Founded in 1982 by Koerner and Joan Rombauer and sits on a tree covered knoll overlooking the Napa Valley, with caves that extend for over a mile. Pale lemon color with aromas of stone and tropical fruit, sweet oak, spice and floral scents. On the palate flavors of ripe peach, melon and apple, with vanilla spice, creamy texture. Medium+ finish, well balanced with acidity, ending with mineral notes. — 6 months ago
Pale lemon with aromas of stone and tropical fruits. Made from 40-year old vines, aged in 100% stainless steel. On the palate flavors of bright lemon citrus with crisp apple and peach notes. This medium-body wine has crisp acidity, good balance and nice mouthfeel, smooth long finish ending with creamy mineral texture. Very Nice! — 4 years ago
Stone fruits and silky mouth feel. Lighter than many Talleys, but delicious nevertheless.. — 5 years ago
Popped and poured, and brought out to compare to the 2008. Similar color and brightness as the 2008, which is a good sign. Deeper and slightly more complex nose. Notes of citrus, sea breeze, some hazelnuts, some wet stone. In the mouth it has a bit more weight, and kind of an oiliness to it. Taste lingers for a while. Very nice and sad to later discover this was the last of a 6 pack I had - all of which were in good shape. — 5 years ago
Tasted alongside the Kistler Sonoma Mountain Chardonnay of the same vintage, this wine opens with nose of ripe peach, lemon curd, lightly toasted almond, and a whisper of vanilla—echoing the Kistler’s profile. However, the resemblance stops there. Pineapple and underripe star fruit emerges, lending a refreshing, aromatic lift. On the palate, the tropical theme persists, layered with zesty lime and wet stone minerality. Bright, sharp acidity is balanced by a softly textured mid-palate. Clean precise finish. — 3 months ago
First night open: 20 year old vintage— chocolate on the nose with a stone fruit finish. Tasted clean and complex with an almost immediate light evaporation in your mouth leaving you with the feeling of bubbles dissolving. Delicious. — 10 months ago
Medium gold, heavy in the glass. Awesome aged Raveneau nose. Notes of citrus, kimmeridgian white stone and light colored dirt, some honey, some spice. Great mouth feel, with acidity that powered up over 4-5 hours. Awesome with some angel hair pasta and shrimp, looking out over the Kohala Coast. — 5 years ago
2015 - Luscious honey nectar like bouquet, golden hue, medium heavy body, slightly acidic, pineapple notes, medium long finish. — 5 years ago
Like a flat sour beer — 6 years ago
Dark berries with hints of licorice. Smooth finish with nicely integrated tannins. It’s a quintessential California Cab. — 4 months ago
Kiwi notes on the nose. Crunchy palate with guava and white melon. Textured and weighty. With a nice butterscotch note on the mid palate, combined with moderate acidity and sweetness. No food required. — 4 months ago
A punchy nose with struck match, honeyed lime. Stone and flint. Rick and great acidity subtly laced throughout. Excellent — 10 months ago
Said in my Homer Simpson voice: “mmmm Kistler Stone Flat Chardonnay....” - cloudy hue / canary yellow diamond in color; apple seeds to the nose, alcohol, barely noticeable oak; smooth and almost caramel candy taste. — 5 years ago
2009 is perfect! And, I love these tiny bottles! — 5 years ago
Finger. Lakes. Saperavi.
If this ain’t American winemaking in the 21st century we don’t know what is! 🇺🇸🍷🇬🇪🍇
At least, that’s what we were thinking before reading up on Standing Stone and founders Marti & Tom Macinski. They actually first planted this fascinating Georgian grape here in ***1994*** (just 3 years after Georgia left the USSR, for those keeping score at home) intended for blending.
Increasingly impressed by the quality of the grapes, they offered their first varietal Saperavi in 2010 - as “The Dark Red”, since the grape name was as yet unrecognized by the federal government. Once it was, they became the first American winery to release a wine labeled Saperavi.
Fine tuned to the cold, high mountains of Kakheti in eastern Georgia, it makes sense why it would thrive in the Finger Lakes! The name Saperavi literally means “ink”, a sensible name for a grape with pitch-dark skin AND flesh! 🖤
Marti and Tom sold the winery and retired in 2017. But their enduring legacy may just be budding. We’ve heard of Saperavi planting projects underway in New York, Virginia, and Oregon.
Saperavi’s runaway affinity for the Finger Lakes may have been a bit of a happy accident, but the Macinskis deserve every bit of credit for thinking outside the box, putting it in motion, and bringing it to fruition! 🙌🙌🙌 — 6 years ago
Mary H
Age is just a number. Still has strong, heady aromas and flavors of apricots, stone fruits though no more tropical notes.after some time, aromas of creme caramel. Powerful backbone of acidity, tempered by flavors of herbs and bitters. Beautiful but with some complexity that comes with maturity. Paired with a slice of basque cheesecake. — 3 months ago