10/1/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

I didn't love this. The quality of the Chardonnay fruit didn't impress, and there was no energy or freshness in this bottle. Disappointing for this cuvee.

10/1/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

Beautiful, very deep, youthful color. Nice balance on the palate, fruit and pleasant secondary notes try to peek through, but the overall package is marred by a bitter cedary element. No improvement with air.

9/9/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

No notes taken. This showed a youthful ruby-crimson color, smokey fruit, and considerable bell pepper. Very well balanced and easy drinking, lots of life left. This drank well immediately after opening and didn't change much through the evening.

5/19/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): An initial mustiness blew off in the glass. Surprisingly fresh color and lively fine bubbles, flashes of youthful fruit, caramel, a bit oxidative. A nice way to kick off the weekend. From magnum. Not scored.

5/19/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Clear cola-garnet color. 12 hours in the decanter tamed a bit of heat. This showed nice complexity of chocolate, caramel, prune and raspberry. Very smooth on the palate. Short finish. Overall lighter on fruit with less depth than some previous bottles.

5/19/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Purple-fruited, bit of oak, very appealing nose. Similar palate, smooth, just a touch of heat, nice acidity and a bit of firm tannin. To hold or drink now with food. Developing well, so nice, I'd err on the side of drinking this sooner rather than later. Not scored.

5/19/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Still so young, a bit medicinal next to the LLC, with clamping tannins. Not scored.

5/19/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Notes are sketchy, my focus was on enjoying this bottle. My score is probably too low. Perfect clear medium-deep garnet. Tobacco, faint cherry, earth and vegetation. Ample acidity and firm tannins. This bottle is between youth and maturity, a big wine with nice complexity, to hold or drink now -- in this case to honor the memory of a great friend.

5/19/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Fill below shoulder. Clear, deep root beer color. Soy, iodine and dried hay notes. Not scored.

5/19/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): No notes taken. This was just really good old California Cabernet, still drinking very nicely.

5/21/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Medium garnet color. Beautiful enticing nose of exotic spice and black pepper, with underlying cola and ripe berry, hint of chocolate. Supremely smooth palate, very long finish, just a bit of heat. 13% abv

5/21/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Medium-light garnet. Very complex nose of mineral, sesame oil, iron and earth. Silky tannins. The overall profile is leaning quite mature if not downright vegetal, but the complexity here is superb and the mouthfeel is very smooth. Shortish finish. This did not improve in freshness with air. 13% abv

5/21/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Medium-light lemon yellow, with fairly ample fine bubbles. Very shy nose, lemon and yeast. Similarly light on the palate with lots of lemon and minimal toasty notes. Fair length, very saline, almost bitter. Fine Champagne and quite enjoyable, but this P2 bottling seems a very poor value to me.

5/20/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Beautiful deep coffee color, bursting with purple fruit, very clean and smooth, no hint of VA. The most appealing PX I have tasted. Not scored.

5/20/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Surprisingly light, showing toasted walnut and yeast, with a touch of VA in the finish. Very elegant and smooth. I don't have a good frame of reference for evaluating this, so not scored.

5/20/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Deep color and a fine Grange profile of sweet fruit, oak and Port reduction. Ample heat on the palate, very ripe with some funk. Overall just a bit of an awkward bottle.

5/20/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Eucalyptus, sweet fruit, notes of salami. Alcohol is in reasonable balance, this is quite elegant if maybe just a bit thin.

5/20/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Maturing color, with lots of barnyard funk on the nose and palate. This might be a bit past prime, but with food this bottle still appealed to my palate.

5/20/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Very prominent toasted oak and butterscotch, otherwise nicely balanced with good weight.

5/20/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): My notes are slim here. Great nose and fine palate, with attractive flint and tropical notes, very generous, just a bit short on the finish, no hint of oxidation. Overall a superb Chablis, showing its grand cru quality.

5/20/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Minimal notes taken, but this showed fine balance between bread and citrus notes, very appealing.

5/21/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Medium-deep maroon color. Spice and perfume on the nose, quite fresh. With its lovely balance but fine underlying tannins and acidity, this is drinking well now but could hold or even improve for several more years. This bottle flew a bit under the radar in a lineup of interesting wines, but it was among my favorites of the weekend.

5/21/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Lots of bread dough on the nose, no sign of oxidation, with passing exotic perfume. Citrus moves forward on the palate. Very vinous but without sustained heat. Really nice Champagne, RAD likes. Beautiful bottle in magnum.

5/21/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Extremely pale, almost watery in the glass. Shy but clean nose showing delicate fruit, modeling clay, and a bit of appealing reduction. Tropical sweetness builds through the finish. Very easy drinking, a very pleasant package with absolutely no rough edges, but so light in every respect. 13% abv

5/21/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Remarkably youthful, deep crimson-garnet in the glass. Alluring and complex nose of dried fruit and grains, with animal notes that carry through on the less appealing and more muted palate. Showing very little sweetness. Overall an enjoyable experience.

5/21/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Slightly honeyed, atypical nose. Bit of oak, building heat, and an unidentifiable off-putting note on the palate. Not scored. 14.3% abv

5/21/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Sketchy notes as I was too busy enjoying this. Enticing profile with appealing graham cracker notes. Medium depth, clean and balanced, not showing its 15.4% abv. This is one of the better white Rhone blends I've tasted.

5/21/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Apricot, orange peel, with a perfect balance of sweetness, acidity, and fruit. I would love to revisit this in 10 years to see what additional complexity has developed, but this is very appealing and remarkably easy to drink right now. Not scored.

5/21/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Almost identical to a previous bottle, very funky cheesy nose, more fresh on the palate. Not scored.

5/19/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

A Celebration of Jose; 5/19/2022-5/21/2022 (Madison, WI): Good fill, nice color. Corked, with just faint hints of fruit trying to peek through.

4/17/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

Evolving well, this has lost much of its dark cherry fruit and is showing more earthy than when last tasted, but it is still pretty in the glass, light, clean, structured and vinous. This could certainly hold for a while longer, but for my palate this will not give any more pleasure with further aging. Fine pairing with a roast leg of lamb.

4/17/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

Dead, undrinkable. More leaky junk from Winebid.

4/2/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

Limited notes taken. This was very pretty in the glass, with an explosive perfumed nose, sweet and exotic. A little more ordinary on the palate, but fresh and clean. Shortish finish. Overall a nice wine, the beautiful nose alone made it worth the price. Off the list at Ruth's. 13.8% abv

3/30/2022 - petitblanc wrote:

Not a strong vintage for this cuvée. The Chardonnay fruit seems overripe, showing some interesting complexity but also a harsh bite and unpleasant volatile notes.

11/10/2021 - petitblanc wrote:

Purchased recently for almost nothing, just as a curiosity, this turned out to be quite pleasant drinking. Medium-deep crimson-garnet color. Nose of sweet raisins red berries, licorice and root beer. The rather light and warm palate is initially marred by a hint of mustiness that eventually blew off, and this is generally balanced and Port-like, with fruit as well as tawny notes. Pleasantly sweet and lingering finish. I have no idea what is in this blend, but would not have argued if this had been presented to me as genuine Vintage Port.

10/18/2021 - petitblanc wrote:

Terrific complexity, but showing too much volatile acidity for my palate. Not my style. In general, I don't think Port producers are doing their reputation any favors by rushing to offer all these aged tawnies at offensively high prices.

10/7/2021 - petitblanc wrote:

Minimal notes taken. This was pretty in the glass, with ample large bubbles, crisp yet quite aromatic, fruity and generous on nose and palate. But with air this grew tiresome due to emerging vinyl notes that I dislike in certain Chardonnay.

9/1/2021 - petitblanc wrote:

Questionable provenance, this bottle was plainly too advanced, looking fairly dingy and showing almost no fruit and lots of tobacco and barnyard. But the depth and balance still made this somewhat enjoyable. Not scored. At A&S house.

8/2/2021 - petitblanc wrote:

Oxidized beyond belief.

8/3/2021 - petitblanc wrote:

Slightly oxidized, just drinkable.

6/28/2021 - petitblanc wrote:

Deep and youthful black cherry color. Initial funky bell pepper and barnyard mostly blew off in the decanter, leaving a very enticing nose of dark fruit, beef salami, and exotic perfume and spice. Smooth on the palate, with tannins very present, nice acidity, and heat that lingers unpleasantly through the shortish finish. Probably best to hold this, but it will never improve for my palate. Admittedly not a style of Bordeaux that I love at 14.5% abv, others at the table enjoyed this much more than I did.

6/28/2021 - petitblanc wrote:

Deep black cherry-crimson. Sweet and generous nose of red fruit, perfume and spice, really beautiful. Similar palate, though currently simple and linear. Heat moves forward somewhat harshly through the finish, though it is more tolerable than I expected at 15% abv. Bit of stem also. The overall package is lovely but not powerful, and I'd be inclined to drink this young to enjoy the fruit, and before the alcohol becomes too obtrusive.

5/27/2021 - petitblanc wrote:

Beautiful light yellow-gold color, bit of spritz. Flinty citrus and stone fruits, with a touch of funk underneath. Imposing acidity gives this a very dry and clean feel, but my palate is looking for a shade more weight and sweetness. Apricot and apple undertones through the shortish finish. I don't know how much this is likely to improve, but it is pleasant enough now and will be interesting to follow over time. I slightly prefer the Wehlener Sonnenuhr at this stage.

5/19/2021 - petitblanc wrote:

Beautiful, clear ruby garnet color, medium depth. Nose of allspice, saddle leather, bit of barnyard, wet clay. Similar palate, with nice dark cherry, plummy fruit, still a bit of structure, some heat but still elegant overall. Short finish. No rush to drink this, but for my tastes it's not going to improve with further aging.

5/7/2021 - petitblanc wrote:

Very deep black cherry, between youth and maturity. Nose of mineral, saddle leather, cherries. Palate a little lighter than expected based on the color, primary grape and cherry, a bit of stemminess and just a hint of green, with tannins that build through the finish and very ample juicy acidity. This is drinkable now with the right food and a very long decant, otherwise I would hold this and retaste in 6 or 8 years.

5/2/2021 - petitblanc wrote:

Fresh and deep yellow-gold color. Muted nose of wood, alcohol, and faint citrus. Palate shows wood, citrus, and off-putting vinyl notes that do not appeal and never completely blow off. Excessive and annoying heat on mid-palate and finish, with juicy acidity, citrus and a bit of flint and sea spray. Interesting story here, I wanted to like this wine, but there seems to be very little substance beneath the alcohol and the oak, and this bottle would not have come together with further aging. A very poor value, for my palate. 13% abv. Maybe 80 points if I was scoring; but even though this bottle was not plainly flawed, I'll refrain from scoring it.

4/22/2021 - petitblanc wrote:

Top shoulder fill, signs of old and recent seepage. Very thin and clear, light amber with pink flashes, like a middle aged cognac. Nose showing mostly VA, a bit of nutty caramel. On the palate celery seed, buttery caramel, hazelnut, bit of wood smoke, strong spirit. Very long, syrupy, simple finish, faintest hint of red berries. Almost pure tawny in profile, giving some pleasure for sipping but very thin and marred by its hot spirit. I'd be interested to try a better preserved bottle, but this didn't show even a hint of quality. Not scored.

4/12/2021 - petitblanc wrote:

Base neck fill. For a change, the parallel sides of this bottle's neck allowed for straightforward extraction of the cork, which was shockingly tiny for a wine meant for long aging. 12 hours in decanter, longer wouldn't have hurt. Medium-deep garnet color, flashes of bright ruby. Fresh but complex nose of cinnamin, clove, potpourri, dried fruits, sweet red berries, faint hints of sweet tobacco. Structure is largely gone, but there is purity and brightness of sweet berries and plums on the palate that is very appealing. Sweet fruit and tawny caramel linger through the clean finish. This may lack depth for many more years of improvement, but it is a charming and feminine Port, elegant as velvet, weightless but not thin, with a pleasant bite of spirit that is not harsh. Perhaps lacking backbone to stand up to food, but for sipping this is a beautiful bottle, not far from perfection.

4/10/2021 - petitblanc wrote:

Bit of recent seepage, base neck fill. Crimson-garnet color shaded to cola, fairly deep. With 12 hours in decanter, an initial mustiness disappeared completely, and the initially harsh spirit receded to a tolerable level. A longer decant definitely would not hurt. Appealing and complex nose of mixed blue and red berries, fennel, caramel. Stemmy fruit and Christmas spice linger through the finish. The fine ripe fruit of the 1977 vintage is evident here, but the structure is fading and the flavor profile is showing early signs of maturity. But this is quite nice right now, entering peak drinking for my tastes.

4/4/2021 - petitblanc wrote:

Deep crimson-garnet, showing early signs of maturity. Several hours in the decanter blew off most of the unpleasant vegetal aromas, but this still showed more mature than expected on the nose. Geranium, leather, soy, gravel dust, with faint wood, red fruit and berry struggling to come forward. Nicely balanced structure on the palate, though lacking stuffing to hold many more years. Stemmy fruit comes forward and lingers through the finish, along with just a bit of heat. Overall, this bottle was dull and uninspiring, very disappointing compared to my fond memories and high expectations of this wine in its youth. Drinkable enough now, but I’d be inclined to hold this, just to see if it develops more interest in time. I fear it may just continue to slip away as there is no spark here at all.