Ira Schwartz

9.4

I love when a wine schools me. Opened my first bottle a few years back and thought, big on price and low on return.
It is clear after tasting the wine today, I was clueless and my initial assessment was way off. I clearly did not “get “ what this wine is all about. On the nose Chablis’esque with some reduction that eventually blew off. In my mouth, so much going on. Wonderful concentration and balance with a constant rotation of saline , stone fruit, apple and creaminess. All of this swaddled in vibrant acidity. — 14 days ago

Blake Walker

9.3

Ripe full bodied Cabernet franc. Black fruits, earthy notes. 14.4% ABV. 97 cases made. Always liked their CF, giving it the slight edge the over their Cabernet Sauvignon. — 2 years ago

garry post

8.9

Pretty nice, light, perfumed Pinot Noir from New Zealand's Marborough district. — 2 years ago

Ian Staub

9.2

In a constant casual search for birth year bottles, I came across this - I liked the smart label design and recognized the Eisele name, but wasn’t expecting much. Amazingly fresh and vibrant! Just starting to show elegant tertiary character of cigar box and incense, with a core of fresh berry and stone fruit. Palate is generous and velvety. A fantastic surprise and beautiful pairing for the old standby NY strip steak and roasted potatoes. — 3 years ago

with Jake

Shengli Hu

8.9

Couldn't find entry, logging Stella Sonoma Coast Pinot 2017 here: 225 and Calera clones. Elevated acidity, med tannins. Cola nuts, faint herbs, red plums, blackberry, med+/elevated concentration, overripe strawberry, black tea bag, lavender, tomato, stony characters. ~13% abv. 2017 was super hot in Sonoma, >100 degree heat spikes in June-July cause vines to shut down, rapid ripening more akin to Oregon of erratic growing season (whereas usually California boasts of constant long growing season). Gravel loam soil. 10-40% whole cluster, hand punchdowns, stem inclusion. Foot treaded. WC raises pH as high acid -> more stem inclusion to balance the pH. Failla picks on pH at ~23-24 Brix which would be a bit too high. — a day ago

Daniel P. Drake

8.9

I have opened tonight a sparkling wine, the Lucien Albrecht Crémant D'Alsace Brut Rosé. This wine is made from 100% Pinot Noir in the Methodé Traditionelle.

On the nose there is strawberry, cherry, raspberry, red currant, orange zest, creamy vanilla and floral notes.

On the palate is strawberry, tart cherry, red currant, orange zest, cream, minerality and a touch of salt.

This sparkling wine is medium bodied with fine constant bubbles and a creamy mouthfeel, medium to medium + acidity that leaves you with a long fresh crisp dry red fruit finish. Continued great week ahead and stay safe and healthy. Nostrovia! 🥂🥂🥂🥂 — 10 months ago

Helias Bentejac

9.2

Aging on lees, mouthfeel and rich.
Peach and jam fruit on the finish.
Quite long in mouth/constant. — 3 years ago

Andrew McIntyre

9.3

A constant go to for any sort of celebration. You know its going to be good and always performs. Still remains my favourite Champagne — a month ago

Willie Carter

9.0

Pale gold with a constant stream of tiny, active bubbles. The nose is customarily stately and quite pretty with an abundance of apples at first whiff. A bit of lemon and biscuits come to play along with pears. The nose definitely matures in the glass over time revealing more chalk and stone as times goes on.

The new cuvée from Louis Roederer that focuses on individuality from one year to the next. A brand new blend based on the 2017 vintage alongside a perpetual reserve and reserve wines. 42/36/22 PN/CH/PM with a moderate dosage of 8 g/l. This is certainly a more baronial champagne but there is a bit of unexpected zest here as well. A wine that takes a bit of time, and probably years, to fully come alive and strut her stuff but it’s drinking quite well right now.

The palate features a burst of clean citrus fruit initially. Followed by a nice backbone of thankfully understated oak. Baked bread and Granny Smith apples with a touch of cinnamon. Something new from an old house and done in style. These are truly fun.
— a month ago

Michael Phillips

9.4

Mature well rounded. Tastes like a good Chateauneuf ! — 2 years ago