My work finished early yesterday, and i was in the area of a favorite local wine store. It was the one year anniversary of the new owners, so I stopped for a quick visit. Of course, bottles kept appearing, and sadly I had to be somewhere, so I could not stay and try everything (missed the 07 La Mission 
). But it was a lot of fun. A good crowd where I knew few people which is always great. It’s nice to meet new wine lovers. i guess this is a weekly thing, so I will need to make it a point to return.
There was fresh baked breads and various other foods available. The wines were served non-blind in a store tasting setting. Fwiw, here are my notes on the wines:
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2014 João Portugal Ramos Vinho Verde Lima - Portugal, Minho, Vinho Verde
Another reason not to drink these old. Light gold in color. The nose is a bit fleshy. Not a lot of fruit here. Actually unpleasant. On the palate, it was a bit better. Can a wine be flabby and tart at the same time? This one made an attempt. However, it lacked crispness or energy. It was drinkable and less than $10, so it got that going for it. I didn’t hear anyone talking about it one way or the other though. (83 pts.) -
2011 Domain Henri Darnat Bourgogne Blanc La Jumalie - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc
Not in a bad place at all right now. Not sure about pricing. Golden in color. There is a lot of oak here, but at this point, it comes off as vanilla which is not a bad thing. There is also some grapefruit on the nose. On the palate, the oak continues, mostly vanilla but a bit of searing fresh cut lumber. Not too bad. Some depth and a very nice texture. Decent finish. A few people liked this a lot it seemed and I think as long as oak is not an issue, there is a lot to like here. Seems like it has at least a few years left. (87 pts.) -
2011 Quinta de Roriz Douro Prazo de Roriz - Portugal, Douro
This was being close out for $10, and that represents pretty good value. Wes called this a bridge between new and old world, and I think that is pretty accurate. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is a bit jammy with black raspberries. Slight peppery note. On the palate, it is jammy. Nice texture. The midpalate is a bit disjointed but then it comes together. Overall, this is easy to drink, a bit of depth and tasty. For $10, that’s not bad. Has a few years left. (87 pts.) -
2013 Domaines Barons de Rothschild Cabernet Sauvignon Los Vascos Grande Réserve Chile - Chile, Rapel Valley, Colchagua Valley
i used to drink this on occasion 15 to 20 years ago. I hadn’t seen it lately. It used to be a great value. Not sure what happened, or maybe the vintage but this was not good. Ruby/purple in color. At first sniff, there is some cassis and some char. Then a huge streak of green beans and bell pepper take over. The palate matches but the green bell pepper just gets stronger and dominates the finish. There is some cassis too, but for me it is over whelmed. There was a time when many/most Chilean Cabs had this green streak, but I hadn’t really noticed it in a while and this has it in spades. Perhaps some like that note, but not me. (78 pts.) -
2012 Soda Canyon Cellars Wagon Wheel Red - USA, California, Napa Valley
This drinks like a Bordeaux blend and is not bad. Easy drinking and seems ripe. Purple in color. The nose has cherries, dark cherries, some black raspberries. On the palate, dark cherries. Has a slight artificial taste but overall nice. Easy drinking. Light tannins. Not much depth. Nice finish. I would be happy to drink this if not blown away. (87 pts.) -
2015 Maryhill Riesling - USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
i would be hard pressed to ID this blind. The nose is pretty generic white wine. Slight minerality a bit of Citrus? Nothing bad just not much. On the palate, the Riesling comes out a bit more. Dry with some minerality/rocks. OK finish. I thought I heard this was around $10, and I guess that’s fair. One of those wines with no faults, but no interest but fine enough for the price. (84 pts.) -
2014 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris - France, Alsace
I had this a few weeks ago, and this bottle was similar. The nose has peaches with a bit of a dried note, but also some pine which is pretty cool. On the palate, it is more white peaches I think. Nice texture. Enough acidity to carry thru. Its a pretty big wine at this stage and while it might age, I think its best to drink these up soon to really enjoy the flamboyancy. (91 pts.) -
2012 Castello di Amorosa Pinot Noir - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
My first time trying this winery. This bottle is open but still should develop further I would think. Light ruby in color, clear at the rim. I love light colored Pinot’s for the beauty. It seems to have little relationship to the quality or to some extent the strength of the wine, but they are pretty. The nose has nice cherries, a slight funk, a bit of a Faygo Red Pop note. On the palate, this is pretty delicate but has nice cherry flavors. It would certainly show better on its own at the table than at a tasting. That said, it shows fine here. Feminine. Some complexity. Not a lot of acidity. Nice finish. No harm drinking now, but I think a few years would show some upside. (89 pts.) -
2012 Domaine de Guintrandy (Olivier Cuilleras) Côtes du Rhone Villages Visan Vieilles Vignes - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhone Villages Visan
This house is always a great source of value. I may have underscored it, but I didn’t get a lot of time to spend with this. Purple in color. Seems like Grenache but a hint of Syrah. Ruby/purple in color. The nose is nice with dark cherries, some charcoal, bits of spice, slight floral note. Nice texture. Drinking well with some depth to it. Some tannins. Good balance. Dark cherries with some black raspberries on the palate. Nice finish. I did not catch the pricing but this is usually a great value and the 2012 is in a great place. Still, i think it goes another 5 without too much trouble. (90 pts.) -
2012 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Tre Tine - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Wes opened this as a bonus. It had about an hour of air and while it obviously needs more (or cellaring) it was great. Deep ruby in color. Lovely nose that with some coaxing shows roses, cherries, tar and also a bit of an herbal note (in a good way). On the palate, this has strong tannins. Cherries with tight layers that explode in a swirled glass and then repack into a dense wine. Long finish. I know this is not inexpensive, but a great wine. I hope Wes has some left to try today, i bet it was better. Thanks. (94 pts.) -
2010 Altavia Dolceacqua - Italy, Liguria, Dolceacqua
This was very unusual and nice. Perhaps after a lot of wines I appreciated a lighter red that still packed some punch. Anyway, ruby in color. The nose is lifting with red flowers(?), cherries, dark cherries and roasted herbs. On the palate, this is about red fruits, maybe cherries and pomegranates? It has a nice acidity and a lot of energy. Would be great with food. Nice finish. i believe it was around $18 and that is a great value. (89 pts.) -
1976 Château Gruaud Larose - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Chris brought this. The label was pretty battered, but the cork said 1976. The year I graduated High School (and half the people at the tasting had not been born yet). I had low expectations for this. Not a horrible vintage but not great and I thought this likely to be DOA despite that GL made very long lived wines back then. I was wrong. The cork broke on opening but came out in two pieces. It was not decanted which might have been a good thing (especially since I got an early pour). Deep ruby in color. The nose had a touch of funk, but some cassis with tobacco, both cigar and smoked. On the palate, there is most definitely fruit. Cranberries and cassis. Not a whole lot of layering and complexity which surprised me yet it had vibrant fruit. At 41 years, that’s not bad. A fun treat. Thanks Chris. (89 pts.) -
2005 Château d’Issan - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Pop and pour, this needs some air or time, but I think it is drinking a bit better than many 05’s at this point. Purple in color. The nose is quite pretty with cassis, Chambourd, spice and slight toast. On the palate, there are firm tannins, but tons of fruit. Cassis and dark cherries. Spice. Lovely texture. Long finish. I would probably still hold these but a few hour decant and it would be great. A nice treat. (94 pts.)
Thanks Wes for the hospitality and wines and to Chris as well. Good times.
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