Menu
Important Update From the Founder Read message >
Clear text

Comments on my notes

(15 comments on 13 notes)

1 - 13 of 13 Sort order
White - Sparkling
2012 Ultramarine Blanc de Noirs (Late Disgorged) Charles Heintz Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
10/3/2023 - acyso wrote:
90 points
Dinner at 312 Fish Market (Chicago, IL): From magnum. This is one of the most Champagne-like bottlings of Ultramarine I recall having; it's relatively rich and biscuity on the palate, but the midpalate and finish taper out a little bit. Very nice acidity overall, as well as minerality. Quite enjoyable, but I have some trouble with the value proposition here, unfortunately.

  • KL1191 commented:

    10/4/23, 12:01 PM - I'm glad to hear that it was enjoyed. Re: the value proposition, does it help if I tell you I paid ~$100 for the bottle?

Comment (See all 2 comments)
Red
2019 Rivers-Marie Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
9/4/2023 - Wino from Michigan wrote:
89 points
Good - but not good QPR

  • KL1191 commented:

    9/6/23, 12:40 PM - QPR is in the eye of the beholder, but the report was all over the trades last month that the average bottle from Napa now costs $108. I paid ~$75 (all-in, delivered) for this wine, and it's much, much better than average.

Comment (See all 3 comments)
Red
2010 Littorai Pinot Noir Savoy Vineyard Anderson Valley
2/6/2023 - pjhr Likes this wine:
94 points
Delicious sour red cherry, raspberries, and tea on the nose and palate with wonderful mouthfeel and acidity on the long finish. Drinking beautifully!

  • KL1191 commented:

    2/7/23, 8:29 AM - Serendipitously, I also opened a bottle of the 2010 Savoy last night (after hearing Ted talk last week about how he is pleasantly surprised by the staying power of the '10 vintage). It was my 3rd bottle of this since 2020, and I'm sad to say all have been similarly flat (my previous note was, "there's no *there* there"), and this one felt pre-maturely over the hill.

    Feeling like I am either taking crazy pills or my half-case suffered some sort of storage snafu before it reached me, I also opened a 2010 Hirsch and was absolutely floored...floral and tea aromas off the charts, a palate both giving and appropriately restrained.

    '10 will require further contemplation.

Comment (See all 2 comments)
Red
2015 Once & Future Wine Zinfandel Frank's Block Teldeschi Vineyard Dry Creek Valley
5/30/2022 - Night Train Likes this wine:
89 points
While son Morgan's 2015 Bedrock zins seem to be at least a year from peaking, Dad Joel's 2015 zin seems to aleady be fading. Same nose and flavor profile as a bottle about a year ago, but it has lost a little vibrancy and a lot of tannins. Time to drink up.

  • KL1191 commented:

    6/15/22, 3:44 PM - The bottle of this I had tonight is so good that I'm half-convinced that this account is Joel trying to goad people into opening these older bottles so they'll realize how good they are and order more on the next release.

Comment (See all 4 comments)
White - Sweet/Dessert
1981 Château d'Yquem Sauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend
5/12/2022 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Pre 1990 Cali Cab + 1981 Birthday Surprise! (Cowford Chophouse): A definite treat because D'Yquem is one of the few producers that always does a good wine year in and year out and this was no exception. Is it the finish that lingers completely forever - not exactly. It is still long and interesting and in some ways I'm not sure I don't like the 'off' vintages a bit more because they are more restrained in their sweetness. This was that. Drinking quite nicely. A great finish to the evening.

  • KL1191 commented:

    5/25/22, 7:23 AM - Was this from 375 or 750? Had a 375 a couple weeks ago that seemed a bit tired, but perhaps restrained is the better word. Was going to push to find a reason to open my remaining 750 in the hopes it showed a bit better, but now wondering if it's not so much the age as the vintage.

  • KL1191 commented:

    5/25/22, 7:49 AM - Thanks, I think we had a very similar experience with the wine, I was just less prepared for it. Really appreciate the contemporaneous POV.

Comment (See all 3 comments)
Red
2010 Littorai Pinot Noir Cerise Vineyard Anderson Valley
11/25/2021 - Sfo_ryan wrote:
flawed
Corked :( extremely muted fruit, little to no nose. A little disappointed - it was a recent library purchase from the winery.

  • KL1191 commented:

    12/3/21, 9:25 AM - If I may, I'd suggest politely letting them know and giving them a chance to demonstrate what I've seen as tremendous customer service. We drink a LOT of Littorai and have only ever encountered a single bottle that was unquestionably corked. I mentioned it as part of an email to their support team on a few topics and they replaced it without question. I still chuckle when thinking about that rather inauspicious note, because one of the other items that I raised started a dialogue that months-later ended up with Ted coming to our house for dinner.

Comment
White - Sparkling
2014 Under The Wire Sparkling Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard Fort Ross - Seaview
1/31/2019 - jgreco Does not like this wine:
88 points
Wine Country; 1/31/2019-2/3/2019 (California): Tasted at the Bedrock tasting room in Sonoma. Difficult to pin down, the 2014 Under The Wire Pinot Noir Sparkling Hirsch Vineyard is entirely unique and unlike any Blanc de Noir sparkling you might have had before. The pale orange color, perfumed aromatics, grainy texture, and savory finish on such a young wine is compelling, if not exactly pleasurable. Tasted twice over the weekend with similar notes.

  • KL1191 commented:

    9/2/20, 2:10 PM - Probably because it's not BdN, it's sparkling rose´. Someone managed to get the classification changed here, but here's the description from the original offer email:

    "2014 Hirsch Sparkling Pinot Noir Rose´, Sonoma Coast $75"

    "This is a delicately colored rose´, a style we feel best expresses the beautifully delineated and focused flavors of the site. We foot stomped the grapes and let them soak for a couple hours prior to pressing."

Comment (See all 2 comments)
Rosé - Sparkling
2011 Ultramarine Rosé (Late Disgorged) Heintz Vineyard Sonoma Coast Champagne Blend
12/14/2019 - soyhead wrote:
rich and surprisingly powerful. complex, and kind of strange as well. I enjoyed it and would be interesting in revisiting.

  • KL1191 commented:

    12/20/19, 11:05 AM - Strange, yes. This was the most interesting wine in the room during a full retrospective of Ultramarine earlier this year (dinner with Cruse @ Ko), narrowly beating out the 2018 Heintz vin clair, imo. Can't wait to open a bottle.

Comment
Red
2017 Littorai Pinot Noir Les Larmes Anderson Valley
2/26/2019 - 010taster Likes this wine:
72 points
Elegant jonge stijl fruit mooie zuren iets groen

  • KL1191 commented:

    2/27/19, 9:26 AM - Ik denk dat je de score verkeerd begrijpt.

Comment
Red
2016 Littorai Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
12/29/2017 - KL1191 wrote:
flawed
Corked.

  • KL1191 commented:

    7/8/18, 8:39 AM - This CT note will always bring a smile to my face, because not only did Littorai replace the bottle, but the conversation that started there led to Ted Lemon at dinner at our house serving an unbelievable lineup of library wines.

Comment
White - Sparkling
2014 Under The Wire Sparkling Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard Fort Ross - Seaview
12/29/2017 - Jahull03 wrote:
BDN / not rose (misclassified on cellar tracker)

Upon opening, very vigorous bubbles / fresh and not showing a whole lot. An hour later, as the bubbles have died down, this started to show quite a bit more. First thing to know - this wine shows a ton of Pinot character - has as strong of a sense of the grape as any sparkling rose, though this is BDN. It's a big wine - muscular and deep. Some peaches on the nose, though without the overt sweetness that note would indicate.

One glass leftover for day 2 - a couple comments: I like this at least as well as a near-still wine as I did as a sparkling wine. Its worst moment (still pretty good but nothing compared to its peak) was immediately upon opening, with vigorous bubbles.... if you've read this far, please pull the cork earlier than you think you'd like to. Second comment - there's a lot of depth here and I will put aside a couple bottles to age. Should be interesting.

  • KL1191 commented:

    7/8/18, 8:34 AM - Looking back at the release email, this is described as 'Sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé', albeit one they recognize as 'delicately colored'. So, CT appears to have the designation correct, despite the appearance in the glass.

Comment
White - Sparkling
2010 Ultramarine Blanc de Blancs Heintz Vineyard Sonoma Coast Chardonnay
11/29/2017 - KL1191 Likes this wine:
94 points
Recently disgorged (this week?), poured by Michael at Marta. This doesn't taste a lot like Ultramarine, but that might be because this wine (and, to a lesser extent, the 2012 magnums he was also pouring) are sort of antithetical to his stated mission of releasing wines ready to be consumed. While it was somewhat pleasurable, I don't think this is at all ready to drink. But, it has depth, weight and length that I expect will reward in a couple years.

  • KL1191 commented:

    11/29/17, 6:35 PM - Probably more fair that way, actually.

  • KL1191 commented:

    11/30/17, 11:27 AM - Yes, LD 2010 BdB and magnums of 2012 BdB & BdN...described as 'secret projects', previously not publicly tasted.

Comment (See all 5 comments)
Red
2011 Shafer Merlot Napa Valley
8/19/2014 - mactheknife wrote:
88 points
This will take time to evolve; I have no doubt that given some time, it will be very good; that being said, it still is a bit disjointed and has some green notes to it. Sit it down for a couple of years.

  • KL1191 commented:

    8/30/14, 12:28 PM - Completely agree. Tasted this a few months ago, and while it had the most promise of the 12 wines that day, it also needs at least 2-3 years.

Comment
1 - 13 of 13

Search

Clear text
Help | About | Contact Us | Terms | Privacy
Facebook | Twitter
© 2003-24 CellarTracker! LLC.
View Full Website | Report a Problem
Search
Clear text

Report a Problem

Close

Your report has been submitted!

Thanks for letting us know about this problem. We will review your comments and be in touch soon with an update.

Close