4/23/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Wow. Nice wine. Classic Viognier. I have 2 of these on order and glad I do. I'll be drinking this exclusively in about 3 weeks when down there for my niece's wedding celebration!

4/23/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Really quite good QPR. This one did not seem to have the generic rose flavors about it like you can sometimes get with these types of wines. The bubbles were strong, small to medium sized, great density with strawberry and mango and guava notes that seem to be everywhere. Refreshing and crisp.

4/22/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Very similar to my 2022 experience. These are drinking so well right now!

4/21/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Served right by a 1988 DRC St Vivant, this 1990 Ch Lafite Rothschild took the DRC to 10 rounds, and then punched it out in the 11th. Honestly hard to compare this wine to a DRC since they were quite a bit different (Pinot...vs. --> 57% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 13% Cabernet Franc in the Ch. Lafite). The combination is incredible. 75% of CellarTracker's inventory is in cellar at the time of this TN, and I think I kind of understand why. My previous experience almost 10 years ago with this very same vintage under questionable provenance was quite a bit different, so it again goes to show you that provenance after bottling is absolutely #1. That experience was a smoky ashtray. This one was near to being otherworldy, and one of a few 99's that I have ever given a wine (only one 100 in 4700 wines). This wine had been allowed to decant for about 4 hours before anyone got to it. Opulent red fruit abounds here in the nose and palate with a hint of black fruit. Nose with a smoky char about it with a hint of saddle leather but a ton of red fruit crush. On the palate, There was an ashy note that was definitely more in the background, but this resembled more of the pencil shaving and graphite notes I see with a lot of these well made Bordeaux. Smoked tobacco, black cherry, cassis, fig tart, herbal notes, black tea, red licorice up front, and then black licorice that developed as this wine sat on the palate. Slightly charred sweet cedar tannin with mild black pepper notes. Really delectable, right on the line of full bodied, although I still get a lot of rather "feminine" notes here which made this one dance with the seared grouper and lamb stew which were its food accompaniment. A 70th birthday celebration of a wine friend, with this and the 88 DRC St. Vivant both the stars of the show. Not worthy! If you're lucky to have a case of this wine, and have not yet cracked it open, it's time to get the crowbar out. Drink one every two years until it's done, and it won't let you down. Drink now or hold for 30 years.

4/21/2024 - mflesh wrote:

The star of the show was a 1988 DRC St. Vivant. Oh man what a wine. This one had rather good provenance per discussion. Poured a nice ruby red to the glass. Initially I think this one was showing a lot of dusty funky "grandma's closet" kind of notes, but 4-5 hours later this one was definitely not there anymore! The whole cluster on this wine is quite apparent from the nose to the palate, and is a note that I have come to really love about pinot noir. Out of the glass, bright red fruit perfume, stemmy, intoxicating. The palate was red licorice, raspberry cola, even a hint of watermelon. As it sat on the palate, black tea, tobacco leaf started to emerge. Was served with a seared grouper and was the perfect pairing. The wine finished with rather nice rounded edges for a wine that is 35 years old. Still with moderately chewy oak tannin, you can definitely tell that the tannin are starting to fall out a bit here. I think this one, if properly stored, has another 15 to 20 years at optimal drinking before the secondary and tertiary notes start to take hold. My first DRC experience with awesome wino friends to celebrate a 70th birthday. What a nice celebratory bottle indeed!

4/21/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Hard to believe that this is made from white grapes, when it does not look at all like it would have come from white grapes (yes, I do realize that this wine is 90 years old). Enjoyed from 750, this wine is really nice on the nose and palate. Palate gives you everything that the nose does: a dense aged fig, moderate dose of black plum and a hint of raisin and prune right up front. As it sits on the palate and toward the finish, dried apricot and even a hint of pineapple and tangerine. Mouthfeel is exquisite throughout. The finish is very long and round, opulent by itself, but thins out like a brandy showing a lot of the longer notes if enjoyed with food (in this case, this one was enjoyed with a spiced bread pudding. Described by someone in the party as a "rich man's fig newton," I'm not sure if there is really anything else to add to this tasting note! This one can go for a while. This wine has done a great job of outliving most people born in 1934, and can probably outlive many that were born in 1984 as well!

4/20/2024 - mflesh wrote:

The Lords 4 Reserve is a fun yet powerful combination of Cab and Tannat. I've been able to taste Tannat from Uruguay, France, Texas, Russian River Valley, and from Paso from another producer. It is distinctly dark, roasted, spicy, even sometimes bitter. Carter Family Wines really got the perfect balance of the youthfulness of the Cab and added those dark, spicy flavors using a 50/50 Balance of Cab Sauvignon and Tannat. Out of the gate, this is a massive wine. Cork was withdrawn to more of a lighter ruby stain, but the nose had all kinds of things going on: cinnamon, brambleberry pie, sweeter, youthful massive punchy seared black fruit and black tar cola, hint of black olive. This wine bottle decanted for about 45 minutes before I came back to it. Pours a very dark violet color to the glass, almost black on account of the tannat. Entry of sweet, brambly black fruit, roasted black fig pie, cassis, and spicy from the start also thanks to the tannat. The middle gains a note of cinnamon spice cookie, hint of truffle oil, massive structure. Finishes with a combination of black pepper spice and baking spices with a hint of brambly herbs and truffle. This wine went very well with parmesan chicken meatballs on a bed of risotto with broccolini and peas. The herbed lemon ricotta dip which had probably a BIT too much lemon in it (hey, Judy even admitted it!!), brought out a massive raspberry cola note that was DELICIOUS! This wine has massive structure, and will survive 8-10 years in your cellar. As for now, give this one a little breathing room initially because it certainly needs it to lean out and integrate. I look forward to these Lords wines every year when they are released by the Carter Family crew!!!

4/19/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Definitely has a lot more oxidation out there than the one I opened in 2019. There's just a 2019 seashell which was also opened, this one has much more attenuation of that limestone grit, more yellow peach, more of the opulence that you find with Hudson fruit. Is a wine with 8 years of age on it, I would expect this one to start to turn more to the opulent side, and it definitely has not disappointed. A little bit of brown butter, a tiny hint of butterscotch which I think is only going to get more present over the next 3 to 5 years. I'd say if you have these, it is time to drink them. But if you want to hold them, just know that they are going to get more oxidized as it goes, which for me is really not a bad thing at all!!

4/15/2024 - mflesh wrote:

The second of 2 went down tonight. And I can tell you that I made zero notes on this wine but it was.... Very. Good. There's your note.

4/15/2024 - mflesh wrote:

One and only zin from this bottling...and slayed a 15 CF, 16 Tempranillo, 14 Merlot and 15 Meritage from another producer. This wine was purchased many years ago and held for the rich opportunity. This was the right opportunity. Bing cherry cola, raspberry Crème Brûlée, white chocolate, white pepper and floral finish. This wine has done some growing up in the last couple of years (the last was over 5 years ago). Dense and still youthful.

4/15/2024 - mflesh wrote:

This is the one that I wish I had a case of. Density and floral red dense fruity funk is off the charts. Sweet black cherry and raspberry cola rounded to the rear with a hint of black pepper. Sadly only one more left.

4/15/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Vs the 16 Manoir Temp and 15 Cantegral Franc, this wine is definitely a step in the right direction. Floral dense red fruit and gravelly red licorice and a ton of it all. This wine is the honorable mention of the 4 from Calais, showing density, complexity and depth that the other 2 didn't have. Drink or age 5 years.

4/15/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Punchy red tart fruit. Hard to get over the gravelly tartness of this wine but it is definitely more expressive than the 15 Cantegral. Even still, this tempranillo I think could still benefit from 3-5 years of age.

4/15/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Half tart red fruit, half red licorice. Really never came into its element. Disappointed for what was spent on this wine.

4/10/2024 - mflesh wrote:

I started out with a half dozen of these. I have two left. I have enjoyed these way more than I thought I was going to. Out of 375, this is a very strong bottle. I can tell that the disgorgement date of this bottle is not recent. I get a lot of creme brulee even with a rosé Champagne. A lot of toasted almond nodes, hint of vanilla bean, aged strawberry compote. Beautiful color in the glass, definitely not as "bright" as you see with some Rosé champers. A little darker hue. Finishes with a tad bit of sweetness in conjunction to the tart, making you pucker yet want to sip some more! Really a guilty pleasure to open up and enjoy all by yourself, although when it is a 375 champagne, why do you feel guilty about that? :-)

4/10/2024 - mflesh wrote:

JYS makes the best point about this wine. I believe this is an extremely variety correct version of Pinot from Eola Amity Hills. Tart cherry, black cherry cola, basil, raspberry licorice. Not an overbearing amount of black pepper on the finish, but just enough to make it the great pairing with dark chocolate that has been baked with herbs de Provence almonds. I have had a couple of Pinot from Cristom in the past, and none of them have been remotely as enjoyable compared to this one. Enjoyed from a 375, I think this one already had integrated a little bit and was really quite ready to go out of the gate.

4/9/2024 - mflesh wrote:

What a nice wine. Great salinity and minerality. Pours a very lightly straw color to the glass. Nose of herbs, yellow peach, melon and rosemary. The palate has a bunch of acidity up front but also quite a bit of salinity and mineral dense notes. More white peach and kiwi notes, honeydew, hot honey. Finishes with a lot of white pepper and Asian pear notes. Glad I have one more of these as I think this will probably develop pretty nicely within the next two to three years. If I can keep my hands off of them. And that's a big "If"

4/9/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Starting to show a bit of age on the nose and palate. These RYEW wines, especially the merlots, are very classic for the region. The nose is dates, dried cranberry, herbs, and mature red fruit. The entry has a bit of a smoked cranberry, very herbal, green olive, hint of green pepper, showing the tip of age. Finishes with some mild pepper notes and shows good integration of those once-stiff oak tannins. Doing well, although if you're more of a youthful side of merlot fan, this one is probably one you need to gift to your merlot friends that like them with some age and briar patch on them (donations accepted :) Drink within the next 2-3 years.

4/7/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Metal cage, then glass cork underneath. On an 09. Solid. Very cool enclosure and first of it's kind that I've run across on an 09. Guess the only taint you could have here would be heat! Nose and palate with a hint of age. Seems darker up front with a lot of tar and black figs, then goes to aged red fruits, tobacco, hint of bay leaf. Finishes with green pepper and charred red fruits. Tannins are dusty and working on resolution. Has probably 5-10 years left in it with proper cellaring.

4/3/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Second one of these went down after five months. This rosé is quite enjoyable. Acidic front for sure, limestone grit very present here. Watermelon, strawberry and pomegranate. Adds mango and papaya cream on the finish. In five ish months, this one has developed a bit. Nice all by itself but has really great body and complexity to pair well with just about any fare.

3/31/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Past reviewer must have been having a bad day, or expecting a unilateral overextracted Napa Cabernet bomb. If this is what I can get for a $15 grocery store cab, then point me to it! Prior review has no substance, so I will do what they did not. Here's the answer: this is a wine made with character and consistency. A 100 point wine it is not. A 93 point wine it definitely is. A red fruit dominant wine without a doubt. Nose of candied red cherries, cherry cordial, red licorice, wildflower and pomegranate juice. If blinded on this wine, I would have guessed it was a Cabernet Franc by the nose. Palate that is still red fruited but with brambly character. Red licorice quite present. Acidic front carries through to the middle and finish. White pepper and black pepper finish. But quite enjoyable honestly, and went very well with charcuterie meats and cheeses as well as a pimento cheese dish with veggies. I still think this wine is youthful, but the ONLY gripe I have with this wine is that it was corked with a composite cork and not a real cork which means you have 7 years to enjoy this before the coin toss on cork integrity starts. A bit of a bummer since I have had these wines with 10+ years age on them and they hold quite well. A sub 90 grocery store wine it is definitely not. Drink or hold.

3/29/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Chave Hermitage white. The only white on the table in a sea of Napa red. And honestly this wine is quite deserving of the only white on the table! Glycerine, yellow peach and pear abounded. Honestly could have benefited from a decant, and disappeared at a faster rate than all of the reds! This wine is extremely young, and really has a huge amount of life left in it. This improved with about 30 minutes of air but I do think that it probably has a lot hiding in reserve.

3/29/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Uncorked and poured to a dark violet color. Nose is quite intense with a lot of youthful black and purple fruit. On the palate, dark black classic Napa floor fruit and the classic example of such. Very youthful, with Rutherford magic in a bottle! Classic Rutherford dust wine, true to the AVA. Black pepper, black licorice, tobacco on the finish. Very intense wine, pop and pour. Ready to go now but could benefit from 10 to 15 years with proper cellaring.

3/24/2024 - mflesh wrote:

This is a high velocity pinot which is both brambly and youthful. The nose on this wine is boysenberry cola. The wine pours a dirty maroon to the glass with a violet meniscus. The entry is raspberry and black cherry sorbet, with a hint of wildflower and passionfruit, but then tames in a second to a more brambly, whole cluster kind of presentation where there is a lot of grapestem character, some tangerine rind and a hint of baking spices all thrown in for good measure. This wine finishes with really nice acidity for a 2017 SVD pinot. Probably one of the more dense and refined RM Pinots I've had in quite a while, and no doubt worthy of the acclaim that the Summa Old Vines tends to get year after year. Drink now or hold for 5-7 additional years with proper cellaring.

3/11/2024 - mflesh wrote:

This is a full bodied, oxidative Chardonnay. The nose is a balance of herbs and yellow oxidized fruit. On the palate, browned butter, Crème Brûlée, white chocolate chip, kiwi and mango. Caramelized apples in abundance. Finishes with white pepper, oregano and cumin with all the yellow fruits in significant abundance. Lovely wine.

2/26/2024 - mflesh wrote:

A trio of "last Cimarossa bottles," this was my last 2012 Foglet. The last time I enjoyed this wine was about four years ago. At that time, this was more of a youthful black and blue wine. Today this one was definitely more mature. Had a great acidity to it up front, and would have gone better with some food, but instead was enjoyed a la carte. This wine has a lot of medicinal red fruit. The nose is old world, the palate definitely new world. Still, no one would have guessed this wine was a Howell Mountain Nebbiolo, and definitely a "unicorn" when it comes to Napa wine as there aren't many Nebbiolo in Napa PERIOD, let alone Howell Mountain. Although this one was drinking rather well, there really isn't much of a hurry to open this up anytime soon. There was a bit of a slight toasted cedar tannin note to this finish which makes me think there is still a bit of an upside to this wine. Drink now or hold another 1-2 years with proper cellaring.

2/26/2024 - mflesh wrote:

My last one of these as well. This was more of a full bodied Bordeaux wine. If blinded on this wine, I would have listed it as a 2005 Bordeaux. This wine was decanted, with a nose of roasted black cherry, tobacco leaf and herbal funk. A definite Bordeaux nose and palate indeed, with black fruits coming across the front, and darker black tar, black fig, graphite and black licorice. Dates, black plums all present. This wine finished with a hint of herbaceous green olive and basil note that was interlaced with the resolving black and red fruit tannin, but the 2009 Levante semed to be quite a bit more youthful compared to this wine. Altough this wine did not disappoint, the 2009 Levante was definitely more the crowd favorite, although this wine was close to disappearing about 30 minutes after it was opened (and again before almost all other bottles on the table except for the 2009 Levante!! :) Drink now or hold another 1-2 years.

2/26/2024 - mflesh wrote:

My last one of these. And oh man it was ON TOP. This wine was uncorked actually to a rather brittle cork that came apart in about 10 pieces but the wine was beautifully intact. This wine was poured to a decanter not only because of the cork breakage but also because it needed a fair amount of air. Within 10 minutes, this one settled down to a beautiful bouquet of FRESH blackberries and blueberries. Very youthful wine indeed. Cassis to the middle, black fruited, inky wine with some added herbal density to it but this was more of a side note that just added to the complexity of the wine. Cedar notes, a little bit of tar and tobacco but a very dominant and youthful black and blue fruit core. With about 10 other wines already open on the table, this one disappeared before all 10, and in less than 10-15 minutes, with everyone asking for more (and more they received!) Moderate black pepper with resolving tannins on the finish. This one is in the zone right now. Solid 95 presentation. Drink now with about a 15 minute decant. My goodness this one is crushing it right now.

2/22/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Started with a weird hyper-acidic character. Died down after 20 minutes. Cork disintegrated. After letting it decant through a filter, as the initial taste was a little vegetal, this one has roasted red fruit, pipe tobacco, campfire roasted dates, and finishes with a fair amount of green bell pepper and peppered tart fig jam. This wine definitely has a hot, roasted fruit vibe to it. But it is definitely still alive and well at 17 years. Drink with a 20-30 minute decant or hold for 10 years.

2/18/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Wow! Totally amazed that I was able to hang on to this last bottle for an additional 3 years and 6 months from the date I opened the previous one! This is the last bottle from this vintage. In August 2020, I had mentioned that this one seemed like it was ready to go but did benefit from bottle decanting. This baby was a rock star from the moment the cork was popped! No, not all 2017s are lame ducks. Beside the classic Rivers Marie Silver Eagle black cherry cola notes, roasted raspberries, dark and herbal red fruits, red licorice, a little bit of fig, a little bit of tobacco. Finishes with great density and still with quite a bit of acidity which really went well with the variety of foods including jalapeno cheddar sausage and a variety of charcuterie enjoyed during the Super Bowl. A nice red to come after the more youthful Viognier and Rosé from Kuhlman! You could probably hold on to this one for another few years, but I would probably drink and enjoy at this point!

2/18/2024 - mflesh wrote:

So, I really happened to step in at just the right time to see this guy open! Enjoyed with some freshly shucked oysters, this was a treat. Very small bubbles on this beautifully colored and rather youthful Salon Champagne! The entry was still rather youthful and somewhat tart pear, green apple, and white peach flesh. Reductive style. Sort of made you pucker a little bit at first, but then this just explodes into a bouquet of fruits and wildflowers, lemon oil, a little herb foccacia, rosemary, white pepper and fennel. If I drank this even somewhat regularly, I'm rather certain I could probably nail this every time as it is just so unique but definitely not your daily or even quarterly drinker! Enjoyed with an 08 Piper Rare which was quite a bit different but really balanced out the playing field no doubt. A great Champagne as these are always a treat when they are served.

2/18/2024 - mflesh wrote:

This was the other side of the trapeze from the 2013 Salon. Again, extremely fortunate to walk in on this! Whereas the Salon was more reductive and tinier bubbles, the Rare had slightly bigger bubbles, but definitely more of a yellow fruit profile with oxidative notes. Yellow peach, Crème Brûlée, medium toast. A very dense, full bodied and well balanced champagne which in my opinion is just drinking superbly right now. In addition to oysters, I would have mowed through quite a bit of fried chicken with this one. This is really my wheelhouse when it comes to Champagne. Extremely enjoyable!

2/9/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Crazy Pomerol that is only 14 years old. Nose that is primarily black fruited, youthful actually. Would be a great one to serve blind to see what people would guess, as maybe some people could guess this was a French wine but I don't think too many would nail that it was a 14-year-old Pomerol. The entry was black fruit, youthful leather, black licorice, fig. A lot going on here. Finishes with some black pepper spice and moderate tannin. Has a fairly youthful nose and fairly tannic palate right now which I expect will improve with up to 20 years in the cellar. I do have a 1979 of this and am looking for this to be a huge hit right now. Keep or drink.

2/7/2024 - mflesh wrote:

This wine is really good. But took at least an hour to get going. Approachable after 30 minutes, you can tell that GF uses a minimal approach in their wine making approach for both Pinot and Chard. Best approach is after an hour and 15 minutes. The Montelena of Sonoma County, this producer makes some rather expressive wines that usually take 5 years to get going. This '17 took a while to express, but when it did, oh mama! Ripe red raspberry, tart black cherry, cherry blossoms on the initial nose and palate. The wine goes a bit darker with some black cherry cola (my favorite note) and brambleberry pie, and emerges on the back end with some acidic character on the finish. I don't think I would call it a black tea note on the finish, as I don't usually get this note on the back end (but definitely am getting that on the front of this one). It is more of a white pepper but others that say this is too brash on the finish probably decided to serve this wine as a "pop and pour" which would have been catastrophic to the balance of this wine from start to finish. If you want to pop and pour this wine, you need to wait until 2026. Otherwise, give it a little bit of time, sip it with style for the first hour, and drink it with dinner an hour later.

2/7/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Red fruits abound! Has that dirty red fruit funk and leather, tobacco leaf quality about it. Red flowers, red licorice, even a hint of red currant but currently not that evolved. This wine is also ridiculously young, and the best days of this wine are ahead of it. Acidic on the front and more voluptuous on the finish. This is a great start for this Tuscan IGT wine, but I feel compelled to let the other 2 sit for 3 years or so. Sadly, willpower is less than my resolve to hold.....so you'll probably never see the reboot unless Casalferro decides to send me 2 cases of this to hold and age....which will likely never happen (a guy can dream!).

2/5/2024 - mflesh wrote:

So... acquired this wine at a $25 deal on WineBid. And after having now two of these, I wish the following were true.... 1. I wish I had bought the whole lot instead of just a part... And 2. I would have paid what the website listed as MSRP if I knew about this producer prior to a WineBid search. Gran Moraine, you've been exposed!! Lol 🤣. Ok, this is a steely dense wine with a lot of stone ground acidic character. Herbs and white pepper all around here. Mango and orchard fruit nose. Asian pear, kumquat, white pepper spice on the finish. Really enjoyable and went well with the rest of the modified "Coq Au Vin" herbed chicken and mushroom entree with mashed sweet potatoes and broccolini. This is a crazy Yamhill Carlton producer that I'd like to really dive into quite a bit deeper if it wasn't for the whole "more curiosity than money" thing. This is a really solid wine, made in an old world Burgundian style! Moraine -- a cliff the carries valuable information about history, usually including a variety of soil types. It reflects in the wine! Would definitely seek this one out, everyone!

2/4/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Budget Burgundian white. $22. Pours a slightly hazy straw color. 30 minutes of air is needed for this 2017 Monopole, 12.5% Aligoté. The nose and palate are an herbal white peach primarily, with sub-notes of banana, kiwi, even maybe a bit of tart Granny Smith apple? It was served with a slow cooker chicken and mushroom with thyme and other herbs which was over the top good. This wine has medium body, medium acid, and lot of character. Well worth the QPR.

1/31/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Pencil shavings and tobacco leaf. This wine didn't really have a big fruit nose or palate to it and did seem a little bit astringent but did not seem flawed. Something makes me think that this one is probably in a little bit of a hole right now. I probably should have kept the cork in it but no such luck. It did show more once it had warmed up a bit gaining a bit of brambly black cherry and boysenberry tart. Enjoyable but would have gone better with some accoutrement.

1/30/2024 - mflesh wrote:

I think this might the first one of these to go down. Beautiful combination of 51% Cinsault, 39% Sangiovese, 10% Grenache. A honeyed peach color with a pretty waxy and full bodied glass-coating pour. Nose is strawberries, mango, watermelon, and herbal citrus zest. The palate is full for a Rosé with strawberries romanoff, sweet mesquite bean jelly with cream cheese (a shameless plug for the Cappadona Ranch), ripe white peaches and a finish that is definitely more acidic than you thought it was going to be at the front with a nice white pepper bite. Very intriguing rosé. Needs to be served at the Kuhlman winery with a sesame cracker with the mesquite bean jelly and cream cheese. We busted out our jar and it was mag-ni-fique. This is pretty full throttle for Rosé while still retaining the traditional qualities of the wine (as some Cali and Washington producers have certainly tried to gray the line).

1/30/2024 - mflesh wrote:

This would be a great wine to serve blind just to get guesses. Aside from Rosé non-Champagne Sparkling, this is where the answers would diverge. Barrel fermented, tirage bottled. 24 months on lees with 2 g/L dosage. Pours a dark salmon color to the glass with nose of tart red cherries, red roses, but a very yeasty base that carries through to the palate. This wine has characteristics of a PetNat, without a doubt, but has the salinity, depth and character of a boutique sparkling wine producer. Entry was medium depth, baked red cherries, strawberries and white chocolate, brambly raspberries and cream, yet a base that has a lot of yeasty raucous flinty minerals. A divergence from the normal unilateral PetNat and your sometimes basic grower Champagnebhouse, this sparkling with rather tiny bubbles and complexity is sure to please. Really interesting and quite enjoyable sparkling Rosé, best enjoyed now.

1/27/2024 - mflesh wrote:

12 year old Temp from Stagecoach. Definitely was in the zone tonight. Black and red fruit dominant wine with a spicy volcanic soil kinda finish (even though I know that's not Stagecoach's thing). Still kind of tannic despite the bit of age. Very enjoyable Tempranillo from a wonderful elevated vineyard! I think I actually have one more of these and it will be exciting to hold on to this for maybe a couple of years to see what happens to it!

1/26/2024 - mflesh wrote:

This wine has a great combination of minerality and barrel aged buttery character. Likely partial Malo although I wouldn't be surprised if this was full Malo since this fruit in this area is just PRETTY and DENSE. Nose of browned butter, butterscotch, banana bread, vanilla pudding. Palate gives you exactly what the nose does with great salinity, rounded mouth feel on the front with a more jagged finish. There's a bit of yellow peach in there without a doubt. The finish has a ton of white pepper and went well with both the flatbread pizza as well as the shrimp stir fry (yes, dinner was pretty eclectic). This wine really is in a great spot now, but in 5-7 yrs it will still be going strong.

1/21/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Just a nice consistent bottle of wine. Ferren never seems to disappoint. Not sure their current pricing matches the value as much but the overall price paid on this one was around $70 which is average for the quality. A lot of salinity and minerality, Asian pear, kiwi and kumquat, acidic character and mineral dense fruit. Sweeter and youthful, dense with a ton of herbal notes and a ton of white pepper on the finish. This wine is still a baby with a huge life ahead of it. Probably going to try to hold the other one for 3-5 years but not sure if that will happen given the way that white wine has been flying out of here in the last few months!

1/21/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Both of these lasted all of 8 days. And yeah, these were probably consumed seven, maybe 10 years too early for complexity sake blah blah blah, but they are drinking really well right now so back off! :) Ok so this DOES take 30 minutes of air to wake it up but all the bones are there in its youth. Yellow fruit and limestone minerality up front but with a touch of butterscotch and mature yellow Bartlett pears and Honeydew melon. Went very well with yellow peppers stuffed with chicken and grape tomatoes with balsamic glaze. Finishes with a healthy dose of white pepper. Nice wine and good at the price I paid although not sure about the value at the MSRP. Drink now with a decant or hold for 10 years.

1/19/2024 - mflesh wrote:

This bottle had a hole in it. Beautiful brambly red fruits, floral notes and silky character given its youth. A beautiful Franc from Sonoma, this family owned operation first sucked us in almost 12 years ago with their bottle of Cab Franc and continues to be one of the best (if not THE best) wine in their profile even today. Medium++ bodied density, finishes with white and black pepper spice, red cherry twizzler and black cherry with baking spices. Drink now or old 5-7 years.

1/19/2024 - mflesh wrote:

In a good spot. This wine is still a tiny bit astringent, needing still another 1-2 years to gain full maturation in my opinion. Durrell is a clay loam vineyard, Wente clone on 114 rootstock. This produces a very waxy yet yellow fruited wine with a yellow peach, Bartlett pear, while also having a rosemary and herbal influence that is present yet in hiding vs what I know this fruit is able to do. Mild acidity, lower salinity but makes the fruit notes come out a bit more. Finishes with a bit of white pepper but in good check. Gary Farrell makes Chardonnay that ages well and this one is no exception. The best days of this wine are ahead of it: 2025-2026. Tonight this one went impeccably well with Rosemary Asiago cheese. Drink now but best to hold another 1-2 years.

1/13/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Beautiful wax top bottle, wine that pours a red violet color to the glass. Nose and palate of muddy red fruit, youthful black cherry and a lot of floral funk. Lavender and tart red cherry. Medium + bodied wine from start to finish but packs a huge punch. A hint of eucalyptus and brambly boysenberries on the finish with an ample amount of white pepper and a dash of black cherry cola which was a huge bonus! This wine is starting to show a faint hint of age but that just adds to the character and complexity. Nice wine, and in a very good spot right now for a really nice Cab Franc!

1/11/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Perhaps a little bit of bottle variation, this one was doing okay, but I don't think it was nearly as good as the last experience of a one year ago. I've got two more of these and I think my personal consensus is that they need to be opened up and consumed sooner versus later! Still a very delicious and classic dry black fruit example of the Veeder AVA. A little spicy on the finish! Actually quite delicate and moreso than what I was thinking. Definitely more delicate than the younger Progeny cabs!

1/11/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Well, my last note 3 years ago said that I should probably leave my final one of these alone for a year or two.... Well, I left it alone probably three and a half years. And this one was superbly drinking. It was opened alongside a 1999 BV Georges Latour and let me tell you these two wines are more similar than they are dissimilar. First of all, both classic expressions of Rutherford. This Harrison was 80% Cabernet, 16% Franc with the remaining 4% Merlot. Upon court pop, it actually was a little weird. Lots of potash and Rosemary with a hint of mint. Seemed a little strange, and the finish was maybe a little grainy. Went back to the BV for the next 20 or so minutes as it had been open for about a half hour. When I came back to this, It had exploded! Compared to the BV, which was predominantly an aged red fruit wine, this one was more of an aged black fruit wine with a lot of saddle leather, tobacco, still getting mint and some herbal influence but way more in balance. I have noticed a slightly similar profile with aged Howell Mountain wines. Red fig, hint of black cherry but mostly perfectly aged blackberry with moderate body. The middle of the wine was perhaps a little more delicate, finishing with a hint of blackberry tart, black licorice, herbs, a little bit of pepper spice, integrated tannins. Beautiful wine! I think the tufa soil in a classic Rutherford climate still with those dusty tannins makes for a rather unique and delicious wine at 20 years and still going! We remarked that this would have gone impeccably well with chili,.... Opened up one day too early as there is a chili cook-off tomorrow!! Comparing the BV to this wine, as far as structure and complexity goes, this one edged it out by two or three points! Drink now.

1/9/2024 - mflesh wrote:

Classic dirty red fruit heavy Cabernet from Rutherford AVA. Lots of dirty red cherry, black cherry, a sprinkle of blackberries. Sourced from the western part of Rutherford, there are a seemingly innumerable number of soil types and microclimates. But this finishes with a classic Rutherford dust that you can almost see Tchelistcheff raising his glass and giving a nod of approval. Made in the classic Napa style, this wine is worth every bit of The price paid, and I get this one on a deal which makes it a double plus! Drink now or hold for 7 to 10 years with proper cellaring.