ESF

9.2

Really in the pocket, this showed some lighter purple & brickish hued edges and took 90 minutes to unwind. Terroir driven nose full of freshly turned soil, deep well of red & black fruit, oscillating from liqueur like to simply ripe and dusty. Coffee & tobacco accents and a whole panoply of secondary notes made this a really engaging wine. Med weight, rounded off tannins, great accompaniment to pork & pasta, smooth finish. Bump for QPR - Full of Italian Soul — 15 hours ago

ESF

9.0

Last had the 2018 vintage, this was typical of Right Bank Merlot: classic black fruit w/pleasant herbal undertones, some licorice. Precisely balanced & generous, enough tannins to pair w/ribeye. There is some good value in Friuli reds — 9 days ago

ESF

9.2

See note from 2015 - this had more pronounced citrus & white flowers on the nose, still oily & viscous, some herbal on palate, citrus pith, tropical fruit, vaguely Condrieu-esque, fascinating wine, lovely expression of Chenin. Has stuffing for another 5 yrs. Sec Tendre — 14 days ago

ESF

9.3

Unearthed a gem, found a dusty bottle in the corner and took a shot - $22 and it was fantastic! Looked inky like a current vintage, copious amount of pure ripe black & blue fruit, so gobs but also earthy like freshly turned soil, spice, clay & loam, some dustiness which blew off. Polished on palate, tons of fruit but not flabby and really well integrated tannins. Pedigree here and a real treat. Going back and grabbing any other bottles I can find — 2 days ago

ESF

9.1

What’s not to like about this BDX blend from WA! Not overdone or overextracted (oak definitely there but integrated) but very generous aromatics & flavors on palate. Red & black fruit, warm spice, distinct cassis, minerality & earthiness like loam & soil goodness. Sturdy tannins, bit hi ABV - sometimes lumbering, but a really impressive & persistent finish. Bump for QPR — 8 days ago

ESF

8.8

See my note on precious vintage: drinks better as aperitif than trying to pair as Kabinett style. Drink cellar temp — 16 days ago

ESF

8.8

Dry frizzante, light bodied, low ABV, best at cellar temp, nice red fruit & spice - fun, uniquely Italian, good to sip, better w/food - light fare, salads — 5 days ago

ESF

9.1

Impressive GSM, reminded me of some old CDR Village level wines you used to find for a reasonable price: decadent mix of red & black fruit on nose, spice & pepper, earthy undertones, not going for that fruit bomb — carefully crafted, mid weight, beautifully balanced, maybe even elegant, and for $12 — really overdelivers! Another great Costco find… — 6 days ago

ESF

9.0

Last had the 2020, this was a notch lower but still represents great QPR. Might just need some time in bottle to resolve — 10 days ago

ESF

9.3

Opened up a few ho-hum bottles and really wanted something that popped and would complement my smoked ribs: this did the trick, see previous note. So dense so generous so polished - just textbook Zin — 16 days ago