Wonderful tasting with some amazing food and wine.
- 2015 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills – USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills
Day 1: Lemon, spice, mild oak, vanilla and wafer. Good acidity and complex wine. Medium plus finish. 92 points
Day 2: Solid with lemon, spice, vanilla, wafer and citrus. Not a powerhouse Chardonnay and certainly not a White Burg but very enjoyable wine. 91 points (92 pts.) - N.V. Vazart-Coquart Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut – France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Light style with sea breeze aromatics along with lemon, pear and yeast. Short to medium finish and good acidity. Solid. (90 pts.) - N.V. Marc Hébrart Champagne Premier Cru Brut Rosé – France, Champagne
Pale rose color. Very solid NV Rose and as Rocknroller states should cost more but happy it doesn’t. Rose petals, strawberry, pie crust, citrus and apple. Medium plus finish and quite complex. Certainly will be buying these in the future. Excellent. (92 pts.) - 2014 Arnot-Roberts Chardonnay Trout Gulch Vineyard – USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
Refreshing take on California Chardonnay. Always enjoy the Santa Cruz Mountain wines for their less in your face philosophy. Grapefruit, minerals, floral and sour apple. Short to medium finish. Good acidity and balanced. It would be hard to pick this as a Chardonnay in a blind tasting. (91 pts.) - 2011 Domaine Serene Chardonnay Evenstad Reserve – USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
I enjoyed this wine and quite complex overall. Carmel, stones, apple, vanilla and mild oak. Medium plus finish and multilayered flavors. Drinking really well. Drink now to 2021. (92 pts.) - 2001 Daniel Moine-Hudelot Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Enjoyable wine to drink. This is very sublet but flavorful. Iron, red currants, soy and floral notes. Short to medium finish. Drink now to 2022. Would be fun to try this one over two days. (91 pts.) - 2007 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Vosne-Romanée – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Earth, minerals, cherry and wood. Medium finish. Solid wine overall but hard to get past the price point when you can go to Oregon and get so much more for half the price. (88 pts.) - 2014 Trisaetum Pinot Noir Wichmann Dundee Estate – USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Another good showing. Perfume and fragrant wine with underbrush, rose petals, minerals and nice red currants. Medium plus finish and balanced wine. (92 pts.) - 2012 Cornerstone Cellars Pinot Noir – USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
The modern style invading Oregon. Very marginal wine at best and lacks complexity. Some heat, ripe fruit and earth. Medium finish and quite ordinary. (85 pts.) - 2012 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Justice Vineyard – USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola – Amity Hills
Really drinking well and should have a few more years left. Smoke, rose petals, earth, minerals and cherry notes. Medium plus finish. Good concentration and drink until 2022. (92 pts.) - 1994 Staglin Family Cabernet Sauvignon Estate – USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford
Some left bank character with pencil lead, gravel and earth. This wine is a bit past peak but still drank well. Could easily see this a 94 a few years prior. Drink now. (91 pts.)