The Goldberg's
Tasted Monday, December 29, 2014 by Loren Sonkin with 932 views
Roy H. goes back to visit family over the holidays in the Detroit area. Some of the locals tend to arrange a tasting while he is up there. Its been a while since I had been there, but this time, the weather was good as was the timing, so I drove the three hours and met up at Joel and Sally's for a fun evening. There were nine of us. Sally and Joel picked up local BBQ and Mid-eastern fare. From there, we casually drank a LOT of wine over the course of 6 hours. This was done in loose flights, non blind.
We sat down and started to taste thru the white wines.
A new wine for me. Very nice. Intriguing nose of white raisins, honey, peach and a slightly nutty quality. On the palate, a bit of pineapple. Turns slightly bitter on the finish. This was a blend of some seldom used varietals including Macebo (think Cava). I don't know that it makes old bones, but quite enjoyable now.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
These are world class Chard. I hate to post its made in Michigan as that seems irrelevant for this quality. The nose has slight limes. A nice minerality as well. Also a bit of a bready/toasty quality to it. On the palate, there is some butterscotch and oak although this saw neutral oak. A slight bit of heat as well. I think this may have benefitted from a bit of air, but we were on a mission. These are wines worth checking out.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
Gorgeous nose. Very clean. Floral nose with tropical fruit. Medium body. Tart apples on the palate. Nice texture. Going back to it later in the evening, this had put on some weight. There is just a hint of sweetness to this but enough texture and acidity to carry it.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
This is the second label for Wyncroft. This sees no oak at all. Apparently it went thru full ML over the course of winter as it sat on its lees but in a tank. I found it very nice. I am one who doesn't like a lot of oak in my whites. This is clean on the nose with some minerals and lemon. On the palate, quite refreshing with a nice acidity. Nice texture. I think this retails around $20 and it is a great value at that price.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
Golden in color. A subtle nose. Dusty with slight lemons. Soft texture. Grapefruit on the palate. Nice finish.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
Nice cherry fruit up front. Some black raspberries. Very primary. This is a big Pinot. On the palate it verges on liqueur but holds just off. Enough acidity to carry this off. It has a lovely texture with medium tannins. I think five to ten years in the cellar will do this just fine.
Post a Comment / 3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
I brought this as I knew Jim would be there. It was a great chance to see how these wines age. Jim was confident, so I popped the cork. Great showing. The nose has cinnamon and cherries. On the palate, it has an elegance with layers of earth, creamy cherries and cherry juice. Great texture. Slight mushroom on the finish.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
Another bigger wine although, for me, not as big as the Ayoub. Spice and cherries on the nose. Cherries and some rhubarb on the palate. A hint of cough syrup on the finish. This also has a nice creamy texture despite its youth. Best days are ahead, I would wait five year on this.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
We didn't quite know where to put this one.
Chad brought this and said it is Cabernet Sauvignon. Perhaps, but I did feel there is some Garnacha in here too. The nose is dusty with cranberries, strawberries and cherries. On the palate, there is a nice complexity. This is medium bodied. Cherries and cranberries. Nice finish. Nice acidity. At 15 years, it has held up just fine, but I don't think it improves from here.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
We opened a bottle of this as part of a Syrah flight. I thought it showed well.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
Also opened a bottle of this for comparison.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
The crowd seemed mixed on this one. A very nice example of cooler climate Syrah. Black raspberries on the nose. A slight eucalyptus note too. Medium bodied. I enjoyed the lighter texture that made this refreshing. Nice boysenberry fruit on the palate. Still young but starting to show some definition.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
Jim went down to his cellar and got this one. It really needs a bit more time or air. The nose has black raspberries, some grilled meats and some blueberries. Also some charred wood. Lush but sinewy texture. Lots of black raspberry fruit. Nice acidity. Long finish. Pretty take on cool climate Syrah.
Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
Another interesting take on Syrah. This was from Michigan. The owner, Lorenzo, was with us and asked Joel to open one of these from his cellar. Thank you. Ruby in color. The nose has boysenberries, white pepper and dark cherries. On the palate, this is more about red fruit. 15.1% Alc. but not noticeable. Very cool to be able to try this.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
Beautiful showing for this wine. Not quite at maturity but getting close. Purple in color. The nose has black cherries, black raspberries, leather, and spice. More red fruit; cherries and dark cherries on the palate. Nice balance. Great juicy texture. This was 50% Zin. Just beautiful For many a WOTN.
Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
I think I liked this better than most. It is really drinking well and while at peak, no hurry. The nose is dark cherries and black raspberries with some spice and anise. Nice texture. Dark cherries and raspberries on the palate. Juicy acidity. Long finish.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
I love this wine. I believe Joel bought this on release and cellared it since then. I believe it as it is drinking quite young still. The nose has cassis, sandalwood, spice and leather. Wonderful juicy texture. Lots of cassis fruit with a nice earthiness layered in between. Seemed to get better, I think this still needs a bit of air when opening. Just an awesome wine.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
This is a huge wine. It was a bit controversial due to that. I liked it a lot. It probably won't hit its peak for five years at least. The inevitable discussion of whether these wines will age occurred. I think it will age just fine. At 7 years from vintage, it is drinking well. The nose has cedar, cherries and dark cherries. Creamy texture. tons of dark cherry and cherry fruit on the palate. Certainly, some would dismiss this as a "cherry milkshake" but I thought it had great fruit. Nice acidity. Still primary, I think it will develop, but I would lay these down for a while.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
This is the second label for Buccella. It was quite good, but I am not sure what the pricing is. Cassis on the nose with some fresh oak as well as spice. Slightly drying tannins along with oak on the palate. For all the oak though, there is plenty of oak and lots of depth. This needs five years, minimum, but should develop nicely. It has a great texture; juicy and full. Very nice wine. The crowd again, was mixed on style, but seemed to like it.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
This is the individual project of the Buccella winemaker. At about $28, there is serious value here. I believe there is a lot of Zin in this blend. It is a lighter style of wine with a nice acidity. The nose has black cherries. Good acidity and black cherries on the palate. Plenty of tannins right now but drinks well. Certainly no hurry though.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
This was the first vintage for this wine. Jim Lester believes that it is a varietal that has a real future for Michigan. 2013 he believes was a good, not great vintage. If so, then, he is right. This was excellent. Ruby in color. The nose has cherries with a bit of celery (which was ok, not great). Much better on the palate. This is low in alcohol. IIRC, it cam in at 20 brix. Medium body. Raspberries and cherries with a lot of complexity and depth. Slightly tannins. Jim thought there was a lot of black fruit, but for me it was more red fruit. I haven't had a lot of this grape (mostly Austrian) but this was like a Lighter styled Zin mixed with Pinot IMO. I really liked it. Joel thought it was the best Michigan Blaufrankisch that he had tried. Hard to argue. :-)
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
A new wine for me. This is a GSM blend. I am not sure it carried the CdR Villages designation. I thought someone said it had a new one that was upgraded. The nose is earthy with raspberries and black raspberries. Also some spice. Complex. Tannic. Great texture. Complex with lots of depth. Delicious. Needs time to develop.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
With the caveat that if the 2005 is any indication, this will develop beautifully. Right now it has light cherries on the nose. Young, tart acidity with cranberries and rhubarb. It is a nice Pinot but needs some time to develop. I do have faith in Jim's wines.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
A beautiful example of CA Cab Franc IMO. Gorgeous wine. The nose has black cherries, pencil lead, and tobacco. Firm tannins. Complex and layered tightly on the palate. This was pop and pour and some air would have benefitted it. Still, it drinks really well right now. Great cherry fruit. great balance. Long finish.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
Very nice showing for this second wine of Wyncroft. I think it was priced in the mid-20s which is a great value. The nose has cherries, bell pepper, and tobacco. Medium bodied. Some complexity even at this young stage. Very refreshing as well as interesting.
Read 3 Comments / Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
This is hard to judge at this stage. It is a Bordeaux blend and perhaps the best wine Wyncroft makes. It is a tough wine right now hiding a bit. Yet, with air, there is a deep complexity. I hope to taste this wine in about ten years when I bet it scores a couple/few points higher.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
We got to talking about Michigan wines and I mentioned that up in the north (but not the UP), there were a few producers making world class white and sparkling wines. Joel went down to the cellar yet again, and pulled this out. I haven't had a lot of producers from there, but for still whites, this has been one of my favorites and this was no exception. The nose is very clean. Lots of pears and some minerals. Great acidity. Pears carry thru to the palate. Dry but with a feeling of sweetness. I suspect some RS but under 1%. Impressive wine.
Post a Comment / 3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
I think this was the designation. It was harvested at over 40 Brix. The nose is gorgeous with tropical fruits. It also has a sugared quality to it along with some matchsticks. Great texture. Honeyed and apricots on the palate. Jim thought it drank like a cross between a Sauternes and a German Eiswein and while that is not wrong, it drinks much closer to the latter. Long finish. Excellent acidity. Long finish. This is a wow wine. $50 and a great value at that price.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
This is a dessert wine made from Cabernet Sauvignon in a Passitio method. Very interesting. Light ruby in color. The nose is different with a kirsch quality. Someone (Chaad?) said it had Vidalia Onions which I did not notice but agreed with. Nice texture. Sweet but not cloying. I didn't get a Cab quality but that's ok. Nice.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
This was great. Tawny in color. The nose is chocolate, toffee and raisins. There is also this woody, musty quality which is nice and better than it sounds. Nice acidity. Some warming on the finish. Roy H. said this gets no distribution in the US. Too bad as this was a very nice 30 year Tawny. I don't drink a lot of these, but this was outstanding and a great finish.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
It was great to see some old friends and meet some new ones. I had a blast and tasted thru some great wines. Thanks to everyone for including me in. Let's hope we can do it again.
© 2003-24 CellarTracker! LLC. All rights reserved. "CellarTracker!" is a trademark of CellarTracker! LLC. No part of this website may be used, reproduced or distributed without the prior written permission of CellarTracker! LLC.
2009 Domaine des Baumard Savennières Clos du Papillon 92 Points
France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières
I love this wine. I had not had this vintage yet. Golden in color. The nose has great minerality with a floral tone as well. A bit of quince as well. There is a slightly oily texture which plays off the clean, sinewy wine. A very nice complexity. Lovely way to start.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue