Shay A

9.6

95-96

One of the wines I served for my annual WWC hosting. All wines served blind.

95 syrah/ 5 viognier; 30% whole cluster

Opening a young 2020 is not my style for red wines, but as the inaugural release from one of my favorite wineries, I wanted to see how it showed in a blind lineup of syrahs. I've recently started opening some 2016 and 2017 Andremilys and the hallmark of this Slide Hill Estate is the intense high-tone (bordering on EA) aromatics. You could smell the wine from the next placemat over! This wine is all intensity but it is packaged in a sleek and sexy profile...blueberry compote, mocha, smoked meat, herbs/black pepper upfront before it's a tidal wave of blue and black fruits, bacon, sweet smoke, crunchy herbs (thanks to the whole clusters) with polished tannins at the finish which goes on and on. It's a skyscraper of a wine on the mid-palate with its depth but somehow doesn't come across as overly hot or out of balance. Andremily wines, IMO, while share obvious similarities to SQN have found a way to polish the edges and dial the profile in. This is going nowhere in the near future and will be so fun to follow, but it's quite the experience to try one on the young side if you enjoy their style of wine. — a month ago

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

9.1

This #cabernetsauvignon is very good. I didn’t like the Titan Shiraz though.
#mclarenvale is located around 30 km south of Adelaide at the northern end of the peninsula with the Gulf St. Vincent to the west and the Adelaide Hills to the east.
The region has warm to hot summers although winds blowing in off the Gulf and down from the Adelaide Hills moderate the climate and also keep the risk of disease low. Rainfall levels are relatively low during the growing season (usually less than 200mm), although winters can be fairly wet.
McLaren Vale has a particularly complex geology: many major soil types have been identified, varying from sand to loam to clay. In general, the soils in the north of the region are poor with lower levels of nutrients, whereas those in the south are deeper and more fertile, producing higher yields.
McLaren Vale is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in Australia. By the late 19th century, Thomas Hardy & Sons was producing wine and exporting to the UK. Fortified wine production dominated the first half of the 20th century but after World War II a wave of European immigrants, particularly from Italy, encouraged the return to dry red wine production. In the 1970s, the focus was on full- bodied, ripe Chardonnay and Semillon but, since the late 1980s and early 1990s, this has returned to red wine
It is a large region, with vineyards covering around 6,200ha , and so has a great diversity of microclimates. Proximity to the sea is one factor influencing vineyard climate, as is altitude: vineyards stretch from sea level to around 350m, with most planted on flat or gently undulating land between 50 and 250m.
Over 90 per cent of plantings are now black grape varieties.
premium priced wines, covering both single-varietal and blends. Shiraz is the most planted, with over half of total plantings, followed by Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache. McLaren Vale reds tend to be deep-coloured and full-bodied with high alcohol levels and pronounced dark fruit flavours. Many have spice characteristics from oak. In the hotter, lower sites, the fruit flavours can become cooked or jammy. Higher elevations give wines with higher acidity and tannins.
Production ranges from inexpensive, high volume bottlings to super-Premium — 6 years ago

Marcia Robinson

9.4

Digital Council wine in Po Alto - yummy — 11 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2011 vintage. Last tasted 2.14.25 (9.2). This was the last bottle of this effort in the keep. Previous encounter left me feeling like this was slightly tired and just over the hill. This time, the view was from the top of the hill and fully awake. Not improving at this stage of life but this bottle was roaring. Light-medium body with age-appropriate color and tracings of sediment on the decant. Tasted post-decant after 15 minutes and 1 hour. Tamarind/orange, clove, cinnamon essences with some casual cola nut riding atop the flavor wave alongside a singular spritz of rhubarb. Still very heady tannins afoot to corral the delicate body and impressions. Wish I had a few more of these as this was another excellent, 1er Cru, experience. Based on this particular specimen, this could go another 4-5 years without an amended score or drop-off. A Pommard constantly sticking and moving versus one looking to land that one uppercut. 10.24.25. — 8 months ago

Justin Main

9.0

Not a big Merlot fan, but this was delicious — 6 years ago

Dimes

9.0

Good aussie — 7 years ago

Joe Carroll

Owner/Wine Director Spuyten Duyvil, Fette Sau, St. Anselm & Gotham Artisanal Provisions

9.1

A second wave classic. As a side note, Hill Farmstead has nothing to do with this beer. — 7 years ago

Brian Hearty

9.4

Bottled 03/28/2024. This limey, salty, funky farmhouse ale is routinely available in Nebraska thanks to the collaboration between Hill Farmstead Brewery and Good Life Provisions. Perfect for the extended summer weather we’ve had this week! — 2 years ago

Stephen Redenbaugh

9.1

Fruit juicy co-fermentation...85% Sangiovese 15% Fruilano. Early heat wave at Michigan Lake house... slight chill, tempted to break out the ice cubes. Tannic grip on finish, strawberry/fruit punch aromas... nice bright acidity. Very unusual, but fun... can imagine this as a yummy slushee. — 5 years ago

Ely Cohn

9.2

Regan Meador uprooted his Long Island operation and moved it to Texas after permit battles over a tasting room. The second chapter would focus on grapes grown best in the Texas Hill Country. In this instance, Mataro and Dolcetto. This is an important turning point for Texas wine - not on the wave of sweet jammy reds or unremarkable rose’. Relying instead on place and time.

If gamay would ripen a bit, it would be this blend. It has a crimson brick color and piney red berries. 100% stem inclusion. The Dolcetto gives a dark dried fruit flavor profile. Raisins and dried bing cherries. And fresh salty minerals. — 7 years ago

Julie

9.5

This is the Pinot we fell in love with. Very balanced and well-rounded. Not too earthy but still intense. Amazing aroma. Perfect wave of taste breaking in your mouth. — 11 years ago

with Igor