ESF

9.3

@Peter Sultan wrote up a nice note for this - real treat as these are hard to find in my neck o the woods, thoroughly enjoyable but definitely an acquired taste... — 10 days ago

Uglii

9.0

Rico para aperitivo y digestivo. O para un Portonic — 3 years ago

JKT

9.0

At Mark O July 4 party. A real surprise of a good tasting Bordeaux blend from Virginia! Cab Franc Petit Verdot Merlot Cab blend. — 3 years ago

Bosco

9.5

Dulce y suave entrada en paladar. Arropado de aromas de frutos rojos con notas de chocolate. Una delicia para saborear con cualquier plato de carnes, pasta o postres — 4 years ago

Somm 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. — 6 years ago

Audrey Nadeau

9.1

Cataluña ... ¡Se va o se rompe! #Cataluña #Madrid — 9 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.1

From our second wine swap with @Shay Aldriedge. Thanks for sending out this beauty! Have only tried Jessup Cellars regular wines, this was a real treat.

Deep ruby red with garnet edges. Dark plums, cassis and spices on the nose that started to get a bit darker with time in the glass. Medium tannins (6/10) and balanced acidity. A touch of spices, black cherries, black fruits and anise. Medium bodied and long finish. Drink till 2020. — 9 years ago

with Sean and India

Pooneet K

9.2

Very nice white. Always enjoy it and decided to buy a few to have on hand. Crisp and delicious with real salinity and depth. Bit of confectionary quality. — 2 months ago

Shay A

9.2

My last of three bottles. The first one back in early 2021 and second one last year both showed a more fresh and vibrant profile, whereas this seemed a bit more evolved.

Gold in the glass. Right off the bat, the aromatics here are honeyed and semi-rich. Honeysuckle, but mostly Truffle honeycomb and those Bit-O-Honey candies come to mind. Didn’t detect any orange marmalade type profile I normally get with roussanne. On the palate, the honeyed notes continue with only real faint fruit notes (peach, dragonfruit). Quiet zing of acidity to keep the wine from being flabby, but it has a distinct texture.

Followed over two days and held strong. I’d rather drink these sooner rather than later, at least this vintage. — 2 years ago

Ron from VA

9.0

My first Burntshirt bottle! I opted to open the Meritage first to see what their overall fruit profile could produce when blended for optimal experience… Quite impressed and can honestly say that it would be amongst the top 3–5 producers in the state… The soil insight are capable of ripening especially in this optimal vintage. All five Bordeaux varietals used and leads to a Monticello or Breaux-style blend. Rich, with plenty of heft, this build is enough but it’s in no way special or distinct. It reflects competency in farming and in winemaking, but lacks a real pizazz or layers of nuance. It’s just nice ;) the 90 score reflects overcoming the obstacles of latitude and possible excess rains. It’s really good by NC standards, which is a victory that they should be proud of. We put this against burgers and baked beans and we were satisfied, that’s a lot to ask of a cab sauv driven blend ;) — 4 years ago

Renato Albuquerque

9.3

Cor bem escura e com bom corpo. Aroma bem amadeirado e agradável. O sabor dele é aveludado, sabor de madeira bem presente, bom rastro. É um excelente vinho. — 5 years ago

John Kanellopoulos

9.4

O don’t think I have even clocked 9.4
I mean it: perfect producer, year, time to de-corking, Paris, a real restaurant to provide the support for this exquisite wine, everyone should experience this at least once!
Merci Emmanuel Perinaud ...RIP — 7 years ago

Scott Rowe

9.5

Man o man!
It’s easy to dismiss a Shiraz when Cab is dominating the area.
When you’re talking about 1890 plantings it grabs your attention real quick.
Complex but subtle.
Refined yet wild for the lack of a better word. Captivating — 8 years ago

Michael Meyer

9.3

O. M. G. The real deal Cote Rotie. Stephan knows his stuff. A traditional baseline CR with some eccentric savory elements. Still the perfect pairing with lamb chops. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.8

Over the yrs, I have done a deep dive into coffee in a quest to make the perfect espresso. It has been a close 2nd obsession to my wine journey.

Pacori has come very close, closest. They make many different roasts but their “Select” is the best I’ve had and I have tried many different beans to get here.

Pacori guarantees you will have their beans within 5 days of roasting. Many sellers don’t put a roast date on their beans. Starbucks, Peet’s, illy etc. might be 30-60 days from roast date or more before you buy them. Grocery stores, longer. Fresh beans make a difference. I would rather my beans haven’t been oxidizing that long before I buy them.

Pacori offers many roasts but I like that they will do sampler 4 packs…a 1/4 pound of each you select from. Their “Select” is a perfect balance of bold and smooth. Bold darkish espresso tones w/ notes of nuts, mocha powder, milk chocolate and caramel.

I have narrowed my selections to their “Select” and “Sumatra.” Next might be their “French Roast” and then their “Black Crest.” But they are all good. Finding your wheelhouse is a pleasurable journey.

Like grapes, same as coffee, you can’t make a good bottle-cup w/o good fruit/beans.

Ranking the most important elements of making good espresso:

-Quality beans that are fresh
-Grinder
-Machine/Barista skills
-Adding a 49mm step down baskets to your standard 58mm portafilter. There is real science now that 49mm basket makes superior shots.

After waking up, this is just the best part of my morning. — 2 months ago

Victor Charcan

9.3

A discovery! Tastes this 2014 in 2023, a good way to find out if the wine has the real thing. And it did. A metallic hint, blood like, red fruit driven, sour cherries, rose petals, a Burgundian soul, unbelievable acidity, clean, the animal you get is not Brett. Loved it — 3 years ago

GraceAnne Howe

8.9

Only real downside was a surprising amount of sediment — 4 years ago

Alex Heilman

9.2

Tannic, mineral weirdness. A real value buy orange wine — 6 years ago

Ellen Clifford

8.9

Post-show bev. Goes down easy. It’s that hint o’ green that keeps it flowing. Not too tannic, not too much of anything—which is to say there is enough. Totally pleasant. It’s like watching Sesame Street as an adult. Won’t challenge your brain but will be pleasant and give you, if not the warm fuzzies then at least a bit of alcohol-induced warmth. If I needed four glasses at a Seder I could. Oh wait you wanted real notes? If you didn’t stop reading now.
WSET-ish style:
Eye: medium ruby, thick tears Nose: cherries, huckleberries, a hint of asphalt and a lick of arugula. Palate: dry, medium acid, medium minus tannins, high abv, medium body and flavor intensity, cherry cordial, blueberry pancakes (no maple but vanilla tinged, green pepper, green...apple? Is that a Granny Smith in my merlot? May be. Medium finish. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

This is blend of 80% Malbec and 20% Tempranillo. Cool climate, high altitude.

The nose shows ruby, ripe, elegant fruits; blackberries, blue fruits, dark cherries, black raspberries and some strawberries on the edges of the glass. There is a creaminess about the fruits. Some sweet tarry notes, black licorice, light baking spices; vanilla, cinnamon, soft elegant spices, dark rich soil and amazingly, beautiful red, blue & purples florals.

The body is rich and full. Gorgeous mouthfeel. The tannins are; soft, round & velvety with fine powder. The fruits are, round, ripe and beautiful; blackberries, blue fruits, dark cherries, black raspberries, touch of black plum and some strawberries. There is a creaminess about the fruits, as well as, some rustic quality from the 20% Tempranillo. Some sweet tarry notes, black licorice, light baking spices, vanilla, cinnamon, soft elegant darker beautiful more pronounced spice on the palate vs. the nose, nice soft herbaceous notes, dark rich soil, some fine dry rock powder and amazingly, beautiful red, blue & purples florals.

Photos of, the cone shaped tanks that Jeff’s (shown in the photo) partner and Winemaker Alejandro invented. The cone shape along with a mess grater the fits up top keeps the cap or hat-sombrero (expression used here) moist. This avoids punch downs creating more elegance and better florals in the wine. Both Jeff & Alejandro worked at Catena Zapata for 15 years before starting their own project. Their partial barrel room and Jeff (Co-Owner) hosting our tasting. This was a excellent visit and bottle to end our producer visits on. Thank you Jeff for all your time, shared knowledge and this bottle for our dinner tonight.

@Paul Treadway Huntington Beacher
This is the real deal if you can find it. @Shay A
Luis-Parker 96. $50 was the release price. Such a steal. — 8 years ago