Jay Kline

9.3

Brambles, plums, anise, freshly oiled baseball glove, mushrooms, and black pepper on the nose. On the palate: brambles, dark cherries, espresso, tobacco. Medium acid...still a touch tannic. So enjoyable. A wine in a great place. — 3 days ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Decanted for a two hours before we got into this bottle and then consumed over the following three hours. This is one of the more unique producers from Chateauneuf du Pape as they are known to have the most prized and oldest Mourvèdre in the region. Initially, this had the funkiest aroma, almost that of a high school locker room. Thankfully, that blew off after about five minutes. What remained was a powerful, concentrated wine with a bouquet of red and blue fruits with garrigue and exotic spices. On the palate, red cherries and baked blueberries and an unmistakable kiss of black pepper. Very good acid and sneaky tannins; characteristic of the vintage. And while the 15% abv is kept fairly well in check, it does have a touch of heat on the finish. Fun to try one now but I expect this to show better after 2025. — 8 days ago

Jay Kline

9.3

This bottle was also part of the really fun ensemble of Barolos, generously shared and curated by our friend Tim.

Again, served blind after a lengthy slow-ox and we knew we were drinking Barolo but that’s it. No obvious signs of age. On the nose, bright red fruits, herbs, dead flowers and tar...but was all knees and elbows, even with all of the air it was given. Abundant structure. This had to be a classic case of yet to be realized potential.

The shroud was pulled and...I’ll be damned, a 2008 Brovia “Villero”. I’m sort of surprised how much of an infant this wine seemed to be. I have little doubt these will age gracefully for decades to come. — 9 days ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Super primary at this moment. On the nose: lingonberries, blackberries, anise, wet asphalt, garrigue and some deli meat. On the palate, black brambles...all of the blackberries, with a little black pepper and leather. There’s a lot of structure here. Super tannins; drying. Lovey acid. Finish lasts for minutes. Best yet to come. — 3 days ago

Jay Kline

9.2

A gorgeous bouquet of bright bramble fruit, anise, and flowers. On the palate, I found this to be quite snappy! Brambles again with licorice and minerals. Medium tannins and high-ish acid. A pleasurable finish. This would work very well with a wide range of meals. At 14.4% ABV, this is very modest for a Lodi Zinfandel...and quite possibly the best I’ve ever had from this area known for its bulk rather than its quality. This proves the area’s potential with aplomb. The fruit for this bottling comes from Sandland’s own Kirschenmann Vineyard, located in the Mokelumne River AVA, which was planted 105 years ago. The soil there is mostly silica so the environment is naturally resistant to phylloxera. As a result, the vines are ungrafted and hence, own-rooted. — 7 days ago

Jay Kline

9.5

This bottle was the fourth and final bottle part of our Barolo ensemble, generously shared and curated by our friend Tim.

Served blind, like the others, after a lengthy slow-ox. We were all aware that we were drinking Barolo but all other details were hidden from us. This bottle showed no visual signs of age. It was actually quite gorgeous to behold with a deep ruby core and bright disk. The bouquet was powerful; the most powerful of the four we experienced on this night. Cherries, strawberries, raspberries, exotic spices, tar, roses, dried herbs...even a bit of an umami thing was happening...everything was on full display! The finish was long and savory. Almost gave me the feeling of a buzz button which, I have only encountered once before in wine.

Of the four Barolos, on this night and to my palate, this exhibited the most sizzle. I was well and truly smitten. When this was revealed to be the 2012 Cappellano “Pie Rupestris”, it became an Archimedes moment for me...short of running through the town naked. Until now, I had only tried Cappellano’s Barbera d’Alba and Chinato; both extraordinary wines. This fits squarely into my wheelhouse and has become a new benchmark for me; recalling a similar experience to my first Lignier “Clos de la Roche”. A monumental wine that is already drinking so well but has everything necessary to age with grace for decades to come. Scary thing? There remains upside, I’m sure of it. — 8 days ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Black Family Vineyard. Fallon Place is part of that movement of Sonoma Coast wines with very limited intervention. On the nose, fresh strawberries, cranberries, and cured meats. On the palate, strawberries brambles, leather and earth. Fantastic acid. Lovely with the Thanksgiving meal. — 3 days ago

Jay Kline

9.2

On the nose, orange and lime zest and wet stone. On the palate, citrus, minerals and lanolin. Crushable and yet, serious. These Chenin’s from Sandlands are so dope. A lovely first salvo for Thanksgiving. — 3 days ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Is there a better way to complete a night of Barolo than with Chinato? I’ve never even seen a bottle of Bartolo Mascarello’s special elixir and yet, here it is. It’s like a blast of baked fruits, alpine herbs, mint, and holiday spice. A brilliant finish. — 8 days ago

Jay Kline

9.1

This bottle was the third part of a really fun ensemble of Barolos, generously shared and curated by our friend Tim.

Once again, served blind after a lengthy slow-ox; all the while knowing we were drinking Barolo but that’s it. This bottle had rather obvious signs of age with loads of sediment (though most was decanted off) and a rather pronounced orange rim. On the nose, there was tar for dayzzzz! Secondary characteristics were dominant with dried cherries, balsamico, earth, and truffles. The finish was savory and delicious.

I was sure this was old but I wasn’t sure how old. Revealed as a 1985 Fratelli Monchiero, a producer I was unfamiliar with. Our host mentioned that it came across DOA when the cork was pulled but his experience with old Barolo proved this had a chance to come around; I’m so grateful he showed the patience necessary. A lovely experience. — 8 days ago