Whale Tale

Folly of the Beast

Central Coast Pinot Noir

If you’re looking for a fruit-forward Pinot that’s still elegant and light, but you do t want to spend $$$, here’s your white whale. The QPR here is crazy. Great with a wood-fired pizza! — 5 years ago

Castoro Cellars

Whale Rock Vineyard Reserve Pinot Noir 2016

14.3% alc/vol. Ruby to dark red, moderate pigment extraction, very good clarity. Cherry, weedy greens and barrel wood aromas on nose. Cherry flavor with length, some seed bitterness on finish with leather and cherry pulp fruitiness. Aftertaste of cherry stone. Moderate skin and barrel tannin astringency after 30 minutes. Could use some decanting. Mint, blueberry and black currant flavors emerge after 60 minutes. Solid fruit expression for variety, shows well for Cali cool climate vineyard location in Templeton Gap. Perhaps more barrel character than some might prefer; not my usual style for the varietal but good fruit at its core, and well crafted overall. Castoro reds can be tannin-forward, and this Pinot noir is no exception. The natural question is: can you dig it when a Pinot noir is made this way? I love the challenge, but do you have the patience to age or decant this wine long enough to show all it can be? — 6 years ago

P, Hermes and 3 others liked this
Trixie

Trixie

Good descriptors and review. Cheers!🍷

Scarpa (Antica Casa Vinicola Scarpa)

Casa Scarpa Barbera d'Asti 2016

Mary H
8.9

Fresh and fruity - grape and cranberry. Went decently well with whale beef steak! — 6 years ago

Château Gazin

Pomerol Red Bordeaux Blend 2005

A great pomerol on a great vintage, Gazin is Merlot harvested at maturity but not over, great acidity and balance with the tell tale notes of Merlot now emerging. I would say better to wait another 3 to 5 years but this is a really excellent bottle. If you like distinct and not overdone Pomerols, go after this one ! — 7 years ago

Adriana Pagliano
with Adriana
Anthony liked this

Heitz Cellar

Martha's Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 1990

Birthday dinner for a '77 and '90 tonight. Celebrated at Addison and indulged in the chef's choice menu. I'm not sure how many courses we had--12, 13, 14??--but it was the single most foundation shaking culinary experience I've ever experienced. If you are ever in Del Mar do yourself a favor and dive in mouth and feet first! The Martha's was full of sumptuous fruit, dusty tannins and fun funk. None of the tell tale eucalyptus or menthol but a very fun treat. — 8 years ago

Bill, Eric and 48 others liked this
Jody Scharf

Jody Scharf Premium Badge

Happy 29th Birthday!🍷

Château Brown

Pessac-Léognan Red Bordeaux Blend 2013

Blind Dinner, Open Theme; 19 Dec 2016 at Prairie Whale, Great Barrington, MA — 8 years ago

Antonio Vallana e Figlio

Gattinara Nebbiolo 1998

Blind Dinner, 10+ Year, Open Theme; 15 May 2017 at Prairie Whale, Great Barrington, MA — 8 years ago

Drappier

Zero Dosage Rosé Brut Nature Pinot Noir Champagne

Rose de saignee without liquor addition. Extremely elegant and balanced with the tell tale notes of pinot. This is top notch stuff and highly recommended. — 6 years ago

Adriana Pagliano
with Adriana
Severn and Ron liked this

Mauro Vannucci

Piaggia Riserva Sangiovese Blend 2006

Lovely, tell-tale Sangiovese. Drinking perfectly now.
Highly recommended!
— 6 years ago

Peter, Freek and 7 others liked this

Il Borro

Pian di Nova Toscana Syrah - Sangiovese Blend 2016

"a nose of dark cocoa, dried grass, and black pepper of Syrah. The flavor is similarly peppery but the Sangiovese loosens things up a bit by contributing bay leaves & the tell-tale sour cherry." — 6 years ago

Celler Escoda-Sanahuja

Els Bassots Conca de Barberà Chenin Blanc 2018

pale yellow and slightly cloudy appearance. certainly not a fruity nose but maybe some citrus. awakening acidity. palette is bitter citrus, grapefruit, meyer lemon on the back. maybe some tropical fruitiness if you listen carefully. toasted nuttiness and an oxidized sherry-likeness.

Bottle 1 of 12
Had it with pork tenderloin with shallot mustard sauce, fairy tale eggplant and zucchini with a ricotta/mozzarella cheese sauce & fresh basil and mint
— 6 years ago

Nicolas Rossignol

Volnay Pinot Noir 2012

Surprinsgly good, fresh and elegant, with a good complexity, showing a mix of fresh and dried red fruit, the tell tale soubouis and mineral notes gives this wine its well deserved identity. A nice development in the glass. Good balance and structure. At five years of age the wine drinks very well and is not in need of any further aging — 8 years ago

Burn Cottage

Central Otago Pinot Noir 2014

The flagship wine from Burn Cottage, a Central Otago, New Zealand producer focused on Pinot Noir. Husband and wife owners Dianne & Marquis Sauvage sought out Ted Lemon of Littorai, and SF Chronicle's winemaker of the year for 2010 (Jon Bonné: "The simple version of Ted Lemon's story: Young American goes to Burgundy. Becomes first American to run a Burgundian wine estate. Comes back and stays true to Pinot's motherland."). Lemon oversaw the planting of the vineyards, along with all aspects of vineyard management and winemaking, chief of which being Biodynamic from inception. The label is a derivative of a 1795 fairy tale called “The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily” which represents the ideal intersection of people and the land reflected in Biodynamics. Black cherry, citrus, and lavender pastille, with some secondary loam and herbs. — 8 years ago

Shay, Eric and 9 others liked this
Shay A

Shay A Influencer Badge Premium Badge

Wow. Love that label.
Eric

Eric Premium Badge

Ditto. And the name.
Isaac Pirolo

Isaac Pirolo Influencer Badge

@Shay Aldriedge @Eric S I had seen this a couple times and when I found out that Ted Lemon was behind it, I had to try. The label really makes me want to like this more than I do, but it is very good.

Château Yvonne

Saumur Champigny Cabernet Franc 2012

If there is a better Cab Franc from Saumur at this price point, it would be found in a fairy tale story read to young budding wine geeks. It just doesn’t exist, so buy this one. — 6 years ago

Severn, Ryan and 2 others liked this

Talisker

Talisker Storm Single Malt Scotch Whisky

Atop heady iodine, wet mossy and pine bio, green apple sliced thin, melon, lemon and lime peel, smoky glazed ham with pineapple, igneous grind, dried sunflower blossom, jasmine, fall maple leaves, roasted corn with sweet chillies, cinnamon, and the faintest matchstick sail memory scents. Instantly warm and welcoming ginger candy, caramel, leather, graphite, cinnamon oil, hazelnut, pine sap, mint, calvados, cherry stem, eucalyptus, tangerine oil, lime, and jalapeño. Intense and lingering, filling the mouth beyond its capacity to taste. Really lovely Talisker manifestation conjuring metal and stone textures like some dark tale of briny ghosts! #Talisker #scotch #scotchwhisky #scotchwhiskey #whiskey #whisky #TaliskerStorm #singlemalt #Isleofskye #Scotland #madebythesea #classicmaltsselection #Islay — 6 years ago

Sharon, Severn and 1 other liked this
Severn Goodwin

Severn Goodwin Influencer Badge Premium Badge

The best bargain out there!
David Kline

David Kline Influencer Badge

Agreed, but the Inchimurran Madeira from Loch Lomond is close!

Cisco Brewers

Whale's Tale Pale Ale

White clear tasting ale. — 6 years ago

P liked this

Castoro Cellars

Reserve Whale Rock Vineyard Grenache 2015

Beställde 6 flaskor t lokala systemet - både Anna o jag kallar vinet New-York-vin då det känns som ett vinbarsvin. Fungerar dock utmärkt till en blodigt stekt biff m bea. — 7 years ago

Demarie

Nebbiolo d'Alba Nebbiolo

Raspberry, dried blackberry and cedar form a distinct potpourri when considered with the dried rose petal and orange bitters. There is a fleeting fruitiness that approaches strawberries dropped into a coniferous fire. Lovely, if firm tannins support a whale of a wine. Amazing depth with Roobios tea leafs, tobacco, graphite, bay leaf, bing cherry, dried black cherry and black currants on carbon paper and campfire ash, driven deep into a charred wormwood and dusty schist. This is an incredible Nebbiolo that over-delivers in every sense! #piedmontesewines #nebbiolo #nebbiololover #nebbiololife #nebbiolodalba #alba #Demarie #piedmont #babybarolo #italianred #Italianwine — 8 years ago

J. Christopher

Willamette Valley Unfiltered Pinot Noir 2012

Blind Dinner, Franco-American Winemaker Theme; 17 Nov 2016 at Prairie Whale, Great Barrington, MA — 8 years ago

Aurelio Settimo

Riserva Rocche Barolo Nebbiolo 2004

Blind Dinner, 10+ Year, Open Theme; 15 May 2017 at Prairie Whale, Great Barrington, MA — 8 years ago

Steve liked this