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Wine Type
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Vintage
Name
Variety
Locale
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Date
Posted
Score
Helpful
Comments
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White - Sparkling
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2019 Emilien Allouchery Champagne Le Scéne
Chardonnay more
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92-93
New producer I’ve started hearing about, and really enjoyed it. Looking forward to opening the BdN later.
2019 vintage. 80% fermentation in oak barrels, 20% in amphora. Disgorged May ‘23. 1 g/l dosage. 100% Chardonnay.
Bright, crisp and texturally really pretty. Classically grower champagne in style with the fruit center stage…borders on tropical (in a good way)…white peach, lemon zest, sea spray aromatics. IMO, a great example of where even 1gram dosage can help balance and lengthen out a champagne of this profile. Curious if the use of amphora adds to the mid-palate texture here? After an hour, little bit of sweet toast started to poke out, but it was second fiddle to the fruit. Balanced use of oak frames this well. Finish of chalk/limestone, sea salt, lemon confit, honeyed apple crisps. Worth seeking out.
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Red
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2021 Roy Piper Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard
Sta. Rita Hills
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94-95 easy
After snagging one of these, I’ve been looking for a reason to open, so when a buddy asks, we opened a 2016 Piper cab next to it and enjoyed some beautiful wines from Roy.
I didn’t have the opportunity to decant ahead of time, but air is this wine’s friend right now. Poured half in to a decanter and consumed over two hours. The other half was left in bottle and consumed later in the evening.
Gorgeous translucent ruby in the glass. No dominant notes of oak or over-extraction. Bright floral notes alongside some citrus, herbs, spiced cranberries. Elegant yet commanding on the palate…the fruit has some pomegranate upfront before it turns darker in profile with black cherries providing a sweet crunch at the finish. Nervy acidity and excellent structure. Style wise, this leans toward a Cobb style but no whole cluster…loads of flavor and structure wrapped in a delicate and pretty profile.
The remaining wine from bottle later in the evening showed the citrus/pomegranate notes pick up with some black pepper and an earth/forest note reminiscent of certain OR Pinots. Definitely made in the Burgundian style Roy was going for…mission accomplished. Loads of upside.
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White
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2019 Hudson Vineyards Chardonnay Seashell
Carneros
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95-96
I tried this for the first time back in February when visiting the Hudson property during PNV and really liked it. Shocker, I loved it this time. Absolutely fantastic expression of Hudson fruit. Followed over two days, no change.
I love when fruit expresses where it’s from, and I feel Hudson fruit does that in spades. Such a distinctive ripe, opulent yellow fruit profile naturally. Juicy fruit jumps from the glass (pear, peaches) with honeysuckle, lemon scone and sweet nutmeg. What separates this from the regular Hudson is the vein of acidity down the middle that has this really fresh. Waves of lemon cream, honey, tropical fruit and pink sea salt. Killer texture. Very Aubert Hudson-like. Delicious in every way.
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Red
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1988 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red Caldwell Vineyard
Napa Valley
Red Bordeaux Blend more
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Always fun to celebrate a birthday with a birth year bottle! I opened a bottle of this a few months back and couldn’t believe how good it was.
Coming from the famed Caldwell vineyard, this has such a bright eucalyptus note! Deep red/black in the glass with no bricking! Dusty fig, sweet espresso, dirty red and black berry fruit. Even after following from bottle over 3-4hrs, this has a natural cool/minty vibe alongside dark cocoa and sweet black cassis. So much youth and tannin! I should have spaced my two bottles out…these are still cruising!
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Red
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2011 No Girls Syrah
Walla Walla Valley
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My choice for a Rhône style theme with my local group.
Definitely the oldest No Girls I’ve opened. As expected, these have a Burgundian flair to them in the way they are made when compared to Cayuse/HP/HC. Not as much depth/richness, but there is great acidity and the use of stems is clear. Faint ruby in the glass. Stemmy/green aromatics with herbs de Provence, black olive, Cayuse funk/iron on the nose. Saline, red and black berry driven on the palate with black pepper spice, truffle, beef jerky and big phenolics. Tart and acidic, I followed this over two days, and to my surprise, held up very well. Pop now.
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White
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2016 Alexander Vineyards Graves Blanc
Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend more
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I always enjoy the Alexander Vineyard wines. As a native Texan, it’s nice to have a tasting room where they bring in good wine when surrounded by a sea of subpar TX wines/wineries.
Paired with sushi, this was a knockout pairing. Enough richness to play with ootoro sushi, but also enough acid to work with more herbal and truffle heavy dishes. Bordering on tropical, the fruit is upfront alongside typical mineral/chalky grittiness. Lemon tart, floral honeysuckle wrapped in an elegant Bordeaux Blanc profile. Not getting better, but not falling off a cliff. Pop and enjoy.
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White - Sweet/Dessert
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1989 Château Coutet Cuvée Madame
Barsac
Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend more
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Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
I’ve had a few days to think on this wine, and I finally feel comfortable saying this is the greatest dessert wine I’ve ever had the pleasure of drinking. 100% semillon. Each grape is picked one-by-one by hand. This was the 9th time this wine was made since 1943.
Between dark gold and deep amber in color. Aromas of honeyed tropical fruits and sweet espresso that fill the room like a candle. Unctuous and oily on the palate, there is coconut richness with an insane amount of brown sugar and orange marmalade too…honey roasted cashews, pineapple upside down cake. As massive as this is, it still has structure but also a vein of acidity to keep this thing afloat. At 35yrs, this is unbelievably good and shockingly youthful. If you have a bottle, it’s no good. Send to me so that I can dispose of it for you…
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Red
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2014 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate
Calistoga
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Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
A treat to try this next to the ‘88, and also against a mini-flight of Leoville Barton. This ‘14 was shockingly odd…unbelievably high toned, sharp, and bing cherry driven aromatically. It actually has this weird cherry reduction profile but also a malic/butter note that needs time to blow off. Crème de cassis and red licorice on the palate with a small amount of graphite. A lot of Calistoga cabs for me show the warmth of the region and this evidently is in that vein, but it’s very Montelena-esque at the end of the day. I’d hold another 5-7yrs.
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Red
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2014 Château Léoville Barton
St. Julien
Red Bordeaux Blend more
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Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
Fun to do a side by side with the ‘88, and also check in against the Montelena. Profile wise, this leans ripe and modern stylistically. There is a kiss of brett that takes you to Bordeaux but it’s mostly red and black fruit driven with a vanilla pipe tobacco sweetness, leather, cassis and a little bit of a floral note, especially aromatically. Big structure for the vintage, but open for business now if you can give it a few hours in the decanter.
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Red
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1988 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate
Napa Valley
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Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
Here we are six years after my last ‘88 Montelena and I’m looking at my old review as if I wrote it about this current bottle! So bright and lively. Gorgeous deep ruby color (darker than the ‘88 Leoville Barton). There is a Christmas spice (maybe more mint-driven) aromatic with bing cherries and floral notes. Red fruit to the core with some spiced blackberries, earthy/herbal savoriness, great acidity and a snappy/youthful finish. Cedar and espresso. Held strong over a few hours open. Not falling off a cliff, but don’t miss this window if you have some!
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Red
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1988 Château Léoville Barton
St. Julien
Red Bordeaux Blend more
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Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
Fun to open birth year wines around your birthday, especially when you can do a Bordeaux and Napa side by side. While not a great vintage, this held up well after a few hours and presented as expected. Clean and zero Brett. Great color! Deep ruby with hardly any bricking. Leather, cassis, vanilla pipe tobacco on the nose. Sporting a good bit of dusty red and black fruits (mostly tart raspberries and blackberries), there was a little savory truffle note mixed with an herbal and mocha finish. Still quite grippy. Pretty.
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White
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2019 Kongsgaard Chardonnay
Napa Valley
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Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
As part of my white wine flight theme, I wanted to compare Hyde and Hudson side by side, then finish with Kongsgaard, since it is a blend of both.
Similar to the Hudson before it, I normally like to drink Kongsgaard on the young side, and also similar to the Hudson, on this day…it didn’t seem to have the typical opulent/massive profile. White peach and apricot upfront as well as sweet cotton candy on the nose. Ripe yellow and tropical fruits dominate the palate with sea salt, ginger and lemon cream. Faint note of butterscotch, but not near the amount I’ve found previous vintages to show. What Kongsgaard does well is have a wine of this profile but somehow find a way to have elegant qualities about it. Decant or hold a few years.
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White
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2018 Hudson Vineyards Chardonnay
Carneros
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Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
As part of my white wine flight theme, I wanted to compare Hyde and Hudson side by side, then finish with Kongsgaard, since it is a blend of both.
While more opulent in style compared to the Larry Hyde before it, this isn’t as full throttle as Hudson’s of old used to be. With almost 6yrs on it, this was fresh and fairly light on its feet. Same sweet aromatics of cotton candy, marzipan, and lemon cream. It’s rich/oily on the palate, but it doesn’t feel heavy or dense. Honeyed tropical fruits and baking spices with a nice, mildly sweet finish. I’m surprised to say this seems freshly bottled…tasty now though.
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White
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2019 Hyde Vineyard Estate Chardonnay Larry Hyde
Carneros
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Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
As part of my white wine flight theme, I wanted to compare Hyde and Hudson side by side, then finish with Kongsgaard, since it is a blend of both.
Initial reaction is this presents much differently than other Hyde Chardonnay offerings. Aromatically, there is a green/herbal flair that has many guessing Chablis. Tart lemon and honeysuckle too. Once on the palate, the warmth and round profile brought everyone back to Cali. Good vein of acidity (most Hyde offerings do). Balanced by both citrus and tropical notes…oak isn’t playing a big part. Reminds me of Massican’s Hyde vineyard Chardonnay. Open now with a decant or hold a couple years.
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White - Sparkling
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NV Famille Delouvin Champagne Meunier Perpétuel Extra Brut
Pinot Meunier more
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Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
I knew nothing about this producer when I purchased, but I feel like Pinot meunièr can become magical when given age/healthy amounts of reserve wine. This is from a 1992-2017 solera. 100% meunièr. 5g/l dosage.
Faint salmon-tinge color to this. Aromatics aren’t overly expressive, but there is some honey roasted cashews and spiced pear. On the palate, this is absolutely delicious…loads of fruit (as meunièr normally shows) with golden and red raspberries, golden delicious apple, more spiced pear, nutty and baking spices. Creamy and layered, it has a profile of “freshly aged”, with the reserve wines coming in to play at the finish, broadening out the wine. No need to hold these. I should find more.
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White - Sparkling
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2016 Sandhi Wines Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs
Sta. Rita Hills
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I picked up a 3-pack of these a couple months ago after seeing these for a steal-of-a-price knowing who is behind it. Fun and easy. Probably no need to hold these, but enjoy over the next year or two.
100% Chardonnay from Sanford & Benedict. 40 months on lees, 5yrs aging in bottle post disgorgement. Zero dosage.
Yellow in the glass bursting with copious amounts of bubbles. Bright and zesty! Lemon everything (grilled lemon, lemon zest, lemon tart). Crisp and refreshing on the palate with honeysuckle, sea spray, honeyed Granny Smith apple and a sweet lemon crisp note at the finish. While lean, it’s not austere like some zero dosage sparklers can be (Cali’s warm profile certainly helps). You’re hard pressed to notice this spent as much time as it did on the lees and in bottle with how bright it is. Nice for the $35 price.
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White
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2018 Jean-Jacques Vincent Pouilly-Fuissé Château de Fuissé Tête de Cuvée
Chardonnay more
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Zero expectations here, and I am now on the hunt for more. Absolutely killer and (evidently) a wonderful QPR.
Didn’t know what type of profile to expect here, but I (incorrectly) assumed it would be somewhere in the middle and while pleasant enough, nothing to write home about. What I found was a wine that reminds me an awful lot of Domaine de la Bongran’s EJ Thevnet (all time favorite of mine), yet dialed back just a touch. Light gold in the glass, big aromatics of ripe peach, yellow fruits, and a dash of baking spice. Texturally is leans bigger, but the finish snaps back with great acidity. Lemon cream, golden raspberries, limestone and a vibrant finish. Whereas the Bongran has a touch of sweetness, this has more of a small perception of sweetness. Loved it.
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White
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2019 K Vintners Viognier Powerline Vineyard
Walla Walla Valley
more
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92-93
I picked up a couple of these when I visited the K Vintners tasting room outside of Seattle a couple years ago. Killer QPR.
It’s tough to be excited about domestic Viognier, but this has so much texture and ripe fruit! Pop and pour. Yellow in the glass. Big aromatics of honeyed yellow fruits, honeysuckle and sea spray. Richly textured but not too unctuous, there’s loads of lemon, underripe white peach and a finish of savory mineral-type grip. A Viognier that, at 5yrs, still seems young with plenty of dense layers. Tasty.
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Red
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1997 Staglin Family Cabernet Sauvignon Estate
Rutherford
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94-95
Opened for a buddy’s birthday party. What a lovely surprise. Cork was a struggle, but hardly any seepage at all. On a table with a ridiculous amount of bottles, including standouts like ‘95 Opus, ‘85 Freemark Bosche, ‘74 Sterling Merlot, ‘13 Salon.
Pop and poured. Excellent youthful color! Deep ruby, hardly any bricking. Gorgeous aromatics of red and black berries, vanilla pipe tobacco, sweet spices. On the palate, it is wonderfully integrated and layered with stewed red and black fruits, fig, espresso, dusty coco (maybe fading signature Rutherford dust?), and a small bit of tannin at the finish keeping this buttoned-up and well structured. Excellent finish and balance. Held strong all evening. Seems as though this had a toe in the early ‘90s style of more bright Napa cabs and one toe in the late ‘90s/early ‘00s style of starting to increase ripeness…great marriage of the two. Pop and enjoy!
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Red
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2009 Château Cantemerle
Haut-Médoc
Red Bordeaux Blend more
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92-93 for me.
Consumed half bottle at pop, then corked for another 4hrs before consuming the rest. No change.
What a beautifully elegant and refined ‘09. The highest compliment I can give this is that it was a simplistic joy. Some wines make it easy to get nerdy and command your attention…some wines are underwhelming and not worth your time. This was squarely in the middle. It was a joy to not feel the need to overthink…it’s exactly what it should be. No bricking at almost 15yrs. Decidedly black fruit heavy (black currant, cassis, underripe blackberries) with a sprinkling of raspberries and black cherries. Aromas of sweet pipe tobacco, dark florals. Integrated on the palate with good structure and acidity…not a massive wine, but it put on a bit of weight/length the longer it was open. Still sporting a fair bit of tannin at the finish, but it’s balanced. Drink or hold.
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White - Sparkling
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2017 Haliotide Wines Blanc de Blanc Late Disgorged Stolo Vineyards
San Luis Obispo County
Chardonnay more
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I compared this 2017 Haliotide Late Disgorged BdB to the 2016 Ultramarine Heintz BdB to get a feel for styles. Followed over two days with no change.
I’ve had the Haliotide rosé and thought it was really expressive. Lots of bright red fruit. I love late disgorged offerings so I picked this up to try.
This Haliotide spent 68 months en tirage! However, I expected a more leesy profile as this wine is razor sharp. Nice, clean and pure. It’s like drinking Chablis with bubbles. Lemon, underripe pear, and honeysuckle aromatically. On the palate, it is mineral heavy with sea salt, lemon to the max, and a bright and crystalline acidic profile. The zero dosage nature comes across naturally without being too austere. Screams for food…sushi or oysters would be a killer pairing. I enjoyed drinking this, but I think I expected a bit more mid-palate richness. If you love Chablis or leaner style grower champagnes, this is your jam.
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White - Sparkling
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2016 Ultramarine Blanc de Blancs Heintz Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Chardonnay more
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I compared this 2016 BdB to the 2017 Haliotide Late Disgorged BdB to get a feel for styles. Followed over two days with no change.
One of the better Ultramarine wines I’ve had, and definitely pre-funk. I feel like the last few vintages have shown a lot of bottle variation and sometimes a green/herbal profile, mostly in the BdN and BdB (never in the rosé, that’s my favorite wine in the portfolio).
The older vintages always had a distinct cream-soda aromatic to them that I loved, and this has it in spades alongside truffle Honeycomb and spiced apple. Oxidative flair but not an overly oxidative sparkler. Great depth and richness here…almonds, lemon cream, caramel-green apple. Wears the low dosage so well. Broad on the palate (in a good way). I’d be fine drinking this without food. Tasty.
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White - Sparkling
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NV Paul Dethune Champagne Grand Cru Brut Cuvée Prestige Princesse des Thunes
Champagne Blend more
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I’m at 92-93 here, but this is absolutely going to improve. I should have bought more than just a couple!
Paul Dethune champagnes are quickly becoming a favorite of mine. This cuvée is 50/50 (Pinot noir/chard), with 30% coming from their Solera dating back to the 70s.
I’ve said that I feel Petit & Bajan are the equivalent of Bollinger Special Cuvée in grower form, but I stand corrected. THIS is Bolly SC with a grower champagne vibe. Gold in the glass. Aromatics of lemon cream, lemon croissant, golden raspberries, and honeycomb. On the palate, it has the toasted Bolly profile but it’s dialed back a touch…feels more focused. Less expansive, but there’s added power here. Beautifully balanced with the sweet (the fruit, not the dosage) and savory (honey roasted cashews, sea salt). Imagine Bolly SC and a CHeidsieck Blanc de Blanc…you’ve got this. Loved it.
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Red
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2008 Carlisle Syrah Cardiac Hill
Bennett Valley
more
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94-95
In the running for shocker of the year so far. Not only because of how youthful it was, but in how it cleaned house at a small Syrah tasting with my local group.
I popped this ahead of time to try a glass because I was a bit skeptical of how it would show…my jaw about dropped when I smelled this wine. My goodness…deep and dark florals, violet, stemmy green herbs, black pepper. Wonderfully balanced and integrated on the palate. Whole cluster profile shines through in a supporting role, with the pepper-crusted blackberries, mocha, olive, charcoal. Not rich, not lean, fastball down the middle. Nervy acidity still. This has a cool-climate vibe to it with just a kick of richness to really seduce you. Brilliant. I may have underscored this.
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Red
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NV Sami-Odi Shiraz Little Wine #11
Barossa
more
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My last bottle of the #11 Little Wine. At this point, my notes for Sami-Odi all come across as love letters because I am captivated every time I have one. I’ve still yet to smell a wine that smells as good as these do.
Pop and pour initially for a glass, then slow-ox overnight and consumed the next day. This is an assemblage of 2021 (46%), 2020 (18%), 2019 (16%), 2018 (2%), 2017 (9%), 2016 (5%) & 2015 (4%).
As is normal, the aromatics upon opening fill the room. I’ve had plenty of SamiOdi and it never ceases to amaze how powerful the aromatics are. Deep purple in the glass (stains the glass type purple). Heady aromas of concentrated red and black fruits, boysenberry jam, violets, and sweet spice. You’d think with all those big aromas the palate would slap you around, but as Fraser can do, there is a fresh profile here. It’s extremely concentrated but somehow stays light. More dark fruits (freshly squeezed), espresso, small hint of both oak and green herbs down the middle to frame it. Tannins were still powerful on day two, but by no means overly so. Give this a half day decant, or slow ox overnight, and you’ll be enthralled.
Thankfully I’ve got the HD’s resting, and more on the way.
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