Zack Hall

9.1

Very tart and juicy. Like freshly squeezed blackberry juice. En mag — 4 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Such a fun, juicy, balanced wine. Nose has tons of ripe, freshly-squeezed cherry/strawberry juice, also some fragrant, slightly smoky gravelly notes. Soft and bouncy in the mouth, it just floats across the palate, where fruit is king. Great weekday night wine. — 5 years ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.6

Pure magic. The first impression is a field of lavender and wild herbs. Then, black currants, flowers, iron, musk and wet earth waft from the glass. A delicate sweetness balances the impression of freshly squeezed blackberries on the palate, and each sip ends with a brush of tannins and more lingering, echoing fruit. Elegant, mysterious, and achingly pretty. I was reluctant to open this so young but it’s already so exhilarating. The back label says “enjoy for its complex fruit character in the first five years, or from 7 to 25 years for its depth and complexity.” I intend to! — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.1

I find myself between scores on this wine, but the reason I’m pushing it to 91 is because it showed better (for my preferred taste) on day two, suggesting more time in the cellar could slightly improve this. To me, this is almost totally Chablis like, though it’s just missing a hint of steeliness. Lemon oil, honeysuckle, and crushed rocks on the nose. Day 1 showed razor sharp acidity...electric like. Day 2 it became a touch more rounded. My first remark about this wine to someone was “it’s like licking fresh squeezed lemon juice off of limestone”. Tart, vibrant and definitely best with food. Day 2 added some stone fruits and a touch more sweetness to the finish. My thanks to @David T for introducing me to this producer, who I’m starting to hear about more and more often. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.1

Yesterday’s Wednesday Wine Committee, hosted by @Jeff Meyer , was so educational with fantastic German & Austrian wines. 1 sparkler, 5 whites, 5 reds, 1 dessert wine. All served blind as usual.

This is so fruit forward up front before it falls off a cliff and punches you with chalky tannins. Geez. It’s both floral and lean. Starts off with fresh squeezed black cherries, rhubarb tart and rose petal before drastically hitting you with high percentage dark cocoa, bitter root, and cracked black peppercorn. Tannic. I called this Blaufränkisch.

@Bill Bender : Saw your post from 4yrs ago about this wine. Agreed! — 7 years ago

with Dan, Jeff and 1 other

Tom Garland

10

Happy Cinco De Mayo 2019.....wwwaaahhh, a wine break.....Tom's PERFECT margarita:

1.5 oz. 100% agave Reposado Tequila
1.0 oz. Fresh squeezed lime juice
0.5 oz. Agave nectar
0.5 oz. Fresh squeezed orange juice.

Shake with ice, serve over ice (no frozen BS!) and do not forget to enjoy! — 7 years ago

with Brenda

Jan de Weerd

9.7

The Stones Speak. Did they ever! Full bodied, dense concentrates of decaying fall leaves after a fresh rain shower drenched in minerals, fine polished fully integrated tannins almost leaving a sweet edge. All secondary and tertiary notes. No distinct fruit to be recognized. It was like drinking extracts squeezed from the river rock on which they grow the Syrah. A flavor explosion as soon as it hits your mouth. — 4 years ago

with Tammy

Neil Valenzuela

9.5

Clear, filtered- served cold in a box. This sake won a National New Sake Contest, squeezed from Dewasansan rice. Fuji apple, rose, grapes, and plump blue berries. What an interesting sake! — 5 years ago

Keaton Kail

9.3

Tastes like Alsace. Has that wonderful palate-renewing, fresh-squeezed citrus type of acid and a mountain spring minerality. — 6 years ago

paul custer

9.1

fresh squeezed grapefruit on the nose and palate upon opening. tightly wound out of the bottle but opened up after an hour in a decanter. time reveals a kiss of cherry and an underlying salinity mixed with a trace of iron. light to medium body and color. not a cocktail wine, but EXCELLENT with food. paired perfectly with black pepper chicken. definitely a go to for weeknight meal pairings. — 6 years ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.3

16 and 17 Meursault so drinkable now. Energetic and precise with very good concentration. Squeezed lemon, pastry cream, orange zest and a stoney minerality. Finishes with very good length and finesse. ⚡️⚡️ — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.3

Alongside the ‘08 I opened, this had tons of candied red and black fruit! Raspberry gummies, baked blackberry pie, and rhubarb tart. Killer aromatics. Perfumed. Mainly fruit dominated on the palate...fresh squeezed blackberries, ripe plum, currant and a touch of cedar. Will age! Thanks, @Mark Flesher . — 7 years ago

with Dan, Mark and 2 others

Shay A

9.2

This still needs a bit of time. Quite tart. Showed a lot of rose petal and tar upfront...maybe even some iron? Very underripe fresh squeezed blackberries and black cherry on the palate, with underbrush and cedar. — 7 years ago

Jan de Weerd

9.8

And then the heavy hitter was brought in to close the night. A 20 year old Trefethen’s Halo . My goodness. Juice that was so dense, rich and complex, squeezed from dark boysenberry, blue berry, dark cherry fruits. Laced with vanilla and hints of cigar box and fresh new leather. All so well integrated, so complete and carried by fine polished tannins to an incredible finish. No wonder this wine was gone before we had landed back with both feet on the ground. — 4 years ago

with Tammy and Skip

Shay A

9.4

2014 Napa cabs are in a sweet spot for the “fruit forward” stage of wines without ripping the enamel off your teeth. TRB is a favorite winemaker of mine for his ability to pull the entire fruit spectrum (red, blue, black), when applicable, which is evident here.

This is a pop and pour for the big fruit loving Napa enthusiasts (which I can enjoy ever so often). It is uber ripe and high toned...not quite sporting levels of EA, but close. With this being Calistoga fruit, it undoubtedly shows that warm profile. There is a kiss of red fruit initially on the nose before it is dominated by freshly squeezed blackberries, creme de cassis, dark chocolate, mocha and dark mixed berry pie. It begins on the palate somewhat lighter than expected before picking up steam and really gaining heft/density on the mid palate. Just oozes fresh and ripe dark fruits, fondue dipped fruits, plenty of baking spices like vanilla and nutmeg, and a sweet finish that sails on for a good while. Completely smooth and soft tannin. Not failing off a cliff for a while, but this style has me thinking earlier consumption is best. — 5 years ago

David Koenen

9.0

Melon, freshly cut grass, squeezed lemon, chalk and anise. Beautiful wine. — 6 years ago

Justin Hart

9.6

Holy cow! The lower ratings of this wine must be referring to a different wine. This is a voluptuous, heady, powerful petit verdot, huge even. Wet concrete, pencil shavings and blackberries on the nose. Ripe blackberry, huckleberry, and blueberry gush across the palette, and immediately get squeezed by firm tannins, peppery and cured meat notes. This is an amazing wine that could easily go 3-6 more years (or longer). Yum!! — 6 years ago

with Cherish and Jen

Severn G

8.9

A few months since our last bottle, notes are still consistent:
95% Sauvignon Blanc & 5% Semillon; Entre-Deux-Mers AOC
Nose of freshly washed sweet, green grapes, lemon grass and green melon.
Palate is crisp, citrus biased, lightly tart not sweet, lime squeezed on granite, medium finish.
$13, QPR is just a crazy value play! — 7 years ago

Robert Wood

9.1

Very fresh tasting. First sips have a fresh squeezed feel. Very smooth. Gets better as it sits. — 7 years ago

Severn G

9.2

Declassified Puligny-Montrachet fruit from vineyards just east of 'Derrière la Velle' & 'Les Reuchaux', this is the far east edge of the village.

The nose has lemon squeezed over flint & slate and light white flowers.
The palate has medium acid, under-ripe tropical fruits and light steely mineral notes.

Albeit coming from a strong vintage, this is a little closed up right now, perhaps a few more years rest is due. — 7 years ago