Shay A

9.5

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. — 2 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.4

Blend of 90% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot & 5% Tannat, aged 20 mos French oak. LaJota has deep roots in Napa, in 1888, wine pioneer W.S. Keyes planted the first vines on Howell Mountain, 10 years later LaJota Vineyard established, named for location on Mexican parcel Rancho La Jota. Deep Ruby, rich berry fruit aromas & herb spice. On the palate blackberry & cherry flavors with sweet spice, licorice & cacao notes, rich & tangy. Soft full tannins, long finish ending with oak & earthy herbs. Just starting to drink now, will cellar for a decade. — 4 years ago

Martin Mata

9.2

Notes of cherry, leather, and spice characteristic of Tempranillo, but with freshness from the Grenache, Pinot Noir, and Graciano in the blend. M body, M/M+ acidity, and tannins that are grippy at first but mellow with time. Food friendly, but also delicious and super drinkable on its own. Purchased at Popina in Brooklyn, NY. — 4 years ago

Doug Powers

9.1

Very fresh, lively, primarily redfruited aromas and flavors, some spicy notes as well, super nicely balanced, great acid, shows admirable restraint, should age nicely midterm (5-10 years?), very good “entry level” Zinfandel, long finish!! I’d read that the 2023 Zins, grown in a relatively cooler year, had a very long growing season, with excellent acidity, and I’d say this shows all of those characteristics. Morgan nailed this, it was great to finally meet his “adult” version, my wife and I first met him about 35 years ago at a ZAP event at Ravenswood hosted by his father Joel. — 7 months ago

with Jim

Co Hodge

9.5

First time having this wine and it's delicious! So smooth! Loving my reds! — 4 years ago

Turd Ferguson

9.2

First day ehhhhh. Totally different wine on day two. Pure passionfruit. Killer — 4 years ago

Shay A

9.2

My last of these. I experienced a bit of bottle variation with mine, some showing extremely fresh and others not so much. I’m a fan of Michael Cruse and enjoy his Ultramarine sparklers, and while it’s hard to compare UM to this, there are similarities and these are really delicious, especially for the money. This has a grower champagne like profile to it.

2017 base (released spring 2020), zero dosage. My first experience with this was during the dosage trial last year. Lots of fun to taste this wine at different levels. On previous bottles, it never came across as zero dosage, yet this final bottle had a pronounced carmex-like aromatic I get with many zero dosage sparklers. Oxidized aromatics and notes on the palate. This is apple everything...browned golden delicious apple, Apple strudel, apple spice. Mid palate is fairly rich with limestone, floral nuances, and a tart finish. Mousse here has died down some and the profile has become more vinous. I’d enjoy these sooner rather than later to capture the freshness. — 4 years ago

Bruce Dunbar

8.9

Revisiting 2019 a few years on since first tasting it. It’s a nearly black wine, with plums and minerals on the nose. Maintains its mouth-filling fruit and graphite notes with drying tannins and a zippy raspberry acid in the finish. Big and delicious still. — a year ago

Vanessa

9.1

Burgundy 🇫🇷 is renowned for its Chardonnay, but did you know that Aligoté is the second most planted white grape in the region? 👀

Some of the finest Aligoté comes from ‘Bouzeron,’ an appellation in the Côte Chalonnaise region (north of Mâconnais, south of Côte d’Or).

In a land of Pinot Noir & Chardonnay, Bouzeron AOC is 100% dedicated to producing Aligoté 🙌🏻. In fact, it first became a legally-recognized AOC in 1998 thanks in part to the efforts of Aubert de Villaine, the winemaker behind this beautiful bottle. 👏🏻

Interestingly, Aubert is also a co-owner & co-Director of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC) (and, as an aside, was on the tasting panel for the 1976 Judgement of Paris 😆)…

Yet, instead of devoting himself exclusively to DRC — one of the world’s most famous and prestigious estates — he and his wife, Pamela (a California native), were enchanted by the possibilities of Aligoté, and terroir of Bouzeron, where they put down roots through “Domaine de Villaine”.

This wine is Domaine de Villaine Bouzeron AOC (2019). It has a shimmering lemon robe and bouquet of white blossom, just-ripe white peach, yellow apple, pear, citrus, fennel, and wet slate notes. It’s remarkably fresh on the palate with mouth-watering acidity balancing the warm (14% ABV) and fruit-driven profile. It’s positively delicious!

We’re pairing it w/ pan-seared sea scallops, roasted asparagus, & lemon-herbed farro…

Cheers to nurturing the diversity of Burgundy in all of its splendor! 🥂
💙🤍♥️ — 2 years ago

with Deked1

Mandi Speidel

City Territory Chicago, Maverick Wine Company

10

Gardner Dunn full of fun Back in Chicago for the first time since Feb 2020… Yikes! The Windy City sure missed you. Kicked it off with a little Nobu Sake to Me, Sushi & Sunshine Laughs. — 4 years ago