2012 Meyer Family Vineyards Pinot Noir Reimer Vineyard Okanagan Valley
Initial flavors of overripe black cherry fruit with balsamic vinegar and iodine. With more air, the mid-palate firmed up (thank god) but so did the tannins. Drinkable, but not especially pleasing.
2005 Arcadian Syrah Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands
Deep, youthful color. Has lost the white pepper I noted two years ago but shows some bacon and herbs amidst the juicy, still-black fruit. Classy; for those who like aged wines, this one's digging in for the long haul. Conservatively, I'll push the drink-by date out to 2020.
2012 Pierre-Henri Morel Tavel
Dark pink color with a bit of blue hue. Fresh strawberry Red Vine licorice on the palate, candied sweetness in the finish. Modern. Feels like they're trying to hide the classic tea/sherry/herbal notes that Tavel lovers love. Pleasant, but disappointing.
NV Summerhill Pyramid Winery Sparkling 100% Pinot Noir 'Cipes' Rose Okanagan Valley
From 100% pinot noir. Attractive deep pink color. Monochromatic vs. complex on the palate, but exuberantly pleasant with summery cherry Life Saver midpalate flavors and a clean finish.
2008 Reynvaan Family Vineyards Syrah In the Rocks Walla Walla Valley
Funky, bacon, earth, black fruit, olives, herbs and a little tar. Outstanding for my palate, but--heavy sigh--I am reminded once again to not serve wines like this to people who worship at the altar of sweet New World fruit. Pretty much unchanged since 11/14, btw.
2005 Osoyoos Larose Le Grand Vin Okanagan Valley
This is Gruaud Larose's Canadian property. Black fruit on the nose, but ripe red fruit on the palate along with black olives and something closer to ash than earth. It has matured in a way that's neither precisely old world nor new, nor elegant. Just clunky and heading downhill. Drink up.
2012 Château Grand Pascaud Bordeaux Supérieur
This is not great Bordeaux, but it's a surprisingly full-bodied and balanced red-meat wine for just $9 with blackberry, huckleberry, bing cherry, coffee and a little camphor. Open one day and serve the next--it needs that kind of time.
2010 Copain Syrah Tous Ensemble Mendocino County
Had a case so have followed this for a few years. Still very good but now showing some green notes that weren't there before. Perhaps it's just this bottle, but I'm guessing it signals the downhill slope. Drink by 2017.
1996 Justino Henriques Madeira Broadbent Colheita
Sad day--my last bottle, and it's not easy to replace vintage Madeira at this price. Perfectly aged and excellent now: dark chocolate covered orange rinds, English toffee, coffee and dried apricots.
2006 La Pousse d'Or Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets Pinot Noir
Bright red fruit on the lighter side of medium bodied, earth, sous bois, some spice and fairly firm minerality at its core...drinking well now. Not a stunner in and of itself but superb with Coq au Vin.
2011 Château Ksara Réserve du Couvent Bekaa Valley Lebanon
Sounds like some of the other CT reviewers had compromised (mercaptan-induced) bottles. Mine, fortunately, was quite a bit better. A 40/30/30 blend of Syrah/CF/CS, the final grape didn't show at all. Rather, it sported a tarry nose remiscent of the nose of some Northern Rhones with soft plummy fruits, pleasant herbal qualities from the Cab Franc and prominent acidity. Good spice made it a terrific partner to a Persian rice dish.
NV Jansz Wine Company Brut Tasmania
Ranier cherry and brioche. Nice weight, blanc de noir-ish. Creamy, elegant texture--outclasses it's $20 price tag. Really impressed the chumps.
2009 Marqués de la Concordia Cava MM Reserva de la Familia Brut (blend of Macabeo-Xarel-lo-Parellada)
Very dry with lemons and spice, good body. Notably, no RS on the finish (which mars so many cavas for me). Impressive.
2010 Graham Beck The Game Reserve Shiraz Stellenbosch
Olives, dust and a bit of menthol. Old worldish, balanced, interesting.
2012 Luigi Giordano Piemonte Sparkling Nebbiolo Piemonte DOC
Pale pink, yeasty, dry, complex, wonderful. I should have this in my cellar.
NV Dr. Deinhard Riesling Extra Brut Sekt Pfalz
Lots of white grapefruit (the good part) with lots of RS (the bad part). Didn't work for me.
2010 Királyudvar Tokaji Pezsgő Henye Furmint Blend
Rich and full-bodied with apple, quince ripe pear, candle wax, graham cracker and more quince. Concentrated, balanced and impressively finessed.
2013 Broglia Gavi La Meirana Cortese
Honeydew, lemon-lime, chamomile, other flowers and just a touch of dirty earth on the finish. Intriguingly different and quite popular at the table.
NV Franck Peillot Vin du Bugey-Montagnieu Pétillant Brut
Crushed oyster shell, green grass, briney and clean. Yum.
1995 Château Gazin Pomerol Red Bordeaux Blend
Truffles, earth, plums, canned tomatoes, rose petals. Heading downhill with slightly more acid than fruit but eminently drinkable.
2013 Forge Cellars Riesling Finger Lakes
Lime peel, coconut, severe.
2013 A Donkey and Goat Roussanne Stone Crusher El Dorado County
An orange wine. Very sour, and yet somehow peachy. Driest wine I've ever tasted. I can't make sense of this.
2006 Cavatappi Winery Nebbiolo Maddalena Red Willow Vineyard Yakima Valley
Nice evolved nose. Spicey, good acidity, rustic, drinks more like barbera than nebbiolo, but good.
2013 Keuka Lake Vineyards Cabernet Franc Finger Lakes
Super light, clear bluish-red, polished. Pleasant, but would not recognize it as CF.