Reviews

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…

Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese

Pure and well-weighted, with sweet lemon tart, ripe white and yellow pear, apricot, lemon verbena, pulverized granite and pumice, and faint concrete. The RS is on the front end of the attack right…

Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile

Grilled pineapple and lemon, toasted pine nuts, wet limestone, olive and hazelnut oil, yellow pear skin, dried apricot, lamp oil, pumice, and traces of plantain. A wine that successfully straddles…

Dr. Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese

Honey, ripe apricot, yellow peach, and pear, lemontini, and the slightest hint of wet limestone. Wins all of its points for balance and purity, but every inch of this wine is wholly encompassed with…

Dönnhoff Roxheimer Höllenpfad Riesling im Mühlenberg Großes Gewächs

Beautiful tension and verve on the initial pull, with notes of white nectarine, white peach, and white stone fruit, quince, lemon juice, pumice, and hints of honeysuckle. Delivers with laser focus…

Barnett Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Rattlesnake

Constricted and wrapped around the axle, this hyper-young wine is still in the embryonic state. Notes of crunchy cranberry, pomegranate, red cherry, red currant, cedar, green peppercorn, and some…

Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile

Unripe pear, grilled lemon, ash, limestone, and hints of varnish. A formidable weight distribution along the palate, with a sturdy attack, but instantly drying and, at times, a little hollow.…

Rivers-Marie Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

Grilled lemon, unripe pineapple, yellow apple skin, lychee, vanilla, popcorn. Medium and straightforward. Drink now.

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…

Josmeyer Riesling Le Dragon

Lemon, butterscotch, quince paste, unripe tangerine, pumice, and lamp oil. Pushing out a significant amount of petrol and some flint on its initial voyage, creating a heightened drying effect on the…

Weingut Josef Leitz Rüdesheimer Drachenstein Riesling Dragonstone

For $16, this is a great QPR and over-delivers in almost every way. Obviously not displaying the layered complexity of top shelf Rieslings, but beautifully balanced, with nice crowd-pleasing flavors…

Lewis Cellars Syrah

Blackberry, chocolate, railroad tie, and wet black soil. It's a good Cali Syrah that delivers round flavor, medium weight, and a bit of a thick delivery. No hard edges; fairly plush, but exhibits a…

Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Amoenus

2016 Materium and 2016 Amoenus side-by-side.

Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium

2016 Materium and 2016 Amoenus side-by-side.

Realm Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Fidelio

White stone and white melon. No display of yellow citrus, tropical, or lemon/lime zest notes. A small detectable grass note. Linear and straightforward on the attack, with a Pinot Grigio lightness…

Emmanuel Brochet Champagne Premier Cru Extra Brut Le Mont Benoit

Same notes as 1/17/19. Best served in large BDX stemware. A wine with some heft, but also bright lift. Finishes seriously focused. Chiseled without ever being sharp. Amazingly complex. 94-95+ points.…

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…

Tusk Estates Cabernet Sauvignon

As soon as the juice hits the glass, the nose cons you into thinking you made a big mistake, with crushed ripe blackberry and Grey Goose slithering up the nostrils. It's not a full-on Everclear…

Donelan Chardonnay Genevieve's Block DeVoto Vineyard

This bottle seemed to have an angular delivery and showed a more progressed profile in terms of a bronzed/oxidized finish that was omnipresent. It was drinkable, but the lamp oil aftertaste and added…

Melka Sauvignon Blanc Mekerra

Same as last month. Great body and mid-palate weight/depth, notable complexity, and gorgeous lime and grass flavors to compliment the yellow citrus core. Even better with air.

B Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

Followed over three separate days - divided (March 18, 21, and 28) via Coravin and finally open-air on the final day. The initial Coravin pours were certainly flavorful, but with a bit of a…

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…

Bacio Divino Cabernet Sauvignon Janzen Cloudy's Vineyard

Delivered as expected given last year's performance, the 2014 Cloudy's continues to kick out a solid bevy of dark/black flavors; black raspberry, blueberry, black currant, asphalt, black soil, and…

L'Aventure For Her

An even more integrated and overall improved animal than when I last had this wine two years ago. This took a couple of hours of decanting to open up, but once it did it kicked out beautifully deep…

Rivers-Marie Chardonnay Platt Vineyard

Eeeeeesh.... This was unfortunately a little tough for me to get on board with in its current state; not the most inviting or expressive... or complex example of the varietal or the site. I'm not…