4/25/2024 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

89 on day 1, 91 on day 2. At first it was angular and super floral, with plenty of red fruit. Just a little out of sorts.

Day 2 it pulled together. Rose petal and cherries on the nose. A little stemmy. On the palate, raspberries and cranberries, slate, red apple skin.

Based on day 2, this could use some time sideways, but probably isn’t a super long ager.

4/13/2024 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Serious juice! Lemon, creamy, tropical, balanced by acidity. A kiss of oak, med. bodied. Great pairing with roasted sea bass.

1/23/2024 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

No formal note, but very tasty. Enough body to hold up to chicken pot pie.

12/30/2021 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Really delicious, silky, has come together perfectly. Just a touch sweet for me.

12/30/2021 - Eric.S wrote:

PnP. Pretty backwards. Possibly shut down at the moment. 750ml. Give it time or air.

1/9/2021 - Eric.S wrote:

Corked! Some good stuff underneath the mustiness... too bad.

12/30/2020 - Eric.S wrote:

Was about to post a note indicating that my bottle could be flawed... turned out it just needed 24 hours to open up.

Initially I could tell the wine was stacked, but there was a bitter vinegar like taste floating on top (a bit like an LdH Rioja) of dense blue and black fruit and a grip of tannins. The next day (after being recorked in fridge) I was surprised to find it silky and lush, dense raspberry, cassis, lovely spice, and a balanced frame of tannin and acid. If you plan to open, give it air!

10/11/2020 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Drink up, at peak! Nice balance of black fruit (mainly plum and blackberry), herbs, and smoke. Delicious!

8/29/2020 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Decided to crack this one early to check out the new vineyard source. I’ve never opened a Whitcraft wine that I didn’t like on Day 1, but this one definitely wasn’t showing much at first. Pretty nondescript, stuck a cork back in and hoped for the best tomorrow. I shouldn’t have worried, the clouds parted and the sunshine came out on Day 2 in a big way. Baking spice, dark fruit, citrus inflections, a bit of strawberry, with a slightly wild side, but not earthy (yet) or natty. One for the cellar, folks! Great material here.

6/29/2020 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

No formal notes, but this was seriously not bad and held up well over three nights (under cork in fridge). Total score at around $8 at Grocery Outlet.

6/14/2020 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Not too much to add that others haven’t... really a wow wine, and eye opening to what Beaujolais can do at that price.

6/13/2020 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Drank over the course of three days, under cork in the fridge overnight.

Very tight at first, borderline austere. Strawberries, cherries, and a dusty earth quality. Baking spice. Something here makes me think of Etna Rosso...

Definitely best on Day 2, and held strong into Day 3. Needs time to be really good, but it’s clearly well made. Will hold my other bottle for a couple years.

5/25/2020 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Day 1: Hitting me just right with soft red cherries, strawberry, cinnamon. Balanced, as in tannins and acidity are there but not getting in the way of approachability. A hit of bitterness before the finish is the only thing reminding me that this is super young. My first Ceritas, very nice, right in my wheelhouse.

Days 2 and 3 (back in fridge under cork): the fruit plumped up even more, mainly showing off cherry and rhubarb. A bit stony, with sea spray. No signs of oxidation by Day 3. Fantastic! 93+

5/16/2020 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

PnP. Pours a deep ruby. Initially a little austere on the nose (it later opened up), but getting dusty black cherry, raspberry, underripe blackberry, a little bbq, and dates. Mostly a repeat on the palate, with perfectly ripe fruit, white pepper, meaty, and elevated acidity. Despite the lowish 13.0 ABV, there’s a touch of heat on the finish. Really great pairing with bbq ribs and brisket.

For some reason this wine is recalling cooler Lodi wines that I’ve had - specifically Turley Kirschenmann Zin and Prie Carignan.

After about four hours open, still red fruit dominant, licoricey. Acidity still pretty high. Good stuff here.

5/11/2020 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Really enjoyed this. Lush (meaning not Loire style) Cab Franc nose, oak spice. Herbal, plush blackberry and plum fruit backed up by gravel and a nice tannic frame. Could probably hold, but drinking great now.

5/7/2020 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Note from day 2. Spritzy (carbonic?) at first pop, blows off. Fruity, savory, punchy, a little wild. Sneaky tannins. Too young? No idea. Tastes closest to Barbera, but does its best to shrug labels and do its own thing.

5/5/2020 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Tropical fruits, strawberry colada, cherry, fairly round profile given the lower 12.1% ABV. Floral, just a little peppery. Impression of sweetness, but wouldn’t be considered off dry (it’s probably bone dry). Nice minerality, but could wish for more acidity. Better on its own than with food for me (orange vinaigrette veggie salad). No bitterness. This is a Rose that the crowd and nerds should enjoy. A re-buy for me.

5/2/2020 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Corsican Rose delivers again! Pops with peach, stone fruits, a bit of cherry and finishes on a watermelon rind note. Rocking!

4/19/2020 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Side by side with 2017 Whitcraft La Lie Fine...

First pop, deep cherry / black cherry nose. Depth, a little tight.

After being open 4 hours, I’m picking up floral, freesia, just a hint of soil, cherry, black cherry, tart red fruit, cranberry, mixed darker berries. Medium bodied. A little astringent on the finish.

Compared to the Whitcraft, a little less graceful, but maybe more of an ager. A much better pairing with tri tip sandwiches and baked beans (but wouldn’t be my first choice for this meal). Obviously young, really good so far!

4/19/2020 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Side by side with 2018 Kelley Fox Mirabai...

Cloudy in appearance, but a beautiful ruby color. First pop, wild strawberries on the nose. Tastes like a minimal intervention wine, but no VA. Maybe the slightest little tang, but I like it.

After 4 hours open, it really unfurls. A pure red strawberry fields nose, just a little herbal. Leafy, almost fresh compost on the nose. Fennel. On the palate, it’s all about the red fruit, juicy, glides on the palate. Not tart, mellow, textural. Great acidity. Light/medium bodied.

Compared to the Kelley Fox, this is a redder profile. Gets closer to that “ethereal” feel that we’re all chasing (check out the SVD’s for that). For the same-ish price, I vote Whitcraft for the entry level bottling.

4/10/2020 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Penetrating nose of red fruit and soil. On the palate, we get into underripe blueberry and deep cherry zones, with cinnamon spice. Perfect acidity, doesn’t seem angry at being opened young, and a beautiful label to boot. Awesome! This is probably a 91ish, but bumping to 92 on value.

4/4/2020 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Really nice tonight. Elegant first and foremost. Highish acidity. Shows Syrah elements without screaming it. Blackberry, red fruit elements are there, along with smoke and meaty flavors. The flavors aren’t as delineated as last time, also no brett. Tannins aren’t in the way, I say drink up!

3/16/2020 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Big, black fruit, smoke, herbs, slight citrus. Medium acid, big ol’ tannins. Interesting wine, give it some air, eat with meat, or wait a decade.

3/10/2020 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Definitely delivers, as described. A value wine that still shows loads of black cherry, pomegranate, spice, and just a hint of citrus freshness. No heat, slightly lush, but not OTT.

1/16/2020 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Darn good, and bears more than a passing resemblance to the 2016 Pax Sonoma Hillsides (sans smoke, grilled meat, etc) due to the POP of red ripe raspberry, perfect acidity, unfiltered look and texture on the palate. There’s also a nice red apple skin that I often find in Anderson Valley. The complexity isn’t mind blowing, but I certainly enjoyed this over 2 nights (slightly better the first night after some air). I’m 91-92 on this, would definitely buy again.

1/13/2020 - Eric.S wrote:

Air definitely got to this bottle early. My 3rd bottle, other 2 were much better.

1/1/2020 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Day 1, decent, but there was an off putting slight vinegar smell on the nose. Palate was unaffected, earthy, good red fruit. Medium bodied, but a little watery in the middle.
By Day 3 this was actually really good, rounded out, and in balance.

12/27/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Pure fun in a bottle! Cloudy appearance, punchy strawberry / cherry / red fruit, floral elements, savory. Elevated bistro wine. Good to go after an hour or three of air.

12/26/2019 - Eric.S wrote:

Started out all earth, herbal, blood and iron, with cassis, raspberry, and blackberry. As it opened up though, VA bandaid saddle notes grew to dominate the nose. Not enough to stop us from finishing the bottle, but likely took away a good chunk of the potential that others have seen.

12/25/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Dense, black fruit, herbs. A little tight yet, doesn’t seem ready to spread its wings. A couple more years or a longer decant will do it some good.

12/21/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

From 375ml. Really nice blackberry/cassis plus a cedar spice note that screams mountain fruit. Doesn’t taste OTH to me, will go back and buy more.

12/18/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Darn good, no cheap wine taste here. Most inexpensive Pinot Noir is spoofed to the max. This is just an easygoing, light/med bodied pleaser. Earthy, hints at cherry/raspberry/blackberry. Would buy again, esp at $7 from Garagiste.

12/6/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Popped and poured about 10 minutes ago. The nose does indeed give a raisiny overripe impression, but not quite into port territory. There’s also a nice vanilla pipe tobacco note, white pepper, and mountainy cedar. Oak is still making its presence known, as are the tannins, but there’s a good underlying vein of blackberry and plum fruit.

Sounds like my bottle was better the previous poster’s. Not sure if the fruit will stick around as long as the tannin, I would drink up (and scoop up a few more if you like it).

11/23/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Identifiable as Syrah. Dark smokey fruit. The slightest “cheap wine” taste. Not complaining, paid $4 on close out.

11/6/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Complex nose: Leathery, herbal, cassis, woodsy, musk. Tastes of nice deep dark raspberry. Old cab flavors dominate. Medium bodied, nice acid, tannins faded to the background. Finish is a bit short, touch of heat on the end. Really great value *wink*nod*

10/23/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

MTOLERICO nailed it below, especially the plush raspberry, cinnamon stick, vanilla. My only criticisms are that the acidity is a little out in front and the alc heat is definitely present (but the finish is looooong). My favorite JBV of the 12-15 vintages so far.

10/21/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

My last of 4 bottles scored at auction. These 4 ranged from okay/past peak to amazing, and luckily the last one was best.

Definitely on the backside of peak, but still plenty to offer. Brown sugar, plum, and hint of smoke, on the nose followed by rich black raspberry, more plum, and just a bit of char on the palate. Fantastic texture, no heat, long finish.

The same auction pickup included 2001 Thompson and 2002 Melville Syrahs. One of the ‘01 Thompsons was incredible, the rest were so-so. Overall the ‘03 Melville’s were showing best.

10/14/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Agree with recent notes. Seems ready to go. PnP then followed over 3 hours first night before checking in night 2. Preferred on night 1.

Mostly red fruit, star anise, cassis. Lots of herbal notes like tobacco, maybe even a smidge of pyrazine. Finish wasn’t notably long. High quality mouthfeel which I’m assuming was from the oak. Good wine for 2011, would buy again, but not at the winery release pricing that I paid.

9/30/2019 - Eric.S wrote:

Buttery, lemon, herbal. Heavy oak component. Not my style, actually enjoyed the 2015 a lot more. Might have been better with some years behind it.

9/27/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

No formal notes, PnP at restaurant. Loved the complexity, didn’t find oak overpowering. Took home 1/3 of the bottle and it was even better the next day. Great bottle.

9/25/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Super dark for a Pinot. Black cherry for daaaaayys on the nose followed by plush red fruit like pomegranate, some plum, spice. Fairly jammy, doesn’t have that citric note that I often find in other RM Pinot. I found this pleasurable, but not my preferred style of Pinot - trades breadth for depth. Despite the size, it’s very well made and retains “Pinot-ness” if that makes sense.

9/11/2019 - Eric.S wrote:

Fine, a little closed on Day 1 as PnP, really good on Day 2 - and not just as a QPR. Highly recommend a lot of air or more time. 91+

Floral, high toned red fruit fruit on the nose. On the palate, jammy black fruit with a smokey mineral cut. A touch astringent on the finish still, more time will serve it well.

9/8/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

No formal notes, but this was on point paired with tri tip. Other notes mention elevated acidity... maybe that was true, as this was better with food than without. Complex and beautiful as a pairing with the meal.

8/25/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Loads of blackberry fruit, earthy, cigar wrapper. Bordering on sweet, but not quite crossing the line for me. Didn’t find it tannic with brisket, and good acidity made sure it never fell flat. Minimal air needed, enjoy!

8/19/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Really excellent. Oak influence without a lot of oak flavor - round profile, big body, just a hint of vanilla, no butter here. Great lime/apple/tropical fruit profile, great acidity for a vegan meal. Pop and pour, ready to go.

8/18/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

No formal notes. On the down side of peak, but near peak nonetheless. Considering that most of what I drink is nowhere near peak or on the upslope, this was a real treat for me. Beautifully integrated.

8/17/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Olive, briney, grilled meat, ripe tomato (?) on the nose with the weight of fruit behind it. On the palate, deep plum and black fruit, spice, not too tannic. Just the right amount of juicy acidity to make this a great pairing with a sirloin bacon burger. Stellar and balanced!

8/1/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Drinking fantastic at this stage. Better day 1 for me. No formal notes.

7/25/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

What RMH66 said. A little brash still, but very “Syrah”. Killer QPR.

7/17/2019 - Eric.S Likes this wine:

Really great today. A touch of brett still remains but I dig it. Black cherry and other juicy red fruit with some old world complexity.