The 2014 Stonestreet Upper Barn is less succulent and engaging than the 2006 Peter Michael Mon Plaisir (Upper Barn) and 2022 Sphaerics (if and only if - Upper Barn) served beside it. There is a nice…
This was good. It wasn't amazing. I wanted an extra layer or two here. White fruit on the initial pop, with brioche and more yellow tinged fruit coming to the fold with air. It stayed a steady Edward…
As Valmur can be, this was a slightly blocky and one-note showing at present. The Vaudesir served next to it was by far the more complex of the two. Creme fraiche meets lemon drop is about all you…
It's not the 2019, but it's set up to get close, the 2022 has more personality than the 2022 Grenouille and Valmur at this stage. With a nice acidic zip and a slightly creamy finish that creates a…
Pouring a vibrant translucent neon green-yellow color, this needed a healthy decant to open up. Still, it was a bit shy and not exceptionally expressive, with perceived acidity less prominent than in…
I finally figured it out. Any time I can't decide between a Hefeweizen or a Champagne, I reach for Ultramarine. The brats and kraut sparkling wine. The chotomy to my dichotomy.
Ooh Lordy this bottle was hot and angry on first pull. AIR!!! When we woke it up, it didn't wanna get up, it didn't wanna come down for breakfast, it didn't wanna do its chores, it didn't wanna do…
A few Coravin pulls from this bottle remind me that 2020 Cheval Blanc is an off-the-charts pure and regal expression, but it will require patience for sure. This had a flash in the glass of…
This is a citrus pith, karate chop, high roundhouse Gymkata lemon and lime kick of Hot Topic flash and flair all in one hyper push of acid and energy on the front end, with a flinty-flowery Speed…
A reductive nose burns off with some vigorous swirling, offering the palate a super fresh expression of the varietal. Tense and nervy quince and citrus notes fire off from cheek-to-cheek, with lime,…
Brighter red cherry with some purple-black fruit kick off the straight-shot profile of the 2019 Margaux. To no one's surprise, this is about as primary and linear as it gets in its current state. The…
This bottle was all sorts of good. It had the energy and freshness I expect, with the elevated budding complexity and focus I expect from Cristal. This bested a 2015 by a decent margin (which most…
This was a much better showing with this bottle than the one I had a few months ago. This was a bit more relaxed, slightly oxidative, but with notable concentration. Blind, I initially thought this…
Incredible polish and poise here, with a linear profile that is just starting to give in the fruit department. This presents as a fairly serious wine, and one that will need more than a handful of…
My note from last year applies in terms of this wine's specific characteristics and flavor profile, though I will say the performance this time around was absolutely beautiful on day one (a healthy…
I guess I'll just have to keep giving this wine 100 points. I've had the privilege of tapping this wine a number of times now, and every time it just kills it. This time, its prowess was tested…
At first pass, this thing was balled up like, well. a ball. Quivering and compact, I sensed this might be M7 simply because of the sheer Oppenheimer-type encased fury-boom potential it possessed, but…
Powerful and front loaded. Boom! Instantly turns richer and longer with the first sip. A beast of a wine that holds it all together with graphite and mineral elements providing an amazing stretch of…
Great right now. I mean, it's the friendly GIII, so how could it not be?! Concentration and balance are especially notable in 2021, with a refinement that really showcases a sophisticated side of…
Like a hybrid of Cousins and Beatrix, the Spinning Plates offers a similar profile to its two brothers (or, Cousins.?), with a concentration that is dialed-down but is more tannic and linear in its…
A red fruit athletic marathon runner, with crimson and black cherry, red and purple plum, saline, red apple skin, and tinges of vanilla. I thought this was Beatrix perhaps, but was a bit dumbfounded…
Deeper than the day is long, this was a shot across the bow with a concentration cannon that blasted flavor and depth right to the mid-palate, diving even deeper and with more fortitude as it…
A pretty wine, with violets and juicy red/purple fruit popping on the palate. Here the nose is muted, but the affable flavors skip along the front end upon first sip, marking the path of a wine that…
A full bodied, masculine front end kicks off a rush of deep and dark black cherry, black raspberry, and soil notes. A pine needle flavor adds further interest on the finish. This is a broad stroke of…
