Strange Family Vineyards

Viano Vineyards

Reserve Selection Sand Rock Hill Zinfandel 2018

Trying again. Rubies in the glass. Smells like rocks and red berries in the sun. Flavors are zingy and clean. Some chewy and strange flavors in the mix. Still a great bottle at a great price. — a year ago

Sharon and Douglas liked this

Patrick Piuze

Les Forêts Chablis 1er Cru Chardonnay 2019

For me a bit too much sweetness, almost cloying. Miss the grip of a great Chablis, strange for a 2019. — 2 years ago

Peter and Brecht liked this

Menti Giovanni

Monte del Cuca Gambellara Classico Garganega 2018

A little funked up butterscotch. Starts small then drinks big. Has some kind of strange old people after dinner drink vibes but is really pleasing. Have no idea what to pair it with. — 3 years ago

La Quercia

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2018

Whole Foods, $10

Dark and medium opaqueness with an interesting purple/brown hue. Freshly opened it had a pretty strong over-ripe compost funk on the nose and palate but mostly subsided after breathing for awhile. After breathing, lots of red fruit on the nose along with that strange funky compost, a bit like earth and chocolate maybe? Not entirely unpleasant. Tastes similarly, red fruit forward, like ripe cherries, with that underlying funk. Very smooth, little to no alcohol bite, low acidity, lowish tannins. Ultimately I thought it was a great value, interesting flavors and very smooth for the price!
— 4 years ago

Maxime Magnon

Campagnes Corbières Carignane 2018

An impressive first run with this producer. Started off very pure fruited with high-toned black cherries and cassis, along with some light reduction that gave it a flinty quality. As the reduction blew away, it revealed beautiful stem aromatics - flowers and incense, with a strange, yet attractive iodine-like twist. Excellent structure, with chalky tannins, fleshy fruit, and limestone-derived minerality/verticality. A little volatile acidity perceivable in the backend, but it doesn’t detract from the lengthy finish. Frankly, it drank like a cru Beaujolais (would have called it if blinded), but perhaps with more weight and tannins (rougher too). Paired with some lamb tacos, this was in a league of its own. A one on the binary scale! — 2 years ago

Peter, Ron and 16 others liked this

Bodegas Orben

Orben Rioja Tempranillo

Aged 7 years so I would say time to drink, was the 2014. Still some taste of red fruit and oak tannins through out. Strange that it is sold in a burgundy type bottle. But, overall a very approachable Rioja. I prefer a bit more bite from the tannins in my Riojas. — 3 years ago

Herb Lamb Vineyards

HL Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

Not bad from cork pop, but definitely better after 90 min of air. Nose is youthful oak and slightly ripe blackberry, sandalwood. Palate all ripe blackberry and attenuated pepper spice with a hint of sandalwood. Some iodine when moving to the mid-palate. Initially I was getting a a fairly strange Oreo cookie kind of note. The finish is a little direct and still a bit on the youthful side but this is gaining. The best years of this are ahead of it for sure. Going to be a force in 2023 and plan to hold my 3L of this for much much longer. — 3 years ago

Shay, Clive and 29 others liked this
Shay A

Shay A Influencer Badge Premium Badge

According to Roy, Jennifer lost her house and wine cellar in the fires. Vineyard is safe (for now).
Tom Garland

Tom Garland

Terrible news, enjoyed a wonderful tasting a few years ago at her house/property...such a wonderful person, at least glad she is safe.
Mark Flesher

Mark Flesher

@Shay A I read that update about 10 minutes before I popped the cork on this one. It was kind of bizarre that I brought it along after holding on to it for a couple of years....

Nicolas Joly

Clos de la Coulée de Serrant Savennières Chenin Blanc 2004

Tasting machine 3oz pour. Deep orange copper color, tired mid-palate but just after swallow the finish explodes. Strange yet appealing — 2 years ago

Eric, Tom and 6 others liked this

Vilmart & Cie

Grand Cellier 1er Cru Brut Champagne Blend

Chablis-like restraint in a very good way. Nose is tense, citrus and lots of limestone, an almost reductive floral nose and a touch of silky softness to balance. Acidity is high but not crazy, strange considering the house style is supposedly to inhibit all malo. Great stuff, I want to drink lots of it — 2 years ago

Henriot

Blanc de Blancs Brut Champagne

Good Blanc de Blancs, filled with flavor and nicely effervescent. Strong flavor of toasted bread, followed by fruity flavors slightly marred by a strange off-flavor. Still, this Champagne is interesting if not perfectly clean in flavor. — 3 years ago