Rave Reviews from Restaurant Wine by Ronn Wiegand, MW/MS
Ronn Wiegand is the first person to hold two of the wine world's top credentials — Master of Wine (1991) and Master Sommelier (1986). He remains the only American to pass the entire Master of Wine exam on the first attempt. In 1988, he began a restaurant industry wine periodical, Restaurant Wine, the first journal of its type. Over 30 years later, Restaurant Wine remains a top publication covering trends in restaurants in North America.
2018 "FRV" Chardonnay
★★★★+ EXCELLENT Fine and intense in aroma/flavor with notes of white peach, pineapple, roasted nut, lemon peel, and toasty oak; it is a crisp, full bodied Chardonnay. It shows excellent character, fine balance, and a long finish. Best version yet of this wine. Great value.
2018 Mother of Pearl Chardonnay
★★★★+ EXCELLENT The 2018 Mother of Pearl is a full bodied, crisp, complex wine with rich fruitiness of pineapple, candied lemon, and honey with toast, vanilla, and oak characters. It has good balance and a lingering finish. Still quite young; warrants another year or so of bottle aging. White Burgundy-like in style. Excellent.
2017 Top of Land Pinot Noir
★★★★+ EXCELLENT The Top of Land is complex and vibrant, an excellent Pinot Noir in a medium-full style that is balanced, crisp, long on the palate, and persistent on the finish, tasting of cherry, rose petal, pomegranate, and toasty oak. Very fine quality; can be aged.
2017 The Terraces Pinot Noir
★★★★★ EXCEPTIONAL The 2017 Terraces, from Terraced Block #11, is exceptional: full bodied and fairly rich in style, it is round and well balanced, tasting of black currant, cherry, raspberry, rose petal, black tea, and toasty oak. Warrants at least 2 more years of aging.
2017 Stagecoach Road Pinot Noir
★★★★★ EXCEPTIONAL The 2017 Stagecoach Road is a rich, ripe Pinot Noir on a medium full framework. It is intensely flavored with notes of strawberry, cherry, black tea, clove, and toasty oak, well balanced, and very long and lingering on the finish. Outstanding. Warrants further aging.
2016 "FRV" Pinot Noir
★★★★ EXCELLENT The Pinot Noir is very fragrant, full bodied, supple in texture, and finely flavored with notes of plum, cherry, rose petal, cedar, and toasty oak. It has good intensity, crisp acidity, and a long, mildy tannic finish. Can develop further; excellent.
2015 Pinotage
★★★★ EXCELLENT The Pinotage is Pinot Noir-like in style: finely flavored, supple in texture, and full bodied. Rich flavors of blackberry, cherry, mint, pepper, clove, and toasty oak show good balance (if a bit tannic), and a long finish. Beginning to drink well, but it will develop further with bottle aging.