Kyle

9.0

Deep purple. High concentration. Low alcohol. Croissant, strawberry and floral on the nose. Ripe plum, bing cherry on palate. Low oak. Medium tannin and finish. I would buy again. — 2 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

From Magnum at a friends house for lunch - thank you Kiron. Delamotte is from the acclaimed house of Salon. At 20 years this was showing honeysuckle and diminished bubbles. Great intensity of flavour in this Blanc de Blancs. — a year ago

Vanessa

9.2

We’ve been patiently waiting for the right moment to taste this wine following a friend’s recommendation; tonight felt like the right time.

This wine comes from the Bekaa (Beqaa) Valley of Lebanon, idealistically situated in the rain shadow of Mount Lebanon. The Valley offers an “oasis of agriculture” and is home to many acclaimed Lebanese wine producers, like Chateau Musar.

Gaston Hochar founded Chateau Musar in 1930, after finding inspiration while traveling in Bordeaux. Since then, it has remained in the loving hands of the Hochar family. While Chateau Musar wines are notably influenced by the winemaking practices of Bordeaux, they have a story to tell of the Bekaa Valley and terroir of this beautiful region.

This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, and Carignan. It’s more than 21 years old with a medium garnet hue.

The nose offers pronounced, layered, and complex aromas of dried fig, prune, plum, crème de cassis, violet, licorice, black olive, cedar, pencil shavings, nutmeg, cardamom, vanilla, clove, potting soil, garrigue, bacon, leather, tobacco, and delicate barnyard. The palate is consistent with the nose.

The acidity remains fully present, supporting its longevity. The alcohol is medium at 13.5% ABV. The body is medium and tannins are fine-grained and smooth. It has a long, elegant finish. It’s delicious and is tasting wonderfully now.

Cheers to wines of the Bekaa Valley and Chateau Musar! — 2 years ago

with Deked1

Vanessa

9.3

Hello, California Syrah!!

From everything we’ve read, the Alder Springs Vineyard sounds like a truly majestic place.

It’s isolated in an undeveloped part of northern Mendocino County, situated in California’s North Coast region, where the steep and rugged terrain meet sweeping views of the ocean, bordered by rivers, redwoods, and snowcapped mountains… elevation stretches up to 1,800 feet above sea level.

It’s no wonder so many acclaimed producers, like Pax Mahle, source their fruit from here, where vines are sustainably farmed and cared for by Stuart Bewley. We were fortunate to visit Pax in Sebastopol in 2022, where we picked up this 2011 Cahto Ridge Alder Springs Vineyard Syrah. We’ve been waiting patiently to taste it. And here we are.

100% Syrah. Whole cluster fermented. Aged 12 months in neutral French oak barrels.

This wine is deep ruby trending towards garnet. The aromas are concentrated with ripe boysenberry, black cherry, blackcurrant, next to violet, black peppercorn, licorice, cured meat, peat moss, smoke, clove, leather and olive notes. On the palate, it is dry with medium (+) acidity, a medium (+) body, high alcohol (14.6% ABV), medium (+) fine-grained tannins, and a long, elegant finish.

It’s both elegant and wild all at the same time and we love it.

Cheers! — 3 months ago

with Deked1

Brandon T

9.2

Highly acclaimed and while solid, there’s plenty of other Pinot’s below this price point out there for me. — 2 years ago

Vanessa

9.0

Artesana is a small production, low intervention, terroir-driven producer of beautiful Uruguayan wines. 🙌🙌 🇺🇾

This wine was made from grapes grown on estate vineyards, harvested by hand, with sustainable farming practices. 🍇🍇

It is a deep ruby hue, offering concentrated aromas and flavors of tart black cherry, black currant, plum, nutmeg, cedar, anise, pepper, vegetal and green notes, alongside meaty characteristics.

It is balanced with good fruit concentration, refreshing acidity, high alcohol (14%), and soft tannins.

It’s comprised of Cabernet Franc (55%) and Merlot (45%) from the region of Canelones, Uruguay.

Acclaimed female winemakers Analía Lazaneo and Valentina Gatti have left us inspired and excited to try more from Artesana.

@Delectable Wine This is the Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend. 🙏🙏 — 2 years ago

with Deked1

Vanessa

9.1

This wine has a medium lemon hue with refreshing and zesty notes of lemon peel, grapefruit pith, and kumquat, alongside juicy peach, nectarine, yellow apple, chamomile, white blossom, chervil, saline, and wet stone characteristics. 

It carries a relative richness lending balance to the fresh primary and mineral notes with a fuller mouthfeel.

This wine is made exclusively from the Godello variety hailing from northwest Spain’s Bierzo appellation in the Castilla Y Leon region.
 
It was produced by Raul Perez, an acclaimed, small-batch winemaker whose practices have built a beautiful platform upon which the fruit and terroir may express themselves to the fullest and purest extent.
 
A delightful pairing with pan-seared halibut with roasted broccolini. Cheers!

Bodegas Raul Perez Ultreia La Claudina Godello 2019. ABV 13.5%. — a year ago

with Deked1

GaryWEdwards

9.5

Among the best Tignanello offerings to date, rivaling the '97. In fact , time will tell but it might rival the last 3 acclaimed vintages. Leather, licorice, and smoke in a larger than normal from this maker. Full with long lovely finish. — 2 years ago

with Logan

Daniel Ciolek

9.2

Solid vintage year for the reserve cab. It’s one of the better balanced mid-Atlantic cabs you can find. It has the density and complexity of a top tier cab you’d expect from.more acclaimed Napa vineyards - but without the the ‘in your face’ tannins. Nice job Penn’s Woods! — 2 years ago

Vanessa

9.1

I’m excited about this acclaimed Washington State Bordeaux blend from Andrew Will, named after the founder’s (Chris Camarda’s) nephew, Andrew, and son, Will (now winemaker).

Sorella is a single vineyard wine coming from the Champoux Vineyard, just five miles from the Columbia River, in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA of Columbia Valley, Washington. This particular wine was named Sorella – meaning sister in Italian – a tribute to the winemaker’s late sister when it was first produced in 1994.

It is comprised of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot.

This is a deep ruby wine.

On the nose it has medium(+) intensity of developing aromas. Aromas include baked blackberry, cassis, black cherry, also potpourri, licorice, green bell pepper, chervil, anise, black licorice, black pepper, clove, leather, earth, and sweet tobacco.

On the palate, this wine is dry. It has medium acidity, a medium(+) body, medium alcohol, medium(+) tannins, and medium intensity of flavors consistent with the nose. This wine has a medium(+) finish.

Andrew Will, Sorella, Champoux Vineyard, Horse Heaven Hills, Washington. Vintage 2011. ABV 13%. — 3 years ago

with Deked1