Jonathan McCarthy

8.9

Unctuous nose with ripe, bruised fruits. Peachy and macerated. Floral qualities and an alluring dash of freshly ground white pepper. Good rich texture with a calcareous finish and a little suggestion of light nectar or thistle honey. — 6 years ago

Kaitlin Shaw

10

Incredible. Absolute perfection for anyone who loves funky, farmhouse-style ciders. — 7 years ago

Craig Williams

9.4

@ Thistle in MCMinnville. spearmint, brioche; excellent cut and length — 8 years ago

Andrew Paterson

9.2

Sea, mist, wild strawberries, thistle, bergamote, thyme, short in mouth, sandy, pine cones — 8 years ago

with Marjorie

Erik Nordman

9.1

Super solid Sonoma County Chardonnay. This one takes a leaner route than most California Chardonnays and is actually surprisingly Chablis-like, but a bit riper and with a bit more breadth. Dominated by lemon curd, ripe fresh yellow apple, lime zest and crushed chalk, underscored by a bit of fresh brioche dough from lees treatment, a bit of crème fraîche, and a bit of dogwood floral character as well; all delivered with a strong, linear acidity. Lees treatment, natural malolactic, and partial neutral oak treatment add some weight and texture without sacrificing focus. Really hits a pleasurable balance of new and old world stylistically speaking, in my opinion. Relatively richly textured with a bit riper fruit, but without sacrificing focus and minerality. Tasty stuff. Would love to try with some scallops! — 9 years ago

Mandy B

9.2

More bite than typical Cab, very tasty — 9 years ago

Zack Miskel

10

Drinking this beautiful beast with the winemaker! — 9 years ago

Jonathan McCarthy

9.2

Dreamlike aromatics. Perfumes, lavander, wildflower, honeysuckle. Ripe-ripe peachy notes. Ripe nectarines, ripe pears. Finishes with a delicate comb of star-thistle honey. Inviting and gorgeous. — 6 years ago

Andrew Solomon

9.0

Black current and a little watery. Tannins plenty — 7 years ago

Erik Nordman

9.3

Really awesome Chablis. In a richer style, which is further amped up by the warm vintage, yet still has that bracing, sea-spray Chablis-ness to satisfy the itch for racy salinity that you want a good Chablis to be able to scratch. Pours a bright medium (-) gold hue. High concentration of aromatics of slightly bruised green apple, lemon curd, saline sea spray, wet stone and crushed oyster shell, dogwood floral notes, fresh brioche dough and aged cheese rind leesiness, crème fraîche, and a slight fennel spice. On the palate, there's more perfectly ripe green apple, lemon curd, saline oyster shell and wet stone minerality, aged cheese rind, and crème fraîche. High acid, bone dry, medium (-) body but with a rich oily texture. Moderate, in-balance alcohol. Great length on the palate. Wonderful complexity. Would take well to a short-to-medium term cellaring but is honestly so delicious and generous now, too. Definitely want to seek out more Chablis from the De Moors. — 8 years ago

Barbara

9.0

This is a great little wine. Surprisingly delicious for the price. — 8 years ago

Erik Nordman

9.1

Great example of California Chardonnay that opts for subtelty and restraint over oaky brawn and richness. Breadth with freshness. Honeydew melon, yellow apple, ripe Bartlett pear, dogwood florals, and a bit of Meyer lemon, supported with fresh, crushed stone minerality; with a toasted coconut, vanilla and baking spice richness from well integrated and restrained new oak. Glad this return towards elegance and balance is gaining a lot of traction in California now, and Jim Clendenen is probably one of the most influential figures in that regard. Solid juice. — 9 years ago

Zack Miskel

9.6

Something about Doug's wines. They just age well. — 9 years ago

Benjamin Hickey

9.2

Nice touch of residual sugar up front and good texture and weight. — 10 years ago

Magnus Sjöstrand

9.1

One of the best ales I have ever consumed — 6 years ago

Erik Nordman

9.3

Wonderful, complex Wachau Riesling with a little bit of age on it. I love how Nikolaihof is willing to hold on to their stuff a bit longer to release it at an appropriate time for the wine, this is singing right now but is also very youthful and has a long life ahead of it. Simultaneously rich and nimble on the palate, with great energy.

- Color: medium (-) yellow-gold
- Nose: preserved lemon, slightly underripe nectarine, wet river stone, some hard cheese rind leesiness, a bit of petrol-y action, an ever so slight oxidative bruised green apple edge from the bit of age, some white dogwood florals, and a tiny bit of mandarin orange
- Palate: just-ripe nectarine and mandarin, slightly bruised green apple, clean, wet slate-y minerality, a savory leesy edge, petrol, and a very slight sweet basil note, and the tiniest bit of almond skin oxidation.
- Acid: high
- RS: dry, few grams of balancing RS but not much apparent on the palate
- Alcohol: medium, not at all obstructive or hot
- Body: medium (-) body, oily, lees-influenced texture
— 7 years ago

with Cassie

Howard Light

9.0

Enjoyed this at Thistle Inn in Boothbay Harbor ME. — 8 years ago

Bob Ballard

9.2

Exquisite. Had with a plain burger in smoker. Subtle dark fruits. Elegant cocoa. Soft thistle underbrush dried. Old old baseball glove that you chewed on while in the outfield from little league. Oh yeah — 8 years ago

William Hughes

9.1

Cantaloupe, sugar snap peas, dogwood flowers, and a light touch of tropical fruit. 2014 is the year to look for terrific Loire Valley SB beyond Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé. Well made and savory. — 9 years ago

David Kline

9.4

Powerhouse blackberry, black currant, licorice give way to a window of swamp water,tilled earth, dogwood, herbs de provence, toast. Leather greets the palate, fresh boysenberry, blackberry, raspberry, plum tartness, smoke, dark tobacco, burnt corn kernels, graphite. Small, grainy tannins turn silky but darkly resonant. Rosemary, baked beets, in this super-young wine that still begs for years of aging to shine far beyond its plastic surgery California alternatives. Day 2: toasty black cherry, dried blackberry, dusty earth, graphite filings, sarsaparilla cookie burnt around the edges, dark raisins, a finish that is part negroni, part sazerac rimmed with raw cocoa. — 9 years ago

with Courtney