Blue Blood Brewing 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. — 3 months ago
Clos Saint Jean
Deus Ex Machina Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 2005
This magnum was a gift from co-workers at my old job when I left to take a new one. Nice coworkers! So rich and resolved. This wine reminds me of Neil Young’s Vampire Blues. “I’m a vampire babe. Suckin’ blood from the earth.” Grenache pulled from God’s earth. Incredible intensity and length, but still entirely in balance. Length for days. Iodine, stones, blood. — 3 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
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
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
Cruse Wine Co.
Cruse Tradition Chardonnay - Pinot Noir Rosé Blend 2019
My first time trying the Cruse Tradition rosé since the dosage trial about a year ago. Really enjoyed it and am now kicking myself I didn’t buy more…maybe I’ll check back with them. At least Ultramarine’s release is around the corner!
As with his normal Tradition, these have such a grower champagne vibe to them with a new world spin. I don’t remember the dosage on this, but it’s low. Big time mousse initially but they don’t stick around long. There’s a vinous quality to this style (kind of like Laherte Freres saignee rosé), where the red fruit is powerful and masks the bubbles to a degree, but it works. Blood orange twang joins in at the finish. I enjoy the freshness on these, and think that’s when they show their best. Delicious. — 4 years ago
Château Latour
Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Red Bordeaux Blend 1989
Intense. Iodine, inky blue fruit, ferrous, dark plum, blood. A real brooding beast of real quality. The finish is really long, savory and memorable. — 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. — 6 years ago
Blue Ox Wine Co.
El Topo Mourvedre 2018
I like this but just a bit too dense and vanilla and jam for me. Ultimately very drinkable but when I compare to Broc and donkey and goat and dirty and rowdy it is not up to those levels. I wonder if it is too young and will integrate over the next 5-10 years. — 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
Domaine Jean Michel Stéphan
Côteaux de Tupin Côte-Rôtie Syrah 2017
Beautiful pronounced nose of ripe blue fruits, cherries, licorice, hint of bubble gum, violets and blood. Incredible complexity and texture is maintained despite use of carbonic maceration. The Beaujolais like fruit character is balanced with the salinity in mid palate, acidity and tannin. Awesome stuff - hard to resist now but will likely keep getting better. — 5 years ago
Two Pitchers Brewing Co
Radler - Grapefruit and Blood Orange
Kyle Katterjohn
Doing an Alaskan cruise@w Regent I get 2 bottles a day and have really enjoued@it@ Will@repeat — a month ago