Lot 863 2019 Russian River Valley Chardonnay
Defined by the fog bank that blankets the region, and home to rare ancient sandstone seabed soils, the Russian River Valley is known the world over as a preeminent, cool climate winegrowing region, famous in equal parts for its Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. The latter is on offer today exclusively to this list’s members, another tasting room-only casualty from the early days of Covid shutdowns that we grabbed to pass the savings on to you!
Lot 863 is a pinnacle example of this region’s ability to bring its fruit to exceptional maturity and not be marred by being over-oaked. A 60/40 oak and stainless blend that saw malolactic fermentation, it’s equally enjoyable for the diehard ‘classic Cali Chard’ fans and the ‘varietally correct’ camp of stainless-steel Chard lovers, culminating in one of the most balanced, beloved, and approachable expressions of Chardonnay we came across from the 2019 vintage. Add in blue chip estate pedigree and a winemaker with decades of experience with the fruit of this region, and you have one of the best Chardonnay values all year.
Watch or listen as Chris Lafleur, Sommeliers Creed for Cameron Hughes walks us through a tasting of this Russian River Chardonnay.
Tasting Video Highlights:
00:00 Intro
00:16 2019 Vintage Chards
01:18 The Nose
01:59 The Palate
02:54 Where in your cellar?
Wine Q&A with The Tasting Panel #4
Watch or listen as Chris Lafleur, Sommeliers Creed for Cameron Hughes, and Wanda Mann, Wine Writer and Educator, walk us through frequently asked questions about wine.
It seems like only yesterday that we sold our first Lot Series wine: Lot 1, 2002 Lodi Syrah. Nearly 900 releases later, we’re still going strong. Over the years we have heard a LOT of interesting questions about wine and we hope that Wanda and Nicole will help answer some of your questions in this educational video.
Today’s Wine Q&A topics include:
- Why is Pinot Noir called the “heartbreak grape”?
- What are some more wine nicknames?
- Why are there different types of wine bottles?
- Is wine a science or art? (or both?)
- Does seasonality play a role in what wine types you should drink?
- How do you turn your beer-loving friend into a wine lover?
- Why do some geographical wine sources emphasize varietal and others the region?
- Drink the wine now, or save it?
- Why is there such a variation in wine prices?
We love answering your wine questions! Keep the conversation going by sending us your questions about wine!
Wine Q&A with Sommeliers from The Tasting Panel #2
Frequently asked wine questions answered by Chris Lafleur, Sommeliers Creed for Cameron Hughes, and Katy Long, Director of International Wines for VWE.
It seems like only yesterday that we sold our first Lot Series wine: Lot 1, 2002 Lodi Syrah. Nearly 900 releases later, we’re still going strong. Over the years we have heard a LOT of interesting questions about wine and we hope that Chris and Katy will answer some of your wine questions in this lovely video.
Today’s Wine Q&A topics include:
- Is it always beneficial to swirl my wine?
- What are the most common wine misconceptions?
- Can a novice appreciate the nuances of wine as it ages?
- What’s the deal with aeration and aerators?
- How do wines get their color?
- What are the different ways to age wine?
- Is there a “wrong” way to drink wine?
- What is malolactic fermentation?
- Submit your own questions
We love answering your wine questions! Keep the conversation going by sending us your questions about wine!
Wine Q&A with Sommeliers from The Tasting Panel #1
Wine Q&A with Chris Lafleur, Sommeliers Creed for Cameron Hughes, and Katy Long, Director of International Wines for VWE. Watch as these two wine experts walk us through frequently asked questions about wine.
It seems like only yesterday that we sold our first Lot Series wine: Lot 1, 2002 Lodi Syrah. Nearly 900 releases later, we’re still going strong. Over the years we have heard a LOT of interesting questions about wine and we hope that Chris and Katy will answer some of your questions in this lovely video.
Today’s Wine Q&A topics include:
- What’s important when pairing food & wine?
- How long will a wine bottle last when opened?
- Waiter brings your wine bottle. Now what?
- Why smell the wine cork?
- How much wine for my party?
- Decant my wine?
- Difference between Syrah, Shiraz, and Petite Sirah grapes and wine?
- What are tannins in wine?
- What wine varietal are the sommeliers?
- What is your “Go to” wine?
- Submit your own questions about wine for future discussions
We love answering your wine questions! Keep the conversation going by sending us your questions about wine!
Residual Sugar in Wine
When you hear Residual Sugar in wine what do you think of? You may have heard the terms Bone Dry, Dry, Off-Dry, Sweet, and Very Sweet as descriptions for wines before. But what does it mean? In the wine world, sweetness is graded based upon grams per liter…
Wine Folly: The Essential Guide to Wine by Madeline Puckette & Justin Hammack
Buy this book. Seriously. Unless you are one of the 250 or so master sommeliers on this planet, there is a place in your life for this book. This essential guide is perfect for novices and intermediates alike. The pages of this book come alive with illustrations, colors,…
Decoded: Wine Serving Temps
It is well-known and spoken about in the wine community: Americans drink their whites too cold; their reds too warm. While this is a grossly generalized statement, it exists for a reason. For example, when you dine out at a restaurant, the white wines are sitting in a…
International Rosé Day!!!
This past June we did a small info piece on What is Rosé that looked at the 3 methods in which rosé wines are created (contact, saignée, and blending). Rosé sales and importing into the US are at an all time high, and continue to keep growing. In…
Decoded: Blends
Let’s talk blends, and what the language your local wine shop representative uses actually means. At the top of the blending language list we have Champagne and Bordeaux. The word Champagne is synonymous with being expensive, of quality, for celebrations, and from Champagne, France. Champagne is generally made…
