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Champagne and Sonoma tasting

K&L Wine Merchant - San Francisco

Tasted August 4, 2023 - August 5, 2023 by WineBurrowingWombat with 93 views

Flight 1 - Champagnes (5 notes)

The take away for me from this tasting is that it was nice to see how my only two favorites were from the same producer.. might have to dive into their champagne lineup a little more.

White - Sparkling
N.V. Boulard-Bauquaire Champagne Blanc de Blancs Vieilles Vignes France, Champagne
92 points
Nose of gentle stone, light fruits, and an airy yeasty note. Light but enticing aromas.

On the palate are spiced, crisp and fresh white stone fruits, a pleasant minerality, and dried straw. Loved how dry this was while maintaining a good showing of fruit. Drinks very nicely with nothing being off-putting.

This is a nice gem for what you pay for.
White - Sparkling
N.V. A.D. Coutelas Champagne Louis Victor France, Champagne
89 points
The scent of fresh air while standing in an open field with some stone, and deep yet light yellow fruits.

Flavors of dry and moderate yeasty notes, crushed minerals, and dulled yellow fruits. Quite dry in style.
White - Sparkling
2012 Derot-Delugny Champagne Brut Millésimé France, Champagne
86 points
Aromas of airy, fresh and light peaches, minerals crushed, and wet stones.

On the palate, gentle yeast with a bit of bitter minerals, deep peach notes but a bit overly bitter and a watery finish. Unfortunately very short finish, nothing sticks on the mid to end palate. Makes me wonder why bother tasting this.
White - Sparkling
2014 Alexandre Le Brun Champagne Cuvée Revelation France, Champagne
88 points
Citrus notes with the stems and leaves, a gentle funk, like damp hay and yeast.

Palate is similar to the nose with gentle yeasty yellow fruits and an odd funkiness.

Might be the producer's style but this was a little too funky for me on both the nose and palate.
White - Sparkling
N.V. Boulard-Bauquaire Champagne "Carte Noire" Brut Blanc de Noirs France, Champagne
92 points
Nose of gentle peach flesh (the ones with the white flesh), white flowers and soft stones.

Round notes of peach flesh on palate, and gentle bitter river minerals.

Another gem! Very enjoyable for what you pay for.

Flight 2 - Sonoma (6 notes)

The whites stole the show on this tasting.

White
2021 Hirsch Vineyards Chardonnay USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
93 points
Nose of ripe and fuzzy peaches with slices of pineapples with its skin, tall blades of cut grass, and dark yet shiny minerals.

Deep mix of both ripe and unripe pineapples on the palate, with gently bitter grass and minerals. A comfortable weight on the palate but has enough acidity to keep it from being too heavy. Great freshness on the palate. Good showing here!
White
2020 Wayfarer Chardonnay Wayfarer Vineyard USA, California, Sonoma County, Fort Ross - Seaview
93 points
Fresh aromas of crisp and almost ripe stone fruits, prickly and almost ripe pineapple flesh, some grassy notes and a nice ocean breeze.

Deep prickly pineapple with almost a bit of bitter zest on the palate. Nice salinity from some river stones and spiced, dry tree bark. A gentle heft to the mouthfeel on this one but not too heavy.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
2019 Cobb Pinot Noir Coastlands Vineyard: Old Firs Block USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
91 points
Strong funk on the nose with a bit of fun fruit mixed in, whole gooseberries, mossy earth with damp and rotting mulch. Topped off with some wet tree bark.

Nose reflects on the palate, minus the funk. Round flavors of plums, the kind with almost bouncy and crunchy tan colored flesh (apriums?). Damp oak but clean flavors of it.
Red
2021 Raen Winery Pinot Noir Royal St. Robert USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
92 points
Aromas of fun red and blue whole berries with its brown stems. There’s a gentle funk that’s subtle but works really well with the berry notes.

Similar berries flavors from the nose with a lovey earthy note that compliments the fruits well. The earthiness has a soft bitterness to it, as if it were from broken twigs and fallen branches, and notes of cool stones sitting under a tree shade. Finishes clean. Good flavors with a bit of seriousness. My only gripe is that this is almost too round of a body.. if only it had just a bit of higher acidity to provide some tension.
1 person found this helpful Comment
Red
2021 Flowers Pinot Noir Sea View Ridge USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Very quiet on the nose. Just a whiff of damp earth, black and red berries and dark colored flowers.

Flavors of pale and dull red and blackberries, a dusting of graphite, soft notes of gently spiced oak, and a faint soil note.

This is very shy at the moment, very quiet and standing alone in the corner. Might need to give this some space for it to open up. Seems to lack a bit of acidity that could've help with the excitement.
Red
2021 Arnot-Roberts Syrah USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
90 points
Nose of a deep and dark red berry note with a very complimentary dark red floral component to go with it. The berry aromas are very round with a bit of wet stone.

On the palate is a dry attack of dark red berries, a kick of tilled yet somehow dried soil, and a neutral flavor of something that reminds me of clay soil. Dried tree bark on the quick finish.

Love the dark front attack but this finishes so short, it’s kinda like a gentle slap in the face for a tease and nothing else comes after. The short finish hurt this a lot for me.
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