Sunday, February 1st, 2009
92 / B-
Tasted by Mike Supple - 19 Dec 2008
Straw yellow with small, delicate bubbles. Very toasty, yeasty, bready aromas around light golden apple, a touch of caramelized pear and raw honey. Dry entry on the palate with silky bubbles. Crisp apple and pear surround honeyed biscuit. Medium bodied with a nice citrus zest finish.
Click here for full grades section
Tags: 1997, apple, biscuit, bread, brut, bubble, california, caramel, citrus, Coast, disgorged, golden, honey, j, late, North, pear, raw, River, Russian, silk, sonoma, sparkling, sparkling wine, toast, valley, wine, Winery, yeast, yellow, zest
Posted in Tasting Notes | No Comments »
Sunday, February 1st, 2009
90 / B-
Tasted by Mike Supple 22 Jan 2008
Dark ruby core with a garnet edge. Sweet raw honeycomb aromas are backed by black cherry and white truffle. Bold acidity once would expect from a nebbiolo on the front of the palate, just screaming for some food. Leather and earth notes surround black and red cherries from the front palate through the finish.
This is a very strong example of this grape. It can be incredibly tricky to grow and make, and many of the ones coming from Italy are bad and overpriced. The best examples are truly stunning, but so is the price tag. That being said, this one is a little bit pricey for what it is, but well worth it if you can find it on sale. This is one of those wines that pairs well with a lot of foods, particularly those with a lot of acid (think tomatoes) or cream and butter. It also has a good hefty bottle that will impress people before you even pour the wine. Sealed with wax, which I find annoying for opening, but looks nice.
Click here for full grades section
Tags: 2001, Ambullneo, barbara, Bien, black, california, cherry, earth, garnet, honey, honeycomb, leather, Maria, Nacido, nebbiolo, Nonno, raw, red, red wine, ruby, santa, sweet, truffle, valley, white, wine, Zito
Posted in Tasting Notes | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
89 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 12 Nov 2008
Medium lemon gold color with a clear rim. Fresh tropical aromas of mango and pineapple over a darker mineral streak of wet flint and lingering yellow apple. Fresh entry to the palate with nice crisp acidity the whole way through. A solid core of minerals are surrounded by yellow apple with a lingering touch of raw honeycomb on the finish.
Finding value from Burgundy can be a challenge, but this wine fits the bill. Lots of great fruit flavors with the acid and minerality that makes Chardonnay from Burgundy so unique.
Click here for full grades section
Tags: 2005, apple, Burgundy, chardonnay, Domaine, flint, france, gold, honey, honeycomb, laboure, lemon, mango, maximum, mineral, pineapple, raw, roi, tropical, white, White wine, wine, yellow
Posted in Tasting Notes | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
90 / B+
Tasted by Mike Supple - 20 Nov 2008
Dark purple and ruby core with a lighter, bright rim. Rich aromas of plum, black cherry and raspberry with wild, raw honeycomb accents. Very fruit forward with plum and raspberry dominating the flavors. Full bodied with very nice acid keeps it from getting too heavy. The finish lingers with lighter touches of violets and vanilla spice.
The intense flavors are a result of the grapes growing on 125 year old vines. Older vines produce smaller berries with more concentrated juice.
Click here for full grades section
Tags: 2005, black, california, Cellars, cherry, church, Coast, honeycomb, North, old, peter, peters, plum, purple, raspberry, raw, red, red wine, Rosenblum, ruby, saint, sonoma, spice, vanilla, vine, Vineyard, violet, wild, wine, Zinfandel
Posted in Tasting Notes | No Comments »
