Details! Apricots, almonds, minerality, some salinity, crystal clear hue. Finesse and power. — 4 years ago
Mid Gold in colour - crystal clear. Kerosene/mineral notes with some chalky aromas. Pristine citrusy flavours coming into the stone fruit spectrum. Medium minus acid but medium plus intensity. (12.5% ABV). A well made Eden Valley Riesling drinking at its peak. — 5 years ago
Decisions decisions… Both very comparable styles. Salvestrin is a St Helena Suav Blanc with fruit derived from the foothills and elaborated by a female winemaker, it’s got great balance and composure. Very elegant on the palate, it has this sublime honeysuckle component somewhere in the mid palate. — 3 months ago
Crystal Palace Stadium — a year ago
Hailing from one of the premier sites in the Santa Lucia Highlands, planted in 1996, the 2022 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard is flat-out gorgeous. Beautifully rendered, it boasts generous fruit density, crystal-clear delineation of flavors and bracing structure. Fully destemmed, the 2022 finishes with a ton of persistence in its dark berry flavors, even darker cherry, black licorice and black sage. The 2022 leaves behind a fine web of powdery tannins, neatly wrapped up with a little bow on top, concentrated, effusive, and ready to rock. What a complete package. This may be the red wine of the vintage in the SLH. (Billy Norris, Vinous, August 2024)
— 4 months ago
Garnet core , quite wide bricking terracotta rim . Quite Subtle on the nose , red fruits , orange rind , sous bois , spice , violets . On the palate very refined , crystal clear red fruits , raspberry , cherry , touch of black currant , black tea , pin point acidity , very fine tannins . Very long and complex. Drinking well though will go on for ages still and certainly improve over the next 10-15 years. — 2 years ago
On Crystal Serenity cruising the Mediterranean. In Livorno tonight. Had 1/2 the bottle last night, the balance tonight. Always a dependable wine. — 5 years ago
Tree Kilpatrick
Tall and straight heavy bottle. Looks kinda cool. CA wine style. 14.0% abv. No specifics on the blend. They say it arose from the wrong hose in the wrong tank ;-). Color is ruby red with a translucent shimmer. Smells like some other red wines in that it’s fruit and the smell of old places. (Like attics, cellars and libraries full of old books). Hint of savor. Like fresh steak or lamb. Flavors are excellent. Supple and fairly elegant. There’s a cherry streak, a black licorice streak, and brightness. It’s pretty Italian styled. I’d suggest there might be some Sangiovese and/or Barbera in it. And these are excellent CA Foothill grapes, so no surprise at its finesse and grace. This is a nice El Dorado red. I’d love to try the rest of their portfolio.
Website says, “…it’s a 4 way blend of Zinfandel, Grenache, Merlot and Mourvedre that will make your Tuesday night glass of wine Exciting Again.” — 7 days ago