Meghan C

9.2

Exclusive to The Cavalier and delicious. — 10 months ago

Seth Masterson

9.2

One of the most fascinating wines on the nose. Starts with floral citrus and honey moves into Dogwood flowers and honeysuckle.
Intense on the pallete (I confirmed that this has been fortified).
I would drink this for dessert anytime. — 3 years ago

Robert Stefan Wood

10

My new favorite!!!! — 7 years ago

Erik Nordman

9.1

Great example of California Chardonnay that opts for subtelty and restraint over oaky brawn and richness. Breadth with freshness. Honeydew melon, yellow apple, ripe Bartlett pear, dogwood florals, and a bit of Meyer lemon, supported with fresh, crushed stone minerality; with a toasted coconut, vanilla and baking spice richness from well integrated and restrained new oak. Glad this return towards elegance and balance is gaining a lot of traction in California now, and Jim Clendenen is probably one of the most influential figures in that regard. Solid juice. — 9 years ago

Barberry Garden

9.0

Tasted blind while knowing the list of wines. Guessed the bottle. A beautiful bouquet of bloody orange, red fruits, a few drops of calm horse's sweat, red flowers, hibiscus and dogwood. Delicate, sophisticated, medium-light body, juicy. It's beautiful, vibrant yet too young.

Tasted on 2023-07-21 — a year ago

Mickie Meinhardt

9.2

50 day laceration but tastes like 5-7, really sharp and sprightly and even sour. Vanilla tree and oak and dogwood on the nose, that umami quality of low ph maceration. Not too sweet lychee, honeyed mead vibe, with a touch of baked apple pie. Really complex, and from Madrid of all places! — 6 years ago

Erik Nordman

9.3

Really awesome Chablis. In a richer style, which is further amped up by the warm vintage, yet still has that bracing, sea-spray Chablis-ness to satisfy the itch for racy salinity that you want a good Chablis to be able to scratch. Pours a bright medium (-) gold hue. High concentration of aromatics of slightly bruised green apple, lemon curd, saline sea spray, wet stone and crushed oyster shell, dogwood floral notes, fresh brioche dough and aged cheese rind leesiness, crème fraîche, and a slight fennel spice. On the palate, there's more perfectly ripe green apple, lemon curd, saline oyster shell and wet stone minerality, aged cheese rind, and crème fraîche. High acid, bone dry, medium (-) body but with a rich oily texture. Moderate, in-balance alcohol. Great length on the palate. Wonderful complexity. Would take well to a short-to-medium term cellaring but is honestly so delicious and generous now, too. Definitely want to seek out more Chablis from the De Moors. — 7 years ago

Seth Masterson

9.0

Lees and acidity. That is the crux of it. Creates some fascinating flavor profiles- like nibbling on a Dogwood branch after it lost its leaves in the fall. Very interesting wine that is begging to be laid down in a cellar and only brought out in the next decade- it's a bit heavy handed now with the yeast and acid but has massive aging potential that I think will reveal some fascinating flavors. — 3 years ago

Erik Nordman

9.3

Wonderful, complex Wachau Riesling with a little bit of age on it. I love how Nikolaihof is willing to hold on to their stuff a bit longer to release it at an appropriate time for the wine, this is singing right now but is also very youthful and has a long life ahead of it. Simultaneously rich and nimble on the palate, with great energy.

- Color: medium (-) yellow-gold
- Nose: preserved lemon, slightly underripe nectarine, wet river stone, some hard cheese rind leesiness, a bit of petrol-y action, an ever so slight oxidative bruised green apple edge from the bit of age, some white dogwood florals, and a tiny bit of mandarin orange
- Palate: just-ripe nectarine and mandarin, slightly bruised green apple, clean, wet slate-y minerality, a savory leesy edge, petrol, and a very slight sweet basil note, and the tiniest bit of almond skin oxidation.
- Acid: high
- RS: dry, few grams of balancing RS but not much apparent on the palate
- Alcohol: medium, not at all obstructive or hot
- Body: medium (-) body, oily, lees-influenced texture
— 7 years ago

with Cassie

Erik Nordman

9.1

Super solid Sonoma County Chardonnay. This one takes a leaner route than most California Chardonnays and is actually surprisingly Chablis-like, but a bit riper and with a bit more breadth. Dominated by lemon curd, ripe fresh yellow apple, lime zest and crushed chalk, underscored by a bit of fresh brioche dough from lees treatment, a bit of crème fraîche, and a bit of dogwood floral character as well; all delivered with a strong, linear acidity. Lees treatment, natural malolactic, and partial neutral oak treatment add some weight and texture without sacrificing focus. Really hits a pleasurable balance of new and old world stylistically speaking, in my opinion. Relatively richly textured with a bit riper fruit, but without sacrificing focus and minerality. Tasty stuff. Would love to try with some scallops! — 8 years ago