West Coast Wine Network
Brad Harrington's
Wine Tasting Notes

Rhone Red

Zinfandel

Pinot Noir

Red Blend

**Rating System**
5 Star Maximum	Point System	Explanation
*	< 79	Avoid this wine!
**	80 - 84	Average.(blah, blah, blah)
*******	85 - 89	Good wine.
********	90 - 94	Very good wine, buy this!
*****	95 - 100	Absolutely Excellent!!
+ sign indicates top 2 pts of range

I have added an additionaly rating system to my notes recently. I came up with this system as a way
to easily rate my wines on the fly and still have them adjust to the current 100 point system that is so
popular in our culture. Here it is:

I break the system into 5 equal sections, each worth 10 points. Nose(Aroma), Attack, Mid-Palate,
Finish and Structure/Balance. I place these in my notes as N, A, M, F, S while assigning points
to each and then summing them out of 50, ##/50. To convert this to a 100 point score, just add
50. That is my intent on how the scores be used. This gives me a little more room to manuever
than if I just doubled the score.

Cabernet Sauvignon

1992 Altamura Vineyards, Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon
Medium dark red, moderate cherry cab nose, nice ripe red and black fruits consisting of black cherry, plum and currants with mild tea leaf flavors in the mix, sweet vanilla oaked edge giving an overall impression of elegance to the fruit and long finish, medium to full bodied and a very nice structure with the tannins being smooth and fine. This is a very nice CA cab which should do well with time but is drinking incredibly well right now, a joy to sip.
B.Harrington, 10/24/97
****+

1995 Altamura Vineyards, Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark red, moderate nose of black cherry, earth, cassis and perhaps a hint of black olive, flavors of dark fruit with black cherry, plum and cassis along with chocolate, tobacco, and sweet vanilla oak, perhaps a hint of coffee, medium to full body, moderate fine grained tannins and nicely balanced acidity, nice balance, smooth and lush, drinks very nicely right now but I believe it has the stuffing to last 10 to 15 pretty easily. Very nice wine at a decent QPR of $32.
N 3.5, A 3.5, M 3, F 3.5, S 3.5, -- 17/20
B.Harrington, 11/7/98
****

1991 Anderson's Conn Valley Estate, Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark brick red in color with a smokey red currant nose, abundant fruit flavors consisted of black cherry, with plum and currant, full bodied with mild oak and excellent acid balance, very smooth tannic structure that possibly could benefit from another year or two in the bottle, long lingering silky smooth aftertaste that contains some hint of a smokey, tarry flavor. Overall a very well balanced wine that is every bit worth the $32 I paid for it
B.Harrington, 2/14/97
*****

Note: Boy the Wine Spectator really missed the boat on this bottle of wine, they rated it 88! Parker gave it a 93. I agree with Parker somewhat, although I would have a tendency to rate it a little higher at around 95. This is an excellent Cabernet!

Note: Very aromatic nose of red and black cherries, currants, cassis, cedar, tobacco and spice, flavors followed with cherries, currant, oak and a hint of tobacco, bright fruit attack with an oaky finish, medium bodied with quenching acidity and mild to moderate tannins, not particularly concentrated but nicely balanced. For $12.95, this is incredible wine. Seemed more oaky this time, but I have no doubt that it will balance out with time.
B.Harrington, 9/18/98
****

Note: Dark garnet red to purple, somewhat muted nose with hints of earthy red fruit
and alcohol, black cherry, currant and plum fruit flavors have subdued a little over time
and a mid palate has developed which is comprised of a mild earthy/tobacco, chocolate
and smoke, medium bodied, nicely structured with bright acidity and smooth moderately
full tannins, long lingering aftertaste, nice complexity, this wine has really shown definite
improvement over the last year. This wine would likely have held up a few more years!
I upped my rating from 3.5 stars to 4 stars. Reminds me a little of the '94 KV!

Note: Hugely aromatic nose with bright cherry, cassis, tobacco and a musty earth quality that gave way to vanilla maple, flavors consisted of juicy red and black cherry and cassis with leathery tobacco, chocolate and charred oak, some vanilla notes developed with air time, full bodied with moderately crisp firm acidity and moderate tannins, medium long length finish, started out agressive but really developed a great sense of balance after about 2 hours of air. Killer wine, highly under appreciated. Fantastic QPR at $20. Much better than a number of $40+ cabs I've had lately. This reconfirms my earlier impressions times two!
N 9, A 9, M 9, F 8, S 8 - 43/50
B.Harrington, 2/26/99
****+

1994 Saddleback Cellars, Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark reddish purple, sweet cherry and mild tobacco nose, abundantly fruity with red currants and cherry
predominant, also has mild spicey chocolate and tobacco flavors, there is some oakiness, medium to
mostly full bodied, moderate smooth tannins, pretty full acidity which had smoothed over considerably
by the next day, a very good '94 cab which should continue to improve for a few years at least.
Excellent QPR at $18, not many out there at this price that are this good.
B.Harrington, 6/8/97
****+

1994 Seaview, Edwards & Chaffey, McLaren Vale, Australia
Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark reddish purple, huge sweet cherry and chocolate nose, nice flavor complexity with red cherry, red
currant predominating over vanilla and mild tobacco characteristics, this medium full bodied wine is
well balanced with it's moderate acidity and fairly full smooth tannins, long lingering aftertaste of red
berry and vanilla, this was the ringer at our tasting and it fooled most of us pretty easily, I had no idea
this was an Aussie wine. This wine also had an excellent QPR at about $22.
B.Harrington, 6/8/97
****+

1986 Silver Oak, Alexander Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon
Medium dark red with a brickish tint, huge nose of dusty/spicey black cherry and oak, strong bursting fruit attack of black cherry with oak, mild tobacco and chocolate to round the flavor profile out, excellent structure and balance, long lingering aftertaste, overall this is a fruit driven wine with a bit of oak apparent towards the back of the mid-palate, a slight bit of age can be detected on the marvelous nose but I think this wine still has years left in it. The best SO I've ever had. It surprised me! Wish I had more.
B.Harrington, 12/28/97
****+

1992 Silver Oak, Alexander Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon
Medium red with a slight orange tint, oaky nose, medium to full bodied with light red berry and sweet cherry fruit, smokey and oaky with a mild chocolate and spice backbone, medium to firm tannic structure, still fairly elegant but a little bigger than many SO's. Nice fruity lingering aftertaste, For the life of me I don't understand why anyone is complaining about the tannins in this wine!? I tasted it along with the Dunn Napa Cab and the Georges de Latour and it was the most easily approached and seemed to have more finesse than the others. A little pricey at $32.
B.Harrington
****

Note:Medium red with a slight orange tint, dusty cedary oak and red fruit nose, light almost simple red fruit flavors of cherry, plum and currants, lots of oak leading to hints of vanilla, very smooth with a sense of elegance, yet compared to many cabs seems a tad simple, mild fine tannins and good acidity levels, to me this is just a very easy drinking cab which doesn't provide nearly as much pure hedonistic enjoyment as I expect from a cab which costs $40!, I liked it better when it first came out, seems to me that it has lost a bit of structure and, at least at this point does not seem to be gaining any other significant flavor complexity. Everyone thought this was a nice, simple, $25 cab, if you catch my drift. Poor QPR at this point in time, IMHO. OK, OK those were my only impressions the evening we opened this wine, and I think they were shared by all. That being said, this wine opened up considerably overnight to reveal more depth and some darker fruit and tobacco. Caught me off guard completely. Different wine, leading me to conclude that it should be held for awhile yet and at least decanted before drinking. Much better the next day!
B.Harrington, 3/7/98
****

1986 Silverado Vineyards, Limited Reserve, Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon
Very dark purple with a slight brickish red edge, slightly murky from very fine sediments, black cherry fruit nose, very bright fruit with red and black cherry, plum and currant flavors, also has mild pepper and oak with a hint of mint on the upper palate, medium to full bodied with smooth tannins that needed time to develop after opening, fairly firm acidic structure became even more pronounced on the second day, medium length aftertaste. Nice complexity, Stan Norton provided this wonderful bottle, thanks Stan! QPR is probably pricey as I would expect a new bottle to run you about $50. This '86 would definitely run you at least $100. Excellent wine!!
B.Harrington, 4/1/97
*****

Note: We popped the cork on this bottle and sipped it after about a half an hour of airing, it was so up-front the fruit was remarkably intense, like chewing on a starburst candy, the tannins where barely evident at all and the acids were very strong, with this in mind we set it aside and went out for dinner. When we came back the tannins had become much more pronounced and this bottle was drinking very nicely!! This is a fruit bomb, no matter what way you look at it, but still had compelling complexities that were most evident after 3 to 4 hours of aeration.

Meritage

1992 Beaulieu Vineyards Tapestry Reserve, Napa Valley
Meritage
Medium dark red, moderate fruit, medium to full body, smooth tannins with a mildly
lingering aftertaste, slightly rich and chewy in the middle, very nice meritage, not as
sweet and rich as the Flora Springs Trilogy though!, maybe a little pricey at $19
B.Harrington
***

1994 Beaulieu Vineyard, Tapestry, Napa Valley
Meritage
Medium dark reddish purple, wonderful nose of rich black cherries and oak, medium to full body,
black cherry, plum and currant with abundant oak, vanilla and tobacco, oak is out of balance at this
point but I have no doubt that with enough time this will be a gem, very nice structure with strong
tanni9ns and good acidity. Excellent QPR at $16.
B.Harrington, 2/7/98
****

1992 Beringer Knights Valley, Napa Valley
Meritage
Moderately dark purplish red, moderate fruit with black cherry, blackberry and currant flavors, mild oak and
medium bodied, slight acidic finish with silky smooth tannic structure, nice lingering medium length aftertaste,
excellent QPR at $10!
B.Harrington
***+

1995 Decoy, Napa Valley
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
Deep dark garnet red, chocolatey cherry nose, ripe fruit flavors consisting of black cherry, plum and currant with
a little chocolate and vanilla along with oak, anise and a mild spice, full bodied, nice mouth feel, pretty big and
round through the mid-palate, nicely structured and well balanced with a very pleasant medium length finish,
don't know the exact blend, it's not printed on the bottle, drinks more like a merlot, I'm just guessing on the
blend. Decoy is the secondary label of Duckhorn and this is one heck of a good QPR at $12.99
B.Harrington, 9/10/97
****

1994 Estancia, Alexander Valley
Meritage
Brickish purplish ruby red, dusty ripe cherry nose with a hint of alcohol and cedar, nice fruit up front with red
and black cherry, currant and plum, mild hints of tobacco and herbs, nicely framed by oak and spice, medium
body with fairly firm acidity and very smooth though evident tannins, slightly short finish, well balanced with
decent structure, very nice complexity especially when considering the excellent QPR of $14. Well deserving
of the WS rating of 90.
B.Harrington, 8/19/97
****

1993 Flora Springs, Trilogy, Napa Valley
Meritage
Abundant upfront sweet ripe fruit, medium to full body with an oaky nose. Smooth creamy lingering aftertaste. Multi-faceted, not as complex as the Beringer PR. Three things dominate, sweet fruit upfront, chewy full body in the middle and the lingering aftertaste!! Excellent value at about $22 a bottle, one of my favorite wines.
B.Harrington
*****

1994 Flora Springs, Trilogy, Napa Valley
Meritage
Dark purple red, very pleasant nose featuring dark cherries and leathery oak, opened up big time after some air, to reveal hints of caramel and eucalyptus, flavors of red and black cherry, currant, cassis, vanilla, chocolatey oak and tobacco, full bodied with full tannins and nicely balanced acidity, good balance and structure, though the tannins are still a bit over the top. They were managable though, especially compared to what I had heard about this wine on release. Very nice wine though I think it will still improve with some more years in the cellar. Moderate to good QPR at $28.
N 9, A 8, M 9, F 7, S 8, -- 41/50
B.Harrington, 2/7/99
****

1994 Joseph Phelps, Insignia, Napa Valley
Meritage
Dark purple, dark berry and oak/cedar nose, wonderful ripe flavors of black cherry, plum, currant, chocolate
and coffee with oaky vanilla, very smooth and balanced, elegant yet powerful in style, full bodied and nicely
structured with near silky smooth tannins, excellent meritage, very long lingering aftertaste. WOW! Would
have to call this an excellent QPR at less than $40, which is what I have seen it for when it first came out!
I was a fool not to buy some!
B.Harrington, 10/24/97
*****

1995 Kathryn Kennedy, Lateral, Santa Cruz Mountains
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cab Franc, Gamay Noir
Dark red with an orange brick edge, incredibly aromatic nose, quite unusual with a strong floral aspect along with an earthy mushroom component and red fruits, alcohol is also quite apparent but not too a problem, flavors are quite powerful also with gamey stewed fruits dominated by dried plum and cassis, becoming darker and more brooding in the mid-palate with a bit of chocolatey charred oak, moderate structure leaning towards milder tannins and firmer acidity, medium bodied with a very long lingering finish, a heck of a nice bottle of wine and something very different than anything else I've ever tried, must be that Gamay Noir, ??? Very good QPR at around $22.
B.Harrington, 4/17/98
****+

1996 Kathryn Kennedy, Lateral, Santa Cruz Mountains
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cab Franc, Gamay Noir
Medium red with a orange brick edge, nose was a bit closed compared to last years, it had a mild floral component but was currently dominated by sweet red cherries which hinted at Koolaid to me, the attack was slow but did reveal some fruit flavors of cherry and raspberry, the density and concentration picked it up a notch in the mid-palate where some darker flavors were revealed with hints of cocoa, black cherry, earth moderate to strong oak and floral flavors, the finish was long and floral, overall a medium bodied wine, structure was decent with well balanced acidity and moderately full tannins, didn't enjoy this nearly as much as the 1995 version, so seemed a bit pricey at $27. Still a nice wine that may just need a bit more time.
B.Harrington, 8/21/98
***+

1992 Kendall-Jackson, Cardinale, Sonoma County
Meritage
Very dark reddish purple, nice aromatic nose of ripe black fruits and veggies with a bit of cedary tobacco and red currant, ripe extracted flavors of black cherry, anise, minerals, oak and some ripe slightly stewed veggies, very seamless and elegant in styling, yet still full bodied and extracted with good balance, good structure with moderate tannins and reasonable acidity, should be capable of lasting a number of more years, this is a very good wine but I don't know about that 100 point rating I heard it garnered from somewhere, ??, not sure of the price?
B.Harrington, 3/7/97
****+

1986 Te Mata Estate Coleraine, New Zealand
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Brownish orange red, light mild nose, light to medium bodied with hints of mild cherry and currants,
acidic to the point of being slightly out of balance but still enjoyable, smooth tannins with nice but short
aftertaste. Not bad, I will be curious to taste a younger red from New Zealand sometime.
B.Harrington
***

Merlot

1993 Caparon, Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Barbara
Merlot
Brick red color showing fairly thorough oxidation effects, mild nose of smokey ceder and red cherries,
juicy flavors consisting of red cherry and currant with cedar and oak, kind of simple flavor profile but
still pleasant, medium bodied and a little thin on the mid-palate, slightly out of balance in respect to its
robust acidity, moderate smooth balance, short to medium length aftertaste. Good quaffing wine with a
very good QPR at about $7.
B.Harrington, 9/7/97
***

1995 Chateau St. Jean, Sonoma County
Merlot
Dark purple red, nice aromatic nose dominated with cherry and plum, nice attack with flavors of cherry, plum, cassis, tobacco, leather, mildly smokey oak and a hint of spicey pepper, nice acidity and mild tannins, perhaps a bit weak in the mid-palate but the finish had decent length, overall a very nice wine with good balance and a fairly wide flavor profile. Not great QPR at $22, but I bought it at an expensive shop for my mother-in-law who wanted it because she had read an article in the paper about it. Advertising works I guess! I imagine I could find this for much less if I searched the discount shops.
B.Harrington, 9/7/97
***+

1996 Clarendon Hills, Clarendon Australia
Merlot
Dark bright purple, huge aromatic nose with clean fruit of cherries and plum developing brown spicey cinnamin and cedar with a bit of time, strong attack with flavors of cherry, plum, tobacco, leather, spice and a hint of chocolate, full body with thick glyceriney mouth feel, round yet quenching acidity, mild to medium tannins, this is a very good wine, has the great fruit and structure I've come to expect from CH, nice length in the finish too, a little pricey at $34 but likely worth the money.
B.Harrington, 7/17/98
****+

Rhone Red

1996 A.C. Johnston, Pirramimma, Stock's Hill Vineyard, McLaren Vale, Australia
Shiraz
Moderately dark purple, great nose of dark fruits featuring black currants and plum with espresso, vanilla and spicey oak, flavors are very nice also with blackberry, blueberry, plum, coffee, vanilla, hints of chocolate, and spicey oak, the attack and mid-palate seem very smooth, lush and creamy, the concentration is strong but not over the top, very nicely balanced, medium to full bodied, nicely structured with moderate tannins and firm balanced acidity, a real hit with everyone! Excellent QPR at around $15.
N 3.5, A 3, M 3.5, F 3.5, S 3.5, -- 17/20
B.Harrington, 12/14/98
****

1995 Alain Graillot, Crozes Hermitage, France
Syrah
Dark bright purplish red, nose evolved over time, started out with a dusty cherry/espresso which blew off to reveal a clean lush dark raspberry aroma, very nice, elegant flavors and style followed, flavors are dominated by black raspberry and vanilla with mild espresso and white pepper, extremely well balanced, silky smooth with mouth watering fruit and espresso, not as extracted as some but makes up for it with the superb flavors and balance, fine grained tannins, this is a real people pleasing wine which just blew the Swanson Sangiovese away, we had tasted that one earlier in the evening, has to be one of the best QPR's of the past year for me, wish I would have bought a case of it. Wonderful stuff!
B.Harrington, 1/6/98
****+

1995 Alain Graillot, La Guiraude, Crozes Hermitage, France
Syrah
Dark purple with just the slightest hint of brick around the edges, great syrah nose of lush extracted blackberry with espresso and spice, great fruit attack with blackberry, black raspberry, espresso, bacon, white pepper and brown spices, medium to full body, nice length, quenching acidity and fine to moderate tannins, same incredible flavors as the regular bottling but a bit more concentrated with more intense syrah character, killer wine, even though the acidity was high it still came off as well integrated, it needed a little air time to come together, killer QPR at $18, very CA in style with it's bright forward fruit and structure. Wonderful stuff!
B.Harrington, 7/18/98
****+

1997 Alain Graillot, Crozes Hermitage, France
Syrah
Bright medium dark purple, nose of bright cherry, black raspberry, spicey oak, wet dog hair, musty earth and mild sulfur, strong attack with flavors of bright cherry, black raspberry, coffee, smild pepper and mild oak, medium body, short in length, very firm crisp acidity and mild to moderate tannins. It is a bit lean, but I love the flavors here. Direct and to the point with decent QPR at about $16. Some people will likely not care much for the levels of acidity, buyt I found them refreshing.
N 7 A 9, M 8, F 8, S 7, -- 38/50
B.Harrington, 7/5/99
***+

1997 Alban Vineyard, Edna Valley
Grenache
Medium purplish red, killer nose with rich black raspberry and vanilla oak, a bit of stinky sulfur, strong attack with good concentration of fruit, flavors of black raspberry/strawberry, cherry, mild pepper, chocolate and oak, very rich and lush though not much complexity, good length with a finish of chocolatey oak, medium to full body, medium tannins and acidity, this is a killer wine, very rich, direct and absolutely full of grenache fruit. Decent QPR at about $30. I'll go with this as the model for what CA grenache should aspire to in CA at this point in time.
N 9 A 9, M 8, F 8, S 9, -- 42/50
B.Harrington, 7/18/99
****

1994 Andrew Murray, Santa Barbara
Syrah
Very dark blackish purple, mild blackberry and alcohol nose with a hint of grassiness, moderate blackberry fruit
with a strange musty taste of vegetables, moderate peppery spice throughout, full bodied and well rounded,
moderately strong tannins are still smooth and nice, nice acidity, seems pretty well balanced. Keep your eyes
out for these guys, they are going to get it right soon!! Decent QPR at $21
B.Harrington, 2/22/97
***+

Note: I think that the funky veggie quality in this wine is a small step away from being chocolate flavors???? This wine is so nice in every other way that a tiny improvement in this funky quality would move this up to a 5 star wine on my list!!

1997 Andrew Murray, Late Harvest, Santa Barbara
Syrah
Dark purple though not super intense, very interesting nose which spoke of dark fruit and chocolate, especially the second night, that was before I pulled out the real chocolate stuff and even Maureen thought so immediately, other than that though the nose seemed somewhat muted. Medium to full bodied, flavors consisted of blackberry/raspberry framboise and chocolate, some residual sugar for sure but the acidity was quite evident so the balance seemed reasonable for a LH wine. Drank much like a LH zin. Overall a very enjoyable wine, though I think better ones could be made, and should for that matter. A bit pricey but worth the cost at $17.
N 7, A 8, M 8, F 7, S 7, -- 37/50
B.Harrington, 2/14/99
***

1994 Arrowood, Sara Lee's Vineyard, Russian River Valley
Syrah
Very dark blackish purple, mild blackberry, vanilla and yeasty nose, complex flavors consisting of mild blackberry, black cherry, peppery spice, oak and smoke with a herbal minty aspect, moderate attack, full bodied but with a sense of elegance, finished with an herbal anise flavor, moderately long lingering aftertaste, very nice, it's complexity is the most dominating aspect. A bit pricey at around $35.
B.Harrington, 3/8/97
*****

1994 Babcock Vineyards, Thompson Vineyard & Babcock Vineyard, Santa Barbara
Syrah
Moderately dark ruby red to purple, huge nose of dusty blackberry and alcohol, abundant up front fruit flavors of blackberry, black cherry and currant, mild to moderate pepper spice with a hint of meaty bacon fat, sweet oaky vanilla in the mid palate, very smooth through the middle, moderately full bodied, nicely structured with pretty stiff acidity and firm tannins, pleasantly tart in the finish, moderate length aftertaste, overall a big bright fruity syrah with some moderate rhone characteristics, a very nice effort, doesn't have quite the complexity or glycerin levels that the Ojai or Qupe have but really nice juice. A bit pricey at $26 but still good QPR
B.Harrington, 8/8/97
****+

1994 Barossa Valley Estates E & E, Sparkling, Barossa Valley, Australia
Shiraz
Bright dark purplish red, nose was a bit closed with dark fuits and mild floral aromas, flavors were nice but a
bitmonolithic with black cherry, blackberry, oak and a little peppery spice, full bodied with a short finish, hard
to judge this wine, compared to the NV Charles Melton Sparkling Shiraz it definitely seemed a bit simple and
unevolved, this is made from the exact same grapes as the well received E & E Black Pepper Shiraz, so I
suppose it may have some ability to evolve into something more impressive, for me it didn't have near the
complexity of other sparkling shiraz's I've had. Which isn't many I admit. An excellent QPR at $18.
I would buy this at this price point and feel great about it.
B.Harrington, 4/21//98
***+

1995 Bethany, Shrapel Family Vineyard, Barossa Valley, Australia
Shiraz
Dark purplish red, moderate to full nose with aromas of blackberry, espresso and anise, flavors consist of blackberry, cherry, plum, and currant fruits with espresso, anise, spice and a mild oaky vanilla, medium bodied, bright quenching acidity and very soft/mild tannins, a bit more plummy than a more full bodied syrah, very light-zin like in style, quite tasty really and a decent QPR at around $16. It won't compete with Cimicky for QPR but this was an enjoyable wine.
B.Harrington, 2/14/98
***+

1997 Blockheadia Ringnosii, Crabapple Vineyard, Napa Valley
Petite Sirah
Deep, dark inky purple, nose seemed a bit closed but still had apparent black cherry, blueberry and vanilla oak, flavors of dark berry fruit, perhaps dominated by blueberry, slight tar, vanilla and a hint of nutmeg, very fruit forward, medium pepper spice, full bodied, medium legth finish, moderate acidity and full strong tannins, solid in the mid-palate, very nice wine.
N 7, A 8, M 9, F 8, S 9, -- 41/50
B.Harrington, 5/27/99
****

1997 Bogle Vineyard, Clarksburg
Petite Sirah
Dark purple, simple but very aromatic nose with grapey vanilla oak, reminded Maureen and I of a damp wine cellar, pretty enticing complexity and balance in the flavors with black cherry, blueberry/strawberry, pencil wood, tobacco, petrol, mild chocolate and vanilla oak, still a bit grapey up front, medium bodied, lightly structured with well balanced acidity and mild tannins, the finish is a bit short, this is a near term drinker but has very good fruit and decent balance for drinking now. Incredible QPR at $7!!
N 8, A 7, M 8, F 7, S 7, -- 37/50
B.Harrington, 1/18/99
***+

1996 Brokenwood, Australia
Shiraz
Dark purple, very nice varietal nose with slight smokey, meaty, bacon, pepper and espresso with dark fruit and minerals, flavors followed with strong pepper, blackberry, espresso, spicey mild oak, strong minerally finish with good length, well balanced and more structured than many other shiraz wines, medium fine grained tannins and moderate acidity, if it had a weaknes it seemed to me to have lower glycerin levels than many syrahs/shiraz, good QPR at $20, great wine and not as traditional Aussie in style.
N 3.5, A 3, M 3, F 3.5, S 3.5, -- 16.5/20
B.Harrington, 11/5/98, 11/13/98
****

1996 Chapoutier, la Bernardine, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France
Rhone Blend
Light to medium red, surprisingly light colored for a CdP, moderate slightly closed nose of smokey cherries, light bodied with bright acidity and mild tannins, fairly simple but pure flavors of cherries and mild smokey oak, seems almost PNish to me. Very light in style but the flavor, though a bit simple, was very nice. Moderate QPR at $20. Frankly this isn't what I want from CdP, though I would enjoy it if someone else opened it.
B.Harrington, 9/16/98
***+

1995 Chateau Du Trignon, Gigondas, France
Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre
Moderately dark purple red, nice nose with floral, cassis and mild coffee aromas, slow attack with flavors of mild
red fruits, cassis mostly, along with tobacco and smokey oak, decent balance with a medium to full body, seems
a little thin in the mid-palate but did seem to blend better the second day, the fruit is very mild, this wine is
dominated by the smokey oak; especially in the finish, the fruit is way in the back and I have my doubts that
will ever be any more present than you see today, this wine was significantly better with food. Moderate QPR
at around $15, don't think I would go for more. Probably being generous with my score!
B.Harrington, 5/17/98
***

1995 C. Cimicky, Signature, Barossa Valley, Australia
Shiraz
Very dark inky purple, huge nose of blackberry, anise, oak and cocoa, ripe extracted flavors of blackberry, currant, espresso, anise, eucalyptus, peppery spice and a hint of minerals, full bodied with a big glyceriny mouth feel, very full strong attack and a lengthy blackberry/anise finish, moderately firm acidity with very mild tannins, a really nice shiraz, started out pungently extracted and developed a smooth feel in the mouth after about an hour, a killer QPR usually priced around $18.
B.Harrington, 3/6/98
****+

1997 Charles Cimicky, Gnarled Vine, Barossa Valley, Australia
Grenache
Medium dark reddish purple, very strong aromas with smokey oak, anise, chocolate and pepper with a good dose of typical grenache fruit which I describe as strawberry and blackberry, the flavors are similiar with briary blackberry/strawberry fruit along with chocolate, anise and charred oak, nice rich smooth mid-palate, full body, low to medium acidity with mild to medium tannins, finish was just a tad rustic and dominated by the oak, very nice wine but I come away wondering if it will not age well. I'm guessing the oak will ultimately win the war, but this is quite nice for now and a very good QPR at about $17.
N 9, A 8, M 8, F 7, S 8, -- 40/50
B.Harrington, 5/1/99
****

NV Charles Melton Sparkling Red, Barossa Valley, Australia
Shiraz
Dark purple red, nose seemed a bit closed but did seem to come forward after it warmed a bit, aromas of black fruits, brown spice, coffee and oak, very ripe flavors of blackberry, cherry, anise, espresso, mild pepper, nutmeg/allspice as well as a hint of mushrooms/truffles, wonderful complexity and balance came forward on this wine as it sat over time. Full bodied with a moderate length finish, I think I was more impressed than the others were but my love of it seemed to come as the bubbles were dying and it became more of a still wine, when cold it seemed a bit strange and awkward to me. Great QPR at $19.
B.Harrington, 4/21//98
****

1995 Chateau Helene, Languedoc, Corbieres
Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, etc.
Medium red, herbal and spicey on the nose and palate, light to moderate fruit, slightly muddy,
medium body is somewhat overshadowed by the peppery spices, tannins are a little rough but
not a problem, pretty good QPR at $12
B.Harrington
***

1994 Chateau Reynella, Basket Pressed, McLaren Vale
Shiraz
Dark purplish garnet red, dusty blackberry and anise nose, flavors of blackberry, currant and coffee with
mild tea leaf and oaky vanilla, medium bodied, light to medium tannins, acidity was very volatile at the
beginning and took about an hour or two to blow off, when it did the quality took a huge step forward,
developing more finesse and became well integrated and balanced, it seemed extremely austere until
the acidity blew off and was perhaps a bit lean on the front of the palate throughout. The acidity was
actually quite nice after some time, the fruit flavors are there but the flavors went through one of the most
intense changes as the wine developed over time. At first the fruit was very muted, then as the acidity
began to blow off the fruit became very bright and forward and finally as the wine opened up more completely
the coffee, tea and vanilla oak began to dominate. My guess is this wine could be really interesting with
a few more years on it. Good QPR at $17, thought the 1995 Qupe Reserve was a little better structured
and had riper fruit and coffee flavors. Still this is a nice wine that would be fun to see how it develops.
B.Harrington, 11/13/97
***+

1995 Chateau Reynella, Basket Pressed, McLaren Vale
Shiraz
Dark reddish purple, strong nose of grapey blackberry, coffee and eucalyptus, great flavors intensity with plum,
blackberry, blueberry, coffee, pepper, clove, tart apple, eucalyptus and vanilla oak, smooth but still has firm
acidity and moderate tannins, the fruit came off as sweet, full bodied with a moderate length aftertaste, liked
this more than the bottle I had last year, started out very bright and fruity and developed more syrah character
as the night went on. Great attack, good balance, Great QPR at $17.
B.Harrington, 6/7/98
****

1995 Clarendon Hills, Old Vine, Australia
Shiraz
Dark reddish purple, nose evolved considerable over time to reveal intense aromas of mild blackberry and blueberry with even more pronounced anise, tobacco, nutmeg, clove and espresso, became so intense as time went on that I almost congered images of mild acetone from this nose, sounds strange but this was really an incredibly complex nose, flavors followed with equal complexity and included blackberry, currant and plum with anise, leather, oak, mineral and espresso components, quite spicey but pleasantly so, great balance and structure, a very wide palate with a full body, not hugely extracted but very Rhone like with incredible complexity throughout. It just got better and better as time went on. This is a great wine which seems a bit atypical in style in comparison to other Aussie shiraz, it definitely had nice fruit but it wasn't in your face, it was well balanced with all the other aspects. Thanks to Walt Nagy for turning me on to this wine. Pretty stunning and still a good QPR at around $33.
B.Harrington, 1/13/98
*****

1997 Clarendon Hills, Old Vine, Blewitt Springs, Australia
Grenache
Dark purple with a slight brickish tint, full nose of blueberry/strawberry, earthy, meaty aromas, huge concentration of blueberry fruit with cocoa, anise, vanilla, spice and oak, meaty, fleshy and full bodied, very thick, the finish seems to have a hint of residual sugar, not nearly as much length in the finish as I was expecting, decent though, there is a bit of heat at the end, very well balanced acidity and the tannins are very fine grained. Overall pretty over the top, this is to grenache what Turley is to zinfandel. Very good wine, needs a couple years at least, might be OK with some spicey foods but I think that this would be better as an after dinner wine. Decent QPR at about $34.
B.Harrington, 10/16/98
****

1995 Cline, Cotes D'Oakley, Vin Rouge, Oakley
Carignan, Syrah, Mourv�dre, Cinsault, Alicante Bouschet
Light ruby red, a mild red fruit nose with some kind of strange musty smell that I had a hard time defining,
light mild red cherry fruit flavors which led into more typical rhone qualities of mild smoke, pepper spice,
leather, chocolate, light to medium bodied with moderate acidity and mild tannins, a short dry finish,
all in all a very quafable wine and an excellent QPR at $5, probably the best wine I've had for $5!!
B.Harrington, 3/14/97
***

Note: Moderate garnet red, nose of spicey cherry, oak and alcohol, flavors of red and black cherries
with mild smoke, cocoa and black pepper, also has a hint of veggie/green bell pepper, fairly
oaky with a bit of hardness to it and a little bit of anise, nice fruit attack with decent complexity
through the mid-palate, light to medium body with a short finish, acidic structure with very mild
tannins. Darn good wine, especially for $5
B.Harrington, 3/23/98
***

1997 Daniel Gehrs, Paso Robles
Syrah
Dark brickish red, very nice aromas with dark plums and spicey oak, flavors of plum, cassis and cherry, more in the red fruit spectrum, nice brown spice aspect with pepper, started with kind of a bang in the attack but quickly mellowed to reveal a rich smooth mid-palate, good length to this wine also. Solid tannins and moderate acidity. We drank rather quickly, would have continued to benefit from more air time. This is a very good wine and clearly shows how far Paso Robles has come with their syrahs. Reminds me a bit of the Wildhorse syrah. This is a very good wine to show you what PR character is. Excellent value at about $15.
N 8 A 8, M 8, F 8, S 9, -- 41/50
B.Harrington, 4/24/99
****

1995 d'Arenberg, Twenty-Nine Road, McLaren Vale, Australia
Mourvedre
Dark brick red, aromas of sweet vanilla oak, musty earth and mild red cherries, flavors of mild red cherry/raspberry and more abundant oaky chocolate, medium to medium full body, moderate acidity and mild tannins, one dimensional; if that, frankly I don't like this wine, there is very little expression of the fruit, it seems about 90% oak, horrible QPR at $18.
N 7, A 6, M 7, F 5, S 7, -- 32/50
B.Harrington, 3/12/99
**

1993 Dehlinger, Russian River Valley
Syrah
Dark garnet purple with a very slight brick edge, sweet blackberry nose, loads of blackberry and cassis fruit flavors with mild pepper spices throughout and a slight tough of vanilla, medium to full bodied with a very smooth full mouth feel, there is a very slight tannic bite at the back of the palate, a very nice long smooth lingering aftertaste!! Strongest quality is the abundant fruit!! 13.5% alcohol. Very good QPR at $18.
B.Harrington, 2/22/97
****

1995 Dehlinger, Goldridge Vineyard, Russian River Valley
Syrah
Dark purplish red, huge funky nose with blackberry, espresso and vanilla oak, has a distinct barnyardy, bretty aroma also, big syrah flavors attack the palate with blackberry, espresso, anise and peppery spice, full bodied and nicely structured with full tannins and firm acidity. This wine was thrown into an Aussie wine tasting as a ringer, I guessed it was the Truchard from Carneros due to the funky barnyardy aromas, not at all like the '94 Dehlinger I tried last year but still an excellent effort which I think needs lots of time to resolve the barnyardy character. A little pricey at $28.
B.Harrington, 4/21//98
****

1995 Deux Amis, Sonoma Valley
Petite Sirah
Dark inky purple, slightly muted nose with blackberry, black raspberry and vanilla oak, flavors of blackberry,
black raspberry, anise, vanilla, oak and white pepper, soft and round mid-palate yet having a decent structure
with moderate tannins and acidity, medium to full bodied, short to moderate length aftertaste, pretty easy
drinking, fairly simple with a good chewy mouth-feel, could be a slight bit of brett but not overbearing at all,
lacks the complexity of a similiarly priced syrah, moderate QPR at $14. About on par with the '93 Markham PS.
Saved half of this wine in a 375 ml to open later. Enjoying it much more the second time around, really bright
fruit, the black raspberry seems even more pronounced now, still a bit simple but a very enjoyable quaff.
This was an experiment, I poured it off to the half bottle and let it sit for just over two months, left a very
small headspace; about 1 nickel thick, it held up very well, did not seem over oxidized at all.
B.Harrington, 4/15/98, 6/23/98
***+

1994 Domaine Clavel, Languedoc, La Copa Santa
Syrah
Very dark red, mild black cherry and blackberry fruit on the nose, spicey throughout, light to moderate fruit,
medium to full bodied, firm tannic structure, very good now could be excellent with a little more time in bottle.
Good QPR at $13
B.Harrington
***+

1995 Domaine Clavel, Languedoc, La Copa Santa
Syrah
Very dark red, nice black cherry and blackberry fruit on the nose, very nice blackberry and cherry fruit flavors with a little chocolate towards the mid palate, very smooth and elegant, medium to full bodied with a very nice long aftertaste. Smooth mild tannins. Very well balanced. Good QPR at $13
B.Harrington, 8/30/97
****

Revisited:
Intense nose with blackberry and espresso dominating, also a bit of a barnyardy aroma, seemed mildy bretty to me, my wife thought it was funky/gamey and barnyardy, this bottle seemed a bit rustic upon opening but had mellowed considerable by the second night, becoming more elegant like I described previously, tannins are definitely apparent now, coarser but still within reason, nice acidic balance, still lots of dark chocolatey, espresso flavors and the fruit is very nice. The finish seemed a slight bit stemmy to me.
B.Harrington, 8/22/98
***+

1995 Domaine Clavel, Languedoc, Les Garrigues
Syrah, Grenache
Dark ruby purple, floral/herbal nose with a hint of blackberry aroma, moderate fruit flavors of blackberry and cherry with a distinct herbal quality that brings to mind oregano, there seems to be a flavor hole in the middle of this wine, still it is full bodied and quite fleshy, although it has a nice peppery spice in the mid palate the other flavors seem to drop off a little too much for my tastes, also seems a little out of balance, a little flabby with big full tannins. Still it's only $8 and has many wonderful qualities for this price.
B.Harrington, 9/4/97, 10/24/97
***

1994 Domaine De Baruel, Vin De Pays Des C�vennes
Rhone Blend
Dark purple, slight chemical nose which blew of a little to reveal a dusty blackberry and espresso aroma, fruit is a little lean with currant dominating the cherry and blackberry components, cedar, oak and tobacco pick up in the mid-palate, medium to full bodied with a massive tannic structure, plenty of acidity but the tannins dominate, this wine needs lots of time, don't think I would open another one for 5 more years or so. Not sure if it had the balance to be great in the future, Parker rated this a 90 or 91 and that seems a bit high to me, unless he knows it will come around with time. For right now the fruit is not forward enough and the tannins are too big. Moderate QPR at $12
B.Harrington, 11/18/97
***

1992 Domaine De La Janasse, Cotes Du Rhone, Les Garrigues
Grenache Old Vines
Dark garnet red with some browning around the edges, nice medium black cherry fruit with chocolatey pepper
spice, on the full side of medium bodied, earthy, after airing a little it became smooth and herbal with earthy
characteristics, very interesting wine, a great enjoyable experience with an out of this world QPR of only $9!!!
B.Harrington
****

1995 Domaine de Perilliere, Cotes Du Rhone
Syrah, ?
Medium dark purplish red, leather and mild cherry nose, pepper spice with leather, tobacco, oak and mild black cherry and smoke flavors, medium bodied, a bit firm with a slightly tannic finish, nice acid balance. Excellent QPR at $9! Nice everyday drinking wine, if you like these slightly smokey CdR type wines.
B.Harrington, 3/2/97
***

1995 Domaine la Milli�re, Cotes Du Rhone
Grenache
Medium dark garnet in color, smokey cherry nose, red and black cherry, cassis fruit flavors with some mild pepper and smokey oak towards the mid palate, medium bodied with a fairly short aftertaste, moderately bright acidity, fair complexity for a light styled CdR, good quaffing wine but a bit pricey at $13, I'm sure there are much better CdR's at this price.
B.Harrington, 7/4/97
***

1994 Edmunds St. John, Durell Vineyard
Syrah
Dark reddish garnet purple, mild black fruit and alcohol nose, massive spicey pepper flavors with moderate blackberry fruit, full bodied, fairly oakey with firm tannins, seems a little harsh and out of balance. Most obvious characteristic is the massive spice juxtaposed against the huge body. One of the harshest California syrahs I've had! Still there is so much hugeness to this wine that I would have to keep buying it year after year, I know they get it right most of the time. This one could use a little improvement, more fruit and smoother tannins!! Decent QPR at $20.
B.Harrington, 2/22/97
***+

1995 Edmunds St. John, Durell Vineyard
Syrah
Very dark inky purple, big nose with slightly dusty blackberry/anise aromas, intense concentration of flavors which are comprised of blackberry and anise with meaty/smokey/toasty oak and minerals, nice complexity, full bodied with a huge structure and good balance, pungent acidity and full tannins, very long lingering toasty anise aftertaste. WOW!! I'm in love! Biggest syrah of the season. Someday in the future I plan on opening one of these with a '95 Ojai BN for a night of pure hedonistic enjoyment. Hell of a good QPR too at $25!! Run, don't walk to your dealer!!
B.Harrington, 11/7/97
*****

1995 Elderton, Barossa, Australia
Syrah
Deep bright purple, sweet blackberry fruit nose, earthy blackberry and cherry flavors which gave way to herbal, coffee and mineral characteristics in the mid-palate as time went on, full bodied, lots of glycerin which gave a very nice mouth feel, it was kind of strange because the acidic structure was very apparent and the tannins were very lean and smooth but there was still a slight flabbiness to the finish. Just seemed a tad weak at the end after a strong attack and a big full middle. Overall, a very nice wine and a decent QPR at $20.
B.Harrington, 9/13/97
****+

1994 Fess Parker, Santa Barbara
Syrah
Moderately dark reddish purple, mild blackberry and alcohol nose, red cherry and blackberry fruit flavors along
with mild chocolate, smoke and pepper spice, somewhat oakey, medium to full body, fairly smooth tannins.
Nice acidity, seems very well balanced. Nice smooth lingering aftertaste. Most obvious quality is the smokey
spice!! Reminded me of a pleasant Chateauneuf-du-Pape!! I really liked this wine!! Excellent QPR at $12!!
Didn't do as much for me in October of '97. Seemed very oaked, a couple people thought it was corked, but
I didn't quite think that. The fruit wasn't nearly as up front as it has been in the past. My rating dropped from
a **** to a ***. Might of been a bad bottle????
B.Harrington, 2/22/97, 10/24/97
****

1995 Foxen, Morehouse Vineyard, Santa Barbara
Syrah
Dark purple, fairly muted nose with slight blackberry and coffee aromas, ripe blackberry and cherry fruit was there but mostly muted for the time being, the mid palate and finish came on strong and showed considerable complexities, anise and coffee flavors predominate with ripe black fruits, huge structure that showed pretty good balance, I really think this wine just needs more time, I think it has the stuffing to come around in time and should eventually become an a great CA syrah. Decent QPR at $26 but a half step below the Qupe HS and Ojai BN syrahs at this point.
B.Harrington, 10/24/97
****+

1996 Galah, South Eastern Australia
Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz
Medium dark ruby red, wild nose of maple, oaky vanilla and red cherry, pleasant well balanced flavors of red and black cherry, raspberry, vanilla, oak with a hint of chocolate and espresso, medium bodied, nice acid level with medium fine tannins, dry moderately short finish, very nice the next day. Seemed to ripen up a bit by the next day. Not sure on the QPR, think its around $15 which seems real fair.
B.Harrington, 3/7/98
***+

1994 Geoff Hardy, Kuipo, McLaren Vale, Australia
Shiraz
Moderately dark red, great aromatic nose with black rapberry, minty eucalyptus and oak, moderate attack with flavors of black cherry, black raspberry, plum mild pepper spice and abundant, though not overpowering oak, nicely balanced, good complexity, seemed somewhat atypical of shiraz to me, almost a little cab like. Seems like it would be a very good food wine. Excellent QPR at $18.
B.Harrington, 4/21//98
****

1995 Glen Fiona, Walla Walla, Washington
Syrah
Made with 76% syrah, 19% cinsault and 5% Grenache Noir, it had a somewhat floral mineral though muted nose,
outstanding and complex flavors of ripe blackberry, black cherry and currant with anise, mineral and meaty
chocolate characteristics, pepper spice and smokey oak is nicely integrated with the big structure having
apparent acidity and firm smooth tannins, finishes with nice typical rhone and floral flavors in a long lingering
aftertaste, this is a truly awesome syrah made by the winemaker from Leonetti, stunning and complex, reminds
me somewhat of the Arrowood Sara Lee Vineyard syrah, Stunning wine, killer syrah.
B.Harrington, 8/25/97
*****

1997 Glen Fiona, Walla Walla, Washington
Syrah
Dark inky purple, intense nose of dark blackberry, chocolate, anise and charred oak, flavors are dominated by earth and minerals with concentrated blackberry, dark plum, anise, herbs and some charred oak, very full bodied with full smooth tannins and firm acidity, excellent balance, still very young, needs lots of time, very long minerally finish, more French in style than CA, this is a stunning wine and one of the very best western syrahs that I have ever tasted. Incredible QPR at the $25 I found this bottle for!!
N 9, A 9, M 9, F 9, S 9 -- 45/50
B.Harrington, 2/20/99
*****

1990 Guigal, Hermitage, France
Syrah
Dark reddish purple with a touch of brick, muted nose which revealed aromas of blackfruit along with a hint of
blueberry, anise, tobacco and alcohol, flavors consisted of black cherry and blueberry with anise, tobacco,
leather and espresso, smooth wine with a fairly large structure and excellent balance, the attack is a little slow
but the wine seemed a bit closed at this point so it was hard to judge. I think the wine still needs some time to
resolve it's structure and open up. My guess is the fruit might poke it's self through a bit more. Still a very
nice wine which paled a bit in comparison to the '95 Clarendon we tasted along with it, good QPR at $21.
Thanks to Walt Nagy for sharing this wine with me!
B.Harrington, 1/13/98
****

1994 Hamel, Sonoma
Syrah
Dark reddish purple to black with slight signs of oxidation around the edge's, appears unfiltered with very fine particles in suspension, nice moderate blackberry and alcohol aromas, moderate fruit up front consisting of blackberry and raspberry with fairly abundant though well integrated oak, moderate to abundant peppery spice, also has accents of chocolate and smokey bacon fat, medium bodied, well integrated acidity and pretty full tannic structure, overall a fairly well balanced syrah tending more toward the elegant than the massive, seems to have a fairly low glycerin level which keeps it from being more full bodied, really nice stuff but still not quite enough up-front fruit or enough body to give that huge mouth feel that some of the better syrahs can give, still the excellent balance leads to a moderately full smooth experience with a fairly lengthy mild blackberry finish.
B.Harrington, 5/10/97
****

Revisited:
nose has picked up a bit with typical blackberry, espresso and spice character, seemed quite full bodied with a great structure, flavors are the same although I did pick up more brown spice, nutmeg and allspice; best I can tell, I think this wine does have enough up front fruit and extraction to be up there with the big boys, I liked it last time I had it, I loved it this time!
B.Harrington, 5/15/98
****+

1996 Hamel, Russian River Valley
Syrah
Dark purple, very nice varietal nose with aromes of blackberry, espresso, brown spice, bacon and smokey oak, cherry aromas were much more apparent the second day although overall the nose had closed up a bit, flavors of blackberry, cranberry, espresso, oak, meaty bacon, vanilla, pepper and brown spice, the second day revealed more abundant black pepper along with a rich brown spice, espresso and charred oak core, very smooth and balanced on the palate, good length on the finish, full bodied with mild tannins and moderate to firm acidity, may not be as much fruit as the '95 had but the balance is great, especially the second day when it revealed a very good smooth and seamless rich quality which I find very attractive, to me this is a seductive wine, if ever there was one. Two thumbs up! Great QPR at $19. Not the incredible extraction of the Ojai or the intense concentration of the Balmoral, but it makes up for it in elagance and balance.
B.Harrington, 9/13/98
****+

1995 Haselgrove Reserve, McLaren Vale, Australia
Shiraz
Dark purplish red, huge nose of blackberry, anise, and espresso, wonderful shiraz flavors of blackberry, plum, anise, espresso, vanilla oak and even a hint of spicey mint, very dark and brooding with a rich mid-palate that was smooth and elegant, full bodied with great structure, one of my favorite wines of the evening, very reasonable QPR at $24. This is a great bottle of shiraz with good complexity and balance, not to mention great varietal character!
B.Harrington, 4/21//98
*****

1994 Hug Vineyard, Edna Valley
Syrah
Very dark inky purple, big nose of dusty blackberry, leather and grass, moderate to full fruit attack of blackberry and currant with leather, spicey pepper and chocolate becoming predominant by the mid-palate, not terribly complex but has a very big body with a huge structure, the tannins are quite rustic and rough still, being a bit over the top at this stage, the aftertaste is short to moderate, this wine has enough fruit to last out it's tannins, at least I think it does, it's made by John Alban, don't know the exact price, somewhere in the low to mid twenties. This is a very nice central coast syrah, but still needs a few more years to resolve itself and really show it's stuff!
B.Harrington, 9/28/97
****

1994 Jaboulet-Aine, Les Jalets, Crozes Hermitage, France
Syrah
Medium dark garnet purple, big nose of red cherry and barnyard aromas, nice red cherry, plum and currant flavors, with spicey pepper and tea leaf/tobacco flavors in the mid palate, slightly thin with low glycerin levels, moderately long aftertaste, fairly well balanced with decent structure, a really good everyday drinking/quaffing wine, good QPR at $11. Took it with us for a picnic at the beach, it was a perfect match with the salami, cheese and cantaloupe.
B.Harrington, 8/24/97
***+

Note: Pretty similiar, didn't seem as barnyardy as before although I did sense it a bit, tea leaf/tobacco has given way to coffee/espresso and smoke, there is a bit of cedary character now that I didn't pick up last year. It seems smoother now than I remember it being. Great QPR, excellent quaff.
B.Harrington, 9/26/98
***+

1995 Jaboulet-Aine, Thalabert, Crozes Hermitage, France
Syrah
Medium dark red, mild blackberry, red cherry and pepper nose, decent fruit upfront with blackberry, red cherry and currant flavors, seemed to dissipate very quickly in the mid palate and finish, medium bodied with mild tannins and fairly firm acidity, I was fairly disappointed in this wine. The Rosemount Diamond Label Syrah blew it away, IMHO Poor QPR at $21 and I bought two bottles, hope it gets better but I doubt it!!
B.Harrington, 7/9/97, 9/12/97
***

Note: Fruit seems to have subsided over time but they have been replaced by some pretty pleasant coffee, burnt rubber and roasted anise flavors, somewhat oaky finish with a slight bitterness, seems a little longer and rounder in the mid-palate than it was the first time around. Much more interesting to me, nicer complexities. I would push it up from *** to ****.

1994 Jaboulet-Aine, La Chapelle, Hermitage, France
Syrah
Dark purple, very nice nose with black cherry/berry, espresso and just a wee bit of the old horsecollar, flavors to follow with blackberry, cherry, plum, chocolate, leather, pepper and espresso, excellent balance, rich, ripe and lush, thick and full bodied with moderate tannins and quenching acids, good length on the finish. I really enjoyed this wine and thinking it was an off vintage didn't have too high of expectations, ending out being my second favorite wine of the evening, amongst heavyweights! Not a bad value at $42, but it is costly and they've gone up considerably since I bought this one!
B.Harrington, 11/7/98
N 3.5, A 3.5, M 4, F 4, S 3.5, -- 18.5/20
*****

1996 Jade Mountain, Evangelho Vineyard, Contra Costa County
Mourvedre
Bright purple, aromas of bright fruit with black cherry/raspberry and currant along with milder hints of musty earth/truffle, developed a slight smokey caramel aroma after an hour or so, very nice nose, flavors followed with black cherries and currants which gave way to a slightly mineral and chocolate finish, carried the musty earth quality throughout but at a consistantly mild level, never overpowered the wine, medium bodied, moderate acidity and mederately strong tannins, this wine seemed a bit austere and tight at first but it seemed to have enough going on that it retained my interest through the evening, not terribly complex but a decent wine, I can see why it works well as a blending grape, overall I liked this wine despite the ridiculous price of $23. I bought this at a marked up price, I suspect it would sell for around $17 and that would be more reasonable.
N 8, A 7, M 7, F 8, S 7, -- 37/50
B.Harrington, 3/12/99
***

1995 J. M. Gerin, Champion Le Seigeneur, Cote Rotie, France
Syrah Blend
Medium brickish red, slightly volatile nose with barnyardy, grassy, meaty bacon, coffee, cocoa and current aromas, medium bodied with flavors of currant, red cherry, raspberry/strawberry grenache like tastes, not a whole lot of concentration of flavors, mild to moderate tannins and very firm acidity, finish was short to moderate in length, seems even a bit thin and austere for a syrah based wine but the complexity does seem to fan out a little; leaving me feeling that this wine may develop nicely with time. Pricey at $30.
B.Harrington, 8/7/98
***+

1997 Killibinbin, 1, Langhorne Creek, Australia
Shiraz
Dark purple, nose of blackberry, espresso, oak and earth, very bright attack with blackberry, cherry, chocolate and vanilla, finishing with cranberry, mint and lemony tartness, medium to full body, rich through the mid-palate, medium tannins and very firm tart acidity, good concentration, the acidity is currently out of balance but perhaps time will fix that, fruit is intense and currently is over-riding the tannins almost completely, but there are significant tannins. I'm thinking this wine will improve a great deal and it is a very good QPR at about $21. I give it a 91, but if the acidity bothers you a great deal, you would have to lower that score a point or two. I liked it myself.
N 18, A 19, M 18, F 18, S 18, -- 91/100
B.Harrington, 7/24/99
****

1996 Kathryn Kennedy, Maridon Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
Syrah
Dark purple, very gamey nose to start although it blew off quickly to reveal varietal aromas of blackberry, plum, espresso, smokey tobacco and mint, richly concentrated with big dark flavors, blackberry, plum, chocolate, coffee, oak, mint, anise and nutmeg, pretty firm acidity with fine smooth tannins, nice long finish, this was a fantastic syrah that had great complexity and depth, only one very minor flaw, it was a tad hot, especially as you gave it air time. The oak was there but not overly dominant as I've heard some people suggest, it seemed to smooth out and develop a creamy rich vanilla character with time. The finish was definitely alcoholic, but boy does it have some intensity in the mid-palate, stunning first syrah from KK, I 'm sure that they will get the heat removed from the subsequent vintages and then this wine will be a huge WOW! It's still one of the better CA syrahs I've ever had, a bit pricey at around $40.
B.Harrington, 8/15/98
****

1995 La Crau De Ma Mere, Chateaneuf du Pape, Southern Rhone, France
Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault
Medium dark red, killer nose with bright red cherry, raspberry, earthy, woodsy mushrooms, anise, mild herbs and spicey oak, flavors followed with bright red cherry and raspberry, woodsy mushrooms which led into a dark tarry chocolate and charry oak finish, excellent balance, smooth and rich, loads of complexity, medium bodied, moderate acidity and mild to moderate tannins, long earthy finish, killer wine. Thanks to Michael Horton for this one!! Just reconfirms my intense love of CdP. By the way, this went great with the mustard crusted pork loin chops I cooked for dinner.
N 9, A 8, M 8, F 9, S 9, -- 43/50
B.Harrington, 5/9/99
****+

1995 Les Amandiers, Vin de Pays, France
Syrah, Grenache, Carignan, etc.
Medium red, nice fruit nose, light cherry fruits at the front end, mild spice, medium bodied
with smooth tannins, wonderful light fruit style with an excellent QPR at $7
B.Harrington
***

1996 Leasingham, Bin 61, Clare Valley, Australia
Shiraz
Dark purple, somewhat simple but aromatic nose of plum, anise and coffee, big loose attack of dark plum, blackberry, anise and vanilla oak, medium bodied with a very soft short finish, practically no tannins and moderate acidity make this a very short timer, IMO. I would put this on par with the Rosemount Diamond Shiraz though the fruit seems a bit more forward. Good QPR at $11. Very nice quaff.
B.Harrington, 10/13/98
***+

1997 Lehman, Clancy, Australia
Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
Medium dark purple red, good aromatic intensity with blackberry, dark plum, cassis, black currant, charred oak and leather, flavors of red and black cherries, plum, vanilla, chocolatey oak, and leather, full body, medium length, moderate acidity and mild tannins, a slight bit disjointed but still a pretty darn nice wine. Great QPR at $16.
N 9, A 8, M 8, F 8, S 7, -- 40/50
B.Harrington, 2/24/99
****

1993 Lindemans, Limestone Ridge, Coonawarra, Australia
Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon
Inky dark reddish purple, throwing a bit of sediment, moderate nose of black fruit that was a bit closed for me, very nice fruit concentration with blackberry, plum, currant and cassis along with tobacco, oak, cocoa, mild coffee and hints of oaky vanilla, very ripe with a smooth chewy mid-palate, full bodied with fairly firm acidity and mild to moderate tannins, nicely balanced, this wine surprised me a little bit as I had heard that it was totally over oaked, it wasn't at all, maybe it's had enough time to resolve itself but I think everyone enjoyed this wine, great QPR of around $21.
B.Harrington, 4/17/98
****+

1994 Lindemans, Limestone Ridge, Coonawarra, Australia
Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark reddish purple, very nice nose of brown spice, blackberry and a hint of mint, flavors followed the nose with blackberry, plum, chocolate, coffee, sweet oak and brown spice, decent length in the finish, very nice balance with good levels of acidity and medium tannins, medium to full body, overall very round and smooth with an excellent flavor profile. Perhaps not quite the concentration of the '93. ?? Excellent QPR at $22. QPR Rating: 10.
B.Harrington, 10/02/98
****

1996 Maglieri, McLaren Vale, Australia
Shiraz
Dark purplish red, slightly closed nose with black fruits, coffee and smokey tobacco, flavor profile includes blackberry, black cherry, plum, anise, spice and coffee, good structure with moderate fine grained tannins and moderately firm acidity, a hint of eucalyptus on the finish, medium to full bodied and nicely balanced, excellent QPR at $16.
B.Harrington, 4/21//98
****

Note: Same impresions on this day for the most part, except I thought the nose was much more opened, this is even better than I thought it was back in April.
B.Harrington, 10/21/98
N 3.5, A 3.5, M 3.5, F 3, S 3.5, -- 17.5/20
****+

1993 Markham Vineyards, Napa Valley
Petite Sirah
Dark inky purple, deep blackberry nose with fruit flavors of ripe blackberry and plum which lead to a mid-palate
dominated by dark chocolate, anise and minerals, all nicely framed by peppery spice, big, chewy and full bodied,
long lingering rich finish with reveals a hint of tea leaf, a good balanced structure, maybe just a bit rustic but
this is a very good wine which packs a lot of flavors and complexity. Excellent QPR at $9.95.
Go get some, at this price it is a steal! Complex for a PS anyways!
B.Harrington, 9/20/97, 9/27/97, 11/1/97
****

1995 McGuigan Brothers, Personal Reserve, South Eastern Australia
Shiraz
Bright, dark reddish purple in color, bordering on inky, mild blackberry and alcohol nose, moderate blackberry,
pepper spice and oak flavors, very nice extraction, slight muddiness that I find somewhat typical of shiraz in
this class, medium to full body with very nice mouth feel, moderate tannins, overall this wine is very smooth,
moderately long lingering mild blackberry aftertaste, excellent QPR at $10. Hell of a good buy!!!
B.Harrington, 3/1/97
***+

1994 Meshach, Grant Burge, Barossa Valley, Australia
Shiraz
Dark purplish red, rich nose here, believe it or not, another influenced call but it works, buttered popcorn, vanilla, espresso and black fruits, flavors of blackberry, blueberry, espresso and brown spice, full bodied and nicely stuctured with moderately full fine tannins and lingering acidity, very smooth and balanced and the oak tends to have that nice sweetness that I hope for. This is a really great wine, that may have suffered a bit due to it's company. It came out with a solid rating in my book though.
B.Harrington, 7/25/98
****+

1996 Mt. Langi Ghiran, Langi, Victoria, Australia
Shiraz
Bright dark purple, great nose of red and black fruits along with espresso and brown spice, flavors of blackberry,
plum, nutmeg, cocoa, anise, eucalyptus, espresso, mild pepper and sweet vanilla oak, full bodied with very nice
structure featuring smooth tannins and nice acidity, excellent balance very smooth and seamless, another great
shiraz from Mt. Langi, decent QPR at $24.
B.Harrington, 4/21//98
****

1994 Ojai Vineyards, Santa Barbara
Syrah
Huge wine, very dark garnet purple, sweet blackberry and cassis fruit, smooth smokey chocolate with abundant spice, very full bodied with full smooth tannins, moderately oaked and decent acidity, complex and well balanced, rich and concentrated, long lingering aftertaste, excellent bottle, up there with the best of the California Syrahs! Shows off those Hillside Block grapes. Excellent QPR at $18, WOW!
B.Harrington, 2/22/97
*****

1995 Ojai Vineyards, California
Syrah
Dark purple, spicey blackberry nose, moderate blackberry fruit with chocolate and coffee mid palate flavors,
heavily spiced throughout, full bodied, well balanced acidity and big tannins, nice lingering aftertaste, huge
mouth feel, moderately oaked, not as much fruit or well balanced as his premium syrahs but an absolute steal
in it's price category. This is an excellent syrah that competes with most of the CA syrahs at twice the price!!
Excellent QPR at $12, WOW!
B.Harrington, 5/23/97
****

1996 Ojai Vineyards, California
Syrah
Dark vibrant inky purple, huge nose of spicey blackberry and espresso, moderately full fruit flavors with blackberry, plum and currant, a bit smokey and meaty with chocolate and espresso coming through to the finish heavily spiced throughout, nice mid-palate viscosity, good mouth feel. full bodied, good structure, nice lingering aftertaste, moderately oaked, seems fairly similar to the 1995 California bottle. Continues to be an excellent wine which competes with more expensive syrahs, not quite as good QPR anymore at $17 but you won't find much more for less money, even in the Languedoc.
B.Harrington, 2/25/98
****

1996 Ojai Vineyards, Bien Nacido, Santa Barbara
Syrah
Very dark inky purple, nearly black, very appealing nose of blackberry, espresso, minerals, eucalyptus, and bacony smokey oak, flavors of blackberry, plum, espresso, peppery spice, vanilla oak, eucalyptus and smokey bacon, full bodied and large but well balanced structure, thick glyceriney mouth feel, the attack builds a bit slowly into a fully concentrated mid-palate and a long lingering syrah finish, kind of a strange attack, if you're one of those people who takes small short little sips without swishing it around your mouth then there seems to be very little up front fruit but if you let it sit in your mouth for more than a second and/or swish it around before you swallow then there is a big bright burst of syrah flavors, very extracted when you do this, but it doesn't reveal itself like a bright zinberry attack would, my wife will sip that way sometimes and she noticed this, so I tried it and thought she was correct, but I rarely sip like that anymore, I usually let the wine fully integrate with my taste buds before swallowing it. This is a very good wine, a half step up from their excellent California bottle and a great QPR at around $20.
B.Harrington, 5/9/98
****+

Note:Had this again for Valentines day, showing extremely well. The attack was much stronger, no sense of being muted or shut down at all., pretty similiar impressions, perhaps a bit of barnyard on the nose early. Still the cream of the crop for CA syrah, IMHO. Excellent wine!
N 9, A 9, M 8, F 8, S 9, -- 43/50
B. Harrington 2/15/99

1996 Ojai Vineyards, Roll Ranch, Ojai, California
Syrah
Opaque inky blackish purple, very large and concentrated nose of blackberry, espresso and smokey oak, flavors are dominated by coffee, tealeaf and licorise with blackberry and charred oak, highly extracted, huge massive body with a long lingering aftertaste, overall the coffee dominates, fruit started to come through by the end of the first evening and was even more evident by the second night, monster structure with massive mouth coating fine tannins and firm acidity, the most tannic wine I've probably ever had but there is lots going on underneath it, this wine needs more time than any of the other Ojai syrah I've ever tasted, the fruit is there but are being a bit overwhelmed by the tannins at the moment, this may prove to be the best Ojai yet, but time will tell, I liked it significantly better the next evening, seemed kind of Hermitage like to me, grat QPR at $20.
B.Harrington, 5/17/98
****

1997 Ojai Vineyards, California
Syrah
Dark reddish purple, aromas of roasted espresso beans, spicey plums and blackberries, flavors seem more plum like than in previous versions, spicey plum, blackberry/blueberry, anise, coffee and charred oak, perhaps not as extracted or concentrated as previous version but there is still plenty of intensity here, comes on strong with a nicely integrated smooth mid-palate, ends with good length on the finish, moderate acidity and tannins, moderately full bodied and well balanced, this wine is drinking great right now and is a steal of a deal at $16. This would be the one to buy and drink while you are waiting for the 94's, 95's and 96's to get ready, or while you wait for the coming blockbusters from '98!!
B.Harrington, 6/10/99
****

NV(1997) Ojai Vineyards, Travail d'la Anglais, California
Pinot Noir/Syrah
Moderately dark reddish purple, aromatic nose of bright cherry with spicey oak, earth and a slight hint of musty mushrooms, flavors of red and black cherry, raspberry, spicey chocolate, oak and slight vanilla, moderate to mild tannins and excellent moderate to firm acidity, decent length, not hugely complex but very pleasant to drink, more acidity than typical Ojai syrah, yet drinks more like a syrah than a PN. This wine is Killer QPR at $16. As I understand it is made with 2/3rds PN and 1/3rd syrah. You can tell there is some PN in it but definitely more syrah like.
N 8, A 8, M 9, F 8, S 8, -- 41/50
B.Harrington, 6/30/99
****

1994 Parducci
Petite Syrah
Lively cherry and raspberry fruit upfront, spicey throughout, medium bodied with a thin middle which is
masked by the abundant spice, tannins started off earthy with a marked taste of stems, this subsided
over night and I would recommend either cellaring this wine for a few years or decanting heavily, after
the tannins smooth this wine becomes quite nice. Excellent QPR at $8
B.Harrington
***

1990 Penfolds Magill Estate, Adelaide, South Australia
Shiraz
Dark brick red, dusty nose with plum, espresso and eucalyptus, flavors of blackberry, plum, espresso, vanilla and mint, medium to full bodied, the finish is brightly acidic though a tad short, nice balance, medium fine grained tannins, the oak is well integrated here and the fruit is still dominant and quite full especially in the mid-palate, more finesse than power, very nice wine, a bit pricey in the current market at aroound $50, but this one was somewhere in the mid $20's on release.
B.Harrington, 8/17/98
****

1992 Penfolds Bin 389, South Australia
Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz
Abundant fruit upfront, brilliant ruby red, moderately chewy middle with medium soft tannins. Has good
attributes of both grape varietals. Drinks more like a cab, IMO. Moderately lingering aftertaste, very smooth.
Do not believe this to be a great cellar wine as some of the fruit has subsided after just one year in my cellar.
Still excellent. High QPR at $12.
B.Harrington, 6/30/95, 12/1/96
****

1992 Penfolds Bin 389, South Australia
Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz
Dark garnet purple, mild blackberry nose, mild to moderate black berry/cherry flavors with a mild pepper
spice, well balanced and elegant in style, medium to full bodied, low levels of acidity, moderately full
smooth soft tannins, moderate length aftertaste, becoming a little generic for me at this point, so well
balanced, nothing sticks out and it seemed a little bland in comparison to the Beringer KV we tasted
just before it, definitely has much less up front fruit than it did when I first tried this wine a year and a
half ago, drink what you got because it's going, going, but not yet gone! Great QPR at $12
B.Harrington, 6/29/97
***+

1994 Penfolds Old Vines, South Australia
Grenache, Shiraz, Mourvedre
Dark ruby red, nose started out very prominent with strawberry, cherry and dusty spice aromas, very nice
flavor profile with strawberry, blackberry, currant, pepper, chocolate, espresso and anise components, nice
thick mouth feel, full tannins and quenching acidity, the acidity was interesting; it started in the front of the
palate and moved back down the side of the mouth rather than from the back of the palate moving forward,
I typically notice most of acids in the mid and back palates, these were really spread out nicely in this wine,
big and ripe with a smooth round middle, the fruit dominated the attack and gave way to the espresso and
anise at the mid palate, the finish was a tad short. Great wine at a great QPR of $16.
B.Harrington, 1/3/98
****

1971 Penfolds Grange, South Australia
Shiraz
Dark slightly brickish red, huge nose of musty earth, tar, cedar, chocolate, brown spice, mint and blackberry, flavors are similiar with coffee, petrol, chocolate, brown spice, raisin, mild blackberry, plum and a minty finish, full bodied, tannins where almost completely resolved and there was still a good acid balance, took a while for it to open and then everyone thought it went over the hill after about 3 or 4 hours. I liked this wine a lot. The finish was perhaps a bit short but the complexity more than made up for it. Pretty impressive for a 27 year old shiraz. Obscenely expensive stuff, absolutely no QPR, but with a wine like this that would be missing the point completely I think. Thanks to Walt, Sally and their son Grange for providing this wonderful experience.
B.Harrington, 10/3/98
****

NV Peter Rumball, Sparkling, Australia
Shiraz
Dark reddish purple, yeasty grapey nose, flavors are a bit simple with black cherry, cocoa, espresso and nutmeg, there is a bit of residual sugar here also, medium to full body, good structural balance, overall a nice sparkling shiraz but definitely not in the league of the Seppelt, Melton or E&E that I've tasted previously. One trick with these sparkling wines is how do they taste when all the bubbles are gone. The Melton was fabulous, this Rumball sucked once it had warmed up and lost the bubbles. The sugar was borderline sickening. Not much QPR here at $25, still it was a fun quaff, there are just lots better out there. But since they are hard to find in the USA, we settled!!
B.Harrington, 7/10/98
***+

1994 Qupe Hillside Select, Bien Nacidos Vineyard, Santa Barbara
Syrah
Incredible wine, dark blackish purple, huge blackberry pie nose, opulent blackberry and cassis fruit bomb with abundant pepper spice, smoke and chocolate overtures, very full bodied with incredible viscosity and very nice mouth feel, full smooth balanced tannins, complex but still huge! Still the best syrah I have tasted to date!! Cost is $30 but worth every penny!
B.Harrington, 10/2/96 3/8/97
*****+

1995 Qupe, Hillside Select, Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Barbara
Syrah
Dark, bright inky purple, earthy blackberry nose, huge fruit flavors consisting of abundant silky ripe blackberry and black cherry, medium pepper spice, smokey, meaty and fleshy with mild coffee/chocolate, huge mouth feel, seemed nicely balanced with it's acidity and big fine tannins, really thick and nice, huge structural masterpiece!! WOW! Monster wine again. Excellent QPR at the pre-release price of $26!!
B. Harrington 7/19/97, 10/24/97
*****

1995 Qupe, Bien Nacido Reserve, Santa Barbara
Syrah
Moderately dark bright purple, huge nose of dusty/earthy blackberry, licorice and alcohol, flavors of ripe blackberry with chocolate, coffee, oaky vanilla and spicey pepper, medium to full body, good balance and structure, long lingering aftertaste, more Rhone character than I expected, very tasty though not quite as much concentration or complexity as other top tier CA syrahs, very good QPR at $18, this is a very good syrah and I honestly don't think is as one dimensional as has been observed by a number of people. IMHO, in this price range there is very little that competes with it on equal footing. I would highly recommend it.
B. Harrington 11/09/97
****

Note: Boy, had this along with a '90 Guigal Hermitage and a '95 Clarendon Shiraz. The tannins seemed almost non-existant in comparison. The structure seemed very weak, still had the huge wonderful nose and the fruit was great with lots of espresso. Humbly I have to agree with many of the other people who have claimed this is a bit one dimensional. It has a good attack but seems to break down somewhere in the mid-palate and the finish is definitely weak due to the lack of structure. While I still enjoy it and think it is a fine QPR wine, my personal opinion of it was definitely lowered a bit. I am dropping my rating from **** to ***+
B. Harrington 1/13/98

1996 Qupe Central Coast, Santa Barbara
Syrah
Medium dark garnet/ruby red, mild dusty blackberry nose, abundant bright up front fruit consisting of blackberry,
cherry, blueberry and currant with chocolate, coffee and a moderate peppery spice filling out the mid-palate,
medium to full bodies, pretty nice structure with perhaps a slightly acidic edge, comes across as elegant and
well balanced though with nice smooth tannins that lead to a long blackberry fruit aftertaste. Doesn't have
the power of the Ojai California bottle, comes across almost zin like in styling. I think zin lovers would like
this bottle a lot. Excellent QPR at $10.50, definitely one of the QPR's of the year!!
B.Harrington, 9/11/97
****

1995 Rockland, Napa Valley
Petite Sirah
Dark purple, the nose was rather muted and only opened up slightly to reveal simple but pleasant black cherry and vanilla aromas, very weak attack with this wine though the mid-palate was quite nice, finish was moderate to short, flavors were dominated by black cherry, plum and vanilla, round and smooth, full bodied with good viscosity, slightly on the tannic side but not overtly so, balanced acidity which hinted at being flabby, overall I felt this wine still needed time, seemed like it was in kind of a dumb stage, it had very nice character but was muted enough to make it a difficult wine to understand, I liked it but my brother did not like it himself too much, simple and restrained yet it seems to have the core of flavors, body and structure to possibly reveal greater depths with time, good QPR, if it develops further, at $18, otherwise so-so at best. Personally I think it will get better.
N 3, A 2.5, M 3.5, F 3, S 3.5, -- 15.5/20
B.Harrington, 11/12/98
***+

1995 Rosemount, Balmoral, South Australia
Syrah
Bright dark inky purple, slightly muted nose which opened up over time to reveal lively blackberry and vanilla aromas, strong attack of extracted flavors consisting of blackberry, currant, anise, espresso, oak, vanilla and spicey pepper, very complex profile, big full body with a chewy middle, full firm acidity with smooth prominent tannins, acidity combined with anise seems to lead to a hint of eucalyptusy mint towards the finish, ??, a very long smooth finish of dryly sweet blackberry, anise and vanilla, an absolutely stunning syrah, one of the best I've ever tasted, very good QPR at $33.
B.Harrington, 1/10/98
*****

1996 Rosemount, Balmoral, South Australia
Syrah
Dark bright purple, aromas of blackberry, plum, vanilla, espresso, anise, burnt caramel and cedary oak, flavors followed with blackberry, plum, licorice, coffee, chocolate and mild eucalyptus/mint, tobacco rich finish, excellent rich concentration, bright and tightly focused fruit, incredibly balanced, smooth and rich, solid in every area, full body, smooth full tannins and medium acidity. Did I say that this wine was an incredible value at $33? Run don't walk!
N 9, A 9, M 9, F 9, S 9, -- 45/50
B.Harrington, 4/15/99
*****

1996 Rosemount, Diamond Label, South Australia
Syrah
Dark purple color, mild earthy blackberry nose, very nice smooth wine, mild blackberry with pepper flavors which melt into a very smooth meaty chocolate mid palate, this wine is a super deal and I think it is even better than the heralded syrah they produced in '94, medium bodied but with pretty thick glyceriney mouth feel, moderate length aftertaste, mild tannins and acidity yet still didn't come off as too flabby, excellent QPR at $9.
B.Harrington, 7/9/97
****

1997 Rosemount, Diamond Label, South Australia
Syrah
Dark purple color, moderate nose of blackberry, espresso and oak, flavors of blackberry, plum and pepper with mild chocolatey oak on the finish, medium body and moderate concentration, nicely balanced, very nice smooth wine, silky mouthfeel with a good fruit attack, nice acidic content with very mild tannins, short to moderate length, excellent QPR at $9, hard to beat this one, another winner.
N 8, A 9, M 7, F 7, S 7 - 38/50
B.Harrington, 2/28/99
***+

1995 Rosemount, GSM, South Australia
Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre
Dark purple, gamey, barnyardy nose with a hint of raspberry, black fruit and oak, nice flavor complexity with blackberry, plum, cherry, strawberry, coffee, oak and a bit of grass, pretty bright attack with a chewy smooth mid-palate, quite a bit of oak in the mid-palate, full bodied with the structure to match, the acidity seemed to become stronger through the evening and the tannins were pretty big too, fairly long woody spice finish, nice wine and a very good QPR at $12.
B.Harrington, 3/31/98
****

1996 Rosemount, GSM, South Australia
Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre
Dark purple, very nice aromas of red and black cherry and smokey, meaty oak, flavors of blackberry, cherry, plum and cassis with smokey chocolate oak, full bodied, very balanced and smooth with a lush mouth feel, mildly rustic, firm balanced acidity with mild to moderate wood tannins. Good moderate length. Great QPR at about $16. The most CdP like Aussie I've ever tasted.
N 9, A 8, M 9, F 8, S 8, -- 42/50
B.Harrington, 2/24/99
****

Note: Nose is dominated by grenache with aromas of blackberry, plum, briary spicey strawberry, and tealeaf with hints of musty earth from the mourvedre, flavors of blackberry, plum, anise, pepper, vanilla, coffee and charred smokey oak and chocolate, full bodied, rich and smooth, medium acidity and medium to strong tannins, decent length. Great QPR at $16.
N 8, A 8, M 9, F 9, S 8, -- 42/50
B.Harrington, 3/26//99
****

1994 Seppelt, Chalambar, Australia, Victoria
Shiraz
Bright garnet purple, mild alcohol with red and black fruit, mild chocolate and coffee aromas, abundant blackberry, red cherry and currant fruit flavors along with a moderate peppery spice, medium body, smooth light tannins, firm acidity, very well balanced, no muddiness that I have often found with shiraz, I wasn't able to pick it out of the crowd at all and I usually can, Drinks like a fruit bomb cab. Medium length aftertaste. This is an excellent QPR at $12!!
B.Harrington, 2/22/97 4/1/97
****

1995 Seppelt, Chalambar, Australia, Victoria
Shiraz
Bright garnet purple, expansive oaky blackberry and espresso nose, flavors of blackberry, currant, oaky vanilla,
espresso and tobacco, moderate spice, medium bodied with firm acidity and very light tannins, started off a bit
quenching and developed into a smooth, nicely balanced wine. not sure if it is quite as nice as the '94 was but
this is a very fine effort and another excellent QPR at $12, same as last year!!
B.Harrington, 3/6/98
***+

1990 Sean Thackery, Orion, Napa Valley
Syrah
Dark inky purple, slightly closed nose but still showing some blackberry and espresso along with a sweaty, dusty, mild barnyardy component, very smooth with flavors of blackberry, plum, cassis and mild coffee/cocoa along with some vanilla oak and black olive, full bodied with a thick, chewy middle, kind of a thin blueberry finish, nicely balanced and good structure, still showing lots of tannins and firm acids, this wine seems a little closed down, it seems to have lots of stuffing though and I suspect it will come back around at some point, ???, still a very nice wine, thanks to Hank Harris and his wife Lauren for bringing this with them to dinner, my first Orion!! Don't know the price but suspect that it's at the high end for CA syrahs.
B.Harrington, 4/17/98
****

1995 Sin Qua Non, The Other Hand, Arroyo Grande
Syrah
Dark purplish red, very strange nose, intense smokey oak throughout, a hint of black fruit and espresso, the flavors followed, the fruit was there but it was very recessed, the oak was very coarse and also very smokey, there was coffee notes also, but the oak was so coarse and bitter with no hints of sweetness or complexity, it made the wine seem much more monolithic than it probably was, I just couldn't get past it. Major flaw in my book, I would be very surprised if this wine ever made it back to being something really great. Yuck, hope it was a bad bottle!
B.Harrington, 7/25/98
***

1996 Sin Qua Non, Against the Wall, Arroyo Grande
Syrah
Dark purple, incredible nose with dark roasted blackberry, meaty, chocolate, coffee, caramel and mild herbs, flavors of spicey plum, blackberry, coffee, chocolate, mild oak, earth and minerals, richly textured, excellent balance, great length and a near perfect structure for a CA syrah with moderate tannins and firm acidity, this is a stunning wine, no overbearing oak, absolutely one of the best CA syrahs I have ever tasted. Simply stunning IMHO. Don't really have a feeling for how this one will age, my guess is that it will do well for 5 to 10 years at least.
N 9, A 9, M 9, F 9, S 9, -- 45/50
B.Harrington, 6/25/99
*****

1994 Swanson, Napa
Syrah
Dark reddish garnet purple, slight alcohol with big blackberry pie aromas, peppery spice throughout with abundant blackberry and cassis flavors, very full bodied with heavy oak and a firm tannic feel, it was a bit hot on the finish and caused a little pucker up both sides of my tongue. 13.5% alcohol. Strongest characteristic is the oak, very woody! Seems somewhat out of balance. A little pricey at about $30! Ala in all, a very good wine, but probably not my favorite syrah in the world!!
B.Harrington, 2/22/97
****+

1996 Tardieu Laurent, Cornas, Vieilles Vignes, France
Syrah
Dark brickish purple, incredible nose of earthy minerals, coffee, olives, spice and dark fruits, flavors of blackberry, coffee, currant, pomegranate, peppery spice and charred oak, long minerally black fruit finish, firm acidity and medium to full tannins, very nice wine, a bit pricey at $43 but worth it. Thanks to George Palmer for opening this one!
N 9, A 8, M 8, F 9, S 9, -- 43/50
B.Harrington, 5/30/99
****+

1997 Tardieu Laurent, Crozes Hermitage, France
Syrah
Dark purple, incredible nose with tons of roasted blackberry fruit, espresso and smokey bacon, flavors of blackberry, cherry, chocolate, anise and coffee, meaty, minerally, medium to full body, moderate to strong tannins and acidity, somewhat western in style, good length with a charred smokey finish, nice balance, killer CH, one of my favorites to date. Great QPR at $25!
N 8.5, A 8, M 9, F 8, S 9, -- 42.5/50
B.Harrington, 7/18/99
****

1996 Tatachilla, McClaren Vale, Australia
Shiraz
Medium dark brickish red, outstanding nose with aromas of sweet cedary vanilla oak, eucalyptus, dark plum and currants, flavors of red cherry, dark plum, currant, coffee, pepper and brown spice, cedary oak, smoke, chocolate and minty eucalyptus, medium body, good balance, moderate acidity and medium strength tannins. I love this style of shiraz, reminds me a bit of the Maglieri though not as dark in character. I don't know the actual cost of this wine as it was a gift to Maureen from a secret board admirer! ;-) I know it has to be excellent because their premium wine is a great deal also. Killer wine.
N 9, A 8, M 9, F 8, S 8, -- 42/50
B.Harrington, 4/6/99
****

1995 Tatachilla, Foundation, McClaren Vale, Australia
Shiraz
Dark, slightly brickish reddish purple, nose shows strong eucalyptus and mint aspects along with blackberry, plum and vanilla oak, flavors followed with blackberry, plum, coffee and cedary oak, full body, medium tannins and low to medium acidity, feels a bit loose on the palate, fruit is over-ripe, a bit muddy but still very nice, I think this wine needs a bit more time to come together, the components are there but not in great balance at this point in time, still a killer wine especially at the price I have found it for! Thanks to Greg, Chris, Bob, Jim and Dave for sending this bottle to me. I loved it so much and it was such a great deal that I'm trying to get another case.
N 9, A 8, M 8, F 8, S 8, -- 41/50
B.Harrington, 4/15/99
****

1996 Domaine de la Terre Rouge, Sierra Foothills
Syrah
Dark purplish red, Classic strong CA syrah nose with blackberry, espresso, black pepper and smokey oak with a hint of barnyard aroma, intense concentration of flavors with blackberry, plum, anise, espresso, and smoke, meaty, amazing intensity, full bodied with firm quenching acidity and moderate tannins, this is an incredible QPR, all the rumors are true. Great Value at $14!!
N 3.5, A 3.5, M 3.5, F 3.5, S 3.5, -- 17.5/20
B.Harrington, 10/30/98
****+

1997 Truchard, Carneros
Syrah
Dark, nearly black purple, nose of blackberries, espresso and vanilla oak, flavors of blackberry, coffee and oak, mild pepper, very full bodied, low to moderate acidity, strong powerful mouth coating tannins, seems like it had a slight hole in the middle but perhaps that was due to the huge tannins, needs lots of time, paled next to the Tardieu Laurant Cornas but still a nice wine. Moderate QPR at $27. I would have liked it better if the acidity was a bit firmer and the tannins were smoother. See how it does with time.
N 8, A 9, M 7, F 8, S 8, -- 40/50
B.Harrington, 5/30/99
****

1995 Vieux Telegraphe, La Crau, Chateaneuf du Pape, Southern Rhone, France
Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault
Dark purple, great CdP nose, earthy, smokey French oak, anise and black fruit, flavors of black fruit with spicey anise and pepper, some mild mineral quality, meaty, medium to full body, excellent balance and depth of flavor, great structure with moderate to full tannins and balanced acidity. Very good CdP at an excellent QPR of $25. Should have bought a lot more! I got none of the strange sulfurous aromas that I've heard others describe in this wines. It seemed fairly clean to me, perhaps the slightest hint of funky, barnyard aroma. Perhaps!!
N 3.5, A 3.5, M 3.5, F 3, S 3.5, -- 17/20
B.Harrington, 10/21/98
****

1996 Wildhorse, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Syrah
Dark purplish red, great nose with blackberry and dark plum fruit along with smokey charred oak, anise and some gamey, meaty aromas, very full bodied flavors of blackberry, plum, smoke, leather, vanilla, coffee, chocolatey spicey oak and a hint of eucalyptus, there were some harsh wood tannins at first but they mellowed after a couple of hours, firm acidity and mild to moderate tannins. This is a really good syrah, nicely balanced, with decent complexity. One of the best from Paso Robles that I've ever tasted. Thanks to TomHill for the heads up on this one! Great QPR at $16.
B.Harrington, 2/6/99
N 9, A 9, M 8, F 7, S 8, -- 41/50
****

1993 Yalumba, Octavius, Old Vines, Barossa, Australia
Shiraz
Very dark reddish purple, awesome nose with blackberry, cassis, espresso, olive and eucalyptus, strong attack with flavors consisting of blackberry, espresso, cranberry, currant, mint, mild brown spice, creamy vanilla oak and some mild to moderate smokiness, silky creamy smooth in the mid-palate, great structure with fine, full smooth tannins and firm but balanced acidity, very nice overall balance, power and elagance, this is a superb shiraz, abundant concentrated fruit, great structure and balance, creamy smooth yet vibrant and attacking. Killer shiraz which was likely worth the $50 price tag.
B.Harrington, 8/20/98
*****

1995 Zaca Mesa Cuvee Z, Santa Barbara
Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault
Bright ruby red, very light nose, vibrant fruit upfront, medium bodied with nice spice and medium to full tannins. Overall impression of this wine is that it is a quaffing wine, like a really good beaujolais. Good QPR at about $8.50. I happened to drink this wine with some greek kalamata olives, believe it or not this was a great combination. The sharpness of the olives really smoothed out the wines edges.
B.Harrington
***+

1995 Zaca Mesa, Santa Barbara
Grenache
Beautiful color, bright garnet ruby red, floral and honey nose, light cherry and red berry fruit, light to medium bodied, nice fairly smooth spiciness throughout with a hint of vanilla, thin to moderate tannic structure is somewhat hidden by the spice. Really nice quaffing wine.
B.Harrington
***+

1994 Zaca Mesa, Zaca Vineyard, Santa Barbara
Syrah, Viognier
Moderately dark purplish red, a mild blackberry, floral and alcohol nose, abundant fruit flavors of red cherry, strawberry, currant and mild blackberry, nice peppery spice, medium to full body with well balanced acidity and moderate smooth tannins. The aftertaste is short to medium length that seemed mildly mineral but pleasing. I like the balance of this wine! Strongest characteristic is it's acidity!! Excellent QPR at around $16!
B.Harrington, 2/22/97, 5/8/97, 4/7/98
****

Note: In May of '97 when I tried one of these bottles, it seemed a bit more closed. There was a more apparent floral quality and more rhone style complexities than I have experienced in the past. Nice chocolate and mildly smokey leather characteristics. The fruit was not nearly as evident as in the past In April of '98: Very floral nose, still a little closed but you can still pick up a bit of the jammy blackberry aromas, fruit is still more in the background, picking up flavors of blackberry, plum and cassis with coffee, anise and a mildly herbal peppery spice, medium to full body, moderate to full tannins and firm acidity. Still one of my favorite ZM's.

1994 Zaca Mesa, Bob Lindquist Alumni Series, Santa Barbara
Syrah
Dark bright purple, nice typical blackberry syrah nose, moderate to full fruit attack, very nice and bright in flavors
consisting of blackberry, cherry with light chocolate, sweet vanilla oak and mild peppery spice, elegant in style
and nicely structured, ready to go with it's firm acidity and moderate smooth tannins, the mid-palate is also quite
smooth, this is a nice sipping wine with decent flavor complexities but not quite as much body or structure as
some of the best CA syrahs, still this is a somewhat rare bottle which shows off the Zaca Mesa fruit and Lindquist's
style, very nice and a decent QPR at $20.
B.Harrington, 9/28/97
****

1995 Zaca Mesa, Chapel Vineyard, Santa Barbara
Syrah
Dark bright purple, sweet blackberry and mild floral aromas, nice black cherry and blackberry fruit flavors along with
mild espresso, oaky vanilla and abundant peppery spice, overall seems smooth and a bit buttery, medium bodied,
moderate structure, nice balance but somewhat less complex than many other syrahs, still a nice and pleasant wine
to have with dinner, this wine was released to club members only but seems pretty much in line with the Zaca
Vineyard bottles from my experience, decent QPR at about $16 but there are others I'ld rather have at this point.
B.Harrington, 12/13/97
***+

Zinfandel

1995 Beaulieu Vineyards, Napa Valley
Zinfandel
Dark red, zinberry and alcohol nose, raspberry and red cherry flavors with peppery spice and a briary zin component,
very nice, medium to full bodied with firm tannins that smooth quite a bit in the glass with time, pretty big style,
nice backbone and balance, alcohol is 14.5% and you can tell at first but I am amazed with the elegance this
bottle develops over time if you let it air a bit. Outstanding QPR at $9. Drinks like a much higher priced zin.
Tasted my last bottle a year later and it was still big but had developed more chocolatey, anise and tobacco
characteristics, what a great bottle!
B.Harrington 3/1/97, 3/10/98
***+

1997 Blockheadia Ringosii, California
Zinfandel
Dark red, very interesting nose with a distinct impression of oolong tea, custard, chocolate and blackberry, flavors of blackberry, blueberry, anise, chocolate and tea, rich and smooth in the mid palate with some residual sugars on the finish, good length, medium to full body, medium tannins adn low to medium acidity, seemed a bit disjointed the first day but really smoothed out by day two becoming very ripe and roasty with much better balance, the residual sugar was much less apparant, the finish was hotter and showed lots of tea on the second day also, by the third day it was showing a much darker, oaky and brooding character. Brian at the Wine Bank gave me this bottle to add to the tasting, it was middle of the pack on night one but ended out being my favorite bottle.
N 19, A 18, M 19, F 19, S 18, -- 93/100
B.Harrington, 8/13/99
****+

1994 Buehler, Napa Valley
Zinfandel
Light brickish red, mild red fruit aroma with a hint of mustiness??, very mild red cherry and zin fruit, very thin
wine in almost all ways, light bodied, mild smooth tannins, decent acidity, very short finish, got to be honest
this was my least favorite zin at our tasting, not much to offer but inoffensive! QPR is $12, I wouldn't rebuy
this wine!!
B.Harrington, 3/22/97
**

1995 Cline, Bridgehead Vineyard, Contra Costa County
Zinfandel
Medium dark red with a slight tint of orange oxidation coloring, dusty nose of briary raspberry and cherry,
bright and briary fruit flavors of raspberry, cherry and zinberry with mild chocolate, leather and oaky vanilla,
medium to full bodied and nicely structured with quenching/pungent acidity and moderately full tannins, smooth
and a little creamy through the mid-palate becoming pungent on the finish, which was fairly long. Very nice zin.
Nice complexity, seems to have a lot going for it and at a very good QPR of $17. The 87 rating it received
from Wine Spectator seems a little low to me.
B.Harrington, 11/8/97
****

1997 Dashe, Russian River Valley
Zinfandel
Dark red, very aromatic nose with black cherry, briary zinberry, vanilla, oak, smoke and anise, with a touch of alcohol, flavors of black cherry, raspberry, chocolate and oak, strong in the mid-palate, medium to full body, moderate length, moderate to high acidity and medium strength tannins, a bit hot on the finish, 14.5% alcohol. Overall a really nice, decently balanced zin which is a very good value at about $18.
N 9, A 8, M 9, F 7, S 8, -- 41/50
B.Harrington, 4/06/99
****

1997 D-Cubed, Howell Mountain
Zinfandel
Dark red, nose showed very ripe pruney black fruits, flavors of ripe blackberry, cherry and zinberry, with chocolate, oak and earth, medium to full body, moderate tannins and acids, a long finish. Very nice and ripe zin at a good QPR of about $18. Number one the first night and I didn't take the bottle with me so don't know how it held up or evolved.
N 18, A 18, M 19, F 19, S 18, -- 92/100
B.Harrington, 8/13/99
****

1979 David Bruce, El Dorado County
Zinfandel
Dark purple with brick red around the edges, mild dusty blackberry nose, soft smooth blackberry fruit with mild
chocolate characteristics, pencilly oak, medium bodied with soft tannins, low levels of acidity make this wine
seem a bit flabby, still lots of fruit left here with a fairly long finish, it surprised me that this wine held up so well
for so long without a stronger acidic structure, pretty darn nice for an old zin.
B.Harrington, 7/6/97
***+

1984 DeLoach, Russian River Valley
Zinfandel
Dark purple, mild spicey blackberry nose, mild blackberry/zinberry fruit with oak characteristics present, apparent
acidity, fairly strong tannins for such an old zin, some mild spicey/smokey flavors through the middle and finish, went
very nicely with the food, may be just starting to fade a little, still nice though.
B.Harrington, 7/6/97
***+

1997 Eric Ross, Occidental Old Vines, Russian River Valley
Zinfandel
Dark red, bright black cherry, zinberry nose, strong pungent attack, same fruit on the palate, not the intense black raspberry I remember at ZAP for the last two vintages, also had chocolate and oak notes along with a slight sulfurous earthy odor, lean and austere on the mid-palate, mild tannins and firm quenching tart acidity, medium body, short finsish, this is a food wine and in fact I enjoyed it a great deal the second night with dinner, but this is a leaner style than other zins and did not seem quite up the level of the ZAP wine. ????? That being said I still like it because it does have abundant fruit and I like the acidity but some people won't. Decent value at $19.
N 18, A 19, M 19, F 17, S 18, -- 90/100
B.Harrington, 8/13/99
****

1994 Fife, Redhead Vineyard, Redwood Valley, Mendocino
Zinfandel
Dark purplish red, mild red cherry and alcohol nose, strong attack with bright red cherry and zin fruit flavors,
spicey pepper and anise with a mild chocolate component, nicely concentrated with a medium to full body,
slightly high acidity but well balanced within it's structure, became quite rich and smooth with a little air time,
long lingering aftertaste. Very nice wine with a very good QPR at $13.
B.Harrington, 3/14/97, 7/21/97
****

Note: Tasted this wine again on 7/21/97. It was a little spritzy to start and had a harsh
woody tone to it that settled down quite a bit a couple of hours after the cork was popped,
my impressions were pretty much the same only I would add that it does appear to be a
little oaked although nicely so after a little time. Super the next day! Left it for two
more days and it had smoothed out considerably and was very nice indeed!

1994 Fife, Spring Mountain, Napa
Zinfandel
Moderately dark ruby red, red cherry and red berry fruit flavors, toasty oak with chocolate and anise overtures,
medium bodied with moderate to mild tannins, mildly acidic with a hot finish due to high alcohol content, drinks
like a Cabernet Sauvignon.
B.Harrington
***

1994 Franus, Brandlin Ranch, Mount Veeder, Napa
Zinfandel
Medium dark red with a sweet red cherry and alcohol nose, mild raspberry, red cherry and blackberry flavors with mild pepper spice at the finish, silky smooth through the middle, firm backbone with soled acidity and tannic structure, a little hot on the finish with alcohol of 14.4%, somewhere between a big zin and an elegant zin, very nice but not great, decent QPR at $15.
B.Harrington, 4/18/97
***+

1995 Gary Farrell, Russian River Valley
Zinfandel
Medium dark garnet purple, zinberry/blackberry and pepper nose, very nice upfront fruit with briary zinberry and
blackberry flavors which combine with a meaty/leathery/chocolate towards the mid palate, this mid palate is very
smooth and leads into a thick peppery finish which lingers for quite awhile, full bodied with moderately thick full
tannins and well balanced acidity, this is a really nice zin, certainly in the class of the Selby and Ridge Pagani.
Still a pretty fair QPR at $17, buy it while you can! One of my favorite '95's so far!
B.Harrington, 7/4/97
****

Note: Tasted this wine again on 3/22/98. Pretty much the same profile. Nice aromatic nose of
briary zinberry and smokey vanilla oak, flavors of briary zinberry, cherry and red currant with
tobacco, cocoa and mild vanilla oak, elegantly styled zin with a very nice balance, nicely
structured with a slight leaning towrds it's acidity, smooth mild to moderate tannins, Bright
attack, smooth middle and seemingly a bit short on the finish. Alcohol is less than 13.5%
B.Harrington, 3/22/98
****

Pinot Noir

Red Blend

1996 Beauleau Vineyard, Beauzeau, California
Zinfandel, Charbono, Grenache, Petite Sirah, Valdiguie, Carignane
Dark purplish red, zin like nose with briary bright black cherry and zinberry, moderate attack with black cherries leading into rich dark chocolatey charred oak, the attack seems dominated by zin, while the mid-palate seems dominated by the charbono, the mid-palate is very smooth and round though perhaps a bit simple, the finish has hints of red and black fruits and again seems somewhat dominated by the zin fruit, still the dark chocolatey overtones carry through to the end. Medium to full bodied, well balanced acidity with medium tannins, good balance, liked it more the second day. The oak seemed a bit rustic the first evening but had mellowed just a bit with some air time. Great QPR at $16
N 3.5, A 3.0, M 3, F 3, S 3.5, -- 16/20
B.Harrington, 10/19/98
****

1997 David Coffaro, Estate Cuvee, Dry Creek Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Carignane, Petite Sirah
Dark reddish purple, very nice aromatic nose with bright red cherry, cassis and sweet vanilla oak, flavors of red and black cherry, plum, cassis, sweet vanilla oak and a hint of tobacco, medium length bright cherry and cassis fruit finish, medium bodied, slight edge to the acidity and the tannins are mild and fine, excellent overall balance, the oak treatment here is typical for Coffaro and reminds me a little of the Leonetti, this is a pretty wine, I really liked this wine and it also had great QPR at $18.
N 3.5, A 3.5, M 3.5, F 3.5, S 3, -- 17/20
B.Harrington, 10/19/98
****

NV Marietta, Old Vine Red, Lot Number 19, Geyserville
Red Blend
Garnet red with a dusty raspberry nose, very fruity with flavors consisting of raspberry, boysenberry and
concord grapes, mildly spicey, medium bodied and a bit on the flabby side with low to moderate acidity
and very mild tannins, short aftertaste, overall a decent valued quaffing wine. The bottle doesn't say
exactly what grapes are in it but hint at zinfandel, petite syrah, carignane and gamay. It is an
excellent value at $6. This is a fun wine for barbecues and a good one for newbies who are
searching out different wines.
B.Harrington, 6/4/97
***

1996 Spelletich Cellars, Bodog Red, Lake & Napa Counties
Cabernet, Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah
Bright dark ruby red, slightly closed nose that still revealed lots of cab character with sweet cassis, oak and tobacco, great fruit attack dominated by briary zinberry with cherry, cassis, and a hint of black fruits with French oak and tobacco coming into the mix in the mid-palate, very silky smooth with sweet dry fruit throughout, medium bodied, elegant yet still substantial, nicely structured with firm acidity and mild to moderate tannins, excellent balance and a long lingering aftertaste, this is a very interesting wine, the syrah is underlying, the cab dominates the nose, mid-palate and finish while the attack is dominated by the zinfandel, reminds me a little of the '95 Clavel La Copa Santa; only better. Stunning wine at a great QPR of $18. Yummy! 69% Cab, 16% Merlot, 8% Zin and 7% Syrah
B.Harrington, 3/29/98
****+

Revisit: We had it directly after the Chateau Moncontour chenin blanc and it seemed to suffer a bit for it. The acidity seemed a bit out of balance during lunch and at first it was very austere and tight. We left it for awhile, came back to it later and it had picked up considerable. There was a little left in the bottle which I recorked and took home. Later that evening I finished it off and it had opened up even more and the rough acidity had seemed to smooth out a little. Still a bit too much acids but the balance was much better and the fruit was as before. My description still comes out almost exactly the same, but I have dropped my overall rating down a half star. Still like it and look forward to trying my other bottle in the future.
B.Harrington, 7/4/98
****

Chilean Red

1995 Casa Lapostelle, Cuvee Alexandre, Estate Bottled, Rapel Valley, Chile
Merlot
Dark garnet purple, mild red cherry, smokey chocolate and alcohol nose, ripe black cherry and plum fruit
flavors along with a mild smokey chocolate/tobacco/leather aspect that picks up towards the mid palate,
very smooth with nice structure, fairly full tannins for a merlot and well balanced acidity, overall a very nice
merlot, especially when considering the excellent QPR of $10!
B.Harrington
****

Italian Red

1994 Altamura, Napa Valley
Sangiovese
Very dark ruby red, huge nose with sweet cherries, black plum and vanilla oak, wonderful attack with flavors
of bright briary cherry, dark plum, coffee/cocoa, cedary oak, smoke and tobacco, lots of sweet vanilla oak in
the finish, very good structure, full bodied, pleasantly tart and prominent smooth tannins, lots of sangiovese
character, somewhat floral in flavor too, good length to the finish, one of the best CA sangioveses's I've ever
tasted, not sure of the price but believe it was excellent QPR.
B.Harrington, 4/25/98
****+

1992 Blue Moon, Napa Valley
Sangiovese
Abundant cherry fruits, obviously a magnificent chianti, rich and opulent with smooth tannins and a long
lingering aftertaste, very nice and a steal at $11, Great QPR
B.Harrington
****

1994 Blue Moon, Alexander Valley
Sangiovese
Mild sweet cherry nose, moderate red cherry and raspberry flavors intermingled with mild typical chianti tastes,
light to medium body with moderately firm tannins and crisp acidity, silky smooth from the beginning through the
mid palate, mild acidic bite on the finish, went very nicely with the Spencer steaks we had for dinner, nicely
balanced, short aftertaste. Good QPR at $14.
B.Harrington, 4/17/97
***+

1995 Chappellet, Napa Valley
Sangiovese
Bright dark red, very nice nose of briary cherries, cassis and cedary, smokey oak, nice bright fruit attack with good depth and complexity in the mid-palate, flavors of red and black cherry, plum, cassis, dark chocolate, leather and charred oak, mild pepper, over time the chocolatey leather oak began to calm down and reveal a more vanilla rich character, overall the fruit was quite vibrant hinting of sweetness but finishing very dry, full bodied with a fairly large structure being tannic and well balanced within it's acidity, needless to say I liked this wine a great deal, not bad QPR at $19, I would buy this again for sure. Went really great with the barbecued steaks.
B.Harrington, 8/02/98
****

1994 Ferrari-Carano, Sienna, Sonoma County
Sangiovese, Cab, Merlot
Mediuim purple red, sweet cherry, plum and vanilla oak nose, very nice, nice richness on the palate with wonderful attack flavors of cherry, plum, blackberry/raspberry and vanilla, with time developed some tobacco and charred oak nuances, mostly medium to full bodied with firm acidity and mild to moderate tannins, overall seemed very smooth, fruit driven and well balanced. Moderate QPR at $22, when I bought it.
B.Harrington, 9/06/98
****

1996 Fonterutoli, Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy
Sangiovese
Dark red, very nice nose of dark cherry, charred oak, earthy mushroom with a hint of barnyard or perhaps some mild brett, flavors of dark cherry, charred oak, leather, tarry chocolate and earth, medium bodied, crisp acidity and moderately mild tannins, my favorite of the three chianti classico's we had today, a bit longer in the finish and more complexity than the other two wines. Decent QPR at $16. Nice wine.
N 8, A 8, M 8, F 7, S 7, -- 38/50
B.Harrington, 2/10/99
***+

1996 Gabbiano, Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy
Sangiovese
Light to medium red, nice nose, cleanest of the three with red cherries, vanilla and only a hint of earth, very light bodied thinning even more with time, decent cherry fruit with some mild musty flavors, the least acidic of the three we tried today, no tannins, simple and austere. Very short finish. Good QPR at $9.99, but drink it quickly.
N 7, A 7, M 6, F 5, S 6, -- 31/50
B.Harrington, 2/10/99
**

1996 Isole E Olena, Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy
Sangiovese
Light to medium red, very aromatic nose with bright clean red cherry fruit and hints of earth, flavors are more of the red cherry, juicy attack with some oak and chocolate creeping in there by the finish, light to medium bodied, with crisp acidity and mild tannins, still a bit short in length, a step up from the Gabbiano but a bit pricier at $15.
N 8, A 8, M 7, F 6, S 7, -- 36/50
B.Harrington, 2/10/99
***

1993 Mount Palomar Winery, Castelletto, Temecula
Sangiovese
Pretty large red fruit nose with red fruit flavors throughout including red cherry, plum and strawberries,
light to medium bodied, very nice acidic balance resulting in a nice bright quaff, mild tannins with a medium
length aftertaste, a bit pricey at about $18 but one of the best wines I've ever tasted from Temecula
B.Harrington
***

1982 Renato Ratti, Marcenasco, Italy
Barolo
Dark brickish orange, moderate to full nose of smoke, tar, nutmeg and currant, flavors of red/black cherry, vanilla
and a bit of a nutty character, good attack but a little lean on the mid=palate and finish where there seems to
be a hint of cedar and old oak, pretty well balanced and a good structure which leans towards the acidic due
to it's age, I believe, nice wine. May be getting near to the break even point as far as it's age is concerned.
B.Harrington, 2/7/98
***+

1993 Swanson, Napa Valley
Sangiovese
Dark red, mild cherry nose, flavors of red cherry, plum, a slight hint of raspberry, all of which gave way
to a mildly oaked vanilla and a peppery spice throughout, medium to full bodied and well balanced with it's
acidity, moderate tannins, the most extracted sangiovese from California that I've had to date, this was
served before the Araujo and I think it held it's own pretty well, this is a nice big sangiovese that I believe
would hold up very well to some extended cellaring. Excellent QPR at $19
B.Harrington, 6/23/97
****+

1995 Swanson, Napa Valley
Sangiovese
Dark red, mild cherry nose, flavors of red cherry, plum with a mild to moderate hit of oak from the mid
palate on, mildly peppery, medium to full bodied, a slight bit aggressive at the end, the syrah component
becomes a bit more apparent after the attack flavors subside, there is a hint of coffee/chocolate in the
middle but not much in the way of darker ripe fruits, nice wine but not as extracted as the '93 was, still
it had fairly nice structure and balance, maybe another year in the bottle would smooth out some of the
roughness, moderate QPR at about $20.
B.Harrington, 1/6/97
***+

1988, Taurino, Notarpanaro, Apulia, Italy
Negra Amaro/Malvasia Nera
Light brick red, mild red fruit nose, nice juicy fruit up front with red cherry and blueberry flavors, chocolate and mild pepper spice become more apparent towards the mid-palate, medium bodied, very apparent acidic component, mild tannins, excellent food wine, seemed much juicier and fruitier with the pasta dish than on own. I liked this wine a great deal, seemed pretty well balanced and smooth, heck of a good deal at $9 a bottle. Still doing well even in '97
B.Harrington, 5/27/97
***+

Spanish Red

1996 Abadia Retuerta, Sardon del Duero, Spain
Tempranillo, Cabernet, Merlot
Dark reddish purple, fairly strong sulfury aromas which are followed by earthy black fruits and mild vegetal aromas, medium to full body, flavors of red and black cherry, tobacco, veggies, herbs and chocolate, fairly spicey, moderate acidity with a metallic like twang, medium tannins, fairly nice wine but I felt it's nose was a bit of a detriment to me. The veggie character got much more pronounced the next evening. Good QPR at $20, but not really my cup of tea.
N 7, A 8, M 8, F 7, S 8 - 38/50
B.Harrington, 4/15/99
***+

1996 Condado Del Haza, Ribuero del Duero, Spain
Tempranillo
Bright reddish purple, nose was still a bit sulfury with hint of hay rich barnyard, tobacco, floral and black cherry/raspberry, flavors of black raspberry, cherry, tobacco and earth dominated, light to medium body, a bit thinner than the others, short finish, medium firm acidity and very mild tannins, a tad austere, still the fruit flavor was fairly tightly focused and showed very well with the food, was also very good the second day, the tobacco became quite strong the second day also. Overall a very good QPR at about $16.
N 8, A 8, M 8, F 7, S 7 - 38/50
B.Harrington, 4/15/99
***+

1996 Pingus, Flor de Pingus, Ribuero del Duero, Spain
Tempranillo
Dark reddish purple, least amount of sulfer of the three wines we tasted tonight, might not even be any??, hard to say, the nose is dominated by earthy black fruits, vanilla and anise, flaovrs of black cherry, mild black raspberry, tobacco, vanilla, and oak, most balanced and complex of the three wines, finish was decent also, fairly good length with chocolate dominating, this is a very nice wine, my favorite of the three wines this evening. Much cleaner than either of the other two. Good QPR at $24.
N 8, A 8, M 9, F 9, S 9 - 42/50
B.Harrington, 4/15/99
****

1995 Alvaro Palacios, Fica Dofi Vineyard, Priorat, Spain
Grenache Blend
Dark purple red, nose of strawberry, bright red cherries and oak, some brooding dark rhone like aromas developed by the next evening, strong flavors of strawberry, bright red cherry, mild dark chocolate, charred oak and leather, medium to mostly full bodied, huge structure leading to a rather tart mid-palate and ending with massive tannins, definitely needs lots of time but it has the stuffing to keep up with all it's components, the mid-palate became silky in respect to it's fruit and mouth-feel by the next day, the tannins smoothed out a bit too, the finish was quite long, killer wine that I wish I could try again in about 10 years. Don't know the price for QPR but this is my kind of wine. Thanks to George Palmer for bringing this to dinner.
B.Harrington, 4/17/98
*****

1988 Bodegas Montecillo Reserva Rioja, Spain
Tempranillo, etc.
Medium brick red, huge red berry nose, very fruity with blueberry, red cherry and plum flavors, the fruit is very
evident on front and mid palate, very smooth tannins lead to lingering silky finish. Moderate acidity is more
evident with the roast beef dinner. Seemed well balanced. Very nice wine and a very good QPR at $10.
B.Harrington
****

1994 Bodegas Muga Reserva Rioja
Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano
Dark purple red, dusty, earthy nose with dried cherry, cassis and charred oak, the flavors are still young and tight with dried cherry, currant, tobacco, earthy smokey cedary oak, full bodied and a bit backward, the finish is currently a bit too woody and tart, this wine needs lots of time, all the components are there but it seems very young, got a feeling with another 5 to 10 years this could really be nice, just a bit hard right now. Lots of potential here, not sure of the price but as I remember this wine is very good QPR. ??? My rating here does reflect potential, knock a half star off for current drinkability.
B.Harrington, 7/4/98
****

1994 Bodegas Reyes, Teofilo Reyes, Ribera Del Duero, Spain
Tempranillo, etc.
First of all let me say that we had to keep this bottle on ice or loose it to the S. New Mexico heat. When we opened it we had only let it sit for an hour and IMHO, it was not quite at the correct temperature and may have been slightly bottle shocked, I liked it but felt that it was a little tight and closed, not showing nearly as well as it probably did the next evening, my description is short and based on potential for it's underlying components Very dark garnet red, dark fruit nose, lots of red and black fruit flavors with some rather interesting flavors in the mid palate that I found hard to distinguish, Tom Hill describes as dilly, American oak and milky, perhaps he is on the money here, seemed to be a moderately full bodied wine with medium tannins and fairly stiff acidity, there seemed to be a slight/mild tobacco flavor in the mid palate, I think this wine has some pretty good potential and I suspect it would open up a lot at the right temp, good QPR at $19.
B.Harrington, 7/6/97
***+

1994 Clos Erasmus, Priorat, Spain
Grenache, Syrah, ?
Dark bright purple, strange tea leaf/tobacco nose, complex flavor profile of strawberry, blackberry, blueberry,
bacon, tobacco vanilla and spice, incredible wine, both powerful and graceful at the same instance, excellent
balance with near perfect structure supported by ultra smooth fine tannins, has to be one of the best rhone
blends I've ever tasted, big huge body yet very elegant, very long lingering rhone styled aftertaste. I love
this wine, it's at the top of my Rhone list now!! Good QPR for this wine at about $40
B.Harrington, 10/24/97
*****+

1989 Marques De Murrieta Ygay, Reserva Especial, Spain
Rioja
Dark red with a brickish orange hue, dusty cedary/oak nose, dark fruits with red and black cherries, cassis,
vanilla and mild oak, fruit is very lush, almost sweet, medium to full body with an incredibly bright crisp finish
due to it's slightly over the top acidic structure, really nice character though as I really love this type of acidity.
This was a great wine that I really enjoyed a great deal, it also went very well with the paella I served. Good
food wine that still has some strong extraction of flavors.
B.Harrington, 2/7/98
****

1994 Remelluri, Spain
Rioja
Dark red, prominent nose with smokey oak, dusty, earthy mushrooms and cherry, brooding flavors of dark
cherry, plum, spicey charred oak and chocolate, medium to full bodied with a pretty large structure, medium
tannins and well balanced acidity, not quite like any other Rioja I've had, still young and a bit tight, liked it
a great deal though, smoothed out a lot after about two hours, the oak is fairly strong but not biting or bitter,
fairly well balanced within the package. Very good QPR at $16.
B.Harrington, 6/14/98
****

1994 Vega Sauco, Toro, Crianza, Tinto, Spain
Tempranillo, etc.
Dark bright purplish, garnet red, nice nose of red and black fruits with a hint of wood somewhere between oak
and cedar, nice fruit flavors of red cherry and plum, very smooth with a slightly thin mid palate which hints at a
dusty woody chocolate, light to medium body, light tannins, decent balance, overall a little lacking to stand on
own but the nice acidic structure lent itself very nicely with the steak I had for dinner. Good quaffing wine with
an excellent QPR of $8.99. Parker gave this wine a 90! Seems a little high but this is a very pleasant wine.
B.Harrington, 8/29/97
***+

Chardonnay

1992 Beringer Private Reserve, Napa Valley
Chardonnay
Layers upon layers of complexity! Very well balanced, nothing dominates this wine!! Abundant fruit,
very rich and bright, one of the best CA chards I've ever tasted! Best adjective I can think of is, DEPTH.
An excellent QPR at $16 a bottle. I also felt that the style of this wine was remarkably similar to their
Cab PR, in terms of complexity.
B.Harrington
*****

1995 Chateau Montelena, Napa Valley
Chardonnay
Golden yellow straw, great nose of tropical fruits, lychees, pineapple and vanilla with a hint of mild grass, nice fruit flavors to follow are tropical with apple, pear, vanilla, allspice, oak, and minerals, nice crispy finish, medium to full body, good length in the finish, well balanced, as it warmed up the fruit really came forward yet it still retained it's mineral edge, seems like it's meeting somewhere in the middle of a full mineral Burgundian style and a more traditional CA chard style, the oak is in good balance and I would be surprised if it wasn't French oak, don't know though???, don't quite know how to judge it, but I liked it a great deal as did everyone else, a bit pricey but still decent QPR at $22
B.Harrington, 7/11/98
****+

1994 J. Lohr, Riverstone Vineyard, Monterey
Chardonnay
Moderately yellow cream color, mild honeyed pear nose, mild spice with pear, apple, honey and vanilla flavors.
smooth, creamy butter style results from moderate oak, medium to full bodied with moderately firm acidity.
Medium length aftertaste, very nice wine which sold at an Excellent QPR at $8, I've heard the complaints
about the oak chip manipulation of this wine and I don't really understand all the fuss, this is a nice chard
which is fairly rich and concentrated, especially at this price, what's to complain about?
B.Harrington, 7/1/96, 7/26/97
****

1997 Landmark, Russian River Valley
Chardonnay
Rich golden yellow in color, a bit murky, stunning nose with honied pear and exotic tropical fruits and ginger, very rich and balanced palate with flavor s of pear, vanilla, spicey candied ginger with mild crispy lemon and minerals coming on stronger in the finish, moderately good length, moderatly firm acidity, thick mouthfeel, a bit of oak on the finish, this is a killer CA chardonnay, perhaps the best one I have ever tried, unusual flaovr profile, very concentrated. A bit pricey but worth every penny. Thanks to Evan Bakke for providing me with this wonderful bottle!! Stunning stuff!
N 10, A 9, M 9, F 8, S 9 - 45/50
B.Harrington, 4/10/99
*****

1995 Leroy Meursault Les Narvaux, Burgundy, France
Chardonnay
Light yellow straw, very nice nose of tropical fruits, lychee, minerals, citrus and smokey oak, medium bodied with flavors of flinty minerals, pear, apple, oak, grapefruit and mild brown spice, started out quite crisp and acidic becoming smoother with more buttery oak as the night went on. Very nice, but didn't knock my socks off. Don't know the price of a wine like this, so no idea of QPR.
B.Harrington, 10/3/98
****

1995 McGuigan Brothers, Bin 7000, South Eastern Australia
Chardonnay
Nice golden yellow color, vanilla with honey and pear flavors, smooth and creamy with a touch
of crispness on the finish, mildly to moderately oaked, very nice quaff, somewhat one dimensional,
but very pleasant within it's realm, excellent QPR at about $8.
B.Harrington, 2/1/97
***

1995 Zaca Mesa Chapel Vineyard, Santa Barbara
Chardonnay
Light amber gold, slight grassy nose, medium to full bodied with a good amount of oak, toasty with mild
vanilla and pear flavors, fairly complex and somewhat typical for a central coast chardonnay, the oak
does not end with that nice rich big buttery vanilla aftertaste that you think of with some oaked chards
but rather there is a slightly woody astringency that results in a chard that is somewhere in the middle of
a nice crisp fruit bomb and a smooth vanilla oak bomb. It's nice but I've had better.
Probably runs around $13. Decent for that price.
B.Harrington
***

1995 Zaca Mesa, Windmill Vineyard, Santa Barbara
Chardonnay
Light yellow straw, mildly grassy nose with pear and oak, flavors of pear, cloves, vanilla and heavy oak, there
was a bit of mild tart apple in the finish, medium bodied and moderately rich, nice quenching acidity, overall it
seemed a bit over-oaked and had a little bit of bitterness from that quality, I wouldn't likely buy this wine again,
there is nothing that makes it stand out for me, in all fairness it is better than the other $5 to $10 chards we drink
but there are lots of others in the $15 to $20 category that I would rather be drinking.
B.Harrington 6/6/98
***

White Blends

1995 Caymus Conundrum, Napa Valley, Santa Barbara, Monterey
Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Semillion, Muscat
Very interesting wine, I found it difficult to characterize, it had an oaky nose typical of chardonnay
with a touch of pear. The body was full with the flavors of vanilla and honey, very semillion like, a
nice lingering medium length aftertaste. It had aspects of being both dry and sweet at the same time!!
A really nice bottle of wine, while at the same time a somewhat strange and unfamiliar blend of grapes.
You owe it yourself to try this one, if only to see what I mean by the blend.
B.Harrington
****

Sauvignon Blanc

1996 Cloudy Bay, Marlborough, New Zealand
Sauvignon Blanc
Unusual, unexpected and marvelous!! Lightly colored light gold with a hint of green, a grassy and powerful
grapefruit nose!! Very strong flavors consiting of grapefruit, lemon, honeydew melon and mild grass. It has
been suggested that there is even a mild component of jalapenos!! Maybe!!? Medium bodied with a long dry
finish of grapefruit and lemon peel. Although the finish is dry there is a sweetness in the attack and middle of
this wine. Very tart, but pleasantly so!! May be the perfect wine or many oriental and Vietnamese foods!!
Excellent QPR at $12!!
B.Harrington, 3/7/97
****+

1997 Cloudy Bay, Marlborough, New Zealand
Sauvignon Blanc
LIght straw in color, nose seems a bit closed with mild gooseberry, passionfruit and green apple, Walt and George said a bit of petroly kerosene, flavors of grapefruit, passion, guava, and minerals, seemed green, George said asparagus, medium body, a bit lean, good length on the finish with lots of mineral character and firm lemony tart acidity, not as good as the '96 but better than the '98. Good QPR at less than $17.
N 7, A 8, M 7, F 9, S 8 - 39/50
B.Harrington, 5/30/99
***+

1998 Cloudy Bay, Marlborough, New Zealand
Sauvignon Blanc
Light straw in color, nice nose with tropical fruits, passion fruit and a hint of grapefruit along with some mild caramel aroma, flavors of green apple, vanilla, minerals, wet stone, flinty, moderate to high acidity, moderately rich and full bodied, this vintage does not have the incredible grapefruit zest of past years nor does it have the incredible tart acidity of past years, still a nice wine but a step below what I was hoping for. Good QPR at $16. Still better than most CA SB's!!
N 8, A 7, M 8, F 7, S 7 - 37/50
B.Harrington, 4/7/99
***

1997 Didier Dagueneau, Pur Sang, Pouilly-Fume, France
Sauvignon Blanc
Light straw in color, intense aromas with rich tropical fruit and flinty minerals, full bodied for a SB with great flavors of rich tropical fruit , green apple ending with a strong long finish of minerals and cats pee, highly acidic but balanced in a way I like for SB. This is one great SB, not sure I really caught the essence of this wine. Pretty stunning stuff, the best finish I have ever had on a SB. Pricey at $34. Not grat QPR, but if you are a SB fan this is a good buy.
N 9, A 9, M 8, F 9, S 9 - 44/50
B.Harrington, 3/7/99
****+

1997 Didier Dagueneau, Silex, Pouilly-Fume, France
Sauvignon Blanc
Light straw in color, intense aromas with rich tropical fruit and flinty minerals, full bodied for a SB with great flavors of grapefruit zest and tropical fruit , ending with a strong long minerally finish, much less of the cats pee component than the Pur Sang, highly acidic but balanced in a way I like for SB. Apparently this one needs a lot of age before it's ready to drink. This is one great SB. Another stunning wine but very pricey at $44, I would rather have the Pur Sang myself. Like the finish better but who knows what it will do with some age on it.
N 9, A 9, M 8, F 8, S 9 - 43/50
B.Harrington, 3/7/99
****+

1996 Grove Mill, Marlborough, New Zealand
Sauvignon Blanc
Yellow straw color, grassy, tropical fruit nose, flavors of grass, melon and tropical fruits with a good dose of
lemony squirt acidity, grapefruit and minerals, somewhere between the Villa Maria and the Cloudy Bay in style.
A bit richer than the Cloudy Bay but not as much as the Villa Maria, medium body, nice lengthy aftertaste,
excellent acidic structure, nicely balanced, the hit of Easter. Very good QPR at $13
B.Harrington, 4/12/98
****

1995 Lucien Crochet, Cuvee Prestige, Sancerre
Sauvignon Blanc
Rich yellow straw colored, the nose started out huge with tones of gooseberry and tropical passion fruits aromas, tons of oak though and as the evening went on it became more and more apparent, especially when campared to the Villa Maria and the Cloudy Bay, both of them have much less oak treatment than this wine, towards the end I was picking up a strong roasted oak smell, the flavors were very tropical with gooseberry, passionfruit, mild green apple and flinty mineral, very clean, no hint of green on this one, pure clean fruit and minerals, richly textured with balanced but apparent acidity. Overall, my favorite of the evening despite the oak. This one likely needed to be consumed on it's own, it would seem to have the structure and richness for some ageing but I would have some concerns with how the oak would balance out in the end. Fairly pricey at $34, still very glad to have tasted this wine as I am a big fan of their less costly bottling, the Le Chene.
N 8, A 8, M 9, F 9, S 8 - 42/50
B.Harrington, 5/30/99
****

1996 Lucien Crochet, le Chene, Sancerre
Sauvignon Blanc
Light straw in color, lovely tropical nose with banana, guava, grapefruit and mineral compnents, mild to medium concentration of flavors with lychhee, guava, apple, grapefruit and minerals, there was a sense of rich, supple roundness in the attack and mid-palate while the finish ended with a bit of an acidic bite and was also quite long and minerally, very nice effort at a most reasonable price of $16.
B.Harrington, 8/21/98
****

1998 Mason, Napa Valley
Sauvignon Blanc
Light straw in color, nose was a bit closed at first but opened up to reveal abundant tropical gooseberry notes along with oak and grass, rich and fairly concentrated with flavors of gooseberry, oak, grass, grapefruit and lemon peel along with a hint of mineral, medium full body, a tad short on the finish though it has nice crisp acidity, overall the oak and grass is a bit too strong for my tastes, seems like it had about 50% wood and 50% steel during fermentation. Has lots of clean steely character in it but you can't get away from the grassy oak either. Good value at $11 but I still like my SB's a bit cleaner.
N 8, A 8, M 8, F 7, S 8 - 39/50
B.Harrington, 6/25/99
***+

1996 Villa Maria, Cellar Selection, Marlborough, New Zealand
Sauvignon Blanc
Yellow straw in color, citrusy tropical fruit nose, exotic fruit flavors which I can't quite identify, still has that grapefruity lemony squirt acidity but it is much more rich and lush than the Cloudy Bay, nice mineral flavors also, medium bodied, good balance of flavors, very nice SB. Good QPR at around $16.
B.Harrington, 3/7/98
****

1996 Villa Maria, Private Bin, Marlborough, New Zealand
Sauvignon Blanc
Yellow straw in color, citrusy grassy nose, nice crispy forward fruit flavors with green apple, melon, lemon peel and grass ending with a slightly mineral finish which accented the lemon/grapefruit peel character, not nearly as rich and concentrated as some of the better SB's such as Cloudy Bay and the premium Villa Maria but this is an excellent summer quaff and a very good introduction to the New Zealand SB character, I served it to some newbie types who seemed to enjoy it a great deal. Definitely a poor mans Cloudy Bay and an excellent QPR at $8!
B.Harrington, 9/5/98
***+

1997 Villa Maria, Clifford Bay, Marlborough, New Zealand
Sauvignon Blanc
Rich light yellow, nose of gooseberry, tropical fruits and some greenish cats pee, Walt and George said veggie, didn't seem stewed to me, flavors of apple, grapefruit, a bit of green veggie and minerals, nice rich finish dominated by minerals and tart grapefruit, full thick body, fairly ripe for a SB, nice richly concentrated yet still a good dose of acidity. Likely needs a little time in the bottle yet. Walt feels this one will improve with age. Great QPR at about $17.
N 9, A 8, M 9, F 8, S 8, -- 42/50
B.Harrington, 5/30/99
****

1997 Voss Vineyards, Napa Valley
Sauvignon Blanc
Light straw in color, the nose is fairly muted and mild with hints of tropical fruit and mild grass coming through, rich body with strong flavors of grapefruit and lemony green apple showing strong in the mid-palate and finishing with flinty mineral and grapefruit, good blance and quenching acidity, nice length to the finish. This is a solid SB from CA, certainly one of the best I've tasted. I bought this at one of our most expensive shops and it was only $13, should be $2 or $3 less elsewhere. Great QPR and one I would highly recommend.
N 2.5, A 3, M 3.5, F 3.5, S 3.5, -- 16/20
B.Harrington, 12/3/98
****

Rhone Whites

1994 Ojai Vineyards, Roll Ranch, California
Viognier
Light golden yellow, sweet floral and pear nose, complex flavors which needed some air to unfold, they consisted of floral, pear, peach and some mild pineapple with mild pepper spice and acids near the finish. As it warmed up the middle became quite sweet, rich and lush with more apparent vanilla notes. Really nice! Long lingering aftertaste with vanilla, oak and huge floral characteristics. The floral aspects were still on my palate 10 minutes or so after I was done sipping. My suggestion is to open this wine a full hour before you serve it and let it come up a little closer to room temperature. The nose will become much more appealing at that point!
B.Harrington, 4/26/97
****

German & Alsace Whites

1994 Albert Mann, Furstentum, Alsace
Tokay Pinot Gris
Light to medium yellow straw in color, very appealing nose with hints of floral and huge tropical/banana and oaky spice aromas, very nice tropical flavor complexity with banana, pineapple, pear, buttery vanilla, spice, nutmeg, and honey which attacked moderately to firmly leading into a big smooth full bodied rich oaky mid-palate, surprisingly to me was that this led into a lemony squirt finish which had a moderate and pleasant acidity, long nutty aftertaste which also revealed a tiny bit of residual sugar, kind of a surprising wine to me. I did not like this wine a great deal last weekend, probably because we used it as a starter and the sweetness tends to dictate it as an after dinner wine. I really liked the combination of it's big, rich character and it's lightly crisp acidity. Good QPR at $19.
B.Harrington, 2/13/98
***

1996 Diehlenhof Weingut Lintz, Kabinett, Pfalz Germany
Riesling
Medium yellowish stray, nose is slightly closed with a bit of lychee coming through, started out a little austere but the richness began to build over time, ending out quite nice, flavors consisted of tart green apple, lychee, tropical fruits, banana, pear, lime peel, minerals, custard and white pepper, weird but there was kind of a mild cheesy maybe yeasty quality, medium bodied with a moderate length aftertaste, good acidic minerally bite to this wine, overall a very nice wine with a dry finish. QPR?? Don't know, it was a gift.
B.Harrington, 4/8/98
***+

1997 Dr. Pauly Bergweiler, Bernkasteler Badstube, Spatlese, Germany
Riesling
Straw color, nose started out rather simply with green apple, tart lemon and minerals, but over time started to really develop some nice exotic fruit aromas which included pineapple and banana, flavors of green apple, lemon peel, pineapple, custard and minerals, medium body, medium firm acidity, slight residual sugar, good length, overall, nice rich complex aromas and body, tart minerally finish and well balanced. I may have picked up just a slight bit of effervessance on the second evening. Great QPR at $12! Really nice wine and better than any domestic riesling I've ever tasted.
N 8, A 8, M 9, F 9, S 8, -- 42/50
B.Harrington, 6/6/99
****

1985 Domaine Dopff, Alsace
Gew�rztraminer
This is my first Alsace wine, so I'm not sure if I caught the spirit but here are my impressions. Light straw color, moderately spicey oak nose, it seemed that the fruit was fairly dried out on the front and mid palates, I seemed to pick up a mild oakiness that reminded me of many California chardonnay's, and finished with a fairly firm acidity and some mild fruit that I thought was somewhat typical of Gew�rztraminer's that I've had in the past, still the fruit was quite subdued and the finish was rather dry, I thought it was interesting but not spectacular, Tom Hill felt it was bitter and passed it's prime.
B.Harrington, 7/6/97
***

1976 Landgraflich Hessiches Winkler Gutenberg, Auslese, Germany
Riesling
Rich gold in color, very nice botrytis honeyed fruit nose, very nice botrytis honey butterscotch pear flavors with
a buttery mid palate and long finish, there was some earthy/minerally characteristics in the middle, apparently
this wine is at the upper end of the Auslese designation in terms of it's sweetness and tended more towards the
dessert wine category than the dinner wine category, this was a very nice moderately light style botrytis dessert
style wine that would appear to many years left in it despite it's age.
B.Harrington, 7/6/97
****

1997 Pikes, Clare Valley, South Australia
Riesling
Light yellow straw, nose was lightly spiced with a hint of lemony lime essence and minerals, moderate attack
with slight hint of sweet fruits, green apples and pear with custard, flinty minerals, pepper, oak and a quenching
finish of lime peel essence, medium body, good length, drinks very much like a German Kabinett, with moderate
fruitiness and a dry finish, the oak is fairly strong but seems well balanced by the lime and mineral aspects.
Decent QPR at around $11, will probably last a few years.
B.Harrington, 6/10/98
***+

Chenin Blanc

1996 Pine Ridge, Rutherford Cuvee, Napa Valley
Chenin Blanc
Light straw in color, mild musky/bready/yeasty nose, bright attacking fruit on the front of your palate consisting of pippin apple, pear, and melon which lead into a nice buttery custard like middle which is all contained within a very appealing crisp acidity, seems somewhat like a riesling at the front end, ends on a slightly oaky note and a little sugar is evident but it seems very slight. What a great wine and a huge value at $6. It's amazing that there are not more vineyards producing quality chenin blanc grapes. This is really appealing juice!
B.Harrington, 6/15/97
***+

1989 Chateau Moncontour Cuvee Les Demoiselles, Vouvray, France
Chenin Blanc
Rich golden yellow in color, rich honeyed floral tropical nose, intense flavors of sweet lemon fruit, pineapple, banana, honey, butterscotch and some floral character. Very tropical! Very full bodied, thick glyceriney white, killer stuff, it does have a some residual sugar but the excellent dose of acidity keeps it from being cloying, this actually went quite nicely with the mixed green salad and honey mustard dressing as well as the eggplant caviar. This wine could be used as a dinner wine of lighter, summer fare foods or as an appertif. Amazing QPR at $10. This white wine is 9 years old and can easily last another decade. I've never tasted a $10 white from CA that comes close to this!
B.Harrington, 7/4/98
****

Dessert Wines

1995 Chateau St. Jean, Amoroso, St. Jean Vineyard, Sonoma Valley
Muscat Canelli
Light yellowish straw, lovely nose of lemons and mild apricots with anise and honey, reminds me of botrytis but I don't think there was any, nice thick viscosity, full flavored intensity with sweet citrusy lemon and mild apricot with fennel and honey, good length, quenchingly tart with medium high acidity, well balanced, good concentration yet elegant, absolutely enjoyable stuff, great QPR at $14.
N 9, A 8, M 9, F 9, S 8, -- 93/50
B.Harrington, 4/16/99
****+

1995 Fleur Du Cap, Noble Late Harvest, South Africa
Vin Blanc
Rich golden yellow in color, moderately, somewhat muted nose of honey, botrytis and jasmine, flavors of honey, peach and orange blossom with a bit of oak and perhaps some slight stemminess on the finish, thick full bodied mouth feel, good acidity, good QPR at $7.
N 7, A 8, M 8, F 7, S 8, -- 38/50
B.Harrington, 3/6/99
***+

1996 Giesen, Noble School Road, Canterbury, Australia
Late Harvest Riesling
Light yellow, tart citrusy botrytis nose, wonderful balance of flavors with pineapple, grapefruit, pear and some
other tropical fruits that I have a hard time describing, nice glyceriney mouth feel, not overly sweet, nicely framed
by it's acidity which keeps it from being cloyingly sweet, this is a very nice sticky, I wouldn't put it quite as high
as the Thumbs Up but they are very different in style and flavor so it's hard to compare, Great QPR at around
$10 for a 500ml bottle.
B.Harrington, 3/7/98
****

1990 Greenwood Ridge, Late Harvest, Anderson Valley
Riesling
Very rich caramel brown color, good nose with a bit of flower, citrus and botrytis, great flavors followed with crisp apple and apricot dominating along with a bit of pear and a good dose of botrytis, I went directly into this from the Sin Qua Non and the acidity went down the wrong pipe!! Yow, you ever done that? You know where some of it kind of recycles through your nasal passages, only blue cheese hits you worse!! Anyhow it took awhile for that to subside with me and then the beauty of this wine really came through, superbly balanced with great extraction. You really can't ask for much more in a stickie. Killer wine that I initially rated a 93 despite that unfortunate circumstance, never really re-rated it and I should have, but that's hardly a bad call anyways, might deserve a bit more praise.
B.Harrington, 7/25/98
****+

NV(1991) Hardy's, Whiskers Blake, Australia
Tawny Port
Medium dark amber brown with burnt orange, toasty, nutty caramel nose, rich sweet and creamy with flavors of
caramel, butterscotch, vanilla, hazelnut and orange essence, drinks like a butter wine, medium body/viscosity,
medium length aftertaste, good structure for a sticky, the well balanced acidity keeps it from being to sweet
and cloying, everything WS has said it is, very nice and an excellent QPR of $8.99.
B.Harrington, 10/13/97
****

NV Morris of Rutherglen, Australia
Tokay
Dark brown with a big rich nose of hazelnut, coffee and tarry raisins, flavors followed with some smokey oak and brown spice to boot, very thick viscous mouth feel, I like this wine, like a killer tawny port of muscat, incredible concentration, like a lead weight, don't really know how to rate it, all I know is I loved it. I saved this bottle for 300 years in the back of my fireplace and it was still as good after the ordeal!!
B.Harrington, 7/25/98
****+

1997 Ojai, Late Harvest, Roll Ranch, Ojai
Viognier
Light yellow, awesome nose of flowers and peaches, I was thinking this was going to be the stuff dreams are amde of, it wasn't, it suffered horribly in comparison to the Greenwood Ridge LH Riesling, seemed thin and austere, the finish was coarse and bitter, seemed woody too, ???? I had the '96 at last years Raisin' Rhones and it was killer stuff, this fell far short of that, IMO, a real bummer. In all fairness it may have been a decent little wine on it's own but I doubt it, frankly it's not what I really want out of a stickie. I have another bottle so I'll see how it is on it's own sometime.
B.Harrington, 7/25/98
***

1994 Thumbs Up, Santa Barbara County
White Riesling
Nice looking golden yellow color, very rich botrytis butterscotchy nose, huge botrytis buttery oak and apricot with mild pear fruit flavors, rich and thick throughout all the palate regions, super long lingering sweet botrytis aftertaste, absolutely stunning wine, probably the best late harvest style riesling that I have ever tasted, yummy and WOW! This wine is produced at 44� brix and it is intensely sweet juice, I am hooked and I love it, has to be the best in it's class. It is also and incredible QPR wine if you were lucky enough to find it at the pre-release price of $13 but the $18 price that it was available for at the retail shops is also incredible.
B.Harrington, 7/6/97
*****

Revisit:
Picked up all the same things about it this time too with a few additional notes. It has become a little more balanced but is still very intense, I picked up a bit of orange rind essence at the finish that added interesting complexity, also thought it had some hazelnutty character in the mid-palate that I didn't note before. Everyone loved it!
B.Harrington, 5/15/98
*****

1989 Wente Bros. Estate Reserve, Arroyo Seco Vineyard
Late Harvest Riesling
Deep rich yellow color, slight lemony honey nose, very sweet, smooth, rich and syrupy with pear, apricot, orange and honey flavors. Botyritis cinera. This wine was very nice. It packs a wallup of sweet fruit, a very full bodied riesling. Long lingering sweet aftertaste. Don't know the price but I suspect this to be a very good QPR!! I will be on the lookout for this wine again, it is a definite rebuy!!
B.Harrington
****

1995 Zaca Mesa, Late Harvest, Santa Barbara
Viognier
Golden yellow, mildly floral peach nose, very nice attack flavors dominated by peach with apricot, pear, pineapple, and oak, fairly thick and glyceriney mouth feel, pretty sweet but with just enough acidity to keep it from being overly cloying, the finish has a slight bitter oak bite to it, but it's very minor, overall a very nice stickie with outstanding bright full attack flavors. Good QPR at $15.
B.Harrington, 4/27//98
****

Note: I don't know if I had false impressions but I did not expect this wine to be half this good. It was a real pleasant surprise!!! I always thought of Wente as a jug wine producer like Gallo!! Now two of the better bottles I've had this year are by Wente and Gallo!!!! That's a good thing!!!

NV(1993) Yalumba, Museum Show Reserve, Rutherglen, Australia
Muscat
Dark orangish brown, rich buttery nose with flavors of butterscotch, burnt caramel and orange essence
with a hint of dried apricots, very rich and full bodied, with a long lingering and tongue coating aftertaste.
a joy to sip with only a slight hint of a hot finish, for 18% alcohol that isn't bad, incredible value at $12
B.Harrington, 9/22/97
****+

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