A small tasting pour. This NV is cut from the same cloth as their vintage champagne, it is just dialed down in flavor profile. There is bold toast and yeast that gets whisked away with minerality and lemon oil.
A small tasting pour. Remind yourself that this wine is quite inexpensive, as it is overall dull. Steely, acidic, with white fruit and unripe strawberry.
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
A small tasting pour. This is how I like California chardonnay. This wine has lush golden and tropical fruit. There is elegant oak. It is not heavy handed at all.
A small tasting pour. I am not scoring this, because my opinion is very much based on personal taste. This cloudy wine is the grassy-est sauv blanc I've ever had. I can not get past the vegetal, extracted quality of this wine. I guess I'm glad I tried it, but a small pour is all I need for this lifetime.
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
A small tasting pour. I had some high hopes for this wine, having consumed many amazing Arcadian Sleepy Hollow chardonnays. Well, I'll stick with Arcadian. This version was unimpressive. A simple quaffing chardonnay.
Cakebread seems to be neglected. I've had glorious older cabs of theirs, and this merlot was firing on all cylinders as well. Rich and round, with tannin and acid to back it up.
A small tasting pour. Yet another decent California cabernet that seems curiously expensive for what it is. This would go well with a steak, but it is not ponderous or distinctive.
A small tasting pour. This cabernet really stood out. There is surprising complexity for being so young. Sweet red fruit, new world, balancing earth and tannin.
A small tasting pour. This wine just hit 90 for me. It is certainly young, and a Southern Rhone. There is a little too much anise along with alcohol, garrigue and funk. I'd like to try this in 5 years.
A small tasting pour. I feel this wine overdelivers for the price, and this bottle was drinking well for being so young. Earth, leather, spice, herbs, with present tannins.
A small tasting pour. I was surprised that this wine is drinking well so young. To me, this is the perfect pizza wine. It is not expensive, and there is dark cherry, high acidity, saddle leather, floral anise, and smoked meats.
A small tasting pour. This is old world Rioja with mushrooms, stewed tomato and smoked meat. I love the elegance and old school character of these wines, but sometimes the sweet dill pickle from the American oak is bothersome
Wow, one of the few tiny tasting pours that I dumped at this event. This pinot managed to be thin and light, while still seeming to be extracted and in-your face. I don't know how they did that, but it's a lousy combination. I hope this bottle is not representative, as I've had some good wines from this producer.
A small tasting pour. This is a typical Evanstad pinot. I'm just not sure if it will ever be great or merely good. There seems to be a little too much big fruit and not enough acidity. I also worry the alcohol may overpower before the fruit flavors evolve.
USA, California, Sonoma County, Fort Ross - Seaview
A small tasting pour. For the price, this is a delicious pinot noir. It is not that ponderous or complex. It is well-balanced with big fruit that hits all the right flavors without being over the top.
A small pour at a tasting. This wine is quite red fruited. There is evident pinot noir that offer cherry, raspberry and some orange peel. This wine is rich and earthy. I would love to try this in 5+ years.
NV Champagne Le Mesnil Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut 90 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
A small tasting pour. This NV is cut from the same cloth as their vintage champagne, it is just dialed down in flavor profile. There is bold toast and yeast that gets whisked away with minerality and lemon oil.
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NV Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Brut 91 Points
France, Champagne
A small tasting pour. This is a solid champagne for the price point. It is on the powerful masculine side.
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NV Laurent-Perrier Champagne La Cuvée Brut 88 Points
France, Champagne
A small tasting pour. This was enjoyable but rather simple. It does not compete favorably with the higher level champagnes of this producer.
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2014 Argyle Vintage Brut 87 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
A small tasting pour. Remind yourself that this wine is quite inexpensive, as it is overall dull. Steely, acidic, with white fruit and unripe strawberry.
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2014 Bevan Cellars Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard 92 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
A small tasting pour. This is how I like California chardonnay. This wine has lush golden and tropical fruit. There is elegant oak. It is not heavy handed at all.
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2017 Bevan Cellars Sauvignon Blanc Dry Stack Vineyard
USA, California, Sonoma County, Bennett Valley
A small tasting pour. I am not scoring this, because my opinion is very much based on personal taste. This cloudy wine is the grassy-est sauv blanc I've ever had. I can not get past the vegetal, extracted quality of this wine. I guess I'm glad I tried it, but a small pour is all I need for this lifetime.
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2015 Talbott Chardonnay Logan Sleepy Hollow Vineyard
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
A small tasting pour. This chardonnay seemed to have significant charred oak that was difficult to overcome at this time.
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2015 Talbott Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Santa Lucia Highlands 88 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands
A small tasting pour. I had some high hopes for this wine, having consumed many amazing Arcadian Sleepy Hollow chardonnays. Well, I'll stick with Arcadian. This version was unimpressive. A simple quaffing chardonnay.
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2015 Pine Ridge Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 88 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
A small tasting pour. Fairly typical California cabernet that has good structure and fruit. Nothing special now, but it might be better down the road.
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2016 Chappellet Mountain Cuvée
USA, California, Napa Valley
A small tasting pour. Chappellet is not a producer I enjoy, and this experience confirms that. The wine seems extracted and spoofy.
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2015 Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon Signature 86 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
A small tasting pour. Chappellet is not a producer I enjoy, and this experience confirms that. The wine seems extracted and spoofy.
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2013 Cakebread Cellars Merlot 91 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Cakebread seems to be neglected. I've had glorious older cabs of theirs, and this merlot was firing on all cylinders as well. Rich and round, with tannin and acid to back it up.
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2015 Frog's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Grown Rutherford 89 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford
A small tasting pour. Yet another decent California cabernet that seems curiously expensive for what it is. This would go well with a steak, but it is not ponderous or distinctive.
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2015 O'Shaughnessy Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 93 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
A small tasting pour. This cabernet really stood out. There is surprising complexity for being so young. Sweet red fruit, new world, balancing earth and tannin.
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2014 E. Guigal Gigondas 90 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas
A small tasting pour. This wine just hit 90 for me. It is certainly young, and a Southern Rhone. There is a little too much anise along with alcohol, garrigue and funk. I'd like to try this in 5 years.
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2013 Bodegas Muga Rioja Reserva 91 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
A small tasting pour. I feel this wine overdelivers for the price, and this bottle was drinking well for being so young. Earth, leather, spice, herbs, with present tannins.
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2015 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico Riserva 91 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG
A small tasting pour. I was surprised that this wine is drinking well so young. To me, this is the perfect pizza wine. It is not expensive, and there is dark cherry, high acidity, saddle leather, floral anise, and smoked meats.
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2015 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 93 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
A small tasting pour. Probably the best wine at the tasting. A classic young Pegau with funk, ripe fruit, garrigue, earth and minerality. Love it.
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2007 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904 91 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
A small tasting pour. This is old world Rioja with mushrooms, stewed tomato and smoked meat. I love the elegance and old school character of these wines, but sometimes the sweet dill pickle from the American oak is bothersome
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2015 Penner-Ash Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton
Wow, one of the few tiny tasting pours that I dumped at this event. This pinot managed to be thin and light, while still seeming to be extracted and in-your face. I don't know how they did that, but it's a lousy combination. I hope this bottle is not representative, as I've had some good wines from this producer.
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2012 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Evenstad Reserve 92 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
A small tasting pour. This is a typical Evanstad pinot. I'm just not sure if it will ever be great or merely good. There seems to be a little too much big fruit and not enough acidity. I also worry the alcohol may overpower before the fruit flavors evolve.
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2014 Sea Slopes Fort Ross Winery Pinot Noir 91 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Fort Ross - Seaview
A small tasting pour. For the price, this is a delicious pinot noir. It is not that ponderous or complex. It is well-balanced with big fruit that hits all the right flavors without being over the top.
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2008 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut Rosé Vintage 92 Points
France, Champagne
A small pour at a tasting. This wine is quite red fruited. There is evident pinot noir that offer cherry, raspberry and some orange peel. This wine is rich and earthy. I would love to try this in 5+ years.
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