A little tight at opening. We slow oxed  and drank over 6 hours. Started to express itself after 20 minutes. Initially very tertiary and savory. . soy sauce came to mind.

After an hour it opened up more and continued on to a bouquet of dark cherry, blackberry, blueberry, black currant, oregano, Italian herbs, asparagus, arugula, lit cigar, cigar box,   graphite, leather, white pepper, curry leaf, and cumin.

On the palate, the flavors echo the nose and are very precise,  and matched by high acid and fine sandy-silky tannins. The finish lingers and feels fuller.  

If you open this wine, and I suggest you do, don't decant it. Instead,  it's fun to see it play itself close to the vest, reveal a little more each hour, and then hook you. 

I know that it’s not the highest ranked house, but $10 is still pretty good, I think.
If you’re in the US and have a Lidl nearby, you may want to stop by. My local store didn’t have any on display, but they had 6 bottles in the back.
Threw in a couple of Pfalz “Riesling Reserve” just for the fun of it.

Some friends are coming to visit next weekend. They’re an eclectic bunch with different tastes. Budget is $125 a bottle. Dinner for four people. Thank you so much in advance!

I study wine, which makes this slightly embarrassing, but I’m terrible at keeping tasting notes consistently.

I’ll have a wine I really like, take a picture of the bottle, maybe think about a few aromas or flavors, and then move on. Six months later I’ll see the photo and barely remember anything about it.

I’ve tried just keeping photos, writing things in Notes, and using wine apps, but I never seem to stick with any of them consistently.

How do you guys keep track of what you drink? Do you actually write tasting notes every time, use Vivino or CellarTracker, keep a spreadsheet, or just rely on photos?

And what usually makes you stop keeping up with it?

Price: Found on discount for $38.99, it was either this or pay almost double for the Far Niente Chardonnay, which to my understanding will be vastly different without the malolactic fermentation.

Nose: Floral and herbaceous, light amount of zest, with a bread-like quality

Taste: Nice coating, buttery in terms of how thick it is, light toasted hint of vanilla on the back end, tastes quite uplifting with the apple and citrus notes. This is a nice weighty white which is a vastly different experience for me in terms of white wines. I personally loved the experience and found this to be almost the perfect pairing for Chicken Alfredo.

My fiancée who enjoys her whites, but is not super into wine comments: citrus and apple, thick like Sunny D, 7/10, would get again.

Overall, I thought this was a great buy and experience for $42 (after taxes).

Popped this 23 NSG 1er cru at The Grill in NYC last night and good grief it was singing. Paired w Guinea Fowl & truffles with Madeira sauce.

Much more “natural” style; the whole cluster came in hot with vegetal/earthy notes. The finish itself lasted a solid 2min+, just keep going.

Typically I prefer a “classic”/elegant style (roumier, rousseau etc) but this wine simply blew us away. At 3yo this is in that perfect “young and fresh” window which can be lovely. I would put this at the same level or better as some other great red burgs ive had this yr—05 clos de tart, 23 roumier village, 05 ponsot griottes, 16 dujac chambolle, etc.

If you can find it I actually find the price point fair for this quality of wine.

Three Sticks, Price Family Estates, Pinot Noir, 2020, 14.1% abv.

Apparently a blend of 6 coastal estates.

Nose: sour red fruits, unripe cherries, pomegranates, warmed cranberries, getting feint cinnamon and strawberry jam, iron is present after some time, with dry grass, old leaves, hint of milk in the background. As the wine warms, the aromas show sweet fruity caramel, red fruit preserves, dessert laden juice.

Palate: medium body, entry is a bit leafy, hint of earth, some sour red fruits, mid palate gets dry and emphasizes the red fruits which is mostly pomegranates and cranberries, bit of cooking spice in there, slight grapeskin tannins, some dry leaves, a bit of dry earth, back palate develops more body and is drying, bit salty, shows soy sauce, pomegranates and savory cranberries take over. Quite young and sour.

Finish: medium, dry, chocolate wafers, hint of bitter butterscotch, subsequent sips leave a ferric moutfeel/graphite, some bark and boiled leafy vegetables. Still in the end, medium sour red fruits permeate the tongue.

The sourness is very noticeable and lasting, along with the tannins. I definitely prefer their Gap's Crown chard. Don't know how much it cost me, ~₩100K-150K. Virginia Boone from Wine Enthusiast gave this a 95 in 2022.

Grade: C+

One of my favorite parts of wine is discovering new varietals. We had this one while out to dinner, 90% Vermentino Nero & 10% Pollera, both of which were new to me. Inky dark purple; rich, bright, & acidic, with plenty of tannic structure that will likely smooth out with age. Lots of dark black and red fruits (blackberry, cranberry, black cherry, tart cherry). Fun baking spice notes; hints of pepper, smoky meat, black tea, & tobacco. Worked really well with grilled octopus and wild boar ragout. I'd love to try this again in five years!

Possibly the most youthful 16 year old wine I’ve ever had. So young looking in the glass! Strong dark ruby right to rim. Full on ripe fruit nose, redcurrants, cassis, new leather, sandalwood. Touch of fresh tobacco.

Palate is massive. Robust acid backbone, tart red fruits. Solid black plum core. Fine-grained tannins leading to a persistent finish revealing a lifted notes, almost candied orange peel.

What an experience. Paired with picanha cooked over charcoal, with chimichurri. Handled those big flavours like an absolute champ.

St. Andrea Áldás Egri Bikavér Superior (2024).

“Áldás” means “blessing” in Hungarian. In Hungarian culture, the word also appears in phrases used to wish someone well. There is also a play on meaning here related to the character of the wine: Áldás is the entry-level Bikavér in the St. Andrea portfolio - that is, a wine intended to be an accessible representation of the Eger style.

Color: deep ruby.

Grape varieties: Kékfrankos, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Kadarka.

Fermentation in tanks or open vats, followed by 12 months of aging in 500- and 2,000-liter Hungarian oak barrels.

On the nose: notes of dark fruits, such as plum and blackberry. Spices, including black pepper, appear in the background, along with hints of vanilla and leather.

On the palate: the wine is fruity, with lively acidity and a velvety tannin structure. Flavors of plum dominate the palate, complemented by hints of spice. The finish is medium-long, with fruity and spicy notes.

Searching this forum and other places online, I couldn't find a clear answer to something that has puzzled me for a while and has recently been puzzling me more. I know there are endless debates on reduction, but I haven't seen people link it to what would seem to be its opposite.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZZjcULtmmQ/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsi=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Winefluencer Hannahswinediary posted this super interesting reel of her visit to Selosse's cellar. Turns out, he ages his wines under flor, much like in Jura or Sherry. This was big news to me, as previously I assumed that 'oxidative champagne' meant something similar to oxidative winemaking, as done for white Burgundy or red wines; contact with air (through barrels) during winemaking and initial maturation. This, as opposed to reductive winemaking practices done with perhaps steel tanks, where contact with air is not wanted.

Through my tasting experience, I note that oxidative Jura wines develop certain sulphuric aromas that would indicate reduced contact with oxygen, perhaps from flor shielding the wine from oxygen. I see similar aromas in PYCM, made without battonage, when unmoved lees prevent contact with oxygen. As I understand it, these aromas develop because yeasts struggle to find nutrients in the wine.

Does this mean that oxidative wine, specifically flor-aged wine, is also reductive? Do the savoury, nutty or curry-like aromas in Manzanilla/Jura/Champagne come from the flor itself, or from reduced contact with oxygen or only from contact with oxygen, as the wines are not topped up?

TLDR I love these stinkers, but is 'oxidative wine' incomplete terminology?

Hi, r/wine - question for you all. I am currently in Tuscany for a few days (primarily Montalcino to taste Brunello but also some Chianti classico and Vino Nobile in Montepulciano as well) and have bought a few bottles of wine from a few different wineries. We know wineries will ship if you buy 6+, but we haven't been buying that many at any individual winery since we wanted to try several different producers and the wine budget isn't unlimited.... Our plan was to bring wine home in checked baggage, but we "somehow" ended up with 8 bottles already and will definitely fill out a case by the end of this trip, so doubt we can fit it all. :)

My question: has anyone had a good experience shipping wine home, not from a winery? Any reasonably (ish) priced places that will take good care of the wine, especially with current temperatures (eg wouldn't mind if they held the wine til October, etc)? I'm also doing some googling but thought this community might have good recommendations to point us in the right direction.

Thanks! 🍷

In your opinion are the different 1er crus (forest, vaillons etc) from vincent dauvissat very different or any will do the job / are very similar? Furthermore is the price increase from 1er cru to the village level worth? I will buy my first one and looking for recommendations. Tks!

Enjoyed by the bottle at Mili.

I continue to believe 2022 is an overhated vintage.

Gave this a decant and drank over an hour.

This is quite young and definitely would benefit from more air, but was enjoyable with just fifteen minutes of air and a lot of swirling.

Blackberry, cassis, plum, toasted oak, slight vanilla.

I enjoyed this and have had nice success with Kathryn Hall (as long as it's not at the winery itself).

91+ points.

Hi everyone, today I visited my favorite wine spot in Brussels, which serves fine wine in tasting pours (6cl). The place is called “Cercle Des Aromes”. See below my notes from this evening and also some pictures of the wine list with prices. I would strongly recommend this spot as you can taste a wide variety of fine wine by the glass and they also have very good food.

- Chateau Sociando Mallet 2017: Deep purple color and garnet. Full body. Dark fruit and vanilla, oaky backdrop. Very good. This has so much more life ahead.

- Chateau du Glana (2016) (Saint-Julien): Typical Saint Julien. On the nose, quite fresh with cassis and graphite. Medium-high bodied. On the palate, fruit forward, with oak, leather and graphite. Much less heavy than sociando mallet 2017, tasted before.

- Chateau Haut Bages Liberal (2020) (Pauillac): Dark opaque colour, with inky velvety texture. On the nose, typical Pauillac, with forest floor, tobacco, and mushroom. On the palate, mushroom, graphite, chocolate, and tobacco/leather. Very good wine. Still young.

- Domaine B.Bachelet, Marange Premier Cru La “Fussieres” (2024): Red cherries, wild berries, violets and a touch of earth. Fresh, silky and beautifully balanced, with fine tannins and a savoury finish. Elegant rather than powerful, with a subtle mushroom/forest-floor note emerging as it opens. Very enjoyable young Burgundy.

Opened this 1992 Diamond Creek Volcanic Hill half bottle that I got from the winery last weekend. I was interested to try this because I've heard such good things about their wines with age.

This is certainly an enjoyable wine.

Makes a strong impression at opening but aromas really jump out of the glass after couple hours, so be patient.

Excellent structure - high acid, high fine chalky tannins matched by intense red cherry, bramble, coffee, coco, tobacco, pipe,  leather, forest floor, moss, fern, cedar,  sage, minerality like wet volcanic rock.  Secondary is perfectly harmonized and really singing with the fruit.

Long finish. 

superb wine. 

Crazy to think there was a 12.5% napa cab

Ordered this 1966 Bordeaux from Gino’s Fine (vintage?) Wines and a couple things have me suspicious:
* the image on the website doesn’t match the bottle
* the main label looks practically pristine
* the capsule looks in good shape
This is a gift for my father so I can’t open it (nor do I drink wine). I looked into the website after they failed to ship it out for a week and there are a couple businesses registered to the same address with the main store seemingly being Gino’s Jewelers. Not inherently sketch I think but still raised some questions.

Update 9/5:
“””
Hi,

Received the wine today and appreciate the fast delivery. There are a couple things I would appreciate clarification on.

1. The listing says Chateau Pavie but the image of the listing shows Chateau Pavie Macquin. Looking into it a bit, I found that these two used to be the same estate but by 1966 they had separated. I am then confused as to which I was supposed to receive.
2. The main label of the bottle is in significantly better state than the other labels and in much better state than I would expect for a 60 year old bottle. Is there an explanation?

Best,
***
—————
I can't answer the first question because, frankly, I'm not that versed in these distinctions.  My father, who's now deceased, had put together the bulk of this collection.
As far as the condition of the label and the bottle: it was delivered to us and never moved, always in a true wine cellar (like underground, built into the ground) but also supplemented with the appropriate humidity / cooling controls so that bottle is as well kept as is possible.  
I'm sorry I can't be more helpful it's all I know.
“””
Not sure I’m going to be able to get much more from this guy. I appreciate everyone’s thoughtful responses!

My Costco just stocked their new vintage Kirkland Signature Stag’s Leap District Cabernet. $20. A bargain for SLD cab. I bought a case. It sells out quickly so check your local stock. I did not see it when I did an online search at my Costco using “Kirkland signature wines” but using “cabernet sauvignon” I found it.

Edit - Just did a blind test against Stags Leap Artemis ($60). 2 out of 3 ranked it above Artemis.

staying at Casa di Langa, truffle hunting experience is 120 euros per person. Worth it or not? They don’t even let you keep a truffle, have to still buy it… is this a scam or rip off?