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By Country
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By Varietal
Proprietary Blend (474)
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| 2002 - Gemstone Proprietary Red Wine |
| Sep 27, 2009 |
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76% cab, 12% merlot, 9% cab franc, 3% petite verdot.. Time treats these Gemstones well. The last time I had this it was nice, but surely not monumental. Today, 4 years later it has added weight and class, but more importantly, structure.
A very deep and dark reddish black color, this was very fragrant on the nose: cassis, flowers, and black cherries. On the palate there is a very concentrated mouth feel that I don’t really remember this having previous time while sampling. Great structure with some great lushness. The black fruit profile is my playground. Great black currant, plums, blackberries with some kirsch notes, tar, and a hint of soy. A bit of leather and a hint of cedar box. The tannins are still noticeable but did not negatively affect his showing on ounce. It was decanted 4 hours (I believe), which surely was advantageous in this showing. A real elegant classy and uber balanced wine, with a long creamy smooth finish. |
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| 2005 - Clos Saint-Jean Chateauneuf du Pape Deus Ex Machina |
| Sep 27, 2009 |
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| The nose was all exotic spices and black cherries. The palate reveals some silky and uber-ripened black cherries, black pepper, soy, cedar, vanilla and some crushed pebbles. That rich exotic quality is sure present through-out. A medium weight mouthfeel with some deftly balanced tannins, which were just slightly angular, and a moderate acid base. A long finish of 90+ seconds. This wine needs at least 5 more years to show itself as it was surely holding back about 50% of what I believe it could be: A wonderfully elegant but powerfully possessive character-filled Châteauneuf. It really has it all, it just needs to come together. |
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| 1999 - Harlan Estate The Maiden |
| Sep 27, 2009 |
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| This was served blind---Very typical in the sense of, 'yes I am Napa cabernet'. Great cassis & backberry filled palate with some secondaries. I thought it reminded me of a 2001 Napa, and was happy to see at unveil that it was a '99, a vintage that I usually got more austerity from. This was a quiet elegant fulfilling cabernet that wore its bloodline on its sleeve. Funny thing is I liked this one much better than the '01 I had at the beginning of the year. Drinking beautifully this one is. |
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| 2005 - Jones Family Vineyard The Sisters Proprietary Red |
| Sep 27, 2009 |
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6 hour decant. Deep ruby color. The nose is pure crème de cassis and kirsch royal. The palate reveals a nice pure sweet red & black fruit profile, and not the bad sweet type I detest. Great black cherry, black currant, cherry cola, pomegranate, with some soy, soil, and lead pencil shavings. This has a lushness not normally associated with wines at this price point. A medium to full bodied mouth feel that is long, elegant, and beautifully structured. The tannins are on the biggish side and a few years in the cellar will most certainly reward the owner. A creamy extended finish completes the package. I wanted to try this as I seen the Jones website still offering me more. I ordered 6 more. One of my favorite list purchases and one to surely keep on.
A QPR in its class. |
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| 2005 - Jones Family Vineyard The Sisters Proprietary Red |
| Sep 27, 2009 |
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| Super deep and dark as usual, this one needs a minimum of 1-2 hours to really show itself. Great creme de kirsch and cola on the nose. The palate has chewy black and dark red fruits of currant, blackberry and black plum pudding. The mouhfeel is plush and elegant. A wonderful balanced wine, this has all the hallmarks of a full-breed Napa cabernet, at half the price. The tannins are intricately weaved and spun to help create the great mouthfeel. The finish is a minute plus, and the fruit never quits. |
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| 2005 - Opus One Proprietary Red Wine |
| amazing opus one 2005 get it while you can!!!! |
| Aug 16, 2009 |
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| the 2005 vintage of opus one will only going up in price..this is a beautiful wine. life is to short not to drink this wine... can't wait to open another bottle!!! |
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| 2004 - Hornillos Ballesteros, Bodegas Mibal Seleccion |
| Very fine "Nuevo" Ribera del Duero |
| Aug 13, 2009 |
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Despite the use of mostly American Oak, this Ribera del Duero is made in a decidedly modern style. Almost black in color with a huge attack of black fruits and new oak aromas, this nevertheless tastes more like classic tempranillo than the bouquet would lead you to believe. Loads of rich, silky black fruit flavors with hints of leather, coffee and chocolate, and a nice finish that is a bit more tannic than one would find in traditional Spanish wine. The tannins are sweet and ripe, however, and the considerable new wood treatment does not overwhelm the fruit, as I thought it would when it was tasted on release.
During a tasting of non-Riserva Riberas, most 5-10 years old, we concluded that all but the most over-oaked of these 100% Tempranillo wines seem to shed their "woodiness" with a bit of bottle age (8-12 years seems to be the best time to drink them).
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| 2000 - Vega Sicilia Alion |
| Very fine Ribera, just beginning to mature. |
| Aug 13, 2009 |
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100% Tempranillo aged in mostly new French Oak.
This Crianza from the owners of Vega Sicilia is almost 9 years old, and the wine has already shed its tannin and "new-wood" aromas. It now shows a pretty bouquet of leather, bacon fat and raspberries. On the palate, a rich silky mouthfeel with an intense core of black raspberry and cherry fruit with hints of coffee and cocoa. Long, elegant finish, it carries its high alcohol (14%) seamlessly. The folks at V-S claimed that they wanted to make Alion in a claret style, but this wine is more Burgundian than anything else. Really 4.5 Stars. Splendid!
If this wine is typical, I would say that Ribera del Duero Crianzas from good vintages are best between 8-12 years from the vintage.
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| 2006 - Solitude, Domaine de la Chateauneuf du Pape |
| Jul 29, 2009 |
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Medium red, very milky and shiny. Pretty nose of violets, dark flowers, and sweet berries a velvety, intoxicating quality that makes it a joy to swirl and sniff. Palate has loads of juicy blackberry, blueberry, and currants, but is also surprisingly tannic with some wood on the finish. In my opinion, this needs time. Best after 2011.
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| 2007 - Terlato & Chapoutier, Domaine Shiraz / Viognier |
| Rhone Style blend, absolutely delicious! |
| Jun 15, 2009 |
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For QPR, this is a five-star wine! Medium red with lots of meaty syrah flavors complimented by pepper, cherry, cola, and dark fruits. VERY GOOD. The Viognier adds a lot to this blend and this wine has oodles of character. Think Rhone, not Australia. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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| 2006 - Turkey Flat Vineyards The Turk |
| The Turk is not a turkey |
| Jun 11, 2009 |
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| this was a nice (and reasonably priced) find at a new tapas/Moroccan bar in McLean, VA. Fabulous with chorizo/chicken/shrimp paella and three tapas appetizers ranging from sardines to lamb-stuffed sweet peppers. Sharp earthy/blackberry tones that shared the spices without fighting with them. Seductive nose to make you think you'd have it as an aperitif on other nights. Got to find a case now for home use. |
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| 2004 - Baglio di Pianetto Ramione |
| May 28, 2009 |
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I really like Nero d'Avola from Sicily for its ability to pair with a variety of Italian foods, and I liked this blend as well. 50% Merlot and 50% Nero d'Avola is medium red to red rim to clear on the outside. Intoxicating nose of deep red berries and a hint of raspberry liquer. Earthy on the midpalate with a bright, slightly tannic finish. Not a huge fruity wine, this one has character.
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| 2006 - Stolpman Vineyards L'Avion |
| May 26, 2009 |
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90% Roussane and 10% Viognier. Pale yellow, this white Rhone blend fills the mouth with spice, honey, sweet floral notes. Quite delicious, it's a little hot on the finish, but this is a fine example of what the Central Coast can do with white as well as red Rhone varietals.
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| 2005 - Bertani Le Lave |
| Apr 28, 2009 |
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Bright green, like melted gummies. Not your typical Chardonnay, but that's because it's half Garganega. Buttery desserts & custard on the nose. The acid on the palate balances out any hint of sweetness and adds lots of minerality & apples. A crisp Italian white that would sing with food.
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| 2005 - Beaucastel, Chateau Coudoulet de Beaucastel Cotes du Rhone Blanc |
| Mar 19, 2009 |
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Pale golden yellow in color. Bright and fresh nose of creme brule, lemon curd, and quince with some straw aromas thrown in to let the drinker know it's Southern Rhone. Textured and viscous on the palate with some lemon custard and a distinct mineral component. Should age nicely over the short term. Very food friendly
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| 2006 - Beaucastel, Chateau Coudoulet de Beaucastel Cotes du Rhone Blanc |
| Mar 19, 2009 |
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Pale golden yellow in color. Bright and fresh nose of creme brule, lemon curd, and quince with some straw aromas thrown in to let the drinker know it's Southern Rhone. Textured and viscous on the palate with some lemon custard and a distinct mineral component. Should age nicely over the short term. Very food friendly
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| 9998 - Penfolds Koonunga Hill Merlot / Cabernet |
| Penfolds Koonunga Hill Merlot / Cabernet Blend |
| Mar 10, 2009 |
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Dark red core with a pink rim. This has an addictive sweet nose of concentrated blackberry juice that had me sniffing away. The juicy dark berry qualities continued on the palate. Interesting and very tasty.
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