todd10

Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc 2018, Marlborough, South Island

I had the 2017 vintage a couple months ago. The 2017 was better. This was good too though.
The top take away from this wine was the length. I thought the length was well above average.
Aromas of lemon and fresh cut grass.
Taste of green apple and lychee. Very good acidity.
Although the wine was good at around 8C, while it sat in my wine chiller and got cooler, I did enjoy the wine more. It became more crisp and balanced.

Tasted May 2020

Pierre Amadieu Domaine Grand Romane Cuvée Prestige Vieilles Vignes 2017, Ac Gigondas

I was a little disappointed with this wine. I have enjoyed a few nice Gigondas wines the last few months but this one was missing the charactor and balance of what I have come to expect from a Gigondas. Black fruit on the nose and palate. Grippy tannins. Nice finish. I would suggest to decant for 30 minutes.
My opinion is if you plan on opening this, perhaps wait a couple more years for some more charactor to develop.
Tasted June 2020.

Château Clarke 2015, Ac Listrac Médoc

I feel I should have waited a few more years before I tasted this. I did not fine the aromas or flavors as complexed as I was hoping for. In the nose, I was getting black current with a little oak. On the palate very grippy tannins. That surprised me considering the wine is 70% Merlot. Dark fruit flavors.
The tannins did smooth out a little after the bottle was opened for a while so I do recommend to decant for at least 30 minutes, maybe an hour.

Tasted June 2020

Mission Hill Reserve Chardonnay 2019, Okanagan Valley

This was a nice wine but nothing stood out for me that makes it deserve a 90+ review. It does have aromas of tree fruit with a hint of lime zest. Nice length. I once even had a nice buttery flavor on the finish. This wine was very finicky when it came to temperature. I started with 12C but it did not suit this wine. I say around 8 or 9C was the sweet spot. When it got cooler than that, it closed up as expected.
Tasted April2022

Lan Gran Reserva 2012, Doca Rioja

The first aromas that I got was chocolate, This was followed by oak.
What I did enjoy was the flavors. Not that I ever ate a cigar box or leather, but these were the taste that I got. I love these types of flavors that I do not taste in 90% of the wines I drink.
I did not notice much evolution after I opened the wine so I see no reason to decant.
Tasted October 2022

Domaine Chante Perdrix Châteauneuf Du Pape 2016, Ac

This was a great wine. Aromas of delicious dark fruit and a hint of vanilla. This was a very well balanced wine. Taste of dark fruit combined with dark chocolate. Long tasty finish.
Throughout the evening, I did not notice much change in the wine, so I see no reason to decant. It is great from the moment you open it.
Tasted May 2020

Bodega Garzón Reserva Albariño 2018, Maldonado

Albarino is one of my favorite white wines. However this one disappointed me. The nose was a subtle hint of lychee. The taste I can best describe as apple. The mouth feel was not what I was expecting. It was a little spritzy. When swirling it in my mouth, it almost felt like I was swirling a cola drink in my mouth. Acidity was okay. Overall, I have learned that perhaps when I buy Albarino wines, I should stick with Portugal and Spain.

Zuccardi Poligonos Malbec 2016, Tupungato Alto, Mendoza

The wine is dark purple. When first opened, it had wonderful aromas of cassis, black pepper and vanilla. Very strong tannin's. It will dry your mouth very fast. At this point, I would have loved to have a steak with it. About an hour later, I found the aromas dissipated a bit but the tannin's smoothed out a bit too. Even though the aromas soften, another aroma started to emerge...dark chocolate. This wine has dark fruit flavors. I would say the sweet spot for this wine is about an hour after opening.

Tasted May 2020

The Lane Vineyard Block 14 Basket Press Shiraz 2016, Adelaide Hills, South Australia

Started off with a nice aroma of black fruit such as black berries. I found the balance of the wine was off. The tannis were smooth but the acidity was a little high. I also found the wine a little hot. I see this was rated a 92 a year ago. I wonder if that was it's peak because a year later I would not say that it is a 92.
Tasted Feb 2020

Gemtree Uncut Shiraz 2015, Mclaren Vale, South Australia

I was unable to get much on the nose. If anything stood out, it would have been a hint of green pepper. I can say that it had a firm tannin that became softer as it had a chance to breathe. I was tasting some dark fruit and dark chocolate on the finish.

I do recommend that this wine be decanted one hour before drinking.

2015 vintage Tasted April 2019