Blue Ox Wine Co.
Bedrock Wine Co.
Dolinsek Ranch Heritage Red Blend
Young and fresh but showing many of the Dolinsek’s traditional traits: a big nose of blue and black fruits followed by a fruit forward wine of the same. It’s got bright acidity and firm tannins with a hint of black olive and pepper deeper in the wine. Drinking well now with loads of potential. — 2 months ago
Domaine Fourrier
Clos St. Jacques Vieilles Vignes Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Pinot Noir 2013
Night and day difference in showing from this bottle in March. In hindsight, I think the last one may have had travel shock. Tonight, 2013 CSJ coming from 100+ year old vines is superb after a lengthy slow ox, soaring from the glass with crazy aromatic intensity showing a delicate oak framed red and blue fruited profile with winter citrus, cocoa bean and red roses. The palate shows Grand Cru depth, stunning elegance and purity with fine grained tannins and a penetrating salty mineral laced finale that goes on and on. It’s still young, but 13’s from the big dogs are really starting to shine. Hold the reductive 12’s and tannic 14’s and pop the elegant 13’s. — 4 years ago
Clos du Val Wine Co.
Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Opaque dark violet with clear meniscus.. couldn’t have told this is 12 yrs old looking at the wine in the glass. Medium viscosity. oak-spiced, red and blue fruit, chocolate, tobacco and floral pastille aromas. Mocha and vanilla flourish. Plush, velvety and broad mouthfeel, it offers sweet cassis and blackberry flavors with a long spice and oak finish. Rich and energetic in style, medium acidity, resolved medium minus tannins and medium alcohol. Delicious expression of a high quality CA cab. I like this much better than bold and high ABV CA cabs. This was 14% ABV. — 6 years ago
Marcassin
Marcassin Vineyard Pinot Noir 2010
Some friends of ours brought this to our backyard dinner last night. This is not a producer I buy. So, it was nice to revisit and nice of them to share.
The first thing I would say, is this is a well made Pinot Noir. Having said that, I don’t buy it due to its pricing. If you are buying this from the winery, its price point is still too high for it’s quality and gets worse yet when you go to the secondary markets which, many do, due to its limited production & wait on their list.
I say this because I have had countless examples of Sonoma & CA Pinot Noirs that are as good for $75 or around that price point give or take a little. The Hendricks Pinot from Santa Lucia is a similar style and for me, is better than this Marcassin. The Hendricks is $75 on futures buying.
Our friends that brought it, whom we share a mutual friendship with another Sommelier. He told them they had to drink this as it was getting old. I can tell you that is simply not the case. This wine has another 7-10 years of fine drinking ahead. These statements happen when your consuming wine regiment is based on a steady stream of always drinking wines young...It just happens.
The wine shows beautiful mid & dark candied, floral fruits, heavy baking spices and too much cinnamon stick for me. Beautiful, dark, red, blue and purple florals. It is well balanced, lush, elegant, polished with nice round acidity.
A very nice wine just overpriced IMHO. You can do just as well for less and you would only lose out on the fact you are feeling good about opening a cult name Pinot for yourself or to impress others. Not a dig, just the wine psychology that experience has led me to through the devotion of studying wine and consumers feedback. Not all, but enough to call it what it is. I myself have fallen prey to those emotions & I’m sure will again.
Photo of, Marciassin Winery, Helen Turley-Co Owner, Ryan O'Donnell-Winemaker and a Sonoma vineyard they source fruit. — 6 years ago
La Jota Vineyard Co.
Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Bedrock Wine Co.
Bedrock Vineyard Heritage Red Blend 2023
They might want to rename this bottling to, “Everything Including the Kitchen Sink”. It is a blend of mostly; Zinfandel 65%, Syrah, Petite Syrah. Tempranillo, Trousseau, Castets, Cabernet, Merlot, Alicante Bouschet, Grand Noir, Lenoir and more. 🤯
It’s aged in 25% new oak for 10 month and the rest in used oak.
It drinks like a Zinfandel that you might think has a couple other varieties, not that long list.
It is pleasant at pop & pour. But full disclosure, I don’t embrace much in the way of Zin’s. When I do it’s primarily Ridge’s blend.
This is juicy, red, purple & blue fruity fruits. Some dry top soil, some used leather, light pepper, moist clays, some herbaceous notes, dark chocolate to mousse, mid berry cola, lots of fresh, red, blue and purple flowers, pleasant, round acidity, a nicely balanced, lush, elegant, polished finish that lands on earthiness & wood powder.
It is not bad but at $54.95, there are Ridge’s I buy first for under this price point. — a year ago
Asahi-Shuzo Sake Brewing Co.
Dassai Blue Junmai Daiginjo Yamada Nishiki Type 50
Sake World 2024 Had to judge given it’s the same glass throughout the tasting but these were nice. Actually had the 35 which was fun to try. I would probably lean towards the Japan based ones unless this is substantially cheaper and I could try head to head. Blue is made in NYC. — 2 years ago
Cellier des Princes
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhône Blend 2016
Spotted this 100-year co-op bottling front the great 16’ vintage for only $25, and could not resist to pick up one.
Stewed black and blue berries, black currant, ripe raspberry, dry herbs, hint of cured meat and leather on the nose. Medium body. The candied red fruits on the the palate feels a bit syrupy to me. The medium acidity leaning towards sour.
Predominately Grenache. Great price for a CdP. — 4 years ago
Di Costanzo
Di Co Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon DI CO is a very pretty, delicate wine. Aging has really given the 2018 an extra level of polish I did not see in the barrel sample last year, especially in its contours. Inky dark blue/purplish fruit, sage, mint and lavender add expressive layers of aromatic nuance. This is an impressive wine, especially in its peer group. Readers who want to drink the 2018 young should give it a good bit of air first. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, January 2021)
— 5 years ago
Blue Moon Brewing Company
Belgian White Belgian-Style Wheat Ale
Todays lunch and brew. Belgium style wheat ale, cloudy, white head that dissipates quickly, brewed with coriander and orange peel.
The plumper hot dogs are made by Fred Usinger Sausage Co. Milwaukee, Wi. Absolutely the finest that can be found.
Blue Moon Brewing, Golden Co. 5.4% abv. — 6 years ago
La Jota Vineyard Co.
Howell Mountain Merlot 2014
Realm Cellars
Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
One of the wines I supplied for an annual lunch hosting (co-host this time). I was really hesitant to open this given the fanfare of this specific wine, but also how DrCrane can be an in-between wine for me (so explosive young, shut down at 5-10yrs, re-open 10+). Decanted two-three hours.
Classic deep purple-black DrCrane in the glass. Aromatics are immediate with ripe blue and black fruits, baking spices, mocha and graphite. Just a little bit of high-toned EA to make it pop, along with this roasted character I always get from DrCrane wines. Opulent and polished in every way on the palate, this is a tidal wave of flavor with no hard edges. It’s a towering wine in the sense of so much concentration and depth on the mid-palate, but it’s so incredibly polished at the finish…almost shockingly so. The ripe fruits and the dark chocolate linger longer than any Napa cab I can remember. Iron first in a velvet glove.
No need to worry, these are open for business. Plenty of structure to carry a while, but this window seems like it was made for how this wine is drinking now. — a year ago
Ridge Vineyards
Lytton Estate Dry Creek Valley Syrah Viognier 2016
Awesome co-fermented Syrah with Viognier. This wine is rockin’! Black, blue and red fruits earthy leather and spice notes. 2016 vintage is worth every penny. It’s only going to get better with more bottle age. — 5 years ago
Blue Ox Wine Co.
Stranger Than Paradise California Sparkling Passetoutgrain Red Blend 2019
Racy California-grown Beaujolais with a tart pomegranate kick, and lovely black cherry notes. — 5 years ago
Hendricks Wines
Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2014
Charles strikes again.
I said weeks ago, I’d rather drink Charles Hendricks Pinot in futures @ $75 vs. the 09 Marcassin we had two weeks back @ $150+ winery or $225+ on the secondary market. This 14, while still young, proves that point and will only continue to get better.
It’s about as luxurious as Ca Pinot gets. Just supple, soft & elegant as body gets. Candied, floral fruits of ripe; blackberries, dark cherries, blue fruits, lean purple fruits, dry cranberries, strawberries, plums, delicate but darks spices, cinnamon stick, vanillin, nutmeg & touch clove, salted caramel, mocha powder, limestone & grey volcanics, dry crushed rocks hints of peppered grilled meats, fresh & dry tobacco, dry stems/twigs, sage dominated dry Provence herbs, splash of mint/eucalyptus, tree sap with bright candied, fresh & slightly withering florals of; dark, red, purple, blue set in a field of violets & some lavender. The acidity is perfect. The long finish is; extremely well balanced & polished, elegant, fresh, just the right amount of candied with a long, dark spice finish in the long set.
The 14 really started to excel after an hour plus in the decanter.
Photos of; the outside of the Hope & Grace tasting room in downtown Yountville where you will find Charles Hendricks wines. He makes Hope & Grace wines as well. One of my favorite paintings that used to sit behind their tasting bar but, is now in Charles house. It is very Pollock like! Winemaker/Co-owner Charles Hendricks and a vineyard in region of the Santa Lucia Highlands. — 6 years ago
Kyle Katterjohn
Doing an Alaskan cruise@w Regent I get 2 bottles a day and have really enjoued@it@ Will@repeat — 23 days ago