The basics of the ABCs

 Au Bon Climat- A long respected and style-consistent brand, crafted by the late Jim Clendenen and based in Santa Barbara. Whenever I see that triangle, I know there is quality juice inside.

2019 Au Bon Climat Los Alamos Vineyard Santa Barbara County Chardonnay (Historic Vineyards Collection)

A gentle yet present oak toast provides baking spice and vanilla to the fruit giving impressions of apple and pear galette along with toasted pineapple aromas. 

It gives flavors of baked apple and pear, honey, tangerine, ripe peach and toasted pineapple. There are accents of warm spices and vanilla with a creme brulee richness all balanced by bright acidity.

It's rich in flavor without being dense or heavy, ripe and juicy without being flabby and relies on great fruit in balance without being high in alcohol (13.5%). Delicious wine, gorgeous and layered with lovely vibrancy. 

2018 Baxter Run Dog Vineyard Anderson Valley Pinot Noir

 Red delicious apple greets the nose and that apple skin leads into allspice, red berry and plum fruit. There is an underlying savory, sanguine edge to the aromas. 

The palate has flavors of pomegranate, red and black plum and acai accented by clove and nutmeg. There is nice structure here with good tension between the acid and tannin backbone; all is in balance. It has a savory undercurrent with blood orange and tangerine pith, finishing on Luxardo cherries. 

4 barrels were made and I acquired this at the tasting room in Anderson Valley, so unsure of its accessibility at this point in time. It may well be sold out, but I submit that future vintages are worth seeking out. 

2020 Littorai Charles Heintz Vineyard Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

 This tends to be my personal favorite of the Chards I have tasted from Littorai and is the first one I gravitate toward when I get the allocation notice. 

There is a beautiful purity of fruit on the nose with aromas of green skinned apples, pears with hints of white peach and slight suggestions of pineapple. There is a greenness present that adds a pleasant, fresh meadow-like layer ending on citrus pith. 

It's lively on the palate with a lithe texture lifted by acidity. It shows restraint and real elegance with ripeness in its fruit, yet isn't showy or overt. A streak of minerality frames delicate orchard fruits that match the aromas of apple and pear with flecks of tangerine, slivers of almond and the slightest suggestion of fresh cream. There is real freshness and verve to the wine and it finishes clean with great acidity throughout. 

This Winesday called for a Big Dam Cab!

 2014 Brown Estate Big Dam Cab Cabernet Sauvignon

Fruit from a single acre on the estate, name after the Big Dam Reservoir it slopes from, produces this wine. 

I bought it having really enjoyed it at a tasting of their wines. They make some of the most stellar Zinfandels in Napa, so I recommend you seek them out. 

This tiny production Cab isn't readily available, but thought I'd share my thoughts anyway. 

It has a rich nose of cassis and Luxardo cherry with hints of oak vanillin and cocoa shavings. 

It's got a dense approach on the palate, remaining until the finish, showing flavors of fig jam, cassis, black plum, black cherry and almost a suggestion of Creme de Violette. Toward the back palate, some of the dark cocoa emerges. It has lively acidity to balance the weight and is nicely balanced throughout. It lingers long and shows plenty of life ahead of it. Hints of black olive on the finish.

It has an interesting earthiness I'd usually associate with mountain fruit, giving it nice complexity and layers of flavor. Very nice. 

2020 Maggy Hawk Chardonnay Skycrest Vineyard

 Not readily available except through allocation or at their tasting room in Anderson Valley, Mendocino, this wine has been very enjoyable since its launch. 

Maggy Hawk first began as single clone expressions of Pinot Noir from the Maggy Hawk vineyard. After a change in format and winemaker, they now produce a range of different Pinot Noir wines from throughout the property. This vineyard (Skycrest) is another holding of owners, Jackson Family Wines.

It has beautiful, fresh aromatics of white peach, nectarine, quince and white flowers. 

It's refreshing on the palate with lively acidity that expresses flavors of golden apple, pear, white peach and Meyer lemon zest. There emerges a suggestion of fresh cream and modest notes of almond, finishing on honeysuckle nectar. 

It enjoys some Burgundian qualities in it's wonderful balance and acid backbone with well-integrated and proportional oak. Highly recommended.

2018 Chateau Malescot St. Exupery

 The nose is an interesting interplay of warm berry compote and wet stone. The turned soil and iron/graphite qualities are kept pleasant by some nice ripeness of fruit. Aromas of black cherry, plum, cassis and blueberry.

On the palate, it has a richness of flavor without feeling heavy. A little less ripeness on the fruit in flavor keeps some verve in the wine with crunchier qualities accented by some fresh herbal notes. Elements like bay leaf, thyme and bitter greens give lift to the berry and plum flavors. The minerality is there as well, but in a lesser tone than the nose would suggest. There emerges a nice bitter cocoa note on the finish.

It has elegance and finesse over power, which I tend to appreciate. It also seems a hallmark of most Margaux. Still developing, it should continue to evolve and coalesce for the next 7+ years. 

Charles Woodson's Intercept 2018 Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon

 I got to attend a wine dinner for Charles' Napa Valley wines some years ago. It was great, the man was gracious and nice and the wines were all delicious. It appears though he may no longer make "24" wines. 

The Intercept wines are from other locales, and at a more approachable price point for most folks, so I wan anxious to check this out. 

It's medium-bodied on the palate with nice balance of fruit, oak and acid. Fortunately for me, it's not a hugely extracted, highly alcoholic style that some Paso wines can sometimes become. It's a pleasant wine with flavors of red and black currant, cherry, cedar, bay leaf and with some hints of graphite. An easy drinking Cab, it can be sipped on its own and will complement food nicely. It also appears to be pretty widely available, so intercept some for yourself. 

2015 Chateau La Fleur de Bouard Lalande de Pomerol

 I am always excited to check out this wine, both young and older. In my earlier days of getting into the broad world of wine, this bottle was always tasty and affordable. Not as "Sams Club" as it once was, it's still fairly accessible. Following a 2008 which was a bit pruny and past its moment, I was glad to find this 2015. 

Nice toasty oak greets the nose, followed by red and black currant and black plums. There is a truffle savoriness underlying. 

Juicy and vibrant on the palate, it has ripeness of fruit in flavors of black cherry, Damson plum, cassis and some blackberry. The oak is a bit aggressive. In prior vintages, I didn't find this to be an oaky wine, but perhaps with the riper vintage (14.5% abv), they applied more new wood. It should relax in more time, but not too long as it's Merlot-dominant that turns secondary sooner than later in this wine. There are nice accents of minerality into an almost savory, sanguine quality with hints of herbs. 

It's pleasant drinking and exuberant with nice layers of flavor. 

2022 Craggy Range Martinborough Te Muna Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc

 The nose is full Kiwi, with ripe grapefruit, fresh melon and grassy notes. There is also some nice pear aroma along with some minerality.

It has a nice texture on the palate, almost a weight that balances the bright acidity and provides some nice layers. There is the slightest petillance which is pleasant. There is a stony, flinty minerality over crisp fruit flavors of pear/quince, lemon, grapefruit zest and a nice herbal green freshness. It finishes on hints of honeydew and slate. Very tasty and well balanced wine. The palate is surprisingly restrained in the grassy, gooseberry and grapefruit that one might expect based on the aromas and style of wine. It's got nice finesse.

2020 Bouchaine Estate Pinot Gris

 This wine has a nose of apples and white peach with accents of wet stone. 

It's got a crisp entry onto the palate with crunchy orchard fruits like apples, Bartlett pear and underripe white peach. There is a petrol quality to it along with flint and slate minerality. The acidity remains balancing throughout the palate, which is very nice as a lot of California Pinot Gris can get a bit flabby and lack acid. The acid isn't so bright though that it washes the palate clean, which leaves a nice bit of fresh apple and suggestion of river stone on the finish, which isn't short. 

This would be a great wine with food. Think spicy Asian noodles, light white fish, pork chop or loin, bratwurst.