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November 2009Compare and Buy
$18.99
Classic nose of cola, coriander, baked red berries, and mocha, spice, oak spice. Citrussy up front with a rich yet transparent feel this offers up very nice sappy and wild red berry fruit tones in a style that is a little hard and taut, in a good way and finishes with a refreshing, transparent, slightly jammy raspberry tone. Still youthful this could use another year in bottle to soften but I like it now for it's strict mouthfeel and fine balance 91pts
This wine is part of Gregory Dal Piaz's:
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$48.99
Cola, earth, musk, tea and blond tobacco add depth and complexity to the dried strawberry and cherry fruits of the nose. This is velvety, rich and round with the seamless character of the best domestic Pinots. It lacks some of the brightness I prefer but has lovely depth and a layered feel on the palate. It's a soft yet intense with an earthy complexion that makes this on outlier for the style, though it is a wine that has something for just about everyone. 91pts
This wine is part of Gregory Dal Piaz's:
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$94.99
Big and dense smelling with sweet balsamic notes, an underlay of baking spice and creamy, slightly medicinal black cherry fruit spread of toast and cedar. This is quite sharp on entry with bags of acid that cuts the glycerin rich mouthfeel down to size giving the whole package a rather light feel that is filled in by tannins on the backend. Rather marked with wood in the minty and cedary range with has sufficient fruit to balance the spicier elements but lacks some freshness to the fruit. 88pts
This wine is part of Gregory Dal Piaz's:
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$30.99
Dark tootsie roll, earth and herb scented fruit greets the nose and slowly opens to reveal a tight, menthol inflected core of baked black cherry fruit. On the palate this has a silky, open feel to it with integrated acids and ripe tannin only obvious on the edges. The fruit is fresh and deep with a slight medicinal tone that yields to the fruit on the backend. I rather like this though it is subtle; it is eminently drinkable and has a sneaky low intensity complexity that grabs your interest. The finish is quite strong with a wonderful herbal/stemmy character floating over the candied raspberry fruit. 92pts
This wine is part of Gregory Dal Piaz's:
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$12.99
With deep notes of plum, moist earth and tobacco on the nose, backed up by noticeable but not offensive vanilla notes, this smells like it's going to deliver a pretty powerful layer of dark fruit. On the palate there is plenty of slightly confected black cherry and plum fruits, again with a note of vanilla and oaken spice, but this is smooth and silky with a nice touch of leather on the finish. Solid and fun. 87pts
This wine is part of Gregory Dal Piaz's:
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$12.99
A classic wine in that gently sweet style known as tendre. The nose has a light honied tone over sweet quince past and baked apple and lime notes. On the palate it's got a lovely edge of sweetness that is well balanced by vibrant acids giving the impression of dryness across the mid-palate that is full of rich, flower and nut framed pear fruit that has a wonderful mineral snap on the finish. A remarkably friendly and flexible bottle of Vouvray, gotta love that tendre. 90pts
This wine is part of Gregory Dal Piaz's:
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Zaca Mesa Roussanne 2006
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Lovely, intense aromatics combine hints of lychee and green tea with crisp green pear tones and well-integrated notes of fading spices, chalk, chestnut and lavender. Really rich yet bright on entry, with a seductive mouthfeel that manages to be both filling and vivid. The fruit is verging into the slightly honied, dried peach end of the spectrum with lovely spice tones and creamy edges helping to frame the fruit. The finish is powerful and focused with deep mineral tones and a lingering apricot note. 92pts
This wine is part of Gregory Dal Piaz's:
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$23.39
There's a touch of VA on the nose here adding lift to the rich nose that combines elements of leather, tar, prosciutto and barnyard with jammy, candied cherry fruit tones. This has wonderful structure with great acids and fine tannins forming a very harmonious mouthfeel that supports the fresh, dark fruit on the mid-palate. While turning a bit leathery on the finish this has irresistible black cherry and mineral notes presented with wonderful purity. 91pts
This wine is part of Gregory Dal Piaz's:
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$23.94
Not very expressive on the nose with small notes of vanilla tinged sweet raspberry fruit, earth, and daisies joined but suggestions of antiseptic and smoked ham. On the palate this starts with a rush of very ripe yet fresh fruit but then a wall of tough tannins drapes itself over the palate. The fruit, sweet, jammy raspberry peeks out again on the finish but ultimately looses the battle with the dry tannins. This is a nice wine, and perhaps the tannins will resolve, but it is quite aggressive at this early stage. 87pts
This wine is part of Gregory Dal Piaz's:
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$20.39
Lovely light aromatics of herb, flowers, strawberry fruit, chalk and bitter almond are enticing and very varietal. While this is obviously very young it is also very round, fresh and clean with a soft, ripe edge to the very fine tannins. On the palate it is easy, but delicious with clear raspberry fruit, decent length and a finish full of dried herbs and slightly bitter cherry tones. 89pts
This wine is part of Gregory Dal Piaz's:
