One Tree Hard Cider
Yonder Cider
Palisades
TenFiveOne Cider Co.
Pineapple Shubbie
Domaine Henri Boillot
Bourgogne Chardonnay 2018
This is hard to beat at $25.
White cheese starter.
Copying over & updating earlier notes...
The nose reveals; waxy, sweet & sour lemons, the light, good/softer aspects of lemon pledge, lime zest, green & golden apple, overripe pineapple, honeysuckle, apricots, white peach, orange rind, grapefruit w/ pith, tree bark, flintiness, notes of roasted caramel, vanillin, beautifully, elegant, grey volcanics, salty, powdery, even slightly floral chalkiness, white to lightly brown spices, sea spray, oyster notes, limestone/sandstone, fruit blossoms, yellow lilies framed in a field of spring flowers.
The body is thick, rich, lush and nicely rounded. If you like viscosity, no issues here. It guides over the palate presenting no mouth arguments. Waxy, sweet & sour lemons, the light, good/softer notes of lemon pledge, green & some golden apple with skin, lime zest, overripe pineapple, honeysuckle, apricots, white peach, orange rind, tropicals green melon, tree bark, notes of roasted caramel, beautifully, elegant, grey volcanics, salty, powdery, even slightly floral chalkiness, white to lightly brown spices with some medium palate heat, sea spray, oyster notes, sulfur/flintiness, limestone/sandstone, fruit blossoms, yellow lilies framed in a field of spring flowers. The acidity is near dead on...like a gentle cool stream. The long finish is, gorgeous & sexy, elegant, rich, good balance all around and persists gently for minutes.
Just gets better & better as it warms & opens up in the glass. This Bourgogne will add another point or two when I open my next bottle in 2-3 years. Except now, I own a bunch more of this 2018. Have some to enjoy early.
Excellent with our soft, white cheese...Jasper Hill Farms-Harbison. If you can find this cheese, it gets one of my highest recommendations. Bought it at Whole Foods but, you can always check JasperHillFarms.com if N/A where you shop.
Photos of; Masion Henri Boillot, Owner/Winemaker Henri Boillot, tasting room that looks into the barrel room and his Bonnes Mares Vineyard. — 4 years ago
Seven Birches Winery
Original Hard Apple Cider
Seven Birches Original Hard Apple Cider - Probably one of the best hard ciders I've had. Its just hard cider, no crazy flavors, no added sugar (but still palletable) — 3 years ago
Costa Verde Cider Company
Sidra Natural Extra Dry
Costa verde cider company. A Napa guy paying Spanish cider makers to make cider. Very dry with good Spanish funk, but this is crushable. Tart green apples with a hard funky cheese. I could imagine the 6% abv could get you in trouble on this one. — 3 years ago
Clos Mogador
Nelin Priorat White Blend 2017
Perhaps, our favorite non Burgundy white. It is unique among whites.
Also, one of the best afternoons we’ve enjoyed. Appointments at Clos Mogador & Erasmus. Then, lunch looking back at both properties from Amcis. A great meal we would give two Michelin stars. This wine and a custom four course for two for only 70 Euros in 2015. Fantastic restaurant. A must do in Priorat.
The nose reveals; ripe & slightly sour pineapple, lemon chiffon, mix of well extracted stone fruits, notes of lime candy, banana peel, slight burnt brown sugar, blend of chalky minerals, volcanics, chamomile, vanilla bean notes, well cooked toast, sandy dry top soil, fennel (grows everywhere), tree bark with sap, mix of dark & white spice w/ white dominate and a fields of spring flowers.
The body is full & round with good viscosity. slightly sour pineapple, lemon chiffon, mix of well extracted stone fruits, golden apple to cider, tropical melons, kiwi, notes of lime candy, banana peel, fringes of marmalade, slight sugar in the raw, blend of white, chalky minerals, mint, volcanics, crushed dry sandstone, saline, chamomile, vanilla bean notes, well cooked toast, dry herbs, sandy dry top soil, fennel (grows everywhere), tree bark with sap, mix of dark & white spice w/ white dominate and a fields of perfume spring flowers with mixed greens. The acidity is round and rushes like a river. The long, rich, well knitted & balanced, polished & elegant finish goes on & on ending persistently w/ sweet white spice.
The 2017 is different than the earlier vintages we’ve had. It needs another two years in bottle. If you drink now, fully chill and decant 2 hours.
Photos of; Clos Mogador, Owners/Winemakers-Rene Barber Sr. & Jr. and vines around their Estate. — 4 years ago
Dave Harvey
Catch of the Day Hard Apple Cider
Yes, this is a cider, not a wine. However, it was crafted with love by Dave Harvey, one of my favorite Washington winemakers. Apples are something else at which Washington excels, along with those wonderful Walla Walla onions. However, I digress, distracted by the idea of a Dave Harvey Walla Walla onion dry vermouth wine. What amazing martinis would be made possible! 🍸
Any road, this cider is no slouch in the flavor department! It is 100% juice from five different apples, and weighs in at a nice 6.9% ABV. In terms of residual sugar, this is more like a Pinot Grigio than a Moscato, dry but not biting or tart. I bought a case; with a splash of real brewed ginger beer it is a go-to afternoon cocktail! — 5 years ago
Merchant's Daughter
Dry Premium Hard Cider
Hard cider is popular in upstate NY, but it's often way too dry and bitter. This is one of the best I've tried so far - great balance of fresh fruit, acid and dryness. Sophisticated without sacrificing flavor. — 3 years ago
Domaine Dauvissat-Camus
La Forest Chablis 1er Cru Chardonnay 2009
Nose reveals beauty & grace. Sweet & just sour lemons, lime candy, green dominate apples with shades of golden, cream, vanillin, ginger, ripe squeezed pineapple flesh, grapefruit with pith, touch of apple cider, salted caramel, cream soda, sea fossils, sea spray, light volcanics, marmalade fruit, Stone fruit with yellow & spring flowers flowers set in mixed greens.
The palate is very full, round, waxy, rich with excellent viscosity. Beautiful mouthfeel. Great time for a bottle. Sweet & just a sour lemons, lime candy, green dominate apples with shades of golden, cream, vanillin, ginger, ripe squeezed pineapple flesh, grapefruit with pith, touch of apple cider, salted caramel, cream soda, healthier honey, sea fossils, white spice with the perfect depth & heat, sea spray, reductive, melted molasses, light volcanics, wet stone, elegant flintiness, marmalade fruit, stone fruit-apricot, nectarines, white & yellow peach with yellow & spring flowers flowers set in mixed greens. The acidity is like a cool stone filled stream. The long, round finish is; waxy, round, lush, with excellent balance fruit & earth, gentle white spice palate heat that persists endlessly. On the long, longboard set, I get soft subtle cream notes of whiskey/scotch w/o any heat. It Hoovers center mouth.
Photos of; one of Dauvisst Cru vineyards, staff caning in the spring, Vincent, Dauvisst and photo of a vineyard that shows every bit of reason why White Burgundy tastes the way it does!
Some producer notes I read. Vincent started helping his father René in 1976 and, during the last decade, has gradually taken control of viticulture and winemaking. For him, the ultimate goal is to harvest healthy grapes that are fully ripe and concentrated which, he declares, can only be achieved consistently by hard work in the vineyard. His passion for wine enables him to put this work ethic into practice with real vigour - close pruning the vines (40 years old on average) during the growing season to restrict yields, hand harvesting at vintage time and ruthlessly discarding any rotten or split grapes. His vinification and maturation methods see him join the small band of Chablis producers who employ oak. The wines are vinified and aged in a mixture of steel vats and 6-to 8 year old wooden barrels. The wood is old and therefore doesn’t stamp any oak flavour onto the wines but does give them an extra depth of flavor and density of body, whilst still retaining their unique identities. These are intensely terroir-driven, mineral wines of such concentration that they take longer than most to reach their best, though they are every bit worth the wait. — 4 years ago
Max Geitlinger
Maximal Pinot Noir 2016
One barrel made from a single vineyard. Debut vintage. OMFG what a nose. Jumps so high out of that glass Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina had scouts at the winery when it was being bottled. A nose that is hard to describe but I’ll attempt it. Just stunning. Gorgeous mulberry, mid season cherries, some sour cherries but it’s all ripe and perfect. Layers and layers of spice, hint of sweet oak that is so so alluring. Man this smells like a great all time great Burgundy. A stunning stunning nose. Tree bark, Tolkien middle earth elements. I love it. What a palate. This is Grand Cru all the way. Incredible spice and beautifully elegant and sappy, sweet fruit that does not quit. Silky and with a gorgeous hidden structure. Amazing palate presence and leaves one’s palate stained with such intensity you get impatient waiting for it to clear so you can sip it again. Wow what texture. Like a silky velvet. Explosive sweet fruit. It is young and also accessible but has the potential to age 15+ years. Amazing wine. Gorgeous, lithe tannins and incredible freshness gives this a wonderful buoyancy. As this opens the texture becomes more haunting and the persistence is just beyond. This is one of the greatest German Pinots I have had. Stunning beyond belief. The length is crazy. I need a restraining order on this wine or it won’t leave my palate alone. Judge! — 4 years ago
David Shaw
Based in Wenatchee WA, not Idaho. My first try of any of their products. This one has blackberries and sage added to the apple cider, 6.5% alc/vol. Dusty rose in color, very good clarity, light carbonation. Tart, mostly raspberry flavor. Lingering sage finish. Hard to discern apple varietal. Dry, interesting aroma and tang on initial taste but challenging to describe. Perhaps the sage is more expressive and complex than I appreciated. An inspired blend of flavors, well crafted. — 7 months ago