Neal Schaffer

9.1

Black cherry skins, bleeding plums, green cocoa beans, banana peppers, and rich potting soil upfront. Firm tannic structure that’s lifted by fresh acidity. Fantastic earthy tonalities underneath everything. Delicious. — 5 years ago

with Dana

Neal Schaffer

9.0

Creamy pear, key lime pie, bruised apples, yeasty dough, and chalky notes on the nose and palate. Acidity is balanced with a slice of sweetness. Super grounded. Cheers! — 5 years ago

with Dana

Neal Schaffer

9.2

Paul Shaffer 7th Edition. Perfect time to open this. 5 years in the bottle made this something special. The nose is dense with black raspberries, blackberry cream, damp violets, black licorice, clove, mocha, peppercorn, and crushed stone. The palate is electric. Bright acidity with fine grained tannins towards the back of your palate. The mid palate showcases amazing underripe black fruits and a velvety chocolate transferring into the finish. You’re left with bright but dark fruits and a firm minerality on the finish. Everything in balance and working with each other. It seems when you leave Petit Verdot to sit for half a decade, it shows up in a big way. Virginia has this dialed in. Way more acidic structure than the flabby California styles that are out there. Cheers! — 5 years ago

with Dana

Neal Schaffer

9.1

Beautiful wine here. The nose demonstrates concentrated bleeding blueberry fruit accompanied by black olive brine, pencil lead, potpourri, cracked black peppercorns, and crushed rock. There’s a slight smokiness and meatiness underneath those fresh notes. The palate is centralized and the tannins are so chewy you end up eating this. Balanced acidity leads the finish into sophistication. Super delicious and a great tribute to Hermitage Northern Rhône Syrahs. — 5 years ago

with Dana

Neal Schaffer

9.0

Retained a huge amount of fresh blackberry and black cherry notes across the nose and palate. Tannins are chewy still, but they are leaning towards fine-grained. A nice green coffee bean note displays on the mid-palate and starts to be prevalent on the nose. Finish blows up with chocolate and pipe tobacco while the fresh dark fruit notes explode. I’d say 7 years has taken this towards that plush zone; smack dab in the middle. Drink up! — 5 years ago

with Dana

Neal Schaffer

8.8

Goober amounts of sour cherries on the nose and palate. Background notes of green pepper and underbrush develop throughout. Not overly complex, but a crazy good compliment to a meal. I can see how this influences their Octagon blend in such a good way. Cheers! — 5 years ago

with Dana

Neal Schaffer

8.7

Layer cake of creamy strawberries, cantaloupe, and lime. Nice pop of flowers and vanilla shakes things up. Palate stays zingy and fruity with a creamy finish. Pairs with just about any dish. Cheers to Spring! — 5 years ago

with Dana

Neal Schaffer

8.8

More Finger Lakes goodness. White grapefruit notes all day. — 5 years ago

with Dana

Neal Schaffer

9.0

This is from Dijon clones that are grown in limestone soils. Aged 9 months in French oak... Nose rings in aromatic fruits of honeydew melon and yellow apples. Straight up honeysuckle and chalk sparkle around all the fruit notes. The bottom end dips into the earthy and oaky; grilled mushrooms, pie crust, and flint. Zippy palate that has some serious verve. The finish leaves you with like a lemon meringue thing. Doughy and buttery spiked up with a killer acidity. This has the best of both worlds. All the citrus and flinty notes you crave from Chablis, but plenty of sweet fruit. Blown away by Alba Chardonnay every time I have it. Cheers! — 5 years ago

with Dana

Neal Schaffer

9.0

This was a sneaky ghosted wedding gift. Pretty nose with ripe cherries, candied plums, pork loin, earl gray tea, potpourri, dark chocolate shavings, graphite, and ash. Mid-palate is juicy, fleshy and bright. The finish shows creamy red fruits centered in minerality and earth. You can grab this at $19.99, which is a steal for a quality Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir. Cheers! — 6 years ago

with Dana