Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

1 of CA's oldest wineries, Far Niente, founded 1885 by John Benson. Winery flourished until Prohibition, when it was abandoned & fell into complete disrepair. Stately stone shell of a winery purchased in 1979 by Gil Nickel. A big wine! Tropical and stone fruit aromas with complex spice and oak notes. On the palate apple, peach and citrus flavors, creamy, with buttery toasty oak, fig/honey tones. Long finish ending with vibrant acidity & mineral character. Consistent. — 9 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

1st release of Montes Alpha was in 1988 when Montes became one of the first premium wineries in Chile. Today Aurelio Montes continues leading the winemaking effort. A blend of 90% Syrah, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon & 3% Viognier. Very dark red with aromas of berry fruit and cedar spice notes. On the palate blueberry and cherry flavors with cacao, leather and vanilla oak. Fine tannins, medium+ finish ending with toasty spice. Nice value. Tasted twice. — 5 years ago

Martin Sher

9.1

Any day of the week! Great off dry Riesling from one of my favorite wineries. Sweet orchard fruit that goes down with frightening ease. — 6 years ago

Edward Patten

9.5

Enjoying a Pinot from one of my favorite wineries, at least when it was owned by Merry Edward’s. Finished the last bottle from 2007, from a case I purchased at the winery. Just a lovely Pinot with cherry and dark fruit with good acidity — 3 years ago

Adriana Fabbro

8.9

Very drinkable Cali sauv blanc that grows on you with time in the glass. Had at virtual tasting with Bodkin’s Chris Christensen and he told the story of how the fruit that went into this wine wasn’t from his main vineyard in Lake County (too much smoke damage in 20) but a blend of fruit contributed by good friends of his at 3 Sonoma wineries that had better luck that year —talk about a wine being the story of a vintage! A softer, rounder Sauv B that’s light on the grassy/grapefruit/quince notes, with more lemon, stone and tropical fruit. Great story teller and great winemaker! — 4 years ago

Keith Ward

9.2

Still standing tall! Amazing Bordeaux blend from one of Australia’s preeminent wineries! Very balanced, great forward fruit and a super-long finish! Had with aged beef - to die for!! — 6 years ago

Jared O'Connell

9.1

Wanted to try this out while considering wineries in the conca de barbera area to visit. Floral nose. Pleasant mishmash fruit punchy hi-c fun on the palate. Cherry vanilla fruity punch. Nice acidity. For a zero sulfur wine it’s pleasantly not funky. — 6 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Just love this wine, from seaside town of Comados (birthplace of Albariño), one of the oldest wineries of the region. Bright pale lemon with pronounced tropical fruit aromas and citrus scents. On the palate pear, apricot and peach flavors with honey lemon zest and hints of salinity. Well balanced with pleasant lively acidity, finishing with mineral, honey and wet stone nuances on the medium ending. Very nice! Should improve over the next few years. Nice value — 4 years ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.4

Better than my first bottle last June.
Parker 95 Wine Maker notes,


Derek Mossman began Garage Wine Company at a time when there were relatively few smaller, family owned wineries in Chile. He not only started his venture to produce hand made wines on a human scale, but also to buy fruit from and support farmers with great quality fruit throughout the country. Along the way, he also banded together a group of like minded wineries to create MOVI, a platform to promote smaller production wineries in Chile.

Tantalizing aromas of blueberries, violets, orange peel, raspberry leaf and aniseed with a touch of aromatic herbs that provide freshness. The palate is electric, with pulsing acidity, ultra-fine tannins and very good length. Both rustic and elegant, wild and subtle, it has precision, elegance, balance and life. Shows no alcohol nor wood. A fresh, Mediterranean blend from a vineyard that was forgotten, revived, regenerated and today shows what the Maule is capable of. — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.5

Last week was a combo of 4th Friday and Open That Bottle Night on back to back nights. Needless to say, the lineup between both days was full of heavy hitters, so I’m only posting standout bottles.

One of my bottles. One of my favorite wineries and easily one of the top 5 winery visits I’ve ever done. To me, this is “classic” Continuum in that is has just a impeccable balance of both fruit and herbal/savory notes both aromatically and on the palate. I let this slow ox for a couple hours, checking in ever so often, and found this hit stride after about two hours of air. Lovely bouquet of potpourri, lavender, graphite, sage, currant, ripe blackberries, black cherries and mocha. On the palate, its profile is soft yet all encompassing. Mulberries, cassis, tobacco leaves, herbs de Provence, licorice, dark cocoa, baking spices and a touch savory toward the finish. Enjoyable now and not getting better. My thanks to @Bill Bender for this. — 6 years ago

with joe, Weston and 1 other