by Winepisser | May 3, 2019 | Quick Review
Great ice wine that balances the high sugar with just ever-so-tart apple pie notes. Just fell shy of a full 5 stars due to needing a tad bit more fruit to offset the sweetness.
by Winepisser | May 1, 2019 | Quick Review
Surprisingly poor Gewurztraminer but still squeaks by to get 3 stars. Too sweet with not enough of the typical Alsatian spice. Wouldn’t be mistaken for a German riesling but way too much sugar. Did these grapes come from somewhere else, and were only bottled in...
by Winepisser | Apr 28, 2019 | Quick Review
Middling German Pfaltz Gewurztraminer put to shame by its French neighbors in Alsace. Too close to a riesling to make it a great gwertz, and a gwertz should never be this close to a reez. Some nice fruit here, with floral notes, but nearly zero spice.
by Winepisser | Apr 12, 2019 | Full Article
January and February of 2019 were making the year look poorly, with not a single wine earning the five-star Winepisser rating. Thankfully, the first week in March spiced things up a bit as two single-grape reds won back-to-back cincos. First up is the absolutely...
by Winepisser | Apr 12, 2019 | Quick Review
Gewurztraminer being my favorite white, having only reached three stars is a disappointing surprise. Too much sugar knocks down the usual gwertz spice, leaving this tasting like a cheap blend. Still good, but just not up to par with other German offerings.
by Winepisser | Apr 3, 2019 | Quick Review
No year noted. The Bodega Santa Ana makes wine that ranges from middling to terrible, so this is on the better end, but still lacking. Mild, with very faint tart apple and floral notes. Drinkable but forgettable.
by Winepisser | Apr 2, 2019 | Quick Review
Passion fruit and crisp apple that brightens this up and makes it slightly unique from other offerings and even other vintages of the same wine. Drinks well by itself, but will be fussy to pair with, so stick with classic fish.
by Winepisser | Apr 2, 2019 | Quick Review
Middling cab with nearly zero tannins. There’s a point where smooth becomes bland and this approaches that. Nose is expressive with berry and sneaker leather but that doesn’t make it into the glass. Paired with simple lasagne, the wine wilted.
by Winepisser | Apr 1, 2019 | Quick Review
Fantastic German reez with a great mix of tart apple and sweet flowers. Tartness might turn off those looking for a more traditional offering and keeps this from five stars but it’s otherwise great
by Winepisser | Mar 29, 2019 | Quick Review
Bold leathery nose, palate is black cherry and earth. Balanced tannins don’t overpower. Very nice and drinks well solo. Blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec.
by Winepisser | Mar 28, 2019 | Quick Review
Nose of strawberry cupcake, palate is semi-dry bright berry with vanilla hints. Odd duck for a red but it’s proper French gamay, which is always fun.
by Winepisser | Mar 27, 2019 | Quick Review
Green olive, with a blackberry note hiding behind the typical meaty notes. No leather here, this is a bit more fruity than offerings from nearby Uruguay. Tannat continues to be a surprising grape.
by Winepisser | Mar 27, 2019 | Quick Review
Where the 2016 was impressive (for an airport wine) the 2017 drops a full star. Too oaky and lacking anything interesting. A low rent domestic chardonnay.
by Winepisser | Mar 25, 2019 | Quick Review
About the same as the prior year’s vintage, but perhaps with less grapefruit. Mild, pleasant and utilitarian, but a fine riesling from Germany which always ranks high in my book. Perfect Goldilocks level of sugar. Those who are not reez-obsessed like me would...
by Winepisser | Mar 16, 2019 | Quick Review
Nose is grassy like a knoll, but without all that drama like the one in Texas. This is unoaked so there’s none of that California toothpick flavor here. A bit citric but not in a good way. Finish lasts a minute and then falls into forgetfulness. Paired with...
by Winepisser | Mar 12, 2019 | Quick Review
Grapefruit is all over this, with light floral nose and mild sugar. White zin gets a bad rap but this one is very nice. Will be fussy to pair with food but drinks well on its own.
by Winepisser | Mar 12, 2019 | Quick Review
Those bored by restaurant grade chiantis will find nothing new here. Tepid, a bit flat and nearly entirely noseless. Nice light tannins, moderate notes of cherry and tobacco, but blink and you’ll miss ’em. Better than “meh” but only...
by Winepisser | Mar 4, 2019 | Quick Review
Just wow, a labyrinthine maze of notes such as blackberry, mint, chocolate, smoke and earth. It’s definitely an “in your face” experience and not for those afraid of robust flavors. Smooth and silky but not so much that it is dull. A potent glass by...
by Winepisser | Mar 1, 2019 | Quick Review
Absolutely fantastic barbera from California, nose is fruit with some mild wood notes, glass is blackcurrant with earl grey tea and mild tannins. From earlier reviews in 2015 this appears to have aged nicely and drinks well now, and will only improve. Long finish of...
by Winepisser | Feb 25, 2019 | Quick Review
First sip from the glass was all cherry, and a bit too much of it. After sitting a bit, it calmed down. Strong dark fruit notes make this palatable only to fruit-forward fans. Light tannins but the smoothness is cut by the brash fruit. Comes off sweeter than it...
by Winepisser | Feb 23, 2019 | Quick Review
Peach with sauvignon blanc like grass notes, despite the actual grapes. Only mildly tart, very slightly off dry. No nose but long floral finish. Paired very well with Ruth’s Chris lobster bisque. A blend of Sangiovese, Corvina, Molinara, Merlot.
by Winepisser | Feb 20, 2019 | Quick Review
Another reviewer mentioned sorbet and that’s accurate, but also awful. There’s a sooth butteriness here that is just off putting. The overall flavor note is floral but the end result is like a daisy smoothie. Off dry.
by Winepisser | Feb 14, 2019 | Quick Review
Tasted this while suffering beginnings of a cold, so couldn’t comment fairly on the nose. Flavors are wonderful though, with bright green apple and citrusy lemony, slight hints of grass. So many of these US sauvignon blancs are disappointing but this one is very...
by Winepisser | Feb 12, 2019 | Quick Review
Good wine in general but I was slightly disappointed because it’s only a fair tempranillo, which usually fares better in my reviews. Some timid notes of cherry and moderate tannins, but you’d be forgiven if you couldn’t remember much else afterwards....
by Winepisser | Feb 3, 2019 | Quick Review
Reliably great Malbec from Argentina, with smooth tannins and deep near-black color. Blackcurrant and plum present here.
