Deborah M

9.4

Friday wine. This was a easy choice for National Women’s History month. An iconic winemaker. A true trailblazer. Exceptional wines. An endless amount of superlatives that can go with Cathy Corison. Her wines are described as having both elegance and power.

2013 Corison Cabernet was perfection in my glass last night. Winemaker notes describe the wine as having aromas and flavors tend toward the dark end of the Cabernet fruit spectrum with blueberries, black cherries, blackberries and dark plums all singing in close harmony. Complexing notes include tobacco, baking spices, chocolate, and savory herbs including sage, thyme and basil. Floral notes of violets and rose petals play with a notable stony minerality in the aromas and long finish. 13.5%ABV. I described this wine as being both elegant and stunning.

Grateful for the women who busted through those glass ceilings. Grateful for the trailblazers. — a year ago

Thomas Brenner

9.1

You know what makes me think about how lucky I am in the wine world? When a winemaker gives me a choice on which bottle of his I'd wanna take home for working his event, and..I picked this rose, but only cuz it was delicious. — 6 years ago

William Leslie

10

Fruit flavors on the nose, but no oak. Flavors of sweet tobacco and cherry seem to be most pronounced. There is also a juicy blackberry flavor paired with black current. The flavors all work together well without overpowering another. The wine is extremely well balanced leading to a very smooth feel. The tannins are mellow and there is a small little bite on the end. Overall this is an excellent wine from an excellent winemaker and one not to miss. For drinkers looking to try a more expensive bottle but worry it's not with it, this is a great choice to calm your fears. Just make sure to properly decant. — 8 years ago

Yves Padovani

8.9

Another serious wine from the talented French winemaker Jean-Luc Colombo. A nice rose from the Rhone valley, blend of Syrah and Mourvèdre. Aromas of strawberry, melon and white peach. Balanced and decent finish. A good choice for the summer! — 8 years ago

Deborah M

9.0

I wanted something different and went with a Sancerre Rouge. About ten percent of the wines claiming the Sancerre appellation name are wines made from Pinot noir and to a lesser extent, rosés.

The 2016 Domaine Delaporte Pinot Noir had enough body and substance to pair well with lamb, and enough finesse and brightness to go with a friend’s salmon. Bonus that I got a thumbs up on my wine choice.

Winemaker notes — The beautiful deep ruby-violet colors of this Pinot Noir wine give way to aromas of very ripe red fruits (cherry, blackberry and raspberry). The nose is intense and well- integrated, with odors of cooked red fruits and roasted coffee beans. There are also hints of graphite and cinnamon. Very round and smooth on the attack, with tight tannins on the palate. — a year ago

K L

9.0

Having a few years in the bottle makes a difference and this could go more. Dark fruit and dusty. Still a solid choice. — 2 years ago

with Matt

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

On the nose; ripe, syrupy dark currants, blackberries, sweet slightly liqueured dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries, blue fruits, dark fruit gummy bears, tarry notes, black pepper, soft leather, dry brush, black licorice, caramel, dry crushed rocks, loamy dry top soil, violets, lilacs and lavender. The body is warm, thick, ultra rich, lush & elegant. The tannins are round & velvety but still have strength...50% resolved. It has another 10-12 years of good drinking ahead. The fruits are gorgeous & ripe; blackberries, sweet slightly liqueured dark cherries, black plum, black raspberries & lots of blue fruits & strawberries that paint the palate on the long set. A fair amount of tarry notes, black pepper, dry herbaceous notes (bay leaf), dry black olive, medium dark spice, dark chocolate, caramel, vanilla, clove, soft leather, dry brush, black licorice, dry crushed rocks, loamy dry top soil, violets, lilacs and lavender. The acidity is round & excellent. The long fruit driven finish is beautifully lush, elegant, well structured with near perfect balance. Photos of; Owner/Winemaker Roman Bratasiuk, their old gnarly 80-90 year old and low yielding vines and two of their vineyards. Producer history and notes...Clarendon Hills was founded in 1990 by Biochemist Roman Bratasiuks. Roman sought to further his passion for great wine by making some himself. Roman never trained as a winemaker. He planned on using his insight as a wine taster and scientist alike to dictate decisions. Roman sought to make a version of the wines he loved. The beginnings of Clarendon Hills effectively started in 1989 when he knocked on the door a local grower whose fruit he liked. A great friendship grew from from this by chance knock on the door. A handshake ensued and it became the first Clarendon Hills vineyard. On Saturday 24 February in 1990, Roman with just a bucket and secateurs arrived. Much to the growers shock, he began picking fruit himself. Roman started at 6 am and finished at 9 pm that evening; he picked half the entire vineyard himself and returned on Sunday the 25th to finish it. This process was repeated in a Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard which formed the 3 single site wines produced in 1990. Crushing was performed by Roman using empty bottles to squash the fruit in a bucket, then transferred by that bucket, to one of the 3 small ex-dairy tanks all bought for $100 and a quick, non-temperature controlled wild-yeast fermentation ensued. The wines were pressed in a borrowed basket press and matured in 3 separate third-hand barrels. The vintage was finished in 11 days. Much to Roman’s delight the wines were superb and they sold. With the money he bought more buckets, three more barrels and rent for a shed to house wines. The process was repeated the next year and the year after that. Clarendon Hills grew from his determination. This one man had to make wine after work and on the weekends after his 9-to-5 job. A local news paper even ran a story "Tin shed wines take on the world"; which made Roman cringe but slowly Clarendon Hills grew, it afforded him more equipment to make the process less labour-intensive and slowly grow his vineyard repertoire. In 1994, Roman left the Australian Government laboratories and devoted himself to Clarendon Hills 100%. In the 1994 vintage, Roman hired his first employee and rebranded his $30 Clarendon Hills Shiraz as 1994 Clarendon Hills Astralis. It was the first bottle in Australia to be priced at $100. It sold out. Roman went on for many years, making and selling the wines himself. Travelling the world over to show people the wines he made. Roman figured since he made the wine, he was the most logical choice to sell and represent his wine. This worked out so well, he continues to show the wines himself. Clarendon Hills produces; 8 Syrah, 6 Grenache, 3 Cabernet Sauvignon, a Merlot and Mourvedre wine. They are all single vineyards single varietal wines, produced from low yielding, dry grown old vines which are hand pruned and hand picked. All his wines are aged in high-quality French oak barriques. Quite a brilliant success story. This is also another wine I acquired on the secondary market for much less it’s release price and far less than their current release prices. It starts as a 9.3 with a half-hour decant. However, as it gets to an hour and half decant plus, it just gets better & better. Works it’s way to a 9.5 in a hour decant. — 6 years ago

Vanessa

8.9

This wine is chock full of juicy, ripe blackberry, black cherry, blueberry, red plum, and strawberry notes, violet, leather, and soft tannins.

Winemaker Maxime Graillot is the son of the revered Northern Rhône winemaker — Alain Graillot — who passed away in March of this year. Surely his father left an indelible imprint on Maxime’s winemaking, and his commitment to quality, which he will carry forward.

This style of Syrah reflects youth, innovation, and a personality of its own that is so approachable, textural, and delicious; it would make a great choice for any holiday gathering. A crowd pleaser.

We chose this wine to pair with roasted chicken and it’s lovely.
— 2 years ago

with Deked1

Justin Hansohn

9.3

Mataro in perfect balance. This bottle literally arrived with a broken neck from shipping and I had no choice but to finish it off immediately and salvage a sneak peak. Pure pleasure while holding the perfect amount of complexity you want from the delta terroir, which is not a large window, and proves to those who can make it the real mastery that lay in the glass. This is not at all what anyone expects from Mourvèdre. It is like blending the best of Beaujolais and both northern and southern Rhône all at once without weight or heaviness at all, just the pure glide of complex fruit and romance. The winemaker feels this deeply and it is very obvious he knows exactly what he is doing. This is the very best that could be done with this👌🏼 — 5 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

The 14 Chablis are really good. This Louis Michel is no different. An excellent example of little intervention of good fruit. This producer uses no oak; which I really appreciate. After you start to appreciate good Burgundy, CA Chardonnays aren't that interesting. Not that I don't ever drink or enjoy some CA Chardonnay producers, I just prefer the cooler climate Chardonnays that don't use new oak. This 14 was clean through and through. Bright citrus, peach, touch of green apple, soft minerality, touch of saline, creamy texture and beautiful round acidity and ripe, elegant finish. Photos of, Louis Michel vineyard, vineyard heat sources to protect the vine buds during their sometimes difficult Spring weather/frosts, Guillaume Michel (Owner/Winemaker) and their Domaine. Producer notes and history...It was largely believed that Michel family had only been cultivating Chablis since 1850. More on that in a bit. The winery is situated right in the heart of the village with 25 hectares spread over the very first slopes that were discovered by Cistercian monks in the 11th century. 40 years ago, the family decided to stop making the wine in wooden barrels, preferring to create clean, pure and precise Chablis without adding artificial woody tastes. I've said it more than once and I'll say it again, if you have good white grapes, strong wood use only covers up good fruit flavor or hides mistakes either in the vineyard or cellar, baring a stylistic choice. Through this philosophy, combined with the limited yields inspired by organic wine-growing techniques, the Domaine has developed a worldwide reputation for fine wine-making in stainless steel tanks. Today, the Domaine is managed by Jean-Loup Michel and his nephew, Guillaume Michel, who is continuing the family tradition. The importance of their work in the vineyards cannot be overstated. Guillaume Michel is a firm believer in the philosophy that if you do a good job in the vineyard, 90 per cent of the work is done when the grapes arrive at the winery. This statement could not be more true in my opinion. It his grandfather who started the philosophy, Guillaume has only continued it and evolved it with modern changes equipment etc.. It’s a matter of preserving the authenticity of each terroir...working with very pure and clean wines. They understand and like to work differences in terroir. Making it very important to have the same vinification for all the different terroirs. It is important to have an aromatically neutral vinification. Up until recently it was believed that the winemaking history of the family began in 1850, but thanks to Guillaume’s mother and her genealogical pursuits the date has been moved back to at least 1640. Around that time a winemaker from nearby Tonnerre settled in Chablis, marking the beginning of the families venture in Chablis. Domaine Louis Michel covers a total of 25 hectares. A very large part (15 hectares) is the domaine’s premier crus. In addition to that there is two hectares of Petit Chablis vines, six hectares of village Chablis and two hectares of grand crus. Vaudesír is the families biggest grand crus. Vaudesír is interesting because it is actually a valley. One side facing south, very hot, producing concentrated and powerful wines. In Grenouilles, Domaine Louis Michel has half a hectare at the top of the slope. This nine hectare grand cru is just over 7 hectares and is owned by the cooperative La Chablisienne. Vaudesír and Grenouilles are quite similar in terms of soil. Vaudesír has a bit more of clay. Les Clos, their third grand cru, is very rocky. Les Clos is the typical Kimmeridgian soil of Chablis. If you're like me and enjoy your white wine with good clean fruit rather than with oak or too much oak but haven't tried Louis Michel wines, pick up a bottle. I think you'll fall in love with the style and the value as many are under $30.
— 7 years ago