Virginia De Diaz

9.5

Soft, dry, sweet notes, Smokey and nice for grilled meet. Nothing better for a rainy Firenze afternoon — a month ago

Andrew Formi

9.1

2019... just a great Sunday afternoon pandemic wine — 4 years ago

Mario Vaillancourt

9.5

A subtle and refined nose of lemon peel, a touch of almonds and some mint. The bubbles are so small and classy, tight yet so vibrant. The wine as such energy and freshness and is straight in the palate with excellent length, very elegant, so pure and an absolute delight to drink now, but might even be better in a few years. 95-96

Un nez fin et subtil de zeste de citron avec une touche d’amandes et de menthe. Les bulles sont serrées avec beaucoup de classe et d’élégance, tout comme le vin d’ailleurs qui est frais, très pur, droit, beaucoup d’énergie et avec une superbe longueur, pas le plus riche et le plus ample, un style droit et fin mais vraiment excellent. Se boit bien maintenant et sera assurément encore meilleur avec un peu de cave. 95-96 — 5 years ago

Neil Valenzuela

9.2

Amazing, dry and aromatic Gewürztraminer. Clear straw color. Aromas of Turkish delight, honey and lychee. Flavors of rose petals, lychee, orange and a ginger finish. — 5 years ago

Jay

9.0

Anniversary dinner — 3 years ago

Neil Valenzuela

9.0

Pale ruby color. Aromas of Turkish delight, strawberries and baking spices. Homemade chili, cornbread and Gamay... it works. — 4 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Happy Spring! It’s one of our favorite points in the year. More; daylight, a little warmer in CA and everything starts to bloom which, means a long summer of gardening and being outdoors every day/night is not far off.

Since it was such a great day and basically most Californians are shut-Ins, the voluntary self quarantining was getting to me. I did the landscaping and got an afternoon of fresh air today. A breath of fresh air...ahhh! Wow, was it needed after Gavin’s Newsom’s estimate of 25.5 million Californians would be infected with Coronavirus over 8 weeks yesterday.

So, a good night to celebrate another day of being virus free with my 2nd favorite N/V Rosé Champagne.

All my numerous previous notes apply.

Stay safe everyone and remember the new terminology of the new decade...social distancing! Cheers! 🍾🥂

Photos of; Spring in our backyard & a Billecart Grand Cru Vineyard.

— 5 years ago

Chris Geurkink

9.1

Dark cherry pit delight — 5 years ago

Miranda

9.0

A delight, as always 🤍 — 4 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

For all of you that drink; SQN, Cayuse & Horsepower, if you haven’t tried a well aged Rostaing, you are missing the best aspect of Syrah.

Côte de Rôtie translates in English into Roasted Slope. That’s exactly what this wine defines.

The Ampodium is a blend of 7-8 different Rhône vineyards. 2010 a dynamic vintage in Northern Rhône.

I bought this recently at auction and it has been decently stored but not quite ideally stored.

The nose reveals; roasted chestnut, stewed; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, raspberries, dark cherries, strawberries on the high nose & backend of the fruit, used coffee grounds, soft leather, dry tobacco, savory meats, dark, moist soils, anise to black licorice, fresh sage & bay leaf with candied; dark, red, blue, purple florals in a field of lavender.

The palate is; fresh, ripe, juicy, elegant and nicely resolved. The structure, tension, balance and length are perfect. It is for the palates that love elegance & beauty, not brawn & ABV. Roasted chestnut, stewed; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum, raspberries, dark cherries, juicy, ripe strawberries backend of the fruit, used coffee grounds, soft leather, dry tobacco, savory meats, smoke, dark, moist soils, anise to black licorice, light purple cola, fresh sage & bay leaf with candied; dark, red, blue, purple florals in a field of lavender. The acidity is round & stream like. The finish is in perfect balance, harmony that settled softy yet speaks volumes.

Paired with the Cardiff Chipotle Tri-tip. The best Tri-tip we’ve had. You can order at CardiffCrack.com. Not inexpensive though. The best never is!

Photos of; me in the La Landonne Vineyard, Rene Rostaing and our tour with Pierre Rostaing in their La Landonne Vineyard. What an afternoon!

Producer notes, Pierre (son of Rene & now Winemaker) uses up to 100% of the stems - believing they contribute to Côte Rôtie’s ineffable perfume. Macerations last from 7 to 20+ days, and the wines enjoy a long élevage in a mix of barrels and time-honored pièce for aging, so that no more than 15% of a given vintage sees new wood. — 4 years ago

with James and Christina