by Winepisser | Feb 10, 2018 | Quick Review
Dry but with more flavor than other champagnes in the brut class, which can sometimes come off as nothing more than soda water. Subtle apple. Not bad.
by Winepisser | Feb 7, 2018 | Quick Review
Grassy cat pee, comes as shockingly close to a New Zealand SB as I’ve ever had from Napa. Very tart. Best CA sauvignon blanc I’ve tasted to date!
by Winepisser | Feb 6, 2018 | Quick Review
Light toast with strong floral notes. Crisp, not at all oily like some of its American brethren. While refreshing, it is still bogged down by the weight of the grape.
by Winepisser | Feb 4, 2018 | Quick Review
Chocolate and blueberry with just the right tannins make this fantastic. Fruity, sure, but also dry. Nose is spice with a hint of mint. Syrah/grenache blend. Full review coming soon.
by Winepisser | Feb 3, 2018 | Quick Review
Spicy tart nose almost comes off like gewurtztraminer. Creamy texture mimics Cali chardonnay but the final flavors are all viognier: red apple, flowers and just-right acidity. Very nice.
by Winepisser | Feb 2, 2018 | Quick Review
Remarkable verdejo for the price. Fresh floral notes raise the usual verdy flavors to something more interesting. Very light but beware that 13% alcohol. Paired well with pan seared chicken with crazy-bold BBQ sauce.
by Winepisser | Jan 28, 2018 | Quick Review
The playful Merlot meets the meaty Tannat in this wonderful Uruguayan blend. Nose is salted meat and soy sauce, on the tongue it’s dark berries and with a hint of nautical salt. Highly recommended.
by Winepisser | Jan 28, 2018 | Quick Review
Middling SB from Argentina, leans more towards a steel cask chardonnay, but otherwise drinkable.
by Winepisser | Jan 28, 2018 | Quick Review
More fruit than forest, thus “lightly wooded” chard lives up to its marketing. For those who prefer their chardonnay to taste like grapes and not margarine or a chunk of barrel, this fits the bill.
by Winepisser | Jan 23, 2018 | Quick Review
The 2014 vintage came in at 3.5 stars (review here), but this 2015 bottle touches the sky at just under a full cinco. Good lord this cab/malbec blend is fantastic. Was served ever so slightly chilled and then left to sit in a decanter for an hour before drinking....
by Winepisser | Jan 23, 2018 | Quick Review
Very pleasant rose from Valle de Itata Chile, made from cinsault grapes. Dry and very light but also flirtatiously deceiving; moderate acid keeps this bright and the flavors here are equally playful: apple and flowers and vanilla all present themselves. Smashing...
by Winepisser | Jan 23, 2018 | Quick Review
Not much nose but you won’t care once it’s swimming around your tongue. Ample citrus here, without getting too lemony, and bracing acidity. Paired well with a chicken carrots dish cooked with the same wine in the sauce.
by Winepisser | Jan 22, 2018 | Quick Review
This wine you’re unlikely to find anywhere, as it’s a farm-produced wine not sold in stores. While it claims to be semi-seco, that’s only by Peruvian standards, and Peruvians prefer sickeningly sweet wines. As a result, this artisanal Malbec is very...
by Winepisser | Jan 19, 2018 | Quick Review
Despite amazing reviews, I found this lacking. Dry and slightly bilious, this was unlike any viognier I have tried before. Paired poorly with traditional Peruvian ají de gallina; and come on, pairing this with a tame chicken dish shouldn’t be a challenge. Still,...
by Winepisser | Jan 17, 2018 | Quick Review
An archetypal South American Malbec, wonderful for those just trying the grape for the first time as well as sophisticated wine drinkers. Nose has subtle notes of cherry, chocolate and licorice but these are never overpowering. Tannins are perfect right now, smooth...
by Winepisser | Jan 17, 2018 | Quick Review
Lava-lamp sized bottle is the big standout here, the wine inside is a middling affair. No spice or kick like a typical gwertz but goes down clean and you can drink it by the gulp. A bit too cloying with not enough spice. Syrupy texture.
by Winepisser | Jan 15, 2018 | Quick Review
Much better than the 2015 and 2016 I had tasted previously. Good balance between tart apple and bracing minerals. If Ica can keep this up it will rival Chile in South American SB.
by Winepisser | Jan 14, 2018 | Quick Review
Just as horsepissy as when I reviewed it last year.
by Winepisser | Jan 14, 2018 | Quick Review
(No year recorded.) Very serviceable SB from Chile. More fruit than minerals, but in this case it works. Medium dry with notes of aguaymanto and lemon.
by Winepisser | Jan 14, 2018 | Quick Review
Orange color made me think this would be interesting, and it was but for all the wrong reasons. Nose is raisin but the palate is bitter almond crashing up against gasoline and prune juice. An unmitigated disaster. Serve this and you’ll be arrested for attempted...
by Winepisser | Jan 14, 2018 | Quick Review
Bad bottle? Cork was synthetic, so no excuses there. Nose was burnt pea soup and so was the palate. Served aerated, too, with no improvement. My review doesn’t match up with the others I’ve read, though, so I’m inclined to think that something went...
by Winepisser | Jan 14, 2018 | Quick Review
This Chileno Bordeaux style blend (Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec / Carménère) welcomes you with a nose that hints of African spices and cumin. Once drank it’s smooth and seductive, with mystery and sensuality. There’s no single flavor that dominates but...
by Winepisser | Jan 10, 2018 | Quick Review
A slightly skunky nose gives way to a pretty nice Chileno SB from the Valle de Maule region. Grass and ocean make this very pleasant, but it’s a bit underpowered. Paired well with polenta and whitefish plate. Just faded fast.
by Winepisser | Jan 1, 2018 | Quick Review
A bit too tangy for my tastes and the Chenin Blanc is entirely buried under the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Unfortunately, it picks up most of the less desirable aspects of those two dominant grapes, too. Would benefit from more floral notes and a tad less tang....
by Winepisser | Jan 1, 2018 | Quick Review
Great blend of cab, syrah and carmenere, with the syrah really leading the pack despite only being 20% of the mix. Nose is raisin and spice, on the palate it’s fruit forward, dry and well balanced, just the right level of tannins means it’s great to drink...
