Iron Gate Vineyards
Ram's Gate Winery
Gap's Crown Vineyard Pinot Noir
I don't like Pinot Noir and this was awesome — 8 months ago
Thierry Allemand
Chaillot Cornas Syrah
A fantastic nose. So multi dimensional. Gamey, meaty, violets, iron, herbs. Intense, defined. Long. Fantastic. — 8 months ago
Iron Horse Vineyards
Winter's Cuvée Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2019
Excellent on a stand alone basis or in mimosas!! Slight brioche, caramel, butter, and a hint of apricot. Just as good at bottle opening as it was a couple hours later! — 2 years ago
Domaine du Pegau
Cuvée Réservé Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 2004
Stunning nose of brambly dark red fruit and black tea. Bacon fat and scorched clay on the entry followed by a broad beam of melted tannins and fig, iron, Provençal spices and lavender. 45+ second finish. Outstanding, another great bottle though now at its apogee (but likely to stick around and turn to burgundy over time). — 5 years ago
Quails' Gate
Okanagan Valley Old Vines Foch 2022
Poured it, drank it, loved it. — 7 months ago
Iron Horse Vineyards
Brut X Chardonnay - Pinot Noir Sparkling Blend 2020
Brioche, pears, with a nice bold, crisp touch. — 8 months ago
Cayuse Vineyards
Bionic Frog Walla Walla Valley Syrah
Color - dark purple garnet. A bold expressive funky perfume fruit nose so classic of Cayuse with mineral-meat, smokey and mint notes lingering with a vanilla toast scent. Juicy and elegant; rich with dark plum-cherry flavors intertwined with a smokey soil bacon bitters taste—the mineral-iron characteristics follow with a tobacco long finish. Looking forward to seeing how the flavors change with different foods and as the wine opens up. Bionic Frog is favorite and definitely a wine to try and store in your cellar. Christophe Baron does it again! — 5 years ago
Domaine Auguste Clape
Cornas Syrah 2005
My contribution to a large Rhône dinner. Standouts were ‘07 Chapoutier Le Meal Blanc, ‘89 and ‘90 Jaboulet La Chappelle, ‘11 Guigal La Mouline.
An over-generalization, but what I love about Cornas is the rusticity and sometimes feral nature of the wines (which I don’t find in Hermitage or CR) and this ‘05 is in that vein. I followed this from pop (after all, we are at the almost 20yr mark) and over the course of three hours.
Interplay of red and black berry fruits, black pepper, slightly herbal (maybe closer to potpurri floral) aromatically. Bright and nimble on the palate, nothing about this is ripe or soft. Energetic acidity all the way through surrounded by notes of iron (sanguine-like) and rocky minerality. Crunchy red and black fruits (whole-cluster?), hint of gaminess but not in the meaty-style I semi-expected. Clean and pure style of Syrah. Big structure at the finish…hard to imagine drinking this 10+yrs ago. Acidity and tannin will carry this a long time, but I think this is peak window for getting depth of fruit and complexity. — 7 months ago
Iron Horse Vineyards
Unoaked Chardonnay 2019
It doesn’t get better than this. — 2 years ago
Iron Horse Vineyards
Estate Chardonnay 2016
Nice Chardonnay. — 5 years ago
Somm David T
Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator
From 375ml.
A very good Rhone producer visited in 2015.
At pop & pour, the fruits almost had a mid berry bubble gum character. That toned down almost immediately. Fruits are ripe; blackberries, black raspberries, baked plums, raspberries, dark cherries, juicy strawberries, chocolate bar to fudge, grilled, smoked meats, black pepper, dark spice, nutmeg, clove, iron pan, black tea, a touch of rubber toy, slight tarriness, dry herbs, roasted chestnuts, tobacco leaf, dry crushed rocks, dry top soil, hints of mint, dark, red flowers, violet’s, nice acidity with a well balanced-structured, stiffly tensioned with a lush finish that lasts 90 seconds and lands on earthiness & spice.
Plenty of life left in this 2012, even in 375ml. — 5 months ago