Several Tastings today!

5 different destinations in one day. A ton of spitting was done!!!

I have never been to Zipp's Liquor in Minneapolis and now I know why. The wine space is microscopic. While they carry some solid wines they are overpriced and there are way too many better options for wine shopping such as 1010 Washington, Sunfish Cellars, Wine Street Spirits, Surdyk's, Haskell's and South Lyndale. The star of the tasting was the Le Mesnil and Marc Hebrart. Who ever put the list together needs to check the spelling of the producers.

• NV Bellafina Prosecco 84 Points

  Italy, Veneto / Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Prosecco

  Simple stuff featuring apple, pear and minerals. Short finish. Good for the price of $10.

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• NV Simonnet-Febvre Crémant de Bourgogne Brut 87 Points

  France, Burgundy, Crémant de Bourgogne

  Tart with apple, kiwi, spice and minerals. Not bad.

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• NV Sektkellerei Szigeti Grüner Veltliner Brut 85 Points

  Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee

  Floral driven. Light and smooth overall.

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• NV Francois Montand Crémant du Jura Brut 88 Points

  France, Jura, Crémant du Jura

  Smooth overall with yeast, stone, apple and baking spices. Medium finish and clean.

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• NV Francois Montand Brut Rosé 87 Points

  France

  Tart with cherry, raspberries, spice and earth. Shorter finish.

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• NV Loimer Brut Rosé 89 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich

  One of the better at the tasting. Watermelon, spice, chalk and cherry blossoms. Medium finish and good acidity.

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• NV Chiarli Vecchia Modena 86 Points

  Italy, Emilia-Romagna, Lambrusco di Sorbara DOC

  Lots of red currants and floral notes. Medium finish.

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• 2015 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhauser Riesling Sekt - Brut 87 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Interesting enough. Peach, floral and minerals. Clean short finish. Fun to try.

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• NV Jérôme Arnoux Elégance Crémant du Jura Extra Brut 86 Points

  France, Jura, Arbois

  Very simple stuff but enjoyable. Probably a bit pricy for what you get. Minerals and mild fruits.

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• NV Marc Hébrart Champagne Premier Cru Cuvée de Réserve Brut 90 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

  This was much better than the last 2 times sampling this N.V. Dough, spice, floral, pie crust and minerals. Very good acidity and medium plus finish. This current N.V. is worth the tariff.

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• NV Murgo Brut 85 Points

  Italy, Sicily, Sicilia

  Bread, spice, floral and earthiness. Short to medium finish. Clean overall.

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• 2017 Kir-Yianni Akakies Sparkling 85 Points

  Greece, Macedonia, Amyndaio

  Cherry, watermelon and floral notes. Very drinkable but nothing amazing.

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• NV Boys & Girls The Diver - Brut 80 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Marketed to the masses with the label. Cheap sparkling wine featuring apple and pear. Not much minerality here.

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• NV Boys & Girls The Diver - Brut Rosé 81 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Korbel would be preferred. Simple with floral and light spice. Not much going on here.

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• NV Serafino Maglieri La Brusco 78 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale

  Sweet with plum, prunes and floral notes. Not my style.

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• NV A. R. Lenoble Champagne Brut Rosé Terroirs 88 Points

  France, Champagne

  Pretty basic for what you are paying here. Light strawberry, rose petals, mild spice and yeast. Short to medium finish. For $50 should expect more.

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• NV Ridgeview Bloomsbury 88 Points

  United Kingdom, England, Sussex, West Sussex

  Decant but pricy. Yeast, lemon, stone and floral notes. A delicate sparkler with some nice acidity. Would buy if half the price.

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• NV Jean Bourdy Crémant du Jura 85 Points

  France, Jura, Crémant du Jura

  Simple stuff with apple, spice and minerals. Certainly not worth $20 when you can get the Mumm Brut Prestige for less and it is much better.

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• NV Champagne Le Mesnil Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut 91 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  Very good with dough, spice, floral, orange peel and lemon zest. Medium plus finish and good concentration.

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As always a Saturday usually has some good wines out to sample and this was not different. The 2015 Sierra Cantabria was drinking well. Picked up the NV Piper Heidsieck as Phil has the best prices in town at $29.95 on it.

• 2017 Gehricke Chardonnay 87 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Nothing to exciting here. Tropical fruit, spice, apple and floral notes. Short to medium finish. Lacks any serious complexity.

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• 2016 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône 87 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

  Decant wine for around $15. Raspberries, smoke, earth and spice. Short to medium finish. I would go with the 2017 St. Cosme for a little less per bottle.

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• 2017 Austin Hope Cabernet Sauvignon 86 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles

  This must be a Zin. Blackberries, higher alcohol and a fruit bomb. Picks up spices and floral notes on the finish. Big wine is an understatement. The Caymus of Paso Robles.

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• 2016 Penner-Ash Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 90 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  Second time sampling this in the past few months. Very nice with floral, strawberries, spice and earth. Medium finish and good concentration. A solid Willamette Valley offering.

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• 2015 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Rioja Reserva Unica 91 Points

  Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

  This was very nice with wood, leather, spice, raspberries and floral notes. Complex wine and medium plus finish. Solid

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Now that Steve is back at the helm the tasting was much better than last years which featured really nothing of note. Really enjoyed the Roederer Rose and Lete-Vautrain. The Veuve Clicquot remains one of the most overpriced N.V. Champagnes.

• 2016 J Vineyards & Winery Pinot Noir 88 Points

  USA, California

  Not bad with smoke, floral, strawberry and pepper. Short to medium finish. Good everyday wine.

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• NV Mumm Napa Cuvée M 82 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  This stuff is awful in comparison to the Brut Prestige and Rose. Sweet with floral, candied fruit and some minerality. Shorter finish.

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• NV Mumm Napa Blanc de Noirs 88 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Nice overall with strawberry, floral, spices and dough. Medium finish and decant acidity.

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• NV Mumm Napa Brut Prestige 89 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  I think I have reviewed this wine more than anyone on Cellar Tracker. Another good showing featuring apple, spice, pie crust, lemon and minerals. Solid finish and good acidity.

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• 2017 Napa Cellars Pinot Noir 87 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  A nice surprise. Very good value for under $20. Strawberry, floral, cherry and mild earth. A simple but well made offering. For the non Pinot drinker but this is not sweet.

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• NV Roederer Estate Brut Rosé Anderson Valley 90 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

  Second time tasting this in a day. Strawberry, floral, cherry and minerals. This is a really well made Rose and good value at $22.99. Highly recommend this for parties.

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• NV Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Brut 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  Love the Piper. Chalk, spice, lemon, pear, apple and dough. Medium plus finish and complex. Almost always a winner on every N.V. campaign.

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• 2015 Schramsberg Vineyards Blanc de Blancs 92 Points

  USA, California, North Coast

  Another stellar showing of my favorite US Sparkling Wine Producers. Lemon, tropical fruit, chalk, minerals and apple. Good acidity and medium plus finish. This is drinking well now or could age for 5 years.

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• NV Korbel Brut California Sparkling Wine 83 Points

  USA, California

  Light with minerals, sour apple and chalk. Not bad and certainly decant enough for under $10.00.

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• 2017 J Vineyards & Winery Pinot Gris California 83 Points

  USA, California

  Another mediocre Pinot Gris from California. Lemon, floral and grass. Short finish.

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• NV J Vineyards & Winery California Cuvée 86 Points

  USA, California

  Not terrible with apple, pear, spice and floral notes. Short to medium finish. Not complex but drinkable.

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• NV Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut 89 Points

  France, Champagne

  Solid on this N.V. effort with floral, dough, minerals, apple and lemon. Good acidity and medium finish. Drink now.

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• NV Monthuys Père et Fils Champagne Brut Réserve 88 Points

  France, Champagne

  Nice overall with floral, chalk, minerals and lemon. Good acidity and flavor. Medium plus finish.

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• NV Monthuys Père et Fils Champagne 89 Points

  France, Champagne

  Nice overall with floral, chalk, minerals and lemon. Good acidity and flavor. Medium plus finish.

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• NV Champagne Lété-Vautrain Champagne Traditionnel Brut 90 Points

  France, Champagne

  This was solid with minerals, apple, spice and dough. On sale for $34.99 at Haskell's. Solid overall.

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• 2015 Cambria Chardonnay Katherine's Vineyard 90 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley

  Very good wine. Lemon, spice, floral and grapefruit. Very mild oak and medium, clean finish. This is a nice wine overall.

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Jason hosted an enjoyable get together of club members. Very graciously opened a variety of wines to sample. Hope I did not miss some extra good bonus bottles.

• 2014 Château Coutet Barsac 87 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

  Thin and featuring floral, apricots, peach and spice. Lacks much complexity. Tastes like a $20 Sauternes. This did not perform anywhere near the previous performance earlier this year.

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• 2014 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Côte Sud Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  This was the wine of the day in a marathon of spitting and tasting. Excellent. Sour cherry, cranberry, blueberries, floral and mild spices. Balanced and good acidity. Really nice showing of this wine and has aging potential. Drink now to 2025.

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• 2006 Archery Summit Pinot Noir Arcus Estate 88 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

  Underwhelming. Vanilla, spice, floral and underbrush. This wine lacks personality and complexity. Should have been consumed several years ago. Normally not a fan of the Cellar Tracker drinking window but this one is spot on.

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• 2016 Fabre Montmayou Malbec Reserva 88 Points

  Argentina, Mendoza

  Not bad. Spice, plum, blackberries and floral notes. Medium finish and quite pleasing. Drink now to 2024.

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• 2014 Substance Super Substance Bx Klein Vineyard 87 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  As a big fan of K Vintners Syrah efforts I have been less impress with the Super Substance lineup. I have yet to enjoy one of the them. This is another disappointment. Cherry, plum and spice. Non complex and quite boring. Not sure where this is heading.

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• 2010 Watermill Winery Syrah 84 Points

  USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley

  I usually love Walla Walla Syrah but not this time. Pepper, red currants and earth. Not very interesting and lacks acidity. Drink a few years ago.

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• 2010 Paradise View Tribute to the Hermit 85 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Fading. Earth, green peppers and muted fruit. Drinkable but nothing spectacular.

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• 2017 La Crema Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 88 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Not bad. Served from a double magnum. Featuring apple, spice, mild oak and minerals. Decant acidity.

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• 2018 Loosen Bros. Riesling Dr. L 87 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Solid overall with apricot, unripe peaches and floral notes. Short to medium finish and decant acidity.

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• NV Roederer Estate Brut Rosé Anderson Valley 90 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

  A solid wine and the 2nd time tasting this today. Strawberries, floral, spice and minerals. Very balanced effort and a solid for the price point.

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Typical party wines. The star was the Summit EPA.

• 2018 Greyrock Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 86 Points

  New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough

  Lots of grassy notes along with tropical fruit and floral. Sharp acidity.

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• 2016 Finca Flichman Malbec Tupungato 85 Points

  Argentina, Mendoza

  Basic Malbec with sweet fruits featuring cherry and blackberries along with some spice and floral notes. Medium finish.

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Would not want to do this everyday but spitting allows one to drive home safely! Thank you spit buckets.