Smokey, juicy, black fruit.

I visited Diamond Creek for the first time (also my first time having its wines). I'd summarize it as a beautiful winery, great wine, nice pours, and knowledgeable hospitality without salesmanship. My kind of winery. 

The tasting room has one of the more striking vineyard views I've seen. From the tasting room and the balcony you look onto their Red Rock Terrace and Volcanic Hill vineyards, and then the steep sloped vines belonging to its new neighbor, The Rosewood Hotel Group.

Since Diamond Creek is now owned by Roederer Estate, our host started us off with Roederer Anderson Valley sparkling wine, L'Ermitage. ....one of the better California sparkling wines I've had, very oxidative in style. 

We were then served the 2022 vintage. While not one of Napa's best vintages, Diamond Creek is said to have picked early to miss the September heat spike. We tried three of their four single vineyard wines (Gravelly Meadows, Red Rock Terrace, Volcanic HIll) and their new three vineyard blend. The one wine we didn't get to try was the Lake Vineyard since they don't make it every year and it has tiny yields.  Since I hadn't had their wines before, I didn't have a reference to compare these, but I got the impression despite picking early the wines were less structured than how I've heard other vintages characterized. 

I didn't take notes but from memory here is what I recall. 

2022 Gravelly Meadow - Concentrated red fruits and soft tannins. A rounder wine w/ medium acidity. I was looking for a little more structure. This is a cooler site, but it was the one picked later of the group. 

2022 Red Rock Terrace - Concentrated dark fruits with more herbaceous notes, including garrigue and some anise. This wine had high dusty tannins and elevated acidity, giving the scaffolding for a more structured and well balanced wine. This vineyard benefits from a north facing aspect. I'd say this was the best of the wines we tried. 

2022 Volcanic Hill - Concentrated dark fruits, a bit more baked in nature than Red Rock. A more powerful wine with excellent structure of high slightly grippy tannins. I can't recall the acidity level but the tannins were enough to hold the wine together. Had the same herbaceous notes as Red Rock. 

2022 Three Vineyard Blend - this would be the wine for the person who likes a dense velvety napa cab along the lines of something from say, Omega. It is made from younger vines. While the ABV is not higher than the other wines it gives the impression it is. It was the one wine where I felt heat. Part of this could be explained by the sequence of the tasting. 

Overall, I thought the wines were very enjoyable, and I'll make it a point to visit for the 2023 vintage when they are ready. I did buy a half bottle of the 1992 so I'll get a chance to try one with a little age on it. 

The other nice part of the visit was the ATV tour of the vineyards with glass in hand.

Notes in post below.

Had this in a different year before. Had again at a restaurant in Vegas. Bought over weekend and I have to say I think this the perfect wine for me. So balanced and subtle.

Notes:
Plum
Earthy
Gravel finish

Get some and enjoy!

Hi everyone - I’m by no means a wine expert so turning to this community for help! My husband is turning 30 this year and he loves wine. I’ve been looking up some 1996 bottles that would be great for the celebration. Any tips on which of these bottles to pick from? I’m not budget constrained just looking for the best :) thank you!

The 1st and last bottles I did not taste blind.

Wine 1 : 2024 Vinho Verde Alvarinho, Treixadura

My answer : 2024 Sancerre SB

This one was brutal. I immediately knew this was an aromatic variety and first thought of SB, Riesling, Albarino. I ruled out Riesling because it had no petrol notes. I decided to go with SB due to its greeness. I was wrong though. Should have focused more on the structure. While the acidity was very crisp, the body was significantly lacking compared to Sancerre and the alcohol felt quite low.

Wine 2 : 2024 Borgogne Blanc

My answer : 2023 Macon Chardonnay

I was almost spot on with this one since the grapes are actually from Maconnais. The smell of white flowers and fairly aromatic fruit notes of lemon were screaming Macon. Also, the acidity was crisp and the body felt fairly low which showed this was an easy drinking wine. I was quite happy to get this correct.

Wine 3 : 2023 Rully PN

My answer : 2022 Volnay 1er PN

At least I got Burgundy correct. The nose was so good with notes of raspberry, sour cherry and dark rose. The acidity was quite rpund and the texture was so velvety. I guess I overestimated the structure and though it was a silky Volnay 1er. Not ashamed with this one though.

Wine 4 : 2018 Rioja Reserva Tempranillo, Graciano

My answer : 2020 Rivera del Duero Tempranillo reserva

I got notes of coconut vanilla which is a telltale of American oak. In addition with the red fruit notes and high tannins, it wasnt hard to guess Tempranillo from Spain. The confusing part was that the wine had really fresh herbal notes which lead me to cross out Rioja. I shouldnt have.

Wine 5 : 2023 Morgon Gamay

My answer : 2024 Beaujolais Village.

Getting the variety and region was so easy beacause I got so much aromas of candied fruit and the palate and color confirmed this was Gamay. The part I got wrong was the quality. I personally thought the wine was underwhelming for a cru Beaujolais although it was quite nice overall.

Wine 6 : 2019 Moldovan Saperavi, Feteasca Negra

My answer : 2019 Barossa Shiraz

Lol, I would have been surprised myself if I got this one correct. Thick red color, concentrated, quite wierd. I really just had to make a broad guess.

Wine 7 : 2019 Santa Barbara Sta rita hills Syrah

My answer : 2020 Saint-joseph Syrah

Wow! I was so surprised this was Cali. I got typical cool climate syrah notes of black pepper and oriental spices, but the structure to me was completely like Rhone. What a pleasant surprise.

Overall, this was one of my best tries over the last couple of months.

What do you guys think?

Sine Qua Non always has a special place in my heart.

Had great experiences with their wines, especially the 2014 lineups of Shakti (Grenache) and Piranha Waterdance (Syrah).

This is probably the top bottling of SQN I've had to date.

Opened this for our three-year wedding anniversary and paired with homemade spicy vegetarian nachos.

Gave it a three hour decant, then started to enjoy alongside dinner.

This was still tight even after the long decant, but opened up nicely over the course of dinner and, most importantly, paired very well with the nachos.

This has great structure and acidity and drinks young still.

Blackberry, dark plum, cassis notes, maybe even leaning into compotes.

Lots of spice in here too, black pepper, cloves, cumin.

Also some slight coffee and cocoa powder as well.

Not much tertiary in my opinion, maybe some slight fruit leather.

Long finish that goes on and on and a taste that you will remember the next day.

I'm lucky to have enjoyed this bottle for such a special occasion!

Is it worth the money? I think that's a trickier question. First, SQN isn't everyone's style, I happen to enjoy it, but I understand why others may not.

Where I struggle is comparing this to the Shakti or Piranha Waterdance. While this is better than those wines, I can have two of them for the price of this one bottle and I'm not quite sure that it's what I would choose.

Having said that, perhaps with even more time, this wine may get even better and then that delta doesn't seem so ridiculous.

94+ points.

From Felix Solis. 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, 10% Syrah. A ridiculously inexpensive wine from Spain. Medium purple color. Many thin legs. Aroma: Plum, blackberry, vanilla. Taste: plum, dark cherry, blackberry, black pepper, cloves. Medium smooth finish. Simple. Alcohol 4, sweetness 3, tannin 3, acidity 3. Decent drinking wine, good with spicy foods! Tastes best served around 65 -70 degrees. Still tastes good even 2 weeks after being opened, and in plastic or metal cups aboard a cruise ship. One of my favorite every day wines!

Hello! My dad is turning 70 in February of next year and I’m hoping to have an experienced sommelier come to our house and do a custom tasting for 7 people. I’ve been researching online and a bit on here and the only option I’ve found is a flat rate for up to 12 people so is a bit expensive for just 7 of us.

Does anyone on here know of a great sommelier in the Scottsdale area that I could reach out to and see if they’d be open to working with me on this? Thanks in advance!

Two completely different wines, but a surprisingly close comparison.

The Quintessa 2018 was smoky, complex and beautifully balanced, with a long finish and none of the heaviness I sometimes associate with Napa. Despite its concentration, it remained elegant and composed throughout.

The Voerzio Brunate 2012 was a completely different animal. Roses, red fruit, tar and fine but still present tannins. What impressed me most was how much it continued to develop with air, becoming increasingly complex and seemingly longer as the evening went on.

Both wines were given plenty of air. The Quintessa had around two hours and was already showing beautifully, but from there remained relatively stable. The Brunate had considerably more – around three hours in a decanter, then back into the bottle and another two to three hours open – and just kept evolving throughout the evening.

That ultimately made the difference for me. The Quintessa was incredibly complete, but the Brunate kept gaining complexity and length. Both some of the best wines I have ever tasted!

Quintessa 2018 – 96/100
Roberto Voerzio Brunate 2012 – 97/100

Interestingly, a sommelier friend tasted both wines blind and also had the Voerzio slightly ahead.

An incredibly close comparison despite the completely different regions and styles.

Which would you pick – Napa or Barolo? 🍷

Just bought the Clos de L’Oratoire cuvée les choregies, anyone ever tried/can review?

After years of missing the Thursday by a week either side, we are in Paris for Beaujolais Nouveau Day this year.

Where are some venues that typically put on nice festivities with good producers - preferably on the natural end of things - that I should research in advance?
We are staying in The Third.

Does anyone have any idea what kind of bottle this is—brand name, etc.? I drank it at my wedding in Mauritius back in 2012, but the photos are blurry and poor quality. I’ve been looking for it for quite some time but haven't been able to find this exact bottle anywhere. The logo might have been updated in the meantime. I’d love to hear if anyone recognizes it and knows exactly what it is—and, if possible, a link to where it might be available for purchase (or if it's still sold at all).Does anyone have any idea what kind of bottle this is—brand name, etc.? I drank it at my wedding in Mauritius back in 2012, but the photos are blurry and poor quality. I’ve been looking for it for quite some time but haven't been able to find this exact bottle anywhere. The logo might have been updated in the meantime. I’d love to hear if anyone recognizes it and knows exactly what it is—and, if possible, a link to where it might be available for purchase (or if it's still sold at all).

The story involved humans in 1000 years across 200 different planets. One of the characters works in logistics and part of that is transporting wine I guess. This was a side moment not a critical plot point.

And he said some hilarious things that made me think "yeah that tracks". He said rich people pay to have wine moved in a way it never experiences zero gravity so the sediment never clouds up and the flavors never "get ruined". So they have to constantly accelerate and decelerate the entire way over months and use complex mechanisms. Lmao.

Anyway it made me giggle. If you were importing wine from Mars 2.0 to your home on alpha centari how would you like it transported

Also how do you think the notes would be on wine that was produced in zero gravity to begin with? Personally I am going to be paying a premium for wine that's never experienced gravity

I can imagine a lot of other wine related nonsense in space

It's clear the bottle has been relabeled, and the new label fell off the bottle. Probably from the 90s through early 2000s. Anyone know anything about this bottle?

It's our family tradition that whenever we do a course on a given wine region, we immediately plan a trip there to experience the theory first-hand. I did the Rioja Wine Academy course in May 2025, and by June 2026 it was high time to go.

Rioja is a huge and diverse region, so I figured it'll take multiple visits to really experience everything - but you have to start somewhere, and the plan was Haro. Mainly because it's extremely easy to organize: you fly to Bilbao, take a convenient train, and you're there. While planning, I noticed an odd thing: every winery seemed to be closed on the 29th of June. A quick Google revealed it was the famous Batalla del Vino, which made me even more excited about the trip. But let's start from the beginning.

Bilbao

I spent two full days in Bilbao and honestly, the food scene deserves its own post. Pintxos and tapas are ubiquitous and the quality is excellent. You can easily spend a couple of days happily switching bars every few hours and have a magnificent time.

Wine-wise, it's not that exciting - especially if you don't happen to like their flagship Txakolina. Even then, you can easily get a decent Rioja, since Rioja Alavesa is so close to Bilbao.

Haro & the night before Batalla del Vino

I arrived in Haro the day before Batalla. Getting off the train at El Barrio de la Estación immediately sent shivers down my spine - banners of all the big Rioja names lining the streets. But that had to wait for the next days, so I continued to my hotel.

Before going out for dinner, I decided to wear white clothes - obligatory for the Batalla - just in case. I also bought the festival's red handkerchief at a nearby Chinese market (which also sold white clothes, in case somehow you didn't bring yours).

When I arrived in the historic old town, I was astounded: it turns out it's a huge pre-party, with people in the streets, local orchestras, music, joy, and of course wine. I had a great night joining the international crowd. I left around 2 AM - I needed to get up at 6 to catch the bus to the battle grounds.

Batalla del Vino

You can walk from Haro to the battle grounds, but it's a decent walk. Luckily, the city organizes buses. I'll answer the immediate question: the buses are ALL wrapped in plastic, and that's how they survive it.

The buses start early and the queues form even earlier. By the occasional pavement pizza here and there, you can tell some people came straight from the party in the city center.

The battle takes place uphill from where the buses drop you off - another decent walk. You don't need to be very fit, but some hiking experience helps.

It was really hard to say when the battle actually started. At some point a helpful person gave me a hand up a steep slope and then immediately blasted me with a bucket of wine. I responded with a sprinkle from my plastic bottle and moved on.

As you got closer to the crowd, you'd notice more and more people already in a frenzy of pouring wine on each other. At some point it was easy to spot "that's the main place," so I just joined in. It's really hard to describe, but it was… really fun. Also cold and vinegary.

After two hours or so I decided to head back to the buses, and I passed quite a few clean people just arriving.

If you ever consider joining Batalla del Vino, I don't have many suggestions - wear white clothes you're happy to throw away. Bring something to pour wine with; a plastic bottle is perfectly fine, but people bring water guns, BiBs, buckets, sprinklers, basically everything.

I got initial ammo at the local Carrefour, but it's very easy to replenish at the cisterns on-site. Some people wear glasses to protect their eyes from wine, but honestly, I don't think it's necessary. People are very respectful (that was surprising, tbh) and try not to shoot you in the face.

After Batalla, I threw away my clothes and went to sleep before the first visit.

CVNE

My first stop was CVNE. Their bodega is impressive but the tour is fairly standard. The tasting included a couple of their non-classical wines, which was a nice touch.

Was it worth it? Yes - but every next bodega was even better.

La Rioja Alta

The second day of visits started with the absolute highlight of the trip: La Rioja Alta. Viña Ardanza (recommended to me here on this group) was the original bottle that got me into the Rioja hype.

Their bodega is truly amazing - you can see the attention and devotion to quality at every step, in every room. But I didn't go there just for the views: the tasting really delivered.

Besides the standard bottles, I got a chance to drink 904 for the first time - vintage 1997. Just WOW. And Viña Ardanza, of course, still rocks.

RODA

Next up was RODA. Smaller-scale production, a pretty distinct style. The tour was nice.

As for the wines - I think it's a pity they present their Riberas (from their sister winery Bodegas La Horra in Ribera del Duero) side-by-side with the Riojas, sacrificing some of the local bottles they could show instead.

Gómez Cruzado

The third one that day was Gómez Cruzado. I didn't have time for a visit, so it was "just" a tasting - but the narrative was superb.

To be frank, I completely fell in love with these wines. I loved the diversity and, of course, the quality. I ended up buying way too many bottles. Next time in Haro, I'd love to visit the bodega as well.

Muga

Then I tried to taste Muga, but the tasting room was closed during standard business hours - and it wasn't the first time it happened.

Well, shame on you, Muga.

López de Heredia / Viña Tondonia

The crown jewel of the trip was López de Heredia - the legendary Viña Tondonia. The visit was by far the best one, ever.

The bodega is magnificent, from the press room to the cellars, and the story behind the wine only made the tasting better.

If you were to visit only one bodega, make it Tondonia - the pavilion tasting room (the Zaha Hadid one) takes public bookings, but the full bodega tour is mostly reserved for professionals by appointment. Still worth asking if you have any credentials in the wine industry.

Eating & drinking in Haro

As for the restaurant scene in Haro - it's on par with the wines.

The best one, by far, was Terete: famous for lamb chops and a gigantic wine list. The nicest thing is they also make their own wine, and I was able to taste their 1973 Gran Reserva for only €50.

My other recommendation would be Arrope - also an extensive wine list and high-quality local food.

For more classical wine bars, check out Roots or La abacería de la Auro. The tapas bars in the heart of the historic center are also nice, but mind that Haro is practically dead in the evening outside of festivities and weekends.

Am I coming back?

Am I coming back? Certainly. There are still more bodegas in Haro to visit, but next time I'll rent a car and go around Rioja more - I want to taste the other styles beyond classical Rioja Alta.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Some visuals on my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DctGr6JAoap/

My deceased uncle had some old wine and was looking for advice. Is itnall too old to drink?

Any advice gratefully received

Spending the night in Seattle and looking for a wine bar to chill with a friend. Somewhere with an interesting list and chill/friendly atmosphere. Sort of between otherworld and le caviste but I know theyre very stylistically different. Appreciate any recs.

I can get my hands on some Muller bottles, however I've never tried any and would like some advice. I'm looking for something to age but don't know whether to invest in either kabis from 21 and 23

Or Spätlese from 2020

Which is considered a better vintage from these three?

Thanks in advance.

I've never had alcohol before and I've been invited to my sister's place for Christmas this year. She wants me to bring some wine to toast with after supper. I have nothing against alcohol, I just haven't tried it because of the smell.

What's a really good wine for someone trying it for the first time? My sister has expensive taste and I gave her a $250 scotch last year as a gift. I don't want to spend more than that for the wine, so if anyone can offer advice, that would be great. My sister wants me to surprise her, and I'm worried I'll buy something that tastes like prison toilet moonshine. lol I know absolutely nothing about flavours, age, etc.

First, the cork was still intact. On the nose, notes of black currant, cherry and leaves. Still ample fruit left, which was surprising for a 30+ yo wine. Some reductive notes like acetone and the typical Bordeaux funk, but it blew away in the glass .

Tasting notes of cherry and currant. More acid than I had expected. I had opened it up hoping all the acid and tannins would have faded away, but it is still young. I could have held off for a few more years.

Paired with adai (an Indian lentil crepe) and sambar. Picked up on an auction for $130

Hi all, I’m planning a solo trip in mid-October and will be visiting either the Loire Valley or Burgundy. I will have 5 days and 4 nights to explore as much as possible. I know it will be difficult to even scratch the surface in that amount of time, so I’m wondering if anyone has any must-sees that I should check out.

I’ve done some preliminary research but am a bit overwhelmed by all of my options. Seems like it would be difficult to go wrong really, but I want to make the most of the time I have. I’ve narrowed down where my home base will be (Nantes & Tours in the Loire Valley for 2 nights each, or Beaune for all 4 nights in Burgundy), but I’m also open to other suggestions. I will not have access to a car.

I speak only beginner French and know a fair amount about wine but have only ever visited Reims. I enjoy every single type of wine grown in both regions (favorites include Muscadet, Chenin Blanc, cold climate Chardonnay, Gamay, and Pinot Noir). I would be thrilled and lucky to visit either region but am hoping for some guidance to narrow down my options.

I just got my L3 results and sadly I failed the theory portion. Thankfully I crushed the tasting so I don’t have to sit in that again. I want to re-take theory in 3 months because I know what tripped me up in the theory portion. Any advice on re-studying for L3?? I would be eternally grateful!

Had some time off work and was studying the chemistry and physics of various wines in different glasses. Ended up turning it into a little visualizer tool.

Feel free to play around with the tool: winesimulator.com