11/24/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:

From an etched 3 liter. I helped sort these grapes back on October 30th, 2011, when harvest took place. I remember Steve and Dean, along with his wife Laurie, as we all helped on the sorting table as the wine went to the crusher/destemmer. I've got photos of this day framed on the wall of my wine room. It was great to see the Riverain team start this journey, and when Steve gave me this bottle earlier in 2019, I knew we could use it for a good occasion, which is today. We're hosting our annual Friends and Family Thanksgiving event so we'll get this big boy bottle into a lot of glasses today, along with some good photos too. As for the wine, we dug the cork out as it just wouldn't budge. Once out, we poured off a glass to see how it was doing. The cracked black pepper that had been such a feature of the wine is still here but it's less intense, instead now joined by some soy, cooked meat and teriyaki. Beef jerky, tangy red fruit and some citrus. You might fool me blind that this wasn't Rosella's or Garys' vineyard from the Santa Lucia Highlands, as it gives off all of those cooler climate Syrah markers. My sense is that this wine has reached maturity, especially telling because of how it tastes from the large format so my advice is to drink these in the next year or so and catch the wine in a great place

9/16/2018 - Frank Murray III wrote:

Frenchy's Grower Bubbly Event In the OC (Todd Frenchy's Place): Poured blind. This bottle was voted the WOTN by the tasting group, although I didn't have it composed that high (my WOTN was the 2012 Marie-Courtin Effloresence). Base of minerality, berry, big energy, rocky with apple sauce and lime. Overall, this showed well and I would like to try something leaner in the Hebrart range, to see how those show. Does the winery make such a thing?

11/17/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:

Champagne Event (Wine Exchange in Santa Ana): No back label info. Zesty, good acidity but came off just kind of burly to me, a bit rough. In my view, for what this costs, there are numerous other examples of really fine Rose out there.

11/12/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:

Poured blind. Some wood shows on the nose as it airs. Stone fruit, citrus, pippin and good finishing kick of acid. Structured finish.

11/7/2019 - msuwright wrote:

This lively and spicy Pinot delivers an incredible depth of fruit for such a lithe wine, and it should only get better over the next 3-5 years. The elegance and power here are remarkable; there are few in California that can strike this balance as well as Rhys (working here with grapes from Anderson Valley, no less!).

Cherry red in color; medium in body (with some teardrops on the glass); nose of dried cranberry, anise, baking spices, and crushed raspberry. Tastes of sour cherry, dried strawberry, rhubarb, and straw, with a layered and lively finish that must be tasted to be believed (i.e., earthy, silky, crunchy, spicy, elegant... it is everything except heavy). 13.4% alcohol.

This was a step behind a 2014 Rhys Alpine Hillside tasted at the same time, but such an observation is splitting hairs: this is California Pinot at its best, period. If anything, this has a little more meat to the bones than your typical Rhys, which may be a nice introduction for those CA Pinot drinkers who (like me) don't mind a little ripeness here and there. 95 for now, with upside in the next few years.

9/23/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:

Didn't record the specs on this wine but my recall is 50% Chard, then roughly equal parts PN and PM, sourced from a few villages within the Montagne, south and west of Reims. Dosage of around 7 g/l? This bottle drank fine, meaning we enjoyed it but I did comment to my wife a few times over dinner as we worked through it that I thought the wine needed more energy, more acid and some structure. I only bought one bottle, and was glad to try it but not looking to replace it.

7/12/2016 - Frank Murray III wrote:

I really like this beer. I love coffee, but only in the form of espresso, usually a double each morning before work and that's all. So, as I try and describe this beer, simply think of a base of refreshing 6% ABV beer in a porter style, infused with a big dollop of espresso. This pours dark, which aligns the dark flavors of bitter chocolate and light pine. I know craft beer is very popular and has been now for some time, at least here in Southern California, and this is about the only beer that I go out and buy when beer is on my list. Such a great drink.

9/27/2019 - JM_MadTown Likes this wine:

This is a very enjoyable wine with good citrus and stone fruit, a little butterscotch, zippy acidity and a medium finish.

9/16/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:

I'll join the passion that Neras posted in his previous note, too. The bottle for my note here was opened on Saturday morning, and it's now Monday afternoon. We had so much left that I have just been working through it the past few days. The bouquet on this stuff leaps out of the stem. Bramble, floral, reminding me of the aromas that come from a barrel sample, just a joy to take in. The palate starts with crisper red fruits like cranberry and maybe some black cherry, with the latter giving the wine a juicy note. And even after 2 full days open, there is structure remaining here, too. I really do like the Mancini vineyard and like the 2016 that wowed me last year for similar red fruits and structure with acid, the 2017 is not far off from that same profile, which tells me I need to keep buying it. Delicious wine.........ah hell, one more update. Day 5 and this stuff keeps going. This is the end of the bottle from this past Saturday and it's rounded out well. Still some light structure but mostly now just a beautiful, pure red/black fruit with a zippy acidity. Damn straight, one of the best Carlisle zins I have ever had, and I've been drinking them for 15 years now. Awesome wine.

9/16/2019 - Djfermentation Likes this wine:

Definitely a remarkable bottle of California Pinot. I usually would not open a restrained red this early but the glowing reviews had me too curious. We coravined about half of our first bottle two weeks ago and sipped after dinner. Then opened and decanted the other half last night to pair with teriyaki salmon. Both experiences with this young wine were special. Amazing depth and flavor at such modest ripeness. Lots of cranberry a little additional red fruits with some blue fruits and spice. Each sip shows a lot. I'm glad I was able to buy some additional bottles during the most recent release. A fantastic wine that captures what makes Pinot Noir such a beautiful grape when a lot of factors come together.

8/23/2019 - lbarnard wrote:

Jamie really crushed it with this one. Not only my favorite Kutch ever but likely one of my favorite CA pinots ever. Somehow so jam packed with flavor, yet restrained. I buy so little CA pinot these days, but really should have bought a lot more after seeing Frank’s glowing comments about the one producer I still buy consistently.

8/10/2019 - C Chen Does not like this wine:

Disgorged in 2017. The most disappointing bottle I’ve had. Thin, unyielding, and missing so much character and distinction on both the nose and palate. Disappointed, but not surprised.

With some air, it improved, but not enough. With Vilmart Rubis bottles always being just barely above average, I think this’ll be my last purchase from this producer. Onto better things.

8/4/2019 - Nanda wrote:

Very good with nice balance, but not up to the high standards of the 2014 version. Just not as rich, dense or bracing in acidity. A dialed down version.

8/4/2019 - WST wrote:

I didn't devote enough attention to this to write a full note, but the short impression was one of an austere, mineral driven wine with a bit more acidity than I'd prefer (and I'm an acidophile). Maybe it just needed more time.

8/4/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:

My final bottle. After seeing a few recent notes about this wine perhaps not in the best shape, I figured I would open it and see what's there. We opened this yesterday and I brought back home last night with me the last few ounces so I could write a solid note today. As for how the wine shows, first off there is nothing wrong with the color, looks great. The palate is right on, too. There is some weight in the texture, slick and mouthfilling. The fruit expressions is lime, nectarine, peach, tart apple that is woven through some grapefruit and lime acidity, both lengthening the finish. Nothing wrong with this wine at all, and I am glad actually I opened it because I got to taste it and enjoy it. If anything, the acidity is still so bright that it might turn off some people but as an acid freak, I dig it. If this bottle is representative of the 10 CdB Sec (putting aside the bad bottles that others have logged), then I would think this vintage of it should last quite a while.

8/1/2019 - spicy1 Likes this wine:

I should do some research on where the drinking range comes from on this site. Hopefully the winery! If 2035 is a good guess I shouldn't be drinking this now. Had my first bottle four months back and this has improved big time. Just the right amount of acid for me along with some dry mango and some nutty tones on the long finish. I have four more bottles and hope to spread them out (won't make 2035 for sure). This improved quite a bit by night three so I would either decant or open and let sit.

7/27/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:

July 2019 Kutch Visit (Jamie's Pad in SFO): Drank as part of a 5 bottle flight of Falstaffs (2010 non-blind, with the 2012, 2014, 2017 and 2018 tasted blind). I've gushed and gushed about this wine for almost 2 years now, both when I first had it prior to going to bottle, and since then from bottle several times. It's on my short list for WOTY for 2019 and it might stand in a tie with the 2017 Rivers-Marie Platt PN. We'll see later in the year when I do them side by side. For yesterday's bottle, some light stems on the nose. My notes then say 'intensity' with blue fruit, spicy, all mixed together. Then, 'purple purity and seductive'. Yet, in all of this perceived power, there is medium weight and balance. Youthful, juicy and delicious....retasting the following day from the leftover wine at room temp, damn I love this wine. There is structure, purity, balance, with some earth/soil, complexity. And yesterday when we had this blind, I knew this was the 2017 under the bag, as a wine that is unmistakable in how it translates to such pleasure and balance. Beautiful again. Damn.

7/28/2019 - MTC2 wrote:

As Goldmember wiuld say, “Tight like a tiger!” Dusty (obviously unfiltered) dark ruby color. Oh, so tart cherry palate. Some baking spices. Prickly mouthfeel. This is my first Kutch Pinot Noir, so I hope the others in my cellar show better.

7/27/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:

July 2019 Kutch Visit (Jamie's Pad in SFO): Drank as part of a complete vertical of all Kutch Chards (14-17, to include Trout Gulch). Yellow apple, mint, some toast and supple, with what I recalled being the least of the 5 Chards in terms of perceived acidity. Spice, green apple, some lemon but not the lemon intensity of the 2015....retasted the following morning from leftovers at room temo, my notes from yesterday reflect the wine pretty well as it tastes today. Like the 2017 Trout Gulch, this seems a little more approachable than the other Chards. What I notice this morning is some yellow apple (which for me usually means a softer, less acidic impression of the fruit), some stone fruit, like a peach or nectarine. As the wine finishes, there is a mandarin orange kind of citrus that gently fills in. I believe for the 2017 whites, people will find them more gentle and less intense, which I do like but I will drink my 2017s before the earlier vintages,

7/18/2019 - t_moderne wrote:

Pop and oour and initially asted with food and then on its own.
Ruby purple color. Clear.
The bouquet on this is wonderful. Lovely herbal note mixing in with black cherry and black raspberries, and pipe tobacco. Think borkum riff flavored tobacco. Ocassional saline note is in there too.
Good dark fruits with a slight bitter and herbal note similar to what you might fin in a light amaro. The texture is rich and velvety yet weightless. This has a stated 12.3% abv and shows its cool climate source. Fresh and lively wine. Delicious.
Re-corked and refrigerated the remainder and will update if second day impressions are different.

7/2/2019 - WineGold wrote:

Here is what I just emailed Jamie:

We are drinking our first 17 Falstaff bottle (I got four). Here is what I think:

It is the best wine of yours I’ve ever tasted.

It’s easily my favorite Pinot of the year so far, and I can’t think of a close second.

It’s probably my favorite wine of the year, including all manner of Pinot (including Rivers Marie, Scherrer, Copain, Aubert, etc), and Cabernet (Maybach, Outpost, Mike Smith wines, etc.).

And it’s quite possibly my favorite wine of the year.

Absurdly good. Might open a second bottle tonight, for just my wife and I.

6/26/2019 - t_moderne wrote:

Pop and pour and tasted without food.
Bright ruby color. Clear.
Nose offers herbs and some cranberry.
Flavors of bright red berries (cranberries and wild strawberries) with some red cherries on the back end. The whole cluster usage is evident as the wine has a significant herbal note. While the whole cluster gives the wine added depth and a savory quality, it is a bit jarring and perhaps over done. I am not sure that green herbal element will fully integrate. At present, it is a bit of detraction from the wine.

6/2/2019 - Charlie Carnes Likes this wine:

This wine, from 500ml, is singing light now. Call it the black fruited foil to my generally favorite red fruited Bearwallow. This, especially in 2016 will give Bearwallow a run for its money for me. This has brilliant dark red cherry fruit. It is lively and thrilling with pert acid, crunchy, earthy soil, dusty clay covered stones, Vosne-ish baking spices, and a swallow that is lovely, and full of lively energy, that beckons for more sips.

5/20/2019 - TMOVino2 Likes this wine:

Absolutely singing! Cork broke, but was otherwise in great shape.
Short 30 minute decant and it was stunning. Cherry, Cranberry and other red fruit notes. Tons of spice and so velvety smooth. This wine has to be absolutely hitting the pinnacle right now!

5/19/2019 - winchester-xi Likes this wine:

The bed is clean! The bed is clean!

5/17/2019 - winchester-xi wrote:

A pronounced brown tinge to the appearance and aromas of almonds. Drinkable, but barely.

5/12/2019 - Puteljen! Likes this wine:

From mag.

This is nice and on the nose quite open with peach, hints of red berries and lemon. Also light vanilla and toast. On the palate quite young, with high acidity and prominent minerality. At the same time smooth, rich and candylike with again hints of custard. Would never have guessed this is zero dosage. Surprisingly delicate mousse. Medium + lenght. Good stuff! Will take further cellaring but does not really need it.

5/3/2019 - spicy1 wrote:

First bottle of the Russian River and not my favorite of the Carlisle Zins. Maybe I am expecting too much based on the CT scores. Plenty of smooth fruit but nothing saying "I wish I had bought more".

4/26/2019 - BBencz Likes this wine:

In a great spot. Floral nose, lots of ripe, juicy black fruit, and black pepper. Still sporting evident tannins and acid, but in balance. Finish is persistent and tasty. A restrained yet elegant CA syrah. Lots of life left in this beauty.

4/17/2019 - NickBurwood Likes this wine:

The first of my case and drinking very well.
Lightly viscous. Concentrated core of clean ripe grapefruit with a dash of more aromatic white cherry. Lime leaves, citrus zest in abundance and focussed granitic/steely minerality. A real blend of old and new world chardonnay styles and none the worse for it. Superb.
Will be interesting to see if will improve with a tad more bottle age but personally I like the way it is!! Will drink over the next 2-3 years.

4/11/2019 - Frank Murray III wrote:

This is from 750, from a new batch of bottles I bought back in December 2018. The back labels on these seems to be in constant change with what I presume are new disgorgements. This bottle's back label has a disgorge date of October 2017, with a composition of 35% Chard / 65% Pinot Noir, yet there is no dosage info. This has a salmon color, and perhaps a little toasted aroma. The back label does say 40% done in wood, so not sure what the program is for this batch, but maybe the 'chene' is talking. Has a good spine of lime to provide acidity, along with some green apple and raspberry. Touch of saline passes through the finish, and all together, this is drinking solid for the $40 I paid for it. The NV Godme Rose, like Dethune, continues to be a strong performer for my cellar.

4/16/2019 - Bellissimo Likes this wine:

Last of our 2010's. Simply lovely, great acids, high-toned fruits, orange peel, excellent mouth feel and super QPR. Year in, year out must buy.

8/21/2016 - Frank Murray III wrote:

What I enjoyed about this bottle was the balance I perceived. It seemed built well, gentle and while not overly complex, for vintage bubbly from 08, and 40 bucks US, drinking great now and a good value.

3/27/2019 - Ekoostik wrote:

Very deep coloration here and a banging nose of juicy strawberries. A bit heavy and clunky on the palate though that really left me thinking more high end Cava than champagne. Stuffing seemed there, it just didn’t have any precision in its execution tonight. This was my first try at this producer though. Not much value for me at $60 local

11/28/2018 - Frank Murray III wrote:

Last tasted at the winery when we visited in July. I dug it then, and its drinking stellar again today. These bottles arrived a few weeks ago, and given the charity challenge running for our man Jason Hagen, figured this was a good bottle to honor him and his health. Opened this about 30 mins ago, dumped it into a nice stem, serving it at 66 degrees. Vintage after vintage, this is consistently beautiful stuff, a wine I have been drinking for 16 vintages. Distinctly juicy, with a bright core of acidity that frames the dark raspberry, some light vanilla and a finishing purity of cobbler-like fruit. The finish has excellent structure, with a final note of licorice. Delicious again, Mr Officer.

3/12/2019 - Nanda wrote:

Attractive nose of cool black cherry that is infused with herbs. Palate echoes the nose. Sappy, bright red cherries. Good concentration but no heaviness.

3/11/2019 - cadamson Likes this wine:

Nicely balanced and reasonably energetic, but honestly was a bit disappointed. Probably mostly due to the fruit being a bit dull, by which I mean it just did not stand up and take notice. Actually was a bit better the next night. Have a couple more of these so will soon see if this was a fluke or is just lacking in the 'wow' department.

3/9/2019 - egh Likes this wine:

Smooth and moderately proportioned yet with good concentration, saturation, and structure with an aromatic and flavor profile of black raspberry, blueberry, red apple, spices, and cloves. 13.6% abv.

2/4/2019 - msuwright wrote:

This elegant and complex Pinot is drinking beautifully right now, with an incredible level of depth and precision. At the risk of sounding unoriginal, I think Rhys is the best producer of lighter-bodied Pinot in California. This particular wine resembles, rivals, and probably surpasses many premier cru Chambolle-Musigny or Pommard wines in terms of depth, balance, and class. It's serious Burgundy coming to America via the Santa Cruz Mountains - what's not to love?

Light red in color and light in body, the wine offers aromas of dried strawberry, orange peel, warm straw, and fresh rose petals (yeah, ha ha, silly person using words to describe wine... but try this and tell me you don't smell fresh flowers!). The tastes are layered and delicious: cranberry, raspberry, black tea, rhubarb, and fresh moss. The soft, lingering, and balanced finish is endearing, since it's not bitter, acidic, or tart - common issues, for me, with CA Pinots of this ilk (e.g., Hirsch, Knez, Domaine de la Cote). 12.5% alcohol. Decant at least two hours.

I've had a few Rhys misfires over the years (especially at the appellation level), but - across the board - no one in the CA Pinot world can so ably float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. I often lean towards CA producers on the fuller end of the spectrum (e.g., Morlet, Cirq), but attention must be paid to a wine this good: it's a fantastic Old World Pinot that offers complexity and balance in a graceful and nimble package. 94-95 for now, with upside in 2020 or later.

1/31/2019 - JonnyG Likes this wine:

2006 Retrospective (Central Coast, CA): Fresh and energetic, with a neat combo of lanolin and anise notes alongside some honeyed apple and ginger. At this age, the acidity is outweighed by the fruit, making it a touch flabby. An easy drinker with lots of life left, if lacking in the complexity department.

1/12/2019 - C Chen wrote:

Second time with this Champagne. First was with Frank Murray and the OC Wine Crew, second time with Lily.

Bright cherries, strawberries and cream, rich and high toned fruit, hints of cola, candied red fruit, and ocean spray on the nose. Compelling and exciting. The palate is more straightforward: Strawberry, grapefruit, some bitterness, Mugnier funk, nice acidity, and that signature Mousse salinity that I love.

For $34.99, this checks all the boxes for an inexpensive, value packed grower champagne. Delicious effort from Mousse.

1/8/2019 - pjhr Likes this wine:

Lovely tart red cherry, earth, pine, and a hint of grapefruit on the nose and palate. Long delicious finish with refreshing acidity.

1/3/2019 - sw92130 Does not like this wine:

Not sure if this is just too old; I was hoping for the best, but I couldn’t detect much pleasurable about this bottle. I do have another bottle - I’ll update this after trying that sometime soon.

1/1/2019 - rocknroller wrote:

New Years Day: Vrai Champagne, Third Annual Edition: Deeper sockeye color. This is a bold wine, cherry, tart, fuller body, a bit strict on the finish. I think I'd have preferred just a straightforward brut version of this. 90+ to 91pts.

12/24/2018 - Beerzebub Likes this wine:

Like lemon, golden apple, and honey, with a touch of brothy savoriness; nice combination of freshness and rich aged character. Good acidity and stony minerality seem to tie everything together. Versatile with food, and quite enjoyable. Seems to be in a good place for drinking.

12/24/2018 - carlwhat wrote:

lot of brioche when first opened. too much so... not enough cut for me as previous vintages have been more in line with my acid freak palate. that said, the wine did evolve into something more memorable and enjoyable for me the longer it was open. not lacking in personality.... that is for sure.

12/16/2018 - alanr wrote:

Fairly dark garnet color, just some slight lean toward brick red; a lightly sweet floral nose, palate is on the bright side, with a mix of darker raspberry/strawberry fruit, just enough seamless acidity, and a hint of fine grained tannins. Very pleasant and drinkable, though not showing a lot of complexity or interest.

12/12/2016 - xdbk11 Does not like this wine:

I guess the critics force good Pinot to be made in the Cabernet style. Many will enjoy but this is not my style. The elegance of the grape is lost unfortunately.

12/1/2014 - xdbk11 Does not like this wine:

Not at all what I'm looking for in a pinot noir. Big parkerized pinot. No thanks.

12/1/2018 - BradE wrote:

Drank these in a party setting, and all six bottles disappeared quickly, so I'm out. Which is too bad, as I sense this vintage will benefit more than others from time in the bottle. Restrained, and very much in the Kutch style.