Reviews

Cirq Pinot Noir TreeHouse

All I can really say is that a side-by-side with a 1998 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses made this Cirq taste like licking Courtney Love's oxycodone-ridden…

Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses

PnP with flawless provenance and no signs whatsoever of VA or funk. Cork was absolutely perfect.

Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Silver Eagle Vineyard

Boy has this little goober lost some steam over the last couple of years. Over-ripe cranberry, orange peel, muddled strawberry, cinnamon stick, and some soil. The flavors are (or rather, were) all…

Ulysse Collin Champagne Blanc de Noirs Extra Brut Les Maillons

2013 base. Disgorged 2/15/2017.

Bevan Cellars Pinot Noir Petaluma Gap

Plum, black cherry, spice, soil, and some bourbon booze. The flavor profile hinted at a tiered delivery initially, but it became a little jammy on the mid-palate. A little wonky at this stage,…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Daughters of Earth Goldrock Ridge

Same as 4 months ago. All previous notes apply. The front end is full of fruit and spice. Served next to a Wren Hop Witch's Ladder, which was much more herbal and "cooler" feeling in its delivery. I…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Witch's Ladder

1.5 years since I last had this wine. Very good focus and delineation of flavor. More of a straight shot in terms of delivery, with wonderful underbrush and rosemary notes drilling though the black…

Argot Pinot Noir Estate

Exact same note as in April. It got a little lost, blown out, and muddled toward the end, with the ripe red candied raspberry note dominating. PnP offered the best sips. Serve this wine on the colder…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Cautionary Tale

Not one ounce of doom and gloom here with this "Cautionary Tale." PnP with wonderful black cherry, saturated and sappy black raspberry, bark, cacao bean, and some incense and cinnamon stick. Most…

Domaine Allimant-Laugner Crémant d'Alsace Pinot Noir Rosé Brut

Light salmon pink color. Muted nose of chalk and CO2. Light and dry, with notes of watery strawberry, watermelon, green apple flesh, quince, and white chalk. Fairly pithy, with a weak fruit core that…

Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch Vineyard

Previous notes from last year apply. Quite flavorful, with saturated red raspberry, red and black cherry, spice, cedar/earth, and a nice evergreen note. A little simplistic on the front end of the…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Oracle's Whisper

It's been a year and a half since I last had this wine. PnP was a bit reticent, but after two hours of slow O2 and some swirling in the glass, it filled out nicely. Black cherry, black raspberry,…

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

PnP was high-pitched and a bit steely, with lemon seed, slate, chalk, and limestone notes. Ultra, ultra pure, with a unique, exacting focus that I have only found in a handful of Champagnes.

Aubert Pinot Noir UV Vineyard

Black cherry, clove, mulch, evergreen, and hints of orange oil. Still a little linear, but just starting to push out some decent flavors over the course of two+ hours of consumption. A touch thin…

Domaine Vacheron Sancerre Rouge

Water, diluted cranberry, cedar, and earth. Like drinking a melted red gummy bear that got dropped in a muddy puddle. For my domestic palate, this wine was a rough go for me personally. Others…

La Rochelle Pinot Noir Recherché Reserve Soberanes Vineyard

High-toned bright red cherry, vanilla, and some white travertine. Simple, lithe, and watery. Hardly any depth to speak of. Gains some points for energy and zip, but otherwise this is a runny nose of…

Fleury Estate Winery Pinot Noir

Unfortunately over the hill. Pretty flabby and dying, with dark, mulch-ridden black cherry and over-ripe plum notes. Dirty and flat.

Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

Previous notes apply. Ripe, dark black cherry, mulch, earth, and some rhubarb. Round, easy, plush, and fairly straightforward. Fun but forgettable. Not a waste of a date, but definitely not marriage…

Argot Pinot Noir Estate

Previous notes apply, except that this certainly displayed a prominent ripe red raspberry rock candy element that, though flavorful, made for a more liqueur-esque beverage. The sappiness of the fruit…

Talley Vineyards Pinot Noir Rosemary's Vineyard

Same, same, same. Previous notes apply. I'm about as excited as I've been previously about this wine, which is not much... likely even less so this time around. It has some saturated black cherry and…

Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Gap's Crown Vineyard

Red raspberry, bing cherry, cola, earth, Christmas spices, and hints of wet cedar and pine needles. A very balanced and "good" Pinot, but at times flat and unremarkable. Everything was in perfect…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Architects & Saboteurs

Previous notes apply. A massive Pinot with a massive attack of ripe black and dark red core fruit, glycerin-laced blackberry and black cherry, saturated black raspberry liqueur, black spicebox,…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Stolen Crown

Dark black currant, black cherry, mulch, forest floor, dark maple syrup, and dark spice (clove). Fully resolved and coming into its final turn before starting its descent on the bell curve. It's…

Aubert Pinot Noir UV-SL Vineyard

A little over a year-and-a-half since I last had this wine. Much more giving this time around, with a nice combination of flash and sophistication. PnP was rockin' out some pretty compelling flavors…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Daughters of Earth Goldrock Ridge

Fruit and spice and everything nice. All previous notes apply. A take-you-back-to-your-childhood kind of wine. Enjoy the moment and don't overthink it. The comfort food of Pinots. Fun stuff.