Chef Charlie Palmer's Pigs & Pinot Sonoma annual weekend event:
A Taste of pigs & pinot on Friday night.
60 pinot wineries: Arista, Bacigalupi, Boars View, Kosta Browne. Martinelli, Rochioli, Siduri, Sojourn, William Selyem, Lucia, Flowers, Blue farms, Etc.
Judges pinot winner of the night:
1) 2020 Papapietro Perry..peters vineyard
2) 2019 Baldassari Wines runner up.
15 Chef showcases: all pork dishes.
Charlie Palmer, Bryan Voltaggio, Maneet Chauhan, Elizabeth Falkner, and various Healdsburg restaurants. — 2 years ago
17’ Arista Perli Vineyards Chardonnay. One of only 18 vineyards on top of an AVA that was just created in 1997. Decanted for an hour. Medium gold in color. Bright pear & stone fruits, spices on the nose. “Sells it”. Pear, yellow apple, honey, pinenuts, moderate acidity/oak. with lively texture flowing through the finish. Unlike Matts Ferren Wines, these aren’t as big in the shoulders. Beautifully balanced Chardonnay. Worth checking out the entire Chardonnay line up since 2016’s. Cheers. Edit- This wine will taste even better in 2021+ — 4 years ago
Deep Ruby color with aromas of red fruits, forest floor and spice. On the palate flavors of cherry and ripe raspberry with cedar notes, cola, cinnamon spice and earthy herbs. Full-bodied, fine tannins, long finish ending with fruit, oak and an earthy pepper character. Nice! — 10 months ago
I’ve opened a few Ferren Frei Rd chards (normally in the 4-5yr range) and have enjoyed them, but this was my first Lancel Creek. With the release coming up in a few weeks, I wanted to check in and figure out the profile. I’m between a 93-94 here.
Made by Matt Courtney (formerly at Marcassin, also winemaker at Arista). Beautiful straw colored in the glass with maybe a tinge of green, the aromatics are honeysuckle, sweet lemon, and sea salted almonds. I found this to be very similar to the Frei Rd in regards to acidity. So nervy all the way through. Totally coastal, but with a soft touch of rich fruit. Also similar to the Frei Rd, this is lemon everything (fresh squeezed lemon, lemon cream, lemon scone) but the mineral profile is more enhanced here. There’s a stone/slate vibe toward the finish that keeps this light on its feet. Oak is soft and plays a contributing role, not a dominating one.
I enjoyed this at pop and pour, then revisited 2-3hrs later and found the acidity had calmed down a bit. Definitely give this a decant now if possible, or hold a few more years. — 2 years ago
Chef Charlie Palmer's Pigs & Pinot Sonoma annual weekend event:
Ultimate pinot smackdown Sat afternoon.
4 master somms present 4 of their fav pinots and try to sell you on their choice.
Wines: Bruliam, Pig Named Stella, Resonance, Kosta Browne, Blue Farm, Lucia, Tendril, Dakel, Arista, Foxen, Antica Terra, Dalrymple, La Rochelle, Melville, Gramercy, Copain..16 tastings about 2 bottles of wine per person...ooooccchhh!
Winner:
Lucia vineyard - 2021 Soberanes vineyard
Runner up:
Blue Farm wines - 2019 Anne Katherine vin. — a year ago
Fruit forward. Slight peppery finish. — 3 years ago
15’ Aubert Ritchie. Best Ritchie I’ve enjoyed from Mark to date? 🤷🏻♂️ Medium + bodied. Beautifully balanced Chardonnay. White peach, splash of pineapple core, apricot, white toast, sprinkle in a bit of floral spices. 3 favorites from this vineyard are Château Boswell- Arista- Aubert. Cheers. -at BLT Honolulu, Hawaii — 5 years ago
Jeff Christner
Ver well done. Medium body, but light on its feet. — 6 months ago