Orchard Creek
Saint-Chamant
Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Yeast, honey, walnuts and orchard fruit. — 4 years ago
Pazo de Señorans
Rías Baixas Albariño 2018
Light chartreuse. Expressive, mineral-accented citrus and orchard fruit aromas are complemented by subtle floral and herb notes. Penetrating Meyer lemon, pear, honeysuckle and ginger flavors take a turn to deeper peach and melon with air. Conveys depth but comes off lithe, finishing with sharp definition and resonating floral and mineral flourishes. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, June 2021)
— 4 years ago
Dom Pérignon
Brut Champagne Blend 2004
The 2004 Dom Perignon Champagne is sinfully good at fifteen years of age. Showing off its downright sexy golden hue, the wine evolves quickly once in the glass displaying a dazzling array of aromatics, from orchard fruits to peat moss and toasty brioche as well as shades of salted Marcona almond that all nicely meld together. The palate yields a wonderful combination of richness and tension. There is a lovely ripe, almost unctuous texture to this aged Champagne. Flavors of salted macadamia nut, ripe pear, kumquat zest and shades of Shiitake mushroom with lighter biscuit undertones all combine brilliantly. This is a satisfying, downright hedonistic champagne that will be extremely long-lived. Drink 2019-2040- 97 — 6 years ago
Isenhower Cellars
Yakima Valley Vin Gris Pinot Gris 2020
Last bottle of the 2020 vintage, 130 cases made. Orange with a hint of pink, excellent clarity. Floral and stone fruit aromas, subtle. Lactic, citrus and subdued orchard fruit flavor. Some skin astringency on finish but less than you would expect after a 72 cold soak before fermentation in used wood. An orange wine with finesse, or at least a light touch. Refreshing — 3 years ago
Torre dei Beati
Giocheremo Con i Fiori Abruzzo Pecorino 2019
This captivating Pecorino shows a bouquet of candied ginger with dusty florals, wild herbs, incense and crushed green apple. Silky and rich, yet balanced by stimulating acids and mineral-tinged orchard fruits, it tapers off spicy with a hint of sour melon that keeps the palate wanting more. $22.00 (Eric Guido, Vinous, April 2021) — 4 years ago
Gini
La Froscà Soave Classico Garganega 2011
Golden color. Delicate white flower, apple, and other orchard fruit aromatics. Nicely textured, and crisp, fresh, citrus, apple, almond flavors. Drinking great tonight — 6 years ago
Egly-Ouriet
Brut Tradition Grand Cru Champagne Blend 2002
Light yellow-gold. Fresh orchard and pit fruits on the deeply scented nose, with notes of musky rhubarb and smoky minerals emerging with air. Deeply pitched poached pear and nectarine flavors show impressive power and are lifted by notes of chalk and ginger. Packs a serious punch but manages to come off as elegant. Finishes very long, with a strong jolt of minerality and slow-building leesiness. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, December 2013) — 6 years ago
Rene Rostaing
La Bonnette Condrieu Viognier 2016
(raised in stainless steel tanks and made with no malo) Limpid straw-yellow. Assertive, mineral-accented orchard fruit, melon and fennel aromas are sharpened by hints of ginger and lemon zest. Intense pear skin, Meyer lemon and violet pastille flavors show a suave blend of richness and delicacy thanks to a spine of juicy acidity. Closes minerally, taut and impressively long, leaving a powerful floral note behind. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, February 2018) — 7 years ago
Marchesi Antinori
Castello della Sala Cervaro della Sala Umbria Chardonnay Grechetto 2010
Hazelnuts, orchard fruits.
Spices, complex. — 4 years ago
Claude Riffault
Les Chasseignes Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc 2019
The 2019 Sancerre Les Chasseignes has a ripe and open expression. It fills the mouth with a sense of effortlessness, which Stephane Riffault puts down to both the caillottes soil and the ripeness of the vintage. It is in the riper spectrum of Sauvignon aromatics. This wine leaves the variety's green flavors far behind and focuses instead on orchard fruit and almost heads into the realms of tropical fruit, which isn't something you normally associate with Sancerre. Gently refreshing with the caillottes providing a line of chalkiness on the finish. One for the short to medium term due to the vintage's ripe profile. (Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, August 2021)
— 4 years ago
Jean-Marc Vincent
Les Hautés Auxey-Duresses Chardonnay 2016
Nice clean and prcise nose of orchard fruit, apple and peach. A very delicious and balanced wine with minerality, some richness in terms of texture and with this white peach and precise clean fruit. Decent length too, very nice. 90-91
Nez agréable et fin de fruits blancs et jaunes. Un vin équilibré, minéral mais aussi avec une belle richesse et précision avec du beau fruit avec un peu de pêches blanches en bouche, très bien. 90-91 — 5 years ago
Louis Roederer
Cristal Brut Champagne Chardonnay Pinot Noir Blend 1990
The 1990 Cristal is remarkable. Polished, nuanced and light on its feet, the 1990 is all class. Citrus, orchard fruit and floral notes are wonderfully lifted throughout. A slight reductive note adds character on the finely knit finish. I can’t think of a better way to start this tasting. Simply put, the 1990 is a total rock star. Moreover, it is much more delicate than most wines from this ripe vintage. Amazingly, the 1990 tastes like it is still not ready! “Nineteen ninety was my second vintage here,” says Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. “It was ideal. The fruit was just perfect. We blocked the malolactic fermentation completely and only fermented 6-7% of our lots in oak, as opposed to the more typical 20%, in order to preserve as much freshness as possible. The wine was made by my predecessor, Michel Pansu, but I was learning. This was the first year I started working with oxygen by reducing sulfites in vinification to pre-oxidize the Chardonnay musts, as I do know, which allows me to get rid of all the unstable, oxidative compounds. With Pinot, on the other hand, you need a little bit of sulfur at crush or you lose the brilliant fruit. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2018) — 7 years ago
Lee Pitofsky
While 05-16 may not be my favorite era of Leflaive (08 & 14 excluded), tonight 2013 is excellent, exceeding expectations and still markedly youthful. It’s rich, mineral and incisive with fantastic depth and layers, wafting waves of yellow orchard fruit, lilies, toasted sesame and lemon zest. The palate is deep and full bodied with piercing citrusy acids and a long mineral and saline finish. When Leflaive hits it hits 🤩 — 2 years ago