Taken to the outdoor theatre in Carmel. Dark and opaque. Exotic exciting nose. Notes of black cherry, dark soil, some menthol and some crushed granite stone. Always think of this as a poor mans La La and this fit that bill. Had a large stash of these and sadly it’s almost gone. — 3 years ago
Already elegant and delicious if a little toit like a toiger. Should open up wonderfully in years to come. To bad I’ll have drunk my stash already. — 4 years ago
My second set of wines to provide as part of a co-host event.
I picked these up during a visit to Morlet in the fall of ‘21. Sadly, these are the last of my initial stash. 58 semillon/36 SB/6 Muscat.
Poured blind for a group of 20 people at the end of a wine event, I was shocked that not one single person called this Cali. Many Sauternes, Barsac, and a few South African dessert wine guesses. It’s undeniably sporting botrytis flavors, but the richness has a wonderful spine of acidity. Honeyed mango, white peach and chock-full of orange blossom on the nose, there’s added candied spice and honeycomb on the palate. Didn’t pick up any nutty flavors (which I enjoy in Sauternes), but this was also fairly young. Extremely “fresh” for a dessert wine, if that makes sense. Best Cali dessert wine I’ve had, I think. — 10 months ago
Popped and poured. Light straw color, lots of bubbles and energy. Notes of light citrus, stones, minerals, green apples, cut pears and some quince. Young and vibrant in the mouth. Great texture and a great bottle. I love the 04 vintage… need to find some more as my stash has quickly dwindled. — 4 years ago
At first ultra angry! Brown tinge. Needs a 5 hour decant! Really I am not joking. Store 5 -10 more years. Marble dust, cigar box, aged cherries, still very tannic, tight, lime, orange zest. Needs more time. This could be incredible - wait. I will stash it away and revisit 2027. Of the four 2009 - 2012 the most difficult. — 3 years ago
2016 Sparkling Pinot Gris orange wine.
Ryan, yes, more please and thank you!
A fan of the orange Pinot Gris, geeked to of received an email regarding the release of a personal winemaker stash of sparkling orange Pinot Gris.
“To quickly explain, an “orange wine” is made from white grapes, but instead of pressing the white grapes and discarding the skins like normal white wine production, they are kept in contact (just like red wine production) with the juice for 21 days extracting the orange of color. For fun, I produced a small personal batch that was made like a traditional method champagne. Perhaps the only one of its kind.
I hope you enjoy!
Ryan”
Perfect amount of bubbles, lightly carbonated, any more and it would of been a bit rough.
— 4 years ago
Going through the mature Burgundy stash. Lean yet supple with mature red fruits, forest and minerals. Balanced and complex. Long finish. ABV13 great with food. Yum. — 4 years ago
The 2010 Auguste Favier Reserve is drop dead gorgeous with it’s fresh and bright ripe strawberry tones, giving way to zesty red florals, sweet smoke, white pepper and dusty cedar. It’s velvety on the palate, yet not weighty, instead poised and remarkably fresh, as red and blue fruits cascade across the senses over a core of brisk acids, leaving a mineral twang with savory spiciness. The finish is long and structured, with youthful tannins still holding something back for the years to come, yet still so alive and focused on purity of fruit. The 2010 is worth checking in on, but don’t forget to keep a stash in your cellar for at least the next five to ten years. Wow. — 4 years ago
Victor Hsu
Smooth, round and delicious, with gentle tannins and woody, plummy spice. Lovely red Bordeaux—we could drink this all night. Still balanced after 27 years but its acids seem a bit faded. I would guess that it’s at a high plateau that may be gently dipping so my daughter Rachel, who owns this wine, needs to finish the rest of her stash within the next year. The vintage of this bottle is her birth year, and we laid down a half case along with another half case of Chateau Lynch Bages. Both bottles are now soft, special treats. We enjoyed the 1996 vintage with prime steak at the Palm Restaurant in downtown LA, celebrating her graduation from UCLA Law. Congratulations, Rachel! — 6 months ago