Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Made with Chardonnay and Chardonnay Muscaté grapes. Medium lemon color with aromas of stone fruits, citrus, honey and floral scents. On the palate flavors of peach, pear and lemon, well balanced, crisp, lively acidity, medium length ending with chalky mineral character. Very nice! Good value! — 2 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

A blend of 40% Corvinone, 30% Corvina, 15% Rondinella, remained indigenous grapes derived from 18-acre vineyard. Ruby with with aromas of dried fruits with floral and smoky spice notes. On the palate plum and sweet cherry flavors, savory, with citrus, tobacco & cacao. Soft tannins, chewy on long finish ending with a juicy fruit and oak character. — 4 years ago

"Odedi"

9.4

#Memorialday

This is a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from a great vintage in Napa Valley.

Full bodied and bold with medium acidity and long legs.

Showing black fruits with chocolates, earth, cedar, spices, peppercorn, pencil lead, dark coffee, vanilla, licorice and light vegetables.

Dry on the palate with a long finish and fine grained tannins.

Good right out of the bottle, but really needs a few hours to open up properly and show the tannins, which we did not have this time, as it finished way too quickly.

This 8 year old is still young, and would age nicely in the next 15 years.

Showing great complexity with a smooth, soft and delicate mouthfeel. Rich yet elegant, with a spicy finish.

Grapes come from the younger vines of BOND, Harlan Estate and Promontory. 

I paired it with a nice piece of steak and baked potatoe.

94 points.

$170. — 4 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

A blend of (changes each vintage) mostly Chard, with Sauv Blanc and Muscat, aged in 35% new French oak for 8 mos. Grapes sourced from some new AVA’s this year, Sonoma Coast, RRV, Santa Lucia Highlands & Atlas Peak AVA’s. Pale lemon with aromas of stone & citrus fruits with complex floral spice. The palate shows flavors of peach and apple with hints of sweet lemon, vanilla and wet stone. The wine is well balanced with integrated oak, crisp, lively acidity and a long finish ending with pepper & mineral. Nice! — 5 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.1

What a nose. Mondeuse like but made from many wacky grapes. Fresh and deep .More later.

After 4 hours open.

Nose is dusty earthy and loads of berry fruit. Mineral and precise with just loads of fruit on the nose. So pure. Palate has loads of crunchy berry fruit that is blue and black with light tannin and terrific freshness. Sappy and even a little complex. Great value. — 5 years ago

Jordi Pazo

9.0

Monvínic. Club 50 Sep-18.
14.12.19 — 5 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

8.9

Family-owned and operated since 1985. Found a ‘16 vintage in my cellar. Grapes sourced from several vineyards, complex aromas of fruits, citrus & sweet spice. On the palate ripe fruits, apple, pear and peach with lemon citrus and vanilla adding toasty oak. French oak aging, great balance, lingering ending with toasty oak finish. I continue to have this wine as a staple in my cellar for a number of years. Enjoy! Great value, compared to Chards costing more! — 6 years ago

Esther Garcia

9.2

Albariño grapes.
Rich, silky. — 3 years ago

Gabby

9.0

Had this as part of the opus tasting back in Nov but didn’t have time to post. All 5 Bordeaux grapes in here, but mostly cab sauv. Red fruit, cherry, oak, earth, cocoa, vanilla — 3 years ago

Kathryn Davis

9.9

Love! First had this at the second wine tasting at Esther’s. Such a great, lighter red drinking wine, but it has a full taste. — 4 years ago

Cheylsea Lauren

9.0

Concord grapes kombucha. Raspberry, green mango, very tart with grippy tannins. — 4 years ago

with Keelan

Sipping Fine Wine

9.1

Cakebread wine offerings are among my Favs, Chard is no exception, consistent quality year/year. 95% of grapes sourced from Carneros, ‘18 saw 8 months on 1/3 new oak with about 20% of wine going through malolactic fermentation. Aromas of stone fruits, slight & honey scents. On palate complex flavors of apple, peach & lemon zest, balanced with good acidity & great mouthfeel. Long finish ending with fruit, wet stone and toasty character. Very nice, will benefit from short aging. — 5 years ago

"Odedi"

9.1

A pretty color of dark ruby with a reddish rim.

Fruity nose with black currants, black cherries, black plums, oak, vanilla, licorice, mint, alcohol, pencil lead, chocolates, cola, dark coffee and peppercorn.

Full-bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruity on the palate with blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, oak, vanilla, licorice, cloves, herbs, spices, dark chocolates, coffee, peppercorn, vegetables, green herbs and tobacco.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This Cabernet Sauvignon from California is drinking very nicely now as a 4 year old, with nice complexity and mouthfeel.

Good right out of the bottle and very fruity. Better after 90 minutes of airtime, when tannins and some more structure come in. Good by itself as a sipping wine.

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from Sonoma County 64%, Lake County 29% and 7% from Napa County.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$21. — 5 years ago

Jody Scharf

9.3

Fruit forward. Strong dark grapes.. — 5 years ago

Stuart Peisner

9.0

This is one of those wines your gonna love it or not. Great fruit in middle and finish. This blend has a lot of different grapes. I think it’s a very good wine. — 3 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Querciabella, in Italian, means “beautiful oak” and surrounds their vineyards. Founded in 1974 by Giuseppe Castiglioni, now managed and owned by Sebastiano Cossia Castiglionii. Sangiovese from biodynamically grown grapes, Ruby, lovely nose of fruit, floral and spice. On the palate cherry and blackberry flavors with earthy herb notes and spicy cacao. Fine tannins, good balance, medium+ finish ending with earthy character. Nice value, consistent. — 3 years ago

Alder Yarrow

Wine Blogger Vinography

9.4

Blinded by the light. There’s something ineffable about this blend of three grapes, that has seamlessly woven them together to be greater than the sum of its parts. Like an antique glass window shining in the evening sunlight, 48% Friulano, 41% Ribolla Gialla, and 11% Chardonnay meld into a synesthesia of sunlight, burbling mountain stream and white flowers. Pear skin, lemon pith, grapefruit and wet stones soar through a gorgeous arc, with small bursts of chamomile. Outstanding. 2018 Massican “Annia” White Blend, Napa, California. @massicanwinery rocks it, as usual. ⁣ — 4 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.1

Just concluded the annual Fall seclusion at our cabin in the Rangeley lakes region of Maine, mobile service up there is mostly non-existent, after several days I am posting again. Notes are somewhat brief, as my focus is relaxing and watching the Common Loons swimming and diving in the cove in front of our camp.

Nose has washed green table grapes, clean cotton tee shirt, candied pineapple and stainless steel.
Palate has smashed crabapples, faint maraschino cherry, (minor) green melon and present but fading acidity. This bottle is in decline, but I still enjoy it more than the 2016. — 5 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

A solid Chard! Only 15 acres planted with grapes grown in Rutherford (warmer with rich ripe fruit) & Oak Knoll (cooler with fresh acidity in grapes). Pale lemon, with fresh & crisp citrus & stone fruit aromas, no malolactic fermentation. Palate shows peach, apple & Asian pear flavors, with lemony & toasty notes, lively acidity & balance with touch of vanilla oak (9 months of French oak aging (25% new & 1-year old, remainder neutral oak). Long finish ending with fruit, spice & biscuit notes. Very Nice Value! — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

Pretty sure I haven’t had a better bottle of Champange at $24.99 and even some higher.

The nose reveals; bruised green apple & Bosc pear, lemon meringue, overripe & slightly sour pineapple, lime zest, nougat, vanillin, soft honeycomb, oysters, sea spray, baguette crust, grey volcanic, pleasant chalkiness, whiffs of herbaceousiness, spring flowers, mixed greens and yellow lilies.

The entry is clean, fresh, rich and lively. Bruised green apple & Bosc pear, lemon meringue, golden apple, overripe & slightly sour pineapple, lime zest, nougat, vanillin, caramel, soft honeycomb, sea fossils & spray, baguette crust, nice white spice with some palate heat, grey volcanic, pleasant chalkiness, whiffs of herbaceousiness, spring flowers, mixed greens and yellow lilies. Crisp lively acidity. The finish is refreshingly delicious, well balanced, good, seamless, delineation, nice polish and persists with spice for several minutes on the long set.

Photos of; The House of Baron Fuentes, grapes at harvest, Proprietor Eric De Brisis and one of their Grand Cru vineyards. — 5 years ago