2/3/2019 - onewineheaven Likes this wine:

As President Lindberg said, :I have a doubt." Will the fruit outlive the wood? It feels very modern. It is an enjoyable wine but my first impression was of oak, not chenin blanc. Maybe it is disjoint right now and time will pull it together? To give some context, I had a glass of Arbois savagnin to start and my first reaction to the Fides was "wow, that's oaky." But very enjoyable.

3/14/2017 - onewineheaven Likes this wine:

Agree with other notes. Presents similar to a nebbiolo; finishes like a cab franc but with greater purity and freshness than most cab francs. After a few hours takes on darker, meatier tones, almost sinister. Oddly, when first opened worked well with an open-faced sandwich of smoked salmon and crispy capers.

2/1/2017 - onewineheaven Likes this wine:

Very good but wait 5-10 years for well stored bottles.

12/19/2016 - onewineheaven Likes this wine:

Carmen Miranda has nothing on this wine. Polynesian aromas of orchids with an undercurrent of caramel and marmalade followed on the palate by overripe coconut, kumquat zest, manuka honey (botyrtis?) and Tang. John Glenn would approve. RIP

12/13/2015 - onewineheaven wrote:

It's pretty tight still and needs 2-3 hours to shed some of its youthful puckeriness (that's a technical wine term right?) that may come from stems. Give it another 3-5 years at least.

11/26/2015 - onewineheaven wrote:

This is a Dunn Howell Mountain? This was my first Dunn in 10+ years and I was amazed that it was actually approachable at such a young age. (Sorry for the micro-aggression, old habits die hard. Is writing tasting notes man-splaining? Well, sorry for that too.) For once the fruit balances the tannins so that you can take a sip without reaching for an aquafer--which can be a bit problematic in California these days. Maybe El Nino will help you out. Anyway, lovely red fruit, tart cherry but from Turkey not Michigan, backed by slightly under ripe blackberries with a twist of anise, plus a few molecules of black cardamom. All the Dunns have miles to go but this one seems to have taken the road less traveled and may give pleasure both now and for many years to come.

5/14/2015 - onewineheaven Likes this wine:

Opened. Tasted. Left on counter opened and untouched for...hmmm...was it 2 days or 3? Lord, can't remember at this point so much has passed since then. At least the place was air-conditioned but the darn thing seems to have broken today. Better drink up. Ah, the aromas refresh memories of bygone days or yore in the locker room after a rousing twirl of square dancing in the gym. One almost envies the youth of today, this door or that door? Or, maybe that door. What's behind door number three? But I digress. Locker rooms. On a Friday. Sweaty feet. Socks unwashed for a week. That sickly sweet-sour stench repulsive yet oddly appealing as only unwashed humanity can be. A conundrum of a wine, modern in style yet evoking a distant past you thought you had forgotten, clinging like so much flotsam and jetsam to the ebbing tide of memory, waiting for the right trigger, the sight, the sound, the smell to tickle the right synapses and so become full flush with flowing tide of ocean and shout "Hey, here I am. Remember me? I'm you. I'm your Humanity." It's not a perfect wine by far but it smells and tastes of life and of people, slightly flawed and very likable.

4/29/2015 - onewineheaven wrote:

A little thin compared with vintages from the '70s drunk at the same age but still very nice with typical spice.

3/17/2015 - onewineheaven wrote:

Delicious. Drink. Straight-up, pure pinot that's a joy to drink now. It will probably age being well balanced with plenty of fruit--though not a cherry-cola fruit bomb--and acid but will it give more pleasure in two or three years? Maybe, but aren't we all a little worn out by deferred gratification? Grab some friends, go on a picnic, pop a couple now!

3/15/2015 - onewineheaven wrote:

Not as cool, linear, and metallic as the 2010. Less jarringly refreshing. A nice quaff now but still a bit of a shambles. Diffuse aromas of white pepper and blackberry jam on buttered toast with a littering of matchstick fumes in the air. A bite of pepper on the palette infused with sweet oak, gunpowder, licorice and, hidden somewhere in its pleistocene depths, dark wicked fruit. Very hopeful.

3/14/2015 - onewineheaven wrote:

Horseshoe? Hmm. Speaking of barnyards...Sulphur. Yeah, lemon curd, bitter almonds, finesse of oak, yadayadayada. Bottom line, a well-crafted quaff. Not as intense or scintillating as some other of their chardonnays at the same stage. Muted, not so "come hither" as earlier vintages, a modest drape of sulphuric fog cloaking the coiled intensity within. Only with time, as the cloak drops, will we see what this wine has to offer.

1/1/2015 - onewineheaven wrote:

This wine tastes of marzipan mixed with candied orange, oolong tea, and salted caramel. But it's bone dry and goes great with food, especially salamis, chorizo, or other spicy meats. It's compelling and repulsive at the same time, like watching your parents kiss.

12/2/2014 - onewineheaven Likes this wine:

Very nice. Probably at its peak but should hold for a few years.

10/31/2014 - onewineheaven Likes this wine:

Red rose tea, cranberry and autumn leaves on the nose, arguably under ripe but still very pleasant, reminiscent of that five year old potpourri bouquet in your bathroom and the wet fur of your dog after a wash. Palate consistent with the nose complemented by dusty tannins. Smokey pomegranate flavors linger then fade to diminishing tart cherry until only shadows remain.

8/23/2014 - onewineheaven wrote:

Very nice with a NY strip. Not quite monotonic on the palate. The first presentation to the olfactory organ triggered visions of blackberries and raisined grapes cascading from the glass to the floor--Ah! A New World style! But further probing with the proboscis revealed an undertone of spice and floral elements, perhaps violets or, weirdly, the aroma of an orchid wafting through the oppressive humidity of your cabana in the evening; an aroma that promises and denies all in a single susperation.

7/10/2014 - onewineheaven Likes this wine:

Very pleasant quaff developing some secondary characteristics. Aromas of red fruit preserves, hint of black cherries, leather, and earth tones nicely framed by a light touch of oak. Taste follows through and lingers on the palate 43.061 seconds.

7/7/2014 - onewineheaven wrote:

Very nice varietal nose and flavors. Fairly well balanced with just a touch of heat on the finish; best if chilled to cool room temperature. Aromas of black cherry and a bit of sassafras but not offensively so, just typical of slightly overripe grapes, probably accounts for the heat too.

7/3/2014 - onewineheaven wrote:

Don't let my sacrifice go to waste. This is a dreadful beverage that has more in common with Coca Cola than wine. It might be tasty reduced with blackberries and served over ice cream.

2 days later no change, like Dorian Gray. Beneath the skins lurks a foul portrait of a wine.

6/22/2014 - onewineheaven wrote:

Absolutely the finest sulphur I've ever had the pleasure to taste. Some residual floral aromas lurked behind the matchsticks and a hint of fire-roasted lychee nuts occasionally surprised the palate.

4/18/2014 - onewineheaven wrote:

Horribly flawed wine. No, there was no TCA or brett or...name it. Just plain bad wine. The first taste led to uncontrollable gagging. OK, that was over the top, but it does have disgusting, exaggerated aromas and flavors of caramelized oak. What did they do? Soak the wine in charred oak chips? 1 part wine 5 parts blackened oak? Or can wine makers buy that flavor in a bottle now?

1/15/2014 - onewineheaven wrote:

Started out great while it was still cellar temp but faded as it warmed. At the end it was a chore to drink. It greets you with a hyper fruitiness that morphs into a smokey, meaty, bacon-like nose and taste more related to the treatment of the oak rather than the grape itself. It's a tiresome style that sometimes yields a palatable, but not necessarily varietal, quaff after 10 or 15 years in the cellar; rather than the oak framing the wine the fruit frames the oak. It's not natural. By the end of the bottle it was a ponderous, joyless, one-dimensional wine. To give it life and lift it needs more acid, less alcohol, and, please, fewer btus.

To finish the wine we blended it with a Chianti Classico from Ruffino, making our own super-Walla-Tuscan. The sum was greater than the parts.

12/16/2013 - onewineheaven wrote:

Wow! Cristom has discovered alchemy; they turned viognier into sauvignon blanc. They should try their hand with lead. If you ignore that viognier supposedly went into the barrels and pretend--willing suspension of disbelief here--sauvignon blanc came out, then it's not half-bad though a bit stringy and tangy. Yes, that's it! Tang! It tastes vaguely like Tang. Ah, yes, it tastes like childhood. It begins to grow on me but for all the wrong reasons--upped the score three points while writing.

11/21/2013 - onewineheaven Likes this wine:

Nicely balanced wine, Chablis-like in its precision, with just the right amount of age though it has plenty of life left. A day after opening and left standing uncorked on the counter, the remaining 1/2 bottle was still drinking well, perhaps even better than the first night.

10/22/2013 - onewineheaven wrote:

Interesting aromatics and flavor profile, maybe not even quite varietal--but very nice all the same. It's got a saline, mineral quality buttressed by montmorency cherry fruit with a dried orange peel twist. Once it resolves it's many loose ends it will, no doubt, show a much more varietal profile.

10/9/2013 - onewineheaven wrote:

VA

10/2/2013 - onewineheaven wrote:

No surprise but the right food makes a huge difference. With a ripe camembert this wine sang. All base 10 of course but it promises much more.

8/25/2013 - onewineheaven wrote:

Meh. Tons of new oak. A wine with no finesse. Maybe time will help but right now it's a hot mess.

8/14/2013 - onewineheaven wrote:

At a dinner with 8 people we opened 16 bottles. At the end of the meal some bottles were 1/2 full and some were empty. This one was empty. It is definitely a flamboyant champagne that is not for everyone's taste but people at this dinner voted with their palate and drank it. What better endorsement can you have?

7/15/2013 - onewineheaven Does not like this wine:

We enjoyed it at first but after breathing a few hours the wine began to smell of bananas and bubblegum. We could not finish the bottle. The score is an average of first and last impressions, but, for my taste, a wine with as much amyl acetate as this bottle seemed to have is flawed.

6/29/2013 - onewineheaven wrote:

It is too hot to be pleasant and refreshing. Aside from the oak, the nose offers the quality of singed, candied orange peel blended with roasted cashews and crisped marshmallows. The palate follows through with a similar lack of overripe deftness.

6/29/2013 - onewineheaven wrote:

Nice, floral nose with a short, somewhat under-ripe finish.

6/29/2013 - onewineheaven wrote:

This wine was a struggle. First, it seems a bit reduced so it may show better in a couple of years--after five hours it really is not offering much. Second, it seems a bit hot. Third, and perhaps a corollary to the heat, there seems to be some VA underneath all the obvious stuffing of black fruits and loam. The mass of the wine just seems to be covering a subtle, underlying acetic quality. The aromas of the wine evoke memories of polishing patent leather dress shoes, for better or worse.

6/22/2013 - onewineheaven Likes this wine:

Let it breathe for a couple of hours before serving. At first it was weedy, woody, acidic, and harsh. It took a couple of hours for the tart dried cherries, rose petal, loam, mushrooms, and black currant to emerge. Seriously, don't even bother to taste for a couple of hours after opening, it's a waste of wine and palate.

6/16/2013 - onewineheaven wrote:

All that dead, rotted stuff at the bottom of the bottom of the bottle on the last pour...like WOW!!! Was it vegetal? Was it animal? Do I care?

6/2/2013 - onewineheaven wrote:

Chewy.

2/5/2013 - onewineheaven Likes this wine:

Tasted in a flight with 2003, 2004, and 2005. Nice wine, short finish. Has no where to go. To quote Obama, "likeable enough."

2/5/2013 - onewineheaven Likes this wine:

Tasted in a flight with 2000, 2004, and 2005. Peace restored to the household; domestic tranquility prevails. As it may be, on the edge of profound. Blueberry compote, concord grape, touch of citrus with nutmeg, and cinnamon. Rich and lingering on the palate with a brightness and Meursault-like depth of fruit coupled with warm buttery undertones. It could possibly fall apart with all that fruity stuffness reverberating inside of it but I still think, trust in Clape.

2/4/2013 - onewineheaven Likes this wine:

Tasted in a flight with 2000, 2003 and 2005. Taut like cat gut strung to the snapping point; resonant with potential. Whyffe worries about the fruit. I think trust in Clape. Hmm...domestic conflict. Calls for the '03.

11/3/2012 - onewineheaven wrote:

Yes JR, you drank it too young but you knew that didn't you? Beautiful wine, reminiscent of the 1978 Pavillon Blanc. It has many miles to go before it sleeps.

11/3/2012 - onewineheaven wrote:

You will have a hard time finding a better wine for the price.

8/11/2012 - onewineheaven wrote:

Designer wine processed to a facsimile of burgundy. A few more scoups of acid and it would have made a fine Silex.

7/10/2012 - onewineheaven wrote:

In an alternate universe it would probably merit a 96.

7/10/2012 - onewineheaven wrote:

The best is yet to come.

6/17/2012 - onewineheaven wrote:

A big showy, Bella Abzug of a wine. Mature but not oxidized--a very pleasant surprise. I have no idea how we got so lucky because it was not especially well stored.

4/26/2012 - onewineheaven wrote:

It's too soon to rate this wine. Right now the stems dominate the fruit and it will take a few years for the wine to come together. It is so stemmy right now that I would say it is not even pleasant to drink. Let's put it this way...rarely do my wife and I not finish a bottle of wine the night it's opened but in this case we stoppered it about 2/3 through and drank the rest two nights later. The wine has a solid core of fruit--it smelled delicious when I decanted it to breath for a couple of hours--so I'm sure it will be great, in a few years. btw, it was better two nights later if you were wondering.

3/27/2012 - onewineheaven wrote:

Brett city. Why do I let myself get suckered into buying Girardin reds? It was not a flawed bottle. This is a fundamentally unpleasant wine.

12/19/2011 - onewineheaven wrote:

Kind of blah. Typical Girardin.

12/16/2011 - onewineheaven wrote:

Next time I want grassy I'll buy a sauvignon blanc.

11/23/2011 - onewineheaven wrote:

Grating tannins supporting bret chasing elusive pomegranite.

11/6/2011 - onewineheaven wrote:

Kind of screamy acid, no? In terms of pleasure today it was not a slam drunk. It was ok but my wife wandered off to bed before we finished the bottle; she left the rest for me. That never happens when it's a great wine. I know wines can go through phases so maybe this wine is in it's "screamy acid" phase but my real concern is that it simply does not have the stuffing for the long haul, that the acid will go on and on and on while the fruit fades and fades and fades.