The Wine Tailor
Castello di Volpaia
Chianti Classico Sangiovese Blend 2020
Very solid annata. Medium intensity nose shows cherry cough syrup, crushed stone, a little floral spice. It’s still a bit youthfully textured in the mouth, with chalky tannin framing the flavors, which are of dark cherry extract and savory, stony minerality. Nice acids and pretty good length and cling. Not concentrated but tailor-made for washing down a variety of food. — 3 years ago
Disheveled Tailor
Königliche
Costco advent calendar day 4 - I love this one! It’s very sweet and citrusy — 4 years ago
Tailor Made
Bourbon Barrel Aged Cabernet Sauvignon
Really good cab. At Publix bogo. — 5 years ago
Tendu
Clarksburg Cortese 2018
Tailor Nashville second course natural and delicious — 7 years ago
Krug
Brut Rosé Champagne Blend
There are certain occasions that call for Krug Rosé. So, HBTM! The bottle was corked in the summer of 2014. It’s a blend of 45 reserve wines with the oldest being from 2007 and the youngest 2002. This is why I think Champagne Makers are some of the most talented people making wine. They are constantly blending up to 100 plus wines to bring that bottle to bottle and year to year branded flavor of consistency. On the nose; red & pink spring flowers, cherries, strawberries, watermelon, black cherry, black raspberries, notes of blood orange citrus, baked bread, soft volcanic mineral and elegant chalkiness. The palate is always ridiculously delicate. Micro bubbles, silky rich texture with beautiful soft acidity. The palate fruits are similar to the nose; rich & ripe cherries, strawberries watermelon, black cherry, black raspberries, notes of blood orange citrus with hints of marmalade. Red & pink spring flowers, baguette crust, soft powdery minerals that give the palate a slight sting and super powdery chalkiness done just right. The finish is beautifully rich, textured, revealing itself in layers and lasts minutes. Photos of; Founder Joseph Krug, House of Krug, Winemaker Eric Lebel, Krug’s Clos du Mesnil, a small plot of 1.85 hectares of Chardonnay...one of the world’s greatest vineyards and their salon tasting room. Producer history & notes...Krug was founded by Joseph Krug in 1853. They are based in Reims, the main city in France’s Champagne region. It is one of the famous Champagne houses that formed part of the Grande Marques. Today the house is majority owned by the multinational conglomerate LVMH, which owns Moët Hennessy, Louis Vuitton S.A. and who’s wine producer portfolio includes other well known wine brands such as; Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Château d'Yquem, Ruinart & Cheval Blanc, Dom Perignon and many others. Despite LVMH's majority ownership, the family is still actively involved in all the key decisions of the house but does not manage the day-to-day operations. Joseph Krug was born Johann-Joseph Krug, a butcher’s son, in Mainz, on the Rhine in 1800 when the city was part of the Napoleonic Empire. Having dispensed with the name Johann, he left Mainz in 1824 and in 1834 moved on to Paris. Germans were in demand in France as accountants and bookkeepers. So, Joseph joined Champagne Jacquesson in Châlons-sur-Marne. He spent eight years with Jacquesson. His work took him beyond accountancy. He went around Europe testing the market and assessing criticism from wine sellers and customers. He learned about composition and taste so that by 1840 he already seemed to have been blending Champagne for at least one other house. In 1841, he married Emma-Anne Jaunay. The daughter of a French hotelier based in London’s Leicester Square. The following year their son Paul Krug was born. In 1842 he moved to Reims and following a year later, Krug et Cie was founded with his partner, Hyppolite de Vivès. Joseph was fluent in French, English and German and even spoke some Russian, putting the company in position to exploit key overseas markets. Joseph died in 1866 and was succeeded by his son Paul Krug, who had been trained by his father to takeover. Joseph under the supervision of Paul, Krug was established as a Grande Marque. By the 1880s the prestige of Krug was acknowledged in the United Kingdom and became the primary overseas market for Champagne. In 1866, the House moved into Rue Coquebert, in Reims as it remains. After Paul’s death in 1910, he was succeeded by his son, Joseph Krug II. However, during World War I Joseph II was taken prisoner and his wife Jeanne played a key role in the House at a time when the Western Front divided the region between the Allies and the Germans. After the war, Joseph II’s slow recovery led to his nephew Jean Seydoux becoming joint manager in 1924. In that decade, the Krug 1926 and 1928 vintages were created, which have been considered by critics to be amongst the greatest Champagnes. Lawyer and wine writer Maurice Healey declared “Krug” the king of all Champagnes. Further, “that the 1928 Krug was the best wine made in the present century.” By the mid-1930s, Paul Krug II, the son of Joseph II, was active in the business and would become head of the House from 1959 to 1977. His father died in 1967, by which time he was, according to Patrick Forbes, “one of the most popular and respected figures in the Champagne district.” In 1962 Henri Krug, the son of Paul II, joined the management, as did his brother Remi three years later. Their arrival was followed by a series of innovations, including extensions in the range of Champagnes. In 1979, for the first time, a graduate winemaker joined the House. In January 1999, the House became part of LVMH and by 2007, the brothers, while remaining on the tasting committee, had stepped down from day-to-day responsibilities. In 2009 Olivier Krug, the son of Henri, became House Director. At harvest, Krug grapes are pressed close to their plots with the first juice kept for 24 hours in a vat prepared for the fermentation stage. The pressing from each plot is vinified separately. A pressing contains 4,000 kilos of grapes and yields 20.5 hectolitres of first juice (cuvée), which is poured into twelve oak casks chosen at random. Once fermentation is complete, the eleventh and twelfth casks are used to top up the other ten casks in order to protect the new wines from oxidation. For fifteen days, each cask is topped up with wine from the same plot. Krug uses small 205 liter oak casks tailor-made from trees that are more than two centuries old in the forests of Hautes Futaies in Central France. The average age of Krug oak casks is 20 years. They are retired after approximately 40 years of use. The wines remain in the casks for several weeks. During this period, clarification occurs naturally from the cool temperature of the cellar given the coming winter, as does a micro-oxygenation process from the use of natural containers, making the wine more resistant to oxygen over time. Finally, between December and January, the wine is drawn off into small stainless-steel vats. From here, depending on the decisions of Krug’s tasting committee, the wines will either contribute to that year’s assemblage or be stored in steel vats in the House’s library of 150 reserve wines to be used in the blend of a future Krug Grande Cuvée and or Krug Rosé. — 8 years ago
Edouard Delaunay
Grand Calcaire Chablis Chardonnay 2020
🍇 100% Chardonnay | Chablis AOC, Burgundy, France
A true gem of a wine of pure, mineral-driven Chardonnay from the iconic Kimmeridgian limestone-clay soils that define the northernmost vineyards of Burgundy, brushing the southern edge of Champagne.
On the nose:
Delicately floral with a streak of flinty minerality and lifted citrus notes. Pure, focused, and elegant.
On the palate:
Absolutely dry and crisp, with vibrant acidity and a medium-bodied mouthfeel. Zesty lemon, chalky tension, and just a whisper of orange peel at the very back end of the palate. Finishes with salinity and length that’s tailor-made for oysters and seafood.
Mouthfeel overall:
Fresh, lively, and laser-focused, this is Chablis at its finest, clean, precise, and impossibly drinkable. The kind of wine that reminds you why Chardonnay rules the white wine world.
Pairing tip:
✨ The ultimate oyster wine, though equally brilliant with sushi, scallops, or a lemon-butter sole.
Can’t have enough of it, and you won’t want to either. Cheers! 🦪🍋🥂 — a year ago
Tailor Made
California Cabernet Sauvignon
Such a nice smooth Cab right out of the bottle. Tart cherry overtone, well balanced and should pair well with grilled meat, cheeses, crusty bread. Smooth tannins and no bite. Good qpr — 3 years ago
Marie Courtin
Concordance Extra Brut Champagne Pinot Noir 2016
Outstanding. Deep golden color with few bubbles. This just screams excellence right off the bat. The nose is quite floral and very expressive. There’s some roasted nuts and buttered brioche notes to go with the grapefruit and cherries. Mint and smoke, vanilla and wet stones. Just plain gorgeous.
Vinous and deep and it just keeps going and going. 100% Pinot Noir from the Aube with no dosage and that shows immediately. Sharp and spunky with more than zippy acidity. I’m in love a little bit. Impeccable balance and structure here. Nothing cookie cutter, this is pure excitement in your glass. Very artisanal and elegant with so much power.
The attack is full of so much tension and personality. Very dry but effortlessly light and lithe. So youthful but that’s just fine. The minerality and texture of this champagne is just superb. Maybe this isn’t for everyone but it’s tailor made for me. — 4 years ago
Gebiets-Winzergenossenschaft Franken
Retzstadter Langenberg Bacchus Kabinett Halbtrocken 2006
Vintage 2006 / Retzstadter Langenberg #Bacchus Kabinett / When I told my tailor Paul I visited winegrowers in Franken, the land of ‘bocksbeutel’ bottles, he said: hold on, went to his office and returned with this bottle. How about this? He asked. I thought: 2006... that wine must me dead, Paul, I am sorry. Well take it with you and see, he told me. I put it in the fridge, looked suspiciously at the screw cap... and opened this #Franken wine a few hours later. Colour of old gold, not bad at all... Sniff, sniff. A smell with hints of tangerine, honey, a rose garden. I looked better at the label and then saw: halbtrocken. And kabinett. That means there is residual sugar in this wine (‘restsüsse’). I sip... and am amazed: it is still correct, more than that: it is a joy to drink! In the smell also citrus, gets better with aeration. How amazing wine can be... grow older... and still be vibrant. Lovely experience. / Bacchus is a crossing of riesling and sylvaner and Müller thurgau. — 8 years ago
À la Votre Cuvée
Ça C'est Bon! Touraine Gamay
Ce bon, very good tailor. Frizzies and alive — 9 years ago
Château Graville-Lacoste
Graves Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend 2014
Awesome white Bordeaux acidity, mouth feel. Tailor made for shellfish and verbal abuse. — 9 years ago
Tenuta di Capraia
Gran Selezione Effe 55 Chianti Classico Sangiovese Blend 2018
100% Sangiovese. Medium ruby color. Intense aromas of black cherry/currant, graphite and violets. Same fruits on the palate with notes of forest floor, bittersweet chocolate and dried bay leaves. Nice mineral/herbal note on the finish. Dense structure and vibrant acidity. Powerful and complex, but very well balanced. Very “Bordeaux-like.” Tailor-made for the American palate. Thanks for the bottle, Kase! — 2 years ago
Tailor Made
California Red Blend
Trader joes
Nice! — 5 years ago
Tenuta La Pergola
Monferrato Rosso Red Blend
Recommended by Virgil tailor — 7 years ago
Hendricks Wines
Gold Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
On the nose, ripe, ruby, fruits of; mulberry, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, plum, black cherries, blueberries & creamy raspberries. Vanilla, hints of sweet tarriness, black licorice, whiff of spice, soft understated limestone minerals & crushed rock powder, fruity black tea, hint of fresh herbaceousness, rich, black turned earth, fresh dark floral bouquet and fields of lavender & violets.
The body is rich, ripe & full. The tannins are a little sticky but well softened, round and a touch chewy. The structure, tension, length, balance, tension and balance are very close to perfect and harmonious. Fruits are; mulberry, huckleberry, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, plum, black cherries & creamy raspberries. Vanilla, hints of sweet tarriness, black licorice, whiff of spice, soft understated limestone minerals & crushed rock powder, fruity black tea, hint of fresh herbaceousness, rich, black turned earth, fresh dark floral bouquet and fields of lavender & violets. The acidity is round and rains like a waterfall perfectly over the palate. The very long, ruby, rich, well balance lasts minutes and is absolutely heavenly. Gorgeous, elegant, stunning wine.
Photos of; the vertical tasting we attended of all Hendricks Cabernets; 04, 05, 09 & 12 at the time w/ one of our favorite paintings in the background, Charles Hendricks working in the cellar, very old rootstock from the Stag’s Leap Vineyard where the fruit to make this wine normally comes from and a wide shot of the Stag’s Leap Vineyard.
Producer notes and history...Hendricks Cabernet Sauvignon is consistently sourced from a few of Napa Valley’s finest vineyards. In those near perfect vintages, Charles only makes a small production wine of around 250-300 cases. Charles only produces it when he has exception fruit. He’s made Hendricks Cabernet in; 2004, 2005, 2009, 2012 & 2014. Notice he didn’t make Hendricks Cabernet in a great vintage year like 2013. He wasn’t happy enough with his fruit in 2013 to put his name on it. That says a lot and maybe all you need to know about his standard for quality. I do know what wine his 13 fruit made as I’ve had and it’s an unbelievable wine for far less money.
Charles also makes a fantastic Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands that is really quite amazing. Especially, if you give it 5 or 6 years in bottle. All his wines are sold exclusively through the Hope & Grace tasting room in Yountville as he is also the Hope & Grace Winemaker.
Charles graduated in 1982 from UC Davis in viticulture. He was also able to tailor his own curriculum and was one of the earliest to integrate winemaking and viticulture course work. Having knowledge of both viticulture and enology forms the basis for his well-rounded winemaking.
Over the years Charles has worked in both Napa and Sonoma Counties, gaining hands on experience in all aspects of winemaking. He has a strong reputation for excellence. In his career, he’s been a consulting winemaker for many wineries; Viader, Barnett Vineyards, Paoletti Vineyards, Regusci Winery, James Cole, T-Vine and Tamayo family Vineyard.
I asked Charles, “how does he make wines that are amazingly good in their youth but will age effortlessly for 15-20 years?” His answer was simply this, “its not that hard, you just have to know the perfect time to harvest fruit.” I would agree with that to a degree. But, you also have to know how to gently guide fruit onto it’s path into the barrel and not get in the wine’s way or overwork the process. — 8 years ago
Kristina Burgers
Year? Maybe a blend. Regardless, lovely, full bodied, dark-sweet with layers of creamy-smooth and earthy smokiness, minimal sour acidity. Definitely some dark chocolate as well. — 3 months ago