Community Tasting Note

• csimm wrote: 99 points

  March 8, 2021 - The 2018 Fingers Crossed Off the Record White Wine is Off-The-Chain exquisite. White and yellow peach, lemon confit, unripe mango, lime rind, quince jelly, kumquat, and honeycomb flavors Heidi Klum-sashay down the palate runway with both class and ethereal complexity. Here too is a broad-shouldered ‘if Fred Astaire beefed-up and hit the Peloton’ buoyancy that speaks to smart balance but also captivating jubilation; it’s a full-bodied and built gym rat, but also one that unquestionably knows how to dance. No doubt, the 72% Roussanne takes center stage with its core display of peachy Rhone fruit, but there is added lift from the remaining Chardonnay and Viognier components that provide Meursault-esque body and determination. Most importantly, this wine possesses a poise and accord that skirts Frankenstein asynchronization syndrome; the parts make sense and translate into not just a cerebral muse but similarly one of bangin’ honeylicious liquid pleasure.
  
  This now-second installment of the Fingers Crossed white wine remarkably avoids the fried plantain pool boy aftertaste that can bubble-up on many foreign and domestic Rhone whites. There is a tropical tincture here, but its full aggregate essence remains healthily dry and sans confection or the often-over-ripe bruised banana stand aftertaste. The honeyed sense of this wine is also tempered by its judicious grip, completely dodging a saccharine gummy bear mouthfeel. Instead, you’ll simply find one of the best expressions of California Rhone white out there.
  
  Decanted for three hours (and probably could’ve used a couple hours more), with the perception of booze on the finish lingering for the first two hours, but eventually burning off to reveal more glorious flavor expansion. For those holding your precious one bottle, I’d continue to do so for another year or two to further integrate some of its back end brawn. 97-99+ points.
  
  PS: And speaking of bottles… I’ve read a few griping-gut posts about the somewhat unique shape of the bottle and how that is causing first-world storage problems for stymied collectors McEnroeing about their inability to Jenga their way into the geometry of idling their cherished glass cozies. Though I empathize with such a grinder of a dilemma, and certainly not to Nietzsche myself all over others’ conundrumcopias, I find myself championing for the stick-to-itiveness of these surprisingly divisive bottles. I’m all for ‘em. I say keep ‘em going. Make ‘em even more rock star. I personally find them to be classy and unique, complimenting the totality of the presentation. And hey, it even comes with a fancy box so you can humblebrag your acquisition to all your friends. So cast my vote in the ‘Aye’ box. Does it make the juice taste better? Of course not. But it adds a smidge of rad factor to what is already an awesome wine. I know, I know…You live in an apartment in New York and have no room; your mom won’t let you get another wine refrigerator; you forgot to tell Ty Pennington to factor-in Champagne-sized bottles when you won Extreme Makeover: Wine Cellar Edition… I get it…. kind of……

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9 Comments

• Ewhite30 commented:

  3/8/21, 10:55 AM - Hands down the best CT review I've read in a long while. Looking forward to Tetrising these bottles into my collection. Sounds like a great problem to have.
  
  Looking forward to reading your assessment of the other bottles.

• csimm commented:

  3/8/21, 11:06 AM - Hey Ewhite30! Thanks. Apologies for the longwinded blathering, but I was obviously impressed with this wine. I was trying to hold out a little longer on the reds, but that will likely prove fleeting. I'm sure a cork or two will inadvertently pop off of the Grenache and Syrah soon enough!

• JRockEsq commented:

  3/8/21, 11:18 AM - Damn, high praise and great review. I'm looking forward to opening this in a year or two.

• sachsen commented:

  3/8/21, 12:42 PM - Heck of a review!
  
  Personally, I keep these in their own box, so don't have to worry about bottle size, just where to fit the box (though I wouldn't mind a visit from Ty's crew letting me know I am the latest winner of Wine Cellar Edition!

• csimm commented:

  3/8/21, 1:05 PM - JRockEsq - It's not a complete sin to open now with some proper babying (clearly I couldn't contain myself), but I'd certainly recommend waiting just a bit longer to maximize integration. The 15.2% ABV shows just a slight bit of angularity on the otherwise flavorful finish. I'd imagine it'll shed the booze on the tail with time. Decanting is an absolute must if attempting to approach this now.
  
  sachsen - I'm with you on the box storage. I suppose it can double as a stepstool so I can reach the higher bottles on my rack. By the way, I think I hear Ty knocking on your door now.... congrats! :)

• Decanting Queen commented:

  3/10/21, 3:16 AM - Great review!
  I am not fortunate enough to have any of these—but I am with you on the unique bottle. And same for SQN. Although it complicates the Tetris, it adds to the art and the experience in my view.

• csimm commented:

  3/10/21, 7:46 AM - Hi jen! Totally agree. Of course what’s in the bottle matters most, but some extra touches can add to the “specialness” of wine service and the overall experience. I’ve had plenty of ‘just ok’ wines in pretty packaging but luckily this backs up its looks with great juice inside too. Fingers Crossed is a list worth considering. The case production is low and I secretly hope that they continue with that because it seems like they value quality over quantity more than anything. Clearly I’m a fan!

• Decanting Queen commented:

  3/13/21, 4:58 AM - CSIMM I am on the waitlist for fingers crossed—I am not sure how long it has been, just tried to check if I had an email but no luck. So, finger crossed. Haha.
  I never used to care about ‘pretty labels’ but with all these wines I have to keep my hands off of for at least a few years, it is nice to have beautiful packaging to appreciate. Not a weird shape, but the Antica Terra labels are some of my favorites.

• csimm commented:

  3/13/21, 8:07 AM - The good news is that every interaction I’ve had with Nikolas Krankl has been extraordinarily personable. He is extremely engaged in his label and also really seems to appreciate (or at least entertain!) us wine geeks. He is responsive and informative, personally answering email inquiries, etc. all the time. So, I hope that ultimately equates to folks like yourself getting on the list at some point.

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