5/14/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

My contribution to the Xmen wine tasting tonite. 90% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot. Nose opened up after a while in my glass, showing aromas of sweet cherries, violets and some leather. Pink hue around the glass is a ready indication of the wine's youthfulness. Medium body, sour cherry flavor dominates, along with definite spiciness. Modern style wine, noticeable oak, along with hints of iron, dust and leather. Gritty, but also somewhat chalky tannins too. Medium, somewhat bitter length. Easy wine to drink. Nice everyday Sangiovese.

5/13/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank last nite with Greek food. Some petrol on the nose. Slightly sweet up front, good acidity, a bit short. Pleasant enough, and has held up quite nicely.

5/6/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank for our 34th last nite at Troutbeck. Opened, but didn't decant for an hour appx. Should've decanted early, but decanted at the restaurant. Shy on the nose at first, but opened over dinner revealing lots of black fruit, cedar, pencil shavings and a hint of forest floor. Bigger bodied than I recall, with quite a full and very flavorful mouth feel. There is still a copious amount of rich black fruit on the front and mid-palate, along with wonderful tertiary notes of tobacco, earth, lead pencil, clove, spice and smoke. Great concentration and balance, and wonderfully long, full finish. The wine is in a great place right now as others have recently commented. As much as I enjoyed this bottle, I would still give it a very good, as opposed to a great rating as it is somewhat linear and is somehow missing that extra 'oomph' quality. Still, I'm not complaining and am quite happy that I still have a few of these in the cellar.

4/29/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank at Hudson tasting. Nose of cherries and earth. Medium body, oak is somewhat noticeable. Good fruit level, tannins are present but not intrusive. Long finish. Very modern style wine

4/29/2024 - cephomer wrote:

Drank at tasting in Hudson. Color somewhat muddy--seems unfiltered. Very dry, sour cherries, dirt, fairly gritty tannins. Old style chianti. Interesting

4/29/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank at tasting in Hudson. 50% marsanne, with viognier and one other. Pretty floral nose and pretty light gold color. Sweet fruit up front, dry on the medium length finish. Medium body, slightly round, with light acidity.

4/29/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank at a Calcinaia tasting in Hudson. 2014 grapes, they hold for 10 years, and sits on lees for 4 years apparently. White flowers on the nose.. Quite dry, good if slightly slight acidity. 100% sangiovese but I didnt' notice any of the grape's characteristics. Interesting bubbly that went very well with a soft goat/sheep cheese. Worth a look

4/22/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank last nite at our pre-passover dinner. I've had this wine recently, and my notes are fairly consistent. The wine is past its prime, but better than the last time I tasted it and still much better preserved than I expected. Notes of earth, dark fruit and some spice remain. It's lasted this long no doubt to it being a 2008, which was a fab vintage in Oregon

4/19/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank last nite at Le Poisson with the Milets. What a fabulous bottle of wine! I've had this one before, but it's been a long while & I had forgotten (until EM reminded me of my last note from 2021, which btw shows some differences between then and now).
Opened at home for 90 minutes, then decanted at the restaurant (remember to decant for at least 1-2 hrs in future). The restaurant was dark, but there is perhaps some slight bricking at the edges, but no otherwise noticeable signs of age. Exuberant nose of black fruit, pencil shavings, forest floor & tobacco--perhaps some slight green pepper or woodsiness as well. Btw, this wine is easily mistakable as coming from the left bank, given its wonderful qualities. Medium-full bodied, still with a good amount of tannins, though a bit grittier than my prior tastings would indicate; there's still quite concentrated ripe black fruit, and the wine itself is quite dense and concentrated, though I wouldn't call it over-extracted. What I would call it is youthfully exuberant, but with tertiary qualities developing. Very noticeable notes of forest floor, leather, tobacco and spice. I didn't pick up any chocolate this time around, but perhaps a tad of green pepper. The wine also continues to demonstrate a somewhat gamey style. In all, this is a very sexy, youthful, complex and powerful wine, with still, and surprisingly, somewhat gritty tannins. The finish is elegant and a notable 2 minutes long. Delicious wine that is showing fabulously, with a very wonderful style, class and freshness. I'm so pleased to have a few more bottles in the cellar, and they've got at least another 10 years of a very good life ahead. Such a treat!

4/18/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank last nite at the Czech embassy with our make-shift Cepages group. Decanted at the table for an hour before drinking, and this wine really needed it. Nose similar to prior tastings, with good aromas of roses, tar and herbs. Black fruit is prominent, and the wine surprisingly remains quite tannic, particularly noticeable up front. There's tar with some herbal and savory notes, and the wine seems bigger, chunkier than I recall. Balance would prob be my biggest complaint on this occasion, or lack thereof, due to the tannic nature of this particular bottle. I would decant for a longer period next time around

4/14/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank last nite w/Rosens at Petite Bistro in Rheinbeck. Generous nose of green apples & citrus. Medium body, good acidity level, some citrus, more mineral than fruit at this stage. Still drinking well

4/12/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank at Manhatta this week. Ruby red but a bit clear, perhaps due to age. Nose of fresh cherries and strawberries. Medium acidity, somewhat herbal & even savory. Very unlike a CA pinot IMO, and somewhat Burgundian in style. I liked it more than I expected. Nice PN

4/9/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Stevie W supplied for Indian dinner in NYC last week with the wives. Notes of apricot and honeysuckle on the nose. Sweeter than expected for a spatlese. Weighty, low to medium acidity, good minerality and attractive petrol notes. Seemed a bit young to me

4/9/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank with the Stevie Ws last week at a NYC Indian restaurant. Dark gold and fairly clear in color. Medium body with sherry-like qualities. Quite nutty, with some dried fruit notes, caramel and perhaps ginger. Much lighter in weight than I expected, clearly a result of the wine's age. A very interesting pour but clearly beyond it's expected drinking window.

4/8/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank with Oz and EM at The Greens. No decant, though could've used it. Big, full-bodied, and juicy. Very much on the sweet red cherry side of spectrum both on nose and palate. Some spice, nice long finish. Modern style. Needs some bottle age IMO.

4/8/2024 - cephomer wrote:

MP brought to Copake. Peach and apricot on the nose and palate. On the sweeter side, like a spatlese. Low alcohol, some petrol. Decent riesling, particularly at this price point

4/1/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank at blind zoom Xmen tasting. Fairly light in color, nose opened after some time in glass revealing some roses and some tobacco aromas. Sour red sour on the palate, along with notes of tar and tobacco, and some oak. Most recognized the wine as Italian, some as nebbiolo. Enjoyable bottle.

4/1/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank at CKH for D's 65th birthday. No decant as I was concerned the wine would fade (I was mistaken). Very dark color, no apparent signs of age in the glass. Nose of black fruit, cedar. tobacco leaves. Medium body with solid acidity. At first, the wine seemed a bit tired, pruny, & lacking fruit. However, as it warmed in the glass, the wine consistently improved showing plenty of black and red fruit, with cassis, dried figs, cedar, some lead pencil shavings and smoky tobacco. Excellent concentration and complexity. Delicate and elegant, though with a somewhat lush mouthfeel, the wine really came into its own and was just delish. Finish was soft, with very silky smooth tannins, though not as long as I'd have expected. Excellent!

3/25/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank at Frank's for D's birthday, unfortunately with a crowd. Nose of sweet berries, roses and perhaps menthol. Light to medium body, color is light red, but with some noticeable browning. Plenty of sweet red fruit on the palate, a bit of tar and come herbal notes. Tannins mostly resolved. Seems a bit hotter than I recall. Nice, easy drinking barolo that is ready to go. Drink up!

3/18/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank at Copake this past weekend. Floral notes on the nose. Perhaps a tad of petrol. Medium body, demi-sec up front, dry finish. Peaches and green apples, with some viscosity. Still drinking quite nicely.

3/15/2024 - cephomer wrote:

RF supplied for Blind zoom tasting this past week. Aromas of blue and red berries on the nose. Medium body, on the lush side of the spectrum. Very fruit forward, blue fruit mostly, some foresty elements, on the hot side. Very modern-style wine, which most of us noticed. A few of us thought it from CA, including myself, tho no one guessed tempranillo, given that this grape is soooo different in CA than in Spain. Interesting wine, not my style.

3/10/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank last nite at Wm Farmer & Sons in Hudson with fam & Zoe. Decanted at the table, though could easily have used more time in the decanter as the wine improved noticeably in the glass over dinner. Dark purple color, no noticeable signs of age. Wonderful nose of black fruit, tobacco, pencil shavings & mushrooms/moist earth. Medium body, silky smooth with notes of blueberries, plums, tobacco, with a hint of chocolate. Perfect acidity level offsets the lushness of the flavors just right. Finesse combined with very high level complexity and balance. Just a great bottle of wine, still shining and still exuding youthful exuberance at 24 years of age, with plenty of time yet ahead. My only wish, alas, is that I had more than 1 bottle remaining in the cellar. Classic aged Pomerol!

3/9/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank at Northstar in Copake last nite. Nose of berries. Medium body, black and blueberry fruit. Earthy, with tangy acidity and spice. Nice wine.

3/9/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank last nite at NorthStar in Copake. Light to medium-body, cherries on the nose and palate, with notes of pepper. Good acidity, somewhat savory in style.

3/1/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank at the Atlantic Grill in Delray w/FAD, at more than twice the retail cost, of course. Nose of vanilla, come tropical fruit aromas & citrus. Medium body, pretty gold color, there's oak/vanilla there for sure, but citrus & lemon notes, with a solid acidic core. Not your usual round, chunky CA chard; crisp citrus and tartness sets it somewhat apart. Pleasant wine, but so expensive! I'd have given a higher score if it was more reasonably priced

2/22/2024 - cephomer wrote:

Brought to OTBN expecting little given the wine's age and vintage. Bricking very apparent in the glass. Nose showed some tobacco, some blackberry fruit, maybe a hint of leather. Not much fruit on the palate, thinner than expected, savory and woodsy. The wine faded fast after opening, and performed pretty much as I'd expected.

2/22/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

My contribution to OTBN in WP. Lovely nose of cherries, coffee and leather. Lighter bodied than I expected. Noticeable bricking in the glass. There's still some red fruit but this wine is mostly tertiary now--earthy, leathery, perhaps some tar, with a definite savory quality. Nice length. Drink up as this wine has begun its descent.

2/22/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank at Uncle Ned's OBTN, supplied by Mandy. Yellowish-gold in color. Nose of honey, peaches and quince. Fairly unctuous in weight but not fat or clunky, with exuberant amount of honey, apricot, quince & fig. Solid acidic core, great complexity & richness, and not too sweet. In fact, I'd call this off-dry. Loved this bottle!

2/22/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank from .375 last nite with take-out from Nobu in NYC. Fairly generous nose of citrus and vanilla. Medium body, ripe fruit with notes of lime/citrus. Crisp acidity to offset the still-noticeable, but not overbearing oakiness. Nice bottle though a bit expensive, even in half-bottle format.

2/22/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank last nite with Nobu takeout. Nose of honey, lychee and pears. Medium body, still quite a nice fruit level--the SB is particularly noticeable with notes of citrus and grassiness. The semillon really gives the wine a lovely texture and roundness. A very nice surprise and went well with my meal.

2/18/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank at Copake over the past few nites. Dark ruby core, no signs of bricking. Generous nose of red cherrries. Notes of red cherries and raspberries. Crisp acidity and lovely freshness to go with the vibrant red fruit. Softish tannins, good complexity and lovely length. Very enjoyable.

2/16/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank during SB last week/Notes from memory. Dark greenish/gold in color, wine looks older than it is. Nose exudes butter and perhaps a bit of smoke. Lots of minerality on the palate, lemon citrus, notes of eucalyptus. Good length and was time to go. My final bottle.

2/15/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank from .375 in NYC. Vibrant and acidic, good black fruit level, nice long finish. I've enjoyed this wine before and my notes are consistent

2/13/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank at Xmen blind zoom tasting. Funky nose, primarily of barnyard that took some time to blow off--many mentioned this. Sour cherry fruit, somewhat savory, noticeable notes of green pepper with high acidity and chalky tannins. Hints of leather, tar with some earthiness. Fairly obvious to some (me) that this was Cab Franc, tho some guessed Burg (which I've seen in other CT notes). Vibrant, fairly acidic, on the tannic side, an enjoyable, complex wine. Needs some time which will aid in its enjoyment IMO. I'd decant next time as well. I like this wine!

2/10/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Blanco supplied for our French wine dinner at CKH. Nose of red fruit, some must, some forest floor/barnyard. Nice flavors of red berries and spice on the palate, with good acidity and commensurate weightiness. Nice enough burg but less compelling than one would expect of a grand cru in terms of complexity, balance, and sophistication.

2/12/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

RF brought last week to our CKH French wine dinner. Floral nose that became more pronounced over time. On the palate, citrus notes are predominant, with lots of acidity. Finish a bit harsh, good length. Pleasant enough but clearly not from a top shelf PM producer

2/12/2024 - cephomer wrote:

Drank last nite with our SB dinner. Fairly dry, some white fruit, nothing particularly memorable here.

2/12/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank last nite at Copake during SB meal. Light straw color. Generous nose of tropical fruit. Light to medium body, good acidity, pears, apples and perhaps some pineapple. Pleasingly long finish. I've had this wine numerous times, and it always delivers.

2/10/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Walnuts supplied for our CKH french wine dinner. I've had this wine a few times now over the past few years and, while it doesn't knock your socks off, it's always shown to be a delicious wine. Lovely nose of brioche and white flowers, with lovely flavors of toast, lemon zest, apples, pears and some smoke on the palate. Soft and elegant, with tiny bubbles and just the right amount of acidity. Lots of minerality on the long finish. Very enjoyable.

2/10/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Mark supplied for our CKH French wine dinner. Nose was a bit reticent, some feint aromas of black cherry. Medium body, on the lush side in terms of fruit--cassis and blackberry. Some chocolate notes too. Fairly short finish. The wine is mostly just fruit right now. Still very much in its primary stage. Needs time. Decant if you must open now

2/8/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

J$ supplied for our French wine dinner at CKH. Textbook right bank wine with plenty of plummy red fruit both on the nose and palate. Earthy, with notes of forest floor, leather, chocolate and tar as well. Some toasted oak as well, with a noticeable chalkiness on the back end. Good acidic core to balance the fruit. Very nice showing, particularly for a vintage that was avg at best.

2/9/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank last nite at CKH French wine dinner. I've had this bottle many times, having bought a case way back when. This clearly was this wine's best showing ever! Nose exudes aromas of cigar box, lead pencil, black fruit and forest floor. Medium body, plenty of fruit, black cherries, cigar box, tobacco, green pepper, lead pencil, etc.--everything you'd want and expect from a premier aged left bank Bdx. Perfect acidity level to balance the wine, soft, but still-noticeable tannins, pleasingly long finish, with great concentration and balance. This is a sexy, yet brooding bottle of wine that is only now reaching it's heights 24 years in. Expected good, received great! I'm very happy I still have a few bottles left. Bravo!

2/5/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank at Copake this weekend. Bigger and quite round to my surprise. Aromas of strawberries on the nose. Lots of fruit, some earth and a lovely long, spicy finish. Quite enjoyable, and drinking very well.

1/28/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Blanco supplied for dinner last nite at Emilios. Funny that I just drank a bottle of this wine myself very recently, and my notes are very consistent. Tight nose of red cherries and leather. Fruit hardly on first tasting but, as the wine opened, some red fruit appeared. Regardless, tertiary elements are dominant here: smoke, spice, leather and black pepper. The wine at first glance is quite tight, with dry tannins that make the wine seem closed, but there's enough going on here to make this a pleasant, if otherwise nondescript pour. Drink up!

1/28/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank last nite w/Blancos & Waldmans. Nose of black cherries, leather & tobacco. Medium body is somewhat round, and still demonstrates good level of black cherry fruit. Tannins are resolved, notes of leather, dried fruit, leather, earth/garigue and meat. Pleasing long finish highlights the tertiary elements of this wine. All in all, a CdP that is fully mature, and drinking quite well. No reason to hang on any futher however.

1/25/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank last nite at Augustine (in Mam) w/the Milets. No decant: I was afraid to do so thinking the wine might be fragile & not survive. I was very mistaken. Beautiful, complex nose of black fruit, tar and tobacco. Light to medium bodied, delicate, soft and elegant wine. In fact, seemed lighter than I recall from my last tasting. There remains an excellent level of black fruit, along with some chocolate & coffee notes. More earthy than I recall though, along with leather, forest floor and some mushroom. The wine continues to have a solid acidity level, excellent concentration and wonderful length. This is a lovely, sexy wine of serious complexity, that continues to sing some 26 years on--one of those bottles you hate to see emptied....

1/15/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank at Copake with M & P. Dark gold in color, showing more age in glass than I expected. Aromas of buttered toast & citrus. Bigger bodied & fleshier than I expected, with notes of peach, some citrus, and butter. Lacking somewhat in acidity & a bit more flabby than I had expected. Perhaps it was just this bottle? Finish was long, with some noticeable minerality there, and only there. Hotter than I would normally like as well. I would drink up any remaining at this point.

1/13/2024 - cephomer wrote:

Drank at copake with the Oz. Good amount of bricking in glass. Pale purplish/red color. Nose of earth and mushrooms. Some cherry fruit on the palate, tobacco, tar, dust

1/5/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank from coravin tonite. It's been a while, but I've had this burg before. Tight nose of red cherries and leather. Still some red fruit here, but tertiary elements are predominant: smoke, spice, leather and black pepper. Palate still a bit on the tight side, and maybe its the remaining somewhat dry tannins that make the wine appear to a bit closed, but there's enough going on here to make this a pleasant, and certainly a very interesting pour. I'd drink now as I believe the fruit is going thru a long, slow fade...
Finished bottle one night later. No change. Enjoyed this wine.

1/5/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine:

Drank last nite with Marco. Very generous nose of black fruit, with tar and earth. Bright cherry red color. Medium body, plenty of red and black fruit, leather, spice with solid acidic core. Lovely long, fruity finish. Nice wine