5/11/2024 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Nose of acid mixed with strawberry and earth mixed with a touch of smokiness. A has a sour cherry core but not like Royal Crown Regal cherry candy. The finish is rather light and I would assume this wine fares better with food that is roasted or had a bit of fat to cut the acid. This is my first bottle of this producers Barbera. EG, #WineArchitect, #ArchArtistry
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#Barbera D’Alba, #GBBurlotto, #burlotto

4/13/2024 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Tasted in Horseneck W&S at 11:00am when my palate was fresh. The wine was opened on Friday pm and refrigerated overnight. I tasted through the three wines that were opened, the VV, the 1er Cru Vaillons and the Grand Cru Bougros. The Vaillons had the most acidity along with a nice mineral core. The lemon lift and medium straw were present and the wine was quit fresh.

3/4/2024 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Gifted to me by USA Wine Club Member #1 and you know who you are JJM! P’np from from the cellar. Aromatics of lime on the nose leaning towards a higher acid citrus. Lemon lime flavor with a grapefruit finish. Medium to high nose. Medium to high mouthfeel and a solid medium finish. As the wine warms the grapefruit begins to subside. Overall, a delicious wine for shellfish or seafood. I am impressed with this wine not knowing what it retails for before I look online. Unbiased tasting note.
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#WineArchitect, #ArchArtistry, #Vergelegen G.V.B., #Semillion Sauvignon Blanc

2/25/2024 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

I tasted this for the first time at Horseneck Wines and Spirits with Greg Rubin and Michael Acheson. This is a very unique wine to say the least!

Popped and poured without decant. Unique terroir of black pepper, black raspberry, smoke and a note of saline which evokes similarities to northern Rhone wine. There is an intoxicating lure to this wine that keeps me coming back to it. A bit more sour cherry on the last aerated sip that brings me back to a Gran Rioja Reserva.

This is a “must” have in the cellar to observe aging potential! This could be my wine of the year!
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#WineArchitect, #ArchArtistry, #LuisRodrigiez, #Escolma, #Ribeiro

2/23/2024 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Pnp'd from the cellar. Poured short to allow to warm up. Cherry cola aromatics. No guarigue either. Medium body and medium finish. Nice simple wine and at the price it's a nice entry-level example of CdP. I will drink up what I have left and move on.....
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#WineArchitect, #ArchArtistry, #RogerSabon, #CdP, #LesOlivets

12/28/2023 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

First bottle! Pulled from the cellar and decanted for 1hr before tasting. First taste…..extracted wine. How many punch downs did this cap get? While the tannins are very fine, the deep dark cocoa and dark cherry fruit is there but needs more air time. Aromatics of earth, eucalyptus with a sweet fruit core. More to come!

11/25/2023 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Pp’d and poured from the cellar. Picked these up from Tom Garrett himself when he was working at one of the wineries we visited back in 2008. Big nose of jammy fruit as I know these to be heavily extracted wines which were the style of the times back in 2005. I felt it has lost a bit of its’ primary fruit but there is still enough to taste the quality grapes they were made from. I was told it was a made from Mondavi Oakville property grapes. Everyone enjoyed the last bottles which was served with Chili night at the house! EG, WineArchitect, ArchitecturalArtistry, www.customwinecellars.com
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#detert, #cabernet sauvignon, #tomgarrett, #oakville

10/7/2023 - WineArchitect Does not like this wine:

Thanks PMARLO for your tasting note. Thank you Raul Perez for producing a remarkably mediocre wine. Bravo to your marketing genius whomever they are for hyping this wine! A great way to sell wine and boost profits on a just so-so product.

Popped and poured from the cellar at 58. A short glass revealed the typical dark violet aromatics. The flavors are dark cherry and acetone. Do other members of CT like this? I think not! I’ll be using the rest of my case for cooking with and I hope it doesn’t ruin my gravy. EG. WineArchitect. ArchitecturalArtistry
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UltreiaStJaques, Mencia, Bierzo, RaulPérez

9/4/2023 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Ahh, La La! Removed from the cellar three hours in advance @ room temp. First pour had tight tart fruit on the nose. The second pour exploded with game funk. Aromas of dark cherries, leather, with a touch of Royal Crown Regal. The rest was smile after smile. Guigal at his best! In honor of the birth of Max, my second grandchild. EG #WineArchitect, #ArchitecturalArtistry
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#Guigal, #LaMouline, #CoteRotie

4/15/2023 - WineArchitect wrote:

This wine was not as fresh as the same vintage bottle I had tasted by the importer at the Gambero Rosso not two months ago. The wine tasted a bit like it came from a “hot” vintage. I also was missing the minerality that I tasted with my first bottle.

Not sure if the wine had a bit of maderization or poor storage conditions. EG #Architectural Artistry #WineArchitect
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#DiMajoNorante, #DonLuigiRiserva

3/2/2023 - WineArchitect wrote:

Slow decant from the cellar for four hours. Needed an ice/water bath for another hour to coax the aromatics out of the wine. Fine sediment at the bottom of the bottle and noticed the wine quit cloudy during decantation. Slow oxed for another hour and served with lamb course. The wine cleared up and there were aromatics of smoke, bacon and mineral. Flavors to match with a medium finish. This bottle ended up showing brilliantly in the end and still very youthful.

EG WineArchitect #Guigal #Cote-Rotie #LaMouline #Rhone #BoG

11/13/2022 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Brought up from the cellar to reach room temp. Saturated dark purple opaque color. Large bouquet of aromatics that include blackberry, tar, earth, gun flint and touch caraway. The flavors have layers of depth that include blueberry, black and dark berry primary fruit. This is a one year old bottle that was purchased via a private sale. This reminds me of the old extracted Pax Syrah's during the Pax/Donelan era and some older Alban Riva’s. The good ‘ol days!

10/20/2022 - WineArchitect wrote:

What a shame and I shared it will eleven friends of the BOG!

9/20/2022 - WineArchitect wrote:

All day long, this was a 95 point wine! Even at first taste. There is a lush blueberry compote mouthfeel that satisfies every sense of a true wine lover. Thank you John Alban, once again for understanding your grapes and your terroir in a great year. This one brought smiles to everyone’s face! #WineArchitect #ArchitecturalArtistry #alban #grenache

12/20/2021 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Pnp from the cellar after two hours @ 68deg. This is my first bottle from this producer. Purchased based on suggestion of my client Dr. Gary F. Medium ruby color. Aromatics of blue stone fruit with a touch of Sonoma candy. Light to medium mouth feel. A touch of acid is perceivable on the tongue. Others suggest a but of aging but I disagree. Drinking well now. 91
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EG, #WineArchitect, #ArchitecturalArtistry, #anthillfarms, #hawkhill, #sonomacoast, #pinotnoir

12/16/2021 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Expressive nose of guarigue finally coming out of hiding! Medium garnet color. Flavors of black cherry, smoky guarigue with a bit of woodsy underbrush. Drank solid from opening until meal's end. Saved and tasted next morning and had more cherry expression. I will be decanting the next bottle! EG, #WineArchitect, #ArchitecturalArtistry
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#levieuxdonjon, #Chateauneuf-du-Pape, #Cdp, #guarigue

12/4/2021 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

What a compelling bottle of wine! Raisin aromatics of sweet fruit. Full nose of Kirsch. The flavors match. The depth of sweet fruit was mouth filling. The wine’s finish was slightly shorter than I would have expected. The color was slightly browning with the thinnest clear edge on the glass. The wine drank beautiful and became a new lesson for this type of air-dried Corvina grape variety.
EG, #WineArchitect, #ArchitecturalArtisty
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#Quintarelli, #Amarone, #Veneto, #ValpolicellaClassicoReserva

11/26/2021 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Dark garnet, saturated color. Aromatics of lavender, smoke and a touch of creosote. This wine still shows primary fruit with zero tannins and is a great example of what it once was with all its power and verve. EG, #winearchitect; #architecturalartistry
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#Pax; #paxaldersprings; #rhoneranger; #aldersprings

11/26/2021 - WineArchitect wrote:

Brought up from the cellar for 30 minutes. Noticed slight brick color on the first light pour. Light Syrah flavors with a touch of vinegar, smoke and dried cherries. I think this bottle is in decline and past prime! EG, #winearchitect; #architecturalartistry
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#delashermitage; #lesbessards; #hermitage

7/20/2021 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

A perfectly acceptable wine to drink with friends but this has seen brighter times in it’s life. This beginning to……faded beauty as it’s edge color is pulling away and is also turning a brick color. The GSM, blend is quit integrated and soft. Nose of plum and faded menthol.
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#WineArchitect, #Architectural Artistry, #RailsbackFreres, #gsm

7/15/2021 - WineArchitect wrote:

Still drinking quit well. On the nose and palate I am getting “Royal Crown Regal” like fruit. Tart Cherry with a very soft finish. True Sonoma in the mouth. At peak drinking right now and may begin to loose a bit further on?
EG #WineArchitect #ArchitecturalArtistry
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#Aubert UV, #PinotNoir, #SonomaCoast

6/12/2021 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Slightly chilled, popped and poured. Super early on this wine as this vintage is very acidic. Leave these for a year in the cellar to tame down a bit. High acid on the tip of my tongue. White peach and mild honeysuckle, pear and apricot on the palate. Clear light yellow color. I am so fortunate to know of these wines. Thanks Pete!
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#WineArchitect, #ArchitecturalArtistry, #albanvineyards, #ednavalley2019, #rhoneranger

6/6/2021 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Pnp'd from the cellar. Faint yellow in color. Aromatics of honeysuckle, and tart green apple. The flavors are identical with loads of tart acidity in the mouth. Love these wine as they are filled with acid which will allow them to live a long life just as long as you can resist drinking them young!
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#WineArchitect, #ArchitecturalArtistry, #selbach.oster, #drinkriesling, #terrytheise

5/8/2021 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Clear nearly colorless in the glass. Bright mineral driven nose. Finishes medium dry with a nice residual flavor. This bottle was a gift from my clients whom I am currently building a wine cellar for. Thanks J&L.

2/13/2021 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Chilled to 45 degrees and popped. Clear light golden color. Opening aromatics of SO2, tropical fruit with loads of salinity. After this wine opened for fifteen minutes it evolved with more minerality and now it is beginning to remind me of a Chablis. A nice change from $100+ Chablis but not as laser focused as the real Macoy!
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#WineArchitect, #ArchitecturalArtistry, #Mainque, #chardonnay, #patagonia

1/30/2021 - WineArchitect wrote:

Pnp’d from the cellar and allowed to decant in the glass. Nose of sage and dried cherries. This wine drinks very full in the mouth with layered flavors of cherry, licorice, black pepper and leather. This wine drinks great now and will be even better over the next few years. Great effort
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EG, WineArchitect, Architectural Artistry, #paoloconterno, #barberad’albalaginestra

11/23/2020 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Pnp’d from the cellar. Inky dark garnet color. Smokey nose. Slight aromatics of bacon and graphite. Muted flavors of dark berry fruit but the primary fruit is all gone and now only secondary flavors exist. Drink them if you have any left. This was from magnum. EG, #WineArchitect, #ArchitecturalArtistry

11/15/2020 - WineArchitect wrote:

Pnp’d from the rack. Light to medium garnet color. Aromatics of asphalt, alcohol and faint black cherry. Flavors of cherries. These babies are very young but they are fine with a normal meal. EG, #WineArchitect, #ArchitecturalArtistry
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#CorderodiMontezemolo, #LangheNebbiolo

11/14/2020 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Popped and decanted with a taste. Impressive dark garnet color. The nose was very “Vallana” expressive showing its earthy funk mixed with cherry and licorice. A great value if you are a Spanna Alto Piedmontese fan. #WineArchitect, #www.archartistry.com
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#SpannaCuveeBernardoVallana, #altopiedmonte, #Vallana

9/10/2020 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Popped and poured at room temperature. Color is dark garnet with no thinning on the edge. Aromatics of smoke, cured meat, cocoa and dark complex fruit. The dominant Cabernet versus the Malbec changes the formula into a different direction! Flavors of.................difficult to dissect based on the blend the Syrah has cancelled out the Cabernet. EG
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#ArchitecturalArtistry #WineArchitect #Chaiken

9/10/2020 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Popped and poured at room temperature. Dark garnet color with a touch of black. Aromatics of black pepper, black cherry but more mature in the nose with a touch of alcohol. Flavors of stewed fruit and cherry cola. This wine may be passed its prime! Drink them up now. EG
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#ArchitecturalArtistry #WineArchitect #Chaiken

9/5/2020 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Pnp’ from the cellar. Let this wine come up to room temperature. Typical Chianti nose but a bit closed until arriving at room temp. At temp, nice soft red fruit with a sour cherry flavor. Drinking solid right now! EG, ArchitecturalArtistry, WineArchitect

9/4/2020 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Popped and poured from the cellar. Light golden clear color. Aromatics of matchstick, lemon, tropical fruit and minerality with a touch of acid. There is more citrus fruit in the palate that shows up like a tart passion fruit. I would be happy drinking this every night!

8/9/2020 - WineArchitect wrote:

Aromatics of lemonessence and spearmint leaping from the glass with a slight touch of butterscotch. Golden straw color. Flavor profile of lemon, minerals with a minty essence. This was paired with Turkey meatballs and Sunday gravy with fresh infused Rosemary from the garden.

5/14/2020 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Pnp’d from the cellar. Pulled this bottle from the cellar and noticed lots of tartaric acid floaters in the bottle. Poured the first glass to see what’s noticeable in the glass. Huge aromatics of tropical fruit but difficult to zero in on one. I get citrus, pineapple, orange zest, lemon and a hairspray pith with a touch of caramel! Still a wonderful wine, sip by sip. Forget the flavors, it’s all about the aromatics! EG #ArchitecturalArtistry #WineArchitect
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#albanvineyards #viognier #viognier #rhoneranger
#ednavalley

5/13/2020 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Pnp’d from the cellar. Dark violet color. Smokey earth and Blueberry aromatics. Flavors of tar, fig, earthy underbrush and dark berries. Great value but do not understand the “Reserve” designation. EG #ArchitecturalArtistry #Winearchitect
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#sansliege #syrah #rhoneranger #laetitiavineyard

5/10/2020 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Decanted for two hours and it needs more aeration! Dark fruit hidden beneath aromatics of smoke, black tea and scorched earth. After two hours there were black raspberry and menthol. The tannins are present but fine grained and not overpowering. The raspberry flavor is there but time will allow this to show. The earth is present in the mouth as Alban is know for revealing its terroir!
EG #ArchitecturalArtistry #WineArchitect
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#albanvineyards #pandora #rhoneranger

5/10/2020 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Pnp’d from the cellar. Gold with an orange tint in color. Aromatics of nutty golden raisin, apple orchard fruit. Flavors to match with medium finish of fruit with a slight acidic tartness on the finish. No cloying in the mouth. Medium viscosity for a late harvest wine. Medium sweetness as compared to a Sauternes. EG #ArchitecturalArtistry #WineArchitect
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#sangliege, #lateharvestrousanne, #rhoneranger

5/2/2020 - WineArchitect wrote:

Alas, waited way too long to enjoy this wine. She is tired and had seen better days!

4/25/2020 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Pnp’d from the cellar. Light golden color. Aromatics of white peach and apple blossom. Burst of acid with a finish of lemon zest and apple. Lay these down to rest and let them tame a bit. They will be long lived. EG #ArchitecturalArtistry #WineArchitect
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#selbach-oster #mosel #riesling #sonnenuhr***

3/20/2020 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Bottle opened at 64 degrees. A bit cool and with light aromatics. Dark garnet color with dark fruit aromatics. A blend of 35% Syrah, 20% Petit Verdot, 20% Montepuciano and 25% Cabernet Franc. Difficult to destinguish the grape verietals with this blend. Mild tannins. Aeration did help allow the aromatics and flavors to reveal themselves a bit @ 68 degrees.
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EG #WineArchitect #ArchitecturalArtistry #Karaswines #Armavir #Armenia #sportingroverguy

3/3/2020 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Decanting is a must for this wine. Allowing it to breath brought out a depth of flavor that was damp earth, almost Rhone-esque character. Dark cherry, tobacco and mint flavors are all present at this time. It’s not quit a “Bordeaux” like wine at this stage of it’s life. Well integrated tannins and very food friendly. EG #WineArchitect #ArchitecturalArtistry

2/20/2020 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Pnp’d from the cellar. This wine needs to be decanted at this stage of its life. Aromatics of sweet raspberry and tobacco in the nose. The flavors match but I found the finish being short of what I expected as being compared to a Ridge or a Gamba, sorry, I’m partial.
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EG #WineArchitect #ArchitecturalArtistry #CarlisleWinery #Zinfandel #PaperaRanch #RRV

2/17/2020 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Pnp’d from the cellar. The color is beginning to darken toward brick. No thinning on the edge. Light to medium aromatics. The acid is holding the wine, but it takes your senses to Beaune but not quit there. Drink these up!
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EG #WineArchitect #ArchitecturalArtistry #Les Cent-Vignes #DomaineLoisDeFouleur #Beaune

2/13/2020 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Pnp from the cellar. Light acidic nose of white peach and florals. Flavors of honeysuckle, white peach with lemon notes with the smallest aftertaste of acid. Bright golden yellow color with no titration present. Drinking beautifully at this point but I believe there is more life in the bottle. EG @WineArchitect
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@albanvinyards, @viognier, @rhoneranger, @johnalban

1/26/2020 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Pnp’d from the cellar. Transparent ruby color in the glass. Aromatics of raspberry and Kirsch. Flavors of earthy raspberry, almost Zinfandel like in flavor but without the blueberry hints. A very nice food-friendly wine that does not overpower. Drinking well now! EG, #architectural artistry, #WineArchitect

12/31/2019 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Pnp’d from the cellar. Medium golden color. The flavors have resolved and this wine is rounding very nicely into a homogeneous, delicious bottle of wine. The unique characteristics of each of the two grapes is diminishing and taking on new character.
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EG @WineArchitect @ArchitecturalArtistry @donelanfamilywines @rhonerangers

12/31/2019 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Light golden color. Not as redactive as these wines typically are. Much more resolved than my last bottle. More tropical fruit in the nose. Pineapple and honeyed lemon, a touch of marzipan. Mouthfilling flavor with a slight touch of acid. This is a solid bottle of wine that will not disappoint.
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EG @WineArchitect @ArchitecturalArtistry @PYCM @chassagnemontrachet @leschenevottes @burgundy @cotedubeaune

12/24/2019 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Popped at room temp. Odd walnut / light caramel color. Nose of walnut, light caramel. Medium sweetness on the palate. What a wonderful 100% Marsanne desert wine that very few even know exists.
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EG @chapoutier @marsanne @rhone @vindepaille

12/24/2019 - WineArchitect Likes this wine:

Pnp from the cellar. Allowed the bottle to rise in temperature. Smokey blueberry jam in the nose. The color is opaque and loaded with sediment. My rating may be because the sediment clouded the taste. Let this bottle stand a few days before opening! There is smoke, mint and berry flavor.
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EG @WineArchitect @archartistry @albanreva @albanvineyards @rhonerangers