John Howard

Harvest production at Hirsch and Cobb Wineries

9.5

This is a sparkling brut rosé.Insane! One of the best domestic sparkling wines we have had. — 3 months ago

Pete Schork

9.5

We really loved this one — 4 years ago

William Paley

9.5

one score and 2 years since harvest - kudos to domaine serene for a successful journey. this one has survived the long haul on its side to reveal the color of boiled beets, a scent of candied violet and sweet coffee bean, and a mouthful of stewed fruit, damp black soil and moon rock-like basalt....can practically see the lichen growing inside the bottle. — 6 years ago

with Ron, Marisa and 1 other

Adriana Fabbro

9.3

Anderson Valley in a glass: vineyards shrouded in coastal fog, redwood groves, overgrown apple orchards (wildflowers, moss, lichen, tall grass, mushrooms, etc). Tension and purity. Pretty cranberry, spice and citrus on the finish. Third time I’ve had this wine and it still proves to be one of the best (balanced, complete, memorable) Pinots I’ve had all year. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 — 7 years ago

David Kline

9.1

Chunky blonde monkey! This tangy orangutan is riddled with bits of grits! It had a big blonde head and was like an orange freshly peeled with pith, fossilized, and amber singing of grapefruit days and juniper nights; black pepper and cedar chiming in with rosemary and chive. Really slaps your tongue with the Gin-ny Juniper...Secondary notes of grapefruit, orange, lemon seed, coriander and grapefruit pith chatter and whoop as your face is lovingly eaten. The gibberish and screeching grows to a crescendo as the juniper raises its cedar cudgel covered in lichen and wild yeast, cinnamon and clove and just a bay leaf or two, and warmly drums your taut torso while your consciousness clouds like the thick detritus of its last sips. Your limbs pull away with ease as the troop joins the rhythmic frenzy. ‘Why are you hitting yourself?’ their warm starlit eyes suggest with just a little mischief. You know why. — 7 years ago

Andy@andyberke.com

9.0

Nice but pales next to the 2015, opened at the same time — 7 months ago

Chris Durall

9.5

Wunderkammer Biermanufaktur. A smoke beer with mixed culture, lichen, and mushroom. 5.8% ABV — 4 years ago

Jake Hajer

9.2

Candied blackberry, moss, jalapeño. There’s a depth to the fruit, evident of solera-which is fun. This will age beautifully. — 6 years ago

Jake Hajer

9.2

Pear, apricot, and birch. White minerals. Just a touch of cream and viscosity. medium, light bodied. Best American Pinot Gris I’ve had. — 6 years ago

Taylar Hart

9.5

The aroma on this particular bottle made me deliriously happy. Maybe it was the new glassware but I felt like this was so much more alive than the last bottle of the same. I love that the bubble size isn’t insanely small so it’s refreshing without burning, and then I always feel like there’s a bit of a wildflower/grassy element to these that feels soft and drinkable. — 6 years ago

Jeffrey Raskin

9.0

Bottle two at home with wifey! — 7 years ago

William Paley

9.7

Gothic and elemental, for rumination. Smells of lichen and rainfall. — 7 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.7

It’s usually a good sign when the winemaker can articulate what the wine is about like this: “Ceras is Botanica’s counterpoint. Its color is more purple than red. It is more about minerals and herbs than fruit and flowers. It is a focused and elegant distillation of rock rather than an opulent cascade of fruit. It is an expression of the geology that lays beneath our land, the tart blue fruits of the coast range and the tender herbs that one finds amongst the trees and mushrooms of the Northwest forest.”

Her 2013 Ceras is yet another example of Maggie Harrison’s sorcery over the vines at Antica Terra. The focus and intensity of flavor is off the charts, yet it maintains an almost ethereal weightlessness, only emphasizing the layer of silk that separates you from the wine. The pungent rock is so on point and distinctive it instantly reminded me of the scent of lichen growing on rocks, which I experienced in Colorado when I was 7 or 8 years old. This sets the stage for the level of complexity exhibited. The fruit has both an extraordinarily high level of purity and yet the woven tapestry of herbs and spices and even fruit blending are impossible not to notice. The key being that nothing is forced.

The nuance of complexity only being noticed when desired is nearly an impossible feat. I can’t help but recall James Conaway quoting Andy Beckstoffer in his recently released book: Napa at Last Light: America’s Eden in an Age of Calamity. “If a wine was a model with a chipped tooth, you’d have to give her something to compensate with. If she needs better shoulders, better breasts, give her some. But her real charm is in how she carries the defect.”

After reading his book, I can tell you I’m definitely not certain whether you can accept his quotes verbatim. One thing is certain, though, Maggie Harrison’s Antica Terra wines carry the defect like no other. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Happy New Year! 🎉🎆🎈🎊 🧨

Excellent vintage. I think even better for Pinot than Cabernet in some cases.

Baked blackberries, black raspberries, raspberries, black plum, baked, dark cherries, notes of blueberries, dry cranberries/rhubarb, maple syrup, limestone minerals, dry crushed rocks, dry, grilled meats, dry tobacco, wood shavings, anise, cinnamon stick, clove, nutmeg, dark spice, some black lichen, vanillin, warm caramel, sun tea, mid berry cola, dry twig, withering to decayed, dark, red, purple flowers, round acidity, well made, structured, balanced, elegant finish that lasts two-minutes and lands on dark spice, earthiness. — a year ago

Taylar Hart

9.2

Very Anderson Valley. Sweeter than Ultramarine; reminded me of Lichen sparkling. — 4 years ago

Jake Hajer

9.3

Serious bubbles. 4yr on Lees. Rich and deep without being flabby. Impressed! — 6 years ago

William Paley

9.4

Ghost ship on the nose.
Damp hull.
Lichen./ wet stone.
Seawater./ oyster shell
Cranberry./ black tea sequence — 6 years ago

with Jess

Kevin Mullally

8.9

Lots of strawberry and cherry. Fruity — 7 years ago

David Kline

9.1

A feast of perfect amber teetering between translucence and opacity, well built like a manor whose dissolution laces with cobwebs, diagonally climbing vines and lichen. Spartan tastes of pineapple, lime, clementine and apricot appear as disembodied as faint memories and spirits swept like spindrift into blue skies above brine. Lime pith and lemon oils stir in grapefruit eddies. Just a glimpse of bitter lime and guava sail the far horizon. — 7 years ago

Willie Carter

8.9

Light pineapple color in the glass with thin edges. Beautiful nose of peaches, pears, and Granny Smith apples. White Pinot, always interesting stuff. Some treat it as a fashionable fad but luckily this ain’t that. Definitely a fun wine but also a serious one. Crisp, ultra refreshing acidity and weight. The palate follows the nose with more citrus fruit. Lemon peel, bright pears, fresh cut lawn, and more apples. The finish has plenty of tang but is a bit short for me. All in all, a fun and refreshing pour. — 8 years ago