Darren Leaney

9.0

Coffee, beeswax, leatherwood honey. Zip. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.3

After an epic lunch from @joe leatherwood , a few of us got together for a socially-distanced evening hosted by @Keith Fisher to keep the party going.

The pic may be slightly blurry but the label is also blurry on its own!

I agree with @Eric LaMasters in that this one seems to need quite a bit of time to come around. These SQN whites are consistently mesmerizing in their complexity. Checking in at 38% roussanne, 31% petit manseng, 18% chardonnay, 9% viognier and 4% Muscat (what a blend!), it is deeply golden in the glass. Aromatically, it sports crazy dried dragon fruit, banana peel, caramel dipped grilled lemon and sea salt. Amazingly dense and rich on the palate, with a classically waxy profile. Savory popcorn kernel, almond skin, honeysuckle, and quite herbal round out a finish that has a surprising amount of acidity. Love the uniqueness. Thanks @Dan Fitzgerald . — 6 years ago

with Jid, joe and 3 others

Shay A

9.5

After a couple months of hiatus, the Friday City Club group was able to get back together (albeit a smaller, more spread out group) for an epic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds and 1 dessert wine, all served blind.

The first of a monster lineup of 5 incredible red wines. For the first 10-15mins, this was actually my favorite. Very high toned and lifted. Bright. Rich red fruits, spicy black fruits, kirsch, sage and potpourri jump from the glass. On the palate, it was the most elegant of the five with Black Forest cake, mulberries, cedar, dark chocolate shavings and baking spices. I called this 7-10yr old Napa cab (but it certainly seemed a bit of an outlier compared to the next 4!) — 6 years ago

with Jid, joe and 3 others

Shay A

9.6

After a couple months of hiatus, the Friday City Club group was able to get back together (albeit a smaller, more spread out group) for an epic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds and 1 dessert wine, all served blind.

Everyone in the room knew this was something spectacular from first whiff. It was one of those wines where every aspect felt perfect as not one thing stood out. It was slightly yeasty but also fresh and citrus driven. Rich, but racy. Baked lemon pastries, caramel dipped golden delicious apple, classic chalk and limestone. Incredible mousse. I called this late ‘90s Dom Oenotechque/P2. — 6 years ago

with Jeff, Jid and 3 others

Shay A

9.6

Wednesday Wine Committee from this past week. A fantastic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds, 1 dessert wine. All tasted blind as usual.

Possibly in its prime drinking window, and it is gorgeous. Everything about this screams high quality left bank Bordeaux (which is what I called it). It was beautifully perfumed with a mix of potpourri, dried black cherries, blackberries, graphite, saddle leather and herbs de Provence. Perfectly balanced on the palate with dark fruits enveloped in cedar and sweet pipe tobacco. There is a line of ripe purple fruits down the middle accompanied by dust and mocha which is just delicious. — 6 years ago

with Dan, joe and 2 others

Shay A

9.5

Wednesday Wine Committee from this past week. A fantastic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds, 1 dessert wine. All tasted blind as usual.

I had this wine a year and a half ago...and I think it may be better now! Still hard for me to wrap my head around Hundred Acre tasting and aging like this. Brilliant bright ruby in the glass. Soft cherries, sweet ripe black cherries, sandalwood, nutmeg and added baking spices. Very balanced and elegant on the palate...cherries jubilee and liqueur, sweet kirsch and licorice. Drinking beautifully! I was between old Napa cab and Italian merlot. — 6 years ago

with joe, Dan and 2 others

Shay A

9.5

Wednesday Wine Committee from this past week. A fantastic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds, 1 dessert wine. All tasted blind as usual.

Sporting a classic Bollinger style, I have to admit that this has changed/evolved since I first had this vintage a year ago. A good bit of ginger is present in a rich and giving profile, with chalk, limestone, orange blossom and caramel dipped golden delicious apple. What made this different is I got a lot less yeast than expected. Truly delicious champagne now, it’s evolving and will be getting better. I called this NV champagne from a high end producer. — 6 years ago

with Dan, Will and 2 others

Shay A

9.5

A socially distanced night catching up with friends while enjoying some fun wines. Posting what I was able to get pics of!

Served blind and decanted for about two hours. You could tell it was starting to shed some fruit as the oak tannin was fairly stiff, while accompanied by dark fruits but also a lot of floral and earthy notes. Fresh potpourri, lavender, ripe blue and black fruits, and a touch of fig to show its age. The ripe profile on the palate had me thinking 2007 vintage and the big structure meant it had to be from one of Napa’s mountain AVAs. There is a streak of graphite/mineral down the palate with added dark fruits, dark cocoa, and grilled plums. Integrated but very powerful at this stage. Thanks @joe leatherwood . — 6 years ago

with joe, Dan and 1 other

Shay A

9.3

After a couple months of hiatus, the Friday City Club group was able to get back together (albeit a smaller, more spread out group) for an epic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds and 1 dessert wine, all served blind.

A palate revitalizer after the reds! Like a shot of vitamin C to your taste buds. Apricot, ripe peach, and mango all drizzled in orange blossom honey. Didn’t have the nuttiness of Sauternes but there was really nice acidity here. I called this late harvest Cali SB/semillon. — 6 years ago

with Jid, joe and 3 others

Shay A

9.6

After a couple months of hiatus, the Friday City Club group was able to get back together (albeit a smaller, more spread out group) for an epic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds and 1 dessert wine, all served blind.

Compared to the 2012 Quella it was next to, this was much darker in style. Scorched blue and black fruit, sandalwood, plums and mocha on the nose. Copious amounts of dark chocolate and fresh squeezed dark fruits on the palate wrapped in a silky and slightly dusty profile. I called this 7-10yr old Napa cab. — 6 years ago

with Jid, joe and 3 others

Shay A

9.4

After a couple months of hiatus, the Friday City Club group was able to get back together (albeit a smaller, more spread out group) for an epic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds and 1 dessert wine, all served blind.

I had this same vintage a little over a year ago and my note is very similar. I got a distinct hay note aromatically that I really haven’t come across much. It wasn’t herbal, but slightly more green and unique. Honeysuckle and honeyed stone fruits on the nose as well. Big and commanding on the palate and slightly more savory...lemon oil, sea salt and almond croissant. I called this 8-10yr old Cali chard. — 6 years ago

with Jid, joe and 3 others

Shay A

9.4

Wednesday Wine Committee from this past week. A fantastic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds, 1 dessert wine. All tasted blind as usual.

Very good right now and hardly showing any heat. It’s so well balanced and integrated that I called this early ‘80s port. Plethora of baking spices, cherry liqueur, dark cocoa dipped graham cracker, dates and cherry fig. Nice sweetness. In a good window. — 6 years ago

with joe, Dan and 2 others

Shay A

9.1

Wednesday Wine Committee from this past week. A fantastic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds, 1 dessert wine. All tasted blind as usual.

Not familiar with this producer. Since I don’t have much context to go on, it’s hard to get a pulse on typical profile, but when comparing to the other 2000 Bordeauxs in the lineup, this seemed much older. Old baked fig, cocoa dusted dates, scorched black plum and pipe tobacco. Aged funk on the palate with leather, dried black cherries, and an herbal finish. A touch syrupy too. I called this old Brunello. — 6 years ago

with joe, Dan and 2 others

Shay A

9.3

Wednesday Wine Committee from this past week. A fantastic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds, 1 dessert wine. All tasted blind as usual.

The most difficult wine of the day to guess. It was like a super bright Alsatian Riesling mixed with Chablis. Crazy light colored in the glass. Very tart in all aspects. Lemon-lime, limestone, high minerality, and a Fruit Loop like note too (kudos to Weston for picking that up). Steely and sharp on the palate with more citrus and stone fruits, lemon oil and crushed wet rocks. Complex and unique. I called this Chablis. — 6 years ago

with joe, Dan and 2 others

Shay A

9.6

After an epic lunch from @joe leatherwood , a few of us got together for a socially-distanced evening hosted by @Keith Fisher to keep the party going.

After the 2012 Harlan at lunch, Keith decided to continue with the theme with an ‘06. Unbelievably smooth and balanced while still retaining power. Aromatically it is very black fruit dominant...blackberries, cassis, sweet tar/pipe tobacco, graphite and channeling just a touch of bay leaf. Waves of flavor on the palate of smoked meat, creme de cassis, currant, mocha, baking spices and a supremely balanced finish. At this point in its evolution, it’s reminiscent of a high end bordeaux from a warm/ripe vintage. A total treat. — 6 years ago

with Jid, joe and 3 others

Shay A

9.7

After a couple months of hiatus, the Friday City Club group was able to get back together (albeit a smaller, more spread out group) for an epic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds and 1 dessert wine, all served blind.

Here’s your finisher. Tied with the L&M for my favorite of the day. This seemed to take the best of the L&M (lifted profile, elegant) and the best of the Harlan (dense, rich, powerful) and marry them together perfectly. Iron fist in a velvet glove. It sported the entire fruit spectrum on the nose (red, blue and black) with added notes of sandalwood, espresso, cinnamon and nutmeg, and scorched earth. It pulls you in immediately on the palate with tantalizing notes of fondue dipped dark fruits, cherry-vanilla pipe tobacco, crushed gravel, before letting you go softly with elegant floral notes like jasmine. Stunning. I called this 7-10yr old Napa cab. — 6 years ago

with Jid, joe and 3 others

Shay A

9.5

After a couple months of hiatus, the Friday City Club group was able to get back together (albeit a smaller, more spread out group) for an epic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds and 1 dessert wine, all served blind.

I was somewhat surprised to see this was a Marcassin, mostly because it seemed more elegant than my normal experience. It didn’t have that roasted marshmallow note I seem to associate with Marcassin. This was my favorite of the two whites...extremely aromatic with chamomile, honeysuckle, powdered lemon tart and orange blossom. Massive amounts of juicy fruit (which I associate with Peter Michael) on the palate...frosted guava, sea salt and lemon meringue. I called this 8-10yr old Cali chard (specifically Peter Michael Point Rouge). — 6 years ago

with Jid, joe and 3 others

Shay A

9.3

V17 (so 2017 vintage) April 2019 disgorgement. These wines are made as a single vintage, single vineyard, single varietal and very low dosage. A darling of the grower champagne movement.

The fruit here is crazy intense, both aromatically and on the palate. Spiced prickly pear, mango, oxidized apple and wild herbs. It’s racy and nervy on the palate sporting honeyed stone fruits, limestone and sea salt. Didn’t pick up much yeast character as this is fairly lean, but the slight autolysis flair was welcomed and gave this a nice boost in complexity. For being so low in dosage, this is surprisingly (in a good way) full bodied and even somewhat creamy in texture. Very enjoyable. Thanks for helping me get my hands on a bottle @joe leatherwood . — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.5

Wednesday Wine Committee from this past week. A fantastic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds, 1 dessert wine. All tasted blind as usual.

En mag. Another wine that I had in the last year, and I also found it tasting different than my last experience. This bottle seemed to have more in reserve and was a bit more coy. Lots of cassis, currant, graphite, bayleaf and scorched black cherries on the nose. Very compact on the palate...dates, mocha, more black cherries and some purple fruit too. May be gearing up for a big display in the coming year or two. I called this right bank Bordeaux. — 6 years ago

with joe, Dan and 2 others

Shay A

9.4

Wednesday Wine Committee from this past week. A fantastic hosting by @joe leatherwood . 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 5 reds, 1 dessert wine. All tasted blind as usual.

Gorgeous Chardonnay from one of my favorite producers. Fairly light colored in the glass offering up notes of honeysuckle, chamomile, and powdered sugar lemon bar. The palate sports a very elegant and soft profile with a bit of sweet cotton candy toward the back and finish. Delicate. I called this Oregon chardonnay. — 6 years ago

with joe, Dan and 2 others