Andrew Cullimore

8.9

Pale straw . Lemon and lime with some petrol hints ,green herbs , white flower notes as well . Light bodied with high acidity , green apple , lime and grapefruit . Very fresh , high acidity , leaves the palate very fresh , lively . Touch of fresh green herbs on the ok length finish . Would prefer to leave this 2 or 3 years , just to fill out a little more in the bottle and will last well a further 10 or so . — 5 months ago

Jeremiah Diaz

8.9

Pale ruby in color; Cherries and strawberries on the nose; high minus acidity; smooth medium tannins; tastes like cherries and cranberries with a long finish. — a year ago

with Nellie

Trevor Brown

9.4

A great, strong bourbon. A bit of fruit on the finish, with a well balanced honey and oak flavor. — 4 years ago

Fredrik Finn

9.3

Located in Sierra de Gredos, west of Madrid, Bernabeleva is a driving force of the ”new” Spanish wine movement that is getting well-earned attention from the wine world. The Garnachas of Gredos pose with a unique expression, marked with plenty of freshness and ”minerality” due to the high altitude and the granite soils.
The Vina Bonita, Bernabelevas top wine, comes from 2.8 ha single vineyard with 80 year old vines. Fermented in Wood with long maceration, matured on French barriques for ”as long as necessary”. Only 900 bottled produced of the 2016 vintage.

The wine is an act of elegance, a true showstopper concentrated red berry fruit with red florals and a balsamic-herby almost orange like lift, followed by a pronounced earthy and stony minerality.
A fresh acidity and slight lip gripping tannins with a very fine, almost powdery texture, a tactile sensation and strong fatigues drives the mineral, red fruited palate which breach across the palate in a long and expansive finish.
— 4 years ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Unscrewed and poured; no formal notes. These friggen Chardonnays from Margaret River. I’ve been blinded on them too many times to count and I never call it right. Instead, I always seem to call a high acid grape like Riesling of Sauvignon Blanc. The fruit is sometimes tropical, always with citrus and sometimes is shows green apple and always with awesome minerals. Acid is squarely in the high category. They are lovely wines that just seem to throw me for a loop. If Chablis, the Mosel and Sancerre had a love child. Drink now and through 2036 easy. A fabulous pairing with lamb massaman, larb and papaya salad. How can they hide the 100% new French oak so well?! — 7 months ago

Vanessa

9.1

Cheers to old-vine Chenin Blanc from South Africa! 🇿🇦 In South Africa, Chenin Blanc also goes by the name “Steen.”

It’s such a versatile grape and wine, capable of producing beautiful sweet, dry, still, and sparkling wines.

This wine is still and dry. We’ve paired it with sushi and it’s a delightful duet.

The grapes for this wine were grown organically in the Citrusdal Mountain district, north of Cape Town, west of the Olifants River, on the Western Cape. The bush vines were originally planted in 1957 (old!!), contributing to an intensity and a concentration of primary aromas and flavors in the grapes.

Indeed, the nose and palate offer medium(+) aromas and flavors of ripe pear, yellow apple, white peach, vegetal, boxwood, white blossom, crushed stone, and aged cheese rind notes. Lively acidity gives it lift and balances the high alcohol and intensity of fruit.

This wine was produced by Ginny Povall, American-born proprietor and self-taught winemaker of Botanica Wines. I love the botanical images on her labels, each an homage to the flower farm on which she began her wine production journey in South Africa.   

Botanica Wines, Chenin Blanc (Mary Delany Collection), 2019, ABV 14%. — 2 years ago

with Deked1

Kuba Klucznik

9.2

Sparkling bright acidity, med sweetness, low-med alcohol, crisp green apples, high minerality — 4 years ago

Galen Hasler

9.1

Bright light red color and high toned fruit balanced by firm savory notes. — a year ago

Vanessa

9.2

Happy Labor Day holiday weekend in the USA!

We’re enjoying a night off from studying while sipping a lovely Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste 2011 paired with a grilled steak, baked potato, green beans, and mushroom / zucchini kabobs. Soon (and sadly) we’ll have to say “au revoir” to summer.

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste is situated on the left bank of Bordeaux, i.e., west of the Gironde Estuary, in the commune of Pauillac. Soils here are gravel-based, and free-draining, ideal for ripening the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon grape, which dominates in this Bordeaux blend.

Pauillac is known for producing age-worthy, structured Cabernet Sauvignon wines due in part to the growing environment. No wonder it’s home to 3 out of 5 first growth wines in the 1855 classification, including, Château Latour, Château Lafite Rothschild, and Château Mouton Rothschild. This particular wine ranks highly, as well, as a fifth growth and understandably so.

Based on our research the 2011 vintage in Bordeaux seemed to fast-forward many typical growing processes and timelines; grapes were budding and ripening ahead of schedule with warmer temperatures early in the season followed by notably cooler temperatures in August, ahead of harvest.

It’s remarkable how variable seasonal conditions can affect a wine’s profile, especially in less consistent climates like Bordeaux where vintage variation is a serious thing… still, this wine is lovely.

It is deep ruby with a medium (+) intensity of developing aromas offering notes of ripe blackberry, cassis, black cherry, plum, black licorice, anise, violet, tobacco, leather, clove, nutmeg, cedar, pencil shavings.

On the palate, this wine is dry with medium (+) acidity, high tannins that are ripe and smooth, a medium (+) body, medium (+) intensity of flavors consistent with the notes. The finish is medium(+).

This is an excellent wine that is drinking well now and could age further.

Cheers to the beauty born in 2011 in Pauillac AOC with this Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste! — a year ago

with Deked1

David Fransois

9.2

Very Nice surprise. This swedish whisky give love touch of peat and smoke flavour. — 5 years ago