Shay A

9.2

Bought at the KV tasting room outside of Seattle a few years ago. Fun visit as they have plenty of wine to meet your palate needs!

I opened this as part of a GSM blind taste. There were 12 wines, including an ‘07 Cayuse GOK, ‘12 No Girls Syrah, ‘21 Allbaer Syrah, ‘12 Torbreck Struie, etc.

Out of 12, this tied for second. This took the bigger profile of the ‘07 GOK, added a juicy fruit factor, removed a kiss of funk, and tada! Double decanted two hours before taste. Translucent ruby in the glass. Aromatics of black peppered rhubarb, green/herbal twang, and cured meat (not overly meaty though). Beautifully elegant profile (and appropriate for Grenache) showing great acidity, whole cluster, with spicy strawberry, sweet jerky and no trace of oak. Defining characteristic of this wine is juicy red fruit framed by black pepper spice. Good now with decant.

92+ — 3 days ago

Shay A

Part of a cellar acquisition where storage was perfect for 20+yrs before the cellar’s upkeep was disregarded and left to a non-climate controlled temp for a few years. All bottles look pristine (doesn’t mean the wine will be).

Faded ruby color in the glass. Distinct herbal (almost cabbage) aromatic with faint notes of rose petals, kirsch, and earth. The wine has more depth than expected (as well as tannin) with noticeable dirty red and black berry fruit, though it’s not vibrant. 30mins later, this roared in to form for one last gasp and was really enjoyable…bright and tangy rhubarb, peppered strawberries, fig, and chewing tobacco leaves with good acidity. Two glasses later, the curtains fell and the wine was lifeless. Looking forward to test driving the other wines acquired. — 12 days ago

Shay A

9.2

@Delectable Wine : This is the Brick & Mortar Blanc de Blancs Manchester Ridge Vineyard. I didn’t see it in the database.

It has probably been 4-5yrs since I last had a sparkler from Brick & Mortar, so when some buddies visited their winery recently and raved about them, I ended up with a BdB and a Rosé to try. I chose this as one of my 2018 Cali BdB sparklers I opened to see how the sparkling wine scene is evolving (also opened was a 2018 Haliotide BdB, 2018 Ultramarine Heintz BdB, and a 2018 Ultramarine Michael Mara BdB).

48 months on lees

With hardly any experience, I had zero expectations of style. After the comparison, I’m a bit surprised to say this showed fairly similar to the 2018 Ultramarine Heintz BdB. Both have a bit richer fruit profiles with some funk and oxidation. Aromatically, there is more of a honeyed profile than the others, with floral and orange citrus accents. The leesy profile is evident on the palate with rich layers of herb-crusted yellow fruits and a hint of lemon pastry. I’d like to re-visit this on its own to see how it shows away from comparisons. — 14 days ago

Shay A

9.3

I’m fortunate to have had a lot of Kobayashi wines, both with and without Travis, but his “regular” Syrah is a wine I’ve probably had the least amount of times. I brought this as a part of a massive Syrah lineup (‘83 Voge Cornas, ‘91 Chapoutier Hermitage, ‘18 SamiOdi HD, ‘13 and ‘20 Lillian, etc) and it showed very well.

Compared to Travis’s other wines, this showed very primary/fruit forward. Deep purple in the glass and the aromatics were, astoundingly, similar to the ‘18 SamiOdi HD next to it (sweet perfume/potpurri)…so deeply floral and intoxicatingly intriguing. The palate is commanding with an interplay of ripe and juicy black berry fruit and savory/smoky notes toward the finish with just a kiss of sweet blue fruit. The finish is massively structured (even after following this for a few days). Wish I had an older vintage to see how these evolve, but it’s undeniably balanced and a tasty expression of WA state Syrah. — 3 days ago

Shay A

Part of a cellar acquisition where storage was perfect for 20+yrs before the cellar’s upkeep was disregarded and left to a non-climate controlled temp for a few years. All bottles look pristine (doesn’t mean the wine will be).

Color was a touch more faded red/orange than I expected, but the aromatics were astoundingly on point. Distinctly Syrah with some iron and iodine, and a whiff of herbal character (probably not doing whole cluster back then, but some similarities in profile…maybe just more underripe). Crunchy red and black smoked berry fruit, with the mid-palate being the star of the show…very commanding and great depth while being elegant. The iron and green character carries through to the finish which shows really nice. On the table with a ‘91 Chapoutier Hermitage, this showed the beauty (rusticity) of Cornas Syrah. Compared to the 1986 Beaucastel from last week, this showed strong the entire time open. Wish I had another! — 6 days ago

Shay A

9.1

Close to current release. Just under a year and a half in both French and American oak barrels, then almost 20yrs in tank! 90% Tempranillo.

Opened this alongside a bottle of 2018 Cayuse Impulsivo (Tempranillo)…you won’t find the signature Cayuse funk here, but there is enough green/vegetal aromatics to where these work on the same table as well as spiced red fruits. Deep red-purple in the glass with a hint of fading around the rim. The palate shows a lot of youthful acidity (almost spritz-like) with green peppercorn, black cherries, underripe blackberries and pipe tobacco. Not uber complex, but for 24yrs, this is extremely fresh and shows a fun side of Rioja that isn’t oak-centric. — 13 days ago

Shay A

9.2

My last of a 3-pack the last few years. I chose this as one of my 2018 Cali BdB sparklers I opened to see how the sparkling wine scene is evolving (also opened was a 2018 Ultramarine Heintz BdB, 2018 Ultramarine Michael Mara BdB and 2018 Brick & Mortar Manchester Ridge BdB).

45 months en tirage, 4 g/l dosage

Clean and pure style. If you love Chablis or leaner champagnes, this is your jam. Grilled lemon, sea spray, hint of and honeysuckle aromatically. On the palate, it is mineral heavy (slate/limestone-esque) with sea salt, lemon scone, oyster shell, all wrapped in a crystalline profile. This is undeniably BdB and presents as a grower champagne type profile. Bright and elegant (showed a bit more classical compared to the other three). — 14 days ago

Shay A

9.3

After having the 2018 Manchester Ridge Blanc de Blancs from them a couple weeks ago, I opted to open the rosé to have the styles fresh on my mind.

Disgorged Jan 2023; 100% Pinot noir; 4% still Pinot noir added; 40 months on lees; 2.5g/l dosage

If I’m looking for a champagne comparison, on the rosé spectrum of fresh to older, this reminds me of Henriot’s rosé minus the yeast/brioche. Already channeling an aged character, this shows notes of orange marmalade, strawberry shortbread cookie, and a kiss of ginger aromatically. Crisp on the palate, more of the rich orange citrus fruit carries over with sea salt and red berry fruit. Tangy and persistent finish (in a good way).

In the comparison of Cali domestic sparklers, this isn’t too dissimilar from Ultramarine but isn’t as fresh in style, not as tropical as Haliotide or as yeasty as Schramsberg. I enjoyed this a touch more than the Blancs de Blanc, but I don’t see much reason to hold based on the character of the wine as is. Pop and enjoy! — 6 days ago

Shay A

Part of a cellar acquisition where storage was perfect for 20+yrs before the cellar’s upkeep was disregarded and left to a non-climate controlled temp for a few years. All bottles look pristine (doesn’t mean the wine will be).

Completely unfamiliar with this producer. After some research, the same owners also own Vieux Chateau Certan as well as Le Pin (good names to be associated with). As a Cotes de Bordeaux, this is an appellation in the right-bank, so most wines are merlot based.

Very low expectations going in, but what a lovely surprise. Not only did it have provenance against it, nearing 40yrs for an appellation level didn’t help, but after following this for two nights, I want to find some younger vintages. Color is even more youthful than the ‘83 Lynch Bages I opened a few weeks prior. A distinct rich earth+smoked meat+mocha note aromatically that I find with certain right bank Bordeaux’s. The palate is clean (no brett) with an elegant profile (albeit a clipped finish). The front palate has great weight and shows cassis, tobacco leaves and old black cherries. This isn’t as layered/complex as the Lynch Bages was, but the depth and elegance here was a shocker (even more so as a Cotes de Bordeaux!) — 9 days ago

Shay A

9.3

With some inconsistencies the last year or two with Ultramarine, this was a nice refresher of how enjoyable they can be when showing well. I chose this as one of my 2018 Cali BdB sparklers I opened to see how the sparkling wine scene is evolving (also opened was a 2018 Haliotide BdB, 2018 Ultramarine Michael Mara BdB and 2018 Brick & Mortar Manchester Ridge BdB).

Over the last 7yrs or so of opening Ultramarine, I’ve found the Charles Heintz to show the classical vineyard expression of pure and ripe tropical fruit (guava), a small amount of oxidation of the fruit, and a distinct cream soda note. This 2018 lined up fairly close to those expectations (whereas the Michael Mara has been a bit more austere in the past, yet not as much barrel character as the one today). More “funk” and texture than the classical Haliotide, but not too far (nothing vegetal). The dosage feels on-point here. Follows the grower champagne vibe, but more to the natty side. — 14 days ago