Texan - Wine Nerd Herd Member
Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
A treat to try this next to the ‘88, and also against a mini-flight of Leoville Barton. This ‘14 was shockingly odd…unbelievably high toned, sharp, and bing cherry driven aromatically. It actually has this weird cherry reduction profile but also a malic/butter note that needs time to blow off. Crème de cassis and red licorice on the palate with a small amount of graphite. A lot of Calistoga cabs for me show the warmth of the region and this evidently is in that vein, but it’s very Montelena-esque at the end of the day. I’d hold another 5-7yrs. — 3 hours ago
Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
As part of my white wine flight theme, I wanted to compare Hyde and Hudson side by side, then finish with Kongsgaard, since it is a blend of both.
Similar to the Hudson before it, I normally like to drink Kongsgaard on the young side, and also similar to the Hudson, on this day…it didn’t seem to have the typical opulent/massive profile. White peach and apricot upfront as well as sweet cotton candy on the nose. Ripe yellow and tropical fruits dominate the palate with sea salt, ginger and lemon cream. Faint note of butterscotch, but not near the amount I’ve found previous vintages to show. What Kongsgaard does well is have a wine of this profile but somehow find a way to have elegant qualities about it. Decant or hold a few years. — 3 hours ago
My choice for a Rhône style theme with my local group.
Definitely the oldest No Girls I’ve opened. As expected, these have a Burgundian flair to them in the way they are made when compared to Cayuse/HP/HC. Not as much depth/richness, but there is great acidity and the use of stems is clear. Faint ruby in the glass. Stemmy/green aromatics with herbs de Provence, black olive, Cayuse funk/iron on the nose. Saline, red and black berry driven on the palate with black pepper spice, truffle, beef jerky and big phenolics. Tart and acidic, I followed this over two days, and to my surprise, held up very well. Pop now. — 3 hours ago
Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
Fun to do a side by side with the ‘88, and also check in against the Montelena. Profile wise, this leans ripe and modern stylistically. There is a kiss of brett that takes you to Bordeaux but it’s mostly red and black fruit driven with a vanilla pipe tobacco sweetness, leather, cassis and a little bit of a floral note, especially aromatically. Big structure for the vintage, but open for business now if you can give it a few hours in the decanter. — 3 hours ago
Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
Fun to open birth year wines around your birthday, especially when you can do a Bordeaux and Napa side by side. While not a great vintage, this held up well after a few hours and presented as expected. Clean and zero Brett. Great color! Deep ruby with hardly any bricking. Leather, cassis, vanilla pipe tobacco on the nose. Sporting a good bit of dusty red and black fruits (mostly tart raspberries and blackberries), there was a little savory truffle note mixed with an herbal and mocha finish. Still quite grippy. Pretty. — 3 hours ago
Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
As part of my white wine flight theme, I wanted to compare Hyde and Hudson side by side, then finish with Kongsgaard, since it is a blend of both.
Initial reaction is this presents much differently than other Hyde Chardonnay offerings. Aromatically, there is a green/herbal flair that has many guessing Chablis. Tart lemon and honeysuckle too. Once on the palate, the warmth and round profile brought everyone back to Cali. Good vein of acidity (most Hyde offerings do). Balanced by both citrus and tropical notes…oak isn’t playing a big part. Reminds me of Massican’s Hyde vineyard Chardonnay. Open now with a decant or hold a couple years. — 3 hours ago
Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
I’ve had a few days to think on this wine, and I finally feel comfortable saying this is the greatest dessert wine I’ve ever had the pleasure of drinking. 100% semillon. Each grape is picked one-by-one by hand. This was the 9th time this wine was made since 1943.
Between dark gold and deep amber in color. Aromas of honeyed tropical fruits and sweet espresso that fill the room like a candle. Unctuous and oily on the palate, there is coconut richness with an insane amount of brown sugar and orange marmalade too…honey roasted cashews, pineapple upside down cake. As massive as this is, it still has structure but also a vein of acidity to keep this thing afloat. At 35yrs, this is unbelievably good and shockingly youthful. If you have a bottle, it’s no good. Send to me so that I can dispose of it for you… — 3 hours ago
Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
Here we are six years after my last ‘88 Montelena and I’m looking at my old review as if I wrote it about this current bottle! So bright and lively. Gorgeous deep ruby color (darker than the ‘88 Leoville Barton). There is a Christmas spice (maybe more mint-driven) aromatic with bing cherries and floral notes. Red fruit to the core with some spiced blackberries, earthy/herbal savoriness, great acidity and a snappy/youthful finish. Cedar and espresso. Held strong over a few hours open. Not falling off a cliff, but don’t miss this window if you have some! — 3 hours ago
Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
As part of my white wine flight theme, I wanted to compare Hyde and Hudson side by side, then finish with Kongsgaard, since it is a blend of both.
While more opulent in style compared to the Larry Hyde before it, this isn’t as full throttle as Hudson’s of old used to be. With almost 6yrs on it, this was fresh and fairly light on its feet. Same sweet aromatics of cotton candy, marzipan, and lemon cream. It’s rich/oily on the palate, but it doesn’t feel heavy or dense. Honeyed tropical fruits and baking spices with a nice, mildly sweet finish. I’m surprised to say this seems freshly bottled…tasty now though. — 3 hours ago
Shay A
Always fun to celebrate a birthday with a birth year bottle! I opened a bottle of this a few months back and couldn’t believe how good it was.
Coming from the famed Caldwell vineyard, this has such a bright eucalyptus note! Deep red/black in the glass with no bricking! Dusty fig, sweet espresso, dirty red and black berry fruit. Even after following from bottle over 3-4hrs, this has a natural cool/minty vibe alongside dark cocoa and sweet black cassis. So much youth and tannin! I should have spaced my two bottles out…these are still cruising! — 3 hours ago