Sipping Fine Wine

9.2

Jack and Jamie Davies revived the historic vineyards and cellars in 1965, with a goal to produce world-class sparkling wines, passing torch to their son Hugh. A blend of mostly Pinot Noir and <20% Chardonnay (blend varies each year) with stone and berry fruit aromas and earthy spice. On the palate the light mousse shows raspberry, peach and mango flavors with nutty biscuit and slight baking spice notes. Long finish, lively acidity ending with citrus and yeasty tones. — a month ago

Randy Fuller

9.3

This wine is medium dark in the glass. It shows a nose that is ripe and fresh, with plenty of juicy cherry, strawberry, plum and cassis aromas. There is a whiff of spice, but the fruit is the star of the show, which is fitting since the wine was in neutral oak for only half a year. The palate is ripe, red and fresh, with a nice tannic grip and good acidity. The idea was to produce a good everyday wine and that goal has been achieved. — a year ago

carl thornblade

9.0

Decent wine. Enjoyable, but I didn’t notice as much aroma or flavor as others are espousing. It is soft and round for a cab with the silky velvet tannins and good fruit and some spice and earth, just not super powerful which may be the goal. The best part was the smoothness and black fruits for a cab in Napa. — 3 years ago

Scott Soren

9.3

This is luscious. Inky purple. The nose has coco on it, with dark fruit. Blackberry and vanilla are the predominant flavors. It’s still young so a little tannic. Medium acidity. Probably needs two years to hit its stride. Don’t think there’s a long shelf life but 8-10 years from here is a good goal — 5 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.6

2011 vintage. Decanted with some sed and tasted after 1 hour. Bigg structure with plenty of tobacco, underbrush and dark fruit. A complex kid. Lots of moving parts but really unified currently and moving towards a common goal. Total BDX ringer in a pricey blind. This has miles to go. 8.2.24. — 4 months ago

Shay A

9.3

This was served during my annual WWC hosting. Typical format of sparkler, three whites, four reds, one dessert, all served blind.

My goal was to see how this showed blind compared to the 2015 Saint Damien Louisiane Gigondas. Both are 80 Grenache/ and mostly rounded out by Syrah (difference is the Gigiondas had some Mourvèdre).

Decanted an hour. After an extra 30mins, this became nicely lifted. Not sharp or high toned, but very pretty Grenache. More purple than the Gigondas with a juicier profile…raspberries, spiced blueberries, blackberries with lavender and good tannin. Vibrant acidity. Kiss of espresso. No trace of pepper like the Gigondas. Similar to Alto Moncayo’s Grenache, but brighter. A wine I’d like to revisit on its own. — a year ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Nose reveals beauty & grace. Sweet & just sour lemons, lime candy, green dominate apples with shades of golden, cream, vanillin, ginger, ripe squeezed pineapple flesh, grapefruit with pith, touch of apple cider, salted caramel, cream soda, sea fossils, sea spray, light volcanics, marmalade fruit, Stone fruit with yellow & spring flowers flowers set in mixed greens.

The palate is very full, round, waxy, rich with excellent viscosity. Beautiful mouthfeel. Great time for a bottle. Sweet & just a sour lemons, lime candy, green dominate apples with shades of golden, cream, vanillin, ginger, ripe squeezed pineapple flesh, grapefruit with pith, touch of apple cider, salted caramel, cream soda, healthier honey, sea fossils, white spice with the perfect depth & heat, sea spray, reductive, melted molasses, light volcanics, wet stone, elegant flintiness, marmalade fruit, stone fruit-apricot, nectarines, white & yellow peach with yellow & spring flowers flowers set in mixed greens. The acidity is like a cool stone filled stream. The long, round finish is; waxy, round, lush, with excellent balance fruit & earth, gentle white spice palate heat that persists endlessly. On the long, longboard set, I get soft subtle cream notes of whiskey/scotch w/o any heat. It Hoovers center mouth.

Photos of; one of Dauvisst Cru vineyards, staff caning in the spring, Vincent, Dauvisst and photo of a vineyard that shows every bit of reason why White Burgundy tastes the way it does!

Some producer notes I read. Vincent started helping his father René in 1976 and, during the last decade, has gradually taken control of viticulture and winemaking. For him, the ultimate goal is to harvest healthy grapes that are fully ripe and concentrated which, he declares, can only be achieved consistently by hard work in the vineyard. His passion for wine enables him to put this work ethic into practice with real vigour - close pruning the vines (40 years old on average) during the growing season to restrict yields, hand harvesting at vintage time and ruthlessly discarding any rotten or split grapes. His vinification and maturation methods see him join the small band of Chablis producers who employ oak. The wines are vinified and aged in a mixture of steel vats and 6-to 8 year old wooden barrels. The wood is old and therefore doesn’t stamp any oak flavour onto the wines but does give them an extra depth of flavor and density of body, whilst still retaining their unique identities. These are intensely terroir-driven, mineral wines of such concentration that they take longer than most to reach their best, though they are every bit worth the wait. — 4 years ago

Vanessa

9.1

At Flying Goat, the goal is to produce unpretentious, playful wines while retaining a serious quality focus and commitment to a purity of expression from single-vineyard sites such as the Solomon Hills Vineyard, Bien Nacido Vineyard, Rancho Santa Rosa, to name a few.

This intention is reinforced by everything from the whimsical labels (Flying Goat, Goat Bubbles, YNOT), to the critical acclaim Flying Goat Cellars has garnered for its impressive wines, to the impeccably balanced and delicious Pinot Noir and vintage, traditional method sparkling wines.

This 2016 blanc de noirs sparkler — made with Pinot Noir hailing from the Bien Nacido Vineyard — is medium gold in appearance, with a fine and creamy mousse, and fresh notes of just-ripe yellow apple, pear, white peach, lemon zest, citrus blossom, biscuit, toast, brioche, toasted almond, and marzipan. It has a lingering, elegant finish.

@Delectable Wine this is the blanc de noirs bien nacido vineyard 2016 vintage sparkling (Goat Bubbles, Flying Goat Cellars) — 8 months ago

with Deked1

Jay Kline

9.0

The wines of Marc Hebrart are always punching above their weight class which made this a perfect choice to celebrate Holly reaching a new professional goal as she too, routinely exceeds expectations.

This bottle of “Cuvée de Réserve” was disgorged in October of 2019 and made exclusively with 1er Cru fruit from a variety of vineyards. As usually, predominately Pinot Noir with a dollop of Chardonnay. In the glass, it’s a deep straw color with a persistent mousse. On the nose, there are slightly oxidative notes of apples, brioche, meringue, and nuts. On the palate, the wine is dry and the bubbles are tiny and almost creamy. Confirming the apple fruit, but also with some peach, toasted nuts and and hit of lemons and minerals on the finish. Everything is very nicely balanced and satisfying. To me, this is a way more interesting alternative to Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label. — 3 years ago

Paul T HB

9.3

Magnum from K&L
Great QPR at $25.00 per mag
Winery notes,

beautiful terroir skillfully worked by Jérômine Paret and Philippe Garnier. Responding to the call of his parents, Jérômine gave up a career as an English teacher to take over the family estate. She then studied business and allied herself with Philippe Garnier, who has one goal in mind: to achieve excellence. She does not regret her choices today and her customers don't either! Thus, the estate evolves each year with new wines and techniques. The organically-farmed vineyards are planted mostly to Marsanne, and this is reflected in the blend, which also includes Bourboulenc, Clairette, Sauvignon, and Ugni Blanc. Fermented entirely in stainless steel and resin-lined cement vats, the wine shows notes of white flowers including honeysuckle, jasmin, and citrus blossom, while aeration reveals secondary nuances of aniseseed, eucalyptus, and hazelnut. — 4 years ago