Adriana Fabbro

9.7

My nomination for Wine of the Year and it’s… a Napa Chardonnay?!? This wine challenged and expanded my beliefs about what this region, site and variety could be.

Also, we seem to be catching this wine at exactly the right point.

This Spring Mountain estate was focused almost entirely on white wines until recently and has some of the region’s oldest Napa plantings of Riesling and Chardonnay. (Of course now that they’ve been acquired by some PE group for an absurd sum, Cab is being planted everywhere but that’s a story for another day)

Their Chardonnay is idiosyncratic — no malo and low abv (the 2012 vintage is a mere 13%), but you wouldn’t know from its richness.

Mindblowingly complex and - most importantly - indulgently delicious (in other words, I blew my wine budget for two months on two bottles good).

Initial aromas of plastic / petrol (like riesling) that take on more of a toasted vanilla / caramel flan with air. On the nose and palate: pear and lemon, salt and stone. The flavors are concentrated and intense on the attack and yet the wine has such a light touch on the palate and a graceful finish — toasted hay, salty and flirting with bitter marzipan — that just goes on and on and on.

It brings me back to that afternoon on Spring Mountain with the perfect fall light, changing leaves and the coyote we saw crossing our path as we made our way up the winding drive way.

Absolutely fucking brilliant. — 4 months ago

Dan R

9.2

From magnum. Nicely moderated Saint Emilion. Floral on the nose, violets. This has sweetish fruit and a sappy, savory finish, but manages to stay soft and harmonious, never crossing the line to heavy or cumbersome. Drinking fairly well, even from magnum. I like the restraint here. I could drink this quite often, not something I can say for many BDX. Very pretty. — 3 years ago

Chris Schaefer

9.5

Great Zin — 6 years ago

Teresa S

8.9

Creamier than a sauv blanc. Tropical fruits, very nice acids. Pairing well with creamy appetizers. — 6 months ago

Jan de Weerd

9.6

Found a hidden gem crossing through Burgundy and a quick stop in Cote de Nuits. Never experienced a Pinot with such red fruit freshness and a strong back bone of minerality and fine grained tannins. Narrow on the palate, focused but with great depth and a long lingering finish. — a year ago

with Janelle and Tammy

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

9.4

One of my favorites from Premiere Napa Valley 2020 #pnv20 #pnv2020 #napa only 5 cases produced. “A blend of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from two of the best AXR Napa Valley blocks
50% from Sleeping Lady Vineyard in Yountville and 50% from Denali Vineyard in the hills of St. Helena
100% barrel fermented from our finest barrels utilizing native yeast; unfined and unfiltered
Reflection of Jean Hoefliger’s pursuit to create a wine to push the envelope of Cabernet Sauvignon

AXR is a winery that pays homage to the past at their historic estate in St. Helena. AXR, named after the rootstock which succumbed to phylloxera, left the California wine industry a blank canvas. This was a crossing of the past and future of the wine industry as we know it. AXR has given winemaker Jean Hoefliger this same blank canvas. Jean is driven to push the envelope, challenging not only winemaking but life in general. With an insatiable appetite for art, philosophy and good discussion, Jean thrives when his creativity and passion is left unbound by conventional thinking.


Wine Facts

Wine is unfiltered
Single vineyard wine
Sustainably produced — 3 years ago

with Ron

Sharon B

9.5

So…without knowing what kind of grape this was when I tasted it and fell in love, I can truly say that I may have to give Pinot Noir a second chance. Although this is a full bodied wine, it has a light, silky smooth finish. The tannins just wrap right around your palate perfectly. I didn’t know anything about the St. Laurent grape so I confess I had to google it. This is an Austrian wine where the crossing of the Pinot Noir grape marries an unknown grape producing this beauty. Paired very nicely with my salmon last night and is just as delicious on the second day. - Sandy’s Shack Imported Wine and Beer — a year ago

Dan Pedersen

9.3

Beautiful. — 2 years ago

Sam Richey

9.6

First wedding anniversary with Kate. Thanks to Joseph! — 3 years ago

Rhonely Boy

9.2

Fantastic Primitivo! Tight and fruit-forward on first day .Second day its revealing itself ( in the last glass of course). Black & Blue fruit, fine grained perfectly ripened tannins, soil ... I want to say iron predominate, whatever it is, its good. Kicking self, knew it was a good, I wish I had more (should of,would of, could of). I recommend holding 3 years, and drinking within 5, to see full expression. — 7 years ago