5/14/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Wow. Stunning nose. Whipped cream. Freshly baked croissants. Hints of vanilla. Spices and a bit of Peach. Straddles the line between edgy and full of flavor & honey. Amazing on the plaate - enters with a melange of sweet fruit - nectarines and red apples along with croissants or buttered fresh baked bread. Honey. It’s sweet and packs a punch of flavor but it’s got a lot of acid and structure humming underneath. The finish starts sweet but tons of acid pulse as it expands. Exciting mature Riesling that wowed the table and was my WOTN along w the 04 Levet Maestria. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 6/6, Finish - 5.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 18/20.

5/14/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Got another chance to try this. Others tried it blind and nailed it as Monte Bello. Lots of good palates at the table and not one remarked on any flaw or smoke taint. This comes off as a young Monte Bello -!huge and super pure - amazing fruit - red lots of oak. Huge and exotic Dill new oak. Palate is monstrousness and huge and super full - oak and massive fruit.

5/14/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Darker than the 04s and showing that young levet wildness. Nose shows olive and some Graham cracker. - meaty and olive. Dark blue fruits. Big and savory. Some lactic acid or something. Finish is acidic and tart. This needs air or time. Probably a 16/20.

5/14/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Does not like this wine:

Lots of VA on the nose. Similar on the palate. One can see some nice wine under there with pure red blue fruits but I can’t get past the VA

5/14/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Started out more closed. Nose is reticent for me but others diagree. I get some cracker and Graham cracker. Palate has tons of potential and power. Very sauvage on the palate. Tangy and umami with lots of meat. The finish is very meaty and savory. Great grip. Later, the nose still closed but palate is very typical with lots of umami and olive. Very sauvage with tons of granite and rocks. Finish is olive and STGT. Nose - 4.5/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 5.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17.5/20.

5/14/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Lots of bricking - really nice secondary and tertiary - really good and mature perfumed. Dry aged meat and soy. And tobacco. Palate has great grip. Very balanced and umami - dark fruits a bit of licorice. Finish is fine and really balanced. Tied w the Prum for my WOTN. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 5.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 18/20.

5/14/2024 - Seth Rosenberg wrote:

I struggled w this. Others loved but it kept changing on me but not in a good way. The nose was quite good but I found the end palate and finish very tart. Not sure why - the last bottle I had was banging.

Tobacco and green. Palate is smooth and deep and savory. Finish is a bit tart. Everyone else loved this. Nose - 5-5.5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 4-4.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 15-16/20.

5/14/2024 - Seth Rosenberg wrote:

Serious flor and iodine. Salty and nutty. Crisp and brown.

5/14/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Dry nose. Not much. Little floral and pollen. Very tart and lean palate. Great verve and acid. Very tertiary with some wool. Bolt of acid on finish. Lemon. Aging well. Nose - 4.5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 15.5/20.

5/14/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Green nose and herbs, grass and minerals. Nice lemon and minerals on the palate. Crisp. Nice sweetness of fruit. Finish similar to palate - crisp, sweet lemon. Good minerality. I really liked this but others seemed to think it was a bit advanced. Nose - 4.5-5/6, Palate - 5-5.5/6, Finish - 5-5.5/6, Je be Sais Quoi - 1-1.5/2 = 15.5-17.5/20

5/1/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Yes, I’m drinking German Merlot, what of it? 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️. Lyle offered it and I bit, and I’m glad I did. Never would have called this as Merlot blind.

The nose is interesting and perfumed - it starts with Burgundian notes of sweet cherry and some spices and then later shows a little herbaceousness and Bdx Pyrazines. With some earthiniess. The palate enters and expands light like a Pinot with bright red fruit, spices and very light on its feet - somewhere in the midpalate it bulks out a bit and shows some coarseness and graininess from the varietal. Some earth and iron. The finish is tart red fruits and maybe a little heat. Fun. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 4.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 15.5/20.

4/27/2024 - Seth Rosenberg wrote:

PnPed. Beautiful perfumed sweet nose of strawberries, rhubarb and cherries with some sweet spices, earth and red florals. Also a deep plumminess. Also tangy. Quite potent and also full of verve. The palate is quite sour when poured. Not sure if it needs a shake or air but it seems to resolve somewhat with time in the glass. Finish is rhubarb and sour as well. If time brings the palate and finish in line with the nose and dissipates the sourness then this will be excellent. If not, it will be kind of unpleasant.

So over the next few days I checked in to see if the sour note cleared but it didn’t. I tried shaking the bottle (just for 10-20 seconds but it didn’t seem to have any dissolved CO2. So I will probably try another bottle soon to see if it was just one bottle or just the way the wine is. I guess it might settle down or evolve but tbh I’ve never really had a young Pinot sour like this. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 4/6, Finish - 3/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 13.5/20.

4/26/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

My first time with this cuvée. Beautiful deep ruby red color. The nose is lovely with fresh and crunchy red fruits: crazy red cherry and a bit of raspberry, a little sweet baking spices and a hint of vanilla from oak. Lively and primary. The palate is similar - fresh crunchy red fruits. It’s got good acid and some nice texture and depth - a little spice and again just a bit of vanilla sweetness from the oak that also adds to the texture. The finish continues as the nose and palate did - fresh cherry and baking spice. It’s a little more coarse than the nose/palate but I think that’s just because it is so young and primary. Classic Pinot character and very nice. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5+?/6, Finish - 4.5+/6, Finish - 1-1.5/2 = 16-16.5/20.

4/22/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Took this to Passover Seder so I didn’t get a formal note. Nose was petty standard with dark fruits, some leather, tar and licorice and some violets. But I remember the palate having extra depth and expansiveness. Nice dark fruits with good sweetness and complexity as it combined with the florals and savory notes. Excellent for a $20 entry level Barbaresco. Roughly a 16/20.

4/25/2024 - Seth Rosenberg wrote:

I’m not sure what to think. I opened this 2 days ago and it was undrinkable: muted with a funky grape cider kind of taste. Now this is showing better on the nose - with classic lime and rock candy and some minerality. Some sponti cumin. There is still a slighly beery or blue cheesy aroma hiding in the background. The palate is crisp and light. Nice lime and tangerine with some honeysuckle and minerals. Finish is a little bony and bitter but has some nice lime but shows a bit of the beer at the end. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 4.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 15.5/20.

4/25/2024 - Seth Rosenberg wrote:

Best right out of the fridge. Big rich nose of lemon, lemon drops, herbal mint, salty nutty and minerals; some lanolin and peach or apple - very expansive with good grip. Big on the palate as well. Not quite as good. Wnters with lemon and orchard fruit and then tons of salty minerality and some nuttiness. Deep with a lot of acid that is good at first but then shows through some at the end palate. Lots of lemon. Finish shows lots of lemon and is big but is somewhat simple and brutish. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 4/6, Je be Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 15.5/20.

4/20/2024 - Seth Rosenberg wrote:

Jersey Boys (Grand Sichuan, Jersey City, NJ): Dark dark dark. Soft and creamy - coffee and sweet. So dark intense. But low acid. This was hard after the Catoir where the acid was so banging. Lots of complexity but it was so sweet that it felt cloying and heavy to me.

4/20/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Jersey Boys (Grand Sichuan, Jersey City, NJ): Dark. Molasses and figs. Spicy and horseradish. The palate is FUCKING INSANE - kumquats; tangerine and amazing and sweetness. Spicy peppers. So great.

4/20/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Jersey Boys (Grand Sichuan, Jersey City, NJ): Classic Donnhoff nose - sweet and creamy complex peachy and spicy. Great perfume. Palate is plush and very sweet. Great fruit and spice. Not electric but sneaky acid inthe back they keeps it light. Super creamy and excellent into the finish. Peachy and melon? I’m not a huge Donnhoff fan but for me the verve of 2017 helps make it work. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17/20.

4/22/2024 - Seth Rosenberg wrote:

Nose muted and a little burnt sugar. Palate has good acid and has great cinnamon and peach. A little boney but great verve and cut. Long spicy cinnamon finish. Personally I liked this better than the 20 Schloss Lieser Auction GD Kabinett.

4/20/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Does not like this wine:

Jersey Boys (Grand Sichuan, Jersey City, NJ): Nose is muted. Light lime and white flowers. Crunchy Palate is soft and Pretty. Juicy and tasty. Apple and marizpan creamy. Apple and cinnamon. Very soft. Tasty, but more confirmation for me that 20 really wasn’t my vintage. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 4.5/6, Finish - 4.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 15/20.

4/20/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Jersey Boys (Grand Sichuan, Jersey City, NJ): Yes, that’s 3 bottles in just a couple of weeks. But this is showing so well and at peak and I bought 6 so why not? Salil was in town and I figured he should try it and as a bonus Jayson came to dinner - he missed it at the last wine zoom.

Not quite as expressive as the last bottle. Piney and peach and apricot and baking spices. Deep. Palate is deep and bassy with peach and baking spices. On the level of my first bottle which was superb but not OMFG crazy.

4/20/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Jersey Boys (Grand Sichuan, Jersey City, NJ): Beautiful nose that is classic Chevillon. Cherry, slutty, a bit gutty, sweet spices, sweet, marzipan. Palate shows cherry and spices but also meaty and earthy. Lots of structure. Finish is really structured with dusty tannins. Wine is really growing with time and the palate and finish are just killer. Tons of sweet cherries and spice. Gutty. Dusty tannins but such grip and depth. This just kept getting better and better. Wow. Nose - 5-5.5/6, Palate - 5.5-6/6, Finish - 5.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17.5-18.5/20.

4/20/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Jersey Boys (Grand Sichuan, Jersey City, NJ): Nose is savory w minerals & golden w peach. Jayson nails that it has a little RS - very pretty orchard fruits. The palate has a little roundness - great fruit and minerality. Nice snap. Finish is very minerally almost dusty. I’m not a big fan of Mosel GGs or really GGs in general but I like this. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 4.5-5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1-1.5/2 = 15.5-16.5/20.

4/20/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Jersey Boys (Grand Sichuan, Jersey City, NJ): Trying the remains (with a little sediment) after decanting the bottle this morning for a dinner tonight. This was very clenched when poured. With a bit of air, it’s still closed but starting to show beauty underneath - really urgent and potent red fruits and roses. Almost candied but with such structure and acid. The palate is very similar in its own way - enters closed showing earth and some leather but there are swirls of red sweetness and florals under there. The finish is clenched and tart.

About 8 hours later after some decanting and double decanting: Finally opening a bit. Rosss, spices, sweet marzipan. Clenched like a MF on the palate - Lots of spice and roses w some tar. Really pure and fierce and with tons in reserve. Sour cherry. Hard to rate but superb potential.

4/19/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Decanted and poured into a Riedel Bdx glass. This is fully mature and in a good place. The color is deep and dark. Nose is mostly tertiary and secondary but there is some beautiful sweet dark fruit under the surface. Hints of tobacco & green leaves along with soy and carob and a wonderful nuttiness. Old study. The fruit is black cherry along w hints of cassis. Very refined. Maybe missing just a bit in amplitude. The palate is excellent - similar to nose but sweeter and a bit fuller. Still gentle and mature - more silky and classy than assertive. The alloy of the sweet dark 82 fruit with the tobacco and carob umami is lovely. Lots of velvety sweet fruit comes out in the middle: blackberry, black cherry and just a bit of cassis. There is a bitter lean point and the end middle. The finish starts out a little mute and lean but a really nice Unami nuttiness comes out w hints of the sweet fruit. A recent purchase from Acker’s internet auction for like $75 and I’m very happy with this. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5-5.5/6, Finish - 4.5-5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 16-17.5/20.

4/11/2024 - Seth Rosenberg wrote:

Tasted double blind from small capped bottles as part of a zoom tasting. Dark w molassss and some rancio. Figs and kumquats. Palate has nice sweetness with some tangeine and marmalade, spices, molasses and apricots. Finish is a bit simple and maybe some heat but tasty. Nose - 4.5-5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 4.5-5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 15-16/20.

4/11/2024 - Seth Rosenberg wrote:

Tasted double blind from a small capped bottle as part of a zoom tasting Really wooly. Damn. Nose has something steely and chemically along with honey and pollen and other floral elements. Dried apricot smells like a lot of extect powder and dry. Dry and funky. Cheesy and bitter with apricot pits and some dried apricot. Pollen and flower components. Finish is bitter and apricot. Maybe better when first poured? (Took this note about 2 hours after pouring). Nose - 5/6, Palate - 4.5/6, Finish - 4.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 15/20.

4/11/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Tasted double blind from a small capped bottle as part of a zoom tasting. Man this nose was funky when poured - yeasty and stinky but with some beautiful and light red fruits behind that. Now with time it’s more integrated - reminds me a bit of dom rose - red fruits along with a popcorn savory note. The palate is tart and a bit blue cheesy and funky. Some yeast a bit beefy. Maybe reminds me a bit of cantillion as well. Finish is long with tart red fruits and yeast. I kinda like this. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1-1.5/2 = 16.5-17.5/20.

4/10/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

PnP. Holy fuck this is good and better than the last bottle. By far (and the last bottle was very good). Pineapple, mint, musky, melon, menthol. Yellow Gummi bears. Screaming perfume and complexity. Spicy. Peach. Palate is a little drier than one would expect from the nose. But similar. Enters sweet and gummi and then the menthol comes on. Such lovely pine. Nearly dry and crystal 90 acid coats the tongue. Finish is a huge pulse of of 90s dry extract and acid. Almost like a dry powder. With explosive pineapple and menthol on the finish. Just killer. This wowed everyone the next night at the zoom tasting after my red burgs flopped and my white were so-so. Nose - 6/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 5-5.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5-2/2 = 18-19/20.

4/10/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

PnP. Sharper and more bright than the Pernot. Lemon, white florals, pollen, nuts, salty. Palate is big and rich but no oak. Lots of lemon and white florals, no signs of butterscotch. Nuts and saline. Really persistent and bright. Finish shows lemon and salty minerals. Nose - 5-5.5/6, Palate - 5-5.5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1-1.5/2 = 16-17.5/20.

4/10/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

PnP - Zalto burg - big nose of mint and green and lemon, almond and dry nuts. Vanilla. Orange peel or zest. From a conterno sensory there is some butterscotch and sweetness - marzipan and lemon drops? Palate is big and rich with some sweetness. Still some oak and vanilla. Rich but it’s got some snap and acid. Definite lemon. Finish shows the vanilla and nuttiness. Nose - 5-5.5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 4.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 15.5-16/20.

4/10/2024 - Seth Rosenberg wrote:

PnP. A big green streak here in the nose. Pretty red fruits, lots of earth. And lots of green. Some weird stuff like halvah. But I like it. Light and perfumed /Big and burly on palate - enters with red fruit and some sweetness and then - really savory green - nuts And peanut butter. Finish is green with tart red fruits. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 4.5-5/6, Finish - 4/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 14.5-15/20.

4/10/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

PnP. Gentle nose - cinnamon, spices, tart wild strawberries. Elegant and spiced, red fruited with some florals. A bit of earth and iron. Elegant and restrained. Finish is tart and red and somewhat bitter. I’m beginning to realize I really like M. Gaunoux’s style with their Rugiens and Epenots. This showed poorly the next night after being poured into small capped bottles for a zoom tasting. Nose - 5-5.5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 4.5-5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1-1.5/2 = 15.5-17/20.

3/30/2024 - Seth Rosenberg wrote:

Light yellow with just a hint of pink. Nose shows grapefruit, savory quince, iodine, brown butter, popcorn. Tons of minerality, grilled nuts. Palate is explosive with that lovely touch of skin contact that works just perfectly here (I usually HATE it.) brown butter and popcorn and minerals with hints of apple skin. Long and wide and salty finish. I love this. This feels much more open than some of the other vintages of this wine that I’ve had.

3/29/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

This has been open for like 2-3 hours. JFC this is intense*. Pomegranate oil, strawberry compote and blood orange on the nose. Cherry flesh and pits. There is a stemmy/brambly note after the fruit. So perfumed and potent but with great verve as well. Very very young and primary. Maybe some Sous Bois? Palate shows wild strawberry and forest floor notes. Cherry. Gutty. Lots of flavor with some hints of sweet oak. Very light on its feet and precise. Finish shows tart red fruits, some menthol and some creamy oak. A really nice texture and depth to the finish. My first Thomas and I believe the hype. Nose - 5-5.5+/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 5+/6, Finish - 1.5/2 = 17-17.5+/20 (with 17.5-18/20 potential.)



* https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/19c3d4fe-cb45-44b5-977b-8ae4e1d2fa39

3/29/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Recent purchase from Acker internet auction. So I drank this bottle over the last 2 weeks and never really got a note so I’ll try now. I keep wondering if the nose is that generic old Riesling (cinnamon, baked apple) and there is some of that. It’s got vanilla and whipped cream. But it’s very fresh with some of that VS pine/menthol. Honeysuckle and other white florals. A little bit of banana and marzipan. Creamy and perfumed. Feels like it is going to enter sweet but that’s a fake and it comes in pretty dry. Really poised and complex. Baked apple and cinnamon with a beautiful and creamy hit of petrol. The acid doesn’t stick out at all but just frames the other flavors so well and gives them a splash of brightness. Hints of savory herbs and pine. The finish is light and starts dry and then gets a bit sweeter but the savory notes carry through. Lovely. I pushed to buy a 6 pack of this and I’m so glad I did. Mature and just a beauty. Nose - 5-5.5/6, Palate - 5.5-6/6, Finish - 5-5.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17-18.5/20.

3/28/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Sweet on the nose with sugar, tangerine, lime, peach, honeysuckle, mint, powdered stones, green herbs - very crisp and potent. You can smell how concentrated the extract in on the nose with a somewhat saline and grainy smell/feel. Enters with peach, tangerine, lime, honey, honeysuckle - this is really sweet but also very very high acid so that it’s really playful and exciting. Definitely some tropical notes there as well - papaya and mango and pineapple. The acid afterburners really kick in at the end palate and drive into the thrilling finish - lime and tangerine and peach again. There’s a lovely feeling of sugar coated acid essence that drives all the way from the entry through the end of the finish - it feels like you have to scrape it off your tongue to get the finish to end. Reminds me a bit of kool-aid powder from the old days. Explosive. This is really young and needs years to show everything it’s got. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 6/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 18.5/20.

3/15/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

PnP. Ok. This is really something. Lots of reduction - matchstick. Brown butter, shells & minerals, palate shows lemon. Popcorn. Palate is grippy and explosive. Tons of shells, popcorn, some lemon, long and fine. Brown butter and popcorn. Not huge but really persistent and focused. A huge pulse of lemon and shells into the finish which is long and wide and spectacular with minerality and saline. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5-5.5/6, Finish - 5.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17-17.5/20.

Day 14: This has smoothed out and is just spectacular. Perfumed and flavorful. A joy to drink.

3/15/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Day 7. I like to give my new Goodfellas (is that right?) lots of air since I think that’s how Marcus makes them. Light and perfumed nose of cranberries, pomegranate, sandalwood and sweet spices, cherry and dried roses, a little deeper register in the back - earth and a little meaty or soy with some nice stemmy herbals. Palate is tart and crisp. Very red. With cranberry and wild strawberry and cherry. Some spices and florals. Maybe a touch bony and I don’t know if that’s the wine or day 7. Serious acid and fine grippy tannins. The finish is tart with more tannins. Nose - 5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 4.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 15.5/20.

3/7/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

PnPed into a Conterno Sensory. Ok. Damn. This is a phenomenal bottle of Mosel Riesling. Incredibly potent nose of lime, lime pith and peel, crushed stones, rock candy, white florals and some red and green apple in the background. Laser sharp and precise. Electric and juicy on the palate - it enters sweet with honey and then red and green apple. Lime and stones come later along with some sweet spices. Tangerine. It’s full of flavor and yet so light and airy. Perfect acid/sugar balance - this takes over the mouth and entrances with its complexity, poise and zip. It’s got that gossamer quality of the best of the auction Spatleses. Not showing the vanilla creme at this point but we will see with air. The finish is long and airy and exciting with lime and spices and honey. A thrilling bottle - everything you want from Willi. Nose - 5.5+/6, Finish - 5.5+/6, Finish - 5.5+/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 18/20.

3/7/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Excited to try this. From a Zalto Burgundy bowl. Pure and translucent red perfume in the nose - sour and sweet cherries, cranberries, rose water and rose petals, mushrooms, subtle cinnamon & spice, savory herbs and crunchy green stemmy notes. Others have noted game and sous Bois and those are there as well. Sour and black cherries, with herbs, stems, and earth on the palate. Light to medium bodied with nice sap and crunch. Very lithe and elegant. Lots of umami mushroom/soy notes come out as the palate develops and into the finish. There’s a pulse of beautiful red (cherry and wild strawberry) fruits into the finish which has a real verve and develops well adding cinnamon and rose notes. Really lovely old school Red Burg. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5.5/6, Finish - 5.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 18/20.

3/5/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

PnP into a Riedel Burg glass. Nose is a definite wow - soaring Pinot aromas of fresh cherries and some other red-blue fruits, but it’s the supporting notes that really make me swoon - exotic sweet spices - like 5 spice, vanilla, florals, and a meaty - Sous Bois - minerally note. Some rocky minerality as well. This shows cherry and strawberry on the palate with lots of sweet spices, Sous Bois, meaty notes along with some minerals. It’s got great grip and mouthfeel with mild notes of wood that help provide a deeper texture. It’s not a light and airy pinot by any means but not heavy either. Hints of wood at the end palate and a pulse of vanilla/wood to go along with the tart red fruits and spices in the finish. The finish is a little raw and there is maybe a hint of heat/disjointed but just a touch. Lovely now and maybe it will come together even better on the finish w air. This is really good and excellent QPR for around $50. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5-5.5/6, Finish - 4.5-5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1-1.5/2 = 16-17.5/20.

Day 3: This is showing more wood as the days pass. There is a lot of good material here and I think it’s enough to absorb the oak with time, but it is a little tiring at this point.

3/2/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

PnP. Wow this is a shift from the 2018 Willi Schaefer GD Spatlese #5 that I just finished. That was lush and ripe, while this is classic 21 Saar. Crisp and light with some lime, hints of melon, white florals, tons of minerals, a bit of tangerine. Maybe some apple and peach. A little sponti. Very airy and precise with a wonderful honeyed note. The palate is crisp and light with good sweetness and lots of vibrant acidity - lime, tangeine, peach, honey, minerals. The acidity and minerality and dry extract come out in the wings of the end palate and really spark the salivary glands. The finish is light and crisp with lime and dusty minerals. Very good now and I expect to see more complexity with air in the next few days - just showing hints of the usual WBK goodness at this point. Nose - 5-5.5+/6, Palate - 5-5.5+/6, Finish - 5+/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1-1.5+/2 = 16-17.5+/20 (with 17-18/20 potential.).

Day 4: from a glass that’s warmed up a fair amount this is lovely now with really bright lime and tangerine, sweet peach and red apple, beautiful green/mint, hints of musky honey, honeysuckle - it’s rounded out a bit from day 1. A bit more golden and deep but still very crisp and racy. The palate is similar. Lots of juicy citrus, sweet peach and apple, with hints of green mint. Lots of honeyed fruit like juicy fruit gum. It’s got nice acid backing it up. Not super racy but delicious and juicy and fresh. A pulse of zip in the end palate leads to some lime and florals and minerals along with the honey on the finish. Another pour from the fridge shows the nose more muted but the palate with even more zing and really pitch perfect. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5-5.5+/6, Finish - 5+/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17-17.5/20 (with 17.5-18/20 potential.).

2/29/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Day 7: this feels darker and more savory than the 2019. Black cherry, tar, licorice ,earth, spice. Hints of rose petals and This feels a little bigger and hotter but not as persistent as the 19. Very pure and feels translucent. Hints of sandalwood Palate is similar. Good grip and acid. Ripe black and red cherries, licorice, tar, earth, leather with a bit of spice. Medium bodied with nice energy, no noticeable tannic structure until the far end of the palate. Very pretty with red fruits. A real savory mushroom/soy pulse into the finish which widens well and it just so lovely with hints of spice and rose and red cherry. These wines really improve with days of air. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5+/6, Finish - 5-5.5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 17-17.5+/20 (with 17-18/20 potential.)

2/23/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Oops. My only bottle of this. Oh well. Day 2. Tons of peach and spice on the nose, red apple drenched in honey, stony minerality. Hints of lime. Strawberry. Palate is similar - honey and apple. Pretty spice. Very rich and sweet. Lots of peach and honey in the midpalate. Gets more creamy with a little bit of almond and lime and strawberry into the finish. finish is good but not great with honey and peach and strawberry with just a little minerality. I’d expect this to improve and show more complexity as it ages and loses its baby fat. Nose - 5+/6, Palate - 5-5.5/6, Finish - 4.5-5+/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1-1.5/2 = 15.5-17+/20 (with 16.5-18/20 potential.)

2/21/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Day2: Nose is muted with golden peach and apricot and spices. Wonderful stony minerals. Deep and potent. Like bottled sunshine. Th palate is superb. Beautiful peach and apricot and spice with nice minwrelriy - just a touch of sweetness to go with the deep minerals. Finish is apricots and stones. This isn’t huge, but it’s beautiful and perfectly balanced.

2/19/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

Took this out in DC to Le Diplomate. The wine crew there ended up shaking it up some before so it was pretty cloudy with a fair amount of sediment stirred up. Nose is spicy and funky - earth and meaty with a big dollop of 96 acidity/cirtusy-ish, lots of autumnal notes and lots of dark cherry and raspberry, blackberry and plummy fruit. The spice is really nice. With definite five spice - Some of that tomato-umami old savory burgundy note. Prominent 96 acid on entry really nice spice with tart red fruits and some five spice and plums and more 96 citrus sauirt into the end palate - acidity and 96 notes really grow into the finish which is really citrusy and 96 with some nice supporting exotic spice and seeetness. Almost sour with nice sweetness and black cherry fruit and autumal notes. Sitting in the glass this developed some serious funk and some rust notes. Time to drink up. Nose - 5-5.5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 4.5-5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1.5/2 = 16-17/20.

2/17/2024 - Seth Rosenberg Likes this wine:

PnP. My second bottle of Ca’ Növa and I’m starting to get the house style: juicy and wild, sauvage and exuberant and dark. This is a definite step up from the 20 regular Barbaresco (Normale - right Tim?? 😉). Blackberry and black cherry, shoe leather, shoe polish, licorice, citrus, tar, brambles. Hints of mint??? This actually reminds me a lot of the old Lytton Springs Zinfandels. Very pretty in the palate - more wound but a nice streak of dark/red sweetness drives through the also dark but more savory notes of licorice, tar, earth, leather. Medium bodied with fine but grippy tannins, good acid. And hints of citrus and florals into the end palate. The finish starts with a pulse of citrus, black cherry, licorice with solid tannins and persists nicely but doesn’t really widen. This is very good and nice to try, but I feel like I resonated more with the Ferrando White Label and the Barrichi Rose delle Casasse. Nose - 5.5/6, Palate - 5/6, Finish - 5/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 16.5/20.

Day 6: still going strong in the nose with notes of blackberry, black cherry, licorice, tar and leather. The palate has lost a step or two - still pretty but dominated by tar, leather and licorice. A little beautiful dark sweetness

2/17/2024 - Seth Rosenberg wrote:

Day 2: light yellow color. Nose shows golden and minerals with peach pit, apple skins, slate and stones with a significant salty note. This has matured quickly and lost most of its youthful exuberance that I loved so much. Palate shows that pretty combination of the peach pits with some apple skin and lots of stony minerality that carry into the finish - lots of apple skin and minerals on the finish but it’s a little diffuse and bitter. I’ll know to drink these within the first 6-12 months or so to catch them young. Nose - 4.5-5/6, Palate - 4.5/6, Finish - 4/6, Je ne Sais Quoi - 1/2 = 14-14.5/20.