Addendum
Big Basin Vineyards
Coastview Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016
N: lots of rhubarb and faint cinnamon, some bark, woodland, some strawberries.
P: Reddish/Brown on the palate, very….cedar. Nice acidity, but very gentle. Almost funky, you want some more funk, but nooo. Red fruits down the middle, lovely mouthfeel. @ wtso bargain. You feel good about it, but it’s not gonna rock your world.
Addendum: 2nd day, kept refrigerated w rubber stopper, definite tannic development and palate interest.
I bet w much air time, these might just deliver above their price pt. — 2 years ago
Viña Ventisquero
Grey [Glacier] Single Block Trinidad Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
Had with Isabel, Chris & Lisa at Sushi Kim 2. Relatively smooth, but I ate too many different foods & probably changed to taste too much such that I can’t provide an accurate description. Will need to try again. ADDENDUM: Tried again at Nana & Pap’s on my birthday and it was much better. Excellent. — 10 months ago
Garcia Georgieva
Clarete Finca los Quemados Tempranillo
Young Tempranillo.
There’s a lot of dirt going on here , both pos. & neg.
N: Musky Strawberries, dirt, reticent.
Supposedly a rather short maceration before being put up in used barriques.
P: Mashed up red fruits, no tannins, like dirty feet. Nice on a hot night w a bit of a chill. No SO2
I keep try Jose Pastór selections and I don’t think we get along.
Addendum: Much better day two after refrig w rubberized stopper. Still not much on the nose, but the palate has rounded”up” into something nice. — 2 years ago
Domaine de L'Arlot
Clos des Forêts St. Georges Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Pinot Noir 2001
At Cucina Enoteca Del Mar. A stunning wine! Cardamom nose. In the glass leather - touch orange zest . Definitely Elderberries - graphite and a potpourri of spices with the main component being white pepper??? Burgundy does seldom get better than this!!!! Drink now this is at its peak. A pricy proposition. Now just 5 bottles left in Southern CA I think. Addendum still excellent 48 hours later. So decanting can’t hurt. — 4 years ago
Monte Dall'Ora
Sausto Ripasso della Valpolicella 2015
It took 6+ hours for this to show itself.
When it did… Autumn leaves and forest rot on the nose, subdued cherries, ‘shrooms, caramel, fennel.
On the palate, tomato skin, sweet rhubarb, brilliant, but you’ve got to wait…and wait. Dark orange fruit, sage.
Acidic and tannic. Delicious stuff.
Weird and wild.
Addendum: 1/3 btl under rubber stopper 2 eves later. All chocolate, cherries, and smoke on the nose. The palate isn’t as diverse or intense, but it’s resolved and still delicious.
Acidity firmly in place. Very unique stuff. — a year ago
Hiyu Wine Farm
Arco Iris Columbia Gorge Red Blend 2018
What a wine. There’s an underlying forest floor umami component throughout, but overall cranberries, cherries, violets, good tannin. I keep coming back to different flowers and herbs. Seems to taste different with every other sip. I think this needs a few more years in bottle to completely integrate. Addendum: day two it’s exceptional. Much more integrated but the herbal qualities and dark fruit go so well with spiced pork and greens. Hope I can save the other bottle of this for a few years. — 2 years ago
Domaine Fourrier
Vieilles Vignes Gevrey-Chambertin Pinot Noir 2017
Burgundy still rules despite tariffs. The aromatics and perfume in this wine are absolutely stunning. On the nose cherry 🍒 it really jumps at you. In the glass ultra powerful Morello cherries may be over the top. How do they do this?
This is almost too much fruit for me. This has depth but for now it is totally buried in the fruit. I am quite confident that this will be a stunning wine in 5-10 years from now. Now a baby 👶. Should I sell stocks to buy this wine? A shame to drink a wine like this that young - addendum tasty 48 hours later so definitely decant if you drink this now I would say at least 6 hours. — 4 years ago
Spencer Dodd
Quite good and interesting to have a non lapierre style wine. Let it air. A bit “austere” in terms of wanting air for a Beauj but quite excellent concentration of red fruit. Second bottle of this hit have one more.
Addendum after an hour. This improved incredibly with some air. Proper serious Beauj. You could let this age for a few years for sure. — 5 months ago