Visitors to the site can sort by type, grape variety, tasting notes, professional ratings, price, brand and even alcohol content.

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He blogged in part to keep track of his own tasting notes.

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He writes tasting notes but they're preceded by a long "pretasting" note.

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Then, in 2006, Allagash founder Rob Tod flew to Brussels along with a few beer-industry colleagues, filled a journal with tasting notes and designed his shack.

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The product descriptors vary a good bit: some dive deep offering everything from tasting notes, storage suggestions, vintage notes and drinking window, while others are less expansive.

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So I can sum up my tasting notes quite simply: it has a uniquely thick texture, unctuous and almost oily, but not in a bad way, in a citrus oil way.

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In fact, his ratings and tasting notes on 2008 Bordeaux wines so far have come across as fair, consumer-conscious and intelligent (if safe, since the ratings offer few surprises and a lack of a bold, contrarian outlier or two).

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"Notes of apricot, " a waiter ventured, which was followed by more earnest proclamations from wine-tasting amateurs.

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