1/29/2024 - S-F wrote:

Dug this one out from the back of my cellar and this one surprised me. Not because Bryan Harrington doesn't make great wine, but because he's a little bit on the more natural side, so I feared it might have not aged as well with a (presumably) lesser sulfite dose. I was expecting more oxidation, if I'm honest. Boy was I wrong! This is as nervy and youthful as anything I've ever had. A real pleasure of a wine and straight up my alley: nervy, young in feel, almost a little spritzy, hint of reduction, earth, medium bodied with perfectly elegant tannins. No discernible oak. For me, this is exactly how Cabernet should taste. What a great little surprise!

1/26/2024 - S-F wrote:

Though I'd celebrate a little after the winter release and this seemed to fit the bill (although I had planned on saving it a bit longer).

On the nose, initially the tropics, but after a very short decant, more of a honeysuckle, fall garden feel where the bumble bees stagger-fly around fat and happy between flowers. First sip is like drinking something viscous - like a golden elixir of honey and flower-infused oil. You almost have to bite it off, it's as thick as a Frank Frazetta-vixen. Hints of honey, dulce de leche, wax, bitter almonds and oak. A lot of oak. A style that's very removed from the style I normally enjoy in Chardonnay, but you know what? It just works brilliantly in that opulent lane, simply because it's so perfectly balanced and made. It makes no excuses for its big personality and it knows it has all the eyes on it as it enters the room. A great indulgence and a great wine. I'm so happy this style exists - and dare I say it? - a uniquely American style.

1/2/2024 - S-F wrote:

WoT focuses on Italian varieties and I have had a few of their Teroldegos in the past. This was a great encounter - a little bit of Luxardo cherries and tertiary stuff like tea and leather. And reverse engineered, I think this would probably have had some serious tannins young, but now just offers an elegant resolved hint of that. In a perfect spot for drinking, if you ask me.

10/12/2023 - S-F wrote:

What's there to say? As good as they kind of get. On the nose it's a bit shy, not giving off too much. But the palate is a cornucopia of tea, tobacco, leather etc. You see where I'm going with this - tannins. Lots of tannins. But they're so deliciously right, even young, that they just elevate.

The taste buds sense a bit of anise, maybe some clove. The American oak seamlessly integrated and showing none of the markers everyone attribute to it. I'd argue, blind, you'd never call AO out.

And at the end, to sum it up, I was surprised by the freshness and acid at display. You think the combination of tannins and acid would create something harsh, but it's the very opposite. So elegant and complete.

Truly some of the best the New World has to offer - you can take this anywhere and make an impression.

9/22/2023 - S-F wrote:

A variety I had not had before. On the nose it doesn't give much away, but it has a bit of that whole cluster PN vibe I sometimes smell in Marcus Goodfellows wines. In glass pours pretty purple/dark and on palate hits you with crisp sour cherries and just barely ripe red fruits. You can def taste the stem inclusion as. In a blind, I would have guessed Gamay, but Gamay with a little more drying tannins somehow. Loved it!

8/17/2023 - S-F Likes this wine:

Cinnamon, lavender and crushed asphalt with a hint of anise on the palate. Enormous length. And although a 15% wine, still very light on its feet, never feels heavy. Perfect amount of oak. Honestly, it kind of blows the doors off most other bigger name/more expensive Syrah’s from this region. Fruit mainly from Kimsey vineyard. Highly recommend.

7/22/2023 - S-F wrote:

At first whiff a little reduction, then, strangely a hint of petrol almost. On palate a lot of green tarte apples, lemons and a floral note. Very enjoyable, fresh and lively, but perhaps not the most everlasting or evolved.

7/6/2023 - S-F wrote:

I've mentioned before that Lioco, pound for pound, deliver some of the best wines in CA, consistently. But because they're not priced astronomically, they kind of don't get talked about as much as they deserve. This wine is stunning - everything you want in Chardonnay. Grassy Timothy notes, no hint of the tropical notes or oak. The age has given it just enough flesh and length to really impress and it occupies that perfect balance between a nervy, fresher Chard and an evolved elder statesman Chard. Do not miss at this price.

7/1/2023 - S-F wrote:

Very expressive nose that gives hints of what's to come: the Caribbean! Super-tropical on the palate, with a pretty heavy use of oak. Never taste butter on Chardonnay, but here I can almost do it. I'd heard the Chuy vineyard had a lot of phenolics, but wasn't tasting that necessarily, but there's def a salty note somehow (which I like) and a slight heft. Still elegant. Not really my style of Chardonnay, but well executed and enjoyable.

6/19/2023 - S-F wrote:

Can only agree with the other reviewers praise - expressive nose, almost explosive on the attack in mouth, then swiftly goes into fine and elegant tannins. Pure, silky cool climate luxury. So well made. Only thing that holds it back from a 95 score is I think it doesn't smash the finish length compared to the Que Syrah bottling that had me praying at the altar of Syrah and A-R! Oh lord do I love this grape.

6/7/2023 - S-F wrote:

Bipolar wine. Wonderful nose greets you, but on first sip after PnP, it's lumbering, oaky and a bit monolithic. I got Petit Syrah vibes. It continues like that for about 30mins, until suddenly it starts to evolve and becomes this sprightly thing, full of vigor! Ends on great note, so prob best to decant for a good hour before serving.

5/9/2023 - S-F wrote:

Didn't take notes when I drank it, but it had a wonderful, classic Zin nose, quite expressive. Tension and freshness on the palate without any jammy or sweet overtones and no discernible oak. Delicious stuff. The way Zin should be.

BTW, I've drunk a few of Calire's wines now and they've all been great.

5/6/2023 - S-F wrote:

Popped and poured. At first, very tightly wound. But after a little time started unfolding in glass. Sour cherries, violets. What emerges eventually is a very elegant, beautiful Syrah. But I think this one will reward with a little more time, so no rush. I'll put my remaining bottle away at the back, away from temptation.

5/3/2023 - S-F wrote:

An amazing wine. Not quite sure how Hardy manages to get his super aromatic noses that almost come out of the glass to punch you in the face! Very quaffable on palate, but with enough seriousness to get you through the winters. Seriously impressive. I think this is my favorite so far of the ones I've had from this batch!

4/19/2023 - S-F wrote:

I had been on a podcast and they'd asked how I thought the Missions would age? And I realized I probably hadn't drunk the 2018 in well over two years, which is crazy. Don't get high on your own supply and all that? So tonight I popped one open as I was making a nice stew to see how it had evolved. The 2018 was always a bit softer than the 2019, with a little more oak and perhaps a touch of heat in its youth (the tannic Campari-notes of Mission often present themselves as heat, but on this first vintage, there def was a bit from the alc as well). Well, it presented itself very nicely, thanks for asking. It has certainly evolved and become a bit more elegant. The fruit notes have morphed into a more aged bouquet, a little more port-like (which Mission has a tendency towards even when young), without being at all over the hill. Just evolved. The oak is imperceptible to me, but I know a few others thought they could still sense it on palate. I cannot. Faded and dried strawberries. If I can sum the wine up in a picture: elegant older gentleman in a smoking jacket. Think this has an easy 10 years still of life.

4/19/2023 - S-F wrote:

Didn't know it was Gamay until I came here an read about it, because it presented itself almost like a light Syrah. But maybe that was just confirmation bias by reading "Red Rhone Wine" on the label. I'm not very up on the appellations, as you can tell (in fact, didn't know there was much Gamay in Rhone?). Anyway, a little very mild funk open opening, a red fruited and very expressive nose moves us swiftly into a pretty deep color in glass. And yes, now that I know it's Gamay, I can taste it. Soft tannins, a bit of fruit, great acidity, distinctively not from the New World. Actually a very nice wine, even if it isn't profound in any way. I think the other reviewers were a little miserly with their scores. This is good everyday drinker.

4/6/2023 - S-F wrote:

Wife had opened this wine when I was away. Only got around to it a day after it'd been in fridge. On nose, a very interesting pineapple note. Never had that before on a Polish Hill. On palate, a very savory, saline yet racy profile as you'd expect from a PH. No petrol notes, just clean and bright citrus and seawater (now this could be because it had been open for awhile). Someone else mentioned that it felt maybe a touch sweeter than previous vintages and perhaps they are correct? Don't get me wrong, this is still bone dry, but not quite as austere as usual. And maybe that's a good thing. Always a pleasure the PH. And - always world class.

3/30/2023 - S-F wrote:

Pale as they come. Nose a little shy. But evolves in glass into a beautiful rendition of Riesling w. very good balance. A little chamomile, a little bit of grass and again a great salinity. Feels like a colder climate rendition somehow, which would make sense as it's from Tasmania. No petrol notes at all. In fact, my wife thought it was a lean Chard when I served it to her initially. Sweetness? Well, just about dry in my book, but pushing the limit towards off-dry. Excellent stuff. Glad this is getting to the US.

3/29/2023 - S-F Likes this wine:

Beautiful, classic R nose, hints of new car interior. On the palate, very floral, meyer lemons, timothy grass and some great salinity. There's a tiny hint of the tropics in it too, like as if someone tipped 10% of Chard into it. For me, as usual, this is off dry and has sweetness for my palate, which in my view, makes the acid a teensy bit lacking, but I'm an acid freak, so might not be someone else's idea. Great wine.

3/13/2023 - S-F wrote:

Have very little experience with this Savoie grape, if I'm honest. This might actually be my first pure expression. What a lovely encounter! Dark as the night, earth and fruit on nose. Slightly underripe lingonberry from my youth and black stuff, with he fine tannins of a wine of hundreds and hundreds of bucks. So elegant, but can still go fo years. I can't help but get Syrah vibes from this grape, maybe with a 30% note of Blaufränkisch or some other Austrian variety. Wow, just wonderful wine. So happy I got this as part of BD!

3/1/2023 - S-F wrote:

A little more power than I normally see in Marcus's wines. Feels almost like a California PN. Still delicious and feels like it's in the right spot now.

2/25/2023 - S-F wrote:

Blueberries and fresh, black plums on the nose. Graphite and sour maraschino cherries on the palate. The tannins are strong in this one, but this MF keeps opening up and opening up with each sip, forcing you back for more like an addict. Super-engaging wine and just perfectly tasteful in execution - just the right subtle hint of oak (almost imperceptibly there), way below the normal Napa sledgehammering. Fresh as a daisy, too. I think this will be an amazing wine with a little more time on it, but is already showing its potential. Stock up.

2/23/2023 - S-F wrote:

This wine is on my personal scale just verging into off-dry.

Here are my personal definitions:

Dry: No perception of sweetness
Off-dry: Some perception of sweetness, but not sweet
Sweet: Sweet

2/16/2023 - S-F wrote:

Wound very tight at first opening. Inky and tannic. Let it sit for another day and it evolved into something much different, more rounded and mellow. Still, a very powerful wine at 15.5%, yet somehow lighter in feel than many Turley's of same weight. Can probably take some aging and mellowing, but showing nice potential.

2/11/2023 - S-F wrote:

High toned, floral nose. Very expressive. At first sip - I can immediately tell this is my jam. Yes, it's a bit young still (I couldn't resist opening one from my BerserkerDay haul). Showing some puckering tannins and sour cherry notes, but you can just tell this will be brilliant in a few years. Feels like the tannin structure of a Lagier-Meredith, but with a hint of that Pax/Arnot freshness and fruit. Comes across as very, very old world - and I know everyone says that, but blind I don't think you'd spot this as CA Syrah. Hold for at least a few years. 12.7% alcohol, which is just where it should be, if you ask me;)

2/7/2023 - S-F wrote:

Not much to say. In a hotel room in Chicago and this was what was available in minibar. It follows the playbook of a riper Napa - sweetness, not a lot of fruit, tobacco, leather, tertiaries, broody and full of Wall street steakhouse-investment-fund-manager-bro-vibes, but at least oak is pretty well integrated and not in your face. Be easy to make fun of this from a subtler, win nerd point of view, but right at this moment, it's pairing well with the room service filet mignon and going down pretty easy. But yeah, sweet and big. And sometimes that's OK.

1/21/2023 - S-F wrote:

Rhubarb and pomegranate in this utmost elegant PN from Santa Barbara. So restrained and worldly. Ends so refined in a hint of xmas spices. This really sang tonight after being open for about 2hrs.

1/21/2023 - S-F wrote:

Double post.

1/17/2023 - S-F wrote:

This was singing tonight. Just like a silk glove - so smooth and balanced between fruit, tannins and acid. In a great spot.

12/30/2022 - S-F Likes this wine:

I recommend a decant on this wine. Straight out of the bottle it shows a little bit too much oak attack, but that goes away as it integrates nicely with some air and lets the fruit come to the fore.

12/8/2022 - S-F wrote:

Contrary to may other tasting reviews here, I don't fully agree that this wine is that acidic. I think it has some fine, drying tannins that fools the palate into thinking that, but it's actually rather well balanced. Yes, cranberries on top, but this is not a fruit salad - not on the palate nor on the nose, which I kind of find quite refreshing and intriguing. It makes you dig a bit more.

I agree with another taster that this wine takes you on a little journey in the glass with time. And may I be so blasphemous as to say, I find a lot of similarities with my 2019 Mission (not as many as the Franny Beck Pinot Noir - that's a total dead ringer). Something about those slightly bitter Campari notes/fine tannins they seem to share. I hope that doesn't upset anyone getting compared to a lowly Mission;)

11/21/2022 - S-F wrote:

Patrick Cappiello and his Monte Rio Cellars constantly hit it out of the park in their price range. For $20 bucks, this is an insane steal. You could easily charge $40 for this and end up looking like a genius - it's that good. Sure, it's young, but already showing exemplary balance leaning towards energy. Again, Lodi is just a magical spot for old vine Zinfandel - you get so much quality here.

11/21/2022 - S-F wrote:

I hate it when I open a wine whilst cooking and then think: "Wow, really nice. I need to remember these notes, because I want to write something on CT about it". Then dinner happens, wife has a few glasses, then bottle is gone and all those flavors are but a distant memory by the time you degrade yourself with the low end cellar defender chaser as a follow up. All I remember is a liked it a lot. I never pick up on savory bacon notes etc, but here I did. With fruit and tension. Just a wonderful wine. Wish I had more.

11/13/2022 - S-F wrote:

Grilled lemon and Timothy grass. Hint of plastic pool toy. There's a sense of dissolved nitrogen or effervescence dancing ever-so subtly on the tongue, which makes it feel alive. Everyone in the world would classify this as bone dry, but to me this is just barely dry, teetering on the edge of off-dry. But I'm cool with that. Yeah, it's a wonderful wine. Wirz is always nice, no matter the producer. Good job!

11/10/2022 - S-F wrote:

Never had much luck with Petit Verdot, but this was a pleasant encounter. Lots of dark fruit (blueberry in particular). Drying tannins and tension in acid, not at all lumbering. Feels very European, I have to say. A bit of a wine lover's wine in style (this won't appeal to the Apothic Red crowd).

Never had a bad wine from this producer and this was no exception.Good stuff.

11/8/2022 - S-F wrote:

Cherries, some green stems, no discernible oak. Tension. A hint of reduction or brimstone adds to the pleasure. Unmistakably Pinot Noir - good typicity. Very nice. Like this producer a lot.

10/20/2022 - S-F wrote:

I was worried about this wine, as it developed a very pronounced "plastic pool toy" aftertaste after bottling. Which is part of the Riesling canon, granted, but it was extra pronounced here (I knew it would subside with time, as it disappeared after a little decanting). But you can't expect customers to decant a white, necessarily. Today I brought back a case from the cold storage facility and was very happy to say that that note had almost disappeared, So it's entering its drinkable stage and will of course, age for many years to come. I'm glad to say that those slight pear notes are still very much prominent.

10/13/2022 - S-F wrote:

Crushed chalk on the nose. On the palate, I keep searching for the right fruit and descriptor, it's just right there, but I'm just not good enough to unlock it. All I can say is it's a mixture of preserved lemons (and the salinity that comes with that), a drop of pineapple and, bizarrely, a drop of Muscadine grape and the rubber pool toy vibe that gives. But since the last Chenin I had from Pax, the Lyman one, was probably heat damaged, I'm a little weary of the flavors in this and wondering if there's a hint of that in this that's clouding the picture? In any case, I like it, but not trusting it's the expression intended.

10/12/2022 - S-F wrote:

Holy smokes! And you will soon see what I did there, because this wine comes out of the gate with charcoal and hickory smoke in the most enticing way ever. I'v never quite had a Syrah like it. Is it veering towards a reductive, brimstone note? Maybe, it's been a few days since I had it, but all I know is I love it! This is easily one of my new favorites from Pax. And so nice to see it from an area I'm very familiar with - Clements Hills in Lodi. It's the eastern part of the county where the undulating hills start, before you get to Calaveras county. Home to some of the best Lodi vineyards, in my opinion.

Syrah from Lodi has always been a little harder sell, so nice to see this one hit it out of the park. Don't sleep on this great QPR Syrah.

10/2/2022 - S-F wrote:

This is an electric Zin. Very complex, drinks great already, but with a bit of nerve, of course. Will hold for a long time, if you want that evolution.

There's another version from Bedrock, same vintage, called simply Teldeschi, not Teldeschi Ranch - so just wondering if they're different wines or just entered twice in CT?

9/21/2022 - S-F wrote:

Brilliant. I've been buying there Big Egg editions for years, and they continue to deliver. Crisp, lean, but never just lemony and grassy. There's a California heft somehow simmering below the surface. What's the saying? Dark waters run deep? Don't know how to describe it: it's lean and tight at the same time as it's full, somehow. I guess it's the concrete that keeps playing with my mind. Delish.

9/20/2022 - S-F wrote:

Was given this by one of my Aussie customers. It's now been a week since I had it, but it was a fantastic Shiraz. Prob has a few more years before it peaks, as the tannins were still quite powerful. The new Australia is on display here - earthy, dry, leathery and very far removed from the jammy style of lore. This could have been a Rhone wine. Great stuff.

9/12/2022 - S-F wrote:

On its own not so easy to enjoy, but with food it's better. Rather tannic, oaky, no real fruit notes and for my palate, a little bit soft and lacking in acid. But not a bad wine, just lumbering and a bit oafy.

8/31/2022 - S-F wrote:

One of the most pleasurable Zin experiences ever. Maybe it was the setting, maybe it was the magnum that got opened, maybe the food that went with it, or the company, but 3 nights ago this wine had everyone around the table playing attention at chef and restaurant owner Nick Guantone's place in Lodi. Tegans name came up and this got brought out.

Winemaker Nathan Kandler is currently the winemaker at Thomas Fogarty Winery in SCM, but as I understand it, this is his little side project. He took some fruit from Tegan's vineyard for a few vintages. What can I say after 3 days? It's just world class Zin. As simple as that. The kind of Zin you'd serve to any french Grand Cru winemaker visiting California to show off how good Zin can be.

8/31/2022 - S-F wrote:

Wife opens it at dinner around 6pm when I'm still driving back from harvest - says she hates it and puts it on counter, open. When I get back at 11pm, I pour a glass for myself. I like it, but can certainly feel the grippy, almost bitter tannins, still. Stuck it in fridge to have it the day after with dinner. But all day I had been thinking about the wine and was really looking forward to it that night, so that's a good sign. And a day later, it really sings. A nice, full-on Zin, not big or lumbering, just intense and won't let you ignore it. Great stuff.

8/25/2022 - S-F wrote:

Stress tested - had kept a few bottles in my garage where conditions are not ideal (it's not swelteringly hot, but also never really cool). So, hadn't had one in a long time and chucked it in fridge for 40 min. All the sediment was at top (as I'd kept it upside down), so had to do the awkward Champagne-style maneuver of opening it upside down to expel the sediment. Worked. And straight outta the glass I was impressed by how nice it had kept. Grapefruity, slight pith, chalk and a really nice fruitiness still there to balance these notes.

8/22/2022 - S-F wrote:

Tannins still prevalent after open 2 days in fridge - the fruit is still very much intact, so my guess this will last quite a long time. Still, drinks nicely now, should that be your choice (but I'd give it goooood decant). Bigger in style, certainly a slight rusticity to it. The building blocks for a great Zin over time are all there.

8/14/2022 - S-F Likes this wine:

This was one of the wines I really loved right after bottling. It had a little less oak and was just a little more fruit forward than my previous vintage. But as the spring and summer progressed, I found the bottles I opened was often in an awkward spot. It seems to be day form - one bottle was great, then a second bottle was sharp and ungiving. Only now, after a hot summer in the cellar, does it seem that some accelerated aging has made them come back and deliver more consistently. Don't get me wrong, it's still rather primary and will last a long time, but now it's starting too ease into a window where you can see the path it will take.

8/13/2022 - S-F wrote:

Coming out as an almost aged and more evolved PN, with a lot of complexity and layers. Finish is long and lingers. Some eucalyptus as a previous taster had mentioned, but mainly compot'ed fruit. Good stuff. Santa Cruz Mountains rarely disappoints.

7/25/2022 - S-F wrote:

One of those dreaded room service choices here in Telluride. At first open this had very little scent and was heavily front loaded on pallet - no finish. After a little while in glass, it starts to transform and by the end of it all it wasn't bad. There's a slight port-like note that comes with a bit of time in the glass, which I actually didn't mind and supposedly goes with the regions reputation for power. In the end I'd still say it's a bit short on finish, but yet doesn't seem to lack in acid (which is normally what I associate with short finishes). I'd drink it again if offered, but probably wouldn't buy it myself.