This is the winery’s best bottling, comprised of select barrels, many from old vine sites. It’s got color to spare and complex scents of carpaccio, spice, cherry and earth. The fruit is lean and wild, what in Zinfandel would be called brambly. Perfect balance makes this a wine to savor.
— P.G.
(2/1/2009)
A lovely bottle, carefully crafted from vines approaching 40 years of age. A third of the wine was fermented in neutral barrels, softening the mouthfeel a bit, and kept on the lees for almost five months. Apples and pears, melon and grapefruit all seem to have been mixed in with wet stones; the wine makes a fresh and delicate impression with as much mineral and…
— P.G.
(7/1/2009)
As with the winery’s first release of this wine, it’s a fragrant effort that brings in clearly identifiable varietal attributes. It opens with mixed scents of lemon wax, acacia flowers and green apples, then fills in the palate with tart apple flavors tinged with peppery herbs. It’s 100% Gruner, high acid, and ready for sushi, salmon or steak tartare.
— P.G.
(2/1/2009)
Delicate and poised, this unusual Pinot Gris was fermented half in stainless and half in neutral oak, then kept on the lees for an extended period before bottling. The wine reveals itself gracefully with mixed green apple and white peach; hints of baking spice and a wash of vanilla wafer appear right at the finish line.
— P.G.
(7/1/2009)
Fragrant and soft, this nicely oaked Pinot Noir offers cherry, cola, mocha and toast flavors. If there is a critique to be made, it is that the finish, though clean and pure, feels just a little flat in the mouth, not as lively as the entry promises.
— P.G.
(2/1/2009)
This is the first Chardonnay for Daedalus Cellars. Flavors are rich and full-bodied, with candied orange peel, sweet citrus and vanilla most noticeable among them. Left on the lees for almost 18 months, this is wide open and ready to drink.
— P.G.
(2/1/2009)
Carefully made, but seems a bit dilute. Light and quite tart fruit flavors suggest rhubarb and cranberry; there are also hints of coffee grounds and smoke, though no new oak was used.
— P.G.
(2/1/2009)