Wine Reviews

An archive of all wine reviews

Quinta dos Murças, Douro (Portugal) 2009
Marguerite Thomas
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July 5, 2011
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 A surprisingly elegant and complex wine for such a relatively low price, this pleasingly dry table wine is made from the traditional Port wine...
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Herdade do Esporão, Altejano (Portugal) Touriga Nacional 2008
Marguerite Thomas
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July 5, 2011
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 A superb example of how delicious Touriga Nacional can be when it’s handled right, this is a beautifully structured wine, intense and firm, with...
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WillaKenzie Estate, Willamette Valley (Oregon) Pinot Noir 2008
Michael Apstein
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July 5, 2011
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 WillaKenzie Estate, one of Oregon’s leading Pinot Noir producers, has several single vineyard bottlings, all of which are distinct in character.  The Aliette delivers...
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Turning Leaf, California (United States) Merlot 2009
Marguerite Thomas
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June 28, 2011
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 You may be as surprised as I was when I tried this very, very inexpensive wine and found that it tastes very, very classy. ...
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Nickel & Nickel, Oakville (Napa Valley, California) Merlot 2008
Robert Whitley
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June 28, 2011
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 Merlot doesn’t get much better than the remarkable juice from Nickel & Nickel’s Harris Vineyard. The nose is inviting, showing hints of cedar, spice...
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Rodney Strong, Northern Sonoma (Sonoma County, California) Syrah 2008
Marguerite Thomas
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June 28, 2011
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 Everything about this wine is big, including the amount of drinking pleasure it delivers.  With a powerful framework supporting dazzlingly ripe raspberry fruit it’s...
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Château Tanunda, Barossa Valley (South Australia, Australia) Shiraz 2008
Michael Apstein
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June 28, 2011
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 This is Château Tanunda’s top-of-the-line Shiraz.  Although slightly “bigger” than their regular bottling, its grandeur and appeal comes from more complexity, not more power...
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Gainey, Sta. Rita Hills (Santa Barbara County, California) Pinot Noir 2008
Gerald D. Boyd
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June 21, 2011
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 Bien Nacido Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley contributed 10% of the grapes to this juicy fruit-forward Pinot Noir, the majority coming from the...
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Innocent Bystander, Victoria (Australia) Moscato 2010
Gerald D. Boyd
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June 21, 2011
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 Made from a blend of Muscat Gordo (Muscat of Alexandria) and Black Muscat (Muscat of Hamburg), this spritzy quaffer is an ideal sipping wine...
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Clos Pegase, Carneros (Napa Valley, California) Pinot Noir 2008
Gerald D. Boyd
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June 21, 2011
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 The grapes for this tightly wound wine come from the Carneros region, usually marked by lots of spice and ripe berry fruit.  Aged for...
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Dry Creek Vineyard, Sonoma County (California) Zinfandel 2009
Tina Caputo
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June 21, 2011
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 This juicy Zin has aromas of red raspberries and spice, along with bright flavors of sweet black fruit.  The wine features a good bit...
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Ghost Pines, California (United States) Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Tina Caputo
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June 21, 2011
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 This dual-appellation wine is a blend of fruit from Napa (two-thirds) and Sonoma counties (one-third).  It has lots of jammy blackberry and black cherry...
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