Ray Vanderhoff

9.0

Pinot Nero based Sparkler. Dark pink/red color. Aromas of strawberry, white flowers and earthy funk. The palate is full of sour strawberry and sour cranberry fruit with additional notes of fresh herbs. Pleasant funky note. Crisp, light, bone dry and well balanced. — 4 months ago

Charles Garrison

9.3

We have one or 2 left; and I hope each shows as well; teeth staining, palate coating black cherry and raspberry wonder that left us fighting over the last drops — 3 years ago

MRM

9.5

It’s spectacular, but I wonder if Double Magnums shouldn’t be a protected species. Bit of pepper. — 3 years ago

Joseph Barsky

9.2

2011 Vintage. 15.1% Alcohol. 65% Syrah, 35% Grenache. — 4 years ago

David Walser

9.1

I’m a bit disappointed in this bottle. I had been hoping this bottle would be as good as the last one I had. 66% Cab Franc, 33% Merlot…I wonder what the last 1% was??? — 8 months ago

Alan Hense

9.6

Outstanding! Cocoa, cooked black cherry, cooked black plum, liquorice, raspberry sauce, leather, deli meat, and much more. Integrated oak with notes of vanilla and toast. Ripe tannins and long, long finish. Delicious. I wonder how much further it could go!? — 2 years ago

with Andrea and Heather

Vanessa

9.1

It’s no wonder Gewurztraminer is one of the four noble grape varieties in Alsace, France. 👏👏👏 It’s uniquely expressive, perfumed, rich, and oily with youthful and pronounced aromas 👃 of lychee, açaí, papaya, mango, pineapple, also sweet spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and rose, stargazer lily, elderflower, and wet stone. 🤩🤩🤩

👁 This wine is deep gold. 👄 It’s dry with a modicum of residual sugar. It has medium acidity, a medium(+) body, medium alcohol, and pronounced flavors, consistent with the nose, including notes of lychee, açaí, papaya, mango, pineapple, also sweet spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and rose, stargazer lily, elderflower, and wet stone. The finish is medium(+).

We’ve paired this wine with grilled vegan brats and roasted zucchini.

Albert Boxler, Gewurztraminer, Vintage 2018, ABV 13.5% (on the cusp of high alcohol).

Cheers to it almost being the weekend(?)! — 4 years ago

with Deked1

Jay Kline

9.3

Opened about four hours prior to service and allowed to breath. Two bottles were opened tonight from the same cellar and one of the corks showed some small signs of seepage but both wines showed equally. No formal notes. The 1997 Opus One pours a fairly youthful looking deep ruby color with moderate signs of sediment and a near opaque core. The nose exhibited powerful aromas of dark fruits, organic earth, tobacco, leather, horse blanket (brettanomyces?!), and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry and the structure remains quite firm but the texture is plush and almost chewy. The notes on the nose are confirmed and the finish is long and satisfying.

But the tasting notes only tell half the story here. This was consumed alongside a 1990 Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Had these been served together double-blind, I would have absolutely understood if someone called both as left-bank Bordeaux. Yes, the texture was plush and yes, the color was dark(er), but only just. It was just waaaay more Old World leaning to me with the earth and presence of brett. Which makes me wonder, why hasn’t brett been noted very often in other TN’s for this wine? Only (Charlie Carnes and OneFive) really address it directly and maybe this is what most are getting at when they mention “Bordeaux-like” and all the Pauillac vibes. What I can confirm is that these notes were consistent between two bottles from the same case, still in their tissue paper, so I’m reasonably confident that this is characteristic of the 1997 Opus One. I digress; I liked the wine. There, I said it. It was a bit of a one foot in Old School Napa, one foot in New School Napa, handled with an Old World touch. I liked it even better side-by-side with the ’90 Mouton, especially considering the relationship between the two. That being said, folks that can’t get down with a little brett will be turned off by this vintage of Opus. In my case, I would enjoy another opportunity to drink the 1997 some time. Great now with some air to stretch its legs and should be enjoyable through the next decade.
— a year ago

Ian Hamel

9.2

2020 fall. Sometimes I wonder why I bother with more expensive bottles when de Villaine is around. Of course, prices are creeping up and they now have a range of more expensive bottlings too... — 4 years ago

Nooka Jones

9.4

Major slurp alert 🚨
She’s a beautiful bubbly nasty rosé. Hints of plum and apricot. Tart and dry divine. — 4 years ago

with Andrea