Daniel P. Drake

8.9

Tuesday night into our third week of seclusion. Trying to make the best of s bad situation and be positive about the situation we have been dealt. I have opened the 2012 L'Ecole No.41 Columbia Valley Chenin Blanc made from old vines.

On the nose the is yellow apple, bruised apple, marzipan, ginger, honeysuckle, saffron, and a little brioche.

The palate reveals honeydew melon, asian pear, mango, ripe lime, bruised apple and a good minerality.

This wine is medium bodied showing a little age still with good medium + acidity that goes right into a medium to long ripe fruit mineral laden finish. Let's all try and make the best of a bad situation and be nice to each other. Please stay safe and the best of health to each of you. Nostrovia! 🥂🥂🥂🥂 — 16 hours ago

Jay Kline

9.2

I often struggle with the wines from Washington State. Too often, I find them to come across as big, over the top fruit bombs with many unsuitable for long-term aging. However, there are some exceptions and the wines of Andrew Will are one of those exceptions. This Ciel du Cheval bottling has been cellared away since release and happens to be the last in an original purchase of 6. Ciel du Cheval was originally planted in 1975 and now comprises of over 100 acres of vines with an average age over 36 years. I’ve long admired the quality that comes from this vineyard. The 2008 version of this wine was nearly equal parts Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc with just the touch more Merlot than the other two. From the start, this was buzzing with dark fruits, sweet tobacco, baking spices and leather. The texture is so ever so velvety soft. The tannins are super fine and we’ll integrated at this point. A wine of impeccable balance that has delivered the goods for several years now and I suspect, will continue to do so for many years to come. That being said, I am happy to have consumed my last bottle at this stage in its evolution. It’s clearly firing on all cylinders now. — 2 days ago

Doug Sayed

9.2

2010 vintage. This nearly 10 year old wine is in its prime right now. Classic Cabernet with black currents, savory dark fruits with a smooth and tasty finish. — 4 days ago

Ely Cohn

9.5

Hiyu is one of the most interesting wine projects on the planet. Nate Reddy is conducting experiments with his 30 acres in Oregon that blur boundaries (like wine and cider) and genres and make you expand your concept for what is possible. The complexity of Tzum Feis is otherworldly and maybe the best winemaking I’ve seen stateside. A field blend, it has the minerality and greenness of excellent Loire Cab Franc and the graphite, cedar, and structure of Bordeaux. The aromas have candied orange peel, green bell pepper, cedar, and pencil shavings. Deep concentration and chewy well integrated tannin. Bravo. — 3 days ago

David Shaw

8.9

Purple-red, moderately extracted pigment. Leather and red fruit aromas, Butter and cherry flavors, moderate grained tannins in mouthfeel, cherry with a hint of menthol in finish, both flavors with length. Will benefit from decanting. Barrel toast and barrel smoke emerge after one hour while tannins refine to fine grain, pleasant mouthfeel. Matched well with a black bean pork and daikon dish, Cantonese style, served with brown rice. I’ve decided the main reason people struggle to match wine with black bean sauces is because the cooks don’t know how to cook black beans to minimize their bitterness interacting with the red wine tannins. This match was brilliant, as was my wife’s cooking in this case. You *can* match a red wine with a light black bean sauce; you just need the right red wine. — 14 days ago

Sarah Milsow-Guenther

9.4

This wine is always such a good value for the money. Rich, smooth, complex, love the 1% malbec on this one, adds a nice little kick on the end. Delicious. — 4 days ago

Kristin the Wine Girl

9.0

Plummy rich mocha nose. Black fruit and mocha vibes with full tannins robustly culminate on the palate. A full bodied steakhouse red. — 14 hours ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

A ridiculous value. I’m betting this is Syrah and Grenache, but who knows. Neither the front nor back label gives any hint. Nose has dark cherry ooze, and spot of vanilla, and an intensely saline, fire pit minerality. Baking spice and sweet grilled, fatty beef round out the nose. Fruity and concentrated in the mouth. Sense with ripe, tangy fruit, but not jammy. Lipsmacking acids. A tad bit of heat on the finish detracts a teeny bit, but not much. Great with Tuesday meatloaf! — 15 hours ago

Daniel P. Drake

9.6

It is Friday night and during this time of being shut in our home a group of us had a Zoom chat to try and help in keep some assemblance of normalcy with socialization through Zoom chat. During our gathering I opened the 2016 Pirouette Long Shadows Vintners Bordeaux Blend. A blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec. A wine from Walla Walla, Washington produced by renowned winemaker Philippe Melka. A beautifully blended wine that will stand the test of time and only get better.

On the nose there is black cherry, blackberry, red currant, vanilla, baking spice, cigar box and rich soil.

On the palate ther is black cherry, blackberry, black currant, red currant, green bell pepper, creamy chocolate, graphite and crushed rock.

This wine is full bodied with a smooth creamy mouthfeel, medium + acidity and medium + smooth rounded tannins that lead into a long black fruit finish. What a wonderful wine that all would enjoy. I just wish on our video chat I would have been able to share this with my friends. Maybe some day when we come through this. Please everyone stay healthy and safe. We will come through this. Nostrovia! 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷 — 12 days ago

"Odedi"

8.9

Light golden in color.

Strong nose of lemons, citrus, yellow apples, light oak, spices, black pepper and light vanilla.

Full bodied and buttery with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry on the palate with limes, grapefruits, citrus, red apples, melons, pears, herbs, vegetables, earth, wood, spices, vanilla and white pepper.

Nice finish with spices and almonds.

This is a very nice, slightly aged, Oaky Chardonnay from Washington State. Showing a nice mouthfeel with mild complexity. Rich, yet refreshing. Feels like a Napa Chardonnay.

Wine Enthusiasts 88 points. Wine Advocate 90 points.

This 5 year old is good by itself or with food, and better nicely chilled. Would be interesting to see how it evolves in the next 3 years.

I paired it with cheeses and crackers.

100% Chardonnay grapes were aged in French oak barrels (34% new) for 10 months.

14.5 % alcohol by volume.

89 points.

$40. — 16 days ago