Medium dark with the orangeish tones around the rim that are typical of traditionally made Nebbiolo. Deep and concentrated smells and flavors oriented toward dark cherry, leather and earth. Plenty of tannins but they are ripe and subtle. Ripe fruit and dry tannins competing for attention. Black licorice and cherries on the finish. Good when first opened but is really singing by the end of the meal.
Significant browning as to be expected from a 44-year-old wine. The bouquet is heavenly, even better than that of the Lopez de Heredia.Red fruits, leather and that lovely uplifting Rioja spice. Old barrel American oak vanilla with a touch of dill. Acidity has carried this wine and still keeping it intact. Not quite as deep or concentrated at the Lopez de Heredia but close. A finish that lingers in memory long after the meal is over.
Deep ruby with bright tones. Mostly red fruit bouquet, deep and concentrated. Strawberries, black raspberries. Medium body, bright acidity. Has that special Rioja spicy uplift. Intense finish that lingers with subtle nuances that come from aging.
Deep,saturated ruby color. Lighter than the Patz & Hall. Intense smells and flavors: fresh red and black berries. Silky smooth texture.The structure clearly leans more toward acid than tannin. Exciting flavors that dance on the tongue. A wine that is almost impossible to resist.. This is my seond Couloir wine in a week--a Roma's Vineyard and a Londer Vineyard. Very different wines but both excellent.
Dark and deep, much darker than I would expect from Pinot Noir. Also much darker and more tannic smells and flavors. Entrancing bouquet, fruits and flowers. Keeps me going back for sniff after sniff. Dark cherry, pomegranate and spice. More tannin than I expected but it doesn't keep the lovely fruit flavors from shining through. Lots of fruit, lots of complexity on the finish.
Deep yellow color. Has been matured in first, second and third use barrels with partial malolactic fermentation. Aromas of white flowers, bay leaves, ripe pears and apricots. Merdium bodied with medium acidity. Broad flavors of pears, apricots, grains and nuts. A distinctive wine with its own personality.
Grapes are sourced from four historic high altitude vineyards in the foothills of the Andes. The wine sells for about $20 a bottle.
Medium deep ruby. The bouquet (perhaps oak influenced) is lovely at this point. Flowers, fruit, spice. Red raspberry shading to cranberry on the palate. Also some citrus zest. Central Otago is squarely in the middle of the Southern Alps with high altitude and cool climate so the wine has ample acidity. For $13 a few yeares ago, this was an excellent value for a Central Otago Pinot.
Medium dark color. Similar to that of the New Zealand Pinot beside it at the table. Intense smells and flavors of red raspberry and tart cherry. Sweet fruit framed by lots of black pepper. Reminds me of a good Southern Rhone, and I like that.
Medium light ruby, shading to amber at the rim.All four of us at the table are immediately drawn to the intense bouquet. Berries galore: red raspberries, fresh and ripe. Cherries too with a fine acidic edge. Silky texture and flavors that come at the tongue from all directions. Both sweet and savory. Beautiful finish, beautiful wine. Even after the excellent Etna Rosso, all four of us chose this Pinot Noir as the wine of the night.
I have always thought of this wine as similar to a fine Pinot Noir, and tonight, drinking it alongside a very good Anderson Valley Pinot, the comparison is spot on. Looks like a Pinot, although maybe a tad darker. Smells like a Pinot with complex tones of flowers, fruit and spice. And it has that lovely texture of Pinot, fine grained and silky smooth. Cherries, spice and minerals, fully developed. Long, deep and complex finish. I am ready for the next case.
Medium deep yellow. A wide range of smells and flavors: white flowers, lemon zest, pineapple, cilantro, almonds. Leesy acidity, silky texture and a long, rich finish.
Darker ruby than a traditional Cotes du Rhone. Also bigger and more tannic. Perhaps some oak, but maybe that's because of the relatively high proportion of Syrah in the blend. Dark cherries and blueberries. Somewhat rough on the mid-palate but a pleasing level of acidity and intensity on the finish. Not the traditional Cotes du Rhone style I loved during the 1980s and 1990s but a good wine that I would buy at $10 to $12 a bottle.
Medium deep yellow. Fresh scents of flowers and fruit. Bright flavors of lime, peach and yellow apple. Medium to light bodied with more acidity and lesss sweetness than a New World Chardonnay. For $11 to $15, this is an excellent every day choice. And if you see Bouchard's Pouilly Fuisse for a comparable price, please let me know.
Medium deep crimson. Violets and fresh fruit aromas. Black fruit at first on the palate with some tannin that is not at all unpleasant. Then the red berry Grenache emerges on the mid-palate, teasing and pleasing, and opening up a range of flavors. Velvety texture with perfect acid/tannin balance. The finish, though, is what makes this wine special. It lingers beautifully long after the glass is empty, washed and put away.
Very deep and dark crimson. Red and black fruit, plums and cherries more than berries. Also some beet root and sweet oak. Full bodied Shiraz in the middle; leafy Cabernet around the edges. Smoother on the palate than the last bottle we had a few months ago. Not much complexity at this point.
This wine and the Point Ormond wine we had last night are similarly priced. I far prefer the Point Ormond.
Deep and dark. Classic Syrah scents and flavors: blackberries, boysenberries, lavender, anise seed and black pepper. Much more acidic than your typical Aussie Shiraz and moderate in alcohol (13.5%). Not at all sweet. Matured in concrete vats and stainless steel (no oak). In its fourth year, Point Ormpond Shiraz is already drinking beautifully, but I am sure it will age beautifully over the next five years or so.
