Ruby in color. The nose has nice cherries with some floral notes. A bit of spice. On the palate, this has some depth. Bright cherry fruit with an underlying mineral/char. Still young but opens nicely. Good finish. Not a huge Pinot but certainly no wall flower either. Should go with a good amount of foods. Drink over the next ten years or so.
Ruby in color. The nose is a bit old. Lighter with cherries, tobacco, dried fruits. bell pepper and slight celery. On the palate, this is tart and dried cherries. A bit of a bell pepper streak. Still drinking ok but getting a bit long in the tooth. Probably better ten years ago.
From a Magnum. This is a very nice wine and a crowd pleaser. Not to big and fruity but enough of everything to please everyone. It does not, however, resemble an Amarone. Basically, a Valpolicella in an Amarone bottle? Is that a problem? Only depending on price and what one is looking for. Purple in color. The nose has cherries and canned cherries with a bit of minerality. On the palate, a nice backbone of acidity. Good cherry fruit. Fresh and bright. Light tannins. Nice finish. This is food friendly and would work with a wide variety of foods. Nice finish.
Ruby in color, clear and bright. The nose is dusty with cherries. On the palate, light cherries. OK finish. Certainly a fine Pinot Noir. This retails for around $25 which is a fair price. Varietally correct. Will work with a wide variety of foods. Probably won't improve but should cellar well for another 10 years.
A very nice example of a cooler climate Syrah. At age 10, this is just sort of chugging along on its way, but not yet, at maturity. Purple in color. The nose is black raspberries with some black olives and slight bacon fat. Very much a Northern Rhone profile. On the palate, there is a grilled black raspberry fruit quality to this. Slightly sour fruit. Some slight heat on the finish. Overall, very solid and enjoyable. Food friendly. Perhaps still some upside to go.
This is painfully young. Great stuffing but really needs at least five more years and probably more. For all the talk about modern styles of Barolo's and making them more accessible, even the average ones still need a decade or more. This is ruby in color, clear and bright. The nose is dusty with cherries, macerated cherries and dried roses. On the palate, this has firm tannins. Sour cherry fruit. A very nice finish. Plenty of upside on this wine and it is probably still out in the marketplace. I am told it retails for around $50 which is a great price for a Barolo of this quality.
Upon first tasting, this wine wasn't giving up a thing. Really tight. But after an hour or two of air and multiple other pours being taken, this finally started to open up and show something. That said, drink this quick or be prepared to wait a while before revisiting as if not shut down, it is getting there quickly. Deep ruby in color. The nose has black cherries with rocks and dust. With air a bit of a floral note. On the palate, this is almost jammy but not quite with black cherry fruit. A nice minerality underneath. It is delicious and only going to get better from here. It ne
This wine has notoriously been slow to come around. This is a very masculine but classic Bordeaux. This was decanted for sediment (not a lot) and then allowed to breathe for an hour or so, it opened nicely although the best days are still ahead for this wine. Purple in color. The nose has cassis, tobacco, some earthiness and a fair amount of oak coming thru as cedar and slight fresh cut timber. On the palate, this was tight initially. Eventually opening up to show a classic, if still on the young side of mature, Bordeaux. Cassis, black licorice, black cherries and slight earthiness.
Golden in color, lots of small bubbles. The nose is yeasty with some ginger. On the palate, this has a slight sweetness to it. More so than one might expect from a Brut. Bright acidity. Creamy texture. Drinks easy. Very food friendly. Fun way to liven up a party.
Sean Thackrey is one of the world's great winemakers who hangs out in Bolinas California. This is basically a field blend of what doesn't make his top Cuvees. Although it is non-vintage, each Cuvee carries a Roman Numeral designate. This is XI, but the current release is XXV. This wine is approximately 16 years old and was really made to be drunk in the first few years. Sometime, however, wines hide in the cellar only to provide a pleasant surprise later on. It was originally claimed to be a blend of Syrah, Petite Syrah, Zinfandel, Sangiovese, Carignan, and Barbera, however, DNA testi
