Steve came round to dinner at the Welsh Cottage brandishing a bottle. I saw it was white, and explained I had already opened a hearty red for the hearty provencal-style chicken dish I had cooked. Since Steve knows nothing about wine, and travels by bicycle, I assumed it was something from a supermarket in one of nearby small towns. It was only after a while I examined the bottle, and discovered it what it was. It seemed very surprising, as quality Californian wines are little seen in Britain these days, as they are rather more expensive than equivalents from other countries, even France. And how would a bottle like that even get to his own Welsh cottage? Maybe someone gave it to him.
I asked how he happened to have such a bottle, and whether he realised he was gifting such a quality bottle. At this point I didn't realise that Frogs Leap SB is not so extremely expensive - by our standards - than most of FL's range. But it is still, for British person uninterested in fine wine, an expensive bottle.
It turned out that Steve's wife, a Chinese lawyer, who I have still never met, does appreciate good wine. He had just grabbed a bottle from the rack in his own Welsh cottage. I thought his wife rarely came there, but apparently she has recently fallen in love with it and now comes more often, and is even talking about retiring to it, at least temporarily before finding something more suited to her expensive tastes. I said perhaps he ought to check with her, as I didn't want him to get in trouble with his wife giving away a prized bottle she was looking forward to. He thought that if it was left where he picked it up, it would be every-day wine by her standards, not a prized bottle. He had not been given any do-not-touch instructions. And so I got it.
So this is a restrained warm-climate SB. There is a degree of tropical unctuousness to it, and some nice balance and integration. It provided an excellent accompaniment to the baked wild sea-bass we had for dinner.
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Nose: anju pear, citrus, mineral notes. Palate: pear, citrus zest, green apple, minerality. Not your typical crisp or dry. Light wine, Lightly sweet with enough acidity to compliment bbq chicken. Great for the low price point.
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Golden apple and salinity aromas. Flavors include dried white flowers, minerals, dried spicy Italian herbs, and hint of lemon. Restrained acidity with a long satisfying finish. Balanced.
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I had 2 sips. The rest of the bottle was also consumed tonight. Good quality and not as round or heavy as what I expected from a Napa SB (a good thing!). Easy to enjoy.
Vvv
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What a great Napa Sauvignon. Good balance and texture pineapple, aromas and flavors of pineapple and lemon. Restrained, and not overly acidic. Similar on day 2.
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Really appreciated this wine because it's not OTT Napa-style Sauvignon. It is very fresh, not overly heavy, and has a lot of non-fruit notes that provide further lift to the zip and zing of the expected Sauvignon flavors.
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Nice balance of crisp acid and soft mouthfeel from the sur lie. Bit citrusy and floral day 1, and I got a lot of lychee on day 2. Camille mentioned apricot, near the pit.
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9/24/2023 - Echinosum Likes this wine: 87 Points
Steve came round to dinner at the Welsh Cottage brandishing a bottle. I saw it was white, and explained I had already opened a hearty red for the hearty provencal-style chicken dish I had cooked. Since Steve knows nothing about wine, and travels by bicycle, I assumed it was something from a supermarket in one of nearby small towns. It was only after a while I examined the bottle, and discovered it what it was. It seemed very surprising, as quality Californian wines are little seen in Britain these days, as they are rather more expensive than equivalents from other countries, even France. And how would a bottle like that even get to his own Welsh cottage? Maybe someone gave it to him.
I asked how he happened to have such a bottle, and whether he realised he was gifting such a quality bottle. At this point I didn't realise that Frogs Leap SB is not so extremely expensive - by our standards - than most of FL's range. But it is still, for British person uninterested in fine wine, an expensive bottle.
It turned out that Steve's wife, a Chinese lawyer, who I have still never met, does appreciate good wine. He had just grabbed a bottle from the rack in his own Welsh cottage. I thought his wife rarely came there, but apparently she has recently fallen in love with it and now comes more often, and is even talking about retiring to it, at least temporarily before finding something more suited to her expensive tastes. I said perhaps he ought to check with her, as I didn't want him to get in trouble with his wife giving away a prized bottle she was looking forward to. He thought that if it was left where he picked it up, it would be every-day wine by her standards, not a prized bottle. He had not been given any do-not-touch instructions. And so I got it.
So this is a restrained warm-climate SB. There is a degree of tropical unctuousness to it, and some nice balance and integration. It provided an excellent accompaniment to the baked wild sea-bass we had for dinner.
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9/19/2021 - D & A wrote: 83 Points
Nose: anju pear, citrus, mineral notes.
Palate: pear, citrus zest, green apple, minerality.
Not your typical crisp or dry. Light wine, Lightly sweet with enough acidity to compliment bbq chicken. Great for the low price point.
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7/31/2021 - Hendrickson Likes this wine: 91 Points
Great! Fresh, light, fruity. Perfect hot summer weekend bottle.
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7/9/2021 - OldHick95 Likes this wine: 91 Points
Golden apple and salinity aromas. Flavors include dried white flowers, minerals, dried spicy Italian herbs, and hint of lemon. Restrained acidity with a long satisfying finish. Balanced.
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6/18/2021 - Rossodio Likes this wine: 89 Points
I had 2 sips. The rest of the bottle was also consumed tonight. Good quality and not as round or heavy as what I expected from a Napa SB (a good thing!). Easy to enjoy.
Vvv
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5/31/2021 - DavidWong168 Likes this wine: 89 Points
Pale straw with a green tinge. Aromatic nose with intense tropical and cirtrus fruit flavors. Good persistence.
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5/11/2021 - azwino wrote:
What a great Napa Sauvignon. Good balance and texture pineapple, aromas and flavors of pineapple and lemon. Restrained, and not overly acidic. Similar on day 2.
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2/18/2021 - Nojomoschwa Likes this wine: 89 Points
Really appreciated this wine because it's not OTT Napa-style Sauvignon. It is very fresh, not overly heavy, and has a lot of non-fruit notes that provide further lift to the zip and zing of the expected Sauvignon flavors.
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11/8/2020 - jmull Likes this wine: 91 Points
Very elegant, with cool pitted fruit and a touch of vanilla. Classy.
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8/18/2020 - tjb12 wrote: 91 Points
Nice balance of crisp acid and soft mouthfeel from the sur lie. Bit citrusy and floral day 1, and I got a lot of lychee on day 2. Camille mentioned apricot, near the pit.
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5/23/2020 - Lindsaykomlos wrote:
Mineral taste. Not very fruity. A little floral
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