On solid footing, this is firm, tight, intense and focused, with a vibrant mix of zesty, earth-laced dark berry, cedar, crushed rock and subtle tobacco leaf notes. Best from 2020 through 2032.-JL
The 2013 Chardonnay Lauren Estate is made from 15-year-old vines from the old Wente and Mt. Eden clones of Chardonnay planted in Goldridge soils. This wine offers loads of nectarine, honeysuckle, liquefied rock, quince and white... Read More
The full-bodied, dense ruby-hued 2013 Pinot Noir Ritchie, which comes from the Calera clone of Pinot Noir, reveals plenty of beet root, forest floor, Asian hoisin sauce, plum, blackcurrant and cherry notes, as well as terrific... Read More
Tasted blind at the annual "Burgfest" tasting in Bouilland. The 2013 Meursault 1er Cru Charmes has quite an opulent bouquet, very "Charmes" in style you could say, with ample white peach, apricot and nectarine scents on the nose.... Read More
Tasted blind at the annual "Burgfest" tasting in Bouilland. The 2013 Meursault 1er Cru les Perrières was showing a faint reduction on the nose, but underneath there is a fine Perrieres here, sea spray and hazelnut notes beginning... Read More
The 2013 Châteauneuf du Pape is a beauty and has a rare level of concentration and depth in the vintage. Blueberry, crushed flowers, pepper, and violet aromas and flavors flow nicely to a medium to full-bodied, structured and... Read More
From a vineyard that has the highest clay content of all the estate vineyards, the 2013 Syrah Armada Vineyard is a classically built Syrah that has lots of northern Rhone-like meaty, gamey notes as well as ample dark fruits, beef... Read More
Grenache seemed to handle the heat nicely in 2013 and the 2013 Grenache God Only Knows Armada Vineyard offers a gorgeous, rich, almost masculine style (especially when it's tasted next to the No Girls Grenache) in its dark... Read More
A wine that continued to change and develop in the glass was the 2013 Syrah en Chamberlin Vineyard, which is the smallest production cuvee of the 2013 single vineyard releases (there's 340 cases). Notes of smoke, charcuterie,... Read More
Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting in Beaune, the 2013 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru from Hudelot-Noëllat winemaker, Charles van Canneyt, has a modest bouquet with pretty red plum and redcurrant aromas, the oak lending some lift... Read More
The 2013 Cariad Proprietary Red Wine, a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc and 9% Petit Verdot, shows great intensity, with a slightly more burning ember and scorched earthiness to it, giving it a... Read More
Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting in Beaune, the 2013 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru was showing quite a lot of fruit extraction on the nose, darker than the Bonnes-Mares from either Bruno Clair or Domaine de la Vougeraie: blackberry... Read More
Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting in Beaune, the 2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses has a composed bouquet with good fruit intensity, blueberry and wild strawberry, neatly integrated oak, a real presence. The palate... Read More
From a large vineyard (Gap's Crown is roughly 130 acres), the 2013 Pinot Noir Gap's Crown Vineyard comes from a smaller 37-acre parcel owned by Kosta Browne, which lies at an elevation of 1,000 feet above sea level. Harvest... Read More
One of the more tight and backwards efforts from this vineyard, the 2013 Pinot Noir Garys' Vineyard was mostly destemmed (19% whole clusters) and aged 16 months in 46% new French oak. Medium-bodied, focused and downright racy... Read More
The last vineyard harvested, the 2013 Pinot Noir Kanzler Vineyard, wasn't brought in until between the 8th and 11th of October. Mostly destemmed and aged 16 months in just under 40% new French oak, it has a cool, fresh, perfumed... Read More
A classic representation of this first rate site, the 2013 Pinot Noir Rosella's Vineyard offers a pretty, perfumed style in its black raspberry, rose petal, violets and floral bouquet. Tight, reserved and slightly backwards,... Read More
Much more upfront and ready to go than the Santa Lucia Highlands releases, the deep ruby colored 2013 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley offers tons of juicy berry fruits, spice, underbrush and floral characteristics in its medium... Read More
Harvest between September 6th and October 2nd, the 2013 Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands is a flat out gorgeous Pinot Noir that offers tons of black raspberries, crushed flowers and spice-like characteristics on the nose. Seeing... Read More
A 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc blend from the Plateau of Pomerol near the church, the wine has an inky/purple color, a sweet kiss of mulberry and black cherry liqueurs, interwoven with licorice, truffle, a hint of melted... Read More
The 2013 l'Evangile shows a slightly deeper color as well as more noticeable ripe raspberry and black cherry fruit intermixed with notions of licorice and incense. Again, there is no hint of herbaceousness or tannic astringency... Read More
The 2013 Lafleur was one of my favorite wines from barrel because, as Baptiste Guinaudeau remarked when I visited the property, he did not try to make a Pomerol beyond what it could be. The nose might not possess the complexity... Read More
Fruity, light-bodied, pleasant, lush and charming, Lynch Bages' winemaking team was hesitant to push for any kind of extraction or density because of the pressures from rot. However, they have avoided any harshness in the... Read More
While I thought this cuvee would show better from bottle, it's still impressive and shines for its finesse and elegance. Lighter in color than I remember (which was true with all of the 2013 No Girls and Cayuse releases),... Read More