Quaking Hills

Domaine Drouhin

Arthur Dundee Hills Chardonnay 2023

Zach D
9.0

Lots of sun drenched orchard fruit on the nose, confirmed on the palate. Ripe pear and apple, some baking spices but not overpowering. Medium plus finish. I think the balance of the fruit and acidity is off; 14.1 percent abv; if it was 13-13.5 with a slightly less ripe fruit profile and more acid it would be better. — 9 days ago

Sea Smoke

Southing Estate Vineyard Pinot Noir

Old Faithful….never disappoints. — 16 days ago

Drew Chicone
with Drew

Shaw and Smith

Adelaide Hills Shiraz 2019

Boulevard Restaurant - Vancouver — 18 days ago

Sea Smoke

Ten Estate Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2011

Black cherry, sage, and sandalwood aromas accompany the cherry, pomegranate, and spice palate. Medium full bodied with excellent balance. In a great spot now. — 10 days ago

Shay and Scott@Mister liked this

Domaine de la Côte

Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir

Earthy with pretty aromas of delicate berries, herbs and exotic citrus fruits. Some tannins and fairly full bodied. — 14 days ago

Andrew liked this

Lillian Winery

California Dundee Syrah 2008

Round and plush and delicious. Great fruit. Not too much alcoholic sting — a month ago

Peter NelsonGregg GRick K
with Peter, Gregg and 1 other
Shay, LM and 7 others liked this

Grgich Hills Estate

Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

Extremely smooth. Lighter in body and flavor than typical cab — 16 days ago

Domaine Drouhin

Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2022

DCH
9.3

Excellent Pinot Noir. Balance, structure and character could be mistaken for Côte d’Or. An incredibly well rounded wine absent the site particularities of some other great examples. The equivalent of a highly satisfying Village level wine. — 24 days ago

Ted, Andrew and 9 others liked this

Brewer-Clifton

Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2022

John Howard
9.0

Pretty and light. Great nose. Not very concentrated. Glycerin. — 24 days ago

Tom, Ray and 12 others liked this

Domaine de la Côte

La Côte Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2021

“La Côte” of Domaine de la Côte is a DREAMY Pinot Noir from the Santa Rita Hills AVA of California’s Central Coast region.

Here pacific coastal breezes stretch inland and cool the sun-soaked vineyards. Domaine de la Côte has a collection of 6 vineyards on the western edge of Santa Rita Hills. On the back label you see a map of several of their vineyard blocks, including “La Côte” which is organically-farmed and nestled on a steep southeast-facing slope, where it absorbs the radiant sun during the growing season.

The grapes that went into this wine were harvested by hand, cluster-by-cluster, affording a gentler handling of the fruit with reduced risk of oxidation and microbial spoilage.

This wine was then fermented in a concrete vessel using 100% whole clusters (stems and all) thanks to the process of wild, ambient yeasts in the vineyard, winery, and on the skin of the berries…

The result is a positively perfumed and pristine berry-fruited profile with concentrated notes of black cherry, strawberry, raspberry, boysenberry, hibiscus, rosewater, cherry blossom, and anise balanced by a firm backbone of acidity and reserved alcoholic profile (13.1% ABV).

Following fermentation, this wine matured for 10 months in oak (30% new oak), lending delicate secondary notes of vanilla, clove, and cardamom.

The Domaine de la Côte “Bloom’s Field” was among the wines featured in the Somm 3 movie; it was blind tasted next to other French and California wines in a 2018 retake of the 1976 Judgement of Paris that culminated in a tasting of wines by a panel of luminaries of the wine world: Fred Dame, Jancis Robinson, and the late, great Steven Spurrier, who organized the Judgment of Paris back in 1976.

It is a captivating wine and has the structure to age, though we are loving it in its current state. It’s a delicious pairing with the herb-crusted salmon, roasted asparagus, and crème fraiche / chive mashed potatoes.

Cheers!

— a month ago

Deked1
with Deked1
Deked1, Jay and 15 others liked this