Ming L

9.3

The 2010 Esprit de Beaucastel from Tablas Creek was a tough act to follow, but this elegant Rhône blend from Sonoma just did that.

The nose was quite similar with aroma of blue fruits and earthy elements with hint of violet, it was the palate that set it apart: soft, complex and deep, with great texture and beautiful acidity that adds the tension. Elegant and seamless.

Kale Anderson was the long time wine maker at Pahlmeyer, and Kale wines are all vineyard-specific. Worth seeking out. — 6 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Domaine rests atop a limestone plateau in Le Brûlat du Castellet, in the northwestern corner of the A.O.C. Bandol. Hocquard family has been farming this land since 1968, currently run by Agnès Henry. Tried ‘14 &’15 together. A blend of about 75% Mourvèdre with the rest Grenache, Cinsault & Carignan. Deep red with dark berry fruit and spice aromas. On the palate flavors of blackberry, black pepper & herb spice. Fine tannins, lingering with a fragrant ending. Consistent quality. Tasting Sample. — 7 years ago

George

9.0

for the price fantastic. Deep red, earthy, and full flavored. — 7 years ago

Tina Garbacz

9.0

2014 vintage was very tasty! Light tannins for the deep red color, but very relish! — 8 years ago

Shawn Thompson

8.9

A lighter nose with a palate of cranberry, strawberry and a light zesting of orange. A darker, deeper rosé with a long fruity finish. — 9 years ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.6

Deep black core, ruby mid section, starting to show some autumnal browning in the edges.
First sniff is a little murky, soupy. But this blows away after aeration and then a very quiet, sophisticated, graceful bouquet is revealed, hinting at cigars, black olive, sundried tomato, spicebox, fatty Ibericoham, black cherries and plumpudding. Terrific concentration on the palate! Silky soft and smooooth, cinnamon, milk chocolate, leather, discrete notes of oak and garden herbs all coalesce into the very long, echoing finish. Did I already mention this has sheer perfect acidity? An androgynous wine, masculine and feminine at the same time. A home run in this so-so vintage. — 9 years ago

Briana Mullan

10

Wonderful. Deep & sweet — 10 years ago

with Jennie

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

The community of Saint-Estèphe has it roots in the Gallo-Roman origins of this chateau. A blend of 78% Cab Sauv, 20% Merlot & 2% Petit Verdot. Deep Ruby with aromas of dense sweet black fruits with herb and earthy spice. On the palate flavors of black cherry and blackberry, currant like, with tobacco, tar and hints of vanilla exposing mushroom notes. Well balanced, ripe textured tannins, long finish ending with earthy character. Nice, has plenty of room to develop. — 6 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.2

Girolamo Russo “a’Rina” 2016 Etna Rosso 🇮🇹 $25
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Nerello Mascalese (94%) and Nerello Cappuccio are the yin and yang of red grapes that grow exceedingly well in the wild and high altitude clime atop the Sicilian volcano #MountEtna.
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A hell of a bargain at about $25 as this crushes most Bourgogne/Hautes-Cotes under $50 and would give pricier versions a run for their money. It is also more complex now and ready to consume when compared to many similarly priced, well made “Langhe” Nebbiolo wines. From the @coravin this was ready to go and opened up well with 10-15 minutes in the glass.
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A youthful medium ruby color, fairly transparent. The nose suggests to me a red Burgundy, possibly a Beaune or Chassagne-Montrachet red from the wildness of the Etna character. A deep underpinning of rocky minerality, hints of ash, rose petal and purple florals, with dabs of red cherry and red plum fruit, sweet spices with hints of old leather jacket and unsmoked pipe tobacco. The palate is juicy and fresh, with refined, silky, ripe tannin that are youthfully firm. Excellent density and persistence, but light as a feather. Medium+ on the finish.
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Etna red wines are commonly described as having similarities to nebbiolo from Piedmonte and pinot noir from Burgundy. There are for sure some similarities, but make no mistake that Etna wines, when made well, refract the wild and volcanic Etna terroir well and are genuine in their own right. •
The complex volcanic soils of Etna, combined with some of the highest elevations for vineyards in Europe at 3,000+ feet, can produce wines with immense complexity and freshness. A sense if refinement comes across in the density without excessive weight, allowing for transparency of terroir. Most vines are trained in the traditional bush-vine method, which works well in the rocky soils that see a lot of wind and sunlight at these high altitudes.
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#GirolamoRusso #aRina #NerelloMascalese #NerelloCappuccio #EtnaRosso #Sicily #Italy #GiuseppeRusso #coravin #winesolutions #wine #winelover #somm #sommelier #instawine #wineporn #naturalwine #vinnaturel #winegasm #winegeek #vin #vino #vinos #vinhos #wein #ilovewine #winetasting #winetime — 7 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Winemaker Joseph J. Wagner is a 4th generation winemaker from a family with farming and winemaking roots in the Napa Valley since 1906. Deep Ruby (darkest Pinot almost looks like a Cab) with aromas of ripe berries and spice notes. The palate shows rich black fruits, blackberries, plums and black cherries, vanilla spice, cedar and cacao. Rich soft tannins, firm acidity on lingering finish ending with mineral tones. Nice! — 8 years ago

Eunah Han

9.0

Incredibly full bodied, rich in black cherry, jewel tone, mineral, dark, tremendously fruity, almost sweet but Betty much raisin flavour, closer to Barbaresco or Barolo. If you're in a mood for rich, deep, Italian roots, you should go for this. — 9 years ago

Eric Hwang

8.9

Showing its Bordeaux roots, this Malbec dominated blend has a deep purple color and, after decanting, offers brambly black fruit and graphite aromas. Nicely balanced and somewhat chewy with black currant and cedar notes. Lingering, brooding and evolving over time. A lovely pairing with another Argentinian specialty: beef. — 10 years ago

Adam Martin

9.1

Very dry, mild tannins, hints of caramel/umami in the body, crisp finish. No coarseness — 11 years ago

with Shi

Madalyn Kissel

10

Smooth but with a deep taste. A great glass of wine for a reasonable price. — 7 years ago

AgeyFixey

9.2

I had never tried anything from these guys before, but this is a winner. Literally. It cleaned up at a number of blind tasting this year and did not disappoint. Dark cherry, blackberry, floral a bit of smoke. Long finish with smooth feel, but detectable tannins. — 7 years ago

cea sol

8.9

Floral and peppery, oak and vanilla, low tanning, long finish. — 7 years ago

Nathaniel Shanklin

8.9

An overall favorite. This is an easy drinking bottel and a fine representation of a pino noir. While it lacks some of the deep cherry notes that we look for in these bottles, it is a nice bottle of wine and frankly not every bottle of pino should be a showpiece nor carry their pricetag. — 8 years ago

Ashley Kelsch

9.0

A little sweet but delicious with halibut. — 9 years ago

Steven Beishuizen

9.1

Outstanding. Austere and fruity all at the same time. Nice length here. Very, very nice. — 9 years ago

with marlon and Anita

Randy Fuller

9.7

Deep in color and fragrant on the nose, this dark ruby red from Sicily offers a powerful set of aromas: cassis, black olives, cigar box, leather, anise and smoke all come around fairly quickly. This is one of those wines I run across from time to time that smells so good I almost forget to drink it. Almost. The palate is dark and savory. Blackberry and black plum are the most notable fruit flavors, but the Morgante is all about the trimmings. There is a muddy forest floor component and, if you are new to wine, rest assured that it’s a good thing. Minerality comes in abundance and there is a hint of sage there, too, with notes of tea, coffee and root beer finding their way through. — 10 years ago