Sage Shimoda

9.2

2013 Janzen Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard

Opened a bottle of 2013 Janzen Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard Cab by Bacio Divino Cellars. The vineyard is situated north of Yountville. Dense and rich in the glass yet approachable in early days. I would like to revisit this in several years. I had the similar impression when I tried a bottle of 2014 Melka CJ Napa Cab Blend.

Yountvilleの北に位置するMissouri Hopper Vinyardのカベルネ葡萄を使ったワイン。早飲みも出来て、熟成にも耐えうるワインということで早飲みして見たけど、個人的には、熟成させて飲んでみたいワインでした。去年、MelkaのCJ Napa Cab Blend 2014を飲んだ時も同じことを思ったなあ。

— 8 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.8

Where do I start with this wine? Perhaps what I didn't like about it. Palate seems unresolved as of now and it didn't deliver as much satisfaction as the nose, but that's just nitpicking. Also a touch too oxidative - hints of sherry notes. However, in a way, this adds complexity to what was already a rich, layered array of aromas. Tasting the Sapience, I think of a warm mille feuille, with baked apples and spices in one layer, salted caramel with nuts in another, chamomile cream with fresh mandarin pieces in the last. This had complexity of the highest order and probably the best champagne I've tasted this year.

Notes: Better to serve it in a bigger format glass. Like Bouchard and Selosse, bubbles dissipates quickly here. The ample use of oak and richness of the wine does make it somewhat table-like. Also, CJ noted that's this could have pulled off as a Selosse Millesime, which I have yet to taste. Mixed info about the wine so will list them all.

From FORCEBERRY on Cellartracker:
This is a brainchild of Benoît Marguet: the world's first "prestige cuvée" by Champagne small growers. Despite labeled under Marguet's name, this wine is not made with Marguet grapes; instead the grapes come from organic producer Georges Laval, who supplied Pienot Meunier (2/3 of the wine) and biodynamic producer David Léclapart, who supplied Chardonnay (1/3 of the wine), all grapes from minimum 1er Cru-level vineyards. The wine is vinified by Benoît Maguet and Hervé Jestin, a man best known as the cellar master of Duval-leroy. The wine is fermented and aged in old barriques for 6 months, after which the wine is bottled and left to age in Marguet's cellars for a minimum of 5 years. This wine is disgorged in September 2012 with a dosage of 3 g/l.

From Planetwine:
Sapience is a collaboration between Benoit Marguet, Benoit Lahaye, Vincent Laval, and David Leclapart. The concept is to craft a Champagne using extreme biodynamic methods. This rendition of Sapience comprises Chardonnay from David Leclapart, and Pinot Meunier from Vincent Laval. The next version will have Pinot Noir from Benoit Lahaye. The wine is made in the cellar of Benoit Marguet, who is one of the most passionate biodynamic winemakers we've encountered. The base wine spends two years aging in Bordeaux barrels before the second fermentation in bottle. More Chardy in blend.

From Pillariwine:

Benoit Marguet partnered with Herve Jestin to create this wine, the first ever certified organic prestige Champagne blended from across the region. They release the same wine with two different labels. One is Sapience/Marguet the other one is Champagne Jestin. Grapes are from the fellows of Hervé Jestin, Vincent Laval(Cumières, PN&PM, Biologic) and David Leclappart(Trépail, CH, Biodynamie). — 9 years ago

with Michelle

RP

8.9

CJ and I like! — 10 years ago

Jesse Pender

Assistant Winemaker Delicato Family Vineyards

8.9

Complex with plenty of depth. Dried herbs, smoked meat and a touch of fruit to balance things out. — 11 years ago

George Whitten

8.9

Crisp with a fresh citrus finish. — 11 years ago

Shelley Bartlett

9.8

Flemings dinner w/ CJ and Rob Fink for their birthday — 11 years ago

Tim Hinck

8.9

2014 - $14
Big fruits and funk! What a great buy! Plum and stewed berries with some farm earth. Great acidity! Not CJ else, but that's plenty for $14! — 9 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.6

Tasted blind. I brought this so I gave options. The group easily picked it out to be a 14' white burg. Village was a little harder, but I made the mistake of putting NSG in the mix of typically white areas - made it far too suspicious. Oh well.

Concentrated, rich, and balanced. Nose was very floral and mineral. Lemon, peach, and pears, some spice. Stunning wine to say the least. CJ commented that this could pull off as a Bonneau Corton. I thought it looked like a Les Clos, without the iodine notes. — 9 years ago

with Michelle

Shay A

9.5

Big Melka tasting tonight. Tasted, in order:
-2014 Melka CJ (more petit Verdot than usual. Can tell. Not a fruit bomb at all. Heavy on terroir emphasis)
-2013 Melka Majestique Syrah (really nice Syrah. Smoked game meat, espresso on the nose. Dark chocolate on the palate. Long finish)
-2014 Melka Mekerra Red (my favorite of the tasting as I dig Cab francs. So enjoyable now. Plum and more heavy than other Cab francs)
-2013 Melka Metisse Jumping Goat (seems more expressive than the '14, has more acidity to it)
-2014 Melka Metisse Jumping Goat (preferred this over the '13. Will age better. Plum and licorice heavy)
-2014 Melka Mekerra White
Highlights were the Mekerra Red (53% Cab franc, 47% merlot) and the outrageously expensive and textured Mekerra White. Who the heck serves a white last?! Reminds me of the Arkenstone Sauv blanc. For what it's worth, though splitting hairs, the Melka white is more Tropical and explosive out of the glass...the Arkenstone is more textured, heavy and has tons of earthy components to it as opposed to tropical. — 9 years ago

Robin Cheney

8.9

Got at Amazing Grapes for planner night with Brooke and CJ. Tasty but not spectacular. — 10 years ago

J. Xiang

9.0

2010 ruby with brown, bright blackberry, cameral, licorice, cough syrup. Round mouthfeel, dry, bitter jammy finish. — 11 years ago

Ted

9.3

An all time favorite. Wish you were here Jeni and cj. Miss you guys. We are going to get that time tomorrow in the 200 back. — 11 years ago

with Jeni

Shelley Bartlett

9.0

Nee Years eve 2014 with CJ — 11 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.4

Tasted blind. Would not have tipped this to be a GC. Finish appeared way to short. A mark of infanticide perhaps? Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed this wine. Gorgeous, far too pretty and effortless to be from Gevrey - probably the winemaker's intepretation of the terrior (higher climat?). Floral, super primary still, mineral tones. As the night progressed, the wine seemed to shut down. Oh well. I imagine this would be an astounding wine with time.

Note: CJ noted that this isn't a vineyard owned by the ladies. Fruit was shared with another producer. — 9 years ago

Luis Hartmann

9.0

Una equilibrada combinación de ubas con carácter. Y mucho cuerpo. En la boca un bouquet persistente y muy especial. Se recuerda. — 10 years ago

Hanif Perry

9.0

Chinon from CJ taking me back. Mossy. — 10 years ago

Shelley Bartlett

9.0

Bday din 2015 w/ cj, mil, joey, ma and dad — 11 years ago

Johan Enoksson

9.0

A big suprise. Fruity, yet spicy. — 11 years ago

Shelley Bartlett

9.7

Dinner at Flemings with CJ and Rob Fink for their birthday. — 11 years ago

Shelley Bartlett

9.1

New Year's Eve 2014 w/ CJ — 11 years ago