Thank you @Keith_Levenberg ! The Partial Eclipse is singing right now.
Opened a bottle of summer salters III today for a pre-memorial day party, grilling for friends and family. Put simply, I love this wine. The color is very unique—the a slight turbidity (in a good way) makes it look like no other rose I have ever had. The nose is ripe strawberry and a little cranberry. On the palate, the strawberry comes through along with a nice minerality and a bit of mint. It has great balance. This is an amazing wine that you have to consciously stop yourself from crushing in 10 minutes.
One of my friends I poured a few glasses for us going to grab some bottles from Hardy and Kate. As it was my lost bottle, I ordered a mixed case with 4 more bottles of summer slaters.
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Pre-YEAH! wine at a holiday weekend gathering. Big group so had to go magnum. All the Mourvèdre bass notes with high voltage brightness from the Pinot. Good stuff.
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I opened this last evening after hearing of Bill Walton’s passing. There was something just right about a YEAH! wine, and even more one called Family Band to toast the memory of the most exuberantly human being ever. He loved The Grateful Dead, the biggest family in music. The energy of the wine channeled Bill’s soul.
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I’m counting this at least. Still quite reductive at first before it blows off, but my god the depth of stone and tropical fruit. Really wish I had more of this.
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Loved this wine. One of my favorite white wines I’ve had.
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- 2021 Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah! Higher Love - USA, California (5/30/2024)
Woweeee. It was (impossible) burger night, and Hardy’s release notes says “this is your ultimate burger wine”, so here we go, through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole. The nose is actually quite subtle - a bit of wild strawberry, a bit of dry earth, a whisper of herbs - and doesn’t prepare you for the riot of fruit flavors that parade across the palate. My first impression is of a Willy Wonka factory of bejeweled fruit, with crystallized strawberries, watermelon jolly rancher, and that rainbow zebra gum from childhood, whatever it was called. The second impression was that of that crazy gum from the 80s or 90s that had the liquid in the center that exploded and made the gum taste amazing for a magic 30 seconds (before it became a gray, tough blob). But that sensation of mouth euphoria hits every time you take another sip.
All that may make you think this is all flash and fruit, but no, it actually has tremendous grace and subtlety too, and the crashing wave of fruit recedes to display an array of baritone flavors - humus, pipe tobacco, berry compote, and allspice. Like all Hardy’s wines, this dances across the palate in the most exuberant way, with this variant hiding a surprising amount of heft and ultrafine tannins that build over time. Drink on the cooler side, as the 13.5% alc starts to hide a bit of the detail once it comes up t o(summer) room temp. (94 points)
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Great note Vince! I had one recently and had some similar impressions. I wish I had thought of Fruit Stripe gum! That brings me back to my childhood and fits well. Except this finish lasts longer than the gum’s flavor did 
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- 2022 Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah! Summer Salters Rosé Shake Ridge Ranch - USA, California, Sierra Foothills, Amador County (6/2/2024)
Warm late spring day says Rosé, so I reached for this, as I had not opened one since last fall when we were up in Maine. Those extra several months have transformed the wine. It's not as fruity-friendly as it used to be, but it's miles deeper. There's still fruit, but it's rounder, and then the Mourvedre base kicks in to provide an umami core around which everything everything else spirals. I'm not certain which face of the wine I prefer, though the version that showed last night might be better for cooler times.
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Thanks to everyone for the kind words on the wines. It is wonderful seeing the wines enjoyed and shared! (I’ve been online less the last few weeks as we moved homes from Napa to Glen Ellen.)
@NoahR So glad you are digging into the 19’s! We opened a '19 After Midnight Light Red a few weeks ago and it blew us away.
@Vince_T Higher Love!!! Thanks for the note! It is so much fun and I agree w/ the cool / cellar temp rec.
@David_Bu3ker Thank you for pulling that w/ the passing of Bill Walton. There’s a lot of heart, soul, and music in that bottle. Also - Glad you cracked a mag of DRE!
@B3n-H3rb3rt Thanks for sharing the Rosé! It is crazy delicious and most devour-able
@AD_Northup @TreyS (and anyone interested) If you ever need a bit more '16 Clothing Optional White or other CO wines, there might be a few cases left looking for good homes. Feel free to DM.
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Throw it down, big man!
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Doing Local Election tonight, so yummy. More developed since last bottle a year+ ago. Very nice.
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2021 Close Encounters Orange Wine
What really struck me about this wine was how surprisingly versatile it was - something I would not have assumed with an orange wine (given my very limited orange wine experience). This married with a Spanish pork rib stew (patatas con costillas), roasted brussels sprouts with Parmesan, pistachios, anything I threw at it. Just got better and better with air.
From CT review:
Splash decant. Even after the decant it took about a half hour to really open up. Intriguing contrast between potent and edgy aromas (grapefruit pith, a touch of bergamot, lanolin, unripe peach) and the smooth inviting tastes (clementine, lime, light touch of honeycomb, tarragon(?)). Light and refreshing to drink.
I haven’t had many orange wines I like. I liked this one, and I liked it more and more as I drank it. A very different experience from the everyday. My wife loved it.
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Higher Love! A Zin/Mourvedre/Grenache blend for summer?! Spice and berry, berry and spice. This was an experiment for me. I haven’t bought a Zin or Zin blend since the last Geyserville disappointed and before that, well, …. No reason not to open one.
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Had the Go Rick Red! Tonight. Perfect for a warm early summer night.
From CT:
A year since my last bottle, and it’s just as joyous as last time. Prominent but super balanced stemmy notes, combined with tangy fruit and savory minerals, all combined with a velvety Burgundian texture. Far outclassed the two Williams-Selyems wines tonight, no contest. 94
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Thank you, John! That sounds like an awesome pairing.
The Close Encounters is süper versatile - A local Michael Mina restaurant (Wit & Wisdom) is pouring it on their tasting menu paired w/ Liberty Farm Duck Wings.
Thanks, Jayson!
Thank you, Vince!!
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Sipping on the 2022 Full King Crab II and I am enthralled by the texture. Yes it has lemon zest and oyster, but the mouthfeel is amazing, rich but light at the same time. It’s hard to explain the tactile sensation.
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Had this wine a couple weeks ago and it combines flavor, tension and mouthfeel-texture. That 10% of skin fermented wine pulls the total blend together into something special. An awesome wine and a food pairing dream!
Tom
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