Chris Palmer

9.1

Max really liked this — 9 months ago

Willie Carter

9.0

Light shimmering gold in the glass with a plethora of small, profuse bubbles. Primarily Pinot Noir and that’s clearly evident on the nose. Peaches and plums with a strong infusion of dried strawberries and red cherries. Apples aplenty with cinnamon rolls and toasted nuts.

One of the more esteemed growers, Paul Bara produces nothing but exemplary champagnes including this entry level bottle. Unmistakably Bouzy, their wines always represent the terroir and terrain so very clearly. 80/20 PN/CH with a dosage of 7 g/l and disgorged in September of 2020. The kicker here is the 50% of reserve wines they use for the final blend. Just astonishing and makes a huge difference.

The acidity here is tight with a bit of zip but mellows out over time given air. Nice harmony and balance, as usual. Apples and cherries dominant on the tongue. Creaminess abounds with medium spice and hazelnut. Amongst entry level grower champagnes, there just aren’t many better than this. Always an instant buy. — 3 years ago

Stas Medvedev

9.1

🏅 Rating 91+/100 (4,15⭐)

Yellow color. Bigger volume, complex. Nuanced with secondary aromas, richer. Oak adds layers and nicely integrates with wine. Stone fruits, touch of almonds. Good balance between oak and steel maturation. Very Chablis with signature acidity and salinity. Balanced and charming.

Bougros lies at the very western end of the Grands Crus area, 130-170m on fairly deep marl and clay terrain with a SW exposure.

William Fèvre owns 6.2ha out of 12.6ha. Over 50% of the wine are matured in old French oak barrels for 6mo and then transferred in steel tanks. Total maturation takes about 15mo.

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Instagram: @wine_talks_club — 4 years ago

Vanessa

9.3

Hello, California Syrah!!

From everything we’ve read, the Alder Springs Vineyard sounds like a truly majestic place.

It’s isolated in an undeveloped part of northern Mendocino County, situated in California’s North Coast region, where the steep and rugged terrain meet sweeping views of the ocean, bordered by rivers, redwoods, and snowcapped mountains… elevation stretches up to 1,800 feet above sea level.

It’s no wonder so many acclaimed producers, like Pax Mahle, source their fruit from here, where vines are sustainably farmed and cared for by Stuart Bewley. We were fortunate to visit Pax in Sebastopol in 2022, where we picked up this 2011 Cahto Ridge Alder Springs Vineyard Syrah. We’ve been waiting patiently to taste it. And here we are.

100% Syrah. Whole cluster fermented. Aged 12 months in neutral French oak barrels.

This wine is deep ruby trending towards garnet. The aromas are concentrated with ripe boysenberry, black cherry, blackcurrant, next to violet, black peppercorn, licorice, cured meat, peat moss, smoke, clove, leather and olive notes. On the palate, it is dry with medium (+) acidity, a medium (+) body, high alcohol (14.6% ABV), medium (+) fine-grained tannins, and a long, elegant finish.

It’s both elegant and wild all at the same time and we love it.

Cheers! — a year ago

with Deked1

Marcus Weber

9.3

Pure cortese grape, typically from south Piedmont!
Grown on sandy terrain, macerated three days, then spontaneously fermented. Matured in Acacia cask, unfiltered. Very dynamic, citrus, herbs, perfect balance, sandy and chalk notes.
— 4 years ago

Georgina McDonald

9.6

Huge fan of this magnificent - and curiously inexpensive - wine made on the calcareous clay terroir of Penedes, Spain. 85% Xarel-lo (white grape of Spanish origin, specifically grown in Catalonia), 10% Chardonnay and 5% Muscat of Alexandria. An aromatic mouthful of fleshy peach, lilies, lemon zest (and a few other descriptors I’m still noodling on), with the perfect lick of salinity from the optimal altitude of 300-500m terrain. Two different people have recently said to me “You can’t have both” when I’ve asked for an aromatic wine with good minerality... l’d like to call bullshit on their bullshit and put this on the table, or an Albariño for that matter. Medium bodied, balanced, with a silky texture (yes, silky) and at just €13 a bottle you’re set for a delicious evening. Old world wine makers pursuing tradition and not convention. Never conform to the demand. UP UP UP!! — 4 years ago

Travis Ladd

9.2

The pear flavor really punches thru. Very flavorful. — a year ago

Gabby

9.0

Liked this a lot - I think there was a distinct rose on the nose. These Pinots were all uniquely herbal and driving through the terrain made this make sense — 3 years ago

Niccolò Bertoldi

9.0

Mellow taste but indicative of a mineral rich terrain — 4 years ago

Marcus Weber

9.4

handcraft high class Mosel-Riesling from 2.5 hectares winery, working biodynamically since 1978!! Steep slate terraces Terrain, processed gently and left on the yeast for a long time. Continously Changing and inspiring by every sip! Well balanced, revealing charakter.
Saibling- Walnussholz - grüner Wacholder - Eberesche / fermentierter Rotkohl - Buchweizen — 4 years ago