Reviews

Abreu Cappella

Purity, balance, and grace are matched with gushing power and an unreal expansion of dark and brooding fruit and earth flavors, the Cappella is a captivating wine that shows just how special this…

Penfolds Grange

Port-like and stewed, the 1999 Grange is a much-advanced specimen. Prune, three-day-old coffee, tar, tobacco, Grandma's vest-sweater, vanilla suntan lotion, and balsamic notes show immediately how…

Abreu Las Posadas

A kickboxing production of red and black fruits, tangling with earthy spice and darker, meatier elements that start to fan out mid-palate, but are stopped short at the finish line by a dusty grip. A…

Famille Isabel Ferrando Châteauneuf-du-Pape Colombis

Suuuuuuper tannic and powerful, with crunchy blackberry and plum skin notes skipping off rock and stems, finishing grippy and slappy. A fairly loud showing, the Colombis is best fitted for the exact…

Bryant Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

If there ever was a 2018 vintage domestic contender that could go toe-to-toe with the French equivalent that is the 2018 Chateau Lafleur, it would likely be the Bryant. These were the two wines of…

Vice Versa Cabernet Sauvignon BBS Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Warning Will Robinson! Warning! We are shut down for business here. LPV has done it again. Caution. Crime Scene. Do Not Cross. Back away. Nothing to see here.

19 Crimes Red Wine

The 20th crime: drinking this wine.

Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT

Well... I gotta keep it real ya'll. Here I was all ready to seek out more of these as soon as I was gonna give this bottle a spin tonight, and wouldn't cha know it... This thing was stricter than a…

Arrow & Branch Cabernet Sauvignon Vine Hill Ranch

Dark ripe berry and black soil notes duel with iron, red and black raspberry, and burnt ember elements to form a full frontal push of luscious and intense fruit and earth flavors. A statuesque wine…

Arrow & Branch Cabernet Franc Heritage Reserve Block 1 Arrow & Branch Coombsville

As with many young 2018s from Napa, there is a sultry demeanor with the Arrow & Branch Cabernet Franc Block 1 (older vines than Block 2) that immediately shows alluring finesse. Its profile is also…

Keplinger Mars

Final bottle and last review of this wine (of many reviews). A really gorgeous showing, with a whirlwind of flavors that swarm around the palate with both flowing finesse and depth, as well as…

Tenuta Guado al Tasso (Antinori) Bolgheri Superiore

This is progressing and smoothing out quite nicely since my last bottle a year-and-a-half ago; more seamless and readily willing to find a decent glide after about three hours of decanted air…

L'Aventure Cuvée "Les Demoiselles"

Still an abrasive showing, with the crunchy blackberry and Chambord martini flavors never hitting any sort of desirable glide; the alcohol is constantly hacking rough edges into the flavor expansion.…

Hubert Lamy Santenay 1er Cru Clos des Gravières Vieilles Vignes

Plum and purple berry notes are swarmed by racy acidity and firm and fuzzy tannins. A mouth puckering experience right now, but the depth of flavor potential here is compelling. I'm 8 years old again…

Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots

Crimson red with a darker amber hue, the Chaignots makes you think it's a more aged wine at first glance. The initial aroma is funky earth and citrus rind, further fanning the belief that this is an…

Mas de Boislauzon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Tintot

As good as the 2015, and perhaps with even greater depth and concentration, this 2016 Tintot shows fabulous dark black and deep red berry fruits complimented by black olive, tar, licorice, melted…

Domaine Giraud Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée les Grenaches de Pierre

Pouring a translucent ruby, with what at first glance might seem like a somewhat thinly hued transparency, the Grenaches de Pierre leads-in with a comparatively lighter tinge and muted nose. First…

Domaine des Rémizières Hermitage Cuvée Émilie

Ripe purple and black berry notes are suffused by oak char and dark earth; saturating and front-loaded, the Emilie flaunts a modern style that might make purists cringe a little. If you're into the…

Betz Family Syrah La Côte Patriarche

Iron, terracotta, pink salt rock, white pepper, peperoni, and some funky wet horse pasture notes are an immediate English Pointer to Washington - perhaps more so toward Walla Walla than Yakima, but…

Jean-Luc Colombo Cornas Les Terres Brulees

Decidedly linear and a bit stubborn, this is a 2015 Cornas that is going to need some time to find its groove and decide if and when it feels like expanding and deepening its flavors as some point.…

Joseph Phelps Insignia

Given that there are already 471 tasting notes on this particular wine, I'll compartmentalize this, now #472, tasting note:

Nicolas Rossignol Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets

A somewhat lean and reticent entry on the initial sip begins to slowly, fairly begrudgingly, unfold and expand into an earthy red berry concoction befitting hallmark Volnay. Medium on the mid-palate…

Marcassin Pinot Noir Marcassin Vineyard

Red cherry, raspberry, Cherry Coke (or Original Cherry Coke One, or Coke Zero Cherry, or Coca-Cola Classic Cherry, or Mexican Coke Cherry Cane Azucar), Indian spice, and earth notes resonate clearly…

Alain Voge Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes

This Cornas has a long way to go before it finds its ability to girth-up and fan-out its flavors, but it is certainly on the right track. This bottle was followed over a week+ with some Coravin hits…

Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle

Oh it's far too early my friends, but darnit-all if this isn't a fine specimen worth having in the cellar for a rainy day a few years from now. Opaque in the glass, with only the rims allowing…