I maxed out on the chards (only offered four total, so not much to max out on). I left behind some of the pinot, as I want to allocate some of my pinot dollars to Oregon and Burgundy. It might mean I miss out on the Hillside offering later this year, but the budget isn’t unlimited.
Added this cycle but prices are now beyond my comfort zone. I understand the premium for diehard fans, but there is a lot of great wine out there for me to go down this path at this point in my journey.
Have to cut this one loose. As much as I love the wine, the tariff is way past my comfort zone. Will enjoy the stash I’ve stored and move on. More for others.
I had a chance to taste many of these wines about six months back. I thought the '16 Pinots (Alpine, Horseshoe and Swan) were really exceptional. The Chards were also outstanding. Good offering!
This is very palate dependent. While I dropped off the list years ago (due to trying to reduce my wine buying) the Alpine Pinot was consistently my least favorite. Always loved the Horseshoe. Though reading the description it sounds like the Alpine flavor profile may have changed?
"The transition in the character of Alpine Pinot from its bold, dark-fruited youth to the sleek and weightless red-fruited wines of the last five vintages is dramatically apparent in the 2016. "
But I think both the horseshoe and Alpine chardonnays are world class and some of the best expressions of the grape made in CA.
Yeah, we have different takes on the Pinots. I’m not much of a fan of Bearwallow, Family Farm or Swan Terrace, but love Alpine and Horseshoe (and Skyline).
Alpine and Horseshoe are my favorites - both Pinots and Chardonnays. I’ve had Bearwallow show well on occasion, but that and Family Farm have disappointed me too many times. I’ll stick to my favorites, and as prices creep up, I order less.