Complicated
Château Gloria
Saint-Julien Red Bordeaux Blend 2017
Medium red. Aromatic red fruit, with floral and licorice influence on the nose. Palate is complicated nicely with grilled meat, and a hint of green bell pepper and white pepper. Nice weight. Relaxed tannins. Medium plus alcohol. Not overly complex, may improve some, but I wouldn't expect a huge change.
92+ points — 3 years ago
Peirson Meyer
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2014
Lost my notes again.
We love this producer, but best drunk in its youth. Tannins and acid have all but left the building. Nice heady perfume, combines with sweetness and length, but has little to no structure. Red currants on the nose and palate. Complicated wood treatment adds the most interesting dimension. Get after this pinots now. — 5 years ago
Ridge Vineyards
Monte Bello Vineyard Chardonnay
Delightfully complicated California Chard masquerading as a White Burgundy. French nose and French finish. Minerals, flint, stone and fruit—apple, pear, peach and nectarine, with an obvious but restrained layer of oak. Not overly fruity or oaky; no pineapple or butterscotch here. Paired well with the Seafood Tower, Swordfish and Black Cod at the Water Grill Santa Monica. This was a juvenile 2021 vintage, tasted in 2024. Eager to try this gem after another half decade. — 7 months ago
Morgan
Twelve Clones Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2018
Astringent and dark on the nose when fresh from bottle. Plum and cherry and pepper on the palate. As it mellows, oak flavors mellow and flavor gets more complicated. A little acid to Leah. — 2 years ago
Pago de los Capellanes
Tinto Crianza Ribera del Duero Tempranillo Blend 2017
Dark ruby coloration. On the nose, dark cherry, leather, and vanilla. On the palate, cherry, fruity, anise, vanilla, short finish, not complicated but relatively easy to drink and enjoyable table wine. Full bodied, stronger tannins, again, not much in the finish. Gets a tad bitter. B-21 $35. — 3 years ago
Domaine de la Charbonnière
Vacqueyras Red Rhône Blend 2020
Get the licorice right off the top and then that fades quick..then. Blackberries and some other dark fruit..great long subtle finish..licorice comes back with subtle spice..great medium to full body..nothing complicated going on but great value at this price — 7 months ago
Kubota Manju
Junmai Daiginjo Sake
sake of Kaiseki dinner at Naza GiroGiro with willie. Last sake and said to be best. Less fruity but complex with a note of sharpness and a bite that went well with the complicated duck dish. — 10 months ago
Tenuta San Leonardo
San Leonardo Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2016
Another year in bottle has added unexpected depths and dimension to the 2016 San Leonardo. It wafts up with an alluring bouquet of smoky black currant and plum skins, complicated by savory herbs, hints of white pepper and fresh tobacco. It's hard chiseled edges have formed into smooth contours now, velvety yet youthfully dense, washing mineral encased dark red and black berries across a core of brisk acidity as a combination of saline-minerals and grippy tannins add tension toward the close. This finishes incredibly long yet also structured, begging for time in the cellar, as hints of licorice and earth tones grumble under an air of inner violet florals. The potential within the 2016 San Leonardo is off the charts, yet it will require a good amount of time to come fully into focus. Bury your bottles deep. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2022)
— 3 years ago
Delectable Wine
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The 2021 Nero d'Avola is spicy in the glass, displaying a woodland-inspired blend of mentholated herbs, shaved pine, mandarin and crushed wild berries. This is pleasantly sweet upon entry, with cocoa-tinged red berry fruits complicated by hints of sage and an air of lavender. Staining and potent, the 2021 tapers off with dramatic length, leaving firming tannins and notes of licorice to linger on. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2024)
— 6 months ago