Vanessa

9.2

Here we have the Benoit Lahaye ‘Blanc de Noirs’ – a non-vintage white bubbly made with 100% Pinot Noir, representing a blend of two parcels in Bouzy (Vaux-Bétins & Raies Tortues), each contributing a unique personality to the cuvée.

Harking back to more traditional winemaking methods, it was barrel-fermented naturally & bottled without filtration.

It has a pale gold hue w/ expressive aromas & flavors of baked red apple, cider, raspberry, fruit cake, lemon curd, cherry blossom, toast, clove, cinnamon, pastry, almond paste, and nougat next to chiseled mineral & wet stone notes.

With an ‘extra brut’ dosage (5g of sugar/L), this wine is bone dry, with a fine-beaded, creamy mousse, that is nicely balanced by a racy acidity. It has a kinetic energy & persistent finish. It’s absolutely delicious.

Who ever said you can’t sip bubbles on a Monday night?

I believe every day is worth celebrating in one form or another. Plus, this counts as studying for our WSG Champagne Masters class. Also, it’s Eiffel Tower Day!!

Cheers. — a year ago

with Deked1

Kristin the Wine Girl

9.2

Oaked pomegranate cranberry nose with sundried strawberry pomegranate craisin campfire cider palate. Perfect Thanksgiving wine. — 7 years ago

Arden Barnett

9.1

Was not familiar with Five Star Cellars’ work until yesterday, but after last nights successful Super Tuscan blend we decided to try the Boudreaux blend tonight. Really enjoyed this wine. Very bold red fruit, leather, smoked sea salt? and herbal notes on the nose. Lots of cedar wood, bergamot tea, 80%+ dark cocoa powder, baking spices particularly cardamom stood out to me. The right amount of spice on the palate. Velvety tannins. Really left you wanting more of this wine. Impressed with the quality of the wines they are producing around that $30-50 price retail. Apparently this 09 won gold medal at the 2015 Walla Walla Wine Competition. Looking forward to trying their Syrah next. — 8 years ago

Mathew Arnold

9.0

$10 bold, little spice, thick n dark, slow sipper in a good way, would buy again. Still like it, but wasn't as impressed 2nd try — 9 years ago

Frank Kuo

9.4

Very smooth and pleasant. The vanilla, caramel, and toffee notes are wrapped in right strength of spiciness. Also some apple cider makes her even better. — 9 years ago

Cecil Ramirez

9.0

2013 Eroica Riesling WA. Star bright, gold straw color. Grapefruit, honey; slight petrol, mineral notes, long clean finish. Nice! — 10 years ago

romo

9.2

Best of three very good single-variety bottlings (S, G, and this M). Slightly savory with judicious oak and some stems — 3 years ago

GV

9.4

Henney's is a modern cider with roots only back to the 1990s, but they very much make their drinks using g traditional methods of pressing the fruit and using local Herefordshire apples.

This is a delightful amber coloured cider with good apples aromas that show it is real cider with real apples. It is a [very] moreish medium sweet taste with the apples, a little caramel and just enough tartness to make this a real summer stunner.

Adam and Eve may have got in trouble with an apple but Henney's are the Gods of cider. — 4 years ago

George

9.8

Ascender Ginger- Crisp dry with a hint of ginger — 8 years ago

Christy

8.9

Pretty good. Original taste — 9 years ago

Jeff Moskovics

9.5

Tasty complex cider that's not too sweet. Love it! — 9 years ago

Wendy Sellers

10

It's like liquid gold right out of the bottle. Little to no opening needed — 9 years ago

Melissa Gill

9.0

Dry, nice acid, made from crab apples — 10 years ago

Collin Moody

9.4

Celebrating four years of marriage. Bottled the week of our wedding. Perhaps we have held up better that the cider, but it's tasty. Heavy oak has integrated, sharp edges from a year or two ago have simmered. Nearly uncarbonated, tasty. — 10 years ago

with Andie

Winton Sweum

8.9

Medium gold; nose subdued by a bit of oxidation but showing mineral, wood and a touch of honey; just medium bodied with enough cider-apple fruit and mineral to balance the brightish acidity, and finishing slightly saline. Romo, why not? — 3 years ago

with Laura

Lance E. Farman

8.9

My standard for perry is very high. This is very good. Perry is hard to execute and this is close to textbook. — 5 years ago

Rhonely Boy

9.1

Slight haze (10 month skin contact in clay vessle, natural ferment, unfined, unfiltered, sediment in bottle) medium yellow-gold

Clean scent, very mild scent of apple cider vinegar, stones, youthful and would be interested to see where the aromas go with age. Smells like a good healthy natural wine.

Dry, medium acidity, medium tannin, medium body, medium intensity of clay and stones, light notes of dry under ripe peach.

Wine is more about texture than fruit and other characteristics. Medium finish.

Nice wine, not your typical Marsanne, look forward to future vintages. Would be interesting to see a portion of the Marsanne (or Roussanne) done in stainless (fruit retention) and blended in. Should talk with Big Basin about Roussanne - “2015 Roussanne Homestead Block is a super-expressive wine. In this vintage, most of the wine (80%) was fermented and aged in amphora, an approach that has worked beautifully here.”

TECHNICAL INFO
* Appellation: El Dorado Vineyard: Fenaughty Varietal: Marsanne Clone: Tablas Age: Planted 1990 Elevation: 2600 feet Soil: Decomposed granite w/red clay loam Harvested: September 12, 2017 Pressed: July 18, 2018 Maceration: 10 months in handmade Italian clay Fermentation: Wild yeast and bacteria Bottled: August 10, 2018 Production: 59 cases Release date: November 2018 — 8 years ago

Matt Sterr

9.0

Smells like Tex-Sun Grapefruit Juice. Floral and tart, semi-dry. — 9 years ago

Kris Ringler

10

Gold, smooth finish with a buttery mouth feel. Exactly what you want in a reserve — 9 years ago

Turd Ferguson

9.1

Crisp, clean apple taste. Little funk on the finish. Jonagold and English cider apples from WA. Native yeast. Chug. — 9 years ago