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2015 Le Champignon Pinot Noir Review

2015 Le Champignon Monterey County Pinot Noir Review

Price: $20/bottle (Lot18.com)

Alcohol: 12.9%

Body: Medium

Sweetness: Dry

Varietals: 100% Pinot Noir

Tasting Notes: Pop and pour

This wine possesses an extremely light ruby color with strawberry hued edges. The wine hugs the glass with a medium glass coat and bold, defined, quick moving legs. On the nose, it can come off as a little smelly, crossing over into the “barnyard” characteristics, but does show some nice earth qualities with noticeable soil and fungal notes. The front-palate is immensely complex; moss, fungus, and soil all interact remarkably with beautiful tart cherry and raspberry. I liken this to a rich and biodiverse ecosystem, all members cohabiting to create a wonderful symphony of life. On the mid-palate the fruit is accentuated nicely, raspberry notes pinpointing on the taste buds. Solid acidity provides decent structure while slight strawberry and under ripe cherries tease the more curious wine drinker. The finish provides an exciting transition from the brighter red fruit to a more nuanced red currant and mint like quality. The bright acidity carries through to the end but is slightly overtaken by the minute bitterness provided by the tannins. Admittedly, I may have judged Monterey County Pinots based on some less than stellar previous experiences, but the 2015 Le Champignon is fighting valiantly to change those prejudices.

Rating: **** (4 Stars)

T/B/P: BUY

2016 Skeleton Grüner Veltliner Review

2016 Skeleton Grüner Veltliner Review

Price: $10.95/bottle (Sherry-Lehman.com)

Alcohol: 12.5%

Body: Light

Sweetness: Semi-dry

Varietals: 100% Grüner Veltliner

Tasting Notes: Chilled ~30 mins

The appearance of this “Gru-Vee” is light gold, with uniformly slow moving legs. On the nose, this wine struggles to open up, with slight peach and lemon/lime zest battling with a more dominant petrichor scent. Obvious citrus becomes present on the front palate; lemon, lime, tangerine, and slight grapefruit attempt to lift the unusually flat feel, to little avail. In the mid-palate, the acidity makes a roaring comeback, playing nicely with beautiful minerality and apricot notes. The finish, along with the mid-palate, fights to save this wine from anonymity, and does so wonderfully with a delightful lingering mouth feel, and bright structure. Glowing minerality and shining acidity place me in the stone lined hills of a vineyard in Austria on a sunny, summer day. Where this wine struggles in the beginning of the tasting experience, it excels defiantly in the mid-palate and finish. For eleven dollars, not a bad summer wine.

Rating: ***

Try/Buy/Pass: TRY

2016 Lustra Monterey County Pinot Noir Review

2016 Lustra Monterey County Pinot Noir Review

Price: Not Available

Alcohol: 13%

Body: Medium-Full

Sweetness: Dry

Varietals: Pinot Noir

Tasting Notes: Chilled ~10 mins ice bath

In the glass, this pinot displays a light red color with amber and brown hues, appearing almost burgundy. While this wine is very attractive, I equate it to a drunken one night stand that you had in college; drop-dead gorgeous, yet its personality and character are completely lacking. On the nose, notes of blackberry, raspberry, tart cherry, and slight earth elements are completely overtaken by oak indicators and baking spice. On the front-palate, overly sour cherry and raspberry dominate and continue throughout the finish. On the finish, oak demands its presence be known in the form of vanilla extract roasted almonds, and once again obscure any sort of blackberry, raspberry, or cherry that might try to shine through the clouds. The mid-palate of this pinot grasps back at reality, with light acidity and fungal/forest floor notes that attempt to take this wine back from the sour-oak villain's grips, but alas, evil wins this battle. Between the power that is exuded from the sour front-palate and the oaky finish, this wine struggles to find its way in a style that flourishes in elegance and grace.

Rating: **

Try/Buy/Pass: PASS

2015 Domaine Fourrey Chablis Premier Cru Review

2015 Domaine Fourrey Chablis Premier Cru Review

Price: $25/bottle (WineSearcher.com)

Alcohol: 13%

Body: Medium

Sweetness: Dry

Varietals: 100% Chardonnay

Tasting Notes: Chilled ~25 mins

In the glass, this wine appears lighter than most chardonnays, and struggles to find form. This Chablis fails to give that nice glass coat, and the legs appear disjointed, racing all over. The nose is tightly packed, with faint lemon zest, orange, and slight floral characteristics fighting to make themselves known. While disappointing at first glance, this Premier Cru stomps its foot down in defiance, coming through beautifully on the palate. On the tip of the tongue, peach, light lime, and white flowers are lifted by a curiously gentle acidity. The mid-palate accents more of the same, acidity pleasantly increasing. Slight minerality also comes through, leading to a graceful transition between mid-palate and finish. The finish marvelously balances the lurking acidity with delicate oak that allows the fruit and obvious floral characteristics to remain present throughout the tasting experience. Before tasting, I seriously started to doubt this wine. As a Premier Cru, I would certainly expect a little more on appearance. However, time and time again, we are reminded of the old adage, “Never judge a book by its cover.” This wine performs beautifully on the palate, and as a wine DRINKER, that's what seems to matter most.

Rating. ***x (3.5 stars)

Try/Buy/Pass: TRY