Always excited to receive the email from Alice and happy to offer our opinions on wine for the community! Received the wine on Monday and put it straight into the wine cellar which we keep at around 54 degrees. We invited our favorite wine drinking friends over for a pop and pour on Tuesday. Here are our thoughts:
The bottle is nice, the label is cool, the colors pop, Sangiovese is something we donāt often drink so this is exciting, canāt wait!
Cut off the foil top and the cork was wet and red stained. Oh noā¦ Gasps and sighs were heard throughout the patio (we were tasting outside, stupid Omicronā¦). Fingers crossed that it wasnāt blown. (We shall see if my pics actually load this timeā¦)
enter image description here
The color was a garnet red:
According to one of the four of us, the nose was fairly yeasty with a fresh baked bread aroma. The other three picked up tart cherries or possibly a rainier cherry (we are in the pacific northwest so we get to enjoy these every year!).
The taste was that of rhubarb, more rainier cherry with a finish of a hint of vanilla. After swirling/sniffing/tasting for a while we found stewed fruit and raisin and what one taster noted as āwatermelon jolly rancherā on the palate.
We tried it with a toasted cheese sandwich (it was the afternoon, so I didnāt have time to do a twelve course five hour Italian dinnerā¦), which we felt didnāt help the wine or improve the sip.
I put the bottle aside and tried it a few hours later and still didnāt enjoy it, more raisinā¦
I donāt think the wine was corked but it mightāve been. All-in-all we didnāt really like it that much. Every time I review I try to give my honest opinion because thatās what I expect from everyone on this site but I also donāt drink a lot of Sangiovese so my pallet might not be adept to the flavor profile. I guess, what Iām trying to say is, I like wine that tastes good and this, for us, wasnāt one. Thank you to Alice and WineDavid for the opportunity to try new things and rat wines, itās super fun and we look forward to it every time!
@mattkillpatty
Thanks for the notes. Sounds like the wine may have been somewhat oxidized, since the cork was compromised and you tasted raisins and stewed fruit. Iām guessing you had the '15?
@chipgreen Yes, unfortunately thatās what we thoughtā¦ We had the '17 Sangio, I forgot to put that at the top. And now that I see a '15 Merlot as well and a heck of a great price, Iām definitely interested!
@mattkillpatty
Ha, I didnāt even notice that the '15 was a Merlot and you clearly stated that you had the Sangio. I am surprised that the wine would saturate the cork already on a 2017. Hopefully that is an anomaly.
@chipgreen@mattkillpatty@mrn1 I donāt put a lot of stock in cellartracker reviews but the one and only CT review in Aug '20 had a similar experienceā¦
āOur shipment probably got too warm. Some of the corks show leakage, and the wine tastes a bit like old fruit. It does much better decanted for a couple of hours.ā
I will upload some photos of the wine/bottle when I can get on the computer. My wife after missing out on the last lab rat got to participate in this one as well.
No leakage on the cork but the wine was ice cold when it arrived (it was 20 degrees here).
We let it settle over night.
Upon pouring we were a little worried with the color as it was very brickish red browning on the edges.
I smelled sour cherry, vanilla and a hint of leather. My wife smelled cherry/almond some plum and slight leather as well.
Taste upon opening and 1 hour later was similar - for me it was very tart where all I could really get is the tart cherry. My wife also felt it was too tart and used the word tangy cherry or apple.
Overall We were not the biggest fan but fair notice we donāt have Merlots very often, not even sure when the last one was.
We had this with some NY strip and fries. Later in the evening I finished the bottle (sorry it got here Monday so only got to try it one day after giving it 1 day to rest) and It was getting less tart and acid and it was a little more fruitier still cherry.
We both said $12 but since we havnt bought wine at the grocery store in like 4 years is probably a grocery shelf current inflation price of more like $16.
LaMontagne Mixed Reds from Paso Robles
4 bottles for $64.99 $16.25/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $139.99 $11.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
The 2017 Sangiovese, aged 18 months in mostly French oak, has a medium ruby color and aromas of sour cherries, orange peel, warm earth and iron. The palate is medium-bodied with a pleasantly rustic frame and earth and bitters-laced fruits. The finish makes it a perfect wine for anything with tomatoes.
Specs
Vintage: 2017
Appellation: Estella District, Paso Robles
Alcohol: 13.9%
2015 LaMontagne Merlot, Paso Robles
Tasting Notes
Aged 18 months in mostly French oak, this Merlot offers plums, black currants, leather, spice and toasted bread in a charming, supple, and deliciously drinkable wine.
Our family name is LaMontagne, meaning āthe mountainā appropriately describes our quest to produce wines of exceptional quality that represent the vintage and the place in which they were grown
Kimberly Smith is driven, and puts all her passion and drive into her wines. She is business educated and has been a foodie all her life while raising 5 children and being a partner to her husband in marriage and business.
In 2006 she decided to return to college and take courses to answer her question concerning her love of Pinot Noir and why she regularly spent $50 a bottle on what she loves.
The classes she took led her to a very important night. That evening she went to an after-hour meet and greet with speaker Wes Hagen, and knew right away that she needed him to teach her the hands-on part of making Pinot Noir. She introduce herself and asked if he would mentor her, he said yes, and she was in the winery by 8 AM the next morning!
Her first vintage went into barrel in 2010, Clos Pepe Vineyard; single designate vineyard. Small as the vintage was it turned into something great. Her practice is to keep her wine in barrel till the wine sings. All Vintages are in barrel for 18 months, and have grown in production each year.
Her love and desire to produce single vineyard designate of small lots have passed to her son Alec who was 13 years old when he was being homeschooled and learned to make wine with Wes Hagen. He now has been making wine with his mom ever since.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
LaMontagne Mixed Reds from Paso Robles - $55 = 28.20%
Ah, yes, almost forgot; itās the
2017 LaMontagne Sangiovese
Always excited to receive the email from Alice and happy to offer our opinions on wine for the community! Received the wine on Monday and put it straight into the wine cellar which we keep at around 54 degrees. We invited our favorite wine drinking friends over for a pop and pour on Tuesday. Here are our thoughts:
The bottle is nice, the label is cool, the colors pop, Sangiovese is something we donāt often drink so this is exciting, canāt wait!
Cut off the foil top and the cork was wet and red stained. Oh noā¦ Gasps and sighs were heard throughout the patio (we were tasting outside, stupid Omicronā¦). Fingers crossed that it wasnāt blown. (We shall see if my pics actually load this timeā¦)
enter image description here
The color was a garnet red:
According to one of the four of us, the nose was fairly yeasty with a fresh baked bread aroma. The other three picked up tart cherries or possibly a rainier cherry (we are in the pacific northwest so we get to enjoy these every year!).
The taste was that of rhubarb, more rainier cherry with a finish of a hint of vanilla. After swirling/sniffing/tasting for a while we found stewed fruit and raisin and what one taster noted as āwatermelon jolly rancherā on the palate.
We tried it with a toasted cheese sandwich (it was the afternoon, so I didnāt have time to do a twelve course five hour Italian dinnerā¦), which we felt didnāt help the wine or improve the sip.
I put the bottle aside and tried it a few hours later and still didnāt enjoy it, more raisinā¦
I donāt think the wine was corked but it mightāve been. All-in-all we didnāt really like it that much. Every time I review I try to give my honest opinion because thatās what I expect from everyone on this site but I also donāt drink a lot of Sangiovese so my pallet might not be adept to the flavor profile. I guess, what Iām trying to say is, I like wine that tastes good and this, for us, wasnāt one. Thank you to Alice and WineDavid for the opportunity to try new things and rat wines, itās super fun and we look forward to it every time!
@mattkillpatty
@mattkillpatty
Thanks for the notes. Sounds like the wine may have been somewhat oxidized, since the cork was compromised and you tasted raisins and stewed fruit. Iām guessing you had the '15?
@chipgreen Yes, unfortunately thatās what we thoughtā¦ We had the '17 Sangio, I forgot to put that at the top. And now that I see a '15 Merlot as well and a heck of a great price, Iām definitely interested!
@mattkillpatty
Ha, I didnāt even notice that the '15 was a Merlot and you clearly stated that you had the Sangio. I am surprised that the wine would saturate the cork already on a 2017. Hopefully that is an anomaly.
@chipgreen @mattkillpatty
@chipgreen @mattkillpatty @mrn1 I donāt put a lot of stock in cellartracker reviews but the one and only CT review in Aug '20 had a similar experienceā¦
āOur shipment probably got too warm. Some of the corks show leakage, and the wine tastes a bit like old fruit. It does much better decanted for a couple of hours.ā
@mattkillpatty Thank you for the rattage. Always appreciated no matter what.
2015 LaMontagne Merlot
I will upload some photos of the wine/bottle when I can get on the computer. My wife after missing out on the last lab rat got to participate in this one as well.
No leakage on the cork but the wine was ice cold when it arrived (it was 20 degrees here).
We let it settle over night.
Upon pouring we were a little worried with the color as it was very brickish red browning on the edges.
I smelled sour cherry, vanilla and a hint of leather. My wife smelled cherry/almond some plum and slight leather as well.
Taste upon opening and 1 hour later was similar - for me it was very tart where all I could really get is the tart cherry. My wife also felt it was too tart and used the word tangy cherry or apple.
Overall We were not the biggest fan but fair notice we donāt have Merlots very often, not even sure when the last one was.
We had this with some NY strip and fries. Later in the evening I finished the bottle (sorry it got here Monday so only got to try it one day after giving it 1 day to rest) and It was getting less tart and acid and it was a little more fruitier still cherry.
We both said $12 but since we havnt bought wine at the grocery store in like 4 years is probably a grocery shelf current inflation price of more like $16.
Pictures coming up soon
Thanks again for the opportunity to try wine!
@kray05
@kray05 Thanks for the report. Not sure puppy likes posing with the bottle - but for sure he/she is handsome.
No opinion on the wine, but your pupāermigerd-- is absolutely GLORIOUS!
Well, in 2018 the Wine Weirdos (?) sipped on the Merlotā¦
/giphy ghostly-offensive-land
LaMontagne Mixed Reds from Paso Robles
4 bottles for $64.99 $16.25/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $139.99 $11.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2017 Sangiovese
2015 Merlot
Pricepoint is good but rattage isnāt. Iām either passing or holding out for someone that might change my mind.
2017 LaMontagne Sangiovese, Paso Robles
Tasting Notes
Specs
2015 LaMontagne Merlot, Paso Robles
Tasting Notes
Specs
Whatās Included
4-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$546.00/Case at LaMontagne Winery for 6x 2015 LaMontagne Merlot, Paso Robles, 6x 2017 LaMontagne Sangiovese, Paso Robles
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Feb 14 - Thursday, Feb 17
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
LaMontagne Mixed Reds from Paso Robles - $55 = 28.20%