What Would Mikey Drink

Some bricking. Smells mushroom, and lavender. Despite the greatness of the 90 vintage, this is over the hill. Lots of delicious minerals and menthol, but a beam of acids on the back. Fun to drink, but not blowing me away. Grade: B+, Josh B www.whatwouldmikeydrink.com

Pale, youthful yellow. Aromas of tangerine and petrol. Full palate. Rich and dense with orange marmalade to go with its petrol. Delicious, funky and impressive for its lively acidity and real sense of place. Highly collectible and expensive. Grade: A. Josh: A- www.whatwouldmikeydrink.com

Over the hill. Josh says petrol. Perfectly preserved bottle, but the fruit is all gone. This was probably nice 10 years ago. Historically interesting, but not great wine. Auction only. Grade: B-, Josh says B-. www.whatwouldmikeydrink.com

Dark ruby. Captivating aromas like a mentholated forest. Fresh, and dark. Ripe, sleek and luxurious palate. Deep dark pinot, done in a Californian, juicy style. At first it was tight showing a lot of alcohol, but after being opened for 5 hours, it is quite nice, albeit with prominent alcohol. I’m on the Sea Smoke [...]

Mature burgundy, a nice treat. ’97 is a earthy, woodsy vintage. Smells like dried autumn leaves. Iron laced rustic flavors, a little disjointed with prominent acids, but good, long finish. I paid $35 about a year ago, from a wine connection email. Can’t beat that, for an aged grand cru. Grade: A-. www.whatwouldmikeydrink.com

This is a recent release from the Zilliken cellar. Compelling petrol and apple juice aromas. Seems quite youthful. Well balanced sweetness. Delicious, and good value. Retail $35, grade: A. www.whatwouldmikeydrink.com

Shows the power of the excellent 07 vintage. Compellingly young dark purple. Delicious cherry menthol pinot aromas. Silky texture with a lot of depth. Long finish, with a slight alcoholic heat. This is the lowest price Ryhs pinot, but it rocks. Only currently available from the Rhys mailing list. Retail $35, grade: A. www.whatwouldmikeydrink.com

This is an alcoholic mess. Huge, dark and viscus. I liked this a few years ago, but it isn’t aging gracefully. Its unbalanced. On the front it has a lot of spicy sweet dark fruits. Smoky oaky. Then like everclear. If you have any left, drink with very strong foods. Possibly a weak bottle. Retail [...]

Glorious aromas of gingerbread cake, and a wild, enchanted pine forest. Waxy spicy cherry palate. Amazing depth. Great balanced long finish. At age 10 still a baby. Hold at least 5 more years. Just delish. Andrew de Montille gives it an A. I agree. www.whatwouldmikeydrink.com

At first bruitish and no fruit. Then gets nice. Pretty golden. Very complex. Apple cider and fruit is almost gone. Like a memory of a fantastic sunset from long ago. Drink up this is fully mature. A bit challenging now, as it goes back to being stinky sometimes. Available only at auction. Grade: B. Andrew [...]