Handpicked

Hartford Court

Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2021

Smooth with smoke and black cherry, black currant, raspberry, and allspice. Fruity and spicy with rich earthy notes. Fruit is handpicked. — 2 months ago

Handpicked Wines

Regional Selections Barossa Valley Shiraz 2016

Stand out oak taste, dry with a good amount of tannins. — 7 months ago

Syncline

Red Mountain Mourvedre 2021

Pretty color of ruby with a wide reddish rim.

Light nose of red fruits with light wood and chocolate notes.

Medium bodied with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with red currants, cherries, light oak, spices, licorice, earth, herbs, chocolates, tobacco leaf and peppercorn.

Tangy finish with fine grained tannins and raspberries.

This is a young Mourvedre from Washington State. Showing mild complexity and a soft mouthfeel.

Feels like a Cotes du Rhône red, right out of the bottle. After 90 minutes of airtime it feels more like an old world Pinot Noir. Interesting stuff.

Would be nice to revisit it in a couple of years and see how it evolves.

Soft, spicy and elegant. Easy drinking and good by itself or with food.

100% Mourvedre grapes were handpicked, 50% whole Cluster. A small production of only 14 barrels. Unfined.

14% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$65.
— 8 months ago

Bob, Paul and 10 others liked this

Yarra Yering

Underhill Shiraz 2010

#AgedWineTuesday

Dark ruby/ Inky in color with a wide reddish rim.

Beautiful nose with blueberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, spices, cedar, licorice, cola, chocolates, tobacco, herbs, rhubarb, light vegetables and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry and fruit forward on the palate with black currants, blackberries, cedar, sweet cherries, plums, tobacco leaf, eucalyptus, figs, light vanilla, earth, Indian spices, black pepper and coffee.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This is a delicious Shiraz from the Yarra Valley in Australia. Tasty and easy drinking. Fruit forward and nicely balanced. Showing lovely complexity on the nose.

This 14 year old is peaking now, and will continue to drink nicely in the next few years.

Wine Enthusiasts 93.

Feels like a Napa Cabernet Sauvignon based Bordeaux blend. Very interesting.

Thank you Scott for sharing this with me.

I did not decant it, but let it open in the bottle. Good right out of the bottle, and gets better after 90 minutes of airtime.

100% Shiraz grapes were handpicked, and aged for 12 months in large oak barrels.

13.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$70.
— 3 months ago

Scott McNamara
with Scott
Ira, Bob and 9 others liked this
Tom Casagrande

Tom Casagrande Influencer Badge

Interesting that age transformed it so much away from Shiraz character!
Doug Powers

Doug Powers

@"Odedi", I bought some MUCH younger (2021? 2019?) Underhill Shiraz at the winery last December when we visited, so this note really caught my attention. If you ever get to the winery, one of my Top 10 ever (and I’ve been tasting for 45+ years) winery tastings!! Cheers, and GREAT tasting note!!

Yalumba

The Virgilius Eden Valley Viognier 2018

Honeysuckle, unctuous and textural. A medium to full bodied white. Handpicked and wild fermented in old French Oak. Yalumba have now been working with this varietal for 40 years in the Eden Valley which has proven to be an ideal terroir for Viognier. The best example of a straight Viognier available in Australia and Yalumba’s flagship white. — a year ago

Anthony, Rob and 19 others liked this

Château Gros Moulin

Je Suis Côtes de Bourg Red Bordeaux Blend 2018

2018 vintage. This is only the 3rd time Rémy Eymas made this handpicked selection of the best grapes of his estate. The 2010 and 2014 were both excellent, but this 2018 is in a different league. The two previous vintages were blends of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot, whereas the 2018 is 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Malbec (I tasted the components from barrel last year and I was certain that he would add Malbec to the blend, as they were showing exceptionally well). Moreover, he moved to " vinification intégrale" with this wine, and this costly procedure is a real game changer. Easily the best wine Rémy has ever made, Je Suis 2018 is a spectacular wine that must be tasted to be believed. Beautifully complex nose with a panoply of red and black fruits (raspberries, blueberries , blackberries), roses, violets and delicate vanilla. In the mouth it features excellent balance with layers of fruit, juicy acidity, haute couture tannins and an incredibly long finish. The 15% abv. is well-integrated. If there was a classification in Bourg this would be definitely a First Growth. — 2 years ago

Peter, Veronika and 3 others liked this

Robert Keenan Winery

Spring Mountain District Chardonnay 2021

Golden in color.

Elegant nose with citrus, vanilla, spices and light oak.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity. Buttery, yet crisp.

Dry on the palate with limes, grapefruits, citrus, green apples, spices, light oak, vanilla and herbs.

Medium finish with bitter almonds and limes.

This this is an easy drinking Chardonnay from Spring Mountain District in Napa valley. Feels young and fresh, and showing mild complexity at this point.

Nicely balanced and spicy, with a buttery mouthfeel.

This is what one expects from a Chardonnay from Napa Valley, very true to the Terroir. Would be nice to revisit it in a year or two and see how it evolved.

Needs 15 minutes of airtime, and better when not too cold.

Good by itself or with food. Paired nicely with the Italian Prosciutto.

Handpicked Chardonnay grapes were aged for 7 months in French and American Oak barrels.

13.9% alcohol by volume.

90 points.

$46.
— 6 months ago

Scott@Mister, Ted and 9 others liked this

Flora Springs

Trilogy Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2021

Inky in color with a short purplish rim.

Strong nose with black fruits, cedar, licorice, chocolates, light vegetables, wild flowers and peppercorn.

Full-bodied and smooth, with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with blackberries, black cherries, currants, cedar, vanilla, spices, espresso, cola, herbs, licorice, dark chocolates, light earth and peppercorn.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cherries.

This young Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Napa Valley is already delicious.

Rich and engaging. Powerful and dark. Still a little unforgiving. Spicy and fruit forward.

Much earthier on the nose than on the palate. Only after 2.5 hours it balances out, so be patient.

Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years, and has good potential to become a 94+ point wine. Would be nice to revisit it in 5 years.

I Had a few vintages of this wine and it is very consistent.

Good by itself as a sipping wine or with food. Will pair nicely with a big piece of steak.

A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot and 5% Malbec. Grapes were handpicked and aged for 18 months in mostly French oak barrels.

14.2% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$95.
— 8 months ago

Paul, Ted and 12 others liked this
Jay Kline

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Flora Springs “Trilogy” is low-key 🔥

Mount Pleasant Wines

Maurice O'Shea Hunter Valley Shiraz 2000

Spice, Plum and Earthy aromas with a little mint - typical Hunter Valley aromatics with a bit of sweaty saddle. On the palate more full bodied than the old school Hunter Valley Shirazes. Handpicked from 100+ year old vines where Maurice O’Shea created his famous red wines in the 1920’s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s in primitive conditions until his death in 1956. Most O’Sheas only hitting their stride after 20 years and this is no exception. I still have some from the late 90’s. — 2 years ago

Ira, Douglas and 21 others liked this