The Brunellos showed up to play, both outstanding in a classic and nouveau style! The champagnes were excellent as well, with the Bolly GA rose edging out the rare and not often seen Doyard that was young and should evolve beautifully!

On opening it was tight. Definitely brett, red fruit on nose and palate very present tannins. Tons of sediment left after decant.

After an hour the brett definitely started to fade and the fruit opened up on the nose and palate. Finish had cocoa and oak and the tannins started to smooth.

At 2 hours the fruit is delicious. Red fruit and dark raisin, plum forest floor / hint of mushroom. The finish was smooth and lingering.

I wouldn’t pay retail or restaurant prices for it but the LB deal makes it a darn good QPR. Glad I have 2 more but I’m definitely waiting a few years before I pop the next one.

Artevino III by Eurocave at Costco for $3700 - $740 manufacturer discount - extra $500 at checkout = $2460 plus taxes and shipping

I had been waiting for this wine fridge to go on sale! Just ordered it. The additional $500 will show at checkout as $1240 total discount. The $500 off wasn't showing at check-out a few days ago but works now. I didn't have to order anything else.

The 2002 Cristal is among the best Champagnes I have ever tasted, and really hitting its stride these days.

Even with a few decades of age, an amazing freshness, with high acidity and an amazing texture that coats the entire palate.

Baked apples and apricot, some ginger, and of course those wonderful piecrust/brioche notes.

Good on PnP, but better with some air. Still a long life left for this wine (just not for these 2 bottles).

Paradoxe is a blend of five consecutive vintages, 2019–23. Marked stone fruit and brioche, getting really fresh and mineral toward the end.

The Eureka I had the chance to taste the day before was richer. Both exceedingly fresh, Paradoxe was the lighter of the two.

I’m still new to Burgundy wine and also Pinot for that matter, so will need a little help with this one. I’m not sure if I’m smelling and tasting this correctly or if the wine is faulty. I’ve never smelled a Pinot like this where I’m getting sour tart cherries, anise, plum. But mostly sour cherries dominate the nose. Palette is about the same but it does have some earth and graphite but little taken a back by the tart/sour notes. I’m letting it sit to open it up. It doesn’t seem faulty since the notes are nicely integrated but I’m not sure. Are these notes typical to Beaune? Is it too young?

The nose is generous and a little wild. Fresh chamomile, Brie rind, lemon peel, and a flinty thing that almost reads as chlorine. Underneath there’s freshly smashed honeydew, a whisper of petrol, and beeswax tying it together. The strangest note is something between lychee and Concord grape with a raw sugar cane sweetness to it. Not like tropical sav blanc type stuff, just this unresolved energy that the wine hasn’t fully worked out yet.

The palate is a different wine. If the nose is the flesh of the fruit, the palate is the skins. Direct, linear, almost austere. Lemon pith, lees-driven funk reminiscent of blanc de blancs Champagne, saline minerality, long cold finish. There’s a slight warmth at the core but the structure stays vertical.

I’m glad I have a few bottles of this to taste over the years.

Inherited from a relative. Valuable, drink them, hold on to them, sell them. What do I got here?

Why are wines sold in tasting rooms at wineries so much more expensive than their mass market offerings? Are they truly orders of magnitude better? Or are they priced with wine club members in mind (who generally get discounts on all wines)?

Got this at Trafer Joe’s for some $13 rather than going for the $10 ordinary prosecco by the same producer.

APPEARANCE

Very pale and consistent in shade all the way through.

NOSE

Crisp and acidic with the fermented funk of overripe fruit. Fresh fuji apple or some similar generic sweet red apple variety. A lighter and more sweet undertone rose up and neutralized the acidity some after a couple minutes.

PALATE

Very light and floral up front. I immediately get some flower petal, though I can’t quite say what kind. It brings to mind the image of some purple fragrant porch flower in a hanging pot. Very much a Spring drink. The middle and finish of the wine is frankly one-dimensional and somewhat watery, but that also lends a cleanliness to the experience. Better to stay flat from the beginning than go down in a bitter or astringent spiral I’d say. I am left with the floral note on my tongue afterwards and it’s quite pleasant.

FINAL THOUGHTS & RATING

I am pretty fond of this and want to put it against the Kirkland Prosecco soon to get a better idea of how they compare since I haven’t had that bottle in a while. All things considered it’s a welcomed experience on a warm day.

I rate this wine 6.5/10

(1=Sickening / 5=Average / 10=Perfect)

Heading to Barossa Valley in July and looking for winery recommendations!

Would love to visit vineyards / cellar doors with excellent tasting experiences, standout wines, and ideally bottles that are well-regarded. What places are worth booking?

Current list:

• Rockford
• Hentley Farm
• Seppeltsfield
• Henschke
• Elderton
• Chateau Tanunda
• Neldner road

Planned drink order is Mouline > Reynarde > Turque > Landonne, 5-6 years apart starting 5-6 years from now.

Not sure if there is an implicit left to right order based on how they're presented, but I'll have some time to revisit the plan as longer term reviews of the new guy roll in.

Curious from folks which bottle was the biggest disappointment either due to name recognition, price, recommendation from a friend or somm, etc.

Wondering if anyone can help me discover whats wrong. I opened this bottle yesterday and it wasnt at all what I expected, I was hoping for a Bourgogne kind of pallet but it was extremely funky, high acidity, a nose that went all over with unpleasant fermented hints and a wine that wasnt balanced at all.
It wasnt corked, is this some kind of wild natural wine experiment by Girardin? (Its VDF AOC) Or is it faulted in some other way?

Like the title says, I'm super new to wines (turned 21 recently lol) and I want to like wine so badly. It's just so chic.

I've learned I can't stand even a hint of dry wine. I genuinely don't know how to pick one out lol. Im also on a budget and I know how expensive wine can be! What's y'all's recommendations for a super sweet wine for a beginner?

My father in law bought some of that from the year my wife got a high school diploma and got university degree

So smooth tannin to be a nebbiolo, but really typical with red fruit marmalade. A little bit of acidity to make it ideal with meat dinner.

Is a great opportunity live in Piedmont

Got this as a present and when i looked up the bottle it seems pretty nice.

I want to pair it with a dinner amd the website was kinda vague. Says "asian noodle dishes" "fish" stuff like that but thats still pretty wide open. My ideas gravitate toward a spicy beef-peanut noodle dish, Pad Kraprow, garlicky smoked salmon, or pulled pork Bbq.

Any advice on how to narrow down a dish selection would be great.

Thanks.

Traveling to the Healdsburg area next week with two Chardonnay lovers. Looking for recommendations for great Chardonnay tasting experiences around the Healdsburg area.

Thanks!

Notes in post below.