Paul Lato Chard, Oliver’s Vineyard (Edna Valley) ’20- salty, stony minerals, touch of lemon curd/croissant. Showing a sneaky richness for a lighter, carefully oaked chard. Slightly shy, still gorgeous. Not as captivating as his 2014 Pisoni Vnyd Chard I tried last year, but the age played a huge part in that, and this 2020 could easily flesh out with time.
Raen, “Lady Marjorie” Chard (Sonoma Coast) ’22- early stage but perfumed, apple pie, white flowers, sea breeze. Acidity was a bit higher here, which was nice. My wife and I preferred this to the Lato, but loved both. Although it’s obviously another cellaring candidate, even being a couple years younger than the Lato, it was definitely more ready. Both were examples of CA chard made with a careful hand, not as precise as say, Arnot-Roberts, but very far from low-acid oak bombs.
Domaine Forey, Morey-Saint-Denis, ’20- Pinot 1/4, rich 2020 Burgundy with saturated black cherry/mulberry, big dose of bright, meaty charcuterie tones, pretty expressive, lots of “burgundy baby fat”, lush and delicious. Not to sound like a broken record, but this is definitely one to lay down for a few years. It’s expressive and amazing right now, sure. It’s just that it’ll obviously expand and evolve in a cool way. Similar in some ways to a 2020 Domaine Arlaud Gevrey village we shared recently, although I’d say the Arlaud showed greater depth and darker fruit, maybe built for even longer aging.
François Confuron-Gindre, Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru “Les Chaumes” ’17- Pinot 2/4, disappointing 🙁 Muted fruit, vague spice. Unusually tannic/tough. We decided it wasn’t corked, but it could have been damaged somehow…maybe. Also possible it’s just not a well-made wine. I spent longer trying to decide if this was flawed or not than any wine I’ve ever tried in the past, lol.
Arnot-Roberts Pinot Noir, Clary Ranch (Sonoma Coast) ’16- Pinot 3/4- SMOKE SHOW. My fave US producer most days, for good reason. Aromatic forest floor, foraged mushrooms, pine sap, fresh mint, highly mineral-tinged cherry, even some cherry candy brightness, but a lot more about the cool, dark earth tones. Electric acidity, structured, ultrafine tannin. Absolutely bursting with complexity, energy, and confident, singular character. Served blind, another PN lover thought it could be Chambolle. Unanimous WOTN, and the least expensive of the lineup, at least for what I paid on winebid. Producer over all.
Soter Pinot Noir, Mineral Springs Ranch (Yamhill, OR) ’21- we opened this as a late pull while I made cheeseburgers. Even with a torched palate, gorgeous wine. Classic top Oregon…pure bing cherry, maybe some bright pine needle, wet stone, highly perfumed, gentle little weight to it. Not complex yet, but not closed. Wish I could have taken more detailed notes- my first time with Soter, but Oregon in general is one of my top regions.
Barruol-Lynch, Côte-Rôtie “La Boisselée” ’17- fairly silky and fruit-rich for Northern Rhone Syrah, lots of deep black plum and cherry, a tiny touch of kalamata olive and glazed BBQ meat. Great stuff, and of course it could age longer to coax out more savory complexity. Frankly I was a little surprised at the “new world” quality here- it’s not a heavy wine at all (13%) nor a “fruit bomb”, it just has a lot of rich, round fruit for a Côte-Rôtie in my experience, especially with a little age on it. The umami is emerging slowly.
The Standish Shiraz (Barossa, AUS) ’18- so concentrated, explosive but without any reliance on excessive oak- this is unadorned, deep majestic fruit. Blackberry compote, creme de cassis, violets, some allspice. Heady and commanding, but pure and elegant. Killer. Some folks blinded it as Napa or really ripe Bordeaux, and I can see why, especially as the “creme de cassis” note is a very deliberate mention on my part, VERY much a similar kind of fruit you might find in a high-end Cab, and kind of rarely in syrah. I preferred this wine a couple years ago when it felt a little more “high and tight”- but the incredible fruit was hard to ignore. One of my favorite producers of syrah for sure, and one of the few aiming for a full-bodied style without relying on heavy oak.
sgeeum
i’ve been sitting on a soter mineral springs ranch for a couple years now waiting for the perfect opportunity to pop it open. loved it in the tasting
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Paul Lato Chard, Oliver’s Vineyard (Edna Valley) ’20- salty, stony minerals, touch of lemon curd/croissant. Showing a sneaky richness for a lighter, carefully oaked chard. Slightly shy, still gorgeous. Not as captivating as his 2014 Pisoni Vnyd Chard I tried last year, but the age played a huge part in that, and this 2020 could easily flesh out with time.
Raen, “Lady Marjorie” Chard (Sonoma Coast) ’22- early stage but perfumed, apple pie, white flowers, sea breeze. Acidity was a bit higher here, which was nice. My wife and I preferred this to the Lato, but loved both. Although it’s obviously another cellaring candidate, even being a couple years younger than the Lato, it was definitely more ready. Both were examples of CA chard made with a careful hand, not as precise as say, Arnot-Roberts, but very far from low-acid oak bombs.
Domaine Forey, Morey-Saint-Denis, ’20- Pinot 1/4, rich 2020 Burgundy with saturated black cherry/mulberry, big dose of bright, meaty charcuterie tones, pretty expressive, lots of “burgundy baby fat”, lush and delicious. Not to sound like a broken record, but this is definitely one to lay down for a few years. It’s expressive and amazing right now, sure. It’s just that it’ll obviously expand and evolve in a cool way. Similar in some ways to a 2020 Domaine Arlaud Gevrey village we shared recently, although I’d say the Arlaud showed greater depth and darker fruit, maybe built for even longer aging.
François Confuron-Gindre, Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru “Les Chaumes” ’17- Pinot 2/4, disappointing 🙁 Muted fruit, vague spice. Unusually tannic/tough. We decided it wasn’t corked, but it could have been damaged somehow…maybe. Also possible it’s just not a well-made wine. I spent longer trying to decide if this was flawed or not than any wine I’ve ever tried in the past, lol.
Arnot-Roberts Pinot Noir, Clary Ranch (Sonoma Coast) ’16- Pinot 3/4- SMOKE SHOW. My fave US producer most days, for good reason. Aromatic forest floor, foraged mushrooms, pine sap, fresh mint, highly mineral-tinged cherry, even some cherry candy brightness, but a lot more about the cool, dark earth tones. Electric acidity, structured, ultrafine tannin. Absolutely bursting with complexity, energy, and confident, singular character. Served blind, another PN lover thought it could be Chambolle. Unanimous WOTN, and the least expensive of the lineup, at least for what I paid on winebid. Producer over all.
Soter Pinot Noir, Mineral Springs Ranch (Yamhill, OR) ’21- we opened this as a late pull while I made cheeseburgers. Even with a torched palate, gorgeous wine. Classic top Oregon…pure bing cherry, maybe some bright pine needle, wet stone, highly perfumed, gentle little weight to it. Not complex yet, but not closed. Wish I could have taken more detailed notes- my first time with Soter, but Oregon in general is one of my top regions.
Barruol-Lynch, Côte-Rôtie “La Boisselée” ’17- fairly silky and fruit-rich for Northern Rhone Syrah, lots of deep black plum and cherry, a tiny touch of kalamata olive and glazed BBQ meat. Great stuff, and of course it could age longer to coax out more savory complexity. Frankly I was a little surprised at the “new world” quality here- it’s not a heavy wine at all (13%) nor a “fruit bomb”, it just has a lot of rich, round fruit for a Côte-Rôtie in my experience, especially with a little age on it. The umami is emerging slowly.
The Standish Shiraz (Barossa, AUS) ’18- so concentrated, explosive but without any reliance on excessive oak- this is unadorned, deep majestic fruit. Blackberry compote, creme de cassis, violets, some allspice. Heady and commanding, but pure and elegant. Killer. Some folks blinded it as Napa or really ripe Bordeaux, and I can see why, especially as the “creme de cassis” note is a very deliberate mention on my part, VERY much a similar kind of fruit you might find in a high-end Cab, and kind of rarely in syrah. I preferred this wine a couple years ago when it felt a little more “high and tight”- but the incredible fruit was hard to ignore. One of my favorite producers of syrah for sure, and one of the few aiming for a full-bodied style without relying on heavy oak.
i’ve been sitting on a soter mineral springs ranch for a couple years now waiting for the perfect opportunity to pop it open. loved it in the tasting