Keint He Winery & Vineyards
Weingut Keller
Abts E de Riesling 2017
Nicholson Jones
St. Helena Sauvignon Blanc 2016
One of my favorite small production wine, 300 cases. Cal Nicholson spent his youth in So. CA & after a long marketing career he hung up his spurs to follow his 2 real interests in life – surfing & wine making. Jones is the maiden name of Cal’s wife Pam. A wonderful wine. Aromas of lemon citrus with herb, stone & tropical fruits. Palate, peach, Granny Smith apple & ripe melon flavors with lively citrus zest wrapped in lbalanced acidity. Lingering finish ending with mineral citrus finish. Consistent! Nice! — 5 years ago
Arbe Garbe
Sonoma County White Blend 2018
Wonderful. Remembering @Alec White each time we have one of these, as he introduced the wine to us. 🙏🍷 — 4 years ago
Hubert Lamy
En Remilly Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Chardonnay 2015
No detailed notes as we were at dinner with friends. Three Somm’s present for dinner and all thought this was wine of the night. I was one of them.
I believe their 15 is even better than their fantastic 2010.
If you are not familiar with this producer & terroir, I highly recommend you do. It remains under most consumers radar. I should probably stay silent on it as it will only drive up demand and price. But, good wine is meant to be shared with people who know how to appreciate it. This is around $55 on pre-arrival and $70ish if not bought on pre-arrival.
Olivier Lamy left the family Domaine to learn from other producers before returning to his family Domaine. He made Méo-Camuzet for few years just before his return.
The body was thick and slightly waxy. Nice green apple, pineapple, lime, honeysuckle, fruit blossoms with excellent round acidity, texture, elegant and well polished finish.
Recommend you slightly over chill it and decant it for an hour if you drink it this young. After it hour, it really blossoms.
Photos of, the Domaine property, Saint-Aubin Vineyard, amazing Saint-Aubin Chardonnay grapes and Domaine building sign — 6 years ago
S.C. Pannell
McLaren Vale Tempranillo Touriga 2013
See previous notes on March 2020 and October 2020. This tasting was even better than those two tastings. At 10 years it is peaking. Sweet and savoury ripe plum and black cherry. So mellow, earthy and delicious. A brilliant wine from a brilliant winemaker. He certainly is the master of alternative varieties in this country - Steve Pannell. A lot like cool climate Shiraz and many would pick it as that in a blind tasting. A great match with Chicken Legs. — 2 years ago
Orin Swift Cellars
Abstract Grenache Blend 2018
History dates back to 1995 when on a lark, David Swift Phinney took a friend up on an offer & went to Florence, Italy to spend a semester “studying”. During that time, he was introduced to wine, how it was made, & got hooked. A Grenache, Syrah & Petite Sirah blend. Aromas of fresh ripe red fruits with floral & spice. On the palate flavors of cherry & raspberry with cacao & espresso notes on sweet savory soft tannins, well balanced, lingering finish ending with fruit & toasty oak. Nice! Consistent Quality! — 5 years ago
Château Cheval Blanc
St. Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend 1982
Very good with Lamb dinner with the he Mellys — 6 years ago
Aaron Tan
One of the best evenings of wine I’ve had this year, and it was just focused on this duo. Opened as inspiration for this year’s red pick at Miao Lu (a name to remember for those reading. I’ll say it here first - some of the best Pinot’s and Chard’s in the world will be coming out of this project high up in Yunnan!), and they both gave great context to the task.
When I harvested with Klaus-Peter in 2017, the vineyards bore the scars of hail, every last one of them. The damage was manifest in what we came to call "hail berries" (misshapen berries). To my untrained palate, they tasted perfectly fine. Naturally, I asked KP why we were discarding them, and his response, while not entirely unexpected, was still astonishing (paraphrasing of course): "I don't need to know precisely what they do," he said, "but if there's even a chance they might diminish the wine by 1%, they're gone. And these? They look capable of much worse."
That unyielding spirit of his was, I must admit, my torment at Abtserde, the vineyard hit hardest by the hail. We spent an entire day sorting and picking a single row - granted, the rows were long, but the pace was glacial. The true enemy, though, wasn’t the relentless sorting, but the wasps. Those little demons made an already grueling task even more daunting, dodging their stings as we plucked berries one by one, like selecting pearls from a troubled sea. What we ended up with were, quite literally, tiny gems - "caviar" berries of purity. By day’s end, the sight was something to behold. Despite the torment, the hard work was unquestionably worth it. The 17’ Abtserde is my wine of the vintage.
I’ve had the 17’ Abtserde on numerous occasions but this takes the cake as the best (note to self: best to decant a young Abtserde hard). It is a marvel of purity and depth, with its nose evoking Meyer lemon, iodine, chalk, and flint. These aromas reappear on the palate with a nearly overwhelming intensity, blending piquant brightness and mineral-rich concentration. With more air, a floral, bittersweet herbal note very typical of the vineyard appears (smells like the place even). As the evening unfolded, the wine seemed to grow younger, each glass more lively than the last. The final sip was almost painfully austere, like drinking pure limestone, its explosive palate held together by sharp acidity and a palpable, phenolic grip. The finish seemed endless. One of my best Keller experiences this year. — 5 months ago