Delightfully complicated California Chard masquerading as a White Burgundy. French nose and French finish. Minerals, flint, stone and fruit—apple, pear, peach and nectarine, with an obvious but restrained layer of oak. Not overly fruity or oaky; no pineapple or butterscotch here. Paired well with the Seafood Tower, Swordfish and Black Cod at the Water Grill Santa Monica. This was a juvenile 2021 vintage, tasted in 2024. Eager to try this gem after another half decade. — 15 days ago
Double blind wine tasting. 3 Whites and 3 Reds:
1. ‘18 Hamilton Russell Chard - WOTN across both whites and reds - complex, refined, fruit integrated with honey, oak, butter, cream, camomile.
2. ‘20 Hartenberg The Eleanor Chard - big wine that could use a few years. Nice fruit and lovely acidity. Mix between a White Burg and Rhone Blend.
3. ‘22 Far Niente Chard - potential, very young, not the best QPR. Reminded me of young Paul Hobbs single vineyard Chards.
1. ‘12 Giacomo Fenocchio 90 di Riserva Barolo - aged showed through nicely, but still lively with dark cherries and ample tannins.
2. ‘20 Vilafonte - decanted, but young and an absolutely massive wine. Black fruit, chewy, with decent sweetness.
3. ‘02 Origin Red Blend - nose of black tar and cigars. Zero fruit and big tar, tobacco, and bbq flavors. Bigger wine than I was expecting.
Great night with great friends!
— 9 days ago
Promising red fruit on the nose but a bit too tannic—decanting was de rigueur. After 45 minutes it was better but still tight. It took a full two hours to open up fully and show interesting notes of tobacco, earth and pencil shavings to balance the fruit and acid. Tells me that I should wait another five years before opening my remaining bottles. Enjoyed the 2021 vintage with prime ribeye cap steak from Costco, chicken liver pate and Taleggio cheese, with visiting family (William, Teresa, Xander and Samantha). — 7 days ago
Candied apricots, hazelnuts, brûléed oranges. — a month ago
Hirsch with another great wine. Gorgeous nose with more depth than your average Pinot. Sour cherry notes. Not much tannin to deal with here. Curious where my other bottles will be in a few years — 3 days ago
Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a couple of hours. The 2016 Pagani Ranch pours a deep ruby with near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with light staining and some signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of red and black brambles, toasted coconut, dill, wood, baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and tart. This is in a lovely spot yet, it still exhibiting quite a bit of freshness so I expect this will be quite long-lived. Drink now through 2031+. — 20 days ago
Dinner with Kevin Kropp, Sam Bartsch and Andrew celebrating listing of 35 Hiliritas @ Foreign Cinema — 6 days ago
Ely Cohn![Premium Badge Premium Badge](https://delectable.com/images/icn_premium_3x-9c5cf1b0.png)
Cool with coastal climate salts, muted dried strawberries and rose petals and cherry mint that need a real sniff. Refined with mid level expression, med rustic body, subtle nuance and concentration/structure that shows itself mostly in the mouth.
Lovely, not extraordinary. — 7 days ago