March 3, 2024 - Homage to Chablis indeed! Wes, this baby was beautiful tonight. Fresh and energetic. Meyer lemon for sure. Excellent balance and length. Definitely knocking on the grand cru door.
December 22, 2022 - Retail $40. Under cork. A couple of days ago, I popped my first bottle of this wine and it was badly oxidized, to the point of undrinkable. Deflated and depressed that I had clearly waited too long, I popped the second bottle and braced myself for the amber color that poured into the glass from the first bottle, but it was a delicious straw color and the wine was incredible. So today, I walked into the cellar and this third bottle was staring me down, wanting me to break the tie created by the other two. So I grabbed it and popped it. Whoa Nellie. While there are similar notes, I feel this wine is even better than the previous. Extraordinary.
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December 17, 2022 - Retail $40. Under cork. I bought three bottles of this wine over a decade ago. Despite being a wine club member, I really have no idea how or why I bought this wine. But here we are. I also have no idea why it has taken THIS LONG for me to crack one. Really, I have no idea. Well, perhaps there is/was a good reason after all as the golden color of this wine (one could argue that it was close to brown, but that would not be me) immediately indicated that there might be a problem with having kept it for so long (wine understatement of the year?). And there was. As it was oxidized beyond much hope of enjoyment, I decided to open the second bottle. Holy mother of all things holy, I am glad I did. Still a bit of color in the glass, but more yellow straw than golden-on-the-verge-of-uh-oh, this wine is pretty magical from the jump. Luscious lemon curd, considerable minerality, and a dash of white pepper on the nose lead to a tart, creamy, voluptuous palate of zingy lemon creamsicle that is incredibly balanced. Whoa, plus. The finish of this incredible wine is perhaps the most (?) noteworthy, as it lastted well beyond the soft open of the latest SNL. Yowza.
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March 23, 2020 - Retail $40. I have been an unabashed fan of Clos Pepe for well over a decade, and I have almost always felt that the Chards outperform the Pinots (although it was close). This Chard is certainly on the downward slope, with ripe, but stewed fruit (pineapple and Bosc pear), a touch of white pepper. The palate is tart and just a touch spicy, and perfectly delicious. Close to a Whoa. thedrunkencyclist.com
November 6, 2015 - Drank our last bottle of many last night at Delmonico's Steakhouse in LV with friends. It went amazing with the oysters. Sad to see this Steel fermented with malo SRH chard go. Nice stuff
November 29, 2014 - Clean and fresh. The title is a nice way of saying it. A nice tribute to Chablis. Not a lot of complexity or depth for Chardonnay but certainly a fresh, clean white wine from a region that doesn't seem to produce a ton of them. I would love to have more wineries in California producing white wine in this style.
August 18, 2013 - Wine & Fire - Sta. Rita Hills Sat 8/17; 8/18/2013-8/23/2013: Honeyed notes of hazelnut, mineral, citrus zest, and savory herbs and spice. Complex and bright, flourishing through the finish. Excellent.
November 4, 2012 - The first unoaked chardonnay that I was extremely impressed with. Aromas of stone fruits and citrus started off the show. Then a bracing acidity showing a tart lemond curd and hints of other citrus, chalk and minerals with an aftertaste that lingered on and on while the mouth kept watering. Very nice wine. My wife gave this 92 pts.
February 22, 2012 - Light straw color. Lean peach and melon aromas. Nice levels of minerality and acid with subtle levels of citrus flavors.
February 4, 2012 - Great stuff. Young but showing good fruit, balance, minerals and vibrant acidity. Well done Wes.