Reviews

The 2015 Pinot Noir No. 7 is medium ruby-purple in color with a fragrant nose of violets, black raspberries and black cherries with touches of chocolate box, cedar chest and black tea. The palate is medium to full-bodied with plenty of savory-laced black berry flavors and a chewy frame, finishing on a dried herbs note.

The 2015 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard opens with notes of toasty oak and cashews, giving way to a core of ripe pineapple, guava and passion fruit with a touch of brioche. Medium to full-bodied with a pleasant oiliness to the texture, it offers a lively backbone to lift the concentrated tropical flavors, finishing long and savory.

Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir Pennacchio Vineyard features lovely notes of Bing cherries, pomegranate and rhubarb with touches of rose hip tea, forest floor and black truffles. Medium-bodied and finely textured with soft tannins and offering invigorating freshness, it finishes with lingering red berry notes.

The 2015 Zinfandel Saitone Ranch is medium garnet-purple colored and boldly scented of raspberry preserves, spice cake and prunes with suggestions of Indian spices, dusty soil and tobacco. Full-bodied, packed with spicy dried berry flavors and supported with chewy tannins, it has a crisp line of acid nicely lifting the pruney notions on the finish. 

Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir Maboroshi Vineyard opens with fragrant notes of violets and lavender over a core of red currants, blackberries and red plums plus a waft of underbrush. Medium to full-bodied with loads of plum and earth notions supported by firm, chewy tannins and a nice burst of freshness, it finishes with lovely purity. 

The 2015 Chardonnay O.F.S. reveals notes of freshly shaved ginger, marzipan and pie crust over a core of spiced pears, Golden Delicious apples and honeydew melon. Medium to full-bodied, it features spice-laced apple and pear flavors with a pleasantly oily texture and an invigorating finish.

Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir O.F.S. delivers notes of warm raspberries and kirsch with underlying hints of garrigue, dried herbs and fertile soil plus a waft of fungi. Medium to full-bodied, it offers tons of juicy red fruit with a chewy backbone and loads of freshness, finishing on a savory note.

The 2015 Zinfandel Rue Vineyard is medium to deep garnet-purple with a nose of baked raspberries, blackberry compote and blueberry pie notions with touches of Chinese five spice, hoisin, black olives and fragrant earth. Full-bodied, richly fruited and very spicy in the mouth, the dried berry flavors are framed by chewy tannins and a tart line of acid, finishing on a fruitcake note. 

The 2015 Charmes Chambertin les Mazoyeres Grand Cru offers up notes of red and black fruit, beetroot, earth and whole cluster spice. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, rich and silky, with an expansive attack, a layered mid-palate and a long, saline finish. This is quite stylized, marked by whole cluster fermentation which seems to give it a high pH feel, but for admirers of this particular aesthetic—a perspective my score reflects—this should offer two decades of rewarding drinking.

The 2015 Charlemagne Grand Cru is attractively delicate and youthfully reserved, wafting from the glass with notes of green apple, lemon cream and white flowers, more exotic notions of persimmon and spice emerging with extended aeration. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, taut and racy, with a bright line of acid, good concentration, and a long, vibrant finish. I expect more texture and dimension will emerge with a few years of bottle age, as the balance and persistence are very good.