Winegeeks Wine Reviews

Wine Review for Golden Grape Estates South Australia 2007

Mon, 15 Mar 10 10:24:05 -0700

By amber0526

Rating: 3.91 / 5.0

Unexpectedly good considering the price.

Wine Review for Buenos Ondas Malbec Mendoza Rose 2009

Sun, 14 Mar 10 14:27:25 -0700

By torrentes36

Rating: 4.11 / 5.0

Bright crisp and juicy. Light red in color, full of life and flavor. Red berries and sweet candy on palate. Aromas of rose petals and cherry. I love this wine for my lazy summer days.

Wine Review for Bodega Norton Chardonnay Mendoza 2009

Sun, 14 Mar 10 13:08:24 -0700

By torrentes36

Rating: 3.51 / 5.0

I am not a big Chardonnay drinkier. But this one actually quenched my palate. Offers clean, fresh pear and green apple backed by a lively finish.

Wine Review for La Crema Russian River Valley 2007

Sat, 13 Mar 10 14:12:46 -0800

By stevej

Rating: 3.71 / 5.0

This wine on the nose right away is typical musty California cellar, but after that the fruit hits you and it's LIVELY. Nice Balance Michelle. Then, in your mouth, it starts with tannins that are very balanced, finishes rasberry, strawberry. Impress a Pinot drinker with this one.

Wine Review for Domaine Bott-Geyl Alsace Gewurztraminer Elements 2007

Wed, 10 Mar 10 13:39:03 -0800

By esbrown

Rating: 3.51 / 5.0

The Elements line of wines from Dom. Bott-Geyl offers high quality at more affordable prices as this wine consists of about 50% Grand Cru fruit and the remainder from a well-exposed vineyard just outside of the Grand Crus. The nose brings in typical notes of roses, baking spices and a touch of tropical fruits. The palate is neither sweet nor heavy, but has more unctuous qualities than that of a dry wine. Broad and big, but minerally and with refreshing acidity, it is a complex and well-balanced wine that hits on all cylanders. It is also certified organic and biodynamic for those of you that are interested.

Wine Review for Gilbert Picq Chablis Vacoupin 1er Cru 2008

Wed, 10 Mar 10 13:24:26 -0800

By esbrown

Rating: 4.31 / 5.0

The Vaucoupin is on the same stretch of ground as the Grand Cru of Chablis and sits on an impossibly-steep south-facing hillside. Hand harvested, strict sorting, native yeasts and natural battonnage in stainless-steel, all of the practical elements are in place for great wines. But the wine is not just great, it is stunning. The Vaucoupin was broad and complex on the nose, with elements of tropical fruits, roasted herbs and a buttery note that reminded me of roast chicken (don't ask, it is just what I smell sometimes!) The palate was absolutely delicious, with amazingly pure flavors that ran from citrus to tropical fruits and mixed in minerals and subtle chalky notes. The wine was silky, broad and chewy but also had a crystal clear vein of minerals running through the middle. Though it is rockin' now, I would like to retaste this wine in ten years. Not inexpensive, but an incredible value.

Wine Review for Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Santa Barbara County La Bauge au Dessus 2006

Wed, 10 Mar 10 13:04:26 -0800

By esbrown

Rating: 3.91 / 5.0

Always a classy and well-made wine, the La Bauge comes from a particularly well-exposed plot of vines in the heart of the Le Bon Climat vineyard on the ABC estate. Full, fleshy and round, but without any heaviness or over the top fruit. Part of the allure with fine Pinot is the texture, and the La Bauge is a silky-smooth example that runs the black cherry and berry flavors before hints of spice and cola come through. The nose is elegant and expressive. There is a certain depth to this wine that remains full without feeling like a 16% Syrah-like fruit bomb. Very tasty!

Wine Review for Tikal Patriota Mendoza 2008

Wed, 10 Mar 10 12:28:07 -0800

By torrentes36

Rating: 2.91 / 5.0

Mocha and melted licorice notes. Slightly jammy raspberry and fig flavors. long spicy finish.

Wine Review for Alexana Pinot Noir Dundee Hills Revana Vineyard 2007

Wed, 10 Mar 10 11:58:40 -0800

By torrentes36

Rating: 4.55 / 5.0

Smooth, polished and generous with its orange peel-accented cherry and tobacco flavors, finishing expressively against silky tannins

Wine Review for August Cellars Portus Augustus Willamette Valley 2006

Wed, 10 Mar 10 11:09:28 -0800

By tom_schaad

Rating: 3.71 / 5.0

This is August Cellars' current port. It can be enjoyed now or can be held for the next fifteen years. It is a rich vintage port with deep prune and grape flavors. I love this wine with gingerbread, cheese, or dark chocolate.

Wine Review for Alamos Torrontés Mendoza 2009

Fri, 05 Mar 10 13:12:57 -0800

By torrentes36

Rating: 3.91 / 5.0

Full of vibrant citrus and tropical fruit both on the nose and mouth. Slight lingering finish that was crisp and tasty. I paired this with a porkloin roasted with portabella mushroom and cracked pepper, grilled asparagus and potatoes.

Wine Review for Gessami Penedés Gromana 2004

Sat, 27 Feb 10 18:55:16 -0800

By ryansnyder

Rating: 3.91 / 5.0

I really like this wine. It shows pear, white peach and orange zest, with a hint of aspargus and a floral, almost soapy, finish. But it's the intangible aspect of, well, biodynamic-like complexity and earthiness that is making me want more. Pair with paella. Oh. Yes.

Wine Review for Joseph Voillot Bourgogne Rouge 2007

Fri, 19 Feb 10 16:43:20 -0800

By esbrown

Rating: 3.71 / 5.0

The Voillot Bourgogne Rouge is culled from old vines grown in Volnay and Pommard. It is a delightfully elegant, finessed and perfumed style of Burgundy, as delicate as a spring flower and as graceful as a ballet dancer. Soft red fruits, violet and lavender perfume, touches of earth and a bright vein of acidity and minerality through th center provide lift and life to this fine and traditional Burgunday. This is why cool climate Pinot Noir rocks!

Wine Review for Chateau Virgile Costières de Nîmes 2009

Fri, 19 Feb 10 16:22:30 -0800

By esbrown

Rating: 3.28 / 5.0

Consistently a great wine and a great value from one vintage to the next, the Virgile Rose is as always a mix of cherry blossom and orange zest notes on the nose and then lots of fresh red fruits that range from raspberry to cranberry to sour cherry on the palate. Linear and bright, the wine seemlessly transitions from the intensity of the palate to the refreshing finish.

Wine Review for Hiedler Gruner Veltliner Kamptal Loess 2008

Fri, 19 Feb 10 16:04:01 -0800

By esbrown

Rating: 3.91 / 5.0

The Hiedler practically jumps from the glass on both the nose and the palate. Crazy fruity, crazy floral, crazy crispy and clean and just a really enjoyable glass of wine. I could get into the specifics on flavors and aromas but I prefer to just offer this: DRINK IT NOW! Awww yeeaahhh!

Wine Review for Tierra Secreta Malbec Mendoza 2006

Mon, 15 Feb 10 07:55:13 -0800

By torrentes36

Rating: 3.71 / 5.0

This wine was very jammy and spicy. Full long finish with supple tannins. Lots of dark berries.

Wine Review for Lorenzo Inga Grappa d Moscato

Sun, 14 Feb 10 18:21:32 -0800

By sailor26

Rating: 1.24 / 5.0

I found this wine to be quite dry and quite bitter tasting. Since it is a grappa it is to be expected I suppose.

Wine Review for Fescenino Ribera del Duero 2007

Thu, 11 Feb 10 19:17:41 -0800

By ryansnyder

Rating: 2.88 / 5.0

This is a great wine for people who like highly extracted Pinots and Cabs. It's a little muted on the nose, showing only oak and dried tobacco. On the palate it is fruit forward, showing extracted fruit flavors of prune, stewed blueberries and pomegranate, with tobacco and woody notes on the finish. For me it's slightly off-track for a Ribera del Duero, but that's just me.

Wine Review for Francois Mikulski Bourgogne Aligote 2006

Tue, 09 Feb 10 15:42:15 -0800

By ryansnyder

Rating: 2.68 / 5.0

Like most of the Aligotes that I've consumed, this wine is a bit odd. And not in a bad way exactly, just in a "different" sort of way. You'll have to try it to know what I'm talking about. I'd say it's a cross between a Burgundian Chard, a Vouvray and an Albarino. A lightly creamy body, with subtle vanilla notes atop flavors of mandarin orange, lime zest and pink grapefruit, and just the slightest bit of crushed seashell. It's always fun to try an Aligote, and always fun to move on to the next bottle.

Wine Review for Maculan Breganze Torcolato 2005

Thu, 04 Feb 10 20:22:07 -0800

By ryansnyder

Rating: 4.35 / 5.0

I found this at a small wine shop near Pike Place in Seattle. When I mentioned to the wine steward that I was looking for a Vin Santo, he strong-armed me into buying this wine, telling me it would make me "geek out". It was an easy sell.

This wine was absurd on the nose. Absurd. It showed aromas ranging from pistachio to Indian spices to dried fig to orange peel. It was all over the place. On the palate, it showed a good balance between sweet and dry, with a light syrupy body. It shows honeysuckle, St- Germain, Meyer lemon, apricot and pistachio, and is really a great, balanced desert wine. I will definitely buy this wine again. Pair with panna cotta.

Wine Review for Margaine Demi-Sec Champagne NV Traditionelle

Sun, 31 Jan 10 13:19:55 -0800

By esbrown

Rating: 3.71 / 5.0

Margaine sits on an exposed bed of limestone powder in the Montagne de Reims, an area usually known for rich and robust Pinot Noir-based bubbles. However, the lighter soils make this estate an island of Chardonnay in a sea of red-fruit dominated Champagnes. It is a wine of sheer enjoyment. While sweetness is what usually comes to mind with demi-sec, this wine is unctuous and rich in texture but delightfully dry on the finish. Instead of citrus fruits think of more tropical notes of papaya, guava and mango. Instead of fresh apples think of a delicious baked apple tart. It is rich and seductive on the front end, but then the flesh and open texture funnels into a core of bright acidity, so the wine does not feel heavy or cloying. It is almost easier to compare it to Grand Cru Riesling with bubbles. I can think of nothing better after a full meal in lieu of dessert.

Wine Review for Riouolo Pink Prosecco del Veneto Raboso NV

Fri, 29 Jan 10 08:20:59 -0800

By ryansnyder

Rating: 3.95 / 5.0

Any number of cheesy movie lines can be used to describe this wine. My favorite - This wine had me at hello. I'm serious. This wine is gorgeous in the glass, with a peachish pink hue that reminds you of a Hawaiian sunset. And on the palate, it waltzes, showing green apple rounded out by Meyer lemon and white peach, with a light effervescence that's balanced by a light creamy body. And it's dryer than it is sweet, but will still meet the needs of those with a sweet tooth. I've turned many friends on to this wine, and each has said to me that it's their new favorite wine.

Pair this with light appetizers that will allow your palate to focus on the wine instead of the food.

Wine Review for Cana's Feast Nebbiolo Columbia Valley 2007

Tue, 26 Jan 10 19:08:25 -0800

By jasonbrumley

Rating: 3.91 / 5.0

Cana's Feast Winery is located in the heart of the Willamette Valley in Oregon; however, the majority of the grapes used in their production are sourced from eastern Washington. Their focus is on big warm climate varietals. Patrick Taylor took over as head winemaker at Cana's Feast in 2007. Taylor's winemaking style can be described as "old world" style meets "new world" science with a focus on typicity and purity.

The 2007 Cana's Feast Nebbiolo has a light cherry color that is complemented by bright Bing cherry, dried rose hips and tea leaf on the nose. The palate is immediately light and juicy and the cherry notes continue, but soon fade into strong leather, tobacco and tar flavors toward the mid-palate. Somewhere around halfway, strong bulky tannins remind the drinker that this is indeed Nebbiolo.

This is a wine that is truly a joy to sip and discover the multiple layers of complexity that it has to offer. The wine is still quite young, and will only benefit from time in the bottle. I would highly recommend any adventuresome wine drinker to try this Nebbiolo.

Wine Review for Dashe Cellars Late Harvest Zinfandel Dry Creek Valley 2007

Sat, 23 Jan 10 10:19:02 -0800

By esbrown

Rating: 3.48 / 5.0

Anne and Michael Dashe have for years produced exciting and consistently good Zins from their old vine vineyards in the Dry Creek Valley of Sonoma. The late harvest is another such product that combines rich fruit, ample spice and a soft frame. Broad and deep on the nose with lots of spicy fruit and hints of herbs and chocolate. The palate is a big swath of purple fruits and spicy raspberries, which is followed by chewy dark chocolate, baking spices and a long and rich finish. Sweet and spicy and a perfect way to cap off an evening by a roaring fire.

Wine Review for Jakob Schneider Riesling Spatlese Nahe Hermannshohle Vineyard 2007

Sat, 23 Jan 10 10:09:51 -0800

By esbrown

Rating: 3.91 / 5.0

Widely considered to be a first class vineyard in the Nahe, the 07 Schneider is a supple and sublime offering that offers fresh peaches, white floral notes and a silken texture. Lush and sweet upon entry, the wine settles into a fresh minerality and surprisingly juicy mid-palate before a fine dry finish swings into high gear. Lusty and long, I have always enjoyed the Schneider wines for their pure intense fruit.