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Wine Type Vintage Name Variety Locale Date Posted Score Helpful Comments Comment Date Community Score More...
Red

1992 Calera Pinot Noir Reed Vineyard

 Mount Harlan more
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7/28/2022 - Hojun-na-Wine Likes this wine: NR

Wow wow wow!

Got this from K&L which bought out Josh Jensen’s estate collection of his wines.

This bottle is in immaculate condition with an intact cork.

Medium tawny with a brick rim.

Blood, iron, oolong tea, mushroom, black tea, gentle spice, soft minty herb, cinnamon, dusty underbrush. With air, dried raspberry notes emerge.

Cranberry, minty berry, umami, dusty cabinet on the palate.

Medium alcohol, medium- body, medium acidity. Long, savory finish with a nice lift from the bright acidity.

This wine gave me goosebumps with the first sip. It’s an impressive wine at 30 years of age. I didn’t think California Pinot Noirs could age this long but this bottle proved me wrong.

  • Comment posted by Hojun-na-Wine:

    8/2/2022 12:31:00 PM - I’m amazed to hear the 81 held up! Really impressed with how much they can be aged. It’s also a testament to the cellar quality of the estate! I picked up several more vintages to try. Such a treat!
White - Sparkling

NV André Clouet Champagne Un jour de 1911...

 Pinot Noir more
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2/14/2022 - Collector1855 wrote: 92 points

Where do I start... not a bad wine especially for the price but I have a lot of feedback for this producer. This is a recent release, must be a base around 2014 as the wines see 72 months of Oak. Here is my main point of critic: There are no facts on this label whatsoever. If you don't google the wine, you don't know that this is made with a Soleara reserve, you don't know that it is a BdN from 100% Pinot Noir, you don't know that lees aging is 6 years - and no matter what you do - you will never know the base year or the disgorgement of the bottle you just bought. If Andre Clouet wants to join the ranks of the serious growers, there needs to be a back label with this info, period. There are also often complaints about the flimsy aluminum wrap that has to bee peeled away in a 100 pieces. That did not bother me personally that much since I usually lift the entire cover together with the muslet and cork, still why this strange wrap... Anyway, there's your homework, team Clouet.
Tasting note: Medium yellow. Pronounced aromas of bruised apples, orchard fruit, pine apples, lemon. Medium+ complexity, good vinous richness. Very bubbly mousse, a bit too foamy at the moment but that may settle with age. I will hand write the base vintage on the label keep this in my cellar for another 5 years as the material here is solid and it will likely add a point or two with more age. 92+

  • Comment posted by Hojun-na-Wine:

    7/14/2022 2:15:00 PM - Booklet shows the cuvée number but not the base year, unless they started adding the info just recently.
Red

2019 Spottswoode Cabernet Sauvignon Estate

 St. Helena more
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6/18/2022 - Hojun-na-Wine Likes this wine: NR

Quick notes drinking at the Spottswoode garden party. Medium ruby, star bright.

On the nose bright cassis, cedar, Napa dust, fresh tobacco. Cherry flavored tobacco.

There’s beautiful minerality on the palate, which can be challenging to find in Napa Valley. Has restraint.

Medium alcohol, full body, medium acidity. Fine grained but firm tannins lends good structure.

This drinks beautifully now but will be fantastic with age. Better than 2018?

  • Comment posted by Hojun-na-Wine:

    6/26/2022 6:01:00 PM - The 18 is a bit shut down at the moment so I wouldn’t touch one for several years. In general, I feel the 19s are more approachable young. If you want to drink one now, go for the 19, or decant the 18 for a few hours in advance.

    So right now, I like the 19s more than 18. But in 10-15 years, I may prefer the 18s over 19.
White

2013 Daniel Dugois Arbois Vin Jaune

 Savagnin more
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10/8/2021 - Hojun-na-Wine wrote: NR

Medium amber color.

Intense nose of vanilla extract, golden raisins, candied walnut, soft baking spices. Rich and opulent popped in my head.

With such a sweet nose your brain prepares for a sweetness, so it’s a bit jarring when it hits your tongue and the wine is bone dry.

On the palate raisin, raw wood, followed by heat from the alcohol hitting the nose.

Medium+ alcohol, medium body, medium to medium+ acidity.

With such an intense nose, a smaller bowl may be a better choice to serve in. I put it in a larger Chardonnay glass at first but the nose was too intense. Better in a smaller glass.

  • Comment posted by Hojun-na-Wine:

    10/10/2021 9:20:00 PM - Deux Chevaux, I used a Coravin so I’ll open up the rest of the bottle in a few weeks to follow how it evolves with air!
White - Sparkling

NV Billecart-Salmon Champagne Brut Nature

 Champagne Blend more
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5/21/2021 - Hojun-na-Wine Likes this wine: NR

Pale straw color with big bubbles upon initial pour but settles down nicely with tight beads.

Medium intense nose of pears&cream and brioche.

On the palate apples, pears, and a mineral drive. The finish long and is laser focused.

Medium body, medium- alcohol, medium+ acidity. Bone dry.

This is Billecart Salmon’s first foray into zero dosage champagne and I think this is a nice bottle that is riding on the edge of austere but somehow manages to be on the right side.

I still prefer champagnes with a bit of dosage to help with rounded mouthfeel, but it’ll be interesting to follow this brut nature, especially as they use base wine from hotter vintages.

Edit: after two hours the wine opened up more, gaining mouthfeel and body. It drinks really well now.

  • Comment posted by Hojun-na-Wine:

    10/5/2021 8:43:00 AM - Makes sense. I could see this wine evolving into something very lovely with bottle age. I should squirrel some away!
Red

1982 Château Léoville Las Cases

 St. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend more
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9/18/2021 - Hojun-na-Wine Likes this wine: NR

Stood the bottle up for two days before decanting. The cork shows some signs of minor seepage but otherwise intact.

Deep garnet with bricking at the rim.

Medium intense nose of tobacco, wet forest floor, soil, menthol, dried pine, oiled leather.

On the palate delicate notes of smoked cherry, tobacco, more old leather. After three hours notes of cassis starts to emerge.

Medium alcohol, medium body, medium acidity, upon initial pour, I felt the tannins but after two hours the tannins melted away and the wine developed a beautiful silky texture. The finish lasts minutes.

The wine is fully developed and drinking absolutely beautifully right now. What a treat! WOTY for me.

Edit: Followed the wine through several hours and I feel it peaked three hours after opening. By hour six, the wine had lost its interesting notes.

  • Comment posted by Hojun-na-Wine:

    9/19/2021 9:49:00 PM - I’d recommend a decant. I checked on their site and they recommend a two hour decant, so with slow ox it may take a bit more time for it to reach its potential. But either way you’re in for a treat!
White

2018 El Enemigo Chardonnay

 Mendoza more
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9/2/2021 - Hojun-na-Wine wrote: NR

Medium straw, watery at the rim.

Light+ intense nose of ripe lemon, wet stone, kernel.

Slight bitterness on the palate, reminding me of grapefruit. Toasty oak notes come through with some air.

Round mouthfeel but a bit flabby on the finish. Medium alcohol, light+ body, light+ acidity. The lower acidity makes the alcohol come through in the short-ish finish.

It’s not bad but I would like more balance and complexity.

Day 2: kernel notes have softened and now getting underripe melon skin and apricot on top of the lemon. Alcohol seems better integrated than yesterday but still coming through more than I’d like. Seems like this will improve with some bottle age.

  • Comment posted by Hojun-na-Wine:

    9/3/2021 11:28:00 PM - srh, thank you for your notes as well! I was interested in trying this wine since it was aged under flor like you mentioned! I appreciate the additional information about RS and acidity!
White

2017 Château Carbonnieux Blanc

 Pessac-Léognan Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend more
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8/27/2021 - Hojun-na-Wine Does not like this wine: flawed

On the nose intense herbaceous notes and hay, followed by funky barnyard/bandaid. It’s overwhelming.

Day 2: some of the bandaid notes have reduced, but the extreme pyrazine notes are still overwhelming.

  • Comment posted by Hojun-na-Wine:

    8/29/2021 5:23:00 PM - Yes, I initially thought it was sulfuric compounds which may blow off with exposure to air, but it was just as bad on day two so it must be a bad bottle. I need to try another bottle so I know what it’s supposed to taste like.
White - Sparkling

2004 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut

 Chardonnay more
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3/13/2021 - sdr Likes this wine: 91 points

Super tight cork, extremely explosive foam of medium size bubbles which surprisingly didn’t last especially long. There’s not a trace of yeast, toast or caramel in this young Blanc de Blancs. Very distinctive nose of Granny Smith apple and mountain stream. The palate is clean and pure - but there’s just not enough of it. Too light, too slight, too easy to drink. Perhaps in a few more years it will fill out. But with what I cannot guess. I want more from my luxury cuvées at every stage of development.

  • Comment posted by Hojun-na-Wine:

    8/2/2021 8:19:00 PM - I totally agree with your comments! It may just be way too young at this point.
White

2017 Mullineux Chenin Blanc Granite

 Swartland more
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6/1/2021 - Hojun-na-Wine wrote: NR

Pale hay color.

Restrained nose of lemon peel, oak.

On the palate more lemon peel, lime, and monerality.

Medium body, medium alcohol, medium to medium+ acidity. Round mouthfeel, through not quite to creamy territory.

This feels closed at the moment. I won’t revisit this vintage for a few years.

  • Comment posted by Hojun-na-Wine:

    6/2/2021 9:43:00 AM - I think it is going through a muted (dumb) phase right now. It’ll probably improve in a few years as tertiary compounds emerge.
Red

2015 Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium

 Oakville more
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2/27/2021 - Hojun-na-Wine Likes this wine: 95 points

Opened a split as I was curious to see how this wine was developing.

Dark garnet, opaque going to an inky red at the edges. Complex nose of currant, cassis, dust, cocoa powder, licorice, and a hint of pine needles and cola.

On the palate is earthy dust, cassis, cocoa powder, and violets. The dark fruits come out later, but it is more in the background.

Firm, drying tannins, medium acidity, full body but the alcohol is well integrated, arguably better than the 2014 at this point. This wine has great structure, good bones.

But it is a wee little baby right now. Give it several more years and it will develop into a glorious wine.

Day 2:

The nose completely flipped, with sweet cassis and cocoa liquor hitting first, framed by soft wood and dust in the background. On the palate is dark plum, fresh black currant, baking spice. The long finish has some crunchy red apple skin in there.

The tannins have mellowed out and integrated with the rest of the wine, making for a smooth mouth feel with just enough tannin to keep the fruit notes in check.

I wish I had more left so I can see how it is on day 3, but it’s hard to put down!

The only reason I’m giving this a slightly lower score than the 2014 is because I think the 2014 will age better overall. The balance of fruit to the other notes are better in the 2014 than the 2015 on day two. The 2015 feels much riper and the acidity is a tad lower.

  • Comment posted by Hojun-na-Wine:

    2/28/2021 10:58:00 PM - Thank you! I just added the day 2 notes!
White - Sparkling

NV Egly-Ouriet Champagne Grand Cru Brut

 Champagne Blend more
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2/5/2021 - Hojun-na-Wine Likes this wine: 93 points

Disgorged July 2020.

Medium gold with hints of salmon at the edge hinting of the 70% Pinot noir. Mellow, tiny beads.

Nose of yeasty bread, some citrus, but fruit notes are subdued at the moment.

Medium body, medium acid. Palate of ripe apple and rainier cherry. Smooth, chalky finish with a hint of ginger.

I can see why champagne fans love Egly. I’m sure this will get better with age and the flavors integrate.

  • Comment posted by Hojun-na-Wine:

    2/27/2021 11:26:00 AM - Funny coming from someone who gave a 100 score on poorly made champagne by a producer pumping out millions of bottles a year with lax quality control but scores are subjective I suppose.

    The fact is Veuve buys bottles sur latte and therefore has many producers making their champagnes, so the quality will vary quite a bit depending on who’s making it.

    But enjoy what you enjoy, friend.
White - Sparkling

NV Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut

 Champagne Blend more
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2/12/2021 - Hojun-na-Wine Does not like this wine: 65 points

Pale gold color, mellow beads. Nose of Asian pear and marzipan. On the palate notes of green apple. Acidity is quite pronounced and dominates.

For being 9-11g/l dosage, it still does not seem to balance out the acid.

It lacks finesse and depth compared to other champagne at a similar price point.

You can get cremants with similar flavor profiles for nearly third the price. It really feels like you’re paying for the marketing over what’s in the bottle.

Not a fan.

  • Comment posted by Hojun-na-Wine:

    2/20/2021 9:51:00 PM - They spend a lot of effort on online marketing as well as doing packaging collaborations with designers and artists.

    Meanwhile, because they buy bottles sur latte from producers, there’s a pretty decent amount of bottle variation. I like their La Grande Dame but their base brut is just not my style.
Red

2013 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Estate Sonoma Coast

 more
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5/2/2020 - Hojun-na-Wine Likes this wine: NR

I was lucky to get three bottles of this and I got to see how it evolved over the years. The first bottle was the most interesting out of the three, offering beautiful notes of hojicha (roasted green tea) alongside dense black cherry, black currant and raspberry.

It’s an opulent Pinot Noir, one of the most powerful ones from this vintage. A bit too heavy for my liking, actually, but the fascinating bouquet made up for it.

The second and third bottles I opened a couple of years later lost the magical hojichca nose so I did not enjoy them nearly as much as the first bottle. When released, KB said they were ready to drink. They were absolutely right and this is one of those bottles which did not improve with more time, at least for me.

  • Comment posted by Hojun-na-Wine:

    2/5/2021 2:45:00 PM - I’m glad to hear your bottle had the hojicha notes! Maybe the two bottles I had were shut down when I opened them.

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