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Displaying [376-400] of 1000
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2001 DuMol
Pinot Noir
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finn
(USA / California / Sonoma / Russian River Valley)
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ALCOHOL: 14.9%
CASES: 414
RATED: 01/10/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
You'll think you have a young burgundy on your hands. Earthy with hint of truffles and loads of ripe cherries. Nice ruby red color.
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2002 Martinelli
Zinfandel
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Guiseppe and Louisa
(USA / California / Sonoma / Russian River Valley)
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RATED: 01/18/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
I was lucky enough to get to try this at a pre-release tasting, along side the 2001 Guiseppe and Louisa. While still young, and in need of some cellaring, the 2002 was excellent. Dark plum color with notes of toasted oak. Superior to the 2001 the 2002 is nearing the level of a Jackass Vineyard Zinfandel.
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2001 Pride
Cabernet Sauvignon
(USA / California / Napa / Spring Mountain District)
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RATED: 03/01/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
I've been lucky enough to have this on two different outings. Deep extraction, with a dark inky purple color. I got cassis and smoke in the nose. Well blended tannins, and very mouth filling, with a nice 30-second finish. I would say this is a wine to "hold." After 60 minutes of decanting (after a double decant) it was still just beginning to show what its promise was.
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2001 Pisoni
Pinot Noir
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Estate
(USA / California / Monterey / Santa Lucia Highlands)
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RATED: 03/19/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
This was my first experience with anything Jeff Pisoni has made himself, and I found this to be an excellent Pinot. Concentrated, rounded, with cooked blue and blackberries, and a hint of smoke. This wine was very reminiscent of a Aussie Shiraz. Still very young, but reasonably priced, and worth cellaring.
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1999 Rochioli
Pinot Noir
- West Block
(USA / California / Sonoma / Russian River Valley)
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RATED: 05/16/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
Drinking excellent as of 5-04, loads of black fruit and cherries, toasted oak and allspice in the nose. Medium body and extraction. If you're a fan of big domestic Pinots, seek this one out, and add it to your list.
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2001 Philip Togni
Cabernet Sauvignon
(USA / California / Napa / Spring Mountain District)
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RATED: 06/02/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
Tasted on 5-10-04. Truly an excellent wine, my 2nd favorite of the 2001 Cabs thus far, behind only the 2001 Merus. This wine show it's young age, and needs at least 4-6 years of cellaring. A huge wine, with noticeable tannins (sweet), it will pay to wait.
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2002 Martinelli
Zinfandel
- Jackass Vineyard
(USA / California / Sonoma / Russian River Valley)
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RATED: 09/01/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
Wow, Super Rich, Super Extraction, dark purple color. Drank on 9.1.04 with Grilled Lamb at Chinois in Sanata Monica ($95 on the menu). Flavors of currants and blacberries. One of my favorite Jackass Zins. to date! Interestingly enough, this wine is my second favorite Zin from Martinelli for 2002. The 2002 Giuseppe and Luisa which is actually made from cuttings from the Jackass Vineyard beats this out in my book. I'd say the Jackass is "richer" but for the the more "complex" G&L. I truly enjoy the toasted oak notes I found in the G&L as well.
Having said that, both are amazing wines, and worth seeking out.
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2001 Quilceda Creek
Cabernet Sauvignon
(USA / Washington / Columbia Valley)
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CASES: 3,150
RATED: 06/02/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
This is a big wine! Probably way too young to drink now, but if you do, make sure it's decanted for at least seven hours. Once it`s had a chance to open up you will be rewarded with a bouquet of violet and raspberry along with a distinct note of cocoa. At this point, it appears to be shutting down, but will emerge as a huge wine with incredible balance. Flavors of cassis, raspberry and dark chocolate wash all over your palate and finish in a long and harmonious way. Where lots of Washington wines have a lot of sweetness and acidity, this wine was cool and dark, much less forward, much less sweet and just utterly balanced and gorgeous.
This wine has the potential to be a 99 point wine. It's just too young to drink now.
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2000 Chateau Lynch-Bages
(France / Bordeaux / Pauillac)
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RATED: 06/02/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
Cedar, graphite, heavy dark fruit. Dark fruit nearly overpowers rest of nose. Great mouthfeel. Impeccable balance. Though wine is very young, everything is in place. Enjoyable now. Medium to long finish. Strong black fruit. Mouth coating. Should be extraordinary.
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2000 Sloan
(USA / California / Napa / Rutherford)
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RATED: 06/05/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
Rumor has it the winemaker for Sloan is married to the winemaker for Harlan Estate. Many wines try to proclaim they are the next Harlan or Screaming Eagle but this one actually might do it. The second and third vintages from Sloan flirt with perfection receiving 96-99 from Parker in 2001 and 96-100 in 2002.
This is one of the best Napa offerings from the tricky 2000 vintage. With minimal decanting you can expect an opaque coloring giving off aromas of coffee, (not the cheap kind you get at the grocery store.. the good stuff that costs an arm and a leg per pound) plus Fuente Fuente Opus cigar.
On the palate blackcurrant, berry jam, vanilla and asian spices emerge over restrained tannins.
Probably should have decanted for at least an hour for optimal results. Drink over the next five years.
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1970 Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron
(France / Bordeaux / Pauillac)
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RATED: 06/09/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
The fill was astounding and the cork looked solid as a rock, so I was optimistic. Sure enough, the cork came out solid as a rock; it was actually almost fused to the bottle. I had to be very patient with it before finally the cork came out intact and in flawless shape. The nose was slightly reticent at first but giving off enough fruit & cedar that my hopes were high. Upon decanting the wine looked 15 years younger than I would have expected, still a nice ruby with almost no fading at the edge. Now the nose is bursting with cedar, lead pencil, and some delicate fruit! On the palate the wine was a bit tight and acidic for the first 15 minutes, but then it really started to fill out and get more plush and forward on the attack. It featured silk, satin, and layers of pleasure that somehow kept getting smoother as the wine opened. After 30 minutes the finish really started to stretch out, and while it was never overpowering this was a wine that lingered with you gently and kept begging for you to come back. Amazingly, over the course of 90 minutes the wine kept opening and gaining in power. I expected to fade quickly, but it was good to the last drop. Drink now.
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1999 Dolce
Semillon
(USA / California / Napa)
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ALCOHOL: 13.5%
CASES: 1,600
RATED: 06/11/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
Can you ever go wrong with this? In a word - no.
The Dolce is a classy dessert wine made from late harvest Riesling...from the hand painted floral design on the bottle, to the production, everything is top notch.
The '99 is starting to show more depth and complexity than before. Botrytized, Caramel, honey, perfume and passionfruit are all there in harmony. An additional flavor of creme brulee is apparent on the finish.
Drink now or hold for another ten years.
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1986 Monticello
Cabernet Sauvignon
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Corley Reserve
(USA / California / Napa)
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RATED: 01/03/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
Sampled 10/23/03 and 1/3/04. This 100% Cabernet is probably the best Monticello has ever produced and is one of the last California cabs that was built to last past a decade. The flavors that still come through are cherry, black cherry, and black current fruit with a little spice. The wine in 750ml is starting to show some age, the fruit is still big and strong, and the finish is 10 to 20 seconds. Recommend mags and larger sizes for full experience.
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1989 Chateau Clerc Milon
(France / Bordeaux / Pauillac)
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RATED: 01/08/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
Next to the 1986 and the 1995 vintages, the 1989 is in the top 3 of Clerc Milon vintages produced. Classic Paulliac - big Cab fruit - and 1989 is on the mark for Clerc. One would think this Chateau would produce much higher quality wines than it does in the best years. On the other hand, it never has a flop (even in the most difficult years) and it's price has yet to become artifically inflated.
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1992 Dominus
(USA / California / Napa)
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RATED: 02/23/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
Sampled 2/23/04. The nose on this vintage is not as over-the-top Bordeaux like the '91 or '94 Dominus, but the earthy Bordeaux nose is present and would fool any number of wine drinkers as to the wine's origin. This wine is very similar to the 1990 Dominus in almost every way and is aging beautifully (and seemingly better than the 1990 has in my mind) with rounded tannins and low acidity. It has an interesting blend of cassis, mocha, blackberry and a hint of spice embedded in the ripe fruit.
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2001 Chateau Potelle
Zinfandel
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VGS
(USA / California / Napa / Mt. Veeder)
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RATED: 02/24/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
Sampled 2/24/04. There is more to the story behind the "VGS" labeling, but the people at the winery will often sum up the acronym in the manner described above, and in the case of this particular wine are absolutely correct. Clearly not 100% Zin, this wine is complex with spices, ripe black fruit, moderate tannins and a little toasted oak. The initial mouthful of fruit makes you say: "Wow." This is the second time I've had this wine in the past 6 months and will be saving my other bottles because there is some good aging to be had here.
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1986 Domaine Louis Latour
- Bienvenue Batard
(France / Burgundy / Cote de Beaune / Chassagne-Montrachet)
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RATED: 04/05/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
Sampled 4/5/04. This wonderful white Burg has a smokey and oaky start that quickly gives way to clean and crisp citrus flavors. The finish is rather abrupt which seems to come from the wine's age - although the color of the wine does not indicated it past maturity. The nose is earthy with flowers emerging. Because of the depth of this wine, it is much better with food - shrimp with a white sauce made an exceptional pairing.
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2000 Zaca Mesa
Syrah
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Black Bear Block
(USA / California / Santa Barbara / Santa Ynez Valley)
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ALCOHOL: 13.7%
CASES: 483
RATED: 04/18/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
Sampled 4/18/04. A perfect emulation of a Northern Rhone wine with a fineness and grace that you don't get from most California or Aussie makers. Smokey herbs wash over and blend with the ripe Syrah fruit. The finish is about 10 to 15 seconds and it remains balanced throughout.
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1996 Arrowood
Cabernet Sauvignon
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Reserve Speciale
(USA / California / Sonoma)
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RATED: 06/07/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
Sampled 6/7/04. This wine took about 30 minutes to open up fully, which took me by surprise. I was expecting the 1996 to be a much faster maturing wine and already at its peak, but it's clear it's got at least 1-3 more years left (if not longer) before it hits it peak. This wine is not a bold as the 1995 Reserve Speciale, but it is certainly as big and complex (black cherry/black currant and black licorice) with a very similar finish of light spicy oak. A definite gem that is worth going back to next year.
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1997 Beaulieu Vineyard (BV)
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Tapestry
(USA / California / Napa)
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RATED: 06/23/2004 |
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Sampled 6/23/04. This is still my favorite Tapestry, and I have yet to taste it at its peak. The wine was tight and closed for about 15 minutes and even after 30 it was still not fully open. The wine's tannins are still strong and the color deep. Black currant and spice break through the tannins now, there is much more going on with this wine that only time will reveal fully. This could be a 20-year wine.
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1992 Chateau Montelena
Cabernet Sauvignon
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Estate
(USA / California / Napa)
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RATED: 06/23/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
Sampled 6/23/04. This wine immediately reminded me of the '92 Dominus in several ways. The nose was Bordeaux but not over the top. The layering of blackberry and black cherry fruits, earthiness and subdued spice was clear, interesting and compelling. Unlike the Dominus '92, this wine was showing a little age in its color (although it could have be bottle variation) and the finish wasn't as long. Although this Montelena is a great wine still, if the bottle I had is indicative of most, it is peaking now should be consumed over the next couple years.
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1999 S. Anderson
Cabernet Sauvignon
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SAV
(USA / California / Napa / Stags Leap District)
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ALCOHOL: 14.2%
CASES: 782
RATED: 06/27/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
Sampled 6/27/04. This wine has a beautiful color and nose, and you expect big and great things. Then the first taste comes and you are hit with Oak, but before you can feel like you've been tricked, the Oak evaporates and thick, rich and powerful black currant fruit explodes with a long finish of spice and black cherry jam with a little of that classic Stag's Leap District earthiness mixed in as well. After 30 minutes, the Oak up front was evaporating off even quicker. In a few more years, this wine will hit its stride.
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2001 Kistler
Pinot Noir
- Kistler Vineyard
(USA / California / Sonoma / Russian River Valley)
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RATED: 08/02/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
Sampled 8/2/04. Beautiful Pinot color. Smooth, elegant, rich, lavish Burgundy-style Pinot. Black cherries, hint of raspberries, both extremely ripe but not jammy. Kistler produces yet another excellent Pinot.
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1986 Joseph Phelps
Cabernet Sauvignon
- Backus Vineyard
(USA / California / Napa / Oakville)
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RATED: 09/29/2004 |
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Sampled 9/29/04. No decanting time was necessary, but the wine is certainly not over the hill, although I wouldn't wait too many more years to drink it. The color is still very deep and dark. The wine is sweet from the remnants of a fallen Eucalyptus which adds some mintiness and blends with the spicy Oak and overripe black fruits. The finish on the wine at least 15-20 seconds and that enhances its score with me.
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1995 Louis Roederer
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Cristal
(France / Champagne)
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RATED: 11/01/2004 |
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Sampled 11/01/04. Cristal is like Opus, the product of great brand loyalty that drives the price beyond its merit, but that does not mean it is a bad wine. The apple and lemon comes through with this wine and it has a citrusy aftertaste that is well balanced with the acid and sugars. Although still young, it is quite pleasant now.
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Displaying [376-400] of 1000
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