8/9/2020 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Beautiful!

1/4/2020 - Mark Reinhold wrote:

I’ve enjoyed this Champagne many times before, but not this time. Thin on the palate and hardly any finish. Will wait a few years before spending this much money again. Disappointing.

12/31/2019 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Not particularly complex, but for $30 it hits all the right notes: Good bubbles, toasty brioche on the nose, lemon/pear on the palate, and a decently long finish.

12/21/2019 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

Cherry on the nose, overripe plum on the palate, and a thin, acrid, cough-syrup finish. Disappointing, since I’ve enjoyed many past vintages of this wine. It used to be a reliable, lighter Zinfandel.

12/20/2019 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Perfectly enjoyable, but nothing to write home about.

12/15/2019 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

Not showing well at all right now. The enticing nose was followed by not much body and a thin, sour finish. I have one more bottle, which I’ll let sit for a few years, but I’m not optimistic.

9/2/2019 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Enjoyable but just over the hill at this point, with not much structure remaining.

8/11/2019 - Mark Reinhold wrote:

Drinkable, but one-dimensional.

7/21/2019 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

An appealing nose and body, with balanced notes of lemon and chalk, is sadly marred by a metallic finish.

7/7/2019 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Beautifully balanced, and an excellent value.

6/23/2019 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Fantastically complex.

2/23/2019 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

Zinfandel should not taste like blackberry jam. Hints of blackberries are fine. This wine goes way beyond hints.

2/23/2019 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

Recognizably a Cabernet, but that’s about the best I can say about it. Thin and watery, with no finish.

2/23/2019 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

If tasting this blind, I’d swear that I was drinking sugar water. It tastes like sucrose with just a hint of vanilla in the finish. I’d be embarrassed to serve this wine to anyone.

1/27/2019 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Cherry, green apple, and yeast on the nose. Fine bubbles. The cherry continues on the palate, but is dominated by a very strong minerality.

1/6/2019 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

Bought this on the recommendation of someone at K&L, who compared it to a white Burgundy.

Nope.

1/4/2019 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Bright and clean, though by no means stellar. Good value.

12/22/2018 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Fine, light bubbles with good acidity and minerality, but the lemon-dominated palate lacks subtlety.

12/9/2018 - Mark Reinhold wrote:

Incredibly light texture with very fine bubbles, but not much flavor to speak of.

12/2/2018 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

Surprisingly toasty on the nose; yeasty with a hint of green apple. Light body on the palate, with lemon and green apple dominated by chalk, the latter of which persists through a very long finish. Interesting, but disappointingly uncompelling.

11/24/2018 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Lemon, apple, and toasted brioche right up front, with well-balanced acidity and minerality. Excellent value.

11/22/2018 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Lemon, apple, and pear on the nose. Fine bubbles and good body. The palate is dominated by lemon and apple when cold, broadening to a richer Meyer lemon and Granny Smith apple as it warms up, but it never showed the toasty body that I expect in a vintage Champagne.

10/16/2018 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

Just awful.

If you ever wondered whether it’s a good idea to ferment a fine, delicate Assyrtiko in French oak barrels, this wine will disabuse you of that notion.

10/6/2018 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

Meh.

10/6/2018 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

Meh.

7/22/2018 - Mark Reinhold wrote:

Currants, blackberries, and dusty smoke. Well balanced at this stage, with no decant needed; just let it breathe in the glass for half an hour. Will not hold for much longer.

7/21/2018 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Lovely silky texture. Perfect right now.

6/26/2018 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Brilliant.

6/25/2018 - Mark Reinhold wrote:

Enjoyable, and unusually little oak for a California Chardonnay, but not particularly complex and not really worth the price.

6/21/2018 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

Sour oak. Dumped.

6/18/2018 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

Oak, oak, oak.

6/17/2018 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

Lovely fruit, sadly overpowered by excessive acidity.

6/15/2018 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Nothing extraordinary, but eminently drinkable and an excellent value.

6/14/2018 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

Oak. Acid. No thanks.

6/13/2018 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Not stunning, but definitely enjoyable. Nice body for an inexpensive white.

6/11/2018 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

Unusual color, a pinkish magenta. Sour on the nose and sour on the palate, with no other discernible flavors. Dumped the bottle. Not sure why they bothered to make this.

6/1/2018 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Melon, lemon, flint, and just a touch of oak. More body, and less grass, than many Sauvignon Blancs. Not too acidic. Excellent value.

5/28/2018 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

A little more oak and this would be undrinkable. As it is, it's tolerable though not at this price point.

5/28/2018 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

Well-made, but disappointingly over-oaked.

5/15/2018 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

Very fine bubbles and lovely fruit on the nose are sadly overpowered by extremely acidic lemon in the long finish.

5/11/2018 - Mark Reinhold wrote:

A well-made Vermentino, but lacks the typical minerality.

4/29/2018 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Popcorn, pear, and lemon on the nose. Fine, strong bubbles. Pear and lemon on the palate, slight chalk but not overdone. Long toasty, lemony finish. Delicious!

4/28/2018 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Typical plum and cherry on the nose, carried through to a well-balanced body with a hint of earth and a long, slightly peppery finish. A bit fruity at first, but fine after half an hour in the glass.

4/28/2018 - Mark Reinhold wrote:

Dirt, lemon, and not much else.

4/27/2018 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Classic Dry Creek Valley plum and blackberry on the nose, balancing well with the tannins on the palate. Needs no decant, just wait half an hour.

4/25/2018 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Nice silky texture and pleasant floral overtones with balanced minerality.

4/26/2018 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

Enjoyed this in the Idlewild tasting room, so bought three bottles. Can’t believe this is the same wine. Hardly any nose, barely any flavor other than a bitter, vaguely phenolic nutmeg. Won’t rate this in case these were just three unluckily bad bottles.

4/25/2018 - Mark Reinhold Does not like this wine:

All lemon, and not much else.

4/21/2018 - Mark Reinhold wrote:

Disappointingly over-oaked, but drinkable.

4/21/2018 - Mark Reinhold Likes this wine:

Very enjoyable, and typically Rafanelli, but not thrilling. Past its prime and starting to lose structure as the tannins fade. Drink now.