| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| White |
2016 Chalone Vineyard Chardonnay Heritage Vinesmore |
9/14/2020 - ratrop1 wrote: 91 pointsAgree with Vinnut. Nice medium gold color. Unusually good combination of power and elegance. Generous but disciplined chardonnay flavors of melons and white fruit. As the label says, "a fullness of bouquet and flavor". Firm flinty finish goes nicely with the lush fruit. Exceptional balance between all the big flavors in this wine. Delicious. |
| Red |
2013 San Felice Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Il GrigioChianti Classico DOCG Sangiovese Blend, Sangiovese more |
4/1/2019 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 92 pointsMuch improved from our first bottle last year. Dark ruby color, medium body. Rich unctuous spicy cherry flavors. A classy wine drinking really well now, best after an hour or two and softens up a little too much after that. Very enjoyable, drink now. |
| Red |
2016 Seven Hills Winery Merlot Seven Hills VineyardWalla Walla Valley more |
3/6/2019 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 90 pointsDark crimson. A surprisingly big wine, young and still a little burly. Rich dark berries alcohol (14.4%) and tar. Nice balance of fruit acid and fine tannins give a good mix of easy pleasure, backbone and complexity. Should soften and come together with another year or two, but very enjoyable PNP right now. |
| Red |
2016 Borne of Fire Cabernet Sauvignon The BurnColumbia Valley more |
2/15/2019 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 89 pointsInky dark purple/crimson, lighter at the edge. Brambly Cabernet nose of currants ripe plum and alcohol. Rich ripe red fruit and plum flavors, at first tastes a little over-ripe and slightly stewed. (This blew off after twenty minutes or so). Soft tannins become more pronounced with airing. Long finish. Gets better with time. Difficult to rate due to its flamboyant style, but seems to be a serious wine. Some will like it a lot and others will be underwhelmed. Personally, not my cup of tea. |
| Red |
2013 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Countymore |
1/30/2019 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 90 pointsThis is drinking much better now than earlier reviews indicate. Pleasant perfumed nose. Dark purple ruby saturated color. Rich sweet berry and cassis fruit with no jamminess. Medium/full bodied. Nice balance of acidity and tannins give structure to the flavorful fruit. Best after an hour or so of airing. Delicious now, I doubt this will get better but it should hold for 2-3 years at least. One of the best wines at this (modest) price point I can remember. |
| Red |
2013 Tenuta di Capraia Chianti Classico RiservaChianti Classico DOCG Sangiovese Blend, Sangiovese more |
1/19/2019 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 91 pointsStill very young, better on day two (vacuum sealed). Light/medium ruby color. Some alcohol, minerality smoke and cherry in the nose. Medium body, sour cherry flavors with some underlying sweetness. Pleasant tannins (after a long rest) and a moderately long, slightly tart/tannic finish. Compulsively drinkable. Try again in a year or two, likely to improve. Had with Greek style smoked lamb and eggplant. |
| Red |
2012 M. Chapoutier Côtes du Roussillon Villages Domaine de Bila-Haut L'EsquerdaSyrah Blend, Syrah more |
1/17/2019 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 91 pointsThis once-brawny wine has matured into a very nice Roussilon. Dark ruby/purple with a hint of lightening at the rim. Medium body, smooth rich and pleasing dark berry flavors with a whiff of smoke. Noticeable but fine tannins. Perfect with smoked leg of lamb. |
| Red |
2009 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon One Point FiveStags Leap District more |
1/15/2019 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 93 pointsLovely, pleasure-giving wine. Saturated dark crimson/purple to the rim. Coy nose of dark red fruit, blueberry and a pleasant bit of funk. Medium full body, pure sweet rich flavors of cassis and plum. Still young, with some secondary flavors emerging. Big but elegant and balanced. Delicious now, may get even better. My rating may be stingy. |
| Red |
NV Xavier Vignon Châteauneuf-du-Pape la Réserve VII IX XRed Rhone Blend more |
1/12/2019 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 93 pointsImpressive wine. Dark garnet to the edge, no lightening yet. Nose of dark plum and ripe red fruits. Medium/full body. Rich delicious and pure dark fruit flavors. Not much secondary flavor yet. Nice underlying acidity, and more tannic grip than I expected from a Chateauneuf. There’s a lot to like here but it’s not a traditional CdP. First bottle from a case, with time this might become extraordinary but right now it’s just very good wine. |
| Red |
2015 Chloe Wines Merlot San Lucas VineyardMonterey County more |
12/26/2018 - ratrop1 wrote: 85 pointsSweet, fruity but drinkable “grocery store “ merlot. Nice ruby color. Medium/light body; some red raspberry fruit. Seems to rely on acid and sugar for what structure it has. Mildly chalky finish. There are many better wines even at this modest price point. |
| White |
2015 Elk Cove Vineyards Chardonnay Goodrich VineyardWillamette Valley more |
12/24/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 90 pointsElegant Burgundian style, well made and delicious in a restrained way. Light golden straw color. Clear white stone fruit/green apple flavors, with a little vanilla in the finish. Bracing acidity and minerality reminiscent of a good Chablis; long finish. Little secondary flavor as of yet. I thought this wine would be more developed by now. Try again in two years. |
| Red |
2016 Seven Hills Winery Merlot Walla Walla Valleymore |
12/23/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 89 pointsBlackberry with some vanilla. Medium body, pleasant acidity, soft tannins. Nice wine, enjoyable now. |
| Red |
2012 Lange Pinot Noir ReserveWillamette Valley more |
12/23/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 91 pointsSmooth, rich cherry and dark berry fruits. Developing some nice secondary flavors, best bottle yet. Drinking beautifully now, should hold for several more years. |
| Red |
2013 Substance Super Substance Bx Klein VineyardWalla Walla Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more |
12/17/2018 - ratrop1 wrote: 93 pointsVery difficult wine to review due to its extreme fruit-rich, heavily extracted unbalanced style. One third each cab, Merlot and cab franc give a nice complexity. Very low acidity, (too?) soft but very rich and (excessively?) ripe on the palate. Moderately firm tannins give the wine what structure it has. Not my cup of tea and certainly not a “candidate for perfection “. But it’s a fruit bomb tour de force, complex and interesting ( if only to wonder what the winemaker was thinking!). Clearly better than some of the low/mid eighties reviews I’ve seen. 98+ RP. 91 ST. Better with time; decant two hours before trying. No idea how this will age. Unique. |
| Red |
2010 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon ReserveOakville more |
12/14/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 93 pointsFirst bottle after purchasing on release. This may never be the 96 WA promised, but it is at least a very good, big delicious Napa cab. Still dark crimson and youthful after eight years. Big rich dark fruit, nicely balanced, tannins firm but pleasant, softening. Pepper and tobacco. This wine will be best in three years or so and will last for years. Still young. |
| Red |
2010 Robert Keenan Winery Merlot Reserve Mailbox VineyardSpring Mountain District more |
12/13/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 92 pointsMy partner's comment: "Mmm. Really rich, good." The first bottle we've tried since shortly after purchase. A big merlot. Dark crimson, no fading at the rim. Spice and some alcohol (14.8%) on the nose . Rich, slightly monolithic dark fruits on the palate, very long finish. Nice tannic grip. Delicious wine. |
| Red |
2010 Robert Keenan Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Spring Mountain Districtmore |
12/12/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 94 pointsBig rich full bodied wine but with exceptional balance and finesse. Still youthful, inky purple color, nice nose of pure cassis and french herbs, this has a long life ahead of it. The wine has thrown a moderately heavy sediment so should be decanted. Gorgeous now, it may even get better. If you can find a well stored bottle, buy it. |
| Red |
2014 Benziger Family Winery Solstice BlendSonoma Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more |
10/30/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 90 pointsPretty garnet colored, medium bodied wine. Biodynamic certified grapes. Rich pure almost sweet dark fruit flavors, not jammy or overripe. Almost Burgundian, velvety, delicious and well balanced wine. Kudos! |
| Red |
2014 Soos Creek SoleilColumbia Valley Red Bordeaux Blend more |
6/29/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 92 pointsSerious, well made, powerful Cab/Merlot. Black/purple color. Nose of alcohol (blew off with time), dark fruit, and interesting whiffs of smoke, tar, tobacco, and forest floor. Full bodied, rich but dry complex delicious fruit. Moderately firm soft tannins and a long finish. It’s strength and balance make it a steal at $20. Reaches its peak after 2 1/2 hours; will improve for several years. |
| White |
2016 Domaine Lafage Chardonnay NovellumCôtes Catalanes more |
6/21/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 90 pointsSurprisingly delicious well made wine, crisp, elegantly flavorful and (especially) well balanced. Pale straw color, not much nose. Medium bodied, lemon zest and white fruits. Lovely wine. $8.70 at Costco is an amazing QPR. 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1) |
| Red |
2013 Tenuta di Arceno Chianti Classico RiservaChianti Classico DOCG Sangiovese Blend, Sangiovese more |
6/18/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 89 pointsPretty ruby/garnet color. Muted nose of forest floor/funk with red fruits. Palate of sour cherries tempered by underlying sweet fruit. Moderate fine grained tannins in the long finish. Bracing acidity dominates at present, but there's enough stuffing here to evolve into an interesting wine. Better with food (we had spaghetti ragu with beef and porcininis, delicious). Good now, will probably be better in 2-3 years. |
| Red |
2014 Tenuta di Arceno Chianti Classico RiservaChianti Classico DOCG Sangiovese Blend, Sangiovese more |
6/18/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 89 pointsPretty ruby/garnet color. Muted nose of forest floor/funk with dark fruits. Palate of sour cherries tempered by underlying sweet red fruit. Moderate fine grained tannins in the long finish. Bracing acidity dominates at present, but there's enough stuffing here to evolve into an interesting wine. Better with food (we had spaghetti ragu with beef and porcininis, delicious). Good now, will probably be better in 2-3 years. |
| White |
2014 Banfi Piemonte Gavi Principessa GaviaCortese more |
6/15/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 89 pointsDelicious restaurant food wine. Aging nicely, rounding out. Good balance of acidity and richness, lemons and white fruit. |
| Red |
2015 Michael-David Vineyards Syrah 6th SenseLodi more |
5/1/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 88 pointsHeavily extracted, dark red/black color, very fruit driven (almost too much) but balanced rather than overdone. Soft tannins, smooth finish; better with food. I noticed that this bottle disappeared pretty quickly. Nothing outstanding, but pretty good BBQ wine for the price. |
| Red |
2012 Van Duzer Pinot Noir EstateWillamette Valley more |
4/29/2018 - ratrop1 Likes this wine: 92 pointsWe live in Oregon and stocked up on the excellent 2012 Pinots. First time tasting the Van Duzer, a pleasant surprise vis a vis its peers from this vintage mainly due to its lighter style and unusually fragrant bouquet. Good color and lovely cherry/raspberry flavors, good balance and long finish. Wish it had a bit of funk/secondary flavors to add interest, but overall lovely wine, drinking well now. |
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- Tasting notes: 92 notes on 91 wines
