Shay A

9.4

My contribution to a large Rhône dinner. Standouts were ‘07 Chapoutier Le Meal Blanc, ‘89 and ‘90 Jaboulet La Chappelle, ‘11 Guigal La Mouline.

An over-generalization, but what I love about Cornas is the rusticity and sometimes feral nature of the wines (which I don’t find in Hermitage or CR) and this ‘05 is in that vein. I followed this from pop (after all, we are at the almost 20yr mark) and over the course of three hours.

Interplay of red and black berry fruits, black pepper, slightly herbal (maybe closer to potpurri floral) aromatically. Bright and nimble on the palate, nothing about this is ripe or soft. Energetic acidity all the way through surrounded by notes of iron (sanguine-like) and rocky minerality. Crunchy red and black fruits (whole-cluster?), hint of gaminess but not in the meaty-style I semi-expected. Clean and pure style of Syrah. Big structure at the finish…hard to imagine drinking this 10+yrs ago. Acidity and tannin will carry this a long time, but I think this is peak window for getting depth of fruit and complexity. — 5 months ago

Daron Watson

9.1

bubblicious…from currant & cherry, to strawberry & watermelon, to musk melon, kumquat & yellow plum, w a vein of charred pineapple & orange, then white pepper crushed mineral finish ~ ridiculous value at $14.99 — 3 years ago

Uluwehi

9.0

Milk chocolate to the nose. Tobacco. And a vein of butter. Buttery dark chocolate to the taste. Robust tannins but not overpowering. Slight dry bitter finish. — 4 years ago

ESF

9.1

continuing in the vein of unusual Italian wines, we thoroughly enjoyed this 10 yr old Teroldego from Tuscany of all places: pouring a deep rich ruby, partially opaque with copious quantities of red fruit on the nose, some dark berried fruit as well, licorice, dirt & soil, peppery goodness some dried herbs and so on. complex and engaging, med bodied on palate, more fruit & spice, fleshy mild tannins and smooth finish - other than color, not showing its age. — 6 months ago

Joho

9.8

Headline: “damn near perfect” not dry, not bitter, not sweet, not watery, just lovely balance all around. If you’re looking for a defining characteristic it’s that there is none. Some would say the greatest designs goes unnoticed. I would also say that the greatest wines should lay in a similar vein. There is no one flavor or characteristic about it that is overpowering the rest. — a year ago

Dave Mayers

9.5

A gift for the Franks for my first time at Frankie’s Spuntino. In the same vein as Rinaldi but with a more rustic and herbal expression. Truly a show stopper. Rides that perfect line between wild and elegance. Ink and tar and flowers and just full joy. Have had many bottles that were cooked or just plain off. So thrilled to get these from the source — 3 years ago

ESF

9.3

Solid showing - haven’t had this in 5+ yrs & really peaking w/inky color & bricking on swirl - still resembles Left Bank effort, New World Rioja for sure: cherry, red & black plum, boysenberry, cassis, vanilla, tobacco, subtle cedar, black pepper and vein of minerality running thru… finely grained tannins along w/integrated acidity makes this a very complete experience. — 4 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

Really good Pinot Bianco (Pinot Blanc). I like Pinot Blanc, but in many instances it’s tiring to drink because its fruit can be a little one-dimensional. Not so with this one. The nose has bright, pure orchard fruit, but leavened by a serious mineral vein. On the palate, it’s full bodied and shows a serious stony side. Bone dry, fairly lengthy finish with a nice whisper of a bitterish note. I really like this. — 9 months ago

Shay A

9.2

My first time with Dehlinger Syrah. I believe this ‘08 estate is all from their Altamont vineyard in the Russian River Valley.

Deep red/purple in the glass, hardly any bricking. Aromatics of ripe red and black berries, violets, and sweet spices. I don’t detect any savory notes and assuming no use of whole clusters as I don’t get any type of green/lifted profile. Even at 15-16yrs, this is deep with fruit…black raspberries, black currant, dark cocoa, fig, vein of sweetness down the middle, but with a coffee/mocha grippy finish. Followed over two days and, shockingly, held up just fine. Pop the corks and enjoy. — 2 years ago

Shay A

9.4

This 2017 is less opulent, more compact, and tightly coiled compared to the 2016. Because of that, I followed this wine over two days.

On day one, this was tart and tangy…almost steely and too powerful. Day two saw this blossom and expand on the palate. The tart/tangy vibe is still there but it’s accompanied by a deep richness. Everything about this Chardonnay is lemon driven…lemon oil, lemon scone, powdered lemon tart bar, especially on the nose. There is a nervy vein of acidity at the core carrying notes of pineapple and white peach, but never pushed too far to the ripe side. One of those wines that retains freshness with the richness. If popping now, decant 1-2hrs or hold another few years, and enjoy the 2016 before opening this 2017! — 4 years ago