TNs: Cristal, Marguet, Leroy, Collin, Prevost, Rhys, Big Basin, Marcassin, Diamond Creek...

Got a bunch of bottles open this past Saturday, with some of them being available for re-taste a day later. I often enjoy the idea of doing the leftover wines on a second day, as it allows aeration, my palate to focus better, too. And, as I get older, I just don’t seem to have the acuity of my senses when I am faced with 10 wines in one setting. And, whether or not we should give a cadre of wine critics the latitude to do this, to taste 20, 30 or more wines in a sitting/day, then publish results and ratings and then let the market be influenced by these reports, I just don’t believe it it. In sum, I speak through my own lens, with notes written from care and passion, and like the critics and scores, you should deem my notes with whatever credence you feel. I simply thank you for reading them, and for whatever value you can get from them.

Below are my notes, from an outside table shared with some good friends, many who I have not seen in several months. Just sharing these bottles from my cellar (I was the host, and had the bully rights to pick and pour what I decided), to see some joy from people who mean a great deal to me, that was worth it. Note–the 2012 Cristal was brought to the table by one of my guests, and was also poured blind. That was a generous way to start the flights. [cheers.gif] I also blinded a 2013 Rivers-Marie Summa OV, but didn’t take any notes. blush

WINES DONE BLIND - (6/15/2020)

  • 2012 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut - France, Champagne
    Had a brief taste of this, about 3 ounces. We poured it at a temp of about 68f, too. Lime skin, citrus, rainwater quality with a honeyed tone around the fruit with some mineralogy in the finish. Reminds me of the 2009 with the opulence arrayed with the minerality.


  • 2014 Marguet Champagne Les Saints Remys - France, Champagne
    Disgorged February 2019, 100% Pinot Noir, no dosage. Some debate about this wine at the table. Some called it lean, and while I do find it structured and powerful, I don’t think of it as lean. Some berry notes (some did not get these but I did, especially as the wine warms up) of black cherry and raspberry, crips apple and a lot of salinity in this bottle. With Marguet, you’re not going to find big textures or expansive palate impressions. For me, and this wine is no different for Benoit’s style, I find the wine more linear, more racy–I enjoy this style. Of note, the 2014 range is just a more wound up vintage for Marguet, and I have found this to be true in mostly the entire range. My advice on this vintage is to let the wines breathe in the glass, and also to not serve them too cold. The beauty of these is then allowed to come through.
  • 2015 Jérôme Prévost Champagne La Closerie Extra Brut Les Beguines - France, Champagne
    Just cannot find any label info to report, which seems odd to me. Smoky, excellent palate weight, expansive and pure. Finishes creamy and tangy. I realize these are broad references, without any real flavor markers, but as a testament to the wine, it was drained at the table and I had nothing to retest the following day.


  • 2013 Rémi Leroy Champagne Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne
    Disgorged October 2018, 2 g/l dosage and 100% Chardonnay. Tasted over two days (and I actually have enough for a third day, to be finished tonight). Aromas of lees and lemon verbena with fresh cut apple. Lemony, clean and balanced and when warmer gets creamier, reminding me of a well-built, pure still Chardonnay. We poured this next to the Ulysse Collin Pierrieres, and I found the Leroy to be juicier and more racy than that wine, too.
  • 2015 Ulysse Collin Champagne Les Pierrières - France, Champagne
    Disgorged March 2019, a blend of 2014 and 2015. Wow, this is the real deal. The best Chardonnay bubbly I have had so far in 2020, and a wine headed for my WOTY list. Tasted over two days. On Day 1, this is intense, concentrated with flinty lemon curd and a long intense finish. The citrusy lemon has an opulent quality, not racy. Even a touch of caramel came through. On Day 2, it now adds some grapefruit, glossy yellow apple, peach and a gorgeous concentration of a long, lemony finish. This is just an amazing bottle of Champagne, one that left me very impressed. If this is the quality of wines made by Collin, I am thrilled. I still have Maillons to open, and I will be adding more of the range to my cellar over the coming year.


  • 2007 Marcassin Chardonnay Three Sisters Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
    I poured this blind, next to the Rhys 2017 Horseshoe Chard. The contrast was stark, as the Rhys seemed to receive the most positive praise, head and shoulders above. For my POV on the Marcassin, I simply found it too oaky. So much so that I am not sure how this wine can be enjoyed. The color is a bit golden, with a lot of toast both in the aroma and palate. It’s just off-putting. As I think about the palate, this is so much better and satisfying, with yellow apple and good tension, with some additional lemon. I wonder then what this wine would be like if the oak was far less and the fruit was allowed to shine through. As a postscript, I tasted another bottle back in 2015 and my note says essentially the same thing so if we think that 5 years could even tame the oak from that point to now, I just don’t see the oak changing nor going away.
  • 2017 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
    The last time I had this wine was this past Summer at the winery, when I was extremely impressed with how it showed then. So, I had some expectation again as to whether it would deliver the same experience. Tasted over two days. On Day 1, this showed pineapple, lime, wet stone and an elegant, middle weight. For Day 2, this has really come together nicely. There is a light whiff of oak on the aroma, but nothing like the Rhys Chards of many vintages ago, when I found the wines too oaky. Now, I would say the winery has the oak checked and it’s doing a wonderful job of seasoning the wine lightly and beautifully. Back to Day 2…flavors of pear, banana, pineapple, fennel followed by a citrusy finish with a light touch of vanilla. The acid, fruit, weight and oak are all in harmony, with the wine finishing with a light minerality. Wonderful Rhys Chard, for sure.


  • 2017 Big Basin Vineyards Pinot Noir Old Corral Estate Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
    I had this open for about 36 hours so it got good breathing time. When we tasted it on the first day, a few at the table (it was poured blind, although not to me) thought it was an older wine. Interesting remark, but as I think about it when tasting it on the second day being open, I can understand that sensory comment. There is a cigar leaf, tobacco note in the aromatic, perhaps from the stem inclusion or perhaps in part or attributable to the vineyard–not sure. A solid depth of spicy fruit with a tangy, herby dark cherry that carries with it some power (FYI…this is labeled just over 13%). A unique wine for me, with the tangy, kind of rustic charm.
  • 2015 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill - USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain
    This saw about 4 hours of air before we poured it. I was kind of surprised with this wine, as I poured it blind for the group and I heard guesses like Petite Sirah or Syrah. For Cabernet, I would argue that would be guesses I would not be seeking as a winery with my craft. And I think the table felt some shock when I pulled off the bag and they saw what it was. This is full of dark red fruit, dense and concentrated, very modern. I enjoyed it but I am not sure how I distinguish this bottle from another high-end Napa Cab, especially from a winery like DC that has such a rich history and reputation. Maybe it was the vintage, maybe it was the style being sought, maybe both?
  • 1999 Stags’ Leap Winery Ne Cede Malis - USA, California, Napa Valley
    I opened this at the end of the tasting, without the same air the other wines had enjoyed, and it was poured blind. Of note, this was my oldest stored bottle in my cellar. I have to think maybe 15 years? There was a definite sediment layer on the side of the bottle as it had been laying down for so long. Drank over two days and this wine shows no signs of fading. It does though have a contrast as the aromatics do smell of an ‘old’ wine, with the cigar box note and tinge of brown. The color of the wine is nearly opaque, which is not surprising given it is mainly petite sirah that is woven through some other field blend varietals, planted in 1929. It is a little pruny, which I picked up on the second day, along with roasted coffee. Powerful, the fruit is very much alive, showing no signs of leaning up or getting thin. So, you have the aromas of something older, married with fruit that is crushing right along. An interesting stroll with a wine that has always been kind of iconic for me, with previous great memories of past bottles.

Posted from CellarTracker

Prevost still on your mind?? [wow.gif]

No, but Collin was and probably so much so that I blathered Prevost in a frenzy there. Fixed!

Excellent tasting, so good for the soul to gather with friends and great wines on a beautiful day. Big thanks to Frank and Jill for hosting, and a special tip of the cap to Blake Brown for making the long trip down and for gracing us with his positive spirit and energy.

Also, fantastic food from Maison in Dana Point. They consistently impress me. The ingredients are so fresh and high quality, and the chef lets that shine through with a light hand in the preparations.

2012 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut - France, Champagne
Ripe lemon and lemon curd. Very fine bubbles (I did not know on tasting it that the bottle had been opened yesterday), classy overall feel to the wine. Pineapple, sea shells, rainwater, long juicy finish. Joyous and harmonious. I guessed Cristal from a riper medium age vintage like 04.

2014 Marguet Champagne Les Saints Remys - France, Champagne
This was a pretty extreme example of the brut nature style. Very lean and bony, no sweetness or perception of ripe fruit. Ginger, green apple skin, high acid, a tart and salty finish. This might improve with some bottle age, if there is fruit lurking back there to support it. I agree with Frank that warmer serving temps would help here.
2015 Jérôme Prévost Champagne La Closerie Extra Brut Les Beguines - France, Champagne
Tasted in a flight with the Marguet, this was also in the same general style, but had some fruit ripeness and generosity to it. Some smoke and flint on the nose. Yellow apple, shaded by mineral and ginger. A nice wine. I was told at the table this was 100% pinot meunier with 2g dosage.

2013 Rémi Leroy Champagne Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne
A lean wine, dark shaded and featuring slate and saline notes. Some lemony notes emerge as it warms up. Definitely another one to drink warmer and probably after some aeration, otherwise all you’d get is stern mineral notes.

2015 Ulysse Collin Champagne Les Pierrières - France, Champagne
This was excellent. It had the ripe lemon and lemon cream notes and fine grained mouthfeel that reminded me more than a little of Cristal. Good concentration without weight, nice apple and lemon notes. It definitely exudes quality and craftsmanship.

2007 Marcassin Chardonnay Three Sisters Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
I guessed this as a luxury Napa chardonnay. This is a wine that is dominated by oak, both on the nose and the palate. The oak is not only too prominent and rather unpleasant, but it’s not integrated at all with the wine. It’s like you’re tasting two things in parallel - oak and wine - not one wine. I asked around the table if people would buy this wine at $25 if it could just be for your consumption, and nobody would have. I can sometimes find a way to appreciate oakier California chardonnay, like Ramey or Aubert, but this wasn’t even good in that kind of style category.

2017 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
This was excellent. Lemon and tropical fruit with some real intensity, but also pure and not heavy, with no prominent oak influence. Nice white spices and citrusy acids. I guessed that it was a high quality California producer making chardonnay in this styel, not Kutch (this is a little weightier and not quite as sharp as Kutch), and I was not surprised it was Rhys. I think this has room to develop more complexity with a few years of aging, though it’s good now and probably isn’t a very long aging wine.

2017 Big Basin Vineyards Pinot Noir Old Corral Estate Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains
The initial impression was a weird mix of candied red fruit with a stew of herbs and stems. But it came together in the glass pretty quickly, and I ended up liking its rustic charms. Red cherry, cinnamon, stems, bay leaf. I think in the style this was made, you’d want to give this at least a few years to knit together – all the components are good.

2013 Rivers Marie Pinot Noir Summa Old Vine.
Very classy pinot at probably its peak age. Smooth cherry and creamy orange fruit, some bay leaf and herb, very graceful and integrated overall.

2015 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill - USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain
A little context – this was served solo as the last wine (the Stags’ Leap was an unplanned bonus bottle afterwards), and Frank’s signature end of tasting wine is a big petite sirah, often Switchback Ridge or Carlisle. So, as many of us guessed this to be a petite sirah, it was based in some substantial part on Frank’s history. But it also was not a very cabernet-like wine. Almost glowing dark purple, lots of legs on the glass, purple berry fruit, vanilla, chalky tannins. Though no real heat, which was nice considering its initial impression was of a wine that might have that on the finish. If I could have imagined this being cabernet, I would not have pictured a classical producer like Diamond Creek. This did improve in the glass, and it might have been a wine that, at this young age, needed many hours in the decanter. Hard to say where this will go with age – the pedigree says it will be a good one, what I tasted in the glass was less certain.

1999 Stags’ Leap Winery Ne Cede Malis - USA, California, Napa Valley
Nice aged character of cedar and old furniture, big nose. Lots of dark, ripe plum, olive, brown sugar. A fun old wine, probably with some years ahead, yet I don’t think it will get better from here.

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Finishing up the Remi Leroy from Saturday’s tasting. Still fresh, still with bubbles on the third day. The lemony imprint, the focused structure…this bottle is as good as the one from several months ago, repeating the same level of quality and presence. I know everyone doesn’t want to drink grower Champagne, or organic farmed chard with very little dosage…but i really enjoy these kinds of wines. The Remi Leroy 2013 BdB is a great example of this kind of wine, done really well. Bravo, Remi.

Fascinating tasting Frankie, thank you for the notes! The '17 Shoe is a winner!

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One more…Day 3 and it’s done tonight. So much fruit juxtaposes against older aromatics. Fascinating stuff.

  • 1999 Stags’ Leap Winery Ne Cede Malis - USA, California, Napa Valley (6/15/2020)
    Blind; after the train wreck with the diamond Creek cabernet Frank pulls this wine out and now I’ve got to push all in on petite sirah one more time. when he said it was Napa I immediately jumped on stag’s leap.

You can tell this wine is older, it looks like the concentration and intensity and the color are backing off. There’s an aroma coming out of the glass that I usually wanted to call barnyard, but it wasn’t so I finally settled on a rusty nail. this one has old world character and charm that’s for sure with a nice plum flavor and the tannins are still supporting this wine. Super fun to drink and a piece of Napa history on 90 year old Vines.

  • 2007 Marcassin Chardonnay Three Sisters Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast (6/15/2020)
    Blind: Blake nailed this one. I guessed Rhys Chardonnay that had seen 200% new oak. I know that doesn’t exist but that’s what it tasted like.

I know people like this style but there’s zero chance but this will ever integrate because the wood is so dominant, it’s in your face and it doesn’t let up. Fascinating green hue in the glass, I’m wondering if it picked that up with age or was it bottled like that. It’s a shame from my perspective because the basic fruit is very nice and has a nice glycerin texture with a flinty gunpowder aroma. For me I wish they would have just backed off the oak.

There was a half a bottle left over, kind of says it all in this crowd.

  • 2013 Rémi Leroy Champagne Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne (6/15/2020)
    Blind: I guessed Blanc de Blanc but after the fiasco of calling a Marguet 100% Pinot Noir incorrectly a Blanc de Blanc I was skating on thin ice.

The wine has a nice lemon and Apple component but the mineral foundation really shines. There’s chalkdust and a hint of salinity.Yes there is strong acid but I thought it was nicely balanced in a angular style.

While I’ve never had the 2013 vintage I’ve been fortunate to have quite a few bottles of this wine from various other vintages and it consistently shows a muddled maroon color, beautiful ripe strawberry with a touch of sandalwood. A little sweet and fleshy.

This crossed the line for me regarding edginess. There’s not much fruit showing at this point which makes it a little difficult to just relax and enjoy. I’m not afraid of strong acidic wines but there needs to be a little more under the covers. This will probably aged for 50 years but I would be worried about the fruit component.

  • 2015 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill - USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain (6/15/2020)
    Blind; this one’s a slam dunk, this is petite sirah if I’ve ever had it. When Frank took us down the funnel and I knew that it wasn’t petite sirah I figured it must be Syrah or Petit verdot. Wow, shock is an understatement.

This tasting note is not going to be very popular. Very dark purple color, long purple legs running down the glass. The nose and palate are a dark plum with a hint of leather and Chambord. There’s a grittiness to the wine at this age. Everyone had difficulty identifying any Cabernet Sauvignon characteristics that’s scream Napa other than the concentration.

I was excited when I stuck my nose into this class because I can tell there was something more going on. I was a little concerned at the beginning because it poured very foamy, not that that’s an indicator of anything, but it just looked funny compared to the other sparklers. Just a hint of oxidation and a really nice mouthfeel, there’s a depth to the wine.

  • 2015 Ulysse Collin Champagne Les Pierrières - France, Champagne (6/15/2020)
    Blind; there’s nothing I can really say that’s not positive about this one. Green apple and citrus, salinity with a really nice balance. This was popular with everyone at the table and based on the tasting notes from the burg heads they seem to really like this one as well. Good stuff and only a 2014, this could be a tremendous wine with age.
  • 2017 Big Basin Vineyards Pinot Noir Old Corral Estate Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (6/15/2020)
    Blind: I guess Pinot Noir from a cool climate but that was it.

First let’s get this out of the way, there’s a quite a bit of stem and or oak at this point and it really needs to integrate for a couple more years because the red berries are soft and dainty, very tasty, but everything needs to come together and I’m sure it will. I’d like to taste this in 5 years.

  • 2017 Rhys Chardonnay Horseshoe Vineyard - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (6/15/2020)
    Blind: I guessed Kutch chardonnay from a recent vintage. Wrong but I was happy with the direction.

Delicious lemon and lime fruit with a hint of mint, which I’ve never done this before but was very attractive, and the lack of oak compared to the previous wine made this even more enjoyable. Very clean

Posted from CellarTracker

Really? Who are these people Frank? Are they the ones who like to get shoulder bags with their bubbles [snort.gif] ?

I`m including the notes that I send out to a large email list:

During the 10 years I’ve been on Wine Berserkers, some valued friendships have resulted and none more significant than with a group of guys in Orange County. From reading and responding to many threads, it was easily apparent that there were some wines that I had or that they had that we shared interest in and it seemed obvious that it would be a prudent move to join them for an evening of some shared passion and actually have a name to face engagement.

Thanks to Chris Seiber, I was invited to join their group, affectionally called The Book Club, for a dinner in Laguna Beach a couple of years ago and that was the start of a repetitive trek to the Southland that continues to be one of my highlights of the year.

Social distancing has prevented a return for the last few months, but now things have opened back up just a bit so this one becomes visit #4 and it was as stellar as any and unlike the others, it was done in a blind format which is always a major learning experience for me.

Our host, Frank Murray lll, supplied all of the wines and selected some of them unknown to and according to some of the preferences and desires of the attendees. He also coordinated fabulous food from Maison Cafe + Market in Dana Point that was portioned throughout the 4 hours of wondrous tasting and dining on his outside patio. Each of the wines were discussed as to who we thought was the producer, vintage, style and location which served to make this especially informative.

As great as the food and wine was, nothing comes close to the incredible fellowship and camaraderie that took place amongst the 7 of us. Many are well schooled and experienced wine savvy people and there were lots of pearls shared during this fun time.

I had stopped by Envoyer the day before to pick up some wines which included 3 bottles of 12` Cristal and just had to open one that night while taking in a sunset from a beachfront hotel room. I purposely left about 2/3 to take and share with the guys so it was capped off and remained at room temperature until I arrived at the venue and placed it in the frig for a chill. As it turned out, it was the first thing we drink and it was served blind with only a very slight chill.

2012 LOUIS ROEDERER CRISTAL BRUT- 60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonay; bottled in 13 and disgorged in 19 with 7.5 gpl; no ML and 32% was vinified in oak casks; the 2nd day taste had an entirely different profile as it is now super rich, creamy and full bodied with aromas and flavors going way beyond the initial fresh citrus lemon and lime notes as yellow peach, pear and nectarine are now expressed with a streak of honey running through from the nose through the finish.

It was a great start to a fabulous afternoon.

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Next up comes 2 blind champagnes:

2014 MARGUET CHAMPAGNE LES SAINTS REMYS MONTAGNE de REIMS- 100% d`Ambonnay Grand Cru Pinot Noir farmed biodynamically, 2446 were bottled 6/25/16, disgorged 2/19, sulfites @ a low level of 15 mg/l and zero dosage; it had a lovely nose of fresh cut flowers and citrus blossoms followed by a taste cherry/ apple with a saline finish; this was elegance personified with its light, frothy mousse which gingerly found its way to the back end.

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NV {2015} JEROME PREVOST LA CLOSERIE LES BEGUINES EXTRA BRUT- Prevost does not make a vintage labeled wine, but they are always a single vintage with the year of the harvest shown on the bottle, in this case, 2015; he typically ferments the wines about 17 months on the lees and dosed this one at 2 gpl, thus extra brut; this is 100% Pinot Meunier from estate fruit presented as a SVD and located in Gueux near Reims; this was the antithesis of the first wine as it had a much bigger personality albeit with some grace and charm; the nose was huge, intimates serious complexity and to explore beyond; on the palate was loads of ripe green apple, pear and stone fruit with apricot most prevalent; it was delivered in a relatively thick, viscous medium, had super bright acidity and a long, satisfying finish; this is GOOD stuff.

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We began to move into some of the amazing appetizers between flights here and throughout the remainder of the tasting. Next up:

2013 REMI LEROY BLANC de BLANC- this is rare bird as it is made from 100% Chardonnay sourced from the Aube region which is predominantly Pinot Noir; disgorged 10/18 with 2 gpl dosage; this beautifully balanced bubbly was a hit from the start with its immensely flavorful profile of fresh citrus fruit with especially lemon, along with apple and pear blending in; there’s a touch of unexpected sweetness from such a low dosage, but it’s a nice, softening accent to the tastiness as well as a streak of spice that comes in past mid palate; it finished on an upbeat and just exuded class throughout.

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NV ULYSSE COLLIN les PERRIERES EXTRA BRUT- all their champagnes are made from single vineyards and this one comes from Coteaux du Petit Morin; disgorged 3/19; I was surprised to find this was very similar to the Remi Leroy with just a bit more sweetness in the fruit; chalky lemon, white peach and apple are most evident and its hallmark may be its seamless, round profile and impeccable balance.

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More food and next flight with lots of input from everyone as to how the wines are showing for them. Next up, a couple of whites:

2007 MARCASSIN THREE SISTERS VINEYARD SONOMA COAST CHARDONNAY- up to this point, the 4 champagnes were a first time ever exposure for me, but not this one as a member of a Santa Barbara dinner group I’m in has been bringing lots of Marcassin wines over the last 10 years and this was so typical, that my first thought after getting a nose on it was this wine, any vintage; it displayed the typical oaky notes from the nose through the tail; this boisterous, full bodied wine is loaded with massive amounts of honeyed and vanilla laden lemon oil, tangerine, caramel, creme brûlée and minerals with the ever present oak influence; as one might expect, this is all being delivered in a lush, creamy texture which just enhances the bigness of the whole package; it’s whole cluster fermented; the old vines were grafted over to Wente clones; 100% ML; the vineyard is owned by the Martinellis.

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2017 RHYS HORSESHOE VINEYARD SANTA VRUZ MOUNTAINS CHARDONNAY- the Provost was the antithesis of the Marguet and this is the antithesis of the Marcassin; it has elegance and finesse and easily glides over the palate leaving a sense of calmness while delivering pleasantries all the way along to the back end; the oak in this wine is already fully integrated in its youthful state and bright acidity prevails while nice citrus notes are expressed in the form of lemon and lime along with green apple, mild creme brûlée and vanilla; it’s medium bodied and has amazing balance, again at this early state in life. Wente, Hyde and Mount Eden clones were used. As with the 2 aforementioned champagnes, our host selected perfect pairings for a blind format.

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More food and intelligent discussions continued before the next 2:

2017 BIG BASIN VINEYARDS OLD CORRAL SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS PINOT NOIR- !00% whole cluster with native yeasts for this 11-12 yer old estate vineyard; aged 17 months, unfined and unfiltered; the nose was super inviting with smoke, cinnamon and spice accents to the mild, fresh red cherry/ berry fruit which continued on in this medium bodied, elegant wine; this was my first sampling of any wine from this producer and I came away very impressed.

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2013 RIVERS-MARIE WINES SUMMA VINEYARD OLD VINES SONOMA COAST PINOT NOIR- 13.3% abv; I kind of had a hint that a R-M Summa might show up and I kept anticipating it with each red and this was definitely the one as it resembled 2 bottles of 2011 that I’ve had recently; the telltale note for me is first in the nose with a briary, cranberry cherry aroma that is also prominent in the taste; it had marvelous mouthfeel and a pleasurable richness to the fruit; one stated it had 10% stem inclusion.

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More food and discussion, then the last 2 wines:

2015 DIAMOND CREEK VINEYARDS VOLCANIC HILL VINEYARD CABERNET SAUVIGNON NAPA- 14.3% abv; this was a wine made for a blind tasting; I’m first thinking Switchback Ridge Petit Sirah because there was a distinct pepper accent and it was inky dark teeth staining purple; I heard others agree and some offer other possibilities like Syrah and Zinfandel, but when I reached deep into the olfactory senses, I got some leather and chocolate infused black currant and blackberry fruit and now I’m thinking Cab and Napa; well, it was a larger than huge wine loaded with super ripe dark fruit; a long decant would have been best, but not practical for the format.

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1999 STAGS LEAP WINERY NE CEDE MALIS RED WINE ESTATE GROWN RESERVE NAPA- this is made from a field blend of mostly Petite Syrah which was planted on the estate in the 1929 and represents their oldest block; also in the the blend is Carignane, Grenache, Syrah, Peloursin and Mourvedre; I got a mixture of notes that included mature fruit of dried prunes, blueberries and dark berries plus licorice, caramel, bacon fat and mocha; the myriad of flavors kept on changing and I’m thinking it really needs to be tracked over a couple of hours.

NE CEDE MALIS (pronounced Ne KAY Day Mah LEES) comes from the Latin phrase “Don’t give in to misfortune” the family motto of founder Horace Chase.

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Frank was the master craftsmen putting this all together. He had a vision and it showed when we passed each bottle as there was a perpetual smile on his face. I loved his choice of wines and some of his reasons for serving each one. And, all of this was after he co-paneled a Zoom call with a small champagne grower for Wine Berserker in the morning. What a guy! In fact, what a special group of guys!.

Cheers,
Blake

Frank, Chris and Brig, I have not had time to read your notes yet, but look forward to doing so and comparing our palates which should be fun and informative. We had a stellar day my friends.

Blake, you are such a good soul. Whenever I spend time with you, I feel like a better person, dude. You make people better. [worship.gif]

So what was your WOTD?

Answering for myself and not Blake, of course, my favorite of the wines you poured (i.e. excluding the Cristal) was the 2015 Ulysse Collin Champagne Les Pierrières, followed by the Rhys Horseshoe Chardonnay.

Thank you Brother Frank,
Aside from the Cristal which knocked my socks off after a so so night before showing, the 17` Big Basin was my fav with the Prevost a very close 2nd.

Chris,
Yes, the Rhys was really good too. Actually, I liked every wine for one reason or another even the light weight Marguet which has wondrous elegance that I enjoy in fine bubbly. Yes, I had to stretch it a lot to get behind the Marcassin, but I could and did drink a small pour and survived.

Agreed!