Brian Lenich

9.3

Gavin wine in Fiji — a month ago

Jennifer Dennis

9.6

$40 @ TW, Gavin bought — 4 years ago

Craig Williams

9.3

Gavin brought this and the Pinot Noir to our little party. Meursualt-like aromas, color(pale) and tension. Exquisitely balanced citrus, apple flavors zenith medium length. Still youthful and aging gracefully. Oregon! — 6 years ago

with Gavin and Maureen

MaJ CappS

9.0

Cali cabs all smell about the same to me: well polished with cedar and some Eucalyptus.

Tasting notes carry on this nose. Very elegant red fruits, sweetened by time and ripeness, almost akin to candied fruits in the fruitcakes aftertaste, strong and handsome, yet delicate and pretty., this has everything you want in a Cali can of this age. Nice strong Eucalyptus to round out the wine.
Good one for the Gavin and Stacey reunion show.. — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.0

Wednesday Wine Committee. Great hosting by Gavin. 1 sparkler, 4 whites, 4 reds and 2 dessert wines. All served blind as usual.

Chocolate covered everything. Dense, rich, flavor packed. Hershey kiss dipped strawberries, blueberries and over ripe black cherries. Fig, graham cracker, Andes mint and blackberry jelly dominate the palate. I called this Cali zin. — 7 years ago

with Benjamin, Dan and 2 others

Shay A

9.2

Wednesday Wine Committee. Great hosting by Gavin. 1 sparkler, 4 whites, 4 reds and 2 dessert wines. All served blind as usual.

This wine was crazy. Aromatically, it smelled of fresh tar and concentrated pear juice (like from a can). Kind of lychee like, but not enough to be gewürztraminer. Medium acidity. Slightly rich toward the finish. This ended up being 60% clariette, 20% Grenache Blanc, and the rest a mix. Hard to guess blind. I called this Alsatian Pinot Gris. — 7 years ago

with Benjamin, Dan and 2 others

Shay A

9.1

Wednesday Wine Committee. Great hosting by Gavin. 1 sparkler, 4 whites, 4 reds and 2 dessert wines. All served blind as usual.

This style epitomizes Napa chardonnay. Seemed a touch hot with a clipped finish. More focus on oak and richness instead of balanced acidity to accompany with it. This gained a banana bread and cotton candy note as it opened, with lots of vanilla and baking spices. I called this Napa chardonnay. — 7 years ago

with Benjamin, Dan and 2 others

Eric Urbani

9.1

Even though Gavin Newsome is/was involved I still like this Merlot — 2 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.0

Brought this back from a trip we took at Melbourne a couple of years ago. Brought back some great memories with our dear friends Gavin and Claire! — 6 years ago

with Vanessa

Adam Drawwater

9.6

Great from the first taste — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.2

Wednesday Wine Committee. Great hosting by Gavin. 1 sparkler, 4 whites, 4 reds and 2 dessert wines. All served blind as usual.

Roasted chestnuts, cinnamon, old raspberry fig and a surprising amount of heat on the nose and palate. Shocked the alcohol is that prevalent at this age! Mellowed a bit slightly in the glass, and the added notes of graham cracker and potpourri became noticeable. I called this 40yr port. — 7 years ago

with Benjamin, Dan and 2 others

Shay A

9.2

Wednesday Wine Committee. Great hosting by Gavin. 1 sparkler, 4 whites, 4 reds and 2 dessert wines. All served blind as usual.

Floral and pretty. Slight crunchiness/stemmy notes on the nose to suggest a possible use of whole cluster, but I don’t think it was much. Cranberry, violets, potpourri and sage round out the palate. I called this Sonoma pinot. — 7 years ago

with Benjamin, Dan and 2 others

Shay A

9.0

Wednesday Wine Committee. Great hosting by Gavin. 1 sparkler, 4 whites, 4 reds and 2 dessert wines. All served blind as usual.

Classic and down the middle. Almost Viognier like with the floral aromatics and lack of acidity. Cinnamon, baking spices, lemon bar, and sea shell notes on the palate. Bordering on steely. — 7 years ago

with Benjamin, Dan and 2 others

Rob S

9.5

Lisa is tired and so cute drinking this great wine with good friends Steph the Kitten and Gavin the Allergy Guy — 7 years ago

with Lisa

Jane Folske

9.2

Pre-Christmas 2022 Christmas dinner gift from Alice and Gavin…drank it together with cheese and crackers appetizer…delicious! Available at Baur au Lac — 4 years ago

John Pizza

9.5

Gavin Nick Tay and Alisa - 02.04.22 — 4 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

I’ve been meaning to try this producer for some time now. I’ve heard & read good things about their work. So when I saw this on “Last Bottle” for $35, I picked a few up. It didn’t disappoint.

The one thing about the Santa Rita Hills region that I struggle with is a number of their Pinot Noirs, for me, are over extracted. That is not the case here.

The fruits were generally mid red. Some blackberries, strawberries, dark cherries, cherries, nice hues of blueberries, pomegranate & cranberries. Gentle wood use, softly layered baking spices, excellent acidity & nicely polished even finish.

Drinks well now but, will hold my other two bottles 2-3 years for further integration & even something a little better.

Photos of; their winery facility, Winemaker- Gavin Chanin and one of their Santa Rita Vineyards. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.3

Wednesday Wine Committee. Great hosting by Gavin. 1 sparkler, 4 whites, 4 reds and 2 dessert wines. All served blind as usual.

A very pretty wine. Fairly integrated, smooth and balanced. Aromatics of blackberries and black cherries, black tea and vanilla pipe tobacco. The entry was a bit light but the mid palate was beautifully textured and sweet. Slight herbal character toward the finish, which had me call this left bank Bordeaux from mid 2000s. — 7 years ago

with Benjamin, Dan and 2 others

Shay A

9.2

Wednesday Wine Committee. Great hosting by Gavin. 1 sparkler, 4 whites, 4 reds and 2 dessert wines. All served blind as usual.

This was similar to the Flowers Sea View before it with less powerful aromatics but more mineral, savory notes. Still pretty, with more in reserve. Older potpourri, lavender, underripe black cherries up front before a decidedly crushed rock and black pepper spice at the finish. Hold. I initially called this burgundy but decided to go with Sonoma pinot. — 7 years ago

with Benjamin, Dan and 2 others

Shay A

8.9

Wednesday Wine Committee. Great hosting by Gavin. 1 sparkler, 4 whites, 4 reds and 2 dessert wines. All served blind as usual.

This was just kind of meh. It wasn’t great, nor was it bad. Just a “fine” wine. Honeysuckle, sea shell, faint citrus fruits and a kiss of oak. I also found my glass to have quite a bit of bubble/lift to it which was unique. I called this Sonoma chardonnay. — 7 years ago

with Benjamin, Dan and 2 others