4/21/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Gorgeous nose with cinnamon, camphor, black cherry, so complex! On the palate: lovely acidity, blood orange, black cherry, soft smoke/granite. Soft tannin on the close. Always a surprise, and so good even after 3 days open.

4/18/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Hmm. Needed 2 hrs to settle. At first, reminded me a bit of 04 Cote de Nuits with the ladybug issues (definitely not a positive). Loads of forest floor, red fruit, but a hard edge, that seems more like the hardness in 2005 red burgs with air. On the palate: lovely acidity, solid density, more red fruit, forest floor, and a ton of minerality, but.a hard rustic tannic finish that makes this quite difficult. We'll see whether this softens tomorrow.

4/18/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. See previous notes: stunning.

4/16/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Notes from 24 hrs open (in the fridge overnight). On the nose: soft apple, lime, tarragon, meyer lemon...not sure I would have guessed Chenin if I didn't know. On the palate: fantastic acidity lovely density and more of what I expect with Chenin; fantastic minerality, and pure sour apple. Long finish. An excellent vintage of this wine, imo.

4/16/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour, notes from 24 hrs open. Previous notes still apply, but this comes off as more approachable now.

4/14/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Better than my last btl. On the nose: blackberry, wild strawberry, soft iron a touch of coffee, and a dash of cinnamon. Lovely nose! On the palate: lovely acidity, dense red fruit, but quickly overcome by rustic attack and aggressive chewy, grainy tannin. Less lovely on the palate.

4/14/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Wish I could have waited longer. Gorgeous again. Wow.

4/14/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

See previous note. Excellent.

4/13/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Has it really been more than 7 years from my last btl. On the nose: lavender, blackberry, raspberry, plum, toast. On the palate: fantastic density, blackberry, cracked pepper, char, yum. Soft, but dusty tannin on the finish. Fantastic CdP.

4/12/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Notes from Day 2 open. On the nose: stone, gooseberry, grass, chalk. On the palate: solid acidity, stone, good density, grapefruit, apple. Solid finish. Long finish.

4/12/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Unscrew and pour. For an American PN audience, this shows Russian River Valley fruit, and Santa Ynez elegance, with whole cluster spiciness thrown in the mix. Tasmanian PN was a revelation on this last trip, and this wine was our favorite at the Giant Steps tasting. On the nose: ripe raspberry to start, then more pomegranate and spice after a couple hours open. On the palate: lovely acidity, loads of cracked pepper spice, soft stems, wild strawberry and pomegranate molasses and elegant tannin on the finish. Excellent now (and I was told that the current winemaker makes these so they may be drunk without extended maturation), but one can't help but wonder what time will do...Lovely.

4/10/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Been a while since my last btl. Decanted (wide-bottom decanter with lots of swirling yesterday); fair amount of reduction up front, but went away with an hour open. Notes from 24 hrs open. On the nose: wild strawberry, pomegranate molasses, cinnamon, clove, so much going on. On the palate: fantastic acidity, broader and darker than I remember this being; more black fruit and soft stems. Lovely soft tannin on the close. Much better than my last showing, which was already very good.

4/11/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Grilled nuts, lemon, lemon oil, loads of mineral notes with a kiss of.vanilla. Fantastic acidity and density, wet stone, lemon, soft vanilla, elegant and classic. Always lovely.

4/10/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Still ticks all the Cayuse boxes with more acidity than I remember experiencing on average. On the nose: black raspberry, grilled cabbage, olive, soft char. On the palate: good acidity, chalk, red fruit, a touch thinner than expected but solid, spicy finish, showing a touch of heat, but largely attenuated tannin.

4/7/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. This just needed time. Notes from Day 2 open. Glorious. Comes off as a New World inflected Echezeaux, with loads of cardamom, spice, pomegranate, black tea. It just wafts from the glass in waves. Gorgeous on the palate: fantastic acidity, elegant, satiny black fruit and pomegranate molasses, a touch of cinnamon and pepper dust, wild strawberry, loads of spice and wispy tannin on the finish. Stunningly elegant now.

4/7/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Unscrew and pour. See previous note. Excellent wine for the price.

4/7/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Wow, super bummed. Last btl, haven't had in 7 years and it's corked. Not so bad that it ruined the palate, but the nose is awful.

4/6/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Leesy lemon, soft cream, lime, lovely sense of richness. On the palate: lovely acidity, meyer lemon, soft key lime, some vanilla, and caramel, excellent richness and a long finish. Fantastic for the price.

4/6/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Final btl. Absolutely gorgeous and hasn't lost a step. On the nose: dark, earthy MSD fruit, with loads of soft cocoa and game notes. On the palate: black and red fruit. earth, leather, soft cocoa, fantastic acidity. and that '05 "hardness" has finally softened to leave wispy tannin and lingering tang and spice. Only took 19 years....

4/6/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Badly corked! So sad.

4/3/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Notes from 2 days open. Attenuated by comparison to previous btls, but see prev notes.

4/3/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Notes from 2 days open. Not as exciting as thr Johan vineyard, imo, but still a very nice btl.

4/1/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Unscrew and pour. Notes from Day 2 open. On the nose: wild sour cherry, soft bark, a touch of medicinal herbs. Not as intense as previous btls. On the palate: solid acidity, more sour cherry, pomegranate molasses and savory notes on the palate. Attenuated tannin on the very juicy finish. Very tasty, but needed the right food pairing at this stage, which it did not get.

4/1/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Brought up a wine, gave to my wife, and she said: why didn't you bring up something different from what we've been drinking. April Fool's joke's on me. Brought this up instead. Betrays every bit of its 15% ABV in heat on the nose and palate. I'll be generous and call it "spice". Pure plum, dense black and blue fruit on the nose..with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer. On the palate: solid acidity, lighter bodied than expected, compensated for by black pepper and heat, cola, black fruit and grainy tannin on the finish. Good, but somewhat disjointed. This btl seems likely to fall apart.

3/31/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Six months. See previous note. Very hi-toned. Yum!

3/31/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Will follow over a few days. On the nose: lees, dense peach, soft guava, a touch of flowers. On the palate: fantastic acid up front, grapefruit and sour apple, soft peach, loads of wet stone and dense lemon kicks in, then a hi-toned, tangy finish. Maybe a touch short right now.

3/20/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Dark and rich, with loads of crystalline blackberry and pomegranate. Dense tannin at first and betrays a touch of heat. Didn't finish this before we left on the 23rd. Had again today and it was done.

3/30/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. On the.nose: peach, lychee, minerality. On the palate: fantastic acidity, wet stone, citrus. Very bright with a solid finish. Apparently a touch of RS, but completely imperceptible. Lovely.

3/28/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Gorgeous chardonnay. On the nose loads of soft yellow fruit, soft flinty notes. Fantastic acidity, lovely density. fantastic minerality and fruit reflecting the nose. Even better after a couple of days open. Yum.

3/27/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Popped and decanted. This is a spitting image for classically styled Mosel Spatburgunder, say, Molitor Brauneberger Mandelgraben. The similarities are eerie. On the nose: coffee, wild strawberry, soft toast. On the palate: good density, soft toast, wild strawberry, still very young. Fascinating.

3/26/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pure, dense, New World syrah. On the nose: blackberry, plum, soft black pepper. On the palate: a touch flabby, but cherry, tobacco, plum liqueur, and juicy notes on a finish that shows some grip in its waning moments in the mouth..soft spicy heat on the finish, and the 15% ABV is relatively well hidden. Not bad.

3/25/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Huge nose of iodine, sea salt, ripe lemon..On the palate: lemon, lemon oil, fantastic acidity, iodine and wet stone. Lovely, super-freshly-styled timorasso. Yum.

3/25/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. On the nose: loads of lemon oil and wet stone minerality. On the palate: lovely acidity, somewhat linear. Maybe this would be more interesting with some age.

3/24/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. On the nose: cranberry, cinnamon, floral notes, almost a musky perfume; fantastic aromatics. On the palate: lovely acidity, spicy cinnamon, grapefruit pith, loads of stony minerality on a long, slightly spicy finish. This btl was a blend of 2011 and 2017, July 2023 disg, 100% PN. Absolutely lovely btl.

3/24/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Leesy and rich, with loads of darker fruit, and a touch of reductive character Soft mousse, lovely acidity and a clean finish. Versatile sparkler.

3/20/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Unscrew and pour. Notes from 24 hrs open. On the nose: soft effervescent vanilla, florals, stone and lychee. On the palate: good acidity, soft mint, lychee, stone. A hint of leesy character. Solid, maybe preferred previous editions?

3/20/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

A solid btl. I probably enjoyed the younger '21 Spatburgunder from the same producer more. This didn't show a lot of wood influence, but instead came off as a slightly jammy, densely fruited PN. Lovely dark red fruit to start that turned to plum/prune with a few days open, solid acidity and a good finish.

3/19/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Last bottle was very flawed. This btl was glorious. Dense lemon and tangerine on the nose. Richly-styled lemon, custard and tangerine on the palate. Excellent acid and a long finish. Fantastic.

3/14/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Popped by my FIL. After 4 days open, still totally solid. See previous note.

3/17/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Unscrew and pour. This is absolutely fantastic. On the nose: soft lime, vanilla (but no oak, this is all stainless), meyer lemon. On the palate: fantastic acidity, soft minerality, meyer lemon and a surprisingly long finish. Unbelievably good for the price. Wow.

3/17/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Been open for a few days, and I wasn't around when it was opened. At this stage, it seems more disjointed and blowsy than I expect from.one of these wines. Nevertheless, a lovely example that shows lots of gooseberry, soft quince and grass on the nose. A touch flabby on the palate by comparison to previous vintages, but solid.

3/16/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

A little.while since my last btl. On the nose: pineapple guava, vanilla cream, a touch of basil and peach. On the palate: fantastic acidity and density. More pineapple, guava, basil and loads of stony notes. Richly textured, with a grapefruit crescendo on the close. Gorgeous.

3/8/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. 10/21 disg. Wow. Sweet lemon and lime on the nose, with some soft vanilla. On the palate: stunning acidity, but good richness to balance. Soft lemon, apple, caramel cream, soft ginger. Lovely elegant mousse and a long finish. Wow, fantastic.

3/7/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Notes from 24 hrs open. This is actually better today than yesterday. On the nose: blackberry, mulberry, mulberry leaf, soft cocoa. On the palate: lovely acidity, some soft game, blackberry, mulberry, lighter bodied than one expects based on the nose. Hi-toned finish with soft tannin. This btl seems at or close to peak. Gorgeous.

3/7/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Slightly premoxed, which ruined this for me.

3/6/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Wow. Absolutely lovely. Still very primary, so wait a bit before going back.

3/5/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Maybe slightly more secondary notes than previous btl, but again fantastic. Gotta keep my hands off this for a while!

3/3/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Fantastic floral (citrus blossom) notes on the nose, supported by meyer lemon and kaffir lime. On the palate: very hi-toned, kaffir lime, lemon, wet stone. Slightly short finish.

3/2/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Cork fell apart, but btl was in pristine condition. On the nose: tertiary dried raspberry, charcoal, soft red earth. Just stunning. On the palate: dried red fruit, charred meat, soft wild strawberry. No rush to drink if this btl was representative.

3/2/2024 - Aravind Asok wrote:

Pop and pour. Notes from 24 hrs open. On the nose: pineapple, meyer lemon, a kiss of vanilla. Large scaled on the nose and better put-together today than yesterday. On the palate: fantastic acidity, and richness, soft ginger, meyer lemon, and wet stone. Some tangy citrus and a long finish. Needs a lot of air right now, so wait a while on final btl (even though this is a ripe '17!).