M Mastro

9.8

Fish Fry with Scheidells. 2022. — 4 months ago

Paul T HB

9.5

Just arrived from the east coast, I’ll let the other bottle rest a bit. Still a little bottle shock from shipping on this one obviously — 2 years ago

Brian S

9.6

This plot cuvée was created jointly by Delphine and her father, Claude in 1995.

Its grapes come from the oldest vines of Clos, planted by Claude Cazals in 1957, located in Oger.

Clos are very rare in Champagne, there are only about twenty (21). Delphine Cazals owns one of the largest clos of the Côte des Blancs (3.70 Ha).

A passage in oak barrels is carried out for all vintages in order to bring subtle and delicate aromas.

Aging on slats for a minimum of 10 years in a vaulted cellar in Mesnil-sur-Oger is required to develop the full aromatic palette of this exceptional cuvée, highlighting all the complexity of the 100% Oger terroir.

A fine and elegant champagne with notes of white flowers and citrus fruits with an appreciable roundness and revealed by a minimal dosage between Extra-Brut and Brut Nature depending on the vintage.

Terroir: Le Clos d´Oger - GRAND CRU

Grape variety: 100% Chardonnay — 3 years ago

with Ellie

Adriana Fabbro

9.2

Grower bubbles from the Santa Lucia Highlands. Still can’t compete with top tier grower champagne (we don’t get that phenolic maturity at low brix etc) BUT excellent none the less. The rosé from Caraccioli especially stands out. The 1-2% SLH Pinot brings an element of coastal Cali terroir to this wine (the tiniest hint of that strawberry, herbal quality) which blends so perfectly with the lemon juice and marzipan/vanilla/lanolin leesy quality. Fine persistent mousse. One of the best examples of domestic sparkling I’ve had. — a year ago

Louis Martin

9.3

So good. One of our favorites, and this vintage did not disappoint. Strong enough to pair with a meal, but smooth and flavorful enough to drink on its own. — 3 years ago

Ericsson

9.2

This is one of my favorite white wines of all time and this vintage is the best I’ve ever tasted. Lemongrass, honey suckle, saline notes, mist, and slightly effervescent. Seaside liquid freshness with low acidity, low alcohol, but medium plus body. From an indigenous grape in Basque Country in Norther Spain, so pleasantly good, a crowd pleaser for sure! Good value to top it all off, hovering around the twenty some dollar range. — 4 years ago

JKT

9.1

Excellent new world dry Riesling as noted in ‘17. Perhaps even better three years on. Opened for Bob Marie family’s visit to send Anna on to college. Only had three bottles so hopefully one more. — 4 years ago

Ericsson

9.1

Twenty one year old red Rhône blend from Monterey County, 56% Syrah, 32% Grenache, 7% Carignane, 3% Petite Syrah, and 2% Alicante Bouchet. Pale ruby. Red currant, plum, black cherry, pepper, game and dusty tobacco on the nose. The palate starts out weaker and less complex than the nose but calibrates after a couple of hours. It is dry, with medium acidity, dialed down alcohol, medium tannins, medium body, pronounced flavours of red fruits, plum and spice, some dark chocolate, a peculiar short earthy gamy finish. I would love to try this with Texas Style Brisket. — 2 years ago

Ericsson

9.1

Some say Aligote is the red headed varietal from Burgundy, rare and exotic, to the daring! And I’m daring, this is my first time trying it. Pale yellow to the eye. The nose is very floral and perfumed plus yellow apple and white peach and fresh green herbs and smoke tertiary scents. The pallet is very clean with green apple, umami and a slightly smoky finish; it is bone dry, light bodied, with bright acidity, no tannings and low alcohol. What can I say? The most interesting white wine I’ve had in twenty twenty one . Oh! And I’m a sucker for red…

Paired with pan seared scallops on a bed of cauliflower purée topped with blacked truffle and wasabi mustard micro greens. The paring? Well, as close as you can get to magical. Also works wonders with smoked oyster flammkuchen. Cheers. — 3 years ago

Will Stanley

9.3

Easily one of the finest aromas I’ve experienced in a Rioja, and indeed any wine, in the past year, truly a beguiling and complex experience that begs your nose to remain in the glass. I must note for my own posterity that on the palate I was initially a little underwhelmed. I’m not sure why. I think because this is such a subtle and elegant Rioja, and that I’m so out of the habit of drinking wines from this region and perhaps even, by extension, subtle and elegant wines as a whole. But the more I tasted it, the more I enjoyed it. I had a similar experience with the Viña Ardanza 2010 (which at the moment I prefer to this). But this 904 Gran Reserva is a beautiful, medium to light-bodied Rioja, very fruit-forward with Burgundian delicacy and a charm so typical of the finest wines of this region. A melange of coconut, vanilla, dried cherry and Mediterranean herbs are followed by an impressively saturated palate with medium orange peel acidity and very fine, resolved tannins. I must admit I cannot yet calibrate this wine with the notes of prominent critics, who talk about power, acidity and tannin, but maybe time will tell. This should be a terrific wine to follow over the next ten to twenty (plus) years. — 4 years ago