Shay A

9.3

WNH rosé night.

FÆTHM’s Steel Trap rosé of Grenache. One barrel production. According to the release today, there won’t be a rosé this year.

Deep orange with pink hues in the glass. Aromatically, it’s fairly intense as it sports blood orange, grilled rhubarb, citrus spray and sea salt. This is a Rosé that works best at a certain temp...when too cold, the acidity was ripping and the fruit was muted, but when too warm, it lost structure and heat was noticeable. Spiced red fruits, white pepper, and orange blossom on the palate. This reminds me of a heavier version of Cayuse’s Edith rosé. — 3 days ago

Shay A

9.6

After an epic lunch from @joe leatherwood , a few of us got together for a socially-distanced evening hosted by @Keith Fisher to keep the party going.

After the 2012 Harlan at lunch, Keith decided to continue with the theme with an ‘06. Unbelievably smooth and balanced while still retaining power. Aromatically it is very black fruit dominant...blackberries, cassis, sweet tar/pipe tobacco, graphite and channeling just a touch of bay leaf. Waves of flavor on the palate of smoked meat, creme de cassis, currant, mocha, baking spices and a supremely balanced finish. At this point in its evolution, it’s reminiscent of a high end bordeaux from a warm/ripe vintage. A total treat. — 13 days ago

with Jid, joe and 3 others

Shay A

9.3

After a couple months of hiatus, the Friday City Club group was able to get back together (albeit a smaller, more spread out group) for an epic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds and 1 dessert wine, all served blind.

A palate revitalizer after the reds! Like a shot of vitamin C to your taste buds. Apricot, ripe peach, and mango all drizzled in orange blossom honey. Didn’t have the nuttiness of Sauternes but there was really nice acidity here. I called this late harvest Cali SB/semillon. — 16 days ago

with Jid, joe and 3 others

Shay A

9.7

After a couple months of hiatus, the Friday City Club group was able to get back together (albeit a smaller, more spread out group) for an epic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds and 1 dessert wine, all served blind.

This was tied for my favorite red, and is among one of the finest wines I’ve ever had. For me, this could very easily reach perfection in 5-7yrs. It had the nose and palate in spades. Almost as high toned as the Bond Quella with the more dense and dark profile of the Bond St Eden. Sweet red and blue fruit mixed berry pie on the nose, alongside cherry wood, nutmeg, and espresso. Ultra fine grained tannins...texture here is amazing. Added black fruits on the palate, violets, peppercorn, sweetened pipe tobacco and fresh squeezed fruits on the finish. What a wine! I called this 7-10yr old Napa cab. — 16 days ago

with Jid, joe and 3 others

Shay A

9.3

Celebrating the 4th of July with some delicious bottles, with this one getting a nod toward the American theme.

This may be the best young Turley Zinfandel I’ve had to date. I needed something to stand up to a grilled skirt steak with chimichurri sauce, and this was a match made in heaven. Freshly grilled plums, squeezed blueberries, black currant jelly, sandalwood, and baking spices on the nose. Ripe on the palate but certainly not overly rich or flabby. Solid acidity and structure. Juicy, yet tannic. Dark fruit preserves, mixed berry pie, hint of fig and cherry infused dark chocolate. Hedonistic now, and will continue to improve for years. Delicious! My thanks to @Dan Fitzgerald for helping me source a bottle. — 5 days ago

Shay A

9.3

Not only does the winery have gorgeous views atop Conn Valley in Napa overlooking Lake Hennessy, the wines are delicious...but more importantly, the people are gracious and kind. Highly recommend visiting.

Though their other wines get more fanfare (mainly because there is more to go around), their CabFranc is always my favorite offering. At a whopping 2 barrels of production, getting access can be a bit tricky. For a cab franc, there is zero green pepper notes. Aromatically, it is a combo of rich, ripe red and black fruits all dipped in fondue chocolate, baking spices like cinnamon and clove with a woodsy note like sandalwood. While decadent in profile, there is plenty of acidity here to keep this from being too flabby. Notes of Christmas spice cake, red and black licorice, Black Forest cake shavings and a hint of herbs on the finish. Still quite youthful, this seems to just be entering a drink phase. — 12 days ago

Shay A

9.7

After a couple months of hiatus, the Friday City Club group was able to get back together (albeit a smaller, more spread out group) for an epic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds and 1 dessert wine, all served blind.

Here’s your finisher. Tied with the L&M for my favorite of the day. This seemed to take the best of the L&M (lifted profile, elegant) and the best of the Harlan (dense, rich, powerful) and marry them together perfectly. Iron fist in a velvet glove. It sported the entire fruit spectrum on the nose (red, blue and black) with added notes of sandalwood, espresso, cinnamon and nutmeg, and scorched earth. It pulls you in immediately on the palate with tantalizing notes of fondue dipped dark fruits, cherry-vanilla pipe tobacco, crushed gravel, before letting you go softly with elegant floral notes like jasmine. Stunning. I called this 7-10yr old Napa cab. — 16 days ago

with Jid, joe and 3 others

Shay A

9.2

WNH Italian Night.

This is without a doubt one of the most unique wines I’ve had in some time. Coming from an area of Italy that isn’t far from Austria, had I tasted this blind, not only would I have guessed northern Rhône (just a step above crozes-hermitage), but there is no way I would have taken this to Italy.

A mix of ruby and purple in the glass, you get the sense this will be heavier than the average Italian wine, and it is. But when you smell it, I was immediately taken to northern Rhône. A beautiful array of potpourri, dried black cherries, bacon fat, cracked black pepper, iron, and juniper berries (added notes of charcoal and dried plums on day two). Vibrant acidity on the palate. I followed this for two days, the first with about 90mins of a decant and it bulked up throughout the night. Heftier on day two. Underripe black cherries, grilled red and black fruits, tar, forest floor, and some funk trying to channel its way in. I don’t have a lot of experience with the lagrein grape, but this is a syrah imitator. Really enjoyed this. — 10 days ago

Shay A

9.3

After an epic lunch from @joe leatherwood , a few of us got together for a socially-distanced evening hosted by @Keith Fisher to keep the party going.

The pic may be slightly blurry but the label is also blurry on its own!

I agree with @Eric LaMasters in that this one seems to need quite a bit of time to come around. These SQN whites are consistently mesmerizing in their complexity. Checking in at 38% roussanne, 31% petit manseng, 18% chardonnay, 9% viognier and 4% Muscat (what a blend!), it is deeply golden in the glass. Aromatically, it sports crazy dried dragon fruit, banana peel, caramel dipped grilled lemon and sea salt. Amazingly dense and rich on the palate, with a classically waxy profile. Savory popcorn kernel, almond skin, honeysuckle, and quite herbal round out a finish that has a surprising amount of acidity. Love the uniqueness. Thanks @Dan Fitzgerald . — 13 days ago

with Jid, joe and 3 others

Shay A

9.6

After a couple months of hiatus, the Friday City Club group was able to get back together (albeit a smaller, more spread out group) for an epic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds and 1 dessert wine, all served blind.

And the hits just keep coming. A total monster. I found this to be the most extracted of the 5 reds. Could smell it five feet away. Dark chocolate dipped blueberries and blackberries, graham cracker, mocha, violets all jump from the glass. Velvet like texture revealing a streak of ripe red fruits and an herbal/mineral like note down the middle of the palate. Dusty. So much beautiful freshness but commanding power here...longest finish of the day. I called this 7-10yr old Napa cab (specifically Shafer Hillside Select). — 16 days ago

with Jid, joe and 3 others