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November 2021 Trip to Sonoma

Tasted November 6, 2021 by mkribar with 99 views

Flight 1 - Domaine Carneros (4 notes)

Domaine Carneros was the real surprise of this trip. Given how instagram-worthy the estate is, we assumed the wines would be pretty flabby and mediocre. Au contraire! These were all acid-driven, elegant sparkling wines.

White - Sparkling
2016 Domaine Carneros Ultra Brut USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros
Chardonnay driven nose: light toast, stone fruit, some lemon. Very strong acid, with a light body. It has the verve but not really the roundness of great champagne. Very crisp.
Rosé - Sparkling
2017 Domaine Carneros Brut Rosé USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros
Very red fruited nose + some yeasty broiche. Smells like a fresh pain aux raisins. Some pinot-like strawberries too. Strong acid, but not quite as austere as the ultra brut. Very nice.
White - Sparkling
2015 Domaine Carneros Brut Late Disgorged USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros
Nose: yeast and grilled pineapple, some pear as well. This has a much richer mouthfeel than the others--more heft. The pineapple plus some light spice/ginger notes give this the overall impression of a pineapple upside-down cake.
White - Sparkling
2014 Domaine Carneros Le Rêve USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros
Miles richer than the ultra brut. Ginger, hazelnuts, some browned butter as well. Vibrant acid. This is the closest of the Domaine Carneros set to a really great champagne--the rest were good, but this is the most archetypal. Strong acid combined with a general richness/roundness.

Flight 2 - Bedrock (8 notes)

White - Sparkling
2016 Under The Wire Sparkling Chardonnay Chuy USA, California, Sonoma County, Moon Mountain District
Very intense chardonnay character. The Chuy site has so much intensity and body, and that very much comes through here. Very high acid as well, with balanced out the body. Stone fruit and minerality. Very nice.
2 people found this helpful Comment
Rosé - Sparkling
2016 Under The Wire Sparkling Rosé Bedrock Vineyard USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
92 points
Light strawberry nose, floral, really light color. A fine mouse with good acid, though maybe not as much acid as the Chuy. A bit of strawberry and basil on the palate. This is fascinating, and a very intellectual wine (while being delicious).
1 person found this helpful Comment
White
2019 Bedrock Wine Co. Riesling Wirz Vineyard USA, California, Central Coast, Cienega Valley
Heavy mineral on the nose, along with some stone fruit. But on the palate this wine is fully textural--savory and bright, with notes of granite and pear.
White
2017 Bedrock Wine Co. Riesling Erster Zweieiiger Zwilling USA, California, North Coast, Cole Ranch
This is a very pretty riesling. Tropical/pineapple nose. Slate, lime, and honeysuckle. A little more conventional than the Wirz, but it still has the good acid to age.
Red
2015 Bedrock Wine Co. Heritage Wine Evangelho Vineyard USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Contra Costa County
93 points
Very high-toned and pretty nose. Red cherry, some strawberry, black tea, citrus highlights. Medium-minus body, medium plus acid, and tannins receding into the background. Lots more red fruit on the body. Honestly this could be pinot, it's that light on its feet. Very pretty, and a complete standout from the rest of the heritage wines.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
2019 Bedrock Wine Co. Bedrock Vineyard Heritage USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
More savory than the Evangelho: floral, dark fruit, earth, some pu-erh tea. Lots of structure on the palate--lots of tannin, lots of acid. There's some tea and red fruit and some herbal qualities on the palate, but they can just barely poke through the tannin. Give this time!
8 people found this helpful Comment
Red
2018 Bedrock Wine Co. Syrah Weill a Way Vineyard USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Fruit forward, but not to excess. Some cracked black pepper, black cherry, umami/burger notes. Lots of body, lots of syrah fruit, good amount of heft. But also plenty of structure, so I think this needs some time to unwind.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
2018 Bedrock Wine Co. Syrah X-Block Bien Nacido Vineyard USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Maria Valley
Similar to the last time, this has become much more perfumed and peppery. Moroccan spice blend, freshly cracked black pepper, fennel seeds, some Italian sausage. The nose is meaty, but after it comes this shockingly light. Medium minus body, medium plus tannin, tannin somewhere in the middle. This is really delicious, and it's just now starting to unwind and enter it's drinking window. No evidence of shutting down.
5 people found this helpful Comment

Flight 3 - Lioco (7 notes)

Rosé
2020 Lioco Ojo de Perdiz USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
77% pinot noir and 23% chardonnay. According to the bottle 3.26 Ph and 0.8g/l residual sugar. On the nose, very fresh alpine strawberries, stone fruit. Good acid, very fresh. This is almost an archetypal rose of pinot noir, so the chardonnay is surprising, but I think it adds some of the clarity.
White
2018 Lioco Chardonnay Skycrest Vineyard USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
92 points
Very tropical nose: pineapple and papaya. Some almond flour, which seems like a light-spice note from what feels like a very expensive bit of oak. The oak influence, and a bit of matchstick/reduction, is fading into the background. Medium minus body, medium plus acid. This feels elegant, and something worth holding on to for a few years.
White
2016 Lioco Chardonnay Chuy Vineyard USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
92 points
Much richer/riper nose than the 2018 Skycrest we had immediately before it. Stone fruit/nectarine, some red apple. Hazelnut, some moderate oak. A pretty powerful chardonnay, but it's still balanced by plenty of acid.

A fun comparison with the Under the Wire Chuy we had earlier. Both had an intense, ripe chardonnay character but with plenty of structure to back it up. Excellent.
White
2020 Lioco Old Vine White Wine USA, California, North Coast, Redwood Valley
Minerals and lemongrass on the nose. Medium body, medium acid. Palate is a little more tropical/kiwi. Apparently the main part of this is sauvignon blanc, and that makes sense to me. Fresh and delicious, but not as complex as some of the other white wines.
1 person found this helpful Comment
White
2020 Lioco Grüner Veltliner Kick-on Ranch USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
91 points
Nose is mostly lime and quartz/mineral. On the palate, the wine has some fennel/saline/phenolic elements, but really this is a texture-driven wine. Good acid, medium body, lots of verve.
Red
2018 Lioco Pinot Noir Saveria Vineyard USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
93 points
Very, very pretty nose. Floral/rose petal/turkish delight. Some earth. Strawberries and orange peel. Black tea. The palate is ethereal--light bodied, with good acid. The strawberry/orange peel is still there on the palate, but with an added cedar and incense note.

This is a classic very cool climate pinot-noir, and I liked it a lot. A strong argument for the Santa Cruz mountains.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
2018 Lioco Pinot Noir Kiser Vineyard USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
91 points
Darker fruit than the Saveria pinot noir. A big sanguine, with darker fruit. Heartier than the Saveria as well. Black cherry and black tea. A good counterpart to the rest of the Lioco line up, and very good.
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