Eric Rodez
Brut Grand Cru Champagne Blanc de Noirs
Hirsch Vineyards
San Andreas Fault Pinot Noir 2019
Some say it takes a few years for these wines to come together; 4 years later, this 19 is showing beautifully.
Well worth the wait. — 2 months ago
Braida
Montebruna Barbera d'Asti 2019
Gorgeous, polished, silky texture. Oaked (which gives it some mid palate weight) but not overly so. Cherry liqueur with some bay leaf on the finish. Finishes a tad hot and bitter. Barbera is just too light a variety. This is one of the better examples I’ve had and it still struggles to hold the higher alcohol levels (15% per the label—can that be right?) of Piemonte in these recent warm vintages.
— 10 days ago
Phelan Farm Wine
Autrement Red Blend 2021
Phelan Farms = Raj Parr’s new(ish) quixotic project in far coastal Cambria combining ultra natural farming (as in sprays a milk tumeric concoction and other food grade products to prevent mildew) and ultra natural winemaking.
It’s a wine that manages to be novel in all of the right ways.
At first sip I had no idea what to make of this wine. Do I like it or is it just interesting? Rose hip, cedar, garam masala, raspberry.
And then I sit with it for a while and I absolutely love it. But I realize I just don’t have much, if anything, to compare it to. Blind Id probably call it a VDF red blend from the Loire but definitely old world and cool climate.
It’s a natural wine but it doesn’t have any of the volatility or harsh, cidery notes or I-did-100%-whole-cluster-when-I-shouldn’t -have of most natural wines. It also manages to combine the pedigreed finesse of a fine wine with the drinkability of a glou glou wine.
Beautiful.
— a month ago
Rippon Vineyard
Lake Wanaka Central Otago Osteiner
Oddball geeky wine for sure - cross of Riesling and Sylvaner from the remote Central Otago region.
Agree with the comments - certainly more Riesling on the nose (shower curtain, tropical fruit), with Sylvaner coming in more on the palate (green fruit, white pepper, herbaceous ness). A light, insanely drinkable wine with surprisingly layers of complexity (is that schisty minerality there? Indeed it is! Some green papaya and makrut lime? That too. Citrus and orchard fruit? Uh huh. And, dare I go there, kiwi? Yup!
There’s definitely some RS in there, but acidity is high enough that it holds it well.. Not much of a finish, but none needed.
I really enjoyed this wine; my dinner companion was more meh. — 3 months ago
Lelarge-Pugeot
Extra Brut Vrigny Premier Cru Rosé Champagne 2014
A great example of that oxidative style that I don’t always love but that LP does so well. Caramel green apple tart and marzipan. Such richness with no dosage. 2014 vintage. Paired with fried pickles and burgers in Calistoga for his birthday. — 18 days ago
Abeles
Pinot Gris 2021
I’m kinda over Pinot Gris Ramato and then I come across a wine like this that makes me rethink everything. Yes, it has those classic notes of skin contact Pinot Gris (rose hip, red currant, candied strawberry) but it’s so fresh and clearly comes from a place — in this case the volcanic region of Hungary’s Lake Balaton — it’s flinty, with that volcanic licorice spice / allspice — and clearly from a cooler climate. The story behind the winemaker — a brave man in his 70s who has a former wine director for a Soviet Co-op, who now just wants to make good, natural wine his own way—and the label “Abeles” named for the Jewish family whose abandoned estate he found himself making wine out of before discovering an underground cellar and digging up the history of a family whose members were nearly all murdered during the Holocaust. It’s a just a great fucking wine without knowing the backstory; the backstory makes it profound. — 3 months ago
Adriana Fabbro
Bottle opened to celebrate a breaking sales day a month and a half into taking over a small wine shop. Team voted for Blanc de Noirs.
Gorgeous example of oxidative style: baked apples, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, biscuit, orange zest, raspberry liqueur and butterscotch on the finish.
It really ties a room together. — 8 days ago