5/16/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Eye: Light gold to pale straw.

Nose: Rich peaches and green apple, a whisp of oak. The nose is very concentrated with a firm through line of seashell minerality.

Palate: A masterclass in balance. Good acid, rather full bodied and mouth filling. Rich, creamy, crisp, minerally, umami.

Finish: Medium length. Tart yet savory.

Overall: I don’t drink a lot of burgundy, but I have to say this is the single best Chardonnay I’ve ever had.

Enjoyed with: Some reasonably high quality takeout Sushi.

5/12/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Quick tasting note. More detailed one in the near future.

E: Golden orange
N: Botrytis, yet distinctly Chardonnay.
P: Apple candy, fig newtons, lightly chalky like a necco wafer.
F: (No written notes)

Overall: The guests’ favorite.

5/12/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Quick Notes:
Decanted off light sediment and aired for an hour.

E: Dark red to medium red
N: Oak vanilla, cacao, lightly vinous
P: Black currant, dark caramel, very umami: meat and mushroom, pecorino cheese. Well balanced acid and tannin.
F: Dry, currant, light steminess, touch of graphite.

Overall: The stunner of the night. Classic Bordeaux with great varietal character.

5/12/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Quick Notes:
The wine needed about an hour to open up.

E: Medium gold
N: Lightly oaky, nutty and slightly reductive
P: Good acid. Apparent minerality. Some cream and flint. Green bitter element.
F: Vinous, green grapes, dry

Overall: A really cool bottle.

5/12/2024 - Janda_42 wrote:

Quick Notes:

E: Medium straw, thin line of small bubbles
N: Toast, lemon
P: green apple, pear, lemon, toast, well balanced acid to sugar
F: Dry, crisp

Overall: Generic but well made.

5/8/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Eye: Medium straw with flecks of gold.

Nose: Light toast/dust, apparent minerality. Floral perfume.

Palate: Pleasant high acid. Loads of green apple. There is a slight creaminess, but the wine feels very low malo. Super taut and mineral driven. Again quite floral and perfumed.

Finish: Medium length. Lingering apple acidity and perfumey notes.

Overall: The wine lives up to its description; it shows marked Chardonnay characteristic, while being uniquely distinct from any other Chardonnay I’ve tried.

5/7/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Eye: Firm mousse, rapid fine bubbles. Consistent pale gold with a gentle green tinge in some lights.

Nose: Brioche, hazelnut, tomato stems. Lightly creamy and autolytic. Citrus peel, green apples. Cinnamon-sugar pop tart.

Palate: Well balanced acid and sugar. The wine is very light on its feet despite its dosage. The notes from the nose carry over: Brioche, rich nuts, lemon, blood orange, crisp green apple. And again; just a faint hint of something autolytic and stemmy. Really driven minerality: wet rock and limestone. Nice creamy texture with a pleasant fizz.

Finish: Long. Lemon peel. Green apple. Faint touch of cassis. More minerality.

Overall: Some really incredible champagne. A beautiful introduction to the level that the Special Club operates on.

5/5/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Decanted off moderate sediment and some “goop”

Eye: Mediun purple to medium red.

Nose: Toasty oak, plum, red fruit. Little meat and prune. Blood orange. Violets.

Palate: Quite dusty and vinous. Moderate acid and tannin. Reasonably drying. Very meaty. Cool mint. Blood orange. Earthy. As the wine airs it develops spicey and umami elements.

Finish: Lingering meatiness, earth, and blood orange.

Overall: It’s like drinking a steak. The wine needed about an hour to start hitting its stride.

5/4/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Eye: Consistent dark straw

Nose: White Flowers, petrol, wet stone, lemon pith.

Palate: Petrol. Bright acidity. Fleshy and mouth filling. Melon rind, lemon. Peach. Just the slightest touch off-dry.

Finish: Medium length. Lingering lemon, and pith bitterness.

Overall: Very true to type.

5/2/2024 - Janda_42 wrote:

Eye: Medium red center to medium ruby rim. Shows slight browning in certain lights.

Nose: Red fruit, prunes, lightly vinous. Cinnamon stick, pomegranate juice.

Palate: Juicy and sweet; but not unrefined. Sweet cherries and raisins. Some more cinnamon spice and grenadine. Boozy but not hot with very delicate tannins.

Finish: Medium length. Honey and walnuts. Reasonably drying on the back palate. There is a pleasant warmth at the very end.

Overall: An interesting take on a port-style wine, which combines a very old world technique with a varietal favored in the new world.

4/23/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Decanted off moderate sediment and aired for a little over an hour.

Eye: Medium purple center to medium ruby rim.

Nose: Cherry kirsch, crushed violets. Cool mint. Cassis. Still very young and fruit forward. Touch of sous bois. Lightly vinous.

Palate: This is claret! Good acid, delicate velvet tannin. Crème de cassis, crème de violet. Rosaceous earth. Kirsch cherries. Black Forest cake; cacao and all. Meat and steel. Still just a touch of mint. Soy sauce and the occasional pop of something tutti fruity.

Finish: Long: Lingering cherry and cassis. Cacao gives way to roasted coffee. Graphite on the back palate.

Enjoyed with: Brisket and roast potatoes.

Overall: Simply incredible.

4/21/2024 - Janda_42 wrote:

Eye: Pale straw

Nose: Very compelling nose. Minerality, stems, orchard fruit, Ceylon cinnamon, spice cabinet, white flowers, jasmine tea.

Palate: Very delicate. Low acid. Fleshy fruits; peach, apricot. More minerals, stems, cinnamon, spice, and tea. Beeswax. Medium bodied with some creamy texture in the back palate.

Finish: Short. Light umami. Fruit, black tea, pale melon.

4/18/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

PNP

Eye: Dark purple center to dark ruby rim.

Nose: Cassis. Black and red berries. A little steminess; a little tobacco.

Palate: More berries. Violets, roses. Good acid, drying tannins. This wine is very young and fresh. Cacao powder.

Finish: Tart and dry. Faint whisp of grape stem bitterness and eucalyptus.

This is the first bottle out of my AR allocation. It’s safe to say I’m pretty excited about what’s coming up.

4/17/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Eye: Pale salmon. Delicate mousse. The bubbles are slow moving and absolutely minuscule.

Nose: Strawberry jam. Cherry juice. Brioche. Lightly autolytic. Blood orange, light minerality.

Palate: Beautiful crisp acidity. Richly layered red fruits. Little hint of crème de cassis. Watermelon candy. Touch of brioche. Green apple, pomegranate. Faint rhubarb.

Finish: Lingering cherry tartness. More strawberry jam. Toast.

Overall: Some superb rose sparkling. The bubbles are the finest I’ve seen in any American sparkler. I’m glad I got a few bottles; I’m looking forward to revisiting this Wine with some more time.

4/15/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Aired for 40 minutes.

Eye: Medium purple center to medium ruby rim.

Nose: Salted pretzels. Prunes, red fruits. Light toasty oak. Rich Cassis, a little graphite, a little caramel. Bit of tobacco.

Palate: Lightish tannin. Good acidity. Cherry kirsch. A little soy sauce. Dark chocolate, some almond.

Finish: Medium length. Dried cherries. Some cacao powder. Little bit of tart fruit. Bloody meat.

4/14/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

PNP

Eye: Medium purple center with medium ruby rim.

Nose: Iron shavings, light toast. Little bit of chlorine. Distinctly shows “Rutherford dust.”

Palate: Lowish tannin. Medium acidity. Medium+ body. Dark berries. Lightly ripe; it’s a bit sweeter than I tend to prefer, but it’s not overwhelming. Touch of that dust, cacao powder.

Finish: Short. Jammy, black.

Overall: For sub 20 bucks it’s pretty sublime.

4/13/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Eye: Light yellow to medium straw.

Nose: Light toast. Touch of caramel, chamomile tea. Steely minerality. Ripe stone fruit and just a faint whiff of cream.

Palate: Nice crisp acidity. Full bodied and creamily textured. More stone fruit, some cream. Still quite steely. Green apple. Little bit of marshmallow root.

Finish: Toast, chamomile, light lingering tartness.

Overall: This bottle lived up to expectations. As the wine warmed and breathed, the oak elements became more prominent.

4/11/2024 - Janda_42 wrote:

Eye: Nearly completely clear with just the faintest touch of straw.

Nose: Apple candy, melon. A little cinnamon.

Palate: Similar to the nose. Quite dry. Ripe fruit. Rice.

Finish: Lightly nutty.

4/9/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Aired for 45 minutes.

Eye: Crystaline ruby-red center to a medium pink rim.

Nose: Musky and perfumed. Cacao powder, caramel, touch of red fruit. Earth, light booze.

Palate: Good acid, low tannin. Rich and mouth filling. Pomegranate. Tart cherry, sous bois. Bloody meat, mushroom, soy sauce. Bacon fat. Strawberry preserves.

Finish: Meat, soy, umami, burnt caramel. Lingering tart red fruit.

Overall: Some very nice Pinot drinking surprisingly well despite its relative youth.

4/7/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Eye: Medium yellow verging on light copper in some lights.

Nose: Lightly toasty. Smells of botrytis. Nice light petrol character. Light green apple.

Palate: Beautiful vivacious acidity. Crisp green apple. Orange blossoms. Rich stone fruit. Reasonably sweet; lightly confectionery. Like sweet autumn cider.

Finish: Short. Sweet apple and botrytis.

Enjoyed With: Sweet cheese blintzes

4/5/2024 - Janda_42 wrote:

Eye: Lightly cloudy pale to medium yellow. Reasonably fine bubbles.

Nose: White peach, toasty egg bread. Light minerality.

Palate: Good acidity. Tart fruit. Lambic beer like. Light mint or eucalyptus.

Finish: Burnt egg bread. Lingering bitter acidity.

Overall: The wine certainly seems to fits its description of being a cross between a pet nat and a traditional sparkler. The nose was really appealing; but the palate was a slight let down.

4/4/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Eye: Deep orange-gold

Nose: Honey, orange blossoms, rancio. Toasty nuts. Prune and fig jam.

Palate: Sweet, very light acidity. Super toasty and nutty. Notes much the same as the nose.

Finish: Loads of rancio. Lingering orange blossom and tart white grapes.

Overall: My first Pineau de Charents. Very neat!

4/3/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

The wine was decanted off a small amount of sediment and aired for an hour.

Eye: Deep purple center, wet pink-red rim.

Nose: Tobacco, mesquite, cassis, oak spice, red fruit.

Palate: Soft velvet tannins. Well balanced acidity. Cacao, vanilla, meat, blood. Red fruit, black fruit. Black cherry kirsch. Light prune.

Finish: Bitter cacao nibs, mesquite. Lingering black cherry.

Overall: Still very youthful; but a real class act.

3/31/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Decanted off considerable sediment. Aired 30 minutes.

Eye: Dark purple center to light ruby rim. The wine shows light bricking.

Nose: Tobacco, mint, rich crème de cassis. Lightly spicy. Graphite.

Palate: Really soft. Low to medium tannin. Well balanced acidity. Loads of anise, red currant. Red and black fruit. Burnt caramel.

Finish: Long. Herbaceous, meaty, spicy. Mushroom and earth.

Overall: Wonderfully complex and elegant; exactly what I expected from HB.

3/30/2024 - Janda_42 wrote:

Eye: Pale straw. Vibrant rapid small bubbles.

Nose: Really briochey. Just faintly autolytic. Lemon, green apple, sweet toasted nuts. Pecan praline.

Palate: Lightly tart; the wine shows it’s dosage. The palate is much the same as the nose. Nice and fizzy on the palate. Moderate cassis character.

Finish: Sweet brioche. Light lingering tartness and nuttiness.

Overall: I can’t say I’m overly impressed by the champagne; but it did make some very nice French 75s.

3/27/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Decanted off a surprising amount of sediment, and aired for an hour.

Eye: Black red center to a medium ruby rim.

Nose: Really pure cassis. Light graphite. Lots of toasty oak. Tobacco.

Palate: Really pure cassis. Light graphite. Lots of toasty oak. Tobacco. Chinese five spice. Lightly meaty. Some red fruit. Light anise. Low to medium acidity. Well structured tannins.

Finish: Lightly minty. Lingering meat, spice, and tart red fruit.

3/23/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

The wine was decanted off considerable sediment, and aired for 90 minutes.

Eye: Dark red center to a mild ruby rim. The wine shows slight bricking.

Nose: Tart cherry, and dark berries. Cool mint. Rich black licorice. Light cooking spice.

Palate: There is a rich center of tart red fruit, followed by lingering licorice. Dark prunes and raisins. Lots of oak tannin. Still a light touch of mint. Lightly chocolatey. Oak spice, grenadine.

Finish: Drying. Herbs, light balsamic. Cherry, strawberry, watermelon candy.

Edit: Returning to the wine on day two has really shifted my perspective. All of its elements are much more harmonious, and the wine is now giving off light notes of perhaps tropical fruit. I’ve moved the wine up to 93 points.

3/21/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Eye: Medium straw to light gold. Small lazy bubbles.

Nose: Brioche, green grapes. Apple and lemon. Moderately oxidative. Sweet almonds.

Palate: Good crisp acidity. Green apple, citrus pith. Brioche. Lightly nutty. Slight red berry character.

Finish: Lemon, green apple, tomato stem.

Bottle Notes:

Base Vintage: 2015
Disgorged: 06/2021
Dosage: 6 g/l
Aging: 4 years.

3/20/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Eye: Ruddy orange-brown.

Nose: Honey, toasted nuts. Lightly vinous. Raisins, dates, prunes, Christmas spice, demerara rum.

Palate: Moderately sweet. Orange-juice acidity. Honey, nuts. There is a touch of something lightly cooking; like mint or eucalyptus.

Finish: Medium. Lightly sweet. Gently tart, a touch nutty.

Overall: This was a pretty cool Intro to Madeira. I’m certainly interested in trying more.

3/20/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Eye: Pale straw.

Nose: Lightly toasty. Grapefruit pith. Green apple and lemon. Seashells.

Palate: Crisp green and red apple, grapefruit. Good acidity, light steely minerality. Some tropical and lees character.

Overall: This is a very compelling wine which paired beautifully with some smoked salmon.

3/18/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

4 months since my last tasting notes.

Quick Notes: Tobacco, curry spice, cherry and strawberry. The cork had some wine diamonds this time around. Nice acidity, good tannin. Some meatiness and soy sauce. Touch of mushroom-umami.

This is still really beautifully wonderful wine.

3/18/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Eye: Pale straw.

Nose: Loads of brioche. Touch of marzipan. Caramel apple, citrus pith.

Palate: Much the same as the nose. Little bit of hazelnut. Some oxidative tomato stem. Really well balanced acid and sugar. Some very clean minerality.

Finish: Moderate length. Toasted nuts and lemon.

Overall: As I continue my journey through the grande marques; this Roederer takes a well deserved spot at the top of the list right next to Bollinger.

3/17/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Eye: Pale to medium yellow

Nose: Brioche, green apple, lemon.

Palate: Good balance of sweet and sour. Brioche, lemon, lightly reductive; even a touch of flintiness.

Finish: Light citrus pith. Almost a faint touch of pomegranate.

Overall: A little sweeter than I prefer, but still a much better grande marque offering than Veuve.

NB: Drank from a quarter bottle.

3/14/2024 - Janda_42 wrote:

Eye: Light to medium neon pink with a slight orange tinge. Moderately quick fine bubbles.

Nose: Cherry, strawberry, toast, nuts. Green apple, roses, and lemon. Small touches of watermelon candy and reserve wine.

Palate: Moderate acidity. Strawberry, watermelon, light herbaceousness. Lightly nutty and toasty. There is some creaminess. Touch of orange peel and baking spice.

Finish: Lemon, cherry, toasted nuts.

Overall: The wine is rather nice, and certainly a very unique color (even for rosés), but I don’t think it’s quite as fantastic as I’ve heard others talk about.

3/13/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Eye: Medium Straw

Nose: Green apple hi-chew. Light baking spice and ethanol.

Palate: Really nice taut acidity. Crisp orchard fruit, slight exotic spice notes. Tinge of wet rock. Peach, pear, green apple. There is a real creaminess to the wine’s mouthfeel. Quite leesy; lots of cream and biscuit.

Finish: Lingering ripe mango gives way to a delicate mixture of lemon-tartness and creamy seashells.

3/9/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Eye: Medium purple center. Pale ruby rim.

Nose: Spice, pepper, balsamic, charoset. Red apple, vinous.

Palate: Soft tannins, moderate acidity, full bodied. The notes from the nose carry over along with a big bunch of mint/eucalyptus. Lightly meaty. Prune, cherry.

Finish: Lingering dryness. Meat, prunes, red apple skins.

3/8/2024 - Janda_42 wrote:

Eye: Dark peach. Mildly cloudy. Firm mousse.

Nose: Bread. Light apricot. Light citrus and nuts.

Palate: Kinda like a sour beer. Apricot, lemon, green apple. Not overly tart despite the 0 dosage.

Finish: Lingering tartness. Lemon, terracotta.

Overall: My first pet nat. It’s fine, but certainly distinct from the kind of wine I’m used to.

3/7/2024 - Janda_42 wrote:

Eye: Dark purple center to medium ruby rim.

Nose: Cassis and tobacco. Dark berries, cacao, oak.

Palate: Fairly low tannin and acidity. Fruit forward. Lots of curry spice. Cassis. Red and black fruit. Hint of cacao powder and cool mint.

Finish: Short. Red berries, toast.

Overall: A very easy drinking cab. Perhaps not as punchy as I prefer; but I suppose that’s Cali.

NB: 100% Spring Mountain. Additive free save for sulphur.

3/6/2024 - Janda_42 wrote:

Eye: Medium Straw to medium gold.

Nose: Light petrol. Pineapple, tropical fruits. Green apple. Peach, pear, nectarine. Light grassiness/steminess.

Palate: Good acidity. Light stem and lees character. More apple and pineapple. Nectarine, passion fruit. Pear skin.

Finish: Lingering stem bitterness, and peach.

3/5/2024 - Janda_42 wrote:

Decanted for 90 minutes.

Eye: Dark ruby center to light rose-ruby rim.

Nose: Cherry kirsch, burnt caramel, light earth and strawberry. Baking spice.

Palate: Cool mint. Sea-shells. Low tannin, moderate acidity. Medium body. Meat, blood, mushroom; umami. Cacao powder. Muenster cheese. Red and black fruit.

Finish: Medium length. Lightly tart and bitter. Cacao powder, kirsch.

NB: Drank from a half bottle.

3/3/2024 - Janda_42 wrote:

Eye: Medium straw.

Nose: Tropical fruit. Cream. Green apple Hi-Chew.

Palate: Light acidity. Tropical fruit. Green apple. Hint of toastiness. Creamy. Wet stone. Grapefruit pith bitterness.

Finish: Short. Lightly tart and tropical.

2/29/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Eye: Pale straw to medium yellow. Firm mouse. Fine bubbles.

Nose: Toast, fresh bread, light nuttiness. Lemon, green grapes.

Palate: Well balanced acidity. Biscuit, lemon. Lightly oxidative, some peanut butter. The bottle says extra brut, but the wine doesn’t feel that way.

Finish: Short. Tart lemon, lingering nuttiness.

Overall: Very nice. Better than I remember it being the last time I had it.

Bottle Notes:
Edition: 45
Disgorged: Autumn 2022

2/22/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

The wine was decanted off its sediment and aired for two hours.

Eye: Dark black center to a light ruby rim.

Nose: Tobacco, booze, curry spice. Licorice. Herbaceous. Dark brambley fruit. Cassis.

Palate: Moderate acidity. Full bodied. Velvety tannins. Cedar, cassis, cherries. Still very herbaceous. Very light touch of soy sauce. Little salt. Cacao nibs. There is a distinct mushroomy-umami note. Light graham cracker

Finish: Long finish. Cherry, cassis, and pomegranate give way to soy, cacao, and sous bois.

2/21/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Eye: Pale straw verging on light green in some lights.

Nose: Oh yeah, that’s Riesling. Petrol, green apple, lemon, lime pith.

Palate: Nice acidity. Granny Smith apples. Some peach and pear, and clementine. There is a delicate pastry note.
Finish: Short. Crisp green apple. Pastry.

2/21/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Eye: Medium straw. Faintly green in some lights.

Nose: Light cream. Green; stemmy. Hint of caramel and tapioca. White flowers.

Palate: Nice taut acidity. Tropical fruit. Green apple. More cream. Gentle hint of butter. Orchard fruit. Again, lightly stemmy. Faint touch of oak caramel. Chamomile tea.

Finish: Medium length. Lingering prickly acidity. Some gentle fruitiness and toastiness.

2/19/2024 - Janda_42 wrote:

The wine was decanted off a moderate amount of sediment, and aired for two hours before tasting.

Eye: Medium ruby center to a light ruby rim. The wine is beginning to show bricking/browning.

Nose: Bright red fruit. Cool mint. Acetone. Sarsaparilla. Super herbal.

Palate: Acidic like fresh pineapple juice. It sucks all the moisture from my mouth. Red fruit. Touch of earthiness. Still herbal.

Finish: Moderate length. Lingering tartness and red fruitiness. More mint.

Overall: This wine is like a delicious punch in the face.

2/16/2024 - Janda_42 wrote:

Eye: Dark purple center to a dark red rim.

Nose: Red fruit. Black fruit. Light toast, and caramel notes. Strawberry jam. Very gentle touches of cacao and vanilla bean.

Palate: Full bodied. Hot at 20%. Pomegranate juice. Really nice and yeasty. Strawberry jam again. Gently nutty.

Finish: Short. Booze, red fruit, toast/nuts. Lightly bitter.

Overall: A very serviceable, but not tremendously impressive Reserve Port.

2/16/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Decanted for an hour before first tasting.

Just a short note today:

It’s lovely and complex. Tart red fruit, hint of aged caramel. Lively and fresh, yet savory and meaty in a way.

2/15/2024 - Janda_42 Likes this wine:

Eye: Light copper to medium salmon. The bubbles are tiny and move at moderate speed.

Nose: Brioche and marzipan. Caramel. Lightly oxidative. Strawberry jam. Cherry, lemon, grapefruit. Crème de cassis.

Palate: Really lovely in the mouth. Strawberry, cherry. Lemon juice. Brioche. Wonderfully tart. Touch of grapefruit and sea-shells. Green apple.

Finish: Long. Lemon and brioche linger, before tapering off to cherry and strawberry.

Overall: For me, the mark of a great wine is that I feel a slight pang of sadness when I poor the final glass. This bottle absolutely fits into that category.

Bottle Notes:
Base Vintage: 2016
Time on Lees: 51 Months
Disgorgement Date: Oct. 2021
Dosage: 2 g/l

2/15/2024 - Janda_42 Does not like this wine:

Eye: Medium ruby

Nose: Red fruit. Plums, prunes, cooking spice. Feet.

Palate: It’s like if someone raisinated and sweetened some cdr. Moderately sweet. Prunes. Red fruit. Vinous. Pomegranate. Loads of crème de cassis

Finish: Short. Lightly sweet and red. Lingering curry spice.

Overall: I expected something closer to Port. I don’t think Banyuls are for me. There’s just something about sweet grenache that doesn’t sit right with my palate. I suspect that I drank this bottle far too young.