Take No Tsuyu
Eugenio Bocchino
Roccabella Langhe Nebbiolo 2015
Awesome. Paired with take out sushi / sashimi ... no appetite for cooking after family in for 3 days. This Nebbiolo works after dinner too paired with board games with the kids and (8) Notre Dame vs (21) Stanford — 7 years ago
La Jota Vineyard Co.
Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Howell Mtn Tasting - Tasting a lot of wines though and in the same glass so I find it unfair to take these ratings seriously. Second best of the night. Also tried their Merlot (no pic) which was very nice especially after this many Cabs and Zins. — 8 years ago
Peter Michael Winery
Estate Vineyards Les Pavots Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2001
This luxurious Bordeaux-style blend is vivacious one. The lush, robust fruity aroma does not disappoint and once it hits your tongue you will find the fruity flavors bursting on your taste buds. Take joy in this no-subtleties wine. — 8 years ago
La Jota Vineyard Co.
Howell Mountain Cabernet Franc 2012
This is one of the better cab francs I've had (though I need to try Detert on @Carl Fischer's recommendation). La Jota is becoming a favorite of mine...shouldn't be surprised as I'm a die-hard Howell Mountain fan. No traces of green pepper at all with this...got a nose of very slight toasted oak and blackberries. Long legs and a gorgeous purple ring/black core. Plum and cinnamon on the tongue. I'll take some more please. 👌 — 8 years ago
Clos Erasmus
Priorat Grenache Blend 1996
Decanted a half hour before starting, still better after about 90 minutes of air. More earthy than fruity, but enough fruit to stand up to the tannins, which given its age, are considerable. I don't know when I became the guy who drinks a twenty year old wine with a locally sourced pork chop with fig compote on no particular occasion, but surprisingly I don't feel like punching myself. The younger me, if he were to answer honestly would be more jealous than appalled... But, as they say, you can't take it with you. — 9 years ago
Bodegas Numanthia
Termes Toro Tinto de Toro 2013
Slingshot
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Alright guys. Not expensive. No known name. This proves to me what you spend is not whether a wine is good. Delicious. Rich dark berries. Some vanilla. Buy it. Enjoy. The ratings are based on snob appeal. Take a blind taste test. Then we'll talk. Shalom. — 9 years ago
Agricola Querciabella
Chianti Classico Sangiovese Blend 2011
Wine option no. 3
Knocked this one out of the park!
Take me back to Tuscany. — 10 years ago
Fattoria Di Fubbiano
Rosso Canaiolo
take your cab and shove it... I ain't drinking that no more. — 11 years ago
Sass Winery
Unfiltered Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2015
Sommelier, International Wine Guild; Balistreri Vineyard; Sales, Joy Wine and Spirits
Sass is always one of my favorites for the price but I hadn't tried this vintage yet. As always, the fruit is ultra bright and expressive. There's no doubt about it, this has that natural wine vibe to it. Slight VA makes the aroma explode out of the glass... raspberry, blackberry and sour cherry. It's very lifted and lively. Slightly hot and the fruit is maybe a touch astringent. Structurally, this wine lacks delineation but it's delicious anyways. It's a different take and a more honest wine than most in the price bracket. Last time I talked to Jerry Sass he told me he was using less and less so2. Very cool.
#OREGON #PINOTNOIR #SASSWINE #OREGONWINE #WILLAMETTEVALLEY #oregonpinot #naturalwine — 7 years ago
Edge Hill
Bacigalupi Vineyard Chardonnay 2012
This will take a bunch of you by surprise but this is my absolute first bottle of 2012 edge Hill Bacigaluppi that did not literally blow my mind! I consider this one of the top five Chardonnays that I have ever had from Napa and I’ve had a lot of Chardonnays from Napa! It was not Corked but definitely fell 100% flat tonight. No depth, no structure simply fruit. I had friends at the house and was trying to impress them But literally threw this bottle down the drain and open to something else. Oh well, shit happens as they say! @David L @Shawn R @Joe Lucca @Mike R @Ron R @Howard Greenfield @Shay A — 7 years ago
Château Cos d'Estournel
Saint-Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend 1991
Is there any meal better than steak (Ribeye) and well aged Claret? This is another 1991 Bordeaux experiment of mine. 1991 was a vintage with horrible frosts and a less than favorable growing season, right? A vintage critically panned. This is my 3rd recent 91 from a good producer. And again, it didn’t disappoint. Like 97 and 07, it’s better with the right bottle age than young. Magic evolution happened in the bottle way down the road. This 91 is in great form with a fair amount of life ahead of it. On the nose; a little ripe fruit funk, wonderful dark & lighter red cassis, ripe blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, plums, hues of blueberries, black raspberries, dry cranberries, vanilla, light cinnamon, rich, black turned earth, cedar, soft leather, dry stones, dry top soil, notes of dry herbs and fresh & dry red flowers. The body/palate is medium, round, ripe & still fresh. The tannins nearly completely resolved. Ripe, floral fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, plums, hues of blueberries, black raspberries, dry cranberries & half cooked rhubarb. Vanilla, light cinnamon, touch of clove & nutmeg, rich, black turned earth, cedar, soft leather, dry stones, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, notes of dry herbs, a little band-aid and fresh & dry red flowers. The acidity drips over the palate and the long, well balanced, still structured, nice tension, good length finish lasts over a minute. Again, love & appreciate the 12.5% alcohol. What a beauty with and without the steak. Next time you’re in your fine wine retail shop and see a quality producers 91 that’s been well stored, buy it and have it with a Ribeye. Photos of; their exotic Estate, Chateau interior, newer barrel room and their vines as viewed from the front of the Chateau that are across the road. Producer notes and history...Cos d’Estournel has a long distinguished history in the St. Estephe. Louis Gaspard d’Estournel, gave his name to the estate after founding in 1811. It did not take long before Cos d’Estournel became famous with wine lovers and royalty all over the world. In those early days, Cos d’Estournel did not sell through Negociants. The owner preferred selling his wine directly to his customers. In fact, Cos d’Estournel was exported to numerous countries across the globe, with a large portion of the production being sold to India. It was that connection to India that inspired much of the unique, east Indian design we see at Cos d’Estournel today. Cos d’Estournel was one of the first Bordeaux Chateaux’s to bottle, label and sell their own wine. This practice continued until the death of Louis Gaspard d’Estournel in 1852. If you’re at the property, the statue on the bench in the front courtyard is of the founder, Louis Gaspard d’Estournel. The Estate was then purchased by an owner that sold their wines on the Place de Bordeaux using the negociant system. If the Chateau was not selling their wines through the negociant system, it would never have been included in the 1855 Classification. Imagine that! So, it turned out to be a fortuitous decision. Cos d’Estournel was sold to the Charmolue family owners of the neighboring Estate of Chateau Montrose. They continued to own the estate until 1917, when it was bought by Fernand Ginestet. This purchase was the beginning of the next major step in the development of Cos d’Estournel. Decades later, the grandchildren of Fernand Ginestet, Jean-Marie Prats, Yves Prats and Bruno Prats took over ownership and management of Cos d’Estournel. In 1995, Bruno Prats sold the property to the Merlaut family, owners of the Taillan Group. The next era in the development of Cos d’Estournel took place in 2000, when Cos d’Estournel was bought by the industrious and wealthy Michel Reybier, who earned his fortune in the food industry. Michel Reybier hired the son of Bruno Prats, Jean-Guillaume Prats to manage Cos d’Estournel. Things further improved with the efforts of Jean-Guillaume Prats who helped design the most modern wine making at that time. A complete renovation of Cos d’Estournel took place in not only the wine making facilities and cellars, but in parts of the Chateau as well. While the wine making facilities are completely modern with their 100% gravity design, the outward appearance retained the original design and feeling that has always been a part of Cos d’Estournel. On October 15, 2012, Jean Guillaume Prats announced he was leaving Cos d’Estournel to join LVMH (Pichon Baron). Jean Guillaume Prats was replaced by Aymeric de Gironde. Following the departure of Aymeric de Gironde in 2017, the owner, Michel Reybier took over managing the Estate. What makes the remodel special is that the cellars of Cos d’Estournel are entirely operated by gravity. There are no pumps of any kind to force the wine. The purpose is to allow a gentleness to the wine and improve its purity and allow for the expression of their terroir. It set a new benchmark for cellars not only in the Left Bank, but in all of Bordeaux. Perhaps, the most inventive part of the cellars is the four 100 hectoliter lift tanks or wine elevators that replace the pumps used in the traditional pumping over and the racking off processes, which introduce air and often destabilize the marc. From the moment the grapes arrive, everything travels by the flow of gravity. Jean Guillaume Prats called this process a “pumpless pump over.” The 91 hectare vineyard of Cos d’Estournel is planted to 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. The vineyard is located extremely close to the border between Pauillac and Saint Estephe at the southern tip of the Saint Estephe. The Estate has very old Merlot vines as well, which date back more than 100 years. Part of the terroir is situated on the hill of Cos, which is at a high elevation for the Medoc at 20 meters. They also make a second wine called Pagodes de Cos. This is a great wine to buy in very good vintages. Especially, if your budget prohibits you from purchasing their first wine. — 8 years ago
Domaine Charlopin
Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru Pinot Noir 2011
Beaune is nuts. This was poured as a free sample the size of a full glass and the dude would take no money for it, was just stoked I liked it. And yeah it was incredible. — 9 years ago
Dadah Winery
Malbec-Barbera
This wine has a rather aggressive personality and may not be to everyone's liking. An unusual blending harking more to Malbec than Barbera. Spicy, meaty nose. Big grip on the palate as slightly rough tannins and penetrating acidity take hold. Good fruit with a somewhat acrid aftertaste that I nevertheless find intriguing. Again, not for everyone, but if you're looking to go beyond the plethora of Israeli Cabs and Merlots, look no further ! Kosher. — 9 years ago
Onabay Vineyards
Night Heron Cabernet Franc 2010
Received this two years ago from the no-longer-extant Empire Wine Cellars club. This is a delicious, balanced, well made, structured wine. At $28 it's a complete steal. Damp earth and dark fruit along with velvety textures and lip-smacking fruit concentration. If you like cab franc, you need to take a peek at Onabay. — 9 years ago
Francis Blanchet
Cuvée Silice Pouilly-Fumé Sauvignon Blanc 2002
Interesting to sip a Pouilly Fumé Cuvée Silice from one of the most trusted values in the region at such an age. While she's in the repose of her twilight years she's not merely a beauty of a bygone time but instead lively and lovely whose company rewards whoever has a chance afternoon with her. Who would ever credit Sauvignon Blanc even one of this crystalline emerald variety as a wine that might take an age in a cool cellar? 13 years! Even through the crazing crows' feet these eyes shine brightly and despite how cray paper skin drapes over the cheek bones of Sauvignon Blanc, this is still nimble and pulses with lives yet to live -not merely memories to regale its audience of how things once were, what she once was or could have been. Honeycomb, lemon curd, nettles wilting in grassy green olive oil, and then the lime leaves...so familiar and yet always exotic of distant shores and climates so far from this northern land of four resolute seasons. As to ratings: how can any of us quantify sensual pleasures really. This was a joy no matter how you cut it and yet given my surprise at Sauvignon Blanc at 13 years on still having so much to say I cannot speak highly enough. The Blanchets do it again! — 10 years ago
Russian Standard
Vodka Platinum
This again is clearly not a wine it is however one of the best premier Russian Vodkas around by the way this product is from
St. Petersburg Russia
This Product is rightfully entitled
Russian Standard as it is derived from only the finest products found in Russia those being their Winter Harvest Wheat, from the Russian Steppes, The Glacial Waters of Lake Ladoga are used and Advanced Distillation Technology is used in the making of this product.
This is all done to ensure only the highest standards when making this Vodka the version I have posted here is the platinum version which by no means was cheap
However, it was still relatively reasonably priced.
On the bottle it is listed as being silver filtered I just take this to mean that it has been filtered numerous times to the point of a very high quality which would more than adequately explain its smoothness as there are to my knowledge at least two other versions of this Vodka there is a Regular Version, a Gold version and the Platinum Version I have listed here.
This Vodka is of Remarkable taste and amazing clarity. In all other ways that truly matter when crafting a great vodka this is one of the ones that is truly uncompromising which is what
has allowed this product to reach
its peak degree of greatness. — 11 years ago
Domaine Tour Saint Michel
Cuvée du Lion Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 2010
My notes on this from May of 2017 still apply. Popped and poured. Drank well over two days. Immediately this wine impresses visually. Sure, the color is an expected deep garnet but what's most striking is the fact that it's never completely opaque at the core. You can just barely get the faintest amount of light to see through it. It's quite beautiful, really. The nose is initially a bit reticent but a few minutes of air in the glass does the trick and then it really begins to show off the most lovely perfume of mixed red and dark fruit; so fresh and pure with just a flash of garrigue. No perceptible heat on the nose. On the palate it's a veritable wonder of berries, Rainier cherries, black berry liqueur, and just a touch of fine white pepper. The body is perfectly proportioned and the finish lasts for over 30 seconds. In summary, this is an incredibly balanced 2010 CdP that is already hitting its prime. Personally, I felt it was really at its very best about two hours in which leaves me to believe it should be a great pop and pour for the next couple of years and potentially has the balance to be great for longer. That being said, there is no need to decant, just pull the cork, pour and enjoy the evolution in the glass. The hard part is allowing it to last for two hours and longer. It should be noted that this is dangerously quaffable wine and it wouldn't be hard to take the whole thing to the head. Might as well drink these sooner than later as I'm always a bit wary of CdP much beyond the 10 year mark, where I tend so find many of them fall apart on the palate. Perhaps others with more experience in the long-term ageing of CdP can chime in though. Absurd value at $30.
As a side note, this paired very nicely with pan fried pork savory bacon wrapped filet mignon. — 7 years ago
William Hill Estate Winery
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
Continuing in my Napa cab education this showed up at the door for me. It is excellent winter wine. It would warm you even if chilled—at 15 % abv no doubt but the taste is coziness defined too: ripe cherries, blackberry preserves on some sort of cheese on an earthy whole whole wheat cracker. The tannins could use, say, one or two more years to fully integrate but they aren’t objectable. Holiday spices and a whiff of forest floor and a long plummy finish round it out. Take this wine to an ice skating party if such things exist in your life. — 7 years ago
Gotsa
Rkatsiteli-Mtsvane 2013
On the nose; ice tea, citrus peel, roasted blood orange, touch of oxidation, decayed roses and medium intensity volcanic soils. The color is orange and you definitely pick up the clay pot influence. The body is lean to medium. ice tea, citrus peel, roasted blood orange, orange peel, a touch of oxidation, decayed roses, delicate minerality, chalkiness, high round acidity, soft warm spices, savory notes with a really nice round finish. Producer notes; the winery is high up in the hills of the Asureti Valle...4200 feet above sea level. Asureti is an ancient village in the foothills of Georgia, about 30 minutes away from Tbilisi. Some of their wines are made with no skin contact and others with skin and stem contact for as long as 7 months. They also farm organically. Photos of; their vineyards, Beka Gotsadze and the qvevri clay fermentation pots. Pairings; sautéed fish to chicken mole tamales and take out Chinese. — 8 years ago
Penfolds
Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 1998
For my son's 20th birthday, I think this 19 year old, Australian Cabernet, will be appropriate. It's also going to take care of my Friday's fix nicely...
What a beautiful color on this beauty. Ruby in color with a burgundy rim. Almost showing no age at all.
After an hour in the decanter, fruity nose with blueberries, cherries, strawberries, black currants, leather, oak, vanilla, licorice, light green pepper, smoke and black pepper. Very gentle and aromatic.
Medium plus in body, smooth and elegant, with medium plus acidity and awesome looking legs.
Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, blueberries, cloves, licorice, vanilla, cedar, leather, dirt, pencil lead, earth, cola, white pepper and spices.
A very long finish with very fine grained tannins and tart cherries.
What an awesome wine this is. Well-balanced and very enjoyable by itself. So elegant, complex and velvety.
It smells and tastes a lot like a Napa Cabernet, which surprised me a little.
Aged for 15 months in American oak barrels.
14% alcohol by volume. — 8 years ago
Agricola Centolani
Poggiotondo Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese
I know all of you sommeliers are drinking a perfect glass of history. think of the great william wallace. so while your drinking your glass of history by the wood burning fireplace let me explain this fantastic out of this world the most buck for your money. so I just recently bought a cork screw and turned it into a lewer (no pun intended) and so we began training. bottle 1 was corked and it was like the Aspen alps the crisp earth flavor and then it hit me. I am now in training to be a sommelier. jerkin off is now my #2 thing on my mind. I take a sip and I wish all you sommeliers in training good luck. — 8 years ago
Samsara Wine Co.
Melville Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013
Backstory: Tasted this at the winery and loved it so much that we bought a bottle to take along with us to Mexico. Chad Melville is the owner and winemaker at Samsara. He's also the chief winegrower at Melville Winery.
Winemaking Process: Single vineyard wine with grapes harvested from the Cargasacchi vineyard, which is in the middle aka sweet spot of Santa Rital Hills. 75% whole cluster fermentation with native yeast. 50% in new French oak barrels for 22 months, followed by 12-month ageing in the bottle. Unfiltered.
Tasting Notes: Colour is ruby red with some clarity, no sediment. On the nose, it has blue fruit, cherry, cassis, cigar, asphalt, lambskin leather and pronounced earthy notes. On the palate, it is medium-bodied with full, mouth-filling texture. Red fruit notes appear first, and then the taste turns into an earthy, allspice notes, and finishes off with something so bright and refreshing that reminds us of orange peel. The tannins are soft. End palate is long, around 10 seconds, marked by minerality and cherry. I love this wine because unlike many Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara, it isn't over extracted and not too sweet (like fruit pastille). There's a fleeting burst of sweet red fruit flavour on the mid palate and the flavour quickly transits to earthy notes and tannins. It's a more earthy Pinot Noir but yet still elegant and ready to be consumed. At $55, I think it's well worth the price. — 9 years ago
Jean-Pierre Robinot
Les Vignes De L'Ange Vin Cuvée Bistrologie Chenin Blanc
am I biased? no. not so much. Robinot makes some of the most mind-altering Chenin and pineau d'aunis in the world. if you see his wines on a list, then you are lucky to have opportunity to drink them. tho, they may take 5 days to open up to you. just saying. — 10 years ago
Els Jelipins
Penedès Sumoll-Garnacha Blend
Els Jelipins 2009 (a very kind gift from, and shared with, @J_A_A). Made by Gloria and Berta Garriga in the hills Penedès. Based around the Sumoll grape, with a slightly different blend each year (depending on which rows of vineyards they decide to take fruit from). The fruit is hand-picked over a number of sessions — always early in the morning and in small cases. It ferments with the natural yeasts, without temperature control, fining, or filtration and only a touch of sulfur added right before bottling. Open-top barrel fermentation and some wax-lined oval amphorae are used, along with lengthy aging in big barrels. Each bottle is painted by hand – the design is different each year, but always includes the symbolic heart.
This has to be one of the most distinctive, intriguing and confounding red wines I've ever tasted. The first thing you notice is the cloudy ruby color. A mysterious scent leads to strong flavors of green herbs (almost medicinal) on the palate: is it tarragon or dill, or both? Elderflower perhaps? Maybe fresh olive too. Underlying this is an ever-changing red fruit core (cranberry, tart cherry), with the odd streak of wet rocks and a zippy freshness. Totally raw and wild. Impossible to pin down and paradoxical.
Ultimately, this wine was indomitable. We paired it with a full-flavored Iranian stew (ghormeh-sabzi), then with vegetarian Indian curry. The wine went remarkably well with both, though I wouldn't say it 'paired' well. You could always taste the distinct flavors of the wine, and it didn't interfere with the food, but they didn't really enhance each other either. Essentially, even robust food flavors could not tame this cloudy, 'little-looking' red wine.
After all of this, I will not say that I am gagging to try this wine again, as I'm not really sure I love the flavor profile overall … but it did grow on me over the four days we had it open. And the wine was possibly even better on Day 4 than it was on Day 1. I would definitely be happy to try it again, though, as there is no doubt it would challenge palates, ideologies and spark conversation. This is a 'real' wine, with no pretense and oodles of individuality. — 10 years ago
Shay A
Victoria from Bevan Cellars came to town and put on a wonderful tasting of some current releases.
No surprise here, but this was rich and powerful. It was served a bit too cold, but I was able to set it aside and come back to it after it warmed up. Very different (in a good way). The fruits became more honeyed, and there was an added smoked butter note. I enjoy Ritchie vineyard Chardonnays, and with Bevan’s take, I always get a very pronounced nutty type note...this vintage isn’t as pronounced at this stage. Not a bad or a good thing...just a thing. This vintages seems a bit more focused compared to previous vintages. — 7 years ago