Adelaida
Reserve Viking/Anna's Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah 2015
I don’t think this is the vintage that delectable pulled up for me. This is the Adelaida Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah blend, 2016. Adelaida vineyards puts out so many different vintages and blends from year to year that I’m sure delectable has trouble keeping track of them.
anyway, this has leather and dried leaf mulch on the nose. Slightly sour cherries on the front. A very heavy tannic matrix. Velvet smooth until the end when a lot of bitter notes create a long tart finish. This wine fades fast after opening and it turns into a soft red velvet mush. Lots of very fine oxalic acid crystals are suspended in the wine. Decanting didn’t seem to remove them, but I admit I didn’t leave it in the decanter for over 15 minutes – because the wine began to fade. Right out of the bottle I’d give it a 9.1. After it opens up, I’d give it an 8.7. — 5 months ago
Glinavos
Vlahiko Dry Red Blend 2020
Mint and sea salt on the nose. Bright red fruit on the front of the tongue. But the fruit is immediately overwhelmed by an intense minerality. The tannic structure is too light to balance all the bitter mineral notes. A watery bitter wine with a long bitter finish.
I’ll recork this bottle and let it sit overnight. Let’s see if it opens up a bit.
it became insipid and sour on the following day. I can see why the ancient Greeks cut their wine with water.
At some point my 8.4 rating got pushed up to 9.9. I don’t know if this was user error on my part, but I corrected it. — 8 days ago
Law Estate Wines
Beguiling by Law Grenache - Syrah Blend
2019 opened June 2025. Heavy tobacco and sage on the nose. Not particularly fruit forward. The high acidity and the dense minerality of Beguiling make this wine make it a winner. Medium tannins restrain the excesses of the acidity and the calcaire. It has a long mineral finish. I like that! — 4 months ago
Fanti
Brunello di Montalcino Sangiovese 2019
2019 opened May 2025. Freshly tan leather on the nose. Black cherries on the front. Medium tannic structure. Nice mix of mineral high notes and dark chocolate low notes on the mid palate and the back palate. Short finish. Adequate, but this is probably the best you can get in the $50 price range in the US. — 6 months ago
Law Estate Wines
Aspire Syrah - Grenache Blend
2020 opened Oct 2025. This is a smooth well-balanced wine one would serve guests who lack adventurous palates. Briars and a hint of lavender on the nose. Black cherries—slightly under-ripe—on the front. Nothing but silky smooth tannins going down, until I caught a faint hint of calcaire on the finish. I require that a wine be somewhat more complex and challenging to my palate, but it’s very pleasant and drinkable — 11 days ago
Gaetano D'Aquino
Riserva Chianti Sangiovese Blend 2017
2017 opened May 2025. Tobacco and dark chocolate on the nose. Slight hint of red fruit on the front of the palate. Medium tannic structure. Soft on the front, with a long mineral finish. This is a sturdy no-frills Chianti. Very drinkable but not great. — 5 months ago
Quilceda Creek
Galitzine Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
2021 opened April 2025. This is a luscious wine, but I can’t help but nitpick. All the individual components are very one-dimensional. That’s not to say they all don’t work together well to make a great wine – but there’s nothing challenging on the palate about this vintage. If you like the monolithic cabs produced by Opus 1, then this wine is for you. However, I’d prefer a little more quirky individualism in my tipples.
The nose is overwhelmingly tobacco. The front is heavy with red fruit. The tannic structure is heavy, smooth, and silky. It has a medium long finish with hints of volcanic minerals. This wine is so perfect that it’s boring. If you like perfect perfection then up my score to 100 points, but I like the little challenges that quirky vintages give me. — 6 months ago
Wulf Losee
Thyme and sage on the nose. Light red fruit on the front, dominated by pomegranate. A smooth tannic under-structure appears on the front of the tongue and continues until the finish. It’s not heavier than a Beaujolais Nouveau, but its tannins continue to make their presence known against the onslaught of mineral high notes at the middle and the finish. It would be easy to overlook the sophistication of this wine if we didn’t pause to appreciate its subtleties. — 4 days ago