Showing items 1
through 8 of
12
Thunder Mountain 1997 Bald Mountain Vineyard Chardonnay (Santa Cruz Mountains)
- $29
An unfiltered whopper (15.1% alcohol), it’s also unfined. Literally cloudy in the glass—closer to amber than greenish gold in color. Toasted beyond belief. Almost impossible to consider it a sipping wine, it cries out for wild fowl like partridge or pheasant. What a finish.
— M.S.
(7/1/1999)
Thunder Mountain 1996 Bate's Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon (Santa Cruz County)
- $39
This is red wine’s version of hearty health food—it’s unfined and unfiltered, and you will know it right away. Concentrated beyond all get out, it has laser-beam intensity, but with pleasant soft tannins. Thunderous with Thor-like strength, the sensual side of this monster Cab is what tops the cake. One to keep an eye on.
— M.S.
(7/1/1999)
Thunder Mountain 1997 Ciardella Vineyard Chardonnay (Santa Cruz Mountains)
- $29
Buttered popcorn and toasted nuts dominate the nose of this wine, but there’s plenty of ripe, pear-tinged fruit to bolster those scents and provide depth. Rich, full-bodied and viscous in the mouth, yet it doesn’t feel heavy, as well-balanced acidity provides backbone and extends the long, spicy finish.
— J.C.
(7/1/1999)
Thunder Mountain 1999 DeRose Vineyard Chardonnay (Cienega Valley)
- $34
Aromas of butter, cream and popcorn are so prevalent on the nose that you’ll swear you’re at the movies. Popcorn and butter show again on the palate, but here they’re teamed up with ripe golden-apple and orange notes. Finishes with pineapple and butter in bold and appealing style. A daring, not gently nuanced, wine.
— W.E.
(7/1/2001)
Thunder Mountain 1998 DeRose Vineyard Chardonnay (Cienega Valley)
- $34
Normally we don’t remark on a wine’s color or clarity, but this one is a throwback: rich golden-yellow and cloudy. Heavily toasted whole-wheat bread couples with earth and custard aromas, and then the lemon and tangerine flavors hit you on the palate. Finishes with some elegant lemon and clove notes.
— W.E.
(10/1/2000)
Thunder Mountain 1999 Beauregard Ranch Chardonnay (Santa Cruz Mountains)
- $43
High-toned oak and butterscotch flavors lead the way in this richly textured wine. Hints of cinnamon, ginger, clove, melon, fig and pear weave a dense, heady web of flavor. Not subtle—big and bold.
— J.M.
(12/15/2002)
Thunder Mountain 1997 Bates Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon (Santa Cruz Mountains)
- $48
Thunder Mountain wines often display a lot of character and evoke strong responses from our tasters. This ultradark Cabernet is no exception, with its overt heavy toast and black-olive aromas and flavors, heavy extraction, and full, but somewhat astringent, mouthfeel. Through all this it remains compelling, if not presently accessible. Needs five to seven years.
— W.E.
(11/1/2000)
Thunder Mountain 1998 Merlot (Cienega Valley)
- $34
Winemaker Milan Maximovich has crafted a supple, charming wine from this unheralded appellation. Bouncy cherry-berry fruit is accented by some dried-herb notes, uncluttered by much new-wood influence.
— J.C.
(7/1/2000)
Showing items 1
through 8 of
12
advertisement
What We're Tasting
2009 Venge Bone Ash Vineyard
Venge’s superb 2008 Bone Ash was a tough act to follow, but this 2009…
Facebook Activity
advertisement
Twitter Activity