Tag Archives: 1 star

Laleure-Piot Les Tuvilains 2009

01 Friday May 2015

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If you read my first tasting note on this Beaune Premiere Cru you will recall that I hated it, giving it 80 points and 1 star.  I have a few more in the cellar and pulled one out for a comparative tasting after two more years of cellaring.  Not much has changed, unfortunately. I did some research and I must say I am confused.  It scored 91 points on average by peers on cellar tracker.  Vivino peeps gave it a good write up yet I can’t get my head around the muted nose of rhubarb and cherry pie which is too tart still with little fruit depth. Red currants and cinnamon finally showed up. I was kinder this time with 85 points, but that is generous.  A major 1 star pass for the money.  Salut….

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Magistrate Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

20 Monday Oct 2014

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This wine rounded out our trio of Sunday Cabs-with-Football.  I recognized the label right away when my friend poured us a taste.  I wrote my notes based on this bottle and just now looked up the previous vintage that I tasted.  Yup, I hated the Magistrate 2011 just as much as I disliked this offering.  Sorry, but candied plums and oak again make me realize that there are far too many nasty wines out there that are merely juice with oak chips and tannin powder.  This one in particular had a slightly lighter body with purple fruits and wild flowers with slight tannins and a hint of acidity.  83 points and 1 star.  Major pass, yet again for this $13 bottle.  Salut….

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Maison Champy Gevrey-Chambertin Vielle Vignes 2008

20 Sunday Oct 2013

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Gevrey-Chambertin is supposed to be a structured and bold Pinot Noir from the Burgundy region.  This is my second try at this bottle.  The first was in 2011, I hated it and decided to cellar the rest for potential improvement.  Nothing here folks.  A major dud from this producer who used ‘old vines’.  Sour cherries and pencil lead.  Some strange funk going on, but not the kind that I like.  Very sharp acid and some ingrained tannins but no real finish.  The lead component took me a while to pinpoint.  It really is unpleasant.  This was not a cheap wine, and can be found now for $40.  WS gave it 90 points.  I reckon it is an 84 pointer and a major pass.  1 star and moving on.  #dissappointed.  Salut….

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Apothic Red Winemaker’s Blend 2011

15 Sunday Sep 2013

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I am going to do something completely different today.  I am re-tasting the Apothic Red which I despised back in May of last year.  One of the primary reasons for this tasting is  to calibrate my palate.  Right after I tasted this wine, hated it and wrote about, the Big Man himself proclaimed it to be his ‘wine of the day’.  Imagine what a schmuck I felt.  Anyway, that was last year and it was the 2010 vintage. I have the 2011 vintage and am ready to try it again.  This time, I am going to write about it as I am drinking it.  Here we go……

Dark purple in the glass, there appears to be some effervescence.  (That is not a good thing by the way.)

On the nose, that Zinfandel smell of candy again.  Not liking….

My first impression is…. …. …  Candy.  Again with the sickly sweet, overdone sugar water.  This is a wine that will be loved by newb’s.  It is sweet, lacks structure, has no tannins and is off balance with the acidity.  I cannot recommend this wine, to anyone.  A blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon that lacks any fruit characteristics.

Dear Mr P.  I disagree with your thoughts about this wine.  It is junk and should not be on shelves.  The end.  Your thoughts?

 

For $14, there are millions of other wines that are delicious.  1 star and 80 points (I’m being generous).

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Chilcas Carmenere 2011

27 Tuesday Aug 2013

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I recently tasted the Chilcas Cabernet, which scored well on my quality/price criteria.  Moving on to the Carmenere varietal I was hoping for similar performance, but alas I was let down.

The varietal is one of the original six Noble Bordeaux grapes and is related to the Cabernet family.  I have never had a French Carmenere, only Spanish and more predominantly- Chile.  I find it to be very spicy, with strong hints of green pepper (capsicum) and lacking hefty tannins.  This particular bottling hit me with a very ‘tinny’ taste profile which was almost medicinal on the initial attack.  The spice and red currants hit on the mid-palate, but are somewhat overshadowed by the metallic taste.  I really did not enjoy the profile, but it did mellow out after about an hour.  This is a major wave-off, spend your cash on their other wines.  82 points and 1 star.

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Argyle Pinot Noir 2011

31 Wednesday Jul 2013

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I have had this wine in previous vintages and bought it on reputation…. Mistake.

I was bewildered by it’s pale red color, it appeared watered down.  On the nose, strawberries and cherry got me excited, only to be let down by the thinness of this wine.  It really was not what I had hoped for.  It provided some enjoyment as we fired up the grill on a hot and humid evening, but I could not imagine it standing up to the grilled meats we were about to devour.  Luckily we had a Shiraz waiting in the wings….  83 points and 1 star.

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Handcraft Petite Sirah 2010

12 Sunday May 2013

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A bar wine that I ordered on the fly.  Very basic fruitiness in a forward style.  I honestly can’t recommend buying this wine for the cellar at home as it is boring, thin and not representative of Petite Sirah.  2 star, 83 points but is not on my “Cheap and Nasty” list.  It is drinkable in a bar-like atmosphere, but I would not try to pair it with any food.  It retails for about $10.  I did some research on this wine, and found that WS gave it 85 points while WE gave it 90!  Enough said.

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Chateau Hanteillan 2006

26 Saturday Jan 2013

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Not much going on with this wine.  A muted offering that just had me guessing where it was going.  I got some berry and earth, but only slight.  Tannins were very subdued so drink up.  A complete blur and a pass if I was to spend close to $20 again. 1 star and 85 points.

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McWilliams Mount Pleasant ‘Jack’ Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

25 Friday Jan 2013

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Whoa there Mr. Fruity-up-my-nose-guy…  I am not a fan of this wine.  Absolutely in my grill with the blueberry jam and across my palate with a rather sweet compote of blue and red berries with no finesse whatsoever.  I did not detect much tannin nor any structure to this wine.  If you like easy to drink wines, get some.  If you are slightly more serious, give this a major pass.  1 star and 80 points.  I can’t believe I paid $12 for it.

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Magistrate Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

06 Saturday Oct 2012

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A “Limited Production” release that a friend  brought along to our little party.  Not liking it.  Very primal fruit, almost Kool-Aid in nature.  I don’t know much about this wine or it’s price, but was really not impressed.  Major pass.  80 Points and 1 star.