Tom Casagrande

9.0

Happy to see a little baseball (Caribbean Series, but still) as a harbinger of spring during a long climatic and political winter. This wine is intensely earthy, with garrigue-inflected, olivey notes leading the way. Soft and mouthfilling. Loads of Mourvèdre tree-bark flavors. Lots of tannin but it is very fine-grained. Medium low acids. Drinking very well right now. Unique, with lots of character. — 5 months ago

Stephen Redenbaugh

9.5

First and youngest champagne of my champ/crab open house. A blast of tight, crisp minerality that almost vibrates with acidity. Such fun to sip, such a sin to drink so young. Amazing complexity, vibrant tiny mousse. A real bargain and a harbinger of the greatness of the 2012 vintage. — 5 years ago

Taylor Peace

9.7

Great wine! Little bit of spice, perfect with red sauces! — 7 years ago

Todd Stuart

9.7

Chaddsford Harbinger CFW — 8 years ago

Daniel Bloom

9.0

Pure sweet small strawberries. Bright acids, a very well knit together pkg.
Harbinger of spring w Lao food for dinner. — 2 years ago

with Sarah

Chris Zitzman

9.3

This will be the second time that I’ve gotten to enjoy Jason Moore’s 2019 Bacigalupi Vineyard Pinot Noir. From just six months ago this wine has already begun opening-up and expressing itself. I think I must have rushed it the first time we cracked it back in August or perhaps in my eagerness I didn’t give the bottle enough time to settle down from its trip from Napa to my door.

Point being: The 2019 is beginning to come alive.

Cigar box and a kind of rich cherry flood the nose. As it opens (and yea I’m letting it open this time. Full patience mode engaged) it naturally begins to spread out and relax.

I’m noticing after the first pour from bottle I got a little sediment. Which is a harbinger of good things to come.

I have entered “berry world”. First glass after about an hour and we are officially rolling. With anything from this historic vineyard, it seems the mouthfeel is the real “bit of cherry”, as I’ve heard it described. Beyond just the flavors that bare themselves upon the sniff and sip- it the mid-palate and finish that (for me) helps to define not only the vineyard but the wine-maker as well.

Give it time if you want to feel that body. The nose alone evolves into a sort of “brandy-marinated cake”.

Trust me- it’s there.

But as the flavors from this wine will surely blow your mind- stay patient, as once it finally reveals itself- even in its youth, you can literally feel the 2019 Modus Operandi, Bacigalupi Vineyard coming alive.

You watch ;). — 4 years ago

with Beth

David Kline

9.2

Minuscule head pools in bubbles to the side like a stagnant river then reveals a spider-eyed were-jaguar, before a Turin shroud emerges against the blackest, hopeless night. Oh crap! Did I just unleash barleywine? Well it is cold as the ice king! Magnificence of aroma with basalt, crystalline vanilla, resinous myrrh, and rich dark chocolate! Cedar, tar, burnt vanilla, nutmeg, fennel, licorice and burnt brownie. Awesome! Truly a harbinger of spirit life and neutron star collision! #clownshoes #hammerofthebeast #barleywine #imperialstout #stout #beerpocalypse #dankbeer #darkbeer #beast #beastmode — 8 years ago

with Courtney

Tom Farnan

9.0

2020 vintage, cepage is 100% Mondeuse. This is a particular grape variety to the Haute Savoie around Annecy. Bio et biodynamique. Alcohol 12% - ~€17 at bottle shop.
This is also typical of the new wave of wines in France, organic (often also natural) small batch wines made from relatively unknown grapes, or, known grapes in atypical regions. This is the French Revolution revisited in the wine world. Good wine from traditional French regions like Bordeaux and Burgundy are priced out of reach of every day drinkers, and most likely, winemaking opportunities in these regions are similarly inaccessible to all but the most privileged in the winemaking community.
Wines like this are a harbinger of change in the French wine community, as are the Parisian wine bars who serve them.
A textured spicy and punchy red, with good acid and medium body. Excellent with game, pate de compagne and funky Savoie cheeses. Merci! — 3 years ago

Matthew Cohen

9.5

Still somewhat closed but the palate is a -harbinger of what this will be. Gorgeous harmonious tropical fruits. Acidity. Lovely texture. Spice. Minerality. In 3 years this will Rock your world. Bought from Fass Selections — 7 years ago

Edmond Bordelon

9.5

Another night, another amazing wine from Thomas Rivers Brown. We ran into him at the vineyard, but luckily all he wanted to talk about was cars! Even though he is an Aston Martin fan, he just picked up this new Mercedes AMG GLE 63S, and was enjoying it thoroughly. So since we did not talk about this wonderful wine, I am plagiarizing their website for tasting notes...which are spot on. “Located just off Hwy 29, north of the town of St. Helena, lies the Tournahu Vineyard. Rocky with exceptional drainage, wines from this vineyard tend toward a mix of powerful fruit and bright acidity. Velvet-like in texture, the wine covers the entire palate in a silky mix of red & black fruit. With additional time in the glass, a creosote-like minerality appears in the mid palate as a harbinger of things to come. A thrilling wine to drink now, those with patience will be rewarded as additional layers of complexity emerge 4-5 years post vintage. A wine & vineyard worthy of our first single vineyard designate.” — 7 years ago

with Katherine