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Wine Type Vintage Name Variety Locale Date Posted Score Helpful Comments Comment Date Community Score More...
Red

2020 Melville Pinot Noir Terraces

 Sta. Rita Hills more
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6/12/2022 - Cabfrancophile wrote: NR

Raspberry, sage, WC goodness. Dark fruited, even a bit sanguine, structure wraps back to the mid palate, long finish. Somewhat more fruit driven than the Block M, though not simplistic. Would benefit from 2 to 5 years.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    9/22/2022 8:03:00 AM - WC (water closet) goodness ?
Red

1995 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas

 Syrah more
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1/1/2020 - beatles wrote: 95 points

Marked as Cuvée Speciale - Kermit Lynch Import - still, I think this is the regular Cornas as always. Majestic wine. Mature, tannins perfectly integrated, los of primary fruit still here, olives, minerals, iron and the firm fist of Cornas still here. Loving it - even better on the second day.
#NewYearsEve#P&S

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    1/3/2020 6:13:00 AM - The '95 Cuvee S designation was used for the release culled from vines 15-25 years old. Pretty nice stuff ! In time, the Soeciale was discontinued in favor of more purely young vines bottling, Cornas Renaissance (itself sourced from the best under 20 year old plantings, lots deemed strong enough to be Cornas rather than relegated to the Cotes du Rhone )
Red

2015 Melville Pinot Noir Terraces

 Sta. Rita Hills more
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11/24/2017 - PeterFromThePan Likes this wine: 93 points

Tasted this a while ago at the winery. I enjoyed this Pinot a lot. Like most Melville Pinots, it's a light to medium body wine with delicate fruit and tannins. When I was there, this wine had the best balance of the ones we tasted. For those complaining about the wine being too light .... why are you bothering with Pinots? You know you're really just looking for a cab at a more affordable price.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    10/19/2019 7:20:00 PM - That's a bit snarky. I too think this wine is very nice, it's not built any bigger than a nice Villages Beaune red, nor will it make for for old bones after moderate aging. I don't wish it to be a cab either, but I do prefer a little more concentration in my $70 pinots, even from this appellation.
Red

2000 Domaine Joël Champet Côte-Rôtie La Viallière

 Syrah more
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2/9/2015 - Hodby wrote: 85 points

Medium-light red color. Restrained nose, slightly red fruit forward and hints of garrigue. On arrival, low tannin and medium-low acidity. In the mouth, somewhat low intensity overall. Light finish. Darn, thought we'd see a repeat of bottle development from our early Winter bottle, but this one's not giving much over a three hours period. Strange bottle pattern, all from the same case, stored identically. Bottle #8 of 12.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    3/4/2017 2:02:00 PM - Joel is a one guy shop essentially. He doesn't bottle barrel-to-bottle, but he has been known to bottle his larger bottling (La Vialliere) in multiple Go's over the course of a few weeks. If your shipper placed a large order directly with him, there's a good chance everything in that batch will be very consistent. But between batches, there is a chance that the specific selection (dump of barrels) is just a little different in character, as his grapes are from a fairly steep section but also of a variably exposed section of Cornas.
Red

2013 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon

 Napa Valley more
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8/5/2016 - Hodby wrote: 77 points

Dark red-violet color. Goodness gracious, this is disappointing wine and a disappointing product in so many ways. First, that is just such simple wine for $50. It is very heavily oaked, even for cabernet carrying the Caymus name, and that's significant. There is inbalance in this bottle, I think coming from young vines over-cropped and ultra-ripe at harvest, then with a slathering of too much young toast-y oak American oak. The base material just did not have for the concentration in the grapes to support the oak program; it has great ripeness, yes, but that is not concentration. This is a product which represents - to me - one of the worst of market trends, using a well-known Napa Valley producer name (Caymus) to sell dreck at twice its going rate. I wouldn't buy it at $25 ! Resist the temptation. Bottle #1 of one.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    8/23/2016 8:10:00 AM - Rick, My score is an outlier, in this sense. I wanted to be sure to convey the profound sense of dissatisfaction, disappointment with so many facets of the bottle: taste, texture, complexity, ham-fisted oak treatment, other aromatic qualities, comparative value, and maybe worst of all, the conflict with the Caymus brand's historical meaning to me. The wine may "hit" a sweet spot for a lot of people in the market (he says condescendingly). If one likes being hit with a 2X4 plank of wood, that is !
Red

2012 Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cépages

 Sonoma County Red Bordeaux Blend more
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10/30/2015 - MateusPetrus Likes this wine: 91 points

Round lush scents of wood, pepper and plums. Light and sweet on the tongue, fruity black pepper and slight minerals. Light tannin and mineral finish. Nicely balanced overall. *Over priced*. Delicious.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    12/16/2015 11:22:00 AM - Hi. Saw your note and wondered about the type of "pepper" mentioned in the aroma. Do you recall it was more green bell pepper or black peppercorn or a chili pepper such as jalapeno ... ? Thanks.
Red

2007 Sanford Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard

 Sta. Rita Hills more
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2/27/2011 - DaveZack wrote: 94 points

Got this bottle from the Santa Rita Hills winery's tasting room for $60 and took to Marche Moderne in Orange County, by far our favorite French Bistro in O.C. We mostly drank this bottle with bone marrow and foi gras torchon (sp?).
Let's start with a question: why do tasting rooms charge a tasting fee even after you've purchased their most expensive bottle of Pinot Noir?!?! I find that rude, but maybe that's just me.......
As for the wine, this is a FANTASTIC Santa Rita Hills Pinot. The bouquet was phenominal (as best I remember; these notes are being written the following morning): gorgeous fruit (cherries and raspberries), along with suggestions of earth, oak, and spice. This Pinot had one of the best noses we've EVER experienced. The wine smelled so good, I (almost) would have been happy just to sit there and swirl and smell the wine all night. That thought lasted about a trillionth of a second.
As good as the bouquet was, it paled compared to the flavor profile. This was one of the best Pinots we've ever tasted. The first thing I noticed was the intense raspberry and cherry flavors, followed by plenty of spices (mostly black pepper, along with a hint of herbaceousness). The oak was prominent and obviously "there" but it wasn't overpowering (yes Ceja, I'm referring to you (tough Ceja manages to make it's overpowering oakiness "work"). Lastly, the wine had a fantastic, lingering finish that went on and on and on and....
This was one of the best Pinots we've ever had. It was delicious beyond belief, with a floral, elegant bouquet that was prettier than most flowers could ever hope to be. And the flavor profile was so deep and complex that this wine would have matched beautifully with just about anything on the menu, especially the lamb that I had as the main course. If only that $10 tasting fee didn't leave such a bitter aftertaste in my mouth........

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    10/24/2015 10:46:00 AM - You posed a question regarding rationale for not refunding or applying tasting fees to wine purchases. When I look at $20 for five very decent-sized tastes at Sanford - including of two bottlings over $65/750ml - it seems a fair price on its own merit. If one bought three bottles of anything on that visit, the tasting fee gets applied to the sale, so to me, Sanford's tasting fee structure seemed fair to both taster and winery in terms of initial value and an option to transfer the value to pay for bottles I want to take with me.

    I'm coming at the topic from my experience, back from a time when "no charge" tastings were the standard practice throughout Napa, Sonoma and Central coast AVAs. Silver Oak and Sterling seemed to have been the first to charge to taste: Sterling for the tram ride, and SA for the tasting glass. Maybe this will help you, maybe not. Cheers !
Red

2012 Sanford Pinot Noir La Rinconada Vineyard

 Sta. Rita Hills more
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7/13/2014 - LVRowland Does not like this wine: 50 points

Normally really like Sanford and belong to the club but this is the third bottle of sub-standard (not corked) but just not good wine they have sent us. Sanford's quality of wines have dropped unfortunately because they have always been a great wine.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    10/19/2015 11:19:00 AM - Curious whether the bottle had been shipped to you or not, and if so in what month of the year, and also how long you'd let it rest after receiving it. Thanks.
Red

1981 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape

 Red Rhone Blend more
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9/22/2015 - beatles Likes this wine: 96 points

My 50th extravaganza (Chez moi): Divine - nothing less - I knew this was a legend, but I have only tasted it once before, and tonight this was singing; everyone was guessing northern Rhône because of the cool, mineral style, that reveals itself initially, but with air this shows lots of local character, barnyard, sweet grenache, garrigue et al. Length is outstanding, and the freshness is quite unique. Singing now. #50extravaganza

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    10/8/2015 6:25:00 AM - Nice to read of this. Such as unusual Beaucastel release, the '81. It was delightful and rather easy-drinking from the get-go, and then - in most examples - it stayed the course for 30+ years and added weight and complexity with age, never having gone through a dumb stage.

    Ideal, in a sense.
Red

2007 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel

 Paso Robles Red Rhone Blend more
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9/12/2015 - 818wines wrote: flawed

This is the third or fourth bottle I've had, and all have been corked or cooked. Sad.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    10/6/2015 11:04:00 AM - Tablas is known for a marketing message that they take some unusually extravagant steps in their cork purchasing, lot testing, warehousing, and bottling line activities to minimize cork taint. It can still happen but rarely does to them. "Cooked" (heat-damaged) bottles typically present very different characteristics from a cork-tainted wine, unless that is of course, there was cork taint also present in a cooked bottle. Would you say that your reviewed bottle seemed cooked, cork-tainted, possible both, or is there perhaps some uncertainty about its presentation ? Just curious, thanks.
Red

2012 Clos du Val Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

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9/5/2015 - RichardZula Likes this wine: NR

Delicate on the palate, nuances rather than intense in style, beautiful nose, while enjoyable, lacked the complexity I hoped for with the price, $30 in PA.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    9/10/2015 8:50:00 AM - This wine runs around $22-$25 throughout California, and it probably represents the lowest priced Napa Valley sourced cabernet that's in production today. Even Charles Krug or Beaulieu runs more. We see it selling like crazy by the glass in dining houses, and there's admittedly not a lot of complexity to be found in cabernets at this price. That said, this is a pretty decent quaff and has high QPR. Try the (2010 or later) Laurel Glen Counterpoint; it is something we've found to be be more attractively complex stylistically. Cheers !
White

2006 Tablas Creek Esprit de Beaucastel Blanc

 Paso Robles White Rhone Blend more
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10/9/2014 - Hodad Likes this wine: 96 points

Clear, golden straw color. Candied almonds, marjoram, cotton candy, Eucalyptus, and slight menthol on the nose.
Flavor unlike anything I have ever tasted in a wine, and in a very good way. Eucalyptus, pepper, slight menthol, and other wonderful flavors I cannot readily identify. To me, this is a classic example of all that a white Rhône blend can and should be. Utterly fantastic! With all the different flavor layers going on, I am giving this a 95-96.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    8/1/2015 5:41:00 PM - Hi, I was about to open a bottle of this wine myself and saw your note. I wondered if you'd indeed marked the rating on your bottle "flawed". It occurred to me that the site admin had done so. In light of how your tasting note itself reads, it suggested to me a fairly clean wine, if perhaps also something just a click or so past its apex in terms of freshness, but still providing a strong tasting experience. Thanks for your note.
Red

1991 Château Rayas Côtes du Rhône Château de Fonsalette Cuvée Syrah

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6/10/2010 - Hodby wrote: flawed

Horrifically corked. Volatile acidity to beat the band. We set this aside and hoped that it would improve. Didn't happen.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    7/6/2015 9:03:00 AM - I disagree about labeling this particular bottle flawed, as more information about a bottle's tasting characteristic is always better than less. The label of "flawed" eliminates useful information that is readily available from the tasting narrative for those tasters who are sensitive to the level of flawed character. The score 65 indicates the wine is drinkable and it was. The vintner's house is known for handmade wines in an unusually high risk style, in a dank and dirty and smelly cellar, hand-bottled one at a time barrel by barrel over the course of weeks or months. However, this bottle is drinkable for some people and that is important information. There are many folks who enjoy VA as great deal more than I do. The human ability to perceive the presence of corkiness is highly variable in our population. Ratings are not on-off switches, they are matters of extents and degrees.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    7/6/2015 9:24:00 AM - Zach, I appreciate your perspective. I feel the rating of 65 does record my tasting experience better - both for me and the readership of CT - than a flawed rating, in combination with the narrative. I drink many flawed wines from the Rhone. I love many of them. The accompanying ratings (whether 65 or 80 or 93) reflect the most important, condensed overall facet of the experience not otherwise possible to convey as immediately or accurately. Thanks for your follow up comment.
Red

2012 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 40th Anniversary

 Napa Valley more
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6/11/2015 - Hodby wrote: 86 points

Dark red color. Sweet-sour oak-y nose, with soy sauce, hyper-ripe black cherry, cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla. On arrival, medium low soft tannin and low acidity. Sweet fruit and sour wood in the mouth, just overdone for my taste; I fear I taste Bazooka bubblegum in here, with the ingredients from the nose repeated as well. The effects of using fully mechanized harvesting equipment on such ripe fruit, coupled with a very high percentage of new American oak barrels (and now, no French oak at all) delineates a complete break with Caymus' original stylistic heritage. Makes me sad.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    6/11/2015 11:57:00 AM - Yeah, the similarity between Silver Oak and Caymus cabernets of recent has increased over the years, such that each is built of soft structures and each uses American oak so so lavishly and exclusively. Caymus of the 70's and '80's vintages applied French oak almost exclusively to the Estate and Special Selection bottling, the SS getting a long four year sleep in new Limousin oak only. That barrel treatment rendered wine which I felt complemented their nature of the already delicate and rich,somewhat cherry-herbal estate cabernet fruit quite magnificently. Today, not so much. Their grower program fruit has been allowed to become more ripe, less dependent on the original clone from the estate vineyard, and is machine-harvested (essentially, beat to Hell before de-stemming.) Even the gentle warm, slow extraction during fermentation and a gentle pressing doesn't compensate for the damage done at harvest and in the barrel room, IMO.
Red

2012 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

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5/20/2015 - Hodby wrote: 91 points

Very dark red color. Nose of fresh roasted ground coffee, Country Doctor brand pipe tobacco, black and red cherry, licorice, vanilla. On arrival, dense fine tannin and balanced acidity; attractive for early drinking but this can probably develop well for quite some time. Tastes like a bargain, compared to Clerc-Milon and La Dominique. Bottle #1 of two.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    5/27/2015 6:53:00 AM - If it's a bottle priced easily within reach for you, I'd say try it. I think its early appeal is worth the fare for a very young cabernet unless it's a price point that's uncomfortable for replacement. It's sure not my inclination to drink red wines this young regularly, except to sample a bottle with the intention of deciding whether to lay down some for aging. I think it will improve over time (six years easily, probably ten years and longer) in terms of gaining some complexity, but it will come at the expense of losing that entertaining flush of oak and young fruit and its fine tannin balance.
Red

1999 Noël Verset Cornas

 Syrah more
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5/4/2015 - Hodby wrote: 88 points

Dark red color. Clean, primary nose of burnt cherry, a little garrigue; essentially unrecognizable as a Verset or a Cornas at all, let alone wine from a truly great vintage. Neglible tannin and low acidity. A nice food wine in other respects, but this is an aberration - hopefully. Second bottle from an cellar buy. Hmmm. Bottle #9 of twenty-four.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    5/10/2015 8:16:00 AM - Recorded and saved for two days in the fridge. Much improved in Cornas character, broadened both in aroma and flavor. Reminder perhaps that the 99s are stubbornly slow to open.
Red

1991 Ridge Monte Bello

 Santa Cruz Mountains Red Bordeaux Blend more
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9/7/2014 - Hodby wrote: 95 points

Dark red color. Aromas of pencil box, cherry, mints, celery leaves. On arrival, medium-low tannin and balanced acidity. Intense flavors of cherry-chocolate (unusual for cool climate wine) and mints. Finishes long and powerful. Young-ish character for a twenty-three years old wine. Bottle #6 of six.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    12/12/2014 7:43:00 PM - The 1991 R-MB was a delight on release and every bottle since was its equal. That celery leaf thing is something we find in Lynch Bages almost without vintage exception , but we rarely find it in domestic wines.
White

2013 J. Rochioli Sauvignon Blanc

 Russian River Valley more
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12/3/2014 - Magnum Bill Likes this wine: 90 points

Great value SB. Given the price, you can make this a daily drinker; but with typical Rochioli quality, you can serve it with confidence at your next dinner party.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    12/3/2014 4:15:00 PM - Been a Rochioli SB fan since 1985. I'm envious though, either that you can get this wine for a good price or that you can afford it regularly. When it's seen available at retail in SoCal, it's been priced around $30/750ml (and up !); not quite what I'd call a price/quality leader for SB. I find myself reaching for the similarly-styled Brander SB for less than half that money, admitting too that I'd happily pay that for Rochioli's version.
Red

1999 Bernard Levet Côte-Rôtie La Chavaroche / La Péroline

 Syrah more
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11/25/2014 - Hodby wrote: 93 points

Medium-dark red color. An unusual mineral-laden nose, something I can't quite identify other than olive brine and squid ink,but that's not quite it either. Much wood fire smoke, floral elements (esp violets), raw beef. On arrival, steady medium tannin and lifted acidity (vivacious). Flavors strong of olives and brine, smoked beef, hint of menthol. Finishes long, dry, herbal and floral notes strongest at the end. My wife said this reminds her of winemaker's take on a Talisker Scotch whiskey, as a wine. She may be on to something. It's exciting at any rate. Bottle #7 of twelve.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    11/26/2014 11:44:00 AM - Decanted to eliminate sediment, poured the four glasses immediately, which sat untouched for about 30 minutes while we all busied the last steps of dinner prep. The wine was shining right away, which runs a little contrary to the overall '99 vintage pattern in Cornas that I've experienced. And yeah, there's a minerality, sweetness and smoky element to the best long-aged vintages of Vieux-T. Hadn't thought of that before.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    12/1/2014 5:09:00 PM - Finally, one of our dinner guests suggested a name for that mysterious mineral aroma that we couldn't describe earlier: Mercurochrome. Some older folks may remember this (Tincture of Iodine substitute) having a distinctive smell to it. I wonder if the main component is perhaps Iodine, which is extracted industrially from kelp.
Red

1985 Dervieux-Thaize Côte-Rôtie Fontgent Côte Brune

 Syrah more
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11/2/2014 - Hodby wrote: NR

withdrawn

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    11/5/2014 12:32:00 PM - I will probably move the note eventually.
Red

2003 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Brunate Le Coste

 Nebbiolo more
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10/9/2014 - sawira wrote: 93 points

Starting to just barely brick in color. Beautiful subdued, building nose with tarry florals and sensuous sweet cherries. Just starting its movement to leather and pleasant varnishy nuances. Soft and easily approachable at first, this shows it's Nebbiolo heritage over time in glass by revealing more backbone, depth and still present though hidden tannins. Great fruit, acidity and especially balance. Delicious now and will easily hold.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    10/9/2014 9:14:00 AM - Oh oh, you've started it now. Temptation. There's a couple of these in my cellar that may start calling to me every time I walk near them. So I wonder: just how firm and dry did those tannins become, with two hours of air ? Or did the bottle get polished off before that ! 2003 was a strangely hot weathered vintage, I know and every Barolo is different. I just have so few of them ...

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    10/14/2014 12:00:00 PM - Thank you for your comments, much appreciated. I'm increasingly inclined to wait a bit on this bottling. I am generally of the mind that (old style) Barolo is better with more age than with less, and this still a young wine for Barolo. Your impression that (soft) hidden tannins are present seems a signal to me that these bottles are a good risk to let move forward a few more years, before the moment of savor.
Red

1988 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain

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7/3/2012 - pbaek wrote: NR

Not very expressive and very restrained for the first couple of hours of opening. Initial flavors of lavender and mint, not much fruit, then after a few hours, dusty dark fruit and lead pencil (I can't believe I wrote that) and tobacco. A lightweight, pleasurable but not as expressive as I had hoped for.

  • Comment posted by Hodby:

    8/19/2014 5:08:00 PM - Funny, that pencil thing. I periodically find wines scented of graphite oil or fresh pencil shavings, most often those from Bordeaux and cool climate sourced Cabernet Sauvignon. My wife calls it minerality, but it's a distinctive enough characteristic that I'm sure we're all talking about the same thing. Best handle I have for it too.

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