Deep ruby with minimal amber at the rim. Beautiful Northern Rhone bouquet in mid development. Black raspberries, anise and brambly herbs. Young fruit is giving way to savory, tangy tones. Black olives and freshly ground black pepper. Just the way I like it.
The wine is a blend of Dolcetto, picked in September, and Nebbiolo, picked in mid to late October, fermented separately and then blended in the Spring. Aging is in stainless steel for both grapes.
Medium color with some Nebbiolo orange tints. Beautiful ripe fruit smells. Donna thinks apple pie; I think cherry pie. We both get cinnamon and other baking spices. Lovely fruit flavors but with the tannic structure of Nebbiolo. If I tasted this blind, I might have tagged it as a Pinot Noir from northern California or Oregon. Wonderful texture. But as an every day wine, it is also like a very good Cotes du Rhone. Delicious to drink young but with the structure of a more serious wine.
Medium light ruby, bright and clear. Looks like a Pinot. Powerful scents of violets, cranberries, red raspberries. Smells like a Pinot. Flavors that mirror the smells. Silky texture. Tastes like a Pinot. Delightful spicy finish. Based on this wine, I have high expectations for Willamette Valley wines from the 2024 vintage.
Very dark, velvety. Very ripe fruit, doesn't smell or taste too alcoholic...even at 15.0% ABV. Rich, ripe fruits--plums, blackberries, dark cherries, pomegranates--wow! Also some floral notes. No hard edges, delicious fruit but not overly sweet for a dessert wine. Spicy finish, long and complex. I gave this 17.0 points. At $45 a half bottle, though, I think I would put my money on a good Sauternes or Vintage Port.
Deep and dark, a bit moreso than the Rosso. Ripe plums, red and black berries, more red fruit than I would expect from a Cabernet blend. I didn't get the herbal Cab Franc tones but other tasters did. Abundant tannins but has the acidity to keep it lively and approachable today. Medium long finish. Good wine but I'll still take two bottles of the Rosso and go away happy.
Deep but not as dark and purplish as the Montepulciano. The oak is not as lavish and that is a plus for me. Mostly red fruits--berries, Montmorency cherries plus a touch of black licorice. Flavors match the smells, ripe and lovely. Great acid, medium alcohol, medium body. Flavors dance. Long, complex finish. I love this wine.
Very deep, dark, purplish. Plums, dark cherries, black berries and currants. Great smells and ripe flavors that open beautifully. Very young, lavish oak but has the balance to show its best...now or later. Hard to resist. I gave it 18.0 but one taster at our table gave it 20.0. Not over-priced at $25.
Deeper color than the Trebbiano Spoletino, bright and clear. Subtle aromas of flowers and stone fruit, clean but not particularly intense. Forward fruit on the palate, medium acid, good balance.. The long, complex finish really turned me on, I would like to try more from this grape and this estate.
Medium yellow/straw, bright and clear. Clean, straightforward aromas, medium intensity. Pear, peach, melon. Full on mid-palate, medium intensity, medium plus acid. I found the finish a bit dull and rated the wine only 15.0 on a 20 point scale. The wine seems ageworthy, though, and I would likely give it a higher score with a few more years in the bottle.
Medium deep yellow. Lively topnote of white peaches and apricots. Not as floral or musky as those from the Rhone. Leesy mid-palate, not much oak. Appropriately dry finish. Donna likes it, and I will be a buyer.
Bright ruby red. Very open aromas--strawberries, blueberries, cherries--and flavors to match. Medium plus body. Medium acidity. Ripe tannins. Smooth texture. Beautiful ripe fruit with spice and black pepper. At $9.99, this is a fantastic value.
Medium deep violet. Lifted aromas of black and red fruits, eucalyptus and Mediterranean herbs. Tangy flavors with some tobacco and black pepper. I don't know how this wine will age but it drinks so beautifully right now that it's a shame to wait.
Good deep Syrah color with minimal amber at the edges. Beautiful fruit-filled bouquet from the moment the cork is popped. Black currants, cassis, lavender and a savory touch of black olives on the finish. Characteristic Northern Rhone acidity,but it's the fruit that is stealing the show right now. Only a few premature glimpses of the well aged Thalabert personality that I love so much. With all due respect, Mr. Parker, this is a better, more ageworthy vintage of Domaine Thalabert than your highly rated 1999. I have one more bottle of each and know which I will open first.
Has lightened considerably since the last bottle, and the aromas are bit less intense, although still very good. Cherries, red raspberries, earth. Tannins have faded but acidity is carrying it and may continue to do so. Fine Pinot texture and body. Long, savory finish.
Intense, deep ruby red with only a sliver of amber at the rim. Has been aged for 18 months in large (1500 liter) upright tanks. This wine is aging beautifully. Equally intense aromas of black currants and cherries. Dark tones of licorice and pepper on the palate. Ripe tannins plus the characteristic acidity of Barbera. Sweet fruit upfront with a rich mid-palate and black fruited complexity on the finish.
Medium deep color with characteristic orangeish tints. Has probably been made traditionally in large Slavonian oak barrels rather than barriques. A bit tannic on the first night but opens up beautifully on the second night. Violets, rose petals, red cherries, black licorice. Medium bodied and well textured Plenty of grip but flavors flow freely. Still young but no need to wait. What Nebbiolo is all about.
Still deep and dark with some bricking at the rim. Very expressive aromas--flowers, ripe black raspberries, anise. Savory notes of black olives with a hint of cured meats, on the palate, qualities I love most about Northern Rhone Syrah and something rarely found in Syrah wines from the Southern Rhone or Australia. Acidity keeps it lively. Good wine.
Light yellow, bright and clear. Beautiful aromas of white flowers, green apples and minerals. Straight out of the refrigerator, it's a bit tart. Let it warm for 20 minutes and you will be rewarded with rich flavors of lemon custard, melon and chalk. Pleasantly tangy, savory, salty. There is a lot to enjoy here.
Deep and bright color. Enticing aromas, bright, fresh and already complex. Black as well as red fruits--raspberries, cherries. Medium bodied. Ripe fruit flavors, delicious right now but probably will gain depth and complexity over the next 5 yeaars or more. A very good Cotes du Rhone at a reasonable price. I paid $13.39 two years ago at Saratoga Wine Exchange.
It is 7i0% Grenache, 30% Syrah from 50 to 60 year old vines. Winemaking is traditional with punching of the cap and 15 days fermentation in concrete vats.
Beautiful purple color. Many years ago, I remember drinking this wine in the backyard and having to fend off the dives of our local hummingbird, who apparently loved the color as much as we did. Flowers, raspberries, strawberries--oh, the hummingbird would love a taste. Medium body with Ventoux acidity and focus. Light peppercorn on the finish.
Still a good deep, dark color. Vibrant bouquet of blueberries, grilled strawberries and fresh herbs. Very powerful. Has that essential sweetness that characterizes fine wines at full maturity. Warm and inviting. Combines the robust body of Zinfandel and Petite Sirah with the delicate texture of a Pinot Noir. Delicious plus.
Lighter color, also with orangeish tones. Sips within the first two hours after opening showed peppery tannins. By mealtime, though, the wine was displaying all of the glories of an upper Piedmont Nebbiolo. Wild cherries, bright and fresh. Also some cranberries, sweet and savory herbs and minerals galore. Flavors that dart in and out, on and off the tongue. Incredible wine!
I paid $40.25 for this wine at auction 20 years ago, and I was well rewarded not only for paying the price but also for exercising due patience.
Donna and I spent several days in Carema in October, 2019. It is a small village facing a huge rock face of mountain. Vines grow directly out of the rock nearly everywhere you look and are harvested, by hand of course, on tiny rock terraces. At the time. Ferrando was the sole producer aside from the local coop known as Produttori di Carema. I spent several hours at Produttori, tasting many excellent, but less expensive, barrel samples of Nebbiolo. They are lying in wait in the cellar.
Medium light with some characteristic orange tones. Pretty ordinary on the nose. Not much to like on the palate, either. Lots of acid, lots of tannin. I feel confident it will eventually come around, but I am not opening another bottle for awhile, maybe two or three years.
Medium dark ruby with some orangeish tints, though not as much as you would expect from 100% Nebbiolo. The aroma, though, is pure Nebbiolo--very floral with dark cherries and pomegranates. Bright fruit on the palate with dark licorice on the finish. Engaging but maybe not quite as vibrant as bottles we had a few years ago. Even with a good portion of Nebbiolo, this is a wine to drink early and often.
Medium deep crimson. Bright red fruit smells and flavors--red raspberries, currants, pepper and spice. 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, 10% Mourvedre. Great mouth feel with just the right balance of fruit and acidity. Long finish. For those familiar with Southern Rhones, this has the correct Rasteau personality and is a fantastic bargain for $9..99 at Trader Joes.
Medium light garnet color. Vibrant aromas and flavors--cranberries, red raspberries, cherries with a hint of cinnamon. 2024 was a dream vintage, according to the winemaker, "allowing the fruit to hang on the vine and develop a solid personality." I am just starting to enjoy that personality...and the special price. It is plenty good tonight, and I am sure it will get even better before I reach the bottom of the case.
Deep ruby/purple. 50% Syrah, 30% Grenache, 10% Cinsault, 10% Carignane. Mostly dark fruits at the moment: black raspberry, currants, black pepper. More Syrah than Grenache. Medium body, more tannins than I expect from a five-year-old Cotes du Rhone. Probably has seen some new oak and may be more inviting in a few years. Still a good dinner wine and was a good buy at $14.99 on Wines Till Sold Out.
Fairly deep gold betrays its age. It is a blend of Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Bourbulenc, Viognier, Rousanne and Marsanne, and early reviews stressed its vibrant acidity. Much of that zing has faded by now, and I don't smell or taste any of the floral notes associated with Viognier. It does have body and apricot-like richness, however, what you might expect from Marsanne. It is okay but not what I expected.
Bright maroon, still dark but lightening at the rim. Quite a bit of sediment crust. Beautiful nose: fresh berries with some floral tones. Red and black fruits with spice and pepper. More acid and less alcohol (12%) than most New World Syrah wines but not much resemblance to Northern Rhone Syrah. Tannins have faded away, and the wine is very drinkable right now. No need to wait.
The color, once a deep, dark ruby, has lightened appropriately, and the smells and flavors have become more mature and complex. Still some blackcurrants and dark fruit but also sun dried tomatoes and leather with a top note of lavender. Acidity carries it all gracefully to a long, glorious finish. Full Thalabert personality.
Medium deep ruby color, more like Dolcetto than Nebbiolo. Lovely smells and flavors of dark cherries, black berries, rose petals. Nebbiolo demeanor with a fruit friendly smile. Medium body, silky texture, tannic grip that leads to a long finish. I love this wine, and for $17 to $18 a bottle (Saratoga Wine Exchage), I can afford to keep a good supply on hand
Beautiful ruby red, not too light, not too dark. Aged in new, 2- and 3-year old French and American hogsheads. Lifted fruit-oriented aromas announce the flavors that are to come. Red as well as black raspberries. Excellent fruit/acid balance. Deep flavors. Black olives, black pepper., spice. Long finish. Robert Parker gave this wine a good review and 92 points. He predicted aging potential of 5 to 7 years, but this lovely 24-year-old could drink beautifully for another five years.
Medium deep yellow. Very distinctive smells and flavors. Lemon curd, butter, mango with a touch of nutmeg and cinnamon Medium bodied with fantastic texture. Moderate use of oak. Has the acidity of a good Oregon Chardonnay plus the spicy complexity of Russian River Valley.
Full lemon yellow. Lemon curd, white peaches, sea salt with floral notes. Legs clinging to the glass indicate good viscosity and body. But cool rather than warm (13.5% alcohol). Rich mouth feel with mineral-laden flavors that seem to expand with each sip. Finish is broad as well as long. One of my favorite Oregon Chardonnays.
Medium ruby, bright and clear. 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Carignan. Fresh fruit smells. Raspberry, blueberry with hints of anise seed. Firm but friendly tannins with a peppery finish. Excellent balance
Syrah dark, all the way to the rim. Black fruit, cassis and a touch of black olives on the finish. Just what I like in French Syrah. Matured 12 months in old oak barrels (similar to my prized Domaine Thalabert wines from the 1980s that are still drinking beautifully). Don't get me wrong; this is not Domaine Thalabert quality, but it has good fruit, good acidity and developing complexity on the finish. I like it.
Impressively deep red with purple tones. After a gentle pressing, the wine was aged in a combination of French oak and "fine grained American oak" for 14 months. Even so, the wine is showing a strong fruit presence with minimal oak influence on the smells or flavors. Blackberries, boysenberries--ripe up front and carrying nicely to the medium long finish. Some heat from the 14. 5% alcohol. Under a screw cap, this wine has maintained its youthful fruit very well over 15 years.
Lots of amber in the color and not very bright. Smells are lively and pretty. Dark fruit. With a couple of hours of aeration, sweet Merlot flavors emerge. Not much acid, not much tannin at this stage and not very complex. Modestly priced wines from the 1980s and early 1990s probably did not have best conditions for transport and storage.
Medium cherry red. Very aromatic--red cherries, flowers, a touch of licorice. Ripe fruit with enough acidity to keep it fresh and lively. Probably at its peak now, but I suspect, from past experience, it will stay there another three to five years, maybe longer.
Very light ruby. Magical scents of red raspberries, ripe strrawberries, spring flowers. And more of the same on the tongue. Donna likes white and rose wines to be well chilled so I put this in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes. As an aperitif wine, it was very good at that temperature, but as it warmed through the meal, light tannins began to emerge, expanding the ripe, fruity flavors. This is not a wine for those who like them "big"; it is deliberately small and decidedly delicious.
Light color, as to be expected. Mature Grenache scents of strawberries (dried and fresh), mint, a touch of cinnamon. Takes its time opening up but no disappointment. Compact, concentrated red berry fruit. Savory, salty tones with acidity that keeps it lively on the tongue. Oh, I do love well aged Chateauneuf du Pape, and this is a prime example
Mediuum deep ruby. Proabbly has had some time in barriques but not enough to spoil the wonderful scents and flavors of Nebbiolo. Dried fruits and flowers, some toasted oak. Dark cherry but also some red raspberry, mint, spice and dark licorice tones. All of this is hidden behind tannin in the early going but opens up with airing, as to be expected from good Nebbiolo. This is a fine baby Barolo, usually selling for $25 to $30.
Bright ruby. Black raspberries, boysenberries, dark tones of peppercorn and black licorice. Fresh fruit and approachable tannins coupled with the complex savory qualities of a top Southern Rhone. Fills out substantially on the second night and even the third. Good now, will get even better.
The Brunier brothers of Vieux Telegraphe bought this estate in the early 2000s because they liked the old vineyards on the Plateau of Pielong. The soil is sandier than that of Vieux Telegraphe and, as a result, produces wines that are more accessible early. As stated on the label, the Bruniers' "priority is to express the character of the local terroir."
Good Chateauneuf color, bright and relatively dark. Has some sediment crust on one side; it has not been fined or filtered. 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre. Dark cherry, raspberry with a touch of menthol and garrigue. Strong fruit presence with a youthful edge but also the savory traits that I love in Chateauneuf du Pape. Great concentration and depth.
The color has lightened, of course, with brickish tones. And the smells and flavors are tertiary. Red and black fruits, savory, salty, meaty. Proper acidity: cured meats and grilled tomatoes. Light in body with a cool, silky texture. Nuanced flavors that keep growing through the meal. During my birthday month, I am drinking cellar treasures, and this is by far the best I have had so far.
The color has lightened with garnet/amber tones. The cork was sound and dry with wine stain less than a quarter of the way up from the bottom of the cork. I bought the wine soon after release at the old Sam's Wine store near the subway on North Streetr in Chicago. $11.95 says the sticker, a markdown from $13.95. Smells and flavors are glorious after all that time in the bottle. Ripe strawberry, red currants, sweet spices. Could easily be mistaken for a mature Pinot Noir. No tannin but enough acid to brighten the flavors. I'm sure the wine was even better 10 years ago, but tonight I have no complaints.
On a small tasting pour, the color is medium light with amber creeping in from the edges. But on a full pour, it is almost opaque! Lifted bouquet with a touch of mint and herbs. Sweet Cabernet and Merlot flavors on a savory, slightly salty background. Not soft but no obstructive tannins. Red fruit acidity keeps it fresh and lively.
1975 was a very backward vintage in Bordeaux and critics worried that the fruit would not outlast the tannins. As the Village Corner salesman told me, this wine, selling for only $9.95, was an exception. "Just give it time," he said. And I did.
Medium deep gold. Showing a maturity that I like in a Chardonnay. Pear, citrus, flowers. Lively on the tongue with a fine array of flavors on the finish.Some Chardonnays are best at 3 to 5 years; some at 5 to 7 and a few (very few) will last 10 years or longer. I rank this one in the mid-range and would gladly go back for more from a recent vintage
