What YEAH! wine are you drinking?

3rd’d. Yeah Evangelho is special.

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I’ll also throw this out there for everyone going nuts over in the Beta/Jasud forum…I’ve only had one beta, so take this with a grain of salt, but if you like bordeaux varietals, Hardy’s SCM mountain is great. And if it’s any sign of imitation is the highest form of flattery, I think I heard Hardy mention that Beta is now also going to be getting fruit from the same vineyard. Go figure.

I’d love to see a hint of new oak thrown onto Hardy’s, but I know that’s like antithetical to his M.O.

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I do think it’s interesting that EDWC, Beta and Ceritas seem to coalescing around a similar/same set of vineyards

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I hate this board sometimes (kidding :slight_smile:). I finally got around to trying EDWC with a VinDependence Day sampler. Part of me was hoping to not like it because my cellar is overflowing. Started off with the '23 Evangelho Mourvèdre last weekend… damnit this is delicious! Moved onto to the '22 AGRADEZCO later in the week… also delicious! Then the '24 Full King Crab last night, well you get the idea. Today I’ll be trying to figure out some cellar gymnastics to make room going forward.

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Commerce corner or your liver.

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Went with the Merlot and the Cab Franc. I need more Cabernet Sauvignon like I need a hole in the head.

BTW, I thought I saw that there was still some of the 2022 Mariana’s Vineyard Merlot-Cab Franc blend still available. That very well could be the best wine I have ever had from Hardy. I still have a few bottles, and they will be treasured.

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[This text included to outsmart a platform default.]

I got the ‘23 Mariana 6-pack (2-M, 2-CF, 2-CS).

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Over the last few months I’ve tried a 2024 Sonoma UFO and a 2023 Syrah Brosseau. Both wines were awesome. The 2024 Sonoma UFO is right there with many other board favorites for the price point ($50). A fun blind that would call New World, but with clearly more structure and complexity. Unfiltered golden yellow. I don’t drink many whites, but this had me thinking “new world, Meursault, Chenin”. I have no idea how it ages, but Hardy says to give it time to age. Very fun wine. 2023 Brosseau is an excellent Syrah to have in the cellar. A “low” 12.8% alcohol, but you get full Syrah ripeness and intensity - it’s not an underripe/thin wine at all despite being so low alcohol. Power without weight. Doesn’t have the funk or complexity of a Cote Rotie, but certainly a wine that will run with equally priced CdP / St. Joseph. I’m certain this will age for 5-10 years, soften up even further. Given these are the $50 wines in the stable, I’m certainly curious what the $100 wines punch at. It seems 2023 is certainly a great year to pick up lower alcohol wines with full phenolic ripeness for the cellar.

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Apologies for the delay in sending love and thanks for all the orders and kind words last week. I boogied out of wine country and spent most of the weekend off-grid — limited Wi-Fi, no cell, and plenty of :sparkles: near Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Heartfelt thanks to everyone who picked up wines and shared such generous notes. Truly means a lot.

The 2023 Mariana’s are something special — layered, bright, and longgggg. If you loved the ‘22 Mariana’s M-CF (Cab Franc/Merlot), these are right up your alley.

This morning I had the honor of being one of a very small group of producers Jancis is tasting with in Sonoma / Napa. I could only pour three wines- and a 2023 Mariana’s had to be in the mix — after plenty of back-and-forth, I finally landed on the 2023 Mariana’s Vineyard Cabernet Franc. It is special

If curious, with only 3 to choose from- here’s what I poured:

  • 2023 Heart & Hummingbird
  • 2024 Evangelho Mourvèdre
  • 2023 Mariana’s Vineyard Cabernet Franc

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Yeah!! And did she like it?? Better than 2003 Pavie at least? :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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David, our experience with recent bottle too. Seems bottle variation as tonight characteristic rosy-watermelon coloration with its charming rhubarb notes I simply love.

Gotta ask, if limiting to a few bottles of the SCM would you forgo the CS and just go for the CF? I also have eyes for the UFO white blend, been mulling over how to order.

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I skipped the CS because I already own too much CS overall, but that said, so far the Franc has been just freaking amazing. I personally did a split of Cab Franc and Merlot.

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The CS is the only Mariana’s I haven’t tasted. All of the others are exceptional wines and could stand their ground in any tasting of top bdx varietals. If you’re a fan of cabernet made in a restrained style, you’ll likely be doing yourself a disservice by not getting at least a bottle.

And if you decide these wines aren’t up your alley and you’ve overbought, I’ll happily take the rest off your hands at purchase price.

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Thanks for the feedback. I went for 1 x CS, 3 x CF, and 2 x UFO to round out a 6 pack. Very excited to get a chance to try these!

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Great choices. I brought a bottle of the UFO to a dinner last week where folks mostly drink big CA wines (kongsgaard, Aubert, etc). I hardly got a taste as people were asking for top ups after their first sip. 2 friends fought over the last pour.

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It’s always a fun, interesting and delicious experience drinking Red Field Blends from people like Bedrock, Once & Future, Ridge etc… Many are Old Vine, some are not and they usually get the praise they deserve.
So why can’t a White Field Blend be just as fun, interesting and delicious. I’m here to tell you it certainly can!
Enter Extradimensional Wine Co. Yeah! 2024 Full King Crab. 100% from the famed Brosseau Vineyard, Chalone AVA, Monterey County the wine consists of 55% Chenin Blanc, 15% Viognier, 10% Roussanne, 10% Marsanne, 10% Chardonnay each variety adding it’s own aroma flavor, texture all in perfect balance making the sum far greater than any single variety.

Decanted for 60 minutes it was fantastic with Corvina fillets. Beautiful aroma, flavor and very long. We enjoyed this wine every bit as much as any Red Field Blend. Bravo @H_Wallace_Jr

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Finally made it out to EDWCY! For the Mariana’s tasting party!
I feel like everyone on this board already knows Hardy but it was my first time meeting him and he was great! Very very attentive knowledgable and fun! He really went above and beyond with our group even thought the tasting room was full! Thank you Hardy and team for hosting us today!
All the Mariana’s red wines were epic. They were lush whilst still being high strung. Super expressive elegant and full of energy! Very excited to have a few of these stashed away to enjoy. These are special wines! Cant wait to get a chance to try some other gems from Extradimensional!

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Branson- It was a pleasure having you and your friends in the tasting room. Thanks for the kind words on the Mariana’s wines! They were showing beautifully on Sun (especially the Merlot)!

We look forward to seeing you back in Sonoma.

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Hello, @H_Wallace_Jr and Kate! Reporting back on our neighbor tasting. We followed your instructions to the letter and had a great time with your wine.

UFO: Both mellow and acidic, creamy lemon, hints of peach, very long finish in this white wine

Shake Ridge Barbera: Higher acid, lower tannin, hint of strawberry, hint of rose, with another long finish

Evangelho Mourvedre (our group’s top choice): A most unusual tasting wine, fruity and floral, finishes with herbal notes, maybe thyme? Balanced acidity and tannins

Brosseau Vineyard Syrah (group’s second choice, nosed out by one vote): “Savory” is the right word for this one. Earthy, herby, hints of fruit, with a long finish one taster described as bacony

Heart & Hummingbird: Fun wine, not deep or heavy, featuring honeysuckle and cantaloupe, maybe even watermelon

Super fun night, thanks to Extradimensional Wines (Yeah!).

We had some Tercero wines to taste with these, but decided to hold them back for another night. 40 wine glasses and 8 water glasses about maxed out that table. Thanks, @larry_schaffer, for the wine suggestions!

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