Texan - Wine Nerd Herd Member
My last of three bottles. The first one back in early 2021 and second one last year both showed a more fresh and vibrant profile, whereas this seemed a bit more evolved.
Gold in the glass. Right off the bat, the aromatics here are honeyed and semi-rich. Honeysuckle, but mostly Truffle honeycomb and those Bit-O-Honey candies come to mind. Didn’t detect any orange marmalade type profile I normally get with roussanne. On the palate, the honeyed notes continue with only real faint fruit notes (peach, dragonfruit). Quiet zing of acidity to keep the wine from being flabby, but it has a distinct texture.
Followed over two days and held strong. I’d rather drink these sooner rather than later, at least this vintage. — a month ago
@Delectable Wine: This is the Alpha Omega Hudson Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc. I didn’t see it in the database.
This is the first time I have seen a SauvBlanc made with Hudson fruit. I’m a big fan of Hudson, so I wanted to give this a try.
I would group this with the “SuperSauvBlancs” that are popular in the valley. Not only is it tropical, but it is richly textured. When mentally comparing to some of the other SBs in this style, this feels in between Melka style (Mekerra, Lail Georgia) with the rich, tropical guava, papaya, pineapple notes and Maayan’s LaPelle SB with its way to dial down the tropical a touch but have so much citrus (grapefruit) and verve. I hoped this would express my expectation of typical Hudson fruit (yellow fruit galore and herbal), but I didn’t get that here. The oak comes across in texture but there is a good snap of acidity at the finish. Pricey, but a nice wine.
Followed over two days with no change. Drink now or hold a few years. — 2 months ago
85 merlot/ 10 CabSauv/ 5 CabFranc
Pop and poured. Very pretty and elegant. Not a blockbuster vintage, but not a slacker in StEm. This Clos Fourtet isn’t flamboyant nor lean, but quite balanced. Deep ruby + purple in the glass, it looks as though it will be heavy and powerful, but it sports lots of potpurri, espresso, and inky black fruits aromatically all wrapped a delicate profile. Good weight on the palate. Very clean (zero Brett). This may lean slightly modern, but the tannin and herbal bite at the finish snap you back to France. Not surprisingly, the last glass was best. No rush here, but a quick dash of air opens the gates. — 13 hours ago
93-94 all day.
Lovely visit to Hugel last Fall. Of all our visits, what made Hugel unique was they seem to reach a level of depth and power that isn’t super common (as opposed to the striking acidity and brightness of others). Gorgeous wines.
My first time with the 2007 Schoelhammer. Pours an almost gold in the glass. Slight hint of petrol aromatically but mostly tropical yellow fruits, lime zest, and a kiss of honey. Once on the palate, the verve picks up in acidity, surrounded by honeyed Granny Smith apple, limestone/mineral, apple crisp, and a honeyed richness which gives a perception of sweetness (even though this is dry). The depth and mid-palate here is what sets it apart. No rush. Not sure it improves but it certainly isn’t falling off a cliff. Wonderful expression. — a month ago
@Delectable Wine : This is the Addax Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay. I didn’t see it in the database.
Followed over two days.
As I’ve come to expect with this vineyard (but maybe more so Russell’s expression), I experienced a honey roasted cashew/nuttines in its profile, both aromatically and on the palate. Really distinct almond-skin note that I’ve always gotten with his Chardonnays, especially Ritchie. Additional aromatics of lemon scone. Sea salt, roasted lemon, and nutmeg show up on the mid palate as well as ripe pear. Big texture (lees). The finish is lengthy and rich (creamy). Based on profile, I believe these to be enjoyed on the younger side, but I don’t see it evolving for at least a couple years, so no rush. — 20 days ago
Last of a 3-pack. Consumed one in ‘22, ‘23 and now ‘24. Holding up well.
42 Mourvèdre/40 Grenache/17 counoise/1 cinsault
I don’t drink much rosé, but when I do, I like the darker/bigger profile, and this achieves that at a really nice price. When compared to the first bottle two years ago, the change is minimal (if at all). This style allows for a bit of age to carry it easily. Deep red-pink in the glass. Aromatics of juicy watermelon and red-gummy fruit (raspberries) upfront as well as some red floral notes. On the palate, it has spiced strawberries, black cherries, and a little blood orange citrus at the finish. If I had more, I’d enjoy over the next year or two. — a month ago
Shay A
![Premium Badge Premium Badge](https://delectable.com/images/icn_premium_3x-9c5cf1b0.png)
94-95
My first Gonon StJo…unfortunately, I loved it. Wish these were easier to find at good prices!
At 8yrs, this was so perfumed out of the glass. At 90% whole cluster, it shows typical green/stemmy aromatics but it’s not the dominant note, trending toward green peppercorns, violets/potpurri, olive, and black cherries. Mineral notes, pepper, mix of red and black fruits, mocha, and so much verve on the palate, absolutely buzzing both days. This wine is floral and herbal but with so much power and balanced fruit…kind of a wild-ness to it that I loved. What a beautiful expression of Syrah. Killer.
Day two showed the whole cluster aromatics fade a bit, but it also showed the palate bulk up. So good. — 13 hours ago