The Menagerie

Rhys Vineyards

Anderson Valley Pinot Noir 2015

The force is strong with this one. Gravity defying ethereality relative to the immense density of flavor and a mouthfeel that pushes 1,000 thread count. Opens with a wild fruit arrangement of cherry, strawberry, and raspberry that comes through in perfect harmony, followed by grilled tangerine peel and baking spices with an earthy bent. The background is filled with a menagerie of orchard fruit, wildflowers, faint smoke, black tea, and rose hip. The balance and weightlessness are a deceptive precursor to the echo of a noticeably lengthy finish. — 8 years ago

Daniel, P and 19 others liked this

Domaine Leroy

Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2009

Called this as Leroy off the bat. Horsehair and a menagerie of berries and their leaves! — 9 years ago

Château Latour

Les Forts de Latour Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1998

Really impressed with the absolute earthiness of this wine. A menagerie of mushrooms with shittake in the lead. But criminis, morels and chanterelles abounding! Cedar and hot loamy earth to feed it! This at 17 years! A meaty African violet. Olive tapenade and minerals, crystals, and a lovely interplay of oak, toast and a backbone of acidity that won't quit! Cinnamon, Connecticut tobacco and white pepper. An Amazon with a soft touch! — 10 years ago

Tercero

Verbiage Grenache Blend 2013

Rhône whites are the best whites. Roussanne, Viognier, and Grenache Blanc, essentially a menagerie of endangered grapes. And you're shooting them all. — 10 years ago

Drew Family Cellars

Mendocino Ridge Albariño 2013

Menagerie of tropical fruits with good acid that definitely combine to give the sensation of Cali Sauv Blanc (but without the grapefruit). Tends away from the classic Spanish drive of green flavors and slight RS, but brings slightly more weight yet still really crisp, clean and zippy. A nice alternative from a great Mendo producer. — 8 years ago

John, Chris and 3 others liked this

Radford Dale

Menagerie Mataro Blend 2010

Mixed dried fruits, blackcurrant and vanilla on the nose. Black cherry, blackcurrant, all spice on the palate with a little vanilla coming through but well balanced with some rich smokiness in the finish. 9/10 - would drink again — 9 years ago

Big Basin Vineyards

Lester Family Vineyard Pinot Noir 2013

S Butterfield
9.3

So dense and complex but each layer is clearly differentiated. Wow, a menagerie of floral and red fruit. Beam me up to Pinot country. — 10 years ago

Hubert & Heidi Hausherr

Alsace Rouge Sauvage 2013

I love wines with animals on the label. Therefore I love THIS wine more than most others on the planet. #menagerie — 10 years ago

Josefa ConcannonChristy Agee
with Josefa and Christy
Christy, Tannin Wine Bar & Kitchen and 3 others liked this

Château du Nozet

Ladoucette Pouilly-Fumé Sauvignon Blanc 2010

guilty pleasure or graceful love? good girl gone bad? bad boy gone good? if it weren't served cold it would be like eating food more than drinking wine. new french oak. menagerie of citrus green and tart fruits. crystal palace of minerality. not seeing much development, would like to keep some but I'll just drink it.

high acidity
med alcohol
light tannin dance
med + body
— 11 years ago

Antica Terra

Aurata Chardonnay 2012

Absolutely terrific wine. Bound to uplift even the most doomy-gloomy mood. As such, it pairs well with political discourse and the prospect of "President Trump." Go ahead, drink those sorrows away. You deserve it.

Beautiful, shimmering golden color. I believe it's actually already deepening with age. (2012 vintage consumed in mid-2016)

On the nose, apricot fruit and unrefined honey dominate but is accompanied with a menagerie of rare and precious aromatics. The result is a feeling of having something truly exotic in your glass. This is a world-class wine for which there could never be any argument over its worthiness. You will be taken by this wine and there's really no way to over-hype it and set the expectation bar too high because this wine will meet it every time.

As we dig in deeper past the obvious top notes, we discover a treasure chest filled with persimmon, sandalwood, white flower, and vanilla bean.

Upon first entry in the mouth you are met with a zippy liveliness but then that melts gently across your palate to really give you a fine, pervasive coating that excites the taste buds in every corner of your mouth. This is a POWERHOUSE of assertive flavor. This wine will stage a veritable coup d'etat upon your complacent palate. There will be an ouster of your resident ennui. No incumbent sense of boredom will be safe from this wave of populist essence. There will be a complete and total transition of power in the halls of your mind's parliament leading to a peaceful but efficacious revolution. With your personal Congress in shambles, this fresh new confederacy shall draft a Constitution that will usher in a new era of utopian cooperation and transcendental civic euphoria!

Sorry, maybe for a little carried away there. For reals though. Drink this wine when you're feeling down and feel the BURN! Well, not really - because the alcohol is really well-integrated. ;)
— 9 years ago

Château Barde-Haut

Saint-Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 2010

Only 300 btls produced? Wondering if that is accurate, but no matter. This was a beautiful wine! Everything one cod want in a bottle. Seductive dark blueberry fruits without all the sugar, a mineral and earth strata to tone it down, judicious oak to frame it all. Fine art! Really delicious, and the tannins were exquisitely integrated. A menagerie of amuse bouches from soft smoke, to crisp plum, black cherry, to forrest scrub, black olive, roasted currant, truffle, etc. Will drink this again! — 10 years ago

Mike liked this

Trefethen Family Vineyards

Dragon's Tooth Red Bordeaux Blend

This is a wonderful wine with Texas BBQ. Cherry nutmeg palate. Taste best with the Dragon Menagerie aerator that you can get from Trefethen. No worries about decanting. It is ready to drink. Enjoy. We did! — 10 years ago