has deepened and any sharp edges (there weren't many) have faded away. Possibly even more delightful than I remember. Wish I had more than one bottle left. — 9 years ago

Lauren Vance

Buyer Whole Foods Market Oakland

9.2

A CA chard dressed in Burgundian robes. Even with full MF it's still lean, brimming with acidity and fresh minerality. Full and round, there's a lovely creaminess without being too over the top and still letting the fruit shine. Florals, pie crust, citrus and apple. Wouldn't usually describe a chard as thirst quenching, but this one does the trick. Great QPR. — 9 years ago

Harv Dhunna

10

Full bodied, flavourful, not too acidic. Overall fantastic wine. I'm normally not a fan of Niagara wines but this one does the trick. — 10 years ago

Matthew Beninati

9.2

Full fruit punch up front, then fades quickly away. I've seen people compare this to northern rhone, but it lacks that earthy complexity. One trick pony, but the trick is dam good. — 10 years ago

Paul J

9.5

Definitely a treat and not a trick!! Very similar to the Domaine Eden Cab but slightly higher price point. Let this baby open up, but one of the best finishing wines I've had! Goes awesome with beef tenderloin, celery root gratin, almond joy, twix, and gobstoppers!! — 10 years ago

with Brooke

Steve Matthiasson

Owner/Winemaker Matthiasson Wines

9.4

About five bottles worth of flavor in one bottle of wine. This one is a mind-blower--needs a small party to finish, like a bottle of port--contains the entire flavor spectrum of cab franc, from vegetal to pruney, and everything in between. Thick like syrup, high alcohol. Somehow manages to be balanced though, maybe it's a Jedi mind trick. — 10 years ago

Robert Wolfe

9.5

Opened this one a few hours before dinner, but still rushed the pony a bit. Time to lay down the rest of the case and wait 5 to 8 years. — 11 years ago

Matt Taylor

9.5

Yep, this one did the trick — 12 years ago

Martin G Rivard

9.6

"I get by with a little help from my friends...."
Knee deep in renovations and th out it warranted a phenomenal bottle to help make the pain go away!!! 😂This bottle did the trick!! What renovations?????
Awesome structure, incredibly luscious blue fruit which I adore, took about 1 1/2 hours to open and then the Floral notes began to sing!!
Badass in a glass as I Always say!!
Thank you to my Hawaiin brother from another mother @David L whom is THE one and only Mr. Lentine!! 😘. Love you brother!
And another 😘 to the remainder of the WNH! 😜😊😊😜 — 8 years ago

with Christine

Matt Trader

9.2

Always a staple for me. It is one of the most balanced, inexpensive, Grand Cru Champagnes I think you can buy. Mostly all Pinot Noir, and a little Chardonnay, no P.M.

Trick to Champagne: Don't drink it to cold, it's a waste of a unicorn in the wine world. 45-50° is where you get to experience how great it can be.

Cheers to 2017. — 9 years ago

Rick Z

9.1

Celebrating one week since my eye surgery.....I'm alive and this wine and a Strip Steak on the grill ought to do the trick for tonight .. ..dark fruits and licorice at the open. ...very nice for this 07!. — 9 years ago

with Jeff, Mike and 3 others

Steve Moore

9.9

Absolutely the most wonderful Zin blend ever. Grand slam, hat trick three point and one . All the superlatives wrapped up in this bottle ! — 9 years ago

Mike Mayer

9.4

Dinner dilemma solved. Lisa had braised short rib, and I had albacore tuna. Problem solved with this fantastic Napa Merlot. An excellent wine that might trick you into thinking it is a Cabernet. A sneaky nose of herbs and mild fruit that surprises you when you taste it. Very fruit forward with tastes of dark chocolate cherries, blueberries and spice. The finish is very elegant and lingers with great fruit and leather notes. Tannins are sleek and don't impair the enjoyment of this wine. Jarvis makes very nice wines and this one has suddenly become one of my favorites. — 10 years ago

with Lisa

Jeff Vejr

9.1

John's wines are never one trick ponies. 🐎 The weight of this wine is impressive, with perfume and a healthy bit of acid and sugars culminated into a ball of tropical fruits. — 10 years ago

Judd Blair

9.1

Salted watermelon rind with fizzy effervescence. One trick pony? Sure, but it's a really great trick. — 10 years ago

Akriti Gupta

9.5

Very light tasting Pinot - one glass did the trick 😉- great with cheese/ European cuisine! — 11 years ago

with Michael

Mary Bolin

9.4

Had this one at Red Pony in July with Brian. Great choice! — 11 years ago

Christophe Suchy

10

After an orgasmic Vega Sicilia, an out-of-this-world "Y" from Yquem, one could not expect anything better. Well, this 1969 Port did the trick. A multi orgasmic day, indeed! — 12 years ago

Andrew Scherer

9.0

Superb Cremant - not just a one trick bubble pony. Balanced structure. — 8 years ago

Hadrien Diez

8.9

This one did the trick. Driven by acidity. Citrus fruit, lemon. Had it on seafood linguine. Great bang for the bucks (24.000￦, Shinsegae). — 8 years ago

Carson

8.9

Picked this one up at TJs today. Naturally, I was initially very skeptical but after allowing this Nero time to breathe, what was a one trick pony actually turned out to be quite an enjoyable wine. Full of soft tannins, this wine is incredibly spicy with a nice jammy finish. The new #qprsuperstar on the block. At this price point, I expect a few more of these to be gracing my wine racks in the near future. — 9 years ago

John Fiehrer

9.1

Serious rose, nice profile with lots of fruit , minerals, salinity... Not a one trick rose. — 9 years ago

Jay Liddell

9.2

Not quite as good as Opus Two, but it did the trick. Thanks, Ed and Cristina. — 10 years ago

with Cristina, Ed and 1 other

Jerod Gunsberg

8.9

On Saturday night I was about to order a Vermentino but our server convinced me to try the Soave Classico, I was skeptical. He brought over a taste of both and didn't tell me which was which. Ugh. An impromptu blind tasting in front of my dinner companions.

Of course, I was set up and walked right into it. I ID'd the Soave as the Vermentino. That was the whole point. This Soave is not a thin, generic one trick fruit bomb. It's surpassingly complex with medium high acid, lemon, peach, apricot, and wet stones with a bit of salinity. Paired perfectly with white pizza and arugula salad. — 10 years ago

Parth Sharma

9.7

Needed something good because I'm sleep training my little one. This wine did the trick. Very full and flavorful. Reminds me of a Rodney Strong cab 2012 — 10 years ago

Steve Matthiasson

Owner/Winemaker Matthiasson Wines

10

A perfect Pinot. So many pinots, even good ones, are one-trick ponies. This one isn't. It has all the depth and mystery that caused me to fall in love with the grape. Best wine experience in a long time. — 10 years ago

Daniel P. Drake

9.7

Tonight is a little chilly and I felt as though a nice Cabernet would do the trick to take the chill off. This Washington Cabernet Sauvignon is a very nice expression of what a good Cabernet should be like. At first opening there is good dark fruit, black currant, black cherries, blackberries, black plum, with purple flowers like violets and cassis. On tasting this beautifully aromatic wine my palate gives me a well balanced mix of black cherries, blackberry, and black currant. Tobacco comes in at the mid palate with coffee grounds, leather, and toasty oak. On the backend there is mushroom and cocoa with a long finish. There is a good smooth mouth feel with nice sandy tannins. I am thoroughly pleased with this wine and at $22.99 what I paid it is well worth the money. — 11 years ago

The Savory

9.3

I'm such a huge Riesling fan that I'm starting to get a bit preachy about it. I think that there is a whole culture of people coming through that are open to off-dry wine, and wines like this will help that happen. I've had better, but its still a great time. It's well assembled, viscous and somewhat creamy as well. Rislings have a tendency to trick you with the sugar (because we do love a bit of sugar) and this one caught me out. I really enjoyed it, but its a bit pricey. - Ross Gardiner — 11 years ago