Excellent Rhone wine that is in a great place right now. This bottle tasted much better and more mature than a bottle tasted two years ago. That review can be found here: https://www.intowine.com/reviews/2013-rotem-mounir-saouma-ch%C3%A2teaune...
This is my first time trying this producer. It is a blend of 72% Roussanne, 24% Chardonnay, and 4% Viognier. Opened and allowed to breathe for an hour prior to consuming. Delicious. Golden in color, clear and bright. The nose shows some toasty oak, roasted almonds, Lemon flan, and slight wax/vanilla. Yet, for all those oak notes on the nose, it takes a back seat on the palate which has lemons, waxy lemons, and slight ginger notes. It is a big wine, but not a fruit bomb, more of a presence. Enough acidity to carry the fruit. Long finish. This is delicious on its own, but also worke
First time trying this vintage and it is awesome if still young. I hate to call it elegant as that is not correct, but it is the kind of wine that fans of the "less is more" philosophy of wine will love. Light silvery/gold in color, clear and bright with a lot of tiny bubbles. The nose is great with green apples, minerality, slight lanolin and chalk. But it is not big, just intense. The palate is similar. At first taste, it seemed to be missing something, but it has an energy and persistence that keeps building. Intensity without volume. The green apple and minerality carry thru to
This was a relatively inexpensive Barolo on release ($30) from an excellent vintage. Solid showing although not as good as a bottle a couple of years ago. Ruby in color, clear and bright. The nose has cherries, dust and slight tar. Medium bodied. On the palate, this has some cherry fruit. Light tannins. Moderate finish. It works better with food and would make a nice meal with pasta. Probably best to drink this sooner than later.
This is in a great spot right now. At peak. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has black raspberries, black pepper, roasted herbs and slight bacon fat. Full bodied. Ripe but not overt. On the palate, nice black raspberry fruit with great acidity. Deep and complex. It opens beautifully in the glass. Also, delicious. Long finish. This won't get better but should drink well for another five to seven years. It works well on its own and would work with Thai or Indian food, or just a burger.
A beautiful Syrah from this Oregon based producer (although the fruit is Californian). Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose has black raspberries, char, roasted herbs, gamey meat and black pepper. Full bodied but not over the top. 14.8% abv. On the palate, this is delicious. Black raspberry fruit, ripe, but not sweet with a touch of black pepper. Lively. Good energy. Long finish. Delicious. Drinking really well right now, at or close to peak. This should drink well for another ten to twelve years. This drinks great on its own and went well with a roasted veggie sandwich
Another great showing for this Chardonnay. There is a deft use of oak that is noticeable here, but well done and well within reason. Light golden in color, clear and bright. The nose is nice with lemon curd, vanilla and hint of grapefruit. With air a nice minerality emerges. Full bodied. On the palate, this is still young but drinking well. It improves in the glass showing lemon curd with slight vanilla and spice. Nice balance and structure. Long finish. This seems like it should easily do another decade or more. Great on its own, this will work well with duck, salmon or just a s
There are not a lot of great producers of Grenache in California, but there are a few who excel and at the top is Manfred Krankl and his Sine Qua Non wines. At age 13, this is just hitting its stride and just outstanding. A blend of 82% Grenache, 14% Syrah, 2% Viognier and 2% Roussanne. Purple in color, opaque and bright. The nose is great with black cherries, black raspberries, roasted meats and spices. Full bodied. 15.8% abv but no heat. On the palate, black cherries with some black raspberries over a bit of char. Deep and powerful. Delicious. Long finish. The kind of wine that
This is a Pinot Noir from the new Orin Swift Cellars. Like many of his wines, there will be a subsection of people who won't like it because it is too big and too ripe. Those people will also dismiss those who do like it as being "the masses". The thing is, "the masses" are not buying $50 Pinot Noir's. It is a matter of style and preference. Ruby in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose has cherries, baking spices, slight chocolate and figs. Full bodied. On the nose, this has raspberries, slight confectionary sugar notes, a hint of black pepper with some cherries on the finish.
An interesting wine. Light golden in color, clear and bright. The nose has almonds, grapefruits, slight chalk and a hint of salinity. medium bodied. On the palate, those qualities came out as well. Very nice acidity. Overall, a bit reticent but refreshing. Perhaps because it came in a 500ml bottle, but I presumed it would be at least semi-sweet. Not to be, but it did work well with home made vegan ginger snaps. Well made Vouvray can last a long time as this showed no real signs of age. I wouldn't worry about another five or ten years.
