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Country: | United States |
Regions: | California California (Sonoma County) |
Winery: | Flaunt |
Grape Type: | Chardonnay |
Organic: | Yes |
Vintage: | 2019 |
Bottle Size: | 750 ml |
Flaunt Russian River Valley Sparkling Brut is made from 52% Chardonnay and 48% Pinot Noir.
This Brut is absolutely lovely. It is drier than the previous versions with only 1.5 grams of residual sugar. It is powerful and brisk with well integrated bubbles. There is an immediate hit of lemon zest with touches of nectarine and plum. Mid palate you notice the warm notes of brioche and a slight kick of white pepper on the finish.
This Russian River Valley Brut is a blend of wine from two vineyards in the Russian River Valley. It is approximately equal parts Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These two grapes work wonderfully in Sonoma County’s maritime climate where the long, cool growing season allows for adequate ripeness of both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay while maintaining superb levels of natural acidity. Dianna Novy always loved the Russian River Valley for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, first as still wines, and now as Sparkling Wine.
Review:
"This crisp Brut offers fresh aromas and flavors of ripe pear and apple with a leesy fresh bread note. It is mouth filling with fresh acidity and has a sense of refinement, finishing long and chalky. Try it with oysters. A blend of 52% Chardonnay and 48% Pinot Noir with 3 years en tirage."
- I-winereview.com (December 2022), 92 pts
Flaunt is the latest project from Dianna Novy. The name Flaunt represents Dianna's attitude in life towards fulfilling her wine making dreams. After 23 years of being a co-owner and co-winemaker, this is her first solo wine project.
Dianna worked in wine retail in Dallas in the early 90's. In 1994 she moved to California and worked in wine retail and shipping at Lambert Bridge and Benziger Family Wineries. In 1994 she co-founded Siduri Winery and in 1998 she co-founded Novy Family Winery. She made wine at both wineries until selling the brands to Jackson Family Winery in 2015. She had started making sparkling wine in 2013 but did not create the brand Flaunt and have her first release until 2017. 2023 is Dianna's 30th vintage as a winemaker.
Ziata Pinot Noir Russian River Valley is made from 100% Pinot Noir.
This rich, silky Pinot Noir opens with spicy aromas of nutmeg, allspice and pepper mingling with notes of ripe black cherry, forest floor and cedar. The wine is fresh on the palate, with dark fruit, notes of chocolate and a subtle sweetness all framed by refined tannins that lead into a lingering finish.
Russian River Chardonnay Petersen is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Pear, peach, apple and a hint of flint.
Flavors of gorgeous baked apples with golden raisin and brown sugar, comice pear tart, apricot scone with clarified butter. What a fabulous creamy texture this wine has, despite no oak influence at all. This is testament to the incredibly lush fruit from the Petersen Vineyard, along with hands-off winemaking. So fresh, lively and mouthwatering, it’s like biting into an apple right off the tree. You can feel the juice dripping down your chin.
Ancien Pinot Noir Russian River Jouissance is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Jouissance comes from the southwestern corner of the appellation, only nominally protected by the coastal hills and open to the maritime influence of the Pacific Ocean, is the single source for these grapes. The soils here are sandy loam and very well drained, typical for the Russian River Valley. The cooler sections of Russian River, near Sebastopol, are known for producing explosive and aromatic fruit flavors balanced with acidity and earthy aromas. All seventeen rows are planted with Dijon 115 clone, nudging the wine toward perfumed aromas and light spice notes as a compliment to the lush fruitiness derived from the soils.
Notes of strawberry and tart pie cherry are accompanied by notes of sweet vanillin, toasted hazelnut and coffee as an introduction to this joyfully juicy blend of rich fruit and earthy spice. The wine opens to a well integrated mid-palate of dark berries, toffee and cassis. The broad palate is elevated and brightened with a mouthwatering acidity that welcomes this wine to the table. Sassafras, herbal notes and baking spices are revealed in the satisfying finish.
Review:
"Enticing, with succulent griotte, loganberry and anise notes driving through, while lightly singed apple wood and bramble accents underscore the finish, where the fruit takes a full encore. Drink now through 2030. 308 cases made. - JM"
- Wine Spectator (August 2022), 93 pts
Paul Hobbs Chardonnay Russian River Valley is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Crafted with precision from six pedigreed sites comes a wine that beams with pale straw hue. The newest vintage brings wonderful aromatic intensity: candied lemon peel, white florals followed by crisp green apple. A creamy and viscous texture on the palate is buoyed by white nectarine and dried apricot that’s balanced with a vibrant acidity, bringing focus to the wine’s finish that lingers with hints of flinty mineral notes.
Textured, classic Russian River Chardonnay with pleasing counterbalance between ripeness and acidity,distinguishable by underlying minerality, quality oak.
The nose is a blend of pear fruit and caramel. On the palate, these notes continue and are balanced with a hint of Rangbur lime in the finish. The crisp acidity is a perfect balance to the richness of the wine. This is to my mind exactly what RRV CH can be when top sites are well farmed and winemaking is focused.
Eric Flanagan and his family live on the vineyard property the Chardonnay comes from.
Russian River Chardonnay Bacigalupi is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
An unmatched heritage. This wine is made from the budwood of the vines that produced the California Chardonnay that rocked the industry by winning the infamous “Judgment of Paris” wine tasting in 1976. And the quality has persisted.
Starting out with aromas of white peach, honeysuckle, crème brulee and jasmine. The palate is fruit driven from beginning to end. Apple pie, melon and stone fruit flavors linger on the tongue. The mid-palate is full and rich, with a touch of minerality. This wine finishes for days with plenty of fruit on the palate, balanced by a delightful pop of acidity.
One of the few Chardonnays built to age, age this beauty over the next 5-10 years - or even longer!
Review:
"A beautiful, intense chardonnay with lots of ripe red apples and some mineral and lemon-rind character, as well as just the right amount of vanilla and cream. Full-bodied, dense and layered with lovely intensity and focus at the end. Drink now or hold."
- James Suckling (November 2020), 94 pts
Clos Saint-Jean is a 41-hectare estate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape run by brothers Vincent and Pascal Maurel. Considered by many critics and wine-writers as the preeminent estate espousing the modern style of winemaking in Châteauneuf, this cellar is one of the oldest in the region, having been founded in 1900 by the greatgreat-grandfather of Vincent and Pascal, Edmund Tacussel. A short time after its founding and well before the AOP of Chateauneuf-du-Pape was created in 1923, Edmund began bottling estate wines in 1910.
The farming at Clos Saint-Jean is fully sustainable due to the warm and dry climate, which prevents the need for chemical inputs. Instead, Vincent and Pascal employ organic methods for pest control, mainly pheromones, to prevent pests from taking up residence in their vines, a process called amusingly enough in French, confusion sexuelle. The vines tended manually, and harvest is conducted in several passes entirely by hand.
Combe des Fous literally means, the hill of the fool. The hill, in this case, is located in the far southern reach of Le Crau which was left barren for many centuries because the layer of galets was so exceedingly deep that everyone assumed vines could never survive there. The fool in this situation is Edmund Tacussel, the great-great-grandfather of Vincent and Pascal Maruel who planted a Grenache vineyard on this site in 1905. That old-vine Grenache form the heart of this cuvée with a small amount of Syrah, Cinsault and Vaccarèse. La Combe des Fous is only made in the best vintages.
Review:
The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape La Combe Des Fous is a normal blend of 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and the rest Vaccarèse and Cinsault. Beautiful, full-bodied aromas and flavors of ripe black raspberries, violets, ground pepper, lavender, and herbes de Provence all emerge from this gorgeous barrel sample, and it shows the pure, fresh, yet still concentrated style of the vintage brilliantly.
-Jeb Dunnuck 94-97 Points
Pahlmeyer Chardonnay is made from 100 percent Chardonnay.
Our 2021 Chardonnay is a thrilling, age-worthy wine, ultra-rich and concentrated yet beautifully balanced with lively fresh-style. Intense aromas of ripe gooseberry, lemongrass, and sweet clover bound from the glass with lingering notes of orange blossom honey. The wine has a brilliant juxtaposition of opulence and bright acidity on the palate, with pure, focused fruit at its core. A surge of tarte citron and toasted almond rides an edge of lifting acidity as polished oak tannins frame the fruit beautifully and seamlessly, captivating notes of salted caramel and baked spiced pear echoing on the finish.
Review:
Sliced cooked apples with biscuit and pie crust undertones, as well as hints of spices with some salted caramel. Hints of apricot. Full-bodied with a firmness and depth. Creamy-textured phenolics and great length. One of the best I have tasted. It is rich and flavorful, yet it shows great depth and length. Drinkable, but better in two or three years.
-James Suckling 98 Points