Barra Of Mendocino

Patz & Hall

Alder Springs Vineyard Chardonnay 1997

Donald Patz
9.9

From magnum. This was the first vintage of Patz & Hall “Alder Springs Vineyard” Chardonnay. At the point of blending a flicker of original youthfulness with otherwise fully matured Chardonnay flavors. This is why we drink older wines. Rich, complex spice and toast, notes of tangerine, beeswax, dried apple, caramel, wildflower, sea breeze, exotic perfume, kiwi, crushed rock. A moderate yellow color. I was there when the grapes were picked. Short of help, we all pitched in to harvest. A miracle. — 6 days ago

Juan, Scott@Mister and 6 others liked this

Pax Mahle Wines

Alder Springs Vineyard Syrah 2011

Hello, California Syrah!!

From everything we’ve read, the Alder Springs Vineyard sounds like a truly majestic place.

It’s isolated in an undeveloped part of northern Mendocino County, situated in California’s North Coast region, where the steep and rugged terrain meet sweeping views of the ocean, bordered by rivers, redwoods, and snowcapped mountains… elevation stretches up to 1,800 feet above sea level.

It’s no wonder so many acclaimed producers, like Pax Mahle, source their fruit from here, where vines are sustainably farmed and cared for by Stuart Bewley. We were fortunate to visit Pax in Sebastopol in 2022, where we picked up this 2011 Cahto Ridge Alder Springs Vineyard Syrah. We’ve been waiting patiently to taste it. And here we are.

100% Syrah. Whole cluster fermented. Aged 12 months in neutral French oak barrels.

This wine is deep ruby trending towards garnet. The aromas are concentrated with ripe boysenberry, black cherry, blackcurrant, next to violet, black peppercorn, licorice, cured meat, peat moss, smoke, clove, leather and olive notes. On the palate, it is dry with medium (+) acidity, a medium (+) body, high alcohol (14.6% ABV), medium (+) fine-grained tannins, and a long, elegant finish.

It’s both elegant and wild all at the same time and we love it.

Cheers!
— 10 months ago

Deked1
with Deked1
Deked1, Paul and 19 others liked this

Martha Stoumen

Mendocino County Nero d'Avola 2019

2019. Since I made a big batch of Bolognese earlier this week, tonight was leftovers, and we pulled this Nero d’Avola to drink with it. PnP and I was surprised the combo didn’t really pair well and made the wine finish a little boozy. So, we just let it open up in the glass while sipping for a few hours. Huge change as the fruit filled in and the finish smoothed out! — 16 days ago

Ira, Brian and 2 others liked this

Porter Creek

Old Vine Mendocino County Carignane 2018

I agree with some of the statements below, great wine but I don’t think it’s 100% Carignane — 8 months ago

Ron and Kyle liked this

Idlewild

Flora & Fauna Barbera Blend

Fun blend of three (3) Italian wines. Bold and fruity. — 2 years ago

Drew Family Cellars

Perli Vineyard Syrah 2018

Assume that’s the vineyard in the inked drawing on the label. Fancy stuff at $48 per bottle…
Lovely deep red to purple color. Smells like musk, woods, campfire on your clothes. Maybe a cranberry or elderberry tone under it all. Interesting smell to it for sure. Flavors are also interesting. Old time tonics and herbal extractions. More elderberry stuff. Absinthe. Or is that Jegermister? The fruit is there too, but it’s under the savory and strange stuff. This is a wine to age. But it’s good now too if you are into the strange and earthy side of Syrah. A true terroir driven drinking experience. I can see the coast valleys of Mendo in the flavors.
— 2 years ago

Sharon, Ericsson and 1 other liked this

Edmeades

Mendocino County Zinfandel

John W
9.4

Zinfandel with a hint of Syrah. Deep ruby coloration. On the nose, clove, sage, currants, spice and dark fruit. On the palate, spices, cherry, full body, very velvety smooth. Long finish of spice, cinnamon. — 5 months ago

Idlewild

The Flower Flora & Fauna Nebbiolo Rosé Blend

Best rosé I’ve ever tried, sweet and tangy finish. Notes of strawberry — 5 months ago

Donkey & Goat

Isabel's Cuvée Gibson Ranch Grenache Rosé 2022

2022. Weather was really encouraging rosé on the patio, so we were happy to oblige! Loads of chunky sediment that was easily kept in the bottle (kind of). Delicious pink grapefruit, strawberry, watermelon. Mouthwatering acidity, but balanced with the fruit. — a year ago

Daniel, Severn and 1 other liked this

Las Jaras Wines

Old Vines Sweet Berry Wine Carignan

Says sweet but it’s surprisingly well balanced. Dry, with a hint of tannin, it’s light/medium bodied with a VERY floral nose, with hints of pine sap and raspberry enfolding deep. The palate is long, with ripe and tart red fruits up front, a prominent acidity, and a dry finish, with long lingering notes that are slight vegetal, with hints of black tea ending in a gentle minerality. Much better than I had expected! — 2 years ago