The 2012 Pinot Noir Cix Estate was made from suitcase clones from Vosne-Romanee. It exhibits abundant notes of forest floor, blackberries, blueberries and spicy oak along with dry tannins in the finish. The wine is multi-dimensional... Read More
No tasting note for this wine. Mark Aubert is one of the contenders for California's finest practitioner of Burgundian-styled, yet classic, California Chardonnays. His offerings are all made like grand cru Burgundies with... Read More
Made from the Calera clone, the 212 Pinot Noir Ritchie Vineyard offers up plenty of cola and root beer notes intermixed with black cherry, dusty, loamy soil and foresty nuances. Deep and medium to full-bodied with fresh, lively... Read More
No tasting note for this wine. Mark Aubert is one of the contenders for California's finest practitioner of Burgundian-styled, yet classic, California Chardonnays. His offerings are all made like grand cru Burgundies with... Read More
The grand vin, the 2012 Beychevelle, is one of the stars of St.-Julien. Opaque purple, with beautiful crème de cassis notes, the wine has floral underpinnings, sweet tannin and a nice layered, multi-dimensional mouthfeel. This... Read More
A blend of 97% Zinfandel and 3% mixed blacks, the 2012 Zinfandel Bedrock Vineyard offers briary, raspberry and black cherry notes. This earthy, peppery, spicy, medium to full-bodied Zinfandel possesses good acidity and headiness.... Read More
Another longer-term prospect is the 2012 Syrah Armada Vineyard. One of the more burly, structured releases from this estate, it's always poured after the Bionic Frog and is the last Syrah we taste in a vintage. The 2012 gives... Read More
Structured and backward, the 2012 Grenache God Only Knows Armada Vineyard offers lots of framboise, black cherries, bouquet garni and spice to go with a full-bodied, seamless, elegant feel on the palate. It picks up more and more... Read More
With a dense purple color and gorgeous levels of fruit, especially black raspberry and blackcurrant, this full-bodied, opulent style of wine is another great success for Clinet, a château that has been on top of its game for the... Read More
The wine that probably gets ignored, but shouldn't be, is their small production of 350-400 cases of Syrah from their estate vineyard. The 2012 IX Syrah Estate blew me away, and I've said many times that it always tastes... Read More
The 2012 Echezeaux Grand Cru includes one-third whole cluster fruit and the 0.55-hectares yielded 4 barrels this year (three new). It has a deep, very well defined bouquet with dark cherry, blackcurrant and incense that unfolds... Read More
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon (virtually all Cabernet Sauvignon) exhibits rich blackcurrant, forest floor, unsmoked cigar tobacco, and hints of licorice and new barriques. Dominated by its fruit, this full-bodied, plush, opulent... Read More
This wine has a beautiful, dense, opaque bluish/purple color, with loads of sweet fruit, no noticeable oak, earth, spice and a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel. The finish is long, opulent and beautifully textured. This is stunning... Read More
The 2012 Richebourg Grand Cru comes from Bernard's 0.68-hectare parcel between Cros Parantoux and Aux Brulees towards the upper part of the slope. It has the best bouquet by far: fragrant redcurrant and raspberry fruit, palpable... Read More
The 212 Minervois La Ciaude, which is mostly old-vine Carignan with smaller parts Syrah and Grenache, also has serious minerality to go with tangy black cherry, black fruits, leather and violet aromas and flavors. Medium-bodied,... Read More
My favorite of the 2012s, the 2012 Minervois Les Carretals (named after the vineyard where it comes from) offers deep, layered aromas and flavors of cassis and crunchy dark fruits, licorice, vanilla bean and searing minerality.... Read More
Similarly styled (to the 2010), the 2012 Pinot Noir Gap's Crown has plenty of charred spices, plum, licorice, scorched earth and dried flowers to go with a medium to full-bodied, rich, yet nicely focused style on the palate.... Read More
Classic in style, with pretty red berry styled fruits, assorted spring flowers, white pepper and loads of baking spices (all-spice, cinnamon, clove), the 2012 Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch Vineyard comes from the Green Valley appellation... Read More
The 2012 Pinot Noir Koplen Vineyard has an edgy, vibrant feel with its plum and sweet black cherry fruits, charred spices and licorice giving way to hints of spring flowers and mint. Layered, beautifully pure and defined, with... Read More
The straight 2012 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley is a gorgeous Pinot. Subtle and nuanced, yet no lightweight, it offers layers of mulled red and black fruits, cinnamon, loamy earth and dried flowers on the nose. Every bit as... Read More
A beautiful effort that certainly competes with the single-vineyard releases, the 2012 Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands offers up a gorgeous bouquet of black cherries, black raspberry, wild herbs, rose petal and Asian spice to... Read More
The 2012 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast is a beautiful wine that comes from four vineyards, Gap's Crown, Griffin's Lair, Terra de Promissio and Walala. It has a deep ruby/semi-opaque color that is followed by a youthful, rich... Read More
Composed of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2012 Les Forts de Latour has a medium to deep garnet-purple color and nose of redcurrants, black cherries and kirsch with menthol, cigars and dried herbs.... Read More
The 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Diamond Mountain tastes like a first-growth Pauillac. Notes of licorice, crème de cassis, graphite, beef blood and forest floor are all present in this full-bodied, extraordinarily pure, majestic wine... Read More