| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| Red |
2003 Château Cos d'EstournelSt. Estèphe Red Bordeaux Blend more |
5/13/2024 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 93 pointsDrinking beautifully now. Lovely fruit, good balance, medium long finish, tannins resolved, no sharp edges anywhere in sight. We finished this bottle within 2 hours after opening; I didn't think it was evolving much in the last 30 minutes. Not sure there's much upside to waiting to drink additional bottles. 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1) |
| Red |
1994 Joseph Phelps InsigniaNapa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more |
4/13/2024 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 96 pointsExceptional. Enjoyed over dinner at an excellent restaurant (main dishes were pork in a red wine sauce and a strip steak). 30 years in, this wine is fully mature but at least this bottle still had lots of time left. This is a full-bodied wine, with gorgeous fruit, great structure, and a wonderful long finish. One of the best California reds I have had in quite some time. While this is unmistakably a California wine, it has complexity, structure and nuance -- it's not an OTT "fruit bomb". I have had many bottles of the 1999 Insignia over the years -- I thought this was even better and doesn't seem even close to decline. |
| Red |
2003 Conti Costanti Brunello di MontalcinoSangiovese more |
1/25/2024 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 93 pointsDespite the CT drinking window "closing" in 2017, this wine was still singing over an excellent Italian dinner at Cucina Alba in NYC. I understand this wasn't a "great" vintage, and Costanti didn't bottle a Riserva -- maybe that helped this. Lovely fruit, long finish, very well balanced. Terrific Sangiovese from one of my favorite Brunello producers. |
| Red |
2007 Terralsole Brunello di Montalcino RiservaSangiovese more |
2/4/2024 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 93 pointsOpened an hour before dinner (prime NY strips grilled over wood charcoal). Great nose and drinking beautifully. The TNs for this over the past two years are quite consistent and right on the mark. The wine is fully mature, very well balanced, no hard edges, just great Brunello. Unfortunately, my last bottle. Thanks again to the somm at Fiola in Miami who recommended this highly two years ago -- I did not know the producer. |
| Red |
2006 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon ReserveNapa Valley more |
12/3/2023 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 93 pointsVery full bodied, with still vibrant fruit, good balance and a long finish. It was opened, decanted and served before our main courses arrived, and was drinking very well after just a few minutes. It held up well, even improved over the next 90 minutes. This will never be mistaken for a Grand Cru from the Medoc, but it's a fine specimen of unapologetic California Cab. It was a bargain when purchased, and seems fairly priced at current retail compared with so many Cali cabs. Plenty of life ahead. If this bottle is representative, the CT drinking window needs to be extended substantially. |
| White |
2018 Merry Edwards Sauvignon BlancRussian River Valley more |
10/28/2023 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 92 pointsI've never had a disappointing bottle of the Merry Edwards SB, and the 2018 did not break that string. Medium full bodied and round, with lovely fruit, but not over-oaked or a "fruit bomb". I didn't have the same experience as the recent reviewer who said it faded after 30 minutes: it was very good right out of the gate, and not only held up but improved over the course of dinner (~90 minutes). |
| White |
2016 Ramey Chardonnay Fort Ross - Seaviewmore |
10/21/2023 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 92 pointsOne of the great California Chardonnay bargains I've encountered in recent years. It offers the rich, beautiful fruit one expects from California, but it has fine structure and cut. It benefits from some air and was drinking beautifully after 30-45 minutes. A "dinner wine" that will pair well with richer fish preparations, chicken or pork. Excellent. |
| Red |
2001 Bodegas AAlto Ribera del Duero P.S.Tempranillo more |
10/21/2023 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 96 pointsMagnificent. |
| Red |
1997 Conti Costanti Brunello di MontalcinoSangiovese more |
10/2/2023 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 90 pointsMy very last bottle, and, while still enjoyable, it was definitely time to drink it up. The tannins are completely resolved, but the fruit has faded and the structure and length are receding as well. I've had a bottle of this in '21, '22 and now '23 and it has aged markedly over that period. Few cases of wine I've ever bought have given more pleasure. |
| White |
2015 Castello della Sala (Antinori) Umbria Cervaro della SalaChardonnay Blend, Chardonnay more |
10/2/2023 - Valaprop wrote: 88 pointsThis was a rare disappointing bottle of Cervaro. It was short on fruit, minerality and structure. It wasn't flawed or apparently damaged by age, but just didn't have any of the energy or complexity that I associate with this wine. |
| White |
2014 Domaine Laroche Chablis 1er Cru FourchaumeChardonnay more |
8/31/2023 - Valaprop Does not like this wine: 85 pointsFirst bottle from a case. Showing signs of oxidation. Maybe a flawed bottle. Improved somewhat with air but still quite disappointing: great producer; celebrated vintage and the wine ought to be entering its prime drinking window. I hope the next bottles are better. Recently had a bottle of the '14 Laroche Blanchots, purchased at the same time, which was drinking well. |
| Red |
2010 Tenuta Caparzo Brunello di MontalcinoSangiovese more |
8/26/2023 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 91 pointsOriginally bought 6 bottles (for $32/per). Drank several during the pandemic and had been somewhat disappointed with this in the past. This last bottle was by far the best. Drank with steak dinner, then stoppered and poured the following evening with cheese before dinner. Enjoyable the first night and even better the second. Much more richness, depth and length than prior bottles, which had seemed very short on the finish and surprisingly tired. This had lovely fruit, medium weight, nice mouthfeel and felt like it had plenty of life ahead. |
| White |
2008 Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountainsmore |
8/4/2023 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 92 pointsThis bottle was still in its "prime" drinking window. Very, very rich, with a long finish. This isn't my favorite style of Chardonnay, but it does what it does at a very high level, and it has exceptional longevity for a "big" Cali Chard. |
| Red |
2006 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña TondoniaTempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more |
7/29/2023 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 90 pointsNothing wrong with this bottle of pleasant, traditional Rioja, but it was less compelling than most of the LdH Riojas I've had. It didn't seem to me to be too youthful, nor did it evolve very much with a decant and over the course of dinner. Recently, in this price range, I've been more impressed by the La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza bottlings. 3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1) |
| Red |
2003 Château Pavie DecesseSt. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more |
7/28/2023 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 92 pointsThis time we did not decant the wine and opened it less than 30 minutes before dinner. The results were better than previous bottle (2 years ago). The wine has lovely fruit flavors and mouthfeel, and it worked very well with rare steaks. However, it doesn't have the complexity and structure of a great Bordeaux, notwithstanding Parker's 97 points, "amazing" and a "modern day classic". It started to "run out of gas" about 90 minutes in (by which time we were almost done with the bottle, so no harm). I don't see this getting better with more age, and I do not recommend decanting or opening much before consumption. |
| Red |
2005 Bodegas Emilio Moro Ribera del Duero Malleolus de ValderramiroTempranillo more |
7/22/2023 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 93 pointsDecanted for about 60-90 minutes. Dark red, almost purple. Huge. Extremely rich. Remarkable fruit. No longer conspicuously tannic; no sharp edges. Seems to be in its prime drinking window. Perhaps it will develop a bit more complexity and subtlety with more time. At present, this seemed to me to Tempranillo what some of the more massive California Cabs are to CS. |
| White |
2018 Domaine Jean Chartron Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos du CailleretChardonnay more |
7/21/2023 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 92 pointsThis wine is still extremely young. Right after opening, very tight and disorganized. After a double decant and then 90 minutes, it started to open up and come together and it kept improving for the next hour or more (the score reflects our assessment a couple of hours after opening. Rich, with no hard edges. I won't open another bottle for a couple of years. |
| Red |
2003 Dominique Laurent Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Vieilles VignesPinot Noir more |
7/20/2023 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 93 pointsDidn't know what to expect from this 20 year old bottle. Opened (but not decanted) about 90-120 minutes before we started drinking it (with excellent NY strip steak). It was a wonderful surprise. I thought it would be thinned out or thinning at least. Not at all: it had plenty of stuffing. Beautiful fruit, complex flavors, long finish. Lovely round old-world Pinot Noir. Drunk alongside a 2009 Chambolle 1er Cru from Drouhin; the Laurent from '03 blew away the wine from the much more highly touted vintage. Some takeaways: (1) as I've noted before, the drinking window of a fine red Burgundy is often much longer than the "expert" reviews would indicate. At 20, this wine appears to have at least a few years of satisfying life ahead. I don't know whether the better producers have since changed the way they make their wines, so that they drink better when young and perhaps don't last as long. (2) It is nowhere more true than in Burgundy that the producer is more important than the vintage. |
| White |
2018 Vie di Romans Chardonnay Vie di RomansFriuli Isonzo more |
6/10/2023 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 93 pointsConsistent with Caruso's TNs, this wine is simply delightful. Every time I have served it, guests ask "What is this? It's DELICIOUS." Terrific structure, "cut", minerality and fruit. Nothing to excess. A serious bargain to boot. Sadly, I'm running out of the case I bought during the pandemic. Italian Chardonnay has certainly arrived! Stylistically, this is much closer to Burgundy than to California, but comes at a fraction of the cost of any Chardonnay of comparable quality that I've tasted in recent years from either one. Highly recommended! |
| Red |
2013 Rocca di Frassinello Maremma Toscana Le SughereSuperTuscan Blend more |
6/10/2023 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 92 pointsExcellent, well-balanced, full-bodied red for a steak dinner. Ridiculous value (cost about $20 when purchased). Drinking perfectly right now, probably isn't improving at this stage but seems to have plenty of life ahead. |
| Red |
2008 Pertimali (Angelo Sassetti) Brunello di MontalcinoSangiovese more |
5/6/2023 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 92 pointsIn a word, huge. I was not prepared for the sheer power of this wine, nor for its apparent youthful state. The fruit is spectacular, but it overshadowed everything else. This was my only bottle; if I had more, I would not touch them for several years. May have a long and wonderful future ahead. |
| White |
2017 Flanagan Chardonnay Platt VineyardDry Creek Valley more |
1/28/2023 - Valaprop wrote: 91 pointsI was expecting more, based on a '20 tasting. This struck me as rather typical, very fruit forward Cali Chard. Reminded me of a Beringer PR Chardonnay. The fruit is very tasty, but it kind of punches you in the face. Lacks the structure, complexity and subtleties of a great Chardonnay. 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1) |
| Red |
1999 Joseph Phelps InsigniaNapa Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more |
1/28/2023 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 95 pointsI've had the pleasure of drinking this wine over many years, and remarkably, this was the very finest bottle I've had. Opened about 45 minutes before we sat down to some good grilled steaks, this was absolutely singing when we tasted it, and it only got better for the next 2 hours. The critics' and CT drinking windows have expired, which only illustrates the limitations of those recommendations. This was a majestic Cabernet blend in its prime -- which appeared likely to last another several years. Gorgeous fruit, great complexity, great length. Nothing about this wine is excessive or out of balance. It puts the lie to everything critics of Cali Cab rightly criticize. Bravo! |
| Red |
2001 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904Tempranillo Blend, Tempranillo more |
11/24/2022 - Valaprop Likes this wine: 94 pointsVibrant, very youthful at age 21. My guess is that this will be drinking well for at least another 10-15 years. Gorgeous fruit, fine structure, just kept getting better for hours. These wines have exploded in price, and justifiably, as they were absurdly inexpensive for a long time. Today, even at well over $100, this is a compelling option for a fine, rationally priced red dinner wine. It has enough body to be paired with red meat, but works well with lighter fare. It can be consumed with great pleasure now or cellared for many years. |
| Red |
2004 Azelia BaroloNebbiolo more |
11/7/2022 - Valaprop wrote: 88 pointsDefinitely much less engaging than the last bottle (late '21). Pleasant and nothing off-putting, but monolithic and kind of tired. |
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- Tasting notes: 88 notes on 67 wines
