Script Cellars
Dunn Vineyards
Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
Rim to rim color density. Red and black cherries poke through cedar and sweet tobacco on the nose with dark chocolate chunks, plum, prune and date, toasted sesame, cinnamon, rose petal, and cardamom. Chewy tannins that roll satin-smooth initially, then cassis, black currant and licorice flip the script. Graphite and blackberry frame dark chocolate and mocha-tobacco, oak and black bread.
#dunn #dunnvineyards #howellmountain #howell #napa #angwin #cabernet #cabernetsauvignon #cab #cabsauv #2014 #2014napa — 2 years ago
Bodegas Rioja Santiago
Rioja Tempranillo 2017
Plenty of fancy cursive script here on the label. Great dark inviting color. Smells a bit like rocks by the riverside. Fruit is pretty buried. Not the biggest nose here. Flavors of fresh cut wood, cherry-berry juice, and some spice. Savory pork bar-b-Q too. Fresh, bright and likable Temp. This is a nice bottle for a nice price. Could drink it anytime. — 4 years ago
Paul Anheuser
Schloßböckelheimer Kabinett Riesling 2003
very honeyed, apricot, a bit candied, dried pineapple, a mix of sweet and savory. prefer higher acid styles but a very nice bottle of wine.
post script: somebody else ID’d ginger / gingerbread and they’re absolutely right. very gingery. great call. — 5 years ago
Emma Reichart
Rheinhessen Pinot Noir Rosé 2015
I’ve been scripting the life philosophies of those closest to me:
1. My parents’ determinist universe: born into a predetermined script, Can’t veer too far from you class, status, culture, genetic talents. You still have to work hard to attain what can be yours. You can fail, become an alcoholic, waste your birth given place in life. But you can also ease in to life knowing things were meant to be certain ways for everyone.
2. I see life as a pinball game. You get spat out like a ball. Bump up against various circumstances. Some can keep the game going by feeding it more quarters. Others learn the rules or teqnique better. Some enjoy it. Some just float through. In the end we all end up in the same hole.
3. Ivison’s are in an action adventure. No plot. Typical characters. Loads of special effects and a ride.
4. Tim? He has a strong sense of right and wrong, fair and unfair. His life philosophy comes close to a balance board.
— 6 years ago
Michael Shaps
Virginia Viognier 2022
Quite an ironic release. Michael has among the best and most iconic Viognier in the state for over a decade… 2022 was a fantastic vintage and I suspect he used this vintage to go off script. But instead of rich luxurious extraction, this is particularly lean and mineral driven. Filled with an uncharacteristic amount of lemon oil, and absent is the abundance of apricot & oak. Perhaps a decent food, pairing wine, but lacking in mid Atlantic Viognier qualities. — a year ago
Château Latour
Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1999
The 1999 Latour has a dark garnet color with little aging on the rim. The nose is closed initially and demands coaxing, eventually revealing blackberry, cedar and light pencil-shaving aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with soft tannins, displaying some secondary notes of clove, white pepper and a distinct earthiness that comes through on the finish. [Post-script: this is one of the few vintages I identified correctly!] Tasted blind from double magnum at a 20-year retrospective at the château. (Neal Martin, Vinous, February 2024)
— 2 years ago
Dominio de Pingus
Flor de Pingus Ribera del Duero Tempranillo 2015
See previous note from March 2022. Very dark Ruby in colour- impenetrable. Blackberry, smoky notes. A rich full bodied dense palate with a tarry note. Dusty. Granular persistent tannins. Again, Thomas Matthew’s drinking window is way too early (to 2025). This wine will cruise to 2030 with ease. When you taste this wine you have a new appreciation of the allure of Tempranillo, in this case old vine Tempranillo from Ribera del Duero. Post Script: The next day - aniseed and a crushed ant note. — 3 years ago
Dominus Estate
Dominus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2004
Classic Cabernet descriptors of Cedar, Tobacco, Red and black fruits and a herbal note. Lovely on the palate, drinking at its peak with excellent balance - smooth, fluid, resolved tannins. One could easily pick this as a Left Bank Bordeaux in a blind tasting. Shows more French restraint than the full blown Napa style for me. Medium + weight palate with balance and concentration. Probably my favourite Napa Valley Cabernet though admittedly I have not tried some of the big guns like Harlan. Post script: A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Petit Verdot. No Merlot was used in the blend for 2004. — 5 years ago
Destihl Brewery
Antiquity Rye Wine Style ale
Loud pouring and viscous. Lightest brown cover thick above actively churning reddish darkness. Bran muffin, chocolate malted milk balls, a candied beef jerky note, buckwheat, banana split with chocolate syrup, root beer, bakers chocolate, bourbon candies with cherry aromatics. Kabbalist script lacing. Vanilla black bread, honey-truffle butter, burnt cane, burnt brown sugar and cinnamon, darkest chocolate covering toffee, espresso bean, licorice, allspice, cardamom and anise seed, valerian root, chicory, whole bean vanilla. — 7 years ago
Wine Trees
Zinsane Zinfandel
Delicious, jammy, pretty well integrated, fruit bomb. Love this wine generally and especially for the price. Post-script: a bit on the sweet side. — 7 years ago
Marchesi Mazzei
Ser Lapo Riserva Chianti Classico Sangiovese Blend 2016
A compelling, historical and sophisticated Chianti Classico Riserva dedicated to the Mazzei’s notable ancestor, Ser Lapo, known as the “father” of the Chianti wine appellation in Tuscany. The V.2016 also had a composition blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot. This wine as a “Riserva” under the Chianti Classic Classification system has to be aged a min of 24 months in barrels including 3 months in the bottle prior release.
Decanted for 35 Mins served as an opener of an Italian-inspired dishes, made it a perfect amplifier to appreciate the balance of freshness, richness and complexity. The acidity remains at the perfect point and the red cherries and fig notes are quite palpable from the very beginning, the wine dances in your palate, it jumps on flavor of cherry, tobacco leaf, toasted spices and fresh herbs notes come out alive from the glass, as an overall this wine dances in your mouth with great harmony of the juiciness and integrated medium plus tannins.
The label is another great release from Mazzei family, which is one of Tuscany’s oldest wine dynasties (25 winemaking generations for 600+ years. The script at the top of this wine label is a reproduction of a historic correspondence of a document dated December 16, 1398 that addresses this “father” of Chianti.
Simply lovely, cheers! — a year ago
Sandlands
Lodi Cinsault 2020
Popped and poured; no formal notes. This vineyard was planted in 1886. Bright cherry and bruised strawberry fruits with some orange curaçao, espresso a light kiss of spices. Overall, there’s an impression of freshness that’s super attractive. Forget what you think you know about Lodi; wines like this flip the script. A lovely accompaniment with burgers on a summer night. Only 5 barrels produced. — 4 years ago
Château Mukhrani
Supérieur Saperavi 2016
A fine saperavi. Aromas and flavors of dark fruit, spice, a bit of cocoa powder, and a hint of tobacco leaf. I've noted a bit of Georgian script on the label of this bottle, otherwise it's all in French! 100% Saperavi. 7/29/22. — 5 years ago
Olga Raffault
Les Picasses Chinon Cabernet Franc 2014
beautiful and rustic. red plum, rose petals and chalky earth on the nose. palate is very earthy, gravelly to go with the fruit notes and a touch of pepper. lovely texture and balance.
post script. pencil shavings. lots and lots of pencil shavings. big miss the first time around. — 5 years ago
Orgo
Dila-O Rkatsiteli Mtsvane 2019
Not a bit of Georgian script anywhere on the bottle, but a big square of marketing copy on the back label. Ok, great—these wines need more exposure! Medium amber (amber—so much nicer than “orange”), light tannin, apricot, great acidity, and refreshing in a brilliant way. Perfect with a range of foods. A stunning value. #georgianwine — 6 years ago
Domaine Mee Godard
Morgon Corcelette Gamay 2015
Deep red color, almost uniform. Really changed 30-45 minutes after decanting. Would recommend a sip or two at open and then waiting. Dark, fresh red fruits but I got this great woody mineral flourish immediately following the fruit. Like on top of it. Long and noisy finish. Great stuff. Plus acidity and medium-ish body. And a chewy tannin end that just hits so well. This is a gorgeous wine. Love this cru Beaujolais. Going to (try to) sit on what I have left for a year or more...yes I had to end with a joke. Post-script: first time understanding how tannin can be “chewy”. — 7 years ago
Freddy R. Troya
Vieux Château Palon – 2021
Montagne-Saint-Émilion AOC – Right Bank, Bordeaux, France 🇫🇷
Overview
A distinctive Right Bank Bordeaux, this cuvée flips the classic Merlot-dominant Saint-Émilion script. Instead, it is crafted from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Cabernet Franc, making it unusually bold, structured, and aromatically lifted for the appellation.
Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, blackberry, and cassis dominate, with graphite, cedar, and tobacco leaf from the Cabernets. Subtle violet and peppery notes emerge from the Franc.
Mouthfeel
Firm tannins, medium-plus body, and a long, savory finish. More muscular and linear than many Montagne-Saint-Émilions, leaning toward Left Bank style but with Right Bank elegance.
Food Pairings
Grilled ribeye, lamb chops with rosemary, cassoulet, duck confit, aged Comté or Tomme de Savoie cheeses.
Verdict
An atypical but fascinating Montagne-Saint-Émilion that highlights Cabernet structure over Merlot plushness. For those who love Pauillac or Saint-Julien, this bottle is a bridge into the Right Bank world. Cheers!
Did You Know?
Montagne-Saint-Émilion is one of the four “satellite” appellations of Saint-Émilion, known for offering excellent value Bordeaux reds. Few estates here lean so heavily on Cabernet Sauvignon, which makes Palon stand out stylistically. — 8 months ago