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Comments on my notes

(10 comments on 10 notes)

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White
2006 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile Alsace
4/9/2020 - portman63 Likes this wine:
91 points
Has bright golden color and clean mineral and light citrus nose with the same flavors coming through on the palate and some gooseberry and a bit more weight in the finish, especially with some air and paired with the Alsatian onion/potato/bacon tarte flambé.
  • portman63 commented:

    4/11/20, 5:39 PM - Based on previous Trimbach FE experiences and this one, I'd think 3+ years. I also have a mag of this which I plan to keep for last thinking it should be more reticent to open up.

Red - Fortified
1963 Quinta do Noval Porto Vintage Port Blend
11/30/2017 - portman63 Likes this wine:
94 points
The fill was into the shoulder and the cork broke up, but after decanting, this showed quite well with good body, prunes and plum fruit and quite showy on the nose to my surprise. I wouldn't say it matched the best producers from this vintage, but fun since I'll likely never try the Nacional. It is absolutely near the top tier though. We had with my friend's homemade chocolates, but the magic was pairing it with a Neal's Yard Stilton I luckily saw as a rare find. They were absolutely perfect together and probably influenced my score - a bit.
  • portman63 commented:

    3/24/18, 8:37 AM - I changed one word to hopefully clarify it for the pedantic wine lovers of the world. :-) Specifically, I think of Taylor, Fonseca, and Noval Nacional as the sorta first growths above Dow, Graham, and Warre as second growths - but still top tier IMO. I was pleasantly surprised that this showed easily in that second group since I had seen some professional criticism indicating it was a big disappointment compared to the Nacional. Noval since the 90's is certainly near the top of that second group and maybe into the first in certain vintages, but time will tell.

Red
2004 Tenuta Greppo (Biondi-Santi) Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Sangiovese
4/28/2017 - BrunelloBob wrote:
flawed
Corked. Auction Purchase, WineBid.
Dear Consignor: If you did this on purpose, I will find you....
  • portman63 commented:

    7/22/17, 2:55 PM - I can be suspicious of some WineBid offerings (your posting being helpful since they have more '04 Biondi-Santi Riserva now), but I'm not sure if corked could be deliberate unless it was a common occurrence for the lot indicating a cask or bottling issue. Cooked on the other hand would be a definite deliberate act by a consignor who didn't handle the wine properly. I completely understand your profound disappointment for an auction wine of this level being flawed.

Red
2004 Conti Costanti Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Sangiovese
10/4/2016 - Iceman611 wrote:
85 points
To me the bottle is obviously past prime. It was drinkable but I wouldn't order it again. Too bad. I'm sure it was amazing a year or two ago.
  • portman63 commented:

    1/6/17, 5:26 PM - You didn't provide specifics about what was off about the bottle, but my guess is if you ordered it in a restaurant it possibly was poorly handled/stored. If from a shop, it might be a storage/shipment issue. If TCA or another fault then it easily could have been sent back and replaced. I understand your non-interest in risking another bottle purchase, but your experience is an aberration for this producer in my experience. They are traditional in style which is less fruit forward than most of the Wine Spectator recommended Brunellos so keep that in mind.

Red
1999 Bruno Giacosa Barbaresco Santo Stefano Nebbiolo
11/22/2016 - dream wrote:
88 points
Not a bad wine but in the context of Giacosa, it is a miss and was over-shadowed by most of the other Barolo's tasted tonight. After a 4-hr decant, it seemed to fade badly with a clipped finish whereas most of the other wines including the '99 Monprivato it was paired with really kept improving in the glass. Incidentally, made as a white label because Giacosa didn't feel like he could sell it as a red label riserva. Drink up. 88-
  • portman63 commented:

    12/27/16, 10:48 PM - Hi, do you have any thoughts as to why you had quite different impressions of a 17 year old wine 8 months apart? Different purchase sources or storage conditions or just bottle variation in your earlier bottle vs the one brought by a friend. I would think it would need to be more than just you had it with better wines (even the '99 Monprivato - which I had a couple of months back to and agree that it was stunning) to go from "beautiful wine" to "drink up". That isn't common in my Giacosa experience but it could be in yours and it makes me curious is all.

Orange
2010 Paolo Bea Santa Chiara Umbria White Blend
4/18/2015 - kevinacohn wrote:
Paolo Bea Private Dinner (In Vino, New York, NY): Opened 90 minutes before serving. Golden color. Macerated nectarines give this a particularly sweet nose and flavor profile. Fresh wild herbs add a savory note to the bouquet, which appears on the palate in the form of tea-like tannins. Serving temperature is important for every wine, but it's particularly important for this wine, where a few degrees here or there completely changes the profile. Excellent with white and fava beans. Bottle #2794. Rated 1 on a scale of -1 to 3.
  • portman63 commented:

    8/5/15, 9:49 PM - What temp would you suggest for the best expression? Say about like a red in the low/mid 60's or possibly as low as cellar temp? Any cooler, and these type of wines tend to show very little from past experience.

Red
2003 Paolo Bea Montefalco Rosso Riserva Pipparello Sangiovese Blend, Sangiovese
4/18/2015 - kevinacohn wrote:
Paolo Bea Private Dinner (In Vino, New York, NY): I was captivated by this wine's perfume the moment I pulled the cork. Three hours and a double decant later, when it was in the glass, it had risen to an even higher plane. Spearmint, wild herbs, hints of game, black currants, and oak bark, all wrapped in a smooth, palate-coating package. Ferociously tannic upon release, this has achieved a balance that so many wines miss. It should continue to improve for another five years. Bottle #1386. Rated 3 on a scale of -1 to 3.
  • portman63 commented:

    8/5/15, 9:43 PM - You write very informative notes on Paolo Bea wines (which I also love). This one and the notes on the whites really capture the evening-long experience.

White
2013 Do Ferreiro Albariño Rías Baixas Cepas Vellas
6/3/2015 - portman63 Likes this wine:
91 points
Seemed an ordinary Albarino on opening. Needed quite a bit of air with decanting, but came around to show more fullness on the finish and kept the briny acidity and showed best with the food, paella, as you might expect.
  • portman63 commented:

    6/14/15, 9:04 PM - Thanks for the first hand info. I knew it needed time and the remainder will wait, but I just had to open one with friends after only having the regular bottling before (I'll drink those while waiting). I'm really looking forward to seeing what they are like in a few years.

Rosé
2011 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé Mourvèdre Blend, Mourvèdre
3/1/2015 - portman63 Likes this wine:
91 points
Light salmon as usual. Still had strawberry and hibiscus on the nose. Quite bright fruit and minerals and acidity on the palate. Still going strong at 3+ years. I think these will keep and show more on the finish than some may guess for an average rose. Drink for another year or so is my impression.
  • portman63 commented:

    3/6/15, 9:32 PM - Yes, mine was a 750. I think you should pop one and check it out to your palate. Likely they should be consumed by summer unless you like the secondary elements over freshness.

White
2009 Benanti Etna Bianco Superiore Pietramarina Carricante
2/6/2015 - Drankard wrote:
87 points
Very disappointing as some compare this to a Sicily's version of Clos St. Hune but tonight it did not live up to the hype.
  • portman63 commented:

    2/24/15, 11:35 PM - Oh c'mon. Seriously? That is a completely unfair comparison and if you believed it, you are facile. This is a good wine, but CSH is arguably one of the top ten white wines in the world and costs 6-7 times as much on release and even more after. I have had a number of each in the proper context and I think you have the wrong end of the stick as the British say. Like/dislike wine for what it is, not a marketing comparison. Go ahead, hate away, but you should learn from this.

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