Château Grand Tayac
Margaux Red Bordeaux Blend 2018
Cassis, grilled beef, pepper, oak spice, pencil shaving, chocolate. Complex nose.
Palate of sour cherry, cranberry, asphalt, cocoa powder, black tea. Medium body, medium acidity, and slightly course tannins.
A bit on the thin side for the beef heart I'm eating, but still nice and complex with excellent balance and oak integration. Might have opened it a few years early. — 2 years ago
Yering Station
Little Yering Yarra Valley Chardonnay 2018
Quite a fresh nose with seashell, lemon, a touch of oak in the background. Palate is actually somewhat oily with citrus fruit, orchard fruit, and a bit of phenolic bitterness. Any oak or ML notes are in the distant background.
Pretty good stuff. Nice to see this style coming from Oz. — 2 years ago
La Domitienne
Saint Guilhem le Désert Grenache Gris Rosé 2021
White flowers, peaches, a bit of strawberry. Palate is on the heavier, almost oily side. Med- acidity and some notable phenolic bitterness and touch of minerality.
Not as good as their GSM rosé IMO. I prefer a bit more acidity and less weight. — 2 years ago
Quinta da Falorca
Dão Lagar Reserva Red Blend 2015
Dark fruits with a velvety mouthfeel, soft tannins and good acidity. Ripe but elegant. Was hoping for a bit more complexity though. — 2 years ago
Bodegas Olivares
Altos de la Hoya Jumilla Monastrell 2020
Nose of black cherry, pomegranate, black pepper, iron, licorice, and something that reminds me of animals...in a good way. Very Bandol like. Palate is rich and structured with dark fruit, spice, good acidity, and somewhat bitter, course tannins. Alcohol is well hidden.
Rustic and wild, but still rich and complex. I really dig this style, but I understand why not everyone would be on board. — 2 years ago
Faliero
Appassimento Piemonte Rosso Passito Barbera - Dolcetto Blend 2019
Lots of ripe, candied red fruit character with a bit of woodsy, minty quality. Mild acidity and tannin. Solid example of this style. Not as complex as some of the ones I've had from Veneto, bit still good. — 2 years ago
Domaine Saint Roch
Touraine Rosé Gamay 2021
Fruity with citrus, faint red fruit candy, and great acidity. Super tasty and quaffable. One of my favorite sub $15 wines period. — 2 years ago
Weinmann
Alsace Riesling 2021
Lemon, honey, petrol, steely minerality, and even a beery maltiness. Med+ acidy. RS contributes more to mouthfeel than anything. Zippy and delicious. — 2 years ago
Porterhouse Winery
Reserve Red Blend 2018
Definitely some Rhône varietal typicity on the nose. Cassis, steak juice, olive, dill, mocha, vanilla. Good balance of fruit and oak on the palate. Dark fruits predominate with a good amount of complexity similar to the notes on the nose. Chocolate, olive, vanilla, toasty oak, black tea. Medium acidity and surprisingly soft, smooth tannins considering this is mostly petite sirah.
Not having this with a porterhouse, but instead a ribeye. Still hittin' the spot. — 2 years ago
AJ Gubser
Cassis, cherry, chocolate, some earth and subtle green veggie. Kind of medium throughout: body acidity, tannin. Red fruit and spice. Solid no frills pop and pour. — a month ago