Reviews

Paul Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge Vieilles Vignes

Dark black and red cherry dominant, with hints of vanilla, crema, wet limestone, and faint spice bark. A little more on the black fruit spectrum. A notable mid-palate for such a base-model wine, with…

Aubert Pinot Noir UV Vineyard

A very tasty wine, if not a little overblown with overt and saturated red raspberry and muddled over-ripe strawberries and red cherry notes that keep the delivery fairly singular and straightforward…

Olivier Bernstein Clos de la Roche

Strawberry, red cherry, earth, chalk/limestone, and stems. Beautifully balanced weight-wise, with the profile favoring more of the earth side of the house. Slight funky soil notes on the tail.…

Domaine Robert Groffier Bonnes Mares

Brief note on this wine, as it had already been a very looooong day of Napa Cab palate destruction. So, it is actually saying something that this wine was able to rise to the top and make itself…

Vice Versa Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard

This second installment of the Vice Versa Platt Pinot currently exhibits a much more determined profile when compared to its more exuberant year-older sibling. A fantastically focused and balanced…

Maxem Pinot Noir UV Vineyard

Frame over fruit on the initial attack, with a youthfully linear drive that hones-in on more evergreen and Christmas spice-cedar-earth notes before the wild black cherry and wild raspberry flavors…

Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Noirs Cote de Bechalin

As before, I really find this wine to be a beguiling example of Pinot Noir Champagne. Focused and deliberate while also complex and just a tad funky (as is Cedric's signature), with saline meets…

Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Silver Eagle Vineyard

Predominately red fruited, with some citrus peel and rock notes. A easy-going Pinot at this stage. Not as much of a loosey-goosey experience as last year's sample, but definitely lacks some of the…

Ulysse Collin Champagne Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut Les Maillons

2013 base. February 15, 2017 disgorgement.

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Mortal Coil Phendler

Same as my previous notes on this wine, except that this was a tad boozy on the initial pull. Luckily, with some air in the glass, the alcohol dissipated quickly, revealing its fun and fascinating…

Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Noirs Côte de Val Vilaine

In reference to my previous note from a year ago on this wine, I can certainly tell ya'll that decanting this Champagne does absolute wonders in enabling it to fan-out its full flavor profile and…

B Cellars Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

Similar to before, except that this was exceptionally cloudy in hue and delivered a much cooler attack than I remembered from a few months ago. It was interesting and unique, but it certainly made…

Hartford / Hartford Court Pinot Noir Seascape Vineyard

Black and red cherry, muddled overripe strawberry, pomegranate juice, peat smoke, tobacco leaf, sea foam, and hints of citrus rind. Nicely focused, with a cut that is deliberate but somewhat subtle…

Bevan Cellars Pinot Noir Summit 1376'

Ultra-ripe blackberry, boysenberry, huckleberry, black cherry, cinnamon stick, wet mulch, and huge blasts of alcohol. Even after 3+ hours of decanting and trying to cool this way down…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Mortal Coil Phendler

Boy did this perform like a champ! A similar and familiar flavor profile to when I had this last summer, but with even more fascinating flavors prairie-doggin' all over the place on the palate. Black…

Ferren Wines Pinot Noir Frei Road Vineyard

Red berry, cherry, cranberry, and some earthy spice lurking on the periphery. More red-fruited, with a depth and richness dropping on the mid-palate with notable intensity, but still light on its…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Shadow Voices Estate

Same as before. 95-97+ points. Showed even better on Day 2. Hold for a few years.

Aubert Pinot Noir UV Vineyard

Ripe black cherry, red and black raspberry, and some evergreen and faint earth notes. A nice ride, if not as complex as I might have optimally hoped. Medium-bodied all the way around. A little overly…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Architects & Saboteurs

Held up great over the course of two days. A decent amount of power and fortitude, but balances-out with spicy, ripe, and saturated black and red raspberry and cherry flavors that make for a fairly…

Bevan Cellars Pinot Noir Summit 2114

In a perfect spot right now. Black and red cherry, wild raspberry, Creamsicle filling, bark and stems, underbrush, garrigue, rhubarb, limestone river rock, and some clove notes. The overall delivery…

Vice Versa Pinot Noir Platt Vineyard

Previous notes apply. So much potential and upside to this wine. Purity and drive are most notable here, as is the unbelievable intensity of the fruit - while still holding a textural mouthfeel that…

Aubert Pinot Noir CIX Estate Vineyard

Ripe red raspberry, earthy and saturated red and black cherry, candied red licorice, forest floor, and some faint rock. Round and plush on the front end push, with a hoard of fruit that drops on the…

Maxem Pinot Noir UV Vineyard

Black cherry and ripe strawberry cream lead the charge on the front end of the attack, with dark earth, Christmas spice, and rose pedal notes swiftly catching up to the rolling core of beautifully…

Morlet Family Vineyards Pinot Noir En Famille

Black cherry, unripe red and black raspberry, soil, forest floor, and some leather. Earth driven and softer in terms of an overt flashiness of fruit. The core is ripe, but less concentrated or…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Cautionary Tale

Similar to my previous notes. Definitely an upfront, gushing fruit type of Pinot. A deeply pitched red raspberry core, with additional notes of red and black cherry, spice box, and some subtle earth.…