This was served as a PnP directly out of the refrigerator, so my first impression was a little lost on the otherwise muted flavors. My initial sips showed some chalky rock and pithy yellow/white…
As others have noted, this is a big, adulterous, slap-yo-mama and run from the po-lice kind of Chardonnay. The frontal attack isn't "just" like a blustering vocal purging of the liquid incarnation of…
Try as I might, I just can't bring myself to find enjoyment in these Zinfandels. It's like a Pinot Noir and a jug of Welch's grape juice birthed an Ocean Spray Cran-Grape baby and then fed it Vodka…
Dark black cherry, forest floor, pepper, earth, and spice. The darkest profile of the Pinots tasted. Medium bodied, with some booze on the back end that pulls you away from the core fruit just a bit.…
Ripe yellow core fruit, with a wonderful citrus marmalade flavor that really shaped the profile of this wine. Some olive oil, lemon curd, lemon zest, and tropical fruit notes emerged as well.
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…
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…
White and subtle/hollow yellow citrus and stone fruit. Some unripe pear and bitter apple. The bubbles masked most anything worth talking about here. Your basic 7-11 sparkler that you take to a friend…
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,…
Subtle tropical fruit notes, with some grass, gravel, and hay flavors hitting the mid-palate with medium acidity and weight. A balanced SB, with a lighter overall effect than Bevan SBs of the past…
Similar to my previous notes last year. Dominated by popcorn and vanilla oak. A nice texture and mouthfeel, with yellow citrus, lemon curd, butter, and some glycol filling out the overall profile.…
Sonoma County · Green Valley of Russian River Valley
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…
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…
It's been a year since I last had this wine. It still needs some time to fully settle in, but it is certainly on a righteous road to perfection. As others have noted, this wine couldn't fully shed…
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…
I'm still not jiving on this wine. I know it's an appellation Chardonnay with a seemingly great QPR, but... there was no elegance or refinement to be had here. Pretty simple in complexity and flavor,…
"A beautiful wine," was the general sentiment among most of the crowd, though some (myself included) felt like it was holding back quite a bit, with the frontal push of flavoring to be reticent and…
Sonoma County · Green Valley of Russian River Valley
Previous notes apply. I'm a fan. Decanting is actually recommended here in my opinion, allowing it to smooth out and not be obnoxious with its initial hit of flavor and flair. Softened our nicely for…
Same as previous notes. Notable acidity and grip. A nice Burgundian/domestic hybrid. A lot of energy here, with some green apple and lemon verbena/lemongrass notes. A little less inviting than a '15…
Some alcohol and glycol on the finish this time around, which somewhat stunted the otherwise beautiful yellow core fruit on this wine. Some nice vanilla notes emerged, but some of the booze pulled…
Lemon liqueur, yellow pear, glycol, and lamp oil. Some faint lemon verbena and grass on the back end, but mostly hits of lemon and alcohol. A furry/pithy aftertaste made for an abrupt finish. Even…
Half of the bottle was re-corked and put in the refrigerator for two days. Some richer hazelnut, olive oil, and riper lemon notes. Held up nicely. For those holding bottles, I'd let this wine sit for…
Fun and zippy, with a lot of verve and acidic prominence. Puckering light lemon and yellow/white citrus notes. Green apple and dry hay flavors added interest. A higher toned animal. A little thin…
Finished a previously Coravin'd bottle. Hazelnut, lemon curd, and vanilla bean notes emerged with extended air. The strong green apple element from the initial Coravin pour had subsided considerably,…
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…
