Ian Staub

9.2

From Magnum, celebrating our first pod dinner since the birth of our baby Cy. This is lovely and intense, with pineapple cake, lemon curd and red apple. Brioche and roasted nuts. Tons of ripe fruit and pretty forward acid. Slightly sherried aromas. Drinks younger than it should due to the intense fruit and acid. Delicious, enjoyed with (of all things) Detroit-style pan pizza. Perfect! — 3 months ago

Ian Staub

9.1

Wow this just rips. Beautiful Cali/Jura hybrid. The fruit leans more ripe and tropical, and there is some cream, lots of grass and herbs. Enveloping richness on the palate, but the ripping acid (balanced by the fruit and body) keeps this fresh and inviting the next sip. — 5 months ago

Ian Staub

9.1

Lovely Burgundian PN seemingly at its peak - lots of lifted red and black berry fruit, pomegranate, some orange peel. Pine needles and Chinese five spice. The perfect amount of VA is energizing. Acid is still driving and in balance with the fruit and the softened tannins. Actually reminds me a bit of the Clos Saron pinots, with the VA and quite similar structure at this age. — 5 months ago

Ian Staub

8.9

A lovely biodynamic BDX that is maybe a bit simple for the price ($40 or so?) but does offer an elegant and food-friendly package without being weighed down by oak and tannin. Nice fresh dark fruits and florals with gentle menthol, tobacco, rich potting soil and cedar. It is light and ethereal in the mouth. Tannins are actually fully resolved for me at this point, and it’s not super acid-driven, so I’m not sure I see this progressing much for my palate. This would be a repeat buy for me at $20-25 but at this price I’m hoping for something a bit more special. Need to seek out more naturally-made BDX! Recommendations? — 3 months ago

Ian Staub

9.0

Really surprised and delighted by the freshness and fruit purity on this bottle. Unlike so many Cali zins this doesn’t rely on oak flavor to round out the rough edges - lovely brambly berries and ripe cherries all the way. — 5 months ago

Ian Staub

8.8

Nice fruit, and some earthy, mushroomy complexity, but starting to feel quite a bit tired. Structure is largely dissolved and so it’s a bit washy at this point. The wine likely lacked the intensity to go this far. Regardless, Pax’s wines rarely disappoint. See my review of the 2012 Gap’s Crown PN for a much more successful bottle with similar age. — 5 months ago

Ian Staub

8.9

I agree with many of the reviews I’ve read on CT which suggest this wine, this vintage, is young and tightly wound at this stage, but potentially has the goods to be great. This is very lean, very mean, barely yielding some green apple and fresh lemon, some lemon curd with whipped cream. High acid, tense, with the cream coming in mid-palate hopefully hinting at the direction to come...I’d love to see this relax and unfurl a bit. Holding for a couple years! — 5 months ago

Ian Staub

9.1

It is such a delight to be drinking these wonderful wines and ciders from Long Island that are pushing the envelope forward. And great to “know your farmer” so to speak and get the download on how best to enjoy this wine. Per @Erik Longabardi ‘s suggestion I decanted for 2 hours and paired this with an EVOO/herb roasted spatchcocked chicken, both suggestions were spot on.
Upon opening, the wine presented quite green and pyrazine-heavy, but this integrated beautifully over the course of the decant. I was initially surprised and delighted at the freshness of the fruit profile- red plums, blackberry, red cherry and orange rind. Secondary flavors are here in spades and are the star of the wine in my opinion - black pepper, lavender, violet, bell pepper, and a touch of smoke. Complex and delicious.
Whole clusters and a light touch do wonders to keep things fresh and lively on the palate. Medium bodied, tannins are very restrained for a CS, and acid is elevated. The tiniest bit of VA, which I love. With little experience with wines from LI this almost read more like a good natural cru Beaujolais or Loire Cab Franc. It’s balanced and drinkable, and I’ll certainly be getting some more when it makes its way back to CA this year. — 4 months ago

Ian Staub

9.0

Nice biodynamic “baby Vosne” - slightly darker fruit profile and relatively generous tannins. The warm vintage contributes a ripeness to the fruit character, verging on slightly jammy, yet there is still wonderful acid and a lightness of body. The structure here will likely allow this to age gracefully for the next 5 years or so. Looking forward to revisiting. Paired on night one with spiced roasted coho salmon and night two with a green coconut vegetable curry. Did well both nights. — 5 months ago

Ian Staub

9.2

This vintage is absolutely singing right now! Edges are rounded off, the fruit is generous but not cloying, the mineral, animal, meaty characteristics of the grape are there but not overpowering. Tannins are dissolved into silk and it’s got a floating weightlessness on the palate. Goes down too easy. In a beautiful place right now - get some if you can! — 5 months ago