Shay A

9.4

@Delectable Wine : This is the Madson little cloud vineyard Pinot Noir. I didn’t see it in the database.

Here I am a few days later still thinking about this wine…asking myself why I’ve never heard of this producer? Why aren’t these wines more common? Most importantly, when can I get more?

13.3%ABV; 100% whole cluster; 1 barrel (20 cases); 70% Little Cloud Vineyard, 30% Savaria Vineyard

It’s not common these days to have a domestic wine catch me off guard due to exposure across wine platforms, tasting groups, reading/research, etc, so I had no expectation of this wine. When I poured it in the glass, the translucent ruby color and the smell of whole cluster snapped me to attention real quick. Aromatics of cranberries, green herbs, violets, fresh potpurri fill the glass immediately. It drinks like the old Calera Jensen Pinots of 15+yrs ago…feral, crunchy, stemmy, bright, electric acidity but so much power carrying through to a wonderful finish of spiced rhubarb.

I don’t seek out many Pinot producers (especially Cali ones) but I’m going down the rabbit hole with this one. — a month ago

S.S. Mandani

9.0

Going for a walking picnic soon, so I’ve got my summer hat locked and loaded.

Turf, thorny rose stems, the white pith of grapefruit. Super vegetal. Like forest moss.

Tart. Puckered peaches, pineapples, and cherry pie. It’s unctuous like a sharp cheddar. Tannic and acidic. Bubbles and a bit more sugar would be welcome here to round out the intensity.

In my mouth, a field of orange trees have been planted. — 5 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

The first audible of the night was this stunning 2015 Hubert Lignier M-S-D 1er VV that John pulled out in between the Rabbit and Beef courses. Full disclosure, I get twitterpated when a bottle of H. Lignier gets opened. There’s just something in the style that’s mesmerizing across the range, from the Passetoutgrain to the Clos de la Roche. These are wines of power and grace. Well fruited but with layers of complexity. John considers this to be the best value of H. Lignier’s offerings. Hard to argue. — 6 years ago

George

9.3

Chardonnay — 9 months ago

Peter Sultan

9.0

From Castilla Y Leon, & at 14.5% abv, not something that typically attracts me. But the importer Pastor brings in great sherries, so down the rabbit hole I went. Glad I went. Pours an inky black, with integrated blackberries & cassis on nose & on palate. Fills up the mouth but in balance- like Juan Gil, does not drink big or taste out of balance. If anything, tastes more like a black fruited Chinon, especially with a fine graininess to its texture. Had with harissa chicken & quinoa. — 3 years ago

with Owen

Fredrik Finn

9.0

GD Vajra Barolo Albe, my first wine-aha moment, the white rabbit which I followed down the rabbit hole into the wonderland of wine. The 2016 vintage does of course not awake the same tingling experience as back then, nevertheless it is a very solid perforermer and a well representative of its provenance, probably one of the better Barolos of Systembolagets standard assortment.
Primary red fruit with fresh raspberries, red cherries, rose hip and cherry liqueur followed by a perfumed lift of rose water and bitter orange with a vague, but nonetheless present savoury meat stock character that is luring in the background. A mouth watering acidity and a strong grip from the high but approachable and fine grained tannins directs the palate and surrounds the red, slightly tart (cranberries) but pleasant fruit character through a good finish. Give it a couple of hours in the decanter and a nice spin in your glass and its will drink beautifully today. Falls a bit short on the length to qualify for the higher division but it can walk out the ring with its head held high. — 5 years ago

Donald Williams

9.4

Beautiful light red, just right with the duck and the rabbit entrees. So happy they were out of the wine we ordered. — 2 years ago

with Bonnie

Adam Kincaid

9.2

‘Örökségül’ is Hungarian for ‘Heritage’ which means something when you know the head winemaker has been spending the last few years ceding control of the modest hand built winery/cellar to his daughter and her husband.

The wine doesn’t just have a cool name, it’s phenomenal. Cab Franc and a blaufränkisch (kekfrancos) blend. The nose is dried rose petals and spice, a bit of earthy leather, like your favorite worn boot. Bright red fruit flavors jump out though, bringing home a really balanced and beautifully structured wine full of cloves and spices hat paired perfectly with this lamb and hummus. — 4 years ago

with Jillian

Nniccolò Contenta

9.5

Awesome vintage and at a great point in its evolution. Long animalistic syrah, game, cigarette ash, rabbit fur, background of black pepper, smooth rounded tannin. Great bouquet jumping out, light on palate — 6 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.8

One of the absolute best white wines I’ve had so far this year to date was this extraordinary Grand Cru Chablis from 2006. I think we caught this wine at the absolute perfect time to drink. Grenouilles is French for frog, more on that below.
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The color on this was perfect, a vibrant light gold and yellow, watery at the rim. The nose was also in perfect condition, notes of flint, crushed oyster shell, a touch of smoke, allied with fresh Asian pear and crisp Fuji apple. The wind absolutely jumped out of the glass, the nose was so pronounced. The palage took it another level up with a perfect expression of what the nose was giving, all the while wrapped up in a perfect medium bodied majorly dense and complex wine. Medium plus acidity and very long on the finish.
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Formed in 1923, la Chablisienne is a co-op winery based of course in Chablis. As I have gone deeper into the rabbit hole of wine I tend to find these amazing co-ops which I wish I could have known about earlier as the wines are so impeccably good and priced so reasonably well. They produce something like 30 different wines off from the Chardonnay grape and all from vineyards within the AOC borders of Chablis.
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The Grenouilles climat is the smallest of the 7 Chablis Grand Cru climat at 9.38 hectares. It has soils that consist of upper and middle layers of Kimmeridgian, alternating with limestone and marl that are studded with fossilised seashells.
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The first vines to grow at the bottom of this hill were close to the River Serein and frogs no doubt came to keep the winegrowers company. — 6 years ago