5/3/2024 - Smooth Jazz Likes this wine:

Quite a surprise to find on a restaurant wine list

Serene color - light terracotta

12.5% ABV

100% Gamay

Gorgeous minerally nose with unripe strawberry and white pepper

Palate is ripe with a savory umami quality that makes you keep reaching for more

Medium acid and with fruit, spice and minerality all in supreme balance

Absolutely loved it - hope I run into this again

10/19/2023 - adnorthup wrote:

special bottling to celebrate the house’s 90th anniversary. Containing portions of all the great vintages (e.g. 76, 82, etc.). The base is 40% 2014 and 20% 2000. Disgorged June 2019 with 4.75 g/l. Composition is 61% Chardonnay, 31% Pinot noir and 8% Meunier. Total production of 5,000 bottles.

Right off the bat it’s really tasty. Nice ripe pear notes, but of richness. Little yuzu-y note and some caramel on the sides of the tongues. That remains the profile, with a bit more acid building as it breathes for a little. Overall positive.

11/30/2022 - adnorthup Does not like this wine:

a strange burnt hair (not pleasant) smell on pop and pour. The palate is absolutely dominated by smoky bacon fat. After 30 minutes recorked and put aside.

9/26/2023 - adnorthup wrote:

20 minutes of air, fruit is so vibrant and alive: strawberry all over, sweet cherry on the finish. In a phenomenal spot.

5/5/2021 - adnorthup wrote:

Opened two bottles, first one showed wonderful orchard fruit initially but finished with a very unpleasant over oxidative style note showing no freshness at all. Another bottle was opened showing no real fruit and the same unpleasant qualities on the finish. Both bottles from the same source, so maybe an issue with the batch...anyone have an alternative experience?

5/17/2023 - adnorthup wrote:

really spicy Meunier notes. Has that nice ripe apple, but the spice is the leading flavor. It takes an hour, but the vibrancy starts to melt into the fruit, giving it a nice balance. It’s still a little tough around the edges at this youthful stage, but showing promise.

4/28/2023 - adnorthup wrote:

From before the Krug ID number was instituted, a clearance sale from the PA State Store, so storage conditions unknown. Cork code A741 may mean disgorged in July/August 2007 per a google search?

Either way, this is a lovely example of an aging Krug MV. Boeing more amber in color, it’s full of caramel, baked apple, toffee, some aging red fruits. Supported by still vigorous acid on the finish. Not a perfect bottle, but really enjoyable once it got going.

8/3/2022 - adnorthup wrote:

classic Prevost orchard fruit profile up front, decent bit of acid, but unfortunately mousy the finish. Unexpected from a Prevost wine, hopefully a one off.

12/20/2022 - Stephen Rash wrote:

Corked. Cody and Emily sent a replacement bottle

10/19/2022 - adnorthup wrote:

a bit disjointed on pop and pour. A bit of an oaky mess, lots of sweetness from the wood. 30 minutes and it hasn’t come around, so recorded to wait for tomorrow

Day 2, much better. Dark fruits, good acid, exactly what I had expected. If you have this don’t open for a bit, probably in a weird phase

9/27/2022 - adnorthup wrote:

2 hour slow ox. Sour cherry, dark cherry, blackberry. Dark dark fruited, But light body. Some oak spice, but lifting.

7/15/2022 - adnorthup wrote:

4 hour decant. From a mixed block of Zinfandel and carignan. Blueberry, blackberry, loads of tannin still, oak influence showing a little bit. The fruit is there, the oak is starting to integrate, but this still feels like a baby at 6 years old.

12/12/2021 - Russell Faulkner wrote:

70% Meunier, 30% Pinot Noir. 11 months in fûts. Jan 21 disgorgement. Zero dosage.

Lemon sherbet, very light style for Meunier, gentle and very fresh. A summer style maybe.

7/5/2022 - GrapeCrusader Likes this wine:

Wow, fantastic. Glad I discovered this new producer whom I've heard very good things about. The wine definitely did not disappoint. Decanted half the bottle for about an hour and consumed with burgers from the grill. Beautiful wine. Really polished and rustic at the same time. A little funk on the nose that eventually blew off. Nose of violets crushed granite and rocks, freshly cracked black pepper, dark berries and earth. Such a pure wine. Even after decanting the wine was still pretty muted and tight, but still expressive. You can just feel the coiled flavors and potential lurking beneath. I can't wait to open another bottle in a couple of years, because this wine definitely needs a little time to strut its stuff.

4/6/2022 - adnorthup wrote:

Blanc de Noirs, from Les Muits in Bouzy. Disgorged December 2020 with no dosage. 603 bottles produced. Spicy pear nose. Rich ripe red apple, some spice on the back of the mouth, really good mouthfeel. Shows the slightest bit of an oxidative note playing nicely with the sweet fruit. The acid on the finish is in line with what you’d expect from a BdN and works really well with the wine. Pretty delicious.

6/27/2022 - adnorthup wrote:

Belize Trip - Drinking Well in the Jungle; 6/25/2022-7/1/2022 (Chan Chich Lodge, Gallon Jug, Belize): Disgorged July 2020. A one off small
Trial of about 120 cases, the rest being put down to be an oenotheque bottling. Slightly tropical notes on the nose over classic orchard fruits, with a small hint of coconut (not sure if this saw ok). It has a very round feel in the mouth, creamy texture, classic lemon curd, a bit more of the coconut-y note as well. As it warms a little, a nice ripe Bartlett pear note comes into the mix, putting this in harmony.

4/30/2022 - adnorthup Likes this wine:

73 cases produced, made up of 54% Mourvèdre from Shake Ridge, 34% Chenin Blanc (yup), and 12% Barbera. Decanted for 4 hours. Ripe Blackberry, sour cherry, really nice acid and depth. Delicious as always from Hardy.

4/1/2022 - adnorthup wrote:

unyielding on pop and pour, even the acid having a hard time pushing through. After a little, some sour apple, a bit of an herbal/grassy note, slightly medicinal. Never really came around for me over 2 hours or so, not sure if just young and dumb or just not my style.

1/5/2022 - adnorthup wrote:

5 hour decant (wanted it to be less, but life got in the way). Loads of dark fruits but with an acidic cranberry streak through it. Good spice from oak integration, reminiscent of aged ridge zins. Still a little hot on the finish but almost there. Another few years and this will be in a perfect spot

11/25/2021 - adnorthup wrote:

Thanksgiving 2021: pale yellow, a little spicy, sour apple, lots of acid still, really spicy. Seems to really speak of Oakville in a sparkling, really interesting.

10/29/2021 - adnorthup wrote:

5 hour decant by the time I got around to it. Sappy purple fruits, still loads of acid, a bit of spice on the finish. Put it back away and forget about this bottle.

10/8/2021 - adnorthup Likes this wine:

4 hour decant. Very dark color. Spice and dark red fruit nose.sweet red fruits, still a chunk of oak presence but seems as integrated as it’s going to get, so won’t be holding my bottles.

At 6 hours I think I read this wine wrong. It’s become more vibrant, with nice supporting acid and the oak is fully integrated. It’s become pretty delicious. Crazy how some wines evolve.

8/12/2021 - adnorthup Likes this wine:

opened for 30 minutes, served at cellar temp. Orange/salmon color. Big grapefruit and blood orange nose. The blood orange note hangs on the tongue too, along with some golden apple and a little slightly baked grapefruit (only a little bitter). Nice citrus finish, but the blood orange lingers on the back. Really pleasant

8/7/2021 - tcufletch wrote:

Not my favorite of the beloved Sandlands but still an enjoyable drinker. Nothing jumped out on the nose or the palate; some dark, sweet cherry and some purple floral tones but nothing that really shouted "this is syrah"; tannins and acid were there and in check with maybe a hint of astringency on the back end; just a taste on day 1 but consumed the majority on day 2.

8/7/2021 - adnorthup wrote:

decanted 3 hours. impeccable provenance. Color shows no sign of age. Nose is so fresh and full of red fruit. The red fruit carries into the first sip, still tannic structure present, starting to have secondary flavors but tastes 20 years younger than it is.

5/28/2021 - adnorthup Likes this wine:

dark golden color. Huge nose of fruit. Tight on first taste, but over the first 30 minutes it quickly picks up speed. Really strong ripe apple and peach. Unsurprisingly as a relatively young Blanc de blancs very high in acid still at this point. Really great and enjoyable now, probably better in 5 or 10 years.

4/10/2021 - adnorthup wrote:

A decent champagne. Just showing a little simple. Would be a crowd pleaser with a reasonable chill on a hot summer day, but not priced accordingly. Have one more I will hold for a little, though don’t know how this will age.

2/16/2021 - viper_city wrote:

Via Bedrock: “From the small, westerly-sloping core block at Evangelho Vineyard, this wine is our third from Frank Evangelho’s favorite block on the ranch. A Mataro/Mourvedre dominant field-blend that also features Zinfandel, Carignan and a trace of Palomino, this block produces a wine we consider the concentrated essence of Evangelho and Contra Costa. Fermented with 20% whole-cluster to amplify spice and perfume, the wine is aged in neutral larger format barrels. Dense but spry, this wine marries the terrestrial, forest floor-laden qualities with the racy elegance of Carignan and the oozing, red-fruited Zinfandel.”

1/12/2021 - Bakerbd Likes this wine:

Dark cherry, vanilla, tobacco, dusty tannin, lots of sediment

1/12/2021 - Geoff Likes this wine:

Very nice classy zin, full bodied but civilized, tannins softening, beautiful plush fruit, long finish.

1/13/2021 - VoteferPedro Likes this wine:

pop 'n pour
deep hue
comes across with a concentrated fruit that is tart and sappy. It has a density and weight that to me suggests it will age but would be best with food.
fascinating backstory of field blend planted in 1888...pre-phylloxera allegedly

12/18/2020 - adnorthup Likes this wine:

Really ripe and sweet orchard fruit, with a little bit of brioche in the finish. Moderately low acid, but enough on the finish to pull it together. Lovely BdN, and probably my favorite UM BdN yet.

11/26/2020 - adnorthup Likes this wine:

Pristine bottle and cork. Limited bricking. Took 10 hours to show out. Oak is in check, fruit is vibrant enough. Very nice but weirdly seems to be ok the downswing already...

1/2/2020 - mattstolz11 Likes this wine:

What a QPR. this is one of the best wines for the price I can think of. classic Syrah character that's not over extracted and a deft balance of fruit and savory character. good now, good in a few years though too.

5/23/2020 - Satoshi Nakamoto wrote:

Not glass staining by any means, but leaning towards deep ruby in color.

Immediately identifiable on the nose as Napa, although it has just enough characteristics to sway someone into Bordeaux. Very expressive and youthful wine. For many, there's already plenty to love at this stage.

9/20/2018 - Dale Rattles Likes this wine:

My first experience with a 100% mourvedre, and if this is representative of the varietal I will need to look for more examples. Deep inky color, faint earthy notes and, yes, burnt caramel, which lifts this up and keeps it from being overly brooding. Neutral oak was a very good choice, and lets the grape speak for itself. High and low end notes aplenty. Great experience, and I'm glad I have a case to work through! Good buy at $30.

6/26/2018 - pgordon62 wrote:

Winemaker note - hitting its stride. Enjoy after pulling the cork but try after 24hrs. Paul

3/19/2018 - Baron Samedi wrote:

Either this is over the hill or the bottle wasn´t properly stored. Smelled and tasted like old burgundy. Some acidity still, but most of the fruit gone.

2/23/2018 - adnorthup Likes this wine:

Very opaque (surprisingly so). Decanted for an hour before tasting. Strawberry and a light bit of oak on the nose. Beautiful fruit (strawberry and blackberry). Still a bit high in acidity giving a not unpleasant sour cherry finish. Very good now, could be great in a few years.