Reviews

Bernardus Winery Pinot Noir Soberanes Vineyard

Unfortunately all of the four 2013 Pinots tasted in this lineup were forgettable for the most part and hovered in the 87 point range at best. I could not honestly tell you which wine was which. The…

Bernardus Winery Pinot Noir Sierra Mar Vineyard

Unfortunately all of the four 2013 Pinots tasted in this lineup were forgettable for the most part and hovered in the 87 point range at best. I could not honestly tell you which wine was which. The…

Bernardus Winery Chardonnay Soberanes Vineyard

Overtly candied lemon drop and sweet vanilla notes pummeled the heck out of any finesse this wine had hopes of producing. It had an almost vanilla Schnapps aftertaste, with the oak influence…

Bernardus Winery Chardonnay Rosella's Vineyard

Same as my notes from the day before. This was tasted alongside the 2014 Ingrid's Chardonnay, which was a fuller-bodied wine; however, the Rosella's had a little more complexity and delineation of…

Bernardus Winery Chardonnay Sierra Mar Vineyard

A good Chardonnay, but far overshadowed by the Ingrid's and Rosella's tasted alongside it. Because of the competition, the Sierra Mar was forgettable. It was decently crafted, but I honest to God…

Bernardus Winery Chardonnay Ingrid's Vineyard

A very well put together modern California Chardonnay. The round butterscotch, popcorn, and vanilla bean notes worked well with the core yellow citrus fruits. A hair less complex than the 2014…

Bernardus Winery Pinot Noir Pisoni Vineyard

This was a little more interesting and intense than the 2013 Bernardus SLH. Still extremely young, acidic, and primary, the Pisoni managed to push out some high-toned black cherry, strawberry, and…

Bernardus Winery Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands

Some basic strawberry, red cherry, and pomegranate notes, with the slightest hint of forest floor. Fairly high-toned and simplistic, especially when served next to the 2014 Bernardus Pisoni Pinot,…

Bernardus Winery Sauvignon Blanc Late Harvest Griva Vineyard Monterey

A nice match with seared foie gras. Not too sweet or cloying, and just the right amount of intensity; it came off balanced but nicely viscous. Apricot, peach, and some honey flavors. A solid…

Bernardus Winery Chardonnay Rosella's Vineyard

A pleasantly surprising wine, with the attractive verve and tension from the lemon and citrus fruit flavors nicely intermixed with some vanilla bean and lightly buttered oak influences. Very good…

Patrick Piuze Crémant de Bourgogne Val de Mer Brut Natural Rosé

Somewhat standard as brut rose's go. Some simple notes of pink grapefruit, orange peel, strawberry, and light vanilla. Pretty dry and clipped on the finish. This was "fine," but nothing too memorable.

Kobalt Cabernet Sauvignon

Previous tasting notes apply. This thing played punching bag with a 2012 Odette served beside it. I'm loving the way the Kobalt is showing right now. Right up my alley. Paired incredibly well with a…

Odette Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

Same as my previous tasting notes. Others at the table loved this wine, commenting on its smooth and seamless personality. For me, it was certainly good, but it suffered from two things:

Goldeneye Pinot Noir Anderson Valley

Thin mid-palate, a bit watery, and overall a pretty boring experience. Some hints of black cherry and spice, but the diluted personality of this wine overshadowed any true distinguishable flavors.…

Decoy Chardonnay

A good late summer sipper type of a Chardonnay. Your basic lemon and yellow citrus flavors, with some apple, vanilla, and light alkaline notes. Paired fine with some sharper hard cheeses. Nothing I'd…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Still solid. 93-94 points. Previous notes apply. This bested a 2012 Boich GIII and a 2012 Pruett Taylor's Syrah by a decent margin. Drink now with no decant really necessary.

Boich Family Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Georges III Vineyard

Pretty much the same as six months ago. Previous notes apply. A little tight and less giving in terms of the immediacy of fruit. I wasn't getting a whole lot of personality from this little chameleon…

Pruett Vineyards Syrah Taylor's Reserve

All previous notes apply. This was tasted next to a 2012 Boich Cabernet GIII and a 2013 Myriad Cabernet, which both bested the Pruett. Not exactly a fair fight.

Rombauer Vineyards Chardonnay

A decent run-of-the-mill restaurant dinner type of Chardonnay. A lot of oak influence and not much distinguishing characteristics outside of the buttered popcorn, vanilla, and rich, round citrus…

Myriad Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

Same as my notes a month ago. 93-94? points. Comes off a little young (understandably); a little bit of a cocktail feel about it after about four+ hours of air. Like the 2013, this is an early…

Mail Road Wines Pinot Noir Blocks 2, 3, 5 Mt. Carmel

Same as my notes from February, but this still needs quite a bit of time in bottle to integrate. High pitched and never fully shedding itself of a tartness/sourness that was a bit distracting,…

Bevan Cellars Pinot Noir Summit 2114

Same as my notes from 3/8/2016. Took some time to open up (about two total hours in the decanter). Ended up mellowing out pretty quickly at the post-two hour mark. Glided into a nice (though less…

Bevan Cellars Ontogeny

I definitely concur with much of what J_Smallwood had to say about this wine. This has certainly opened up quite a bit since I last had it back in February. After about an hour or two in a…

Rivers-Marie Chardonnay Sonoma Coast

Same as four months ago. PnP and served around 54 degrees. Drink now and over the next year or so. Ready right now. Drinks WAY above its original allocation price point ($25). 92-93 points.

Shafer Relentless

Previous notes on specific flavors still apply. Awesome wine, and inching its way up in score for me as time goes on. PnP was near-perfect and ready right out of the gate.