JKT

9.2

At Mark Paul NYD Party old Cab series. This as Australian example and it is an outstanding wine on its own. Actually a Bordeaux style blend and matured beautifully, just call it delicious — 6 months ago

Mark Rosse

9.2

The single vineyard here was the Marchiori vineyard that Paul Hobbs made famous under the Viña Covid label. He used the Dolium winery for a few years before he opened his own. Still shows quite well. — 3 years ago

Some Dude

9.1

We had a 20-year old bottle of this wine with a spicy Thai curry butternut squash soup—and it absolutely sang. Against the green curry and heat of the pepper-coconut garnish, the wine held its own and instead of the initial sweetness there was only a clean fruit and limestone feel. Lots of layers and depth to this one. Don’t be afraid to age a decent Riesling: the acidity will let it grow in complexity. — 4 years ago

Louis Martin

9.2

Smooth, semi-sweet, hint of cherry and cinnamon, well-balanced blend, less heavy than a straight Cab, bold enough to pair with a classic steak meal, but light enough to drink on its own. — 4 years ago

Joseph Barsky

9.4

2000 Vintage. 14.5% Alcohol. Winemakers Sparky and Sarah Marquis before they started their own Mollydooker brand. Still hanging in with great fruit and bouquet. Lovely and bringing back memories of our vacation in the McLaren Vale area. — 6 years ago

Tom Elliot

Founder Northwest Wines

9.2

Enjoyed over 3 days with sea, air, and land pairings, as well as in its own. — 6 years ago

barak heller hayun

9.1

this bottle takes me back to Alsace.
i spent a weekend in Strasbourg in 2006 protesting/partying in front of the European parliament that's located there.
no wine was tasted as i sticked to self imported bottle of zubrowka vodka, drops of potent LSD (that were dropped to the tail end of the vodka by a really short vicious smiling man - true story) and local pilsner beer that i remember fondly that's called 'meteor' and came in large 750ml bottles(pretty good ice cold and just ok after the sun warmed up the last 3rd of the bottle).

and now... 13 years later. different tastebuds. but I'm still the same person essentially.

100% pinot gris

off dry officially but feels dry.

14% ABV

pale green 👀

🧀 rind, green apple, pear, very fresh lemon and finely chopped greens👃

full body. I'm guessing the rs helps to build it.
medium plus acidity.

creamy, tart and a bit fruity with added white pepper and maybe even ginger 👄

long lingering pleasent creamy 🎯 like tasty and slightly bitter 🍬

great wine, no doubt about it.
tasty and complex, plays with you and changes every sip, but always superb.

excelent vfm (110 nis). expensive but works hard for your money.

need to try the winery Riesling now.

had it all day on it's own while vacationing.
soft and spicy cheese platter could have helped but I'm too full. — 7 years ago

Mike Evans

9.4

Rich and well-supported by the dosage, more than held his own with a 2013 Taittinger Comtes. — 2 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Happy holidays. 🎅🧑‍🎄 ☃️ 🎄 🎁 ❄️

This is delicious. When it first hits your palate, it’s like hey, woah. It is super soft, micro-micro oxygenation. Delicate mousse, some maltiness, red apple cider reduction, pear, lemon meringue, lime pulp, grapefruit, orange peel, tropical melon, ripe pineapple, saline, sea fossils, chalky powder with an edge as it sets, white spice-ginger, white pepper, love the perfect limestone powder, brioche, baguette, some dough & light yeast, orange blossoms, white, spring flowers, racy, crisp acidity, excellent tension, structure, balance with beautiful long finish that lingers 90-120 seconds. Certainly one of the best and different champagne I’ve had in some time.

This cuvée is 100% Chardonnay and comes from the villages of Cramant, Chouilly, and Cuis.

Special Club Champagne must be produced with grapes from outstanding vintages harvested from the estates own vineyards. The cuvée must also be estate bottled and aged. It is the tête de cuvée(the most premier bottle of a grower’s estate) selection for the Champagne house.

There were 12 founding members, three of which currently remain: Pierre Gimonnet, Gaston Chiquet and Paul Bara. New members come and go every year. As of 2021, there are 28 members.

The process to become a Special Club is as follows. The wines must pass two rigorous stages of selection. Before that happens, members gather each February to taste each other’s still wines from the previous vintage. The members vote on whether to declare a vintage year, which would mean that the vintage was outstanding, and worthy enough of a vintage-dated Champagne. The vote must be unanimous. — 3 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.4

2013 vintage. The second wine of La Chapelle, that is now named " Maison Bleue", but an excellent wine in its own right. At 9 years old this is absolutely gorgeous with an expressive nose of blackberries, wild flowers, pepper and leather, enhanced by a subtle smokiness. In the mouth it combines power with elegance, with pure fruit, subtle spices, silky tannins and great length. Terrific value if the mythical La Chappelle doesn't fit your budget. Abv. 13,5% — 4 years ago

Eric

9.5

To much FOMO from looking at @Paul T- Huntington Beach ‘s Korean short rib posts so had to order my own. To young, but the wine will be an absolute rockstar in a few years. — 6 years ago

C. Cole

9.4

Wow. A wonderful, velvety combination of dark berries, anise, and earthy spices. A solid complement to prime rib on the grill, but so enjoyable on its own, too. Beautiful color, tannins, and finish. It could easily age another several years, but even in its youth, it was exceptional. — 6 years ago

Joe Weinberger

9.2

Stellar Bojo—overdelivers for its price. Bright and crunchy red fruit, high acid, and persistent minerality. I had this on its own but I think with the right food it would be even better. — 7 years ago

David Shaw

9.0

Last of my own stock of Paul Gregutt’s old vine Chenin blanc from Washington state. The venture is now defunct, alas. Pale yellow white, excellent clarity. Floral and funk notes in nose. Honey peach-apricot and cantaloupe flavors, slight skin astringency in finish, lemony aftertaste with a tinge of cantaloupe-apricot. Great length of flavors, good acidity but lacks a bit of needed crispness. And in the future, please help support your local old vine Chenin blanc producer. The world deserves more quality wines like this. — 7 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

“Rain drops, drop top…” this bottle of the 2004 Paul Bara “Special Club” was popped and poured and enjoyed over the course of 90 minutes. The color is a light gold with a significant and persistent mousse. Developing, the nose is redolent of fresh, ripe raspberries, strawberries, peaches, apples, lemons, brioche, and marzipan. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ acidity. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long, rich and delicious and there’s an almost oily texture. I thought this was outstanding on its own and worked very well with both the chicken and duck dish at the table. While this is singing right now, I have little doubt this will continue to age with grace for another 10+ years. A decadent champagne that’s definitely, ahem, “bad and Bouzy”. — 3 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.4

2017 vintage. Cornas Domaine Saint-Pierre, owned by Jaboulet since 1996 apparently ( amazing that they kept buying vineyards during a period where the wines were not up to standard). Today however, Caroline Frey has put the bar high, and we cannot tolerate anything but excellence from her own vineyards. This 2017 surely delivers. Impressive nose with blackberry, cassis and spices combined with an intense minerality. Layers of juicy black fruits and spices in a powerful frame of ripe tannin, with a long mineral finish. Should age beautifully for a few decades. — 4 years ago

Gee W

10

Stunning. Drank on my own. — 4 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.6

2006 vintage. The first vintage for Caroline Frey to be in charge. This shows beautifully now for a wine that was totally underrated by Robert Parker on release.While it may not have the depth and power of the greatest vintages of this iconic wine, this 2006 is a terrific wine in it's own right. Complex nose with spices, black fruit, tobacco and cedar. In the mouth it is beautifully balanced with bright acidity embracing layers of black fruit and spices and velvety tannin. Impressive length too. Abv. 14%. — 4 years ago

Casey @ Travelling Corkscrew

10

Yep last night was a 2 bottle night 🙊 It was too hard to resist the urge as it was Pinot Noir Day after all.

I received this bottle of Tassie Pinot as a lovely gift from a wonderful lady I’ve done some work with in Perth (thank you Sheree!). She gave it to me over a year ago, but I got pregnant 🤰 before I had time to open it. So I’ve been waiting for the right moment to crack it now that the bub 👶 is here.

It’s a 2017 Pinot Noir from the Huon Valley (south of Hobart) made by Sailor Seeks Horse. Swipe across to see all the juicy info on the back label.

Sailor Seeks Horse is owned and operated by Paul & Gilli Lipscombe who studied in Margaret River and have worked in vineyards in France, Oregon and New Zealand. Their love is Chardonnay & Pinot Noir (my kind of people!).

So I pulled out my Pinot specific Riedel glass last night and got stuck in.

Beautiful! So worth the 12 month wait! From the garnet shade in the glass to the gorgeous aromas of plums, cherries and herbs. I was in love! In the mouth it’s beautifully balanced with red & black fruits coming through and juicy acidity. Elegant and delicious 🍷

All opinions are based on my own taste buds. Wine is subjective & always evolving, so make sure you drink what you enjoy! — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

The is uniquely a non-vintage Cuvée Amor. I have it on pretty good word that when Charles Hendricks (Winemaker for both Hope & Grace & his own Hendricks label) doesn’t make his Hendricks Cabernet, this is the wine that the Hendricks fruit goes into. @Paul T- Huntington Beach @Eric Shanks

The nose reveals, round, ripe, ruby, slightly liqueured fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, baked plum, blueberries, and black raspberries. Dark, roasted coffee, dark chocolate, coco powder, caramel, vanillin, light; clove, nutmeg & dark spice, black turned earth, dark fruit cola, burnt coconut, touch of black pepper, sandstone/limestone, light fresh & dry herbaceousness-bay leaf dominant, dry, pine twig, soft mint, cherry kirsch liqueur, moist clay and extremely dark fresh, candied & withering florals with blue flowers & violets.

The body is; ripe, rich and full. The tannins are round, velvety, chewy & slightly tarry. The structure, tension, length and balance is just hitting its stride to peak form. Round, ripe, ruby, juicy & slightly liqueured fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, baked plum, blueberries, black raspberries. Mulberries, poached strawberries and a touch of dry cranberries. Dark, roasted coffee, dark chocolate, coco powder, caramel, vanillin, light; clove, nutmeg & dark spice, black turned earth, dark fruit cola, burnt coconut, touch of black pepper, sandstone/limestone, light fresh & dry herbaceousness-bay leaf dominant, dry, pine twig, soft mint, cherry kirsch liqueur, moist clay and extremely dark fresh, candied & withering florals with blue flowers & violets. The acidity is like a cool shower on a warm day. The long, well lingering finish is; well balanced & polished ending in soft dark spice.

Photos of; exterior Hope & Grace tasting room in downtown Yountville, interior of their tasting room, Charles Hendricks & the Hendricks Santa Lucia vineyard that he sources his Pinot Noir — 7 years ago