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Weekly Twitter Wine Mini-Reviews Round-up for 2010-09-25

1WineDude — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 10:00:00 +0000

NV Chateau Frank Célèbre Cremant (Finger Lakes): Those scoring it lower have likely not had this apple-tinged delight with food. $19 B- #
00 Chateau Frank Brut (Finger Lakes): CF’s 1st foray into the classic Champagne grapes is still lovely, lively, spritely & kickin’. $25 B+ #
08 Schloss Saarstein Pinot Blanc (Mosel): If I’d dreamt of a wine for stuffed scallops, it would taste much like this elegant offering $16 B #
09 Johannishof “V” Riesling Kabinett (Rheingau): A lot going on (pear candy, lemons, flowers, apricot, spice) w/out being ponderous. $24 B+ #
07 Spring Valey Vineyard Nina Lee Syrah (Walla Walla): Any hotter and Nina would probably have to register herself as a deadly weapon. $50 B #
09 Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough): Too-sweet Wild tropical fruits (uh-oh) tamed by herbs & acid (hooray!). $15 B #
10 Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough): Finally tastes like it’s got the mark of the ‘borough (but otherwise unremarkable). $11 C+ #
10 Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough): Crisp, almost sweet but solid as the wet rocks its aromas evoke. $14 B- #
10 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough): Green tinge hints @ heap of nettles on the nose. Passion fruit & mouthfeel 2 the rescue $18 B #
10 Drylands Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough): Overachieving to the point of being smarmy. The gooseberries & flint are esp. nice touches. $16 B #
10 Kim Crawford “Spitfire” Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough): Like a group of animated cartoon citrus fruits; it’s almost *too* lively. $26 B #
10 Nobilo Icon Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough): 14% abv?? And yet it totally works, and will rock your next shellfish meal like a star. $22 B+ #
09 Kim Crawford Pinot Noir (Marlborough): Loved the chewy cherry & raspberry; but the rough mid-palate, not-so-much loving that. $19 B #
09 Nobilo Icon Pinot Noir (Marlborough): Ok, where has this sexy, toasty, earthy, spice, vibrant red-fruited thang been all my life? $22 B+ #
07 Kim Crawford Pinot Noir (Central Otago): Red, dark & enticing, like a chocolate-covered strawberry, but being shoved into your face. $33 B #
09 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough): Herbs & tropic fruit are all textbook Marlborough (its pages treated W/ all that acid!) $17 B #
09 Kim Crawford Unoaked Chardonnay (Marlborough): Balanced w/ fun aromas of apricot & buttered popcorn. Might be onto something here! $17 B #
07 R.A. Harrison Family Cellars Nobility (Napa-Sonoma): As it warms, this honeyed lemony treat goes from “nice” to “magic” in a hurry $75 A- #
09 Cornerstone Cellars Sauvignon Blanc (Napa Valley): Feels just a bit too big & luscious for its own impeccably crafted britches. $25 B #
08 Cornerstone Stepping Stone Cabernet Franc (Napa Valley): NOT Old World; but for fans of big, lush & spicy, it’s worth a good look. $30 B+ #
09 Innocent Bystander Pinot Gris (Victoria): Going thru a slightly awkward middle-palate period, but still pretty in pear & jasmine. $16 B #
06 L’Ecole No. 41 Cabernet Sauvignon (Walla Walla): Plum, spice, everything’s nice (& bigger than the sum of its multi-sourced parts) $40 B+ #

Weekly Twitter Wine Mini-Reviews Round-up for 2010-09-18

1WineDude — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 10:00:00 +0000

07 Huber Alte Reben Spatburgunder (Baden): I am totally sure this is delicious Pinot, just as sure as I am that it's overpriced Pinot $80 B+ #
09 Kesselstatt Josephshofer Riesling Kabinett (Mosel): Racy & Spicy German beauty seeks caring cellar for 4 years of rest & repose. $30 B+ #
09 Rheingraf Riesling Trocken (Rheinhessen): Feminine but forward. Also packs a bit of a punch, so watch what you say around her, ok? $21 B #
08 Three Rivers Winery Insania Red (Columbia Valley): A bit hot but pleasingly complex (hello Olives & cedar!) Bord'x-style blend. $35 B+ #
09 Three Rivers Winery Insania White (Columbia Valley): Match thisBord blend w/ grilled scallops & your mouth will thank U later $25 B #
06 Hugel & Fils Pinot Gris Classic "HUGEL" (Alsace): I consider it very awesome that someone is making a lively & very non-flabby PG. $15 B #
07 Spring Valley Vineyard Frederick (Walla Walla): A little too big, a little too boozy, but the spice is juuuuust right, Goldilocks. $50 B+ #
09 Shinn Estate Vineyards "First Fruit" Sauvignon Blanc (Long Island): So much lemongrass you'll think you're in a Thai restaurant. $22 B #
NV Shinn Estate Vineyards Red (Long Island): The pepper & herbs are nice, but while I don't mind 'em thin, I do mind 'em gaunt. $14 C+ #
07 Shinn Estate Vineyards Nine Barrels Reserve Merlot (Long Island): Walk-on part by dried fig steals the show in off-Broadway hit. $42 B+ #
08 Petroni Vineyards Chardonnay (Napa Valley): A bit too big, a bit too buttery, a bit too vanilla-y, but tropically tasty. $30 B- #
04 Petroni Vineyards Poggio Alla Pietra (Sonoma Valley): Tastes like Sangiovese, not easy in CA. But the heat & the price don't help. $60 B- #
07 Tenuta Rapitala Nuar (Sicily): Sicilians love to argue, but it's tough to fault a Nero D'avola blend this solid, nuanced & tasty. $15 B #
06 Petroni Vineyards Syrah (Sonoma Valley): At turns, like taking alternate sips of dark red berry juice & concentrated jet fuel. $40 C+ #

Weekly Twitter Wine Mini-Reviews Round-up for 2010-09-11

1WineDude — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 10:00:00 +0000

08 Luna Pinot Grigio (Napa Valley): Pear & citrus nose suggests a shiny nugget of food-friendliness. But, alas, it’s Fools’ Gold. $18 C+ #
NV Taittinger Brut La Francaise (Champagne): Nothing wrong w/ the green apple & cream on this baby, but I like ‘em a little toastier. $39 B+ #
07 Lucente (Toscana): A “bull in a china shop” at dinner; this is about as ripe, dark, plummy, & big as a Sangiovese blend can get. $30 B #
08 Fess Parker Ashley’s Chardonnay (Santa Rita Hills): 3 words – Home [insert declarative expletive of your choice here] run. $28 A- #
08 Fess Parker Pinot Noir (Santa Barbara County): Big & tangy, sort of like the wine world’s answer to chewy raspberry SweeTARTS. $27 B #
09 Quinta da Aveleda Vinho Verde: Now serving yer (amazingly inexpensive) tropical fruit appetizer on a bed of delicate white flowers $7 B #
09 Aveleda Alvarinho Vinho Branco (Regional Minho): Accomplished, accessible but slightly more serious big sister of Vinho Verde. $11 B+ #
09 Mar de Frades Albarino (Rias Baxias): Like having the juice from a fresh lemon wedge spritzed onto your weary wine soul. $16 B- #
06 Luce Della Vite (Toscana): Puts the “Mass” in “Massive.” But it does it Tuscany-style, which means it still works with bolognese. $94 B+ #
07 Spring Valley Vineyard Uriah (Walla Walla): Herby-n-chocolaty Merlot blend dancing fairly well on the line btw. Big and Balanced. $50 B+ #

Weekly Twitter Wine Mini-Reviews Round-up for 2010-09-04

1WineDude — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 10:00:00 +0000

08 Kunde Magnolia Lane Sauvignon Blanc (Sonama Valley): Goes down a little too easy. And the memory of it goes away a little too easy $15 B- #
08 Kunde Chardonnay (Sonoma Valley): Sweet tangerine and ripe pear aromas make a promise that the mouthfeel can’t quite keep. $17 B- #
07 Kunde Reserve Century Vines Zinfandel (Sonoma Valley): Very spicy, supple & peppery. Dollops of Barbera & PS smooth things out. $30 B #
07 Fess Parker Ashley’s Chardonnay (Santa Rita Hills): Use to shut your wine snob friends up when they say all creamy Chards suck. $28 B+ #
07 Fess Parker Syrah (Santa Barbara County): Could be used as the main blueberry blacktop ingredient for road paving in Candy Land. $24 B #
09 La Scolca “Rosa Chiara” Rosato (Gavi): Like taking an exquisite bunch of roses, ripping off the petals & chucking them everywhere. $16 C+ #
09 Santi “Infinito” Rose of Bardolino (Veneto): Straaaaawberryyyyy Fieeeeeelds Forevaaaahhhhhhh. $11 B- #
09 El Coto de Rioja Rosado (Rioja): If you’re the impatient type who picks raspberries before they’re ripe, this one’s hard to beat. $9 B- #
09 Hecht & Bannier Vin de Pays d’Oc Rose (Languedoc-Rousillon): Proof that France has never really resigned the global Rose crown. $12 B+ #
09 Paul Jaboulet “Parallele 45″ Rose (Cotes du Rhone): A beauty who’s not afraid to mix it up with us commoners. Total overachiever. $12 B+ #
09 Michel Torino Malbec Rose (Cafayate Valley): You’ll have a hard time keeping our friends’ hands off this candied berry goodness. $11 B #

Weekly Twitter Wine Mini-Reviews Round-up for 2010-08-28

1WineDude — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 10:00:00 +0000

09 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhauser Riesling (Mosel): Quite aggressive citrus edge, even for a young Mosel. Very good (but not great). $35 B+ #
06 Wallis Family Diamond Mtn. District Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Unabashedly chasing big scores, & will get them; it's superb $85 A- #
08 C. Donatiello Middle Reach Chardonnay (Russian River Valley): Fans of big CA Chards will be hard-pressed to find a better example. $NA B+ #
09 Pascal Jolivet "Attitude" Rose (Loire): Handsome illegitimate love child of Pinot Noir / Gamay / Cabernet Sauvignon three-way. $16 B- #
07 Pina D'Adamo Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Soooo dark. Soooo smooth. Soooo concentrated. Soooo good. Toooo BIG. $75 B+ #
08 Guy Saget Domaine de la Perriere Sancerre: Don't even think about touching this racy, flowery beauty w/out buying her dinner first. $22 B #