Hi all - there are spotty offerings in my area, but it looks like i can get the Cuvee Anne for about the same price as the Vert. I realise the Anne is a tier up, but should i expect it to have the matchstick note as was mentioned with the vert? That is a style i really like.
I haven’t had the Anne, but of the several Walter Scott Chardonnays I’ve massively enjoyed, they’ve all shared that stylistic trait, so I’d say it’s a good bet.
Sharing with other WBers here. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to taste 10 SVDs for the 2022 vintage. Plus the tiny bottles with their proper labels are kind of amazing.
*Virtual & In-Person Futures Tasting!
Join us December 9th for this educational, sit down format.
Last spring we hosted a dynamic event for the release of the 2021 Walter Scott wines. And it went incredibly well, everyone both in person and at home enjoyed the format and the inclusive, educational presentation. So, we have decided to do it again!
For those of you who can not attend the tasting in person, we are offering 2022 Single Vineyard Tasting Kits with live, interactive streaming of the event via a Zoom so you can join us from your home. Our kits are built for 2 people to share and include 3.4-ounce sample bottles of each of the 10 single vineyard wines that we will all taste together.
Erica and Ken will host the live tasting in Dayton while Jess moderates the conversation both in person and via the chat on Zoom. With a live Q&A format for you to ask all the questions, we will dive deep into the wines, vineyards, and decisions that led to these bottlings as you taste along.
The Zoom Release Tasting link will be available to anyone who would like to join, regardless of purchase, and the recording will be uploaded to our Vimeo channel for later access.
*
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Day 2 follow up on the ‘22 La Combe Verte Pinot noir….
Air and time has done some good things here to the wine. There’s a pretty floral aspect to the nose that I never detected on day 1. And overall, the aromatics have intensified in nice way.
On the palette, the tea note isn’t quite as distinctive on day 2, and I’m getting a bit more sour cherry and fall leaves. In fact, there’s something complex and vegetal/herbal going on here that I quite like toward the finish. The balance remains there, and curiosly, I get more tannin tonight than I did yesterday (I’d have expected the opposite). The tannins don’t grip the side of the mouth, more on the front of the tongue. There’s enough new complexity here that I’m revising my score up a point (CT 91pts). Very nice, and if you’re considering opening the same bottle, my recommendation now would be to give it a long decant or double decant prior to enjoying.
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Left a little bit of the ‘22 La Combe Verte Pinot to check in on after 7 days just for the heck of it. Wow, this might actually be the best showing for this wine, showing how tightly wound up it really was those first two nights. The earthy side has come to the front now, and the structure, while still quite present, has settled down enough to reveal a beautiful texture that I didn’t get those first two nights. Aromatically the wine has intensified, and shows a good bit of red and blue fruits. Quite nice, and honestly shocked how long this wine just keeps going.
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I was fortunate to taste barrels from the 2012 vintage. I really enjoyed the Dumb Ox and bought a few bottles as futures. Drank the last one yesterday with Zach Mancini.
Dumb Ox is own rooted Pommard clone from Eola Springs vineyard, planted in 1996 I think. The bottle showed great pure red fruit and spice while just starting to turn the corner into secondary complexity. While clearly made from different areas, it reminded me of the Rhys style of pure fruit, Excellent texture and it really lit up my tastebuds! 5 or more years of life left. Excellent bottle!
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As my grandmother used to say, “words of wisdom”. LCV is consistently a great wine and a ridiculous value.
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We had your 2015 Richard’s Chardonnay also last night. Quite lovely with extended airing.
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Congratulations to the whole Walter Scott team for taking the #4 spot (X-Novo Chardonnay) in Wine Enthusiast’s top 100 cellar selections for 2023.
For what it’s worth, I generally take issue with many of Wine Enthusiasts scores, but going through this top-100 list, I find it to be a much more interesting than Spectator’s top-100 for the year.
Also super glad I got my allocation of WS X-Novo Chardonnay last month!
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Had a 2019 X-Novo Pinot last night. A bit reduced at first but the fruit was incredible once it blew off. Very concentrated and dense. Classic Eola-Amity fruit profile.
Another PSA since there has been quite a bit of commentary on the lower level Chards here: the '21 Cuvee Anne is absolutely incredible. A real step up from prior vintages and a slight stylistic shift to a more fleshy, medium bodied wine. Unfortunately, it piqued my curiosity and caused me to open a '21 X Novo Chard which was a huge mistake. Not recommended any time soon.
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We opened a 2021 Koosah Vineyard Pinot tonight. I remember being impressed with this new bottling during the 2021 virtual vintage tasting, and the bottle validated that impression.
A bit of reduction upon opening, but nowhere near as much as in some of the Pinots such as Sojeau. Ripe cherry, blueberry, darkly-toned floral bouquet. Tannins are pretty manageable, perhaps on the low side, and the acidity adds some nice tartness to the palate full of black pepper, cranberry, and more blue and red fruit. The finish is dominated by spice, although not as much as the X-Novo, and has slight bitterness. I’m not sure why this is, but this wine has one of the more prolific retronasal bouquets that I’ve encountered.
I’ve been sampling a handful of 2021 Pinots from several producers and haven’t found much joy (yet), but this bottle is one to reach for if you want to drink it young. I’m curious to see how it ages, but I’ll probably drink through most of mine while waiting for the X-Novo, Freedom Hill, and Sojeau Pinots to come around.
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Anyone else get in on the 10 SVD sampler pack for 2022? Just arrived and ready for Saturday’s zoom event. Love that they do this. Fun way to learn about each site and get a full taste of the vintage at the same time.
The bottles with their individual perfect labels are also kind of adorable.
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I’m doing this. Hoping to make one of the live zoom events but if I can’t, can always watch the recording.
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I think mine arrived at my wife’s office today. Looking forward to trying their wines for the first time.
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We’re attending the morning session. Looking forward to it.
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I hear ours just got delivered as well-looking forward to Saturday!
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Got mine today too!
For those who’ve bought Walter Scott wines before, how long does it take for the futures to normally sell out (if they do)?
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Waiting on mine to arrive. Hoping to make the afternoon Zoom session. Can’t wait.
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yes! I will be on for the afternoon session! wish more wineries did things like this . . . so much fun
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My tasting set is still sitting at my wife’s office. For anyone that’s opened theirs, do you think they actually originally bottled the wine in these tiny bottles, or do you think they opened existing bottles and rebottled it? The first option seems unlikely to me, but who knows.
Edit: To clarify, it seems like doing a bunch of original bottlings in 100 ml bottles is potentially wasteful and expensive. But trying to rebottle sounds like a huge PITA and risks quality.