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Displaying [26-50] of 1000
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2001 Whitehall Lane
Cabernet Sauvignon
(USA / California / Napa)
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ALCOHOL: 14.2%
CASES: 18,860
RATED: 05/11/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
When I realized we had this wine at the tasting, I was anxious because I've heard very polarized mixed reviews on this vintage. By the time we got to the WL, our steaks had arrived, which may have had something to do with it's flavors coming through so well. The nose was very pleasant, boasting cherry and plums, but the first sip blew me away. The smooth, almost velvety texture was supported by firm tannins, and lead to flavors of cooked red fruits, currant and sweet spices and a full-bodied fleshy finish that punctuated my filet very nicely. I actually poured myself a second glass of this wine when no one was looking. I feel that it's more of a 'drink now' wine than one to cellar, but it should age well for another 5 years or so.
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1997 Frog's Leap
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Rutherford
(USA / California / Napa / Rutherford)
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RATED: 05/24/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
This is the second Rutherford I've tried in the past year, and I was in no way disappointed. Whereas the '96 needed over an hour open up completely, the '97 seems to have had enough time to age well, as the tannins were soft after about 20 minutes. We had this bottle with scallops, baked halibut and fried oysters at Babette's in Inman Park, which paired wonderfully. The nose was full and sweet, with aromas of blackberry rhubarb pie. The texture was full in the mouth and velvety with rich dark fruits and berries. The structure was complex with a deeper extraction than what I expected and a dark ruby color that appeared black at times. The 42% Cab Franc definitely come through in this wine, which contributed to the 30+ second finish. Sad to say I only have one bottle remaining, but I could cellar it for another five years with no worries.
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2001 Pride
Merlot
(USA / California / Napa / Spring Mountain District)
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RATED: 05/24/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
I was just excited to have found a case of this wine at a shop on the way home from dinner. In truth, it's a very good wine that needs another couple years in the bottle and an hour or so decant time before drinking. Unfortunately, I didn't have the patience for all that tonight.
The good news is that this wine drinks well now, although the tannins get in the way early on. As they subsided with time, they revealed flavors of cooked cherries, ripe boysenberries and rich spices, like a summer rhubarb pie made by your grandmother. This vintage had wonderful depth of color and a super-rich juicy feel with beautiful concentration of fruit. The nose was floral and sweet and the finish was short and to the point. Except for this wine's youth, I would have scored it 3-4 points higher, so I'll wait a couple years before diving in again. Please age and decant.
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2001 Turley
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The White Coat
(USA / California / San Luis Obispo)
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RATED: 06/01/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
I'm not a big white wine drinker, but this blend of white varietals really grew on me...it took about 20 minutes for the various flavors of citrus, pears and apples to blend, and then I decided I liked the way it 'went down.' The Viognier and Chardonnay come out very strong at first; lots of allspice and nutmeg...I also thought I tasted walnuts and figs at one point. I'll give this vintage more credit than WS, but it's not your typical white. At $38/bottle, I probably won't purchase any more of this interesting summer picnic wine...not that I'm on the list anyway.
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1985 Niebaum-Coppola
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Rubicon
(USA / California / Napa / Rutherford)
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RATED: 06/01/2004 |
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I was a little worried about this one. Although I've stored this bottle properly since I bought it last year ($41 on E-bay,) one just never knows how it was handled prior to arriving at one's door. I'm happy to say that the cork was completely intact and fairly saturated to about 2/3 of the top. The 19 years it spent in the bottle really matured this beautiful Bordeaux-style red.
The nose was mild, much moreso than I expected, and reminded me of Opus One on a good day. First sip was pleasantly sweet with a solid core of black cherries and other red & black fruits that lingered on the palate. The medium-bodied feel & spicy flavors were rich and full in the mouth without being too overbearing. The finish was long and straightforward and lasted over 30 seconds...a healthy big red with all the right flavors in all the right places. This wine is peaking and should be enjoyed soon, if you're lucky enough to find one.
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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: 06/01/2004 |
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I saw that WS gave this a 94, but wasn't very excited initially; my personal experience with this winery has been 'just OK' until recently. No decant was necessary here, as this huge red drank extremely well right out of the bottle.
A spicy blend of plums, blue & blackberry jams, and dark cherry juice was complemented by a 'just right' dose of anise, cassis and leather on the mid-palate. I actually tasted grapes, along with a myriad of other cooked black fruits on the long, lustrous finish. I may call and get more of this today...I highly recommend this wine as a 'drink now' selection, but there's no doubt it will age for another 5+ years.
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2002 Pride
Merlot
(USA / California / Napa / Spring Mountain District)
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ALCOHOL: 14.5%
CASES: 5,698
RATED: 06/05/2004 |
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| COMMENTS: |
We did a little mini-vertical last night with several Pride Merlots and a few others, including '00 Twomey and '99 Northstar, which couldn't surpass Pride's deep extraction and flavor. This wine isn't a typical merlot; in fact, it reminded me at times of a Syrah. The most interesting thing I found when comparing the '96, '98, '01 and '02 Pride was the progression toward maturity of this wine over time. The development from 'a nice wine' to 'a real stunner' says something about the winemaker's abilites.
This vintage is very complex, fruit-forward and rich, but it's so big that we decanted it for over an hour before we started in. The nose is lush and full with berries and leather. The tannins were high, but had subsided mostly by the time we got around to drinking it. Very full-bodied in the mouth, heavy for a merlot, with dark sweet fruits throughout and hints of licorice, cocoa and graphite on the mid-palate. The finish was long and smooth with a nice aftertaste. You can drink this now or hold; it will age well for another ten years at least.
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1999 Northstar
Merlot
(USA / Washington / Columbia Valley)
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ALCOHOL: 14.8%
RATED: 06/05/2004 |
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We finished this wine with dessert and what a wonderful way to go. I have been skeptical of non-CA merlot recently and this one proved me wrong. Compared with the bigger wines of the evening, this one was a medium-bodied pleasant surprise. Very big aromas of cooked red fruits and berries welcome the nose. I would have to say, for an American Merlot, this wine is 'just right.' The velvety feel and delicious flavors of plums, blackberries and cherries blended well with a texture that wasn't too chunky, overripe or spicy. A medium finish, about 15-20 seconds, was the perfect end to this glass. Medium extraction with that light 'Merlot' signature makes this something I'll seek out in the future. Although very good, this wine didn't feel like it had the age potential of some other wines we had last night. No more than 5 years in the cellar for the Northstar, in my opinion.
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1999 Verite
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La Muse
(USA / California / Sonoma)
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ALCOHOL: 14.1%
RATED: 07/02/2004 |
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We had this with dinner at South City Kitchen in Atlanta last night and I couldn't be more pleased with our selection. The nose was ripe red fruits and very inviting. Hints of cocoa and leather blended with gobs of cooked blue/blackberries anise and plums. One of the nicest reds I've had in awhile because of the smooth character; it wasn't too tannic and the texture was supple, not chewy. The finish was long and sweet. I'd guess that this will age for at least another eight years, but mine will be gone by then.
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1993 Shafer
Cabernet Sauvignon
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Hillside Select
(USA / California / Napa / Stags Leap District)
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RATED: 07/02/2004 |
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How many times have you unfoiled a bottle to find that the cork had soaked through? And how often did this happen with a really nice bottle? Saturday at Chastain Park, I opened this one to discover just that. I immedaitely opened it to discover, to my sheer awe, that the wine was untainted. Although we only had hors d'ouvres with it, this was a classic bottle of Shafer.
Much smoother than the younger 1999 vintage, I can only imagine that bottle-time has mellowed this big red. The nose was full black fruits and hints of honeysuckle. Flavors included dark chocolate, cooked cherries and licorice with a blackberry cobbler-style sweetness. The texture was firm, but not over-the-top. I think the tiniest bit of oxygen touched this wine and flattened it out ever-so-mildly, but still a truly amazing glass. The succulent finish last a minute or so and I wanted to wring out the bottle for the last few drops. I would say this vintage would age for another 10 years or so, but you can really enjoy it now.
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1999 Martinelli
Chardonnay
- Charles Ranch Vineyard
(USA / California / Sonoma / Sonoma Coast)
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RATED: 07/02/2004 |
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We started out with this wine last Friday at a dinner party. I was skeptical because I'd never had a Martinelli Chard, and my guests were 'uninitiated.' We had this with a cheese course to open and the full, rich and spicy flavors complemented the meal very well. The nose was citrusy and sweet, like a viognier. I tasted several different, but well-developed flavors, such as allspice, oak and honey-peach on the midpalate, with granny smith apples and grapefruit on the finish. Clean and crisp, the finish lasted 20-30 seconds and I was very pleased, except for some sugar/sediment on the cork and in the neck. Not too sure about aging on white wines, I'd drink this one soon.
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1995 Robert Mondavi
Cabernet Sauvignon
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Reserve
(USA / California / Napa)
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RATED: 07/02/2004 |
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I bought two bottles of this wine this past Spring for $47/each (it released in 1997 at $60) and it's worth much more now, so this was a steal! This was our entree wine Friday night with filets and Mustards' Lemon-Garlic Chicken.
As the Mondavi Reserve Cabs tend to be more mellow, this one went as far as being earthy. The nose was full of red fruits and a hint of wet earth. This smooth-drinking red improved over the 30 minutes it was open and I see why WS gave it a 95 when it was released. Very full in the mouth, well-endowed with cooked red and black fruits, cocoa, light currant and plums. I wish I'd opened my last one with dessert, which was chocolate lasagna. The finish wouldn't let go...it stayed on my tongue for what seemed like a minute, but this was our third bottle of the night. You could easily age this one into the next decade.
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1996 Sena
Cabernet Sauvignon
(Chile / Aconcagua)
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RATED: 07/06/2004 |
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This is the second time I've tasted the '96 Sena and I wasn't disappointed, but I can see how my palate and taste has changed over the past five years; back then I would have scored this bottle higher. The nose was big and bold, like I remembered, with tons of fruit and spice. Earthy tones overcame the fruit in the glass and mellowed nicely as this heavy red opened up. The smooth red/black fruits and berries were wonderful on the mid-palate; very pleasing while a definite mouthful. The finish was syrupy and sweet. I like the '99 and '00 vintages better than this wine and don't recommend that it go too long in the cellar, if ya know what I mean.
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1999 Miner Family
Merlot
- Oakville Ranch
(USA / California / Napa / Oakville)
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RATED: 07/06/2004 |
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I have loved this wine since I first tasted it at the winery almost three years ago. That it's not more refined is my only complaint, and that's just a whisper. This merlot wants to be a Cabernet with fruit gushing in the mouth and on the nose, without the tannins to detract. Heavy on the blackberries and cooked cherries, this medium-bodied red satisfies from first sip to last gulp. It's extrememly smooth and balanced with hints of spice, leather, anise and graphite. The finish was about 30 seconds and with some cellaring, I believe all these aspects will improve. Too bad they only make a few hundred cases per year. Mine will never last seven years in the cellar, I'm happy to say.
Addendum - 11/04/04: We opened a bottle that gave off a terrible canned green bean odor with tastes that were way off. Hoping that this bottle was just corked, I let the rating stand. We poured it out.
Addendum - 12/04/04: Had a magnum last night and while my guests loved it, I still picked up that vegetal character. I stomached out the smell and enjoyed my wine.
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2000 Miner Family
Merlot
- Oakville Ranch
(USA / California / Napa / Oakville)
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CASES: 434
RATED: 07/06/2004 |
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I just posted my review of the 1999 and found some tasting notes on the 2000 and couldn't resist. While many of the Napa winemakers had difficulty during this vintage, the folks at Miner just keep honing their skills. The production on the 2000 was half what they did in 1999 (434 cases) and the quality is already showing.
The floral aromas and fruit on the nose are booming. The same follows with the initial taste. This full, rich merlot brings a heavy dose of ripe plums, blackberries, black cherries and spices together with smoothness and equilibrium. Very sweet berries under the tongue and a long velvety finish really make this wine a great everyday bottle. The fruit concentration is high, but not such that you'd need a decant. At $35/bottle, I'd say buy as much as you can and drink now!
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2000 Finca Allende
(Spain / Rioja)
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RATED: 07/06/2004 |
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I've tasted this three times now and it seems to get better with each bottle I open. For under $20, it's an excellent value! This reminds me of the 2000 Hess Estate Cab with a kick. The nose is earthy and sweet. Red and black grapes, berries and plums filled my mouth with each sip and we drank this one rather quickly. Full of spicy flavor and richness and balanced, even tannins make this a welcome change from CA Cabs for me. The finish was fairly short, like a Chianti, but pleasant nonetheless. Give it a couple years and this bottle should impress even more.
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2002 Pride
Syrah
(USA / California / Napa / Spring Mountain District)
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CASES: 300
RATED: 07/06/2004 |
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Glad I maxed out my allocation on this one of two bottles per person. I suppose the fact that they only make 300 cases makes it tough to bring this to a dinner tasting with 20 people, but we each got a nice full glass.
This wine came fairly near the beginning of the dinner and it hadn't completely opened up yet, but the currant, blueberries, boysenberries and plums were all accounted-for even though the tannins of this huge red masked them for awhile. The nose was full and floral, not unlike the Pride Merlot, with some herbal notes. Beautifully concentrated in this wine, as is Bob Foley's signature, the ripe fruits and spicy aftertaste really knock one out of the park in the 2002 vintage. The finish is long and lush with rhubarb and cocoa. I'm going to cellar this one for a couple of years and see how much better it gets.
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2001 Red Car
Cabernet Franc
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Some Like It Red
(USA / California)
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CASES: 197
RATED: 07/07/2004 |
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This is the first vintage of this wine I've been able to get from the mailing list; at $30/bottle, it's a decent deal. The color is deep garnet/purple. I decanted over the course of about 3 hours, but drank my first glass quickly. The nose and flavors in this big rich Syrah-based red almost overpower the palate with dark sweet fruits and berries with a solid tannic backbone. By the third glass, the alcohol content started to bother my eyes when I took each sip (it's 14.5% but gave off an ammonia effect at times) but that really didn't mask the chewy texture or earthy tones of Cabernet Franc in this blend. The finish was long and fleshy and I enjoyed each glass more than the last. I'd buy more, as my Syrah palate isn't quite done developing, but this wine is not for everyone. The high tannins and deep fruit concentration will give this bottle a long cellar window; perhaps 8-12 years. For the adventurous winedrinker only!
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1995 Far Niente
Cabernet Sauvignon
(USA / California / Napa / Oakville)
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RATED: 07/11/2004 |
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I'm a fan of Far Niente, regardless of the price, but this is the best vintage I've had from the Nickel family. I've tasted it on three separate occasions and it keeps improving with each bottle I open. This is perhaps one of the smoothest CA Cabs I've ever had, while having a fruit character that's no less than opulent.
A noseful of rich fruit, like a flavored tea, excited us from the start. The tannins are only there in support of this mellow-drinking, full-bodied red, whose big cherries, plums, blackberries combine with currant and black licorice syrup for one of the nicest bottles I've had with dinner this year. Petit filet, crabcakes and scallops couldn't pick a better companion. The finish was long and sleek; the perfect ending to our meal. I'd buy as much as I can get my hands on and keep it for up to ten more years, but it's peaking right now.
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1995 Ridge
Zinfandel
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Jimsomare
(USA / California / Santa Cruz / Santa Cruz Mountains)
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RATED: 07/13/2004 |
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If you've never tried Ridge's ATP wines, you're missing out on several low-dollar, small-batch wines. The bad news is the only sell them at the winery and to members. This particular Zin was released in 1997 and had a 10-barrel total production. I've had their Jimsomare before and probably liked the other vintages better.
This one had a great nose and opened up beautifully over the first hour, with ripe red fruits and berries, but finished thin, with watery almost sour notes, which killed it for me. With dinner, it was very good, but after the air got to it, there wasn't much left to enjoy. I'd drink this one now. For the money, it's a good buy at around $30/bottle, but I'd go for a younger vintage next time.
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2001 Abadia Retuerta
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Rivola
(Spain / Castilla y Leon / Ribera del Duero)
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RATED: 07/13/2004 |
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This is your classic high QPR wine. It only costs $11 and is one hell of alot better than anything else for the money...for a Rioja. The Rivola really shows its youth, but was a very drinkable earthy red. It feels smooth, like in the refinement of a more expensive bottle, without having much depth of character. Fruity and slightly sweet, this one didn't last very long after dinner. The best word to describe it is 'nice.' It's a nice little Rioja. But I probably won't get any more.
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1999 d'Arenberg
Grenache-Syrah-Mourvedre
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The Ironstone Pressings
(Australia / South Australia / McLaren Vale)
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RATED: 07/14/2004 |
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I took this bottle of GSM to a Shiraz tasting to provide a little perspective on what good Shiraz was vs. a good blend...No one got it. We opened with this wine and I'm glad we got it out of the way. Aside from the ripe nose, this was a very pleasant wine that just didn't reach out and smack me in the face with richness and blueberries the way the Elderton, Pride and Shafer did. Very smooth texture; almost thin at times and a nice medium finish. The price tag on this bottle is normally about $60. I bought two for $40/each and I won't be making another purchase.
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2001 Argiano
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Solengo - IGT
(Italy / Central / Tuscany)
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RATED: 07/14/2004 |
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This was the wine of the night at the July WC Big Italian wine dinner at La Grotta last night. It stood head and shoulders above some very well-known names. The aromas told me right away that this ripe, sweet wine was going to be a big hit. The high extraction, deep black/garnet color and velvety texture in the mouth set the bar very high. No wonder it's $90/bottle. Very smooth and sexy. Hints of berries, cola, cooked cherries and a little vanilla filled the glass with each sip, with a long satisfying finish to boot. Very Nice! I imagine this will age well into the next decade. If you can afford it, go out and get some today!
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1999 Pine Ridge
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Epitome
(USA / California / Napa / Stags Leap District)
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RATED: 07/26/2004 |
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I only purchased one bottle at the winery two years ago (at half price) and now I'm sad...This is perhaps the best Bordeaux blend I've had in years. The only thing that comes close is the '93 Diamond Creek I had this winter.
Very smooth and rich, while unassuming. A nose of classic Bordeaux mixed with ripe hillside-concentrated berries. The smooth flavors coat the tongue like velvet, without being overripe, too tannic or young in the least. Subtle black fruits and berries dominate this wine with notes of graphite, currant and anise to finish beautifully. Very soft and pleasing; the finish lasted almost a minute. I have no doubt this wine could age for another decade, but why wait? It's absolutely wonderful now.
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1997 Turley
Zinfandel
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Old Vines
(USA / California)
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RATED: 07/26/2004 |
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I know by now that you can never quite know what to expect from a Turley zin, except that it won't be ordinary. This one was no different. I thought I might have to decant, as the nose was very tight, but the first sip revealed big ripe red fruits with less tannin than I expected. After 30 minutes open, it was drinking beautifully. I kept tasting dark chocolate on the back of my tongue, with red & black cherries and red licorice throughout. Medium-bodied in the mouth, this wine went down like dessert. The alcohol content was high, but by then I wasn't complaining. I'd keep it for a max of five more years.
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Displaying [26-50] of 1000
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