Classic Wines

Very California in size, color and extraction. Cherry syrup, cinnamon, and wood bark all emerge from this masculine pinot. It is huge and impressive. Fans of burgundian style pinot won't like it, but it is tasty and fun, with a long finish. Drank with ... read more

Huge, brooding, sweet and utterly fantastic with ripe waxy caramel, and porchini mushrooms. Dark purple and red fruits, spice, earth and a very long finish. Light and long, smooth and round. Stains the palate. 3 hours later, I can still feel the wine. ... read more

Captivating wine. I'd like to try an Usseglio higher-end label. Smells like lavender, crushed black pepper and warm dirt. Interesting gamy, smoky, mineral flavors with good balance. Perfect with a piece of sopressata. This is a wine that can be contemp... read more

Medium translucent ruby. Give it 15 minutes to open up and it becomes quite an interesting wine. Interesting aromas of rose hips, and classic Bordeaux cigar box and lead pencil. Then ripe blackberries, eucalyptus, and a long, smooth (yet tannic) finish... read more

Dark ruby color. Nose of milling spices, lavender and blood orange. This is a genuine, unique, honest wine. Even though it has a long finish, you can tell it is from a thin skinned, fragile grape. Great, psychedelic label (unfortunately I don't have a ... read more

Shipper Shock: a lesson about wine shipping. I tried my first bottle of '05 Green Truck the day it arrived via airmail from California to NY. It tasted tired, but left me curious so I withheld my review. I am glad I did. Please do not drink wine for at... read more

Two lessons: first: seek out wines when all critics agree. This wine got raving reviews from some heavy hitters, including Robert Parker (96 points), Steven Tanzer (94 points, but really glowing), and the Wine Spectator (94 points, and #54 wine of the ... read more

Nice dark ruby color. Then muted across the rest of the experience. Some pinot aromas, including fruit (spicy black cherries), and damp earth but some other strange things, like cardboard and menthol. It has many elements of a great wine. There's good ... read more

Tonight I traveled to Umbria (at least in my mind, drinking this monster). This wine is a juicy, jammy, fruit driven, large scaled beast, that comes across as a cross like an especially tannic Amarone. It is fun to drink, and worked perfectly with my W... read more

This is interesting wine with 2 hours of air time. There's some chocolate, cranberry and fruitcake, in this medium bodied, mostly merlot blend (I am guessing based on the leathery nature). It has nice balance, and a good amount of acids. It is not the ... read more

Domaine Serene makes lovely Oregon pinot. This is an excellent, large scaled example. I smell funk and underbrush with wild blue and black berries. It has spicy, candied black cherries, forest floor, cola with smooth, structured tannins. This would be ... read more

We started with a 2004 Carl Ehrhard Spätburgunder served blind, from the list. I guessed pinot from the color and nose, but then got it wrong and asked if it was Spanish. Several others thought it was a generic burgundy rouge. It has pure, simple,... read more

This was given to me as a gift, and it passes the test. Thanks Delia! Nice dark ruby color, and compelling aromas of cherry juice. Impressive entry, with a kick of spicy and nicely sweet fruit. Then a thick syrup on the finish. It is easy to drink , an... read more

Excellent classic Burgundian aromas of funky rotting mushrooms, ripe, old cheese, and cherry cola. Smooth and velvety palate with a soft, finish. This is excellent at the villages level. It could pass for a 1st cru. Works really will with chicken from ... read more

This wine justifies my extravagant 2005 red burgundy purchases. I don't think it is possible to buy too many. The 2005 Bouchard Beaune Teurons is stunning. My wife thought it was a $350 bottle, when served blind. It delivers all the goods on every leve... read more

This is a deeply colored, concentrated, and fragrant example of Barbera. There's a mixed fresh and dried fruit salad of bing cherries, figs, tart raspberries. It is tannic, but well balanced, and drinking well now. This is a more serious side of Barber... read more

We drank the '98 back in May. This one is also great. It's got lots of dirt, crushed pepper, earth and anise in a very complex presentation. It is a complete song composition, with a verse, chorus, bridge, etc. Maybe more like a complete album as it ch... read more

I hadn't ever had an Argentinian malbec of this caliber. Deep, dark and lush, and brimming with lovely dark plums, ripe blackberries and oak. The palate is long and smooth, with rich tannins. Even though it has such density, there's a graceful charming... read more

I've had many vintages of Artadi's Vinas de Gain, and all have been great. The '05 may be the most concentrated I've tried. It is deep, dark, sweet and full, but hiding for wont of a cellar snooze. There's a core of somewhat concealed ripe fruit mixed ... read more

I've enjoyed getting to know this wine over the past 2 hours. It started with a disturbing lack of fruit, but lots of promise. The evolution has been from funky mushrooms, to bright, tight, acidic fruits (cranberries, wild raspberries). At this point i... read more