Tom Casagrande

9.1

At the family GSM tasting/get together. All wines tasted single blind.

Complex, high-toned nose. Sagebrush, cherry, in a leaner style, nice acidity, will last several more years. Would be great with pasta. — 4 days ago

with Angelo

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.2

Last of the single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon bottlings we tasted at Aperture Cellars with Lauren. Dark purplish ruby red. Ripe red berries on the nose with some spices, perfume and a touch earthy. Medium tannins (7/10) and full bodied. A bit of heat on the palate with some cassis, black cherries and spices. Not as vast as the Del Rio with a touch of dark cocoa. Needs some time to pull itself together. Dry and gravelly long finish. Drink from 2019 till 2030. (92+)

This is made up of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc from the Oliver Ranch Vineyard and cultivated by Phil Freese. Who actually does another one of our favorites - Vilafonté in South Africa.


First stop on our very first trip to Sonoma, and we were not dissappointed. The wines made by Jesse Katz have a ton of finesse, power and character. Definitely a winery for any wine lover or collector to have on their radar. Stay tuned for some exciting new wines coming out in the 2017 vintage, possibly an old vine Zinfandel. Also a must visit for art and photography lovers. — a month ago

with India

Shay A

9.2

Weekly Wednesday Wine Committee lunch...always such a treat to attend. This week, Dan hosted. 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds and 1 dessert wine. All blind as usual.

Guessing varietals blind is tough enough, but once you start introducing field blends, I want to raise the white flag. My final guesses were Alsatian Pinot Gris or Spanish Albariño. I was semi-on track with my Alsatian guess at least. Lots of floral and orange blossom here. Even some chamomile. Acidity was really low that I understood the Viognier guesses. A nice white from Carlisle. — 5 days ago

with Dan and Weston

Andy Demaree

8.9

Solid, uncomplicated zinfandel. This cuvée is consistently better than the Three Valleys but less impressive and age-worthy than the Lytton Springs and Geyserville bottling. A mid-week wine at a fair price. — 6 days ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.3

First time trying these Malbecs from Jesse Katz and Devil Proof. Thanks Lauren for cracking these for us! Dark purplish red with some garnet too. Loads of spices on the nose intermixed with red berries and some blue fruit. Medium plus tannins (7.5/10) and full body. Rich and a touch dry on the palate with layers of black currants, dirt, herbs, black dried fruits, bark and almost a touch of cola. A bit spicy too leading into the long finish. Drink till 2036. (93+)

Wow. This is the second best Malbec, just bet out by its new younger sibling - the Rockpile Ridge. This is made up of 100% Malbec from a single block (Block #17) on the Farrow Ranch vineyard which was planted back in 2002 with Clone 4 and Clone 595 Malbec. It is aged in 100% new French oak barrels similar to the Rockpile Ridge.

First stop (Aperture Cellars and Devil Proof Vineyards) on our very first trip to Sonoma, and we were not dissappointed. The wines made by Jesse Katz have a ton of finesse, power and character, but the wines under his Devil Proof Label are at another level. Definitely a Malbec that needs to be on any wine collector's radar. The photo for the label was taken by Andy Katz, Jesse's father, back when he was commissed by the Cuban Government to take photos of their way of life. We love the saying for the label "Live well, drink well, and the devil can't get you". We do not know about you but we will follow her lead and hopefully become a little bit Devil Proof. — a month ago

with India

Shay A

9.2

Napoleon’s quote on champagne rings truer today than it ever has...”In victory, you deserve champagne. In defeat, you need it.” This is needed.

Aonair debuted this experiment last year. They are one of the few wine clubs we belong to because we love every bottle in their portfolio. This is a BdN from Russian River Valley done “method champenoise” style.
Has just the smallest tinge of salmon color to it...color actually darkened the longer it was in the glass. For a west coast sparkler, the bubbles on this were minuscule and went for quite a while. Rose petal and strawberry cream on the nose. Great acidity. Small amount of yeastiness. Mid palate is very full bodied with an impressive amount of tart red fruit...more pink lady apple crisp type bite than Granny Smith. Really nice, and glad they are keeping this in the rotation for a bit. — 8 days ago

Jonathan Wall

9.3

Savory, earthy. By the second night it really opened up with an expansive finish. Good now but I'd like to taste what happens in 5 to 10 years. — 4 days ago

Craig Stanfield

9.3

Has great earthiness to go with the monumental fruit. On opening it seems more old world than new. Really really good. — 16 hours ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

Interesting and a little atypical nose. Just-cut cedar, moist humus (not hummus), and smoke-tinged blackberry. Some rock dust too, which i expect from Paso, but not from RRV. Full-flavored, briary blackberry fruit in the mouth. The back half of the palate has some peppery heat (which I would not expect from a Zin clocking in at only 14.2%). Dry and drying on the finish. Great with my pasta. — 12 hours ago

Chris MacLean

9.0

The plums are bright but they’re still kind of plummy. Very drinkable though, with just enough earthiness. — 17 days ago