A few recent TNs (Marc Hébrart, Loring, Lussier, Mount Eden, von Winning, and Laherte Freres)

  • NV Marc Hébrart Champagne Premier Cru Mes Favorites - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru (7/2/2021)
    Powerful petillance. Rich, creamy and chalky. Red Apple skins and strawberries. A slight flint smokiness. Broad and well balanced texture. Very charming and accessible Champagne

ABV: 12%
Closure: natural cork
Decant: 20min
Stem: Gabriel Glas StandArt
Assemblage: 75% PN, 25% Chardonnay. 60% 2014, 20% 2013, 20% 2012. Malo in stainless steel and 2 years sur latte. Disgorged 28 Aug 2019


  • 2018 Loring Wine Company Pinot Noir Boekenoogen Vineyard - USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Lucia Highlands (7/2/2021)
    Bright red fruits for days on the nose. Strawberries and raspberries with a slight menthol note. Nice medium acid, and low tannins. Feels de-stemmed or minimal % of whole clusters. Clearly from the central coast with its luscious and clean red fruit flavour profile. Quite approachable now, though it’s all primary flavours and fruit forward. A few years in bottle would likely help.

Closure: Stelvin
Decant: 2h
Stem: Gabriel Glas StandArt


  • 2019 Lussier Pinot Noir Côte de Boont - USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley (7/3/2021)
    Bright, clean and tart red fruits on the nose. Cranberries and cherries with roses and a sassafras herbal freshness to give it some lift. Very good high acid backbone. For those that enjoy a mostly primary fruit driven PN, this is drinking really well now, though I think 3-5 years more in bottle would help this round even more. Has plenty of acid to last.

ABV: 13.6%
Closure: natural cork, I believe NDTech screened (cork stamped “ND030A0”)
Decant: 1h
Stem: Gabriel Glas StandArt
Assemblage: From Roma’s and Golden Fleece Vineyards. PN clones Pommard, Calera, 667 and 115. 25% whole cluster. 11 months in 25% new oak. 3 barrels produced.


  • 2016 Mount Eden Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Domaine Eden - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (7/3/2021)
    Bright, ripe black fruits. Blackberries, black cherries, and plums. Well integrated smooth tannins, medium acid. An enjoyable cab, albeit a simple fruit forward one. Feels like very middle of the road without much complexity. Not one I see wanting to age for the long term.

ABV: 13.5%
Closure: natural cork
Decant: 2h
Stem: Gabriel Glas StandArt
Assemblage: 79% CS, 12% Merlot, 7% CF, 2% PV. 24 months in 50% new oak (French + American)


  • 2019 von Winning Riesling ‘Winnings’ - Germany, Pfalz (7/4/2021)
    Ripe peach, and citrus peel. On the palate quite creamy with a slight salinity.
    Descent acid with some noticeable RS, I’d call it a feinherb, but there’s a creaminess from the oak that makes it leans towards kabinett at times

ABV: 11.5%
Closure: Stelvin
Decant: 2h
Stem: Gabriel Glas StandArt
Assemblage: mostly from Bichofsgarten with some fruit from Deidesheim. Stainless steel tanks and 10% 500-1500L used French & German old barrels.


Closure: DIAM
Decant: N/A
Stem: Gabriel Glas StandArt