Paul J

9.5

Modest gold color. Stone fruit, lemongrass, and maybe a hint of vanilla on the nose. Same on the palate, which is well integrated. Medium depth and finish.

Give this a little decant, revising from 94-95. — 9 days ago

with Brooke

Shay A

9.3

With some inconsistencies the last year or two with Ultramarine, this was a nice refresher of how enjoyable they can be when showing well. I chose this as one of my 2018 Cali BdB sparklers I opened to see how the sparkling wine scene is evolving (also opened was a 2018 Haliotide BdB, 2018 Ultramarine Michael Mara BdB and 2018 Brick & Mortar Manchester Ridge BdB).

Over the last 7yrs or so of opening Ultramarine, I’ve found the Charles Heintz to show the classical vineyard expression of pure and ripe tropical fruit (guava), a small amount of oxidation of the fruit, and a distinct cream soda note. This 2018 lined up fairly close to those expectations (whereas the Michael Mara has been a bit more austere in the past, yet not as much barrel character as the one today). More “funk” and texture than the classical Haliotide, but not too far (nothing vegetal). The dosage feels on-point here. Follows the grower champagne vibe, but more to the natty side. — 5 months ago

Daniel Jara

8.9

Ciruela , mora negra, mineralizado, — a year ago

Steve Rura

9.1

Great CA Chardonnay. Balanced, not overly oaked, not really buttery. Fresh and delicious lemon, yellow apple, underripe pear. It doesn’t have the electric acidity of the Adank Swiss Chardonnay I just tried, but it’s delicious in its own softer, more subtle way. Speaking of Swiss, I’m using a cup for tonight’s cheese fondue on a snowy night. — 24 days ago

Abbas Zand

9.1

Red fruit and anise aromas.
Medium body. Soft tannins with a nice spicy kick. Red fruit flavors.
Very nice.
Price? — 2 months ago

John Willison

9.2

Round yellow fruit, herbal, rich yeast. — a year ago

Matthew Cohen

9.0

Fruit is nice. Delicious early season cherries. Bright. Not very complex. A hint of bitterness. — 2 years ago

Clay Bullwinkel

9.2

Smooth light bodied excellence. — 14 days ago

Adam Baker

9.5

Drank with Christmas dinner 2024, with honey baked ham, and brown sugar sweet potatoes. Russian River Valley Pinot goes really well with ham. This one was really good. With and without food. Fruit forward but doesn’t overwhelm the wine. Buy more. — 2 months ago

with Chris, Brud and 1 other

Craig Phares

9.0

Bolder than expected. Dry and slightly acidic, with tobacco, plum, and cherry notes. Will get again. — 5 months ago