Wine Berserkers - international wine social media, online community, and discussion

I have been holding off drinking mine, sounds like dipping a toe I might be a good idea. Thanks for the note.

Love the short story - my go to when I don’t have time for a full cigar...

People are cooking at home a lot more and supply chains are struggling to keep up with the changes....

David - my note from last year. From 375. Sassafras, dusty plums and some underbrush on the nose. Nice spicy cranberry fruit and balancing acidity on the palate. Definitely sense some structure that says this can age for a while, but seems a little more fruit forward than other Alpine vintages when ...

Montecristo #2 from a buddy in Europe. In the humidor about 6 months. Just so smooth but pungent at the same time. Beautifully constructed - very fine ash and tons or mocha and pepper. Nice hot evening on the porch listening to some old Ray Lamontagne.

I would be sitting under the trees at Sigalas winery in Santorini having a crisp Assiyrtiko and a lovely cheese and olive plate. Someday soon....

Andrew - I saw the 4 roses small batch select in a local store. That big a step up from the regular small batch (which I enjoy very much) ?

Nick - used to use Open Table very regularly, but so many options now that you miss too much if you lock in there. Still think it has the best interface and is easiest to use. Tough choice for the owners...

Todd - I think it will last for another 5-10 years, just not sure you are going to see improvement from here - it is in a good spot. Dan, I can’t take credit for the aging. Bought a cellar from a gentleman who was moving. Good temperature and humidity control and a wide variety of wines in ones and ...

2000 Château Bel-Air (Domaines Martin) - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc (7/22/2020) In very good shape for a relatively inexpensive 2000. Cedar, leather and a bit of earthy funk on the nose. Nice meaty, leathery palate with fully resolved tannins and nice dark fruit. Not going to improve, but ...

Godspeed Glenn - take care of yourself!

Lovely nose of orange peel, sandalwood, rose petals and white pepper. Nice sweet cranberry/raspberry fruit on the palate with good balancing acidity. Very good wine for the price, but lacks some of the stuffing of the single vineyard wines. Not sure how much more complexity this will pick up with ag...

Adam - Fred doesn’t make those any more, but that was one of my favorite vineyards he worked with. You are in for a treat.

Danius - I have no scientific basis for this, but my experience has been that champagne is almost always better - fresher, livelier and more flavorful from a magnum than a 750. It also ages better in that format.

Not to mention the fact that 750’s of champagne go way too quickly....

If the Elephant seals are there, that is a must see. The beach is just up the road from Cambria.

Dan - I have a magnum left. When we finally get clear of Covid, let’s do our long promised Boston Rhys dinner and I will crack it open...

Spicy creosote, black cherry and forest floor on a young lively nose. Still a young wine on the palate with coiled blackberry fruit, lots of acidity and a long crisp finish. Lovely wine, it should pick up more complexity with some more time in the cellar. I won’t open another for 3-5 years.

Very nice for a 21 year old bargain Bordeaux. Graphite, blackberry fruit and cedar on the nose. Still nice dark color with just a hint of bricking on the rim. Flavors very consistent with the nose, nice balance of fruit and minerals with fully resolved tannins. Great everyday drinker.

I don’t remember which of you recommended the Ashton VSG, but a great recommendation. Full bodied, spicy, beautifully constructed - excellent cigar.

From 375. Lovely clean nose with white flowers and a hint of honeysuckle. Nice acid filled palate with some finishing white peach fruit. Not sure this is the most complex Rhys Chardonnay, but really lovely to drink - crisp and refreshing.

Last bottle and still a gorgeous bottle of wine. Translucent but still some robust red color and that interplay between elegance and power carries through to the nose and palate. Sandalwood, rose petals and dark cherry on a restrained nose. Lovely texture and acid with a solid core of sweet dark che...

No formal notes, but a lovely My Father Flor de Las Antillas Toro Box Press on the golf course today. Really beautiful cigar.

This is a pleasant surprise for a modest wine from south West France.. I believe this is mainly Tannat, which explains how it has aged so well. Lovely notes of licorice and herbes de Provence on the nose. Acid filled palate with licorice, black fruit and still some lingering tannins on the finish. G...

Thanks for the note Doug, I have one left- was waiting for its 20th anniversary, but perhaps it is time soon. Joe and Sleepy Hollow fruit are one of the great all time combos.

Lovely nose of dark cherry fruit, sandalwood and orange peel. Good texture, nice sweet dark cherry fruit with some balancing acidity on the finish. Kathleen has such a deft touch with Pinot. Great way to end the day.

Sarah - I find when I have a bigger group for dinner, 6 or more, it is the perfect occasion to open one, particularly with a group of non wine geeks. We usually will do it after dessert or as a dessert alternative for those who want it. I almost always find someone who insists they hate dessert wine...

2011 Platt Vineyard Pinot - Lovely red fruit, spice and sprucy underbrush on the nose. Nice red fruit, sour cranberry and spicy pepper on the palate. Not sure this is going to be the most long lived vintage of this wine, so I would drink in the next few years.

Had a lovely Don Pepin Garcia Original, sitting out with an old friend in the yard at a good social distance. Lovely mix of pepper and mocha, good draw and even burn. The best conversations go along with a good cigar.

The few bottles I have had at that size all had wax over the cork, so no worries about storing on their side. Finding a spot for them was a bigger issue.

Interesting side by side. 2018 Scherrer Dry Rose: Beautiful pale salmon color. Strawberry, a hint of oregano, spice and limestone on the nose. Lovely texture, strawberry on the attack with nice bracing acidity. 2018 Tercero Mourvèdre Rose: almost identical salmon color. Definite feral Mourvèdre note...

2015 Scherrer Old & Mature Vines Zinfandel - This is really nice and just starting to enter its drinking window. Blackberry/blueberry fruit compote, black pepper and a touch of limestone on the nose. Lovely texture, resolved tannins and blackberry fruit with some prominent acidity on the finish. Wil...

Well stored Lynch Bages is superb

2012 Vilmart Grand Cellier d’Or- Opened for the zoom conference with Laurent Champs. Beautiful nose of lemon oil, granite, and just a hint of white pepper. Still very tight on the palate, with lovely bracing acidity lemon peel and a nice full texture with an earthy undercurrent. Just entering its dr...

Still quite dark core with a touch of bricking on the rim. Nice nose of smoky graphite, leather and dark earth. Smoky blackberry fruit with nice balancing acidity and still some tannic backbone. A little hole in the mid palate would be my only quibble, but in general very nice for a 19 year old affo...

Abbie - Joe’s wines are usually quite long lived, so patience will usually be rewarded.

This was a surprise. Still hanging in there quite well. Lovely dark purple color with just a hint of bricking at the rim. Nice nose of blackberry fruit, menthol and just a hint of black pepper. Good texture and nice balance of fruit and structure. Old school California merlot.

2000 Chateau Saint Suplice - Lots of cedar, tobacco and black pepper on the nose. Nice body and texture with very consistent flavors on the palate. I actually think the 20 years in the bottle have done it some good. Not a blockbuster, but a very solid wine. Reminds me a bit of an old school Talbot. ...

Had a lovely 2008 Pierre Gimmonet Fleuron Blanc de Blancs last night. No formal notes, but lovely balance of crisp acidity and creamy Chardonnay fruit. Just lovely on our first really nice evening of the spring here.

I am going to do the 2012 Grand Cellier d’Or. Really looking forward to this!

Had a lovely Arturo Fuente Short Story this afternoon on a short walk. Just a tasty, spicy espresso cigar.

2011 Scherrer Cabernet Scherrer Vineyard - Boy I can’t help but be reminded of the fantastic Jordan cabs of the late 70’s and early 80’s. White and bell pepper, limestone and a little black raspberry fruit on the nose. Beautifully textured smooth palate with limestone, white pepper and a sneaky blac...

Great note Brian. One of the great tragedies of corporate vineyard takeovers is that Joe lost access to Sleepy Hollow fruit.

This is quite nice. Lemon oil, cinnamon and granite on the nose. Nice blend of tropical fruit and lemony acidity on the palate. Doesn’t have the power and weight of the single vineyard Rhys wines, but a lovely second wine.

A hint of light bricking on the rim, but a beautiful dark crimson core. A touch muted on the nose with iron, black cherry and violets. Not a blockbuster on the attack, in fact just a little muted black cherry fruit, but lovely texture on the mid palate with really nice crunchy acidity and tannic bit...

I bought a cellar from an older gentleman who had owned them since release and had a humidity and temp controlled cellar. It is amazing that in 375’s in a so so vintage they have hung in there.

From a 375. Have opened a couple of these in the last 6 months, and most have been DOA. This bottle had better fill and is very intriguing. Very pale translucent rim but still some dark color at its core. Soy, faded leaves, spicy tobacco and black earth on the nose. Fully tertiary flavors on the pal...

Dark cherry, peppery spice, forest floor and just a hint of cola on the nose. Nice balance of sweet dark fruit, minerals and acidity on the palate. Not the most complex Rhys Pinot, but a really nice drink. Not sure how much better it will get with age, but still fresh and certainly has many good yea...

Warming up for tomorrow night’s call with the Rhys team - my last bottle. Turned quite golden in color, but no signs of excessive oxidation. Tropical fruit, lemon peel and just a hint of matchstick. Nice lemon curd and prominent acidity balancing some mellow honeyed tropical fruit on the palate. Cer...

[/quote]I'm headed to Rockport second week of June. If they are flying, I am going.
[/quote]

We’ll have to find a way to see each other, even if it is from a distance...

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