Donelan Wine at Flickinger Wines

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USA Red

Donelan

2014

Cushing’s Block Barbed Oak Vyd. Pinot Noir

$69

JD 95 (7/2017): Coming from a single block in the Barbed Oak Vineyard located in Bennet Valley, the 2014 Pinot Noir Cushing’s Block is a ripe, sweetly fruited and downright sexy beauty that offers classic Pinot fruit as well as complex forest floor, rose petals and spring flowers aromas and flavors. This medium-bodied, plush, incredibly elegant 2014 has a silky texture, fine tannin and a great finish. While it’s drinking beautifully today it will easily keep for a decade. It’s much more seamless and approachable than either of the 2013s.

WA 94+ (2/2017): Coming from the Calera clone planted to gravelly soil, this vintage of Cushing’s Block was produced with 30% whole cluster and aged in French barrels for 16 months, 25% new. Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2014 Pinot Noir Cushing’s Block gives pronounced earthy notes of forest floor, damp earth and fungi over scents of warm cranberries, pomegranate, red currants and violets. Medium to full-bodied with plenty of opulent red fruits accented by earthy/herbal notes, it has a solid frame of grainy tannins and lively acid, finishing with great length.

VM 93 (3/2017): An addition to the range, 2014 Pinot Noir Cushing's Block emerges from Barbed Oak Vineyard in Bennett County. Dark red cherry, plum, blood orange and exotic spice give the wine its alluring personality. Deep, pliant and expressive, the 2014 is a real beauty. This is an impressive debut. Antonio Galloni.

2011

Cuvee Keltie Syrah

$59

WA 93 (12/2013): The 2011 Cuvee Keltie, which came in under 14% alcohol, spent 22 months in neutral wood, and 100% whole stems were used. The wine reveals a chocolaty, smoky, bacon-scented nose that at first suggests a French Cote Rotie, but as it hits the palate with its full-bodied creme de cassis, blackberry, charcoal and graphite personality, it moves more toward a single vineyard Hermitage from the likes of Chapoutier. This supple, rich 2011 can be drunk now or cellared for a decade.

VM 92+ (2/2014): The 2011 Syrah Cuvée Keltie is a selection of the best barrels in the cellar from Walker Vine Hill, Obsidian, Richards and Steiner. One of the darker 2011s here, the Cuvée Keltie boasts terrific depth, power and raciness. Black fruit, smoke, licorice and incense flow through to the finish. This resonant, expressive Syrah could use another year or two in bottle to fully assimilate the 80% whole clusters. Today the 2011 is deep, dense and a bit compact, yet full of promise. (Drink between 2015-2023). Antonio Galloni.

JD 91 (6/2019): While the 2011 Syrah Cuvee Keltie isn’t at the same level as the other vintages here, it’s nevertheless a beautiful wine. Medium-bodied notes of cracked pepper, smoked earth, graphite, and sweet black fruits all emerge from this fresh, elegant Syrah that has terrific balance, moderate depth and richness, and outstanding length. It’s drinking nicely today yet is still youthful and lively, and I’m sure will continue drinking nicely for another decade. (Drink between 2019-2029).

2010

Cuvee Moriah Proprietary Blend

$50

JD 89-91 (12/2011): I was able to taste each component destined for the 2010 Donelan Cuvée Moriah and this cuvee always excels aromatically, and this vintage is no exception. Sporting already complex notions of herbs de Provence, pepper, earth, and meaty characteristics, each component was medium-bodied, well balanced, and possessed an overall fresh, pure character. Lighter styled and elegant, this will most likely benefit from 1-3 years of bottle age, and have upwards of a decade of prime drinking.

VM 88-90 (2/2012): Donelan's 2010 Cuvee Moriah is a blend of 54% Grenache, 26% Mourvèdre and 20% Syrah fermented with 25-50% whole clusters depending on the variety. Mint, licorice, tar, smoke and blackberries are some of the notes that take shape in the glass as this intensely aromatic wine opens up in the glass. Today the tannins are a bit firm and I get a sense the fruit may not have achieved full ripeness. It will be interesting to see how the wine develops after bottling. Antonio Galloni.

2013

Cuvee Moriah Proprietary Blend

$50

JD 93 (7/2017): The 2013 Cuvee Moriah is 87% Grenache and 13% Syrah that’s all from the Dry Stack Vineyard in the Bennett Valley. It has a gorgeous (as well as complex) bouquet of ripe cherries, cranberry, dried flowers and incense. This carries to an ethereally textured, elegant Grenache that that has sweet fruit, medium-bodied richness and a great finish. It’s not going to make old bones, but it’s going to be impossible to resist over the coming 4-5 years. This may be my favorite vintage of this cuvee to date.

2013

Kobler Family Vyd. Syrah

$60

JD 95 (7/2017): Coming from the Green Valley region of the Russian River Valley (this is a cooler terroir), the 2013 Syrah Kobler Family Vineyard is always cofermented with a big chunk of Viognier (10% in 2013) and is aged mostly in neutral oak. It offers an ethereal, elegant and seamless style as well as classic notes of black raspberries, white pepper, rose petals and white cherries (no doubt from the Viognier). Nuanced and deep, with a great finish, it’s never the largest scaled wine in the lineup, but it shines for it complexity and incredible elegance. Drink it anytime over the coming decade.

2011

Richards Family Vyd. Syrah

$49

VM 89 (1/2015): The 2011 Syrah Richards Family Vineyard comes across as compact and dried out, especially on the mid-palate. Attractive savory notes develop in the glass, but the 2011 lacks freshness and depth. Sweet tobacco, crushed flowers, mint and dried cherries add a measure of nuance, but that is not enough to compensate for an overall faded feeling that runs through the wine. I can't help the 2011 may have ultimately spent too much time in barrel. Antonio Galloni.

2017

Sonoma County Rose

$25

2011

Two Brothers Pinot Noir

$50

VM 92 (2/2014): Dark red/black cherries, wild flowers, mint and licorice meld together in the 2011 Pinot Noir Two Brothers. Savory notes develop in the glass, adding nuance and aromatic complexity. Hints of sage, sweet tobacco, anise and earthiness meld into a juicy finish supported by firm yet well-integrated tannins that should allow the wine to age nicely for a number of years. The 2011 was fermented with 40% whole clusters and spent 18 months in barrel, 20% new. The sites are Steiner Ranch, Perli, Goldrock Ridge, Walker Vine Hill and a dollop of Gap's Crown. (Drink between 2014-2021). Antonio Galloni.

WA 92 (12/2013): The red wines include the 2011 Pinot Noir Two Brothers which comes from four relatively high elevation sources, three in Sonoma and one in Mendocino. It was aged 18 months in 20% new French oak and finished with 14.4% alcohol. Its medium ruby color is followed by seductive aromas of kirsch, strawberries, loamy soil and a hint of oak in the background. A remarkably successful 2011, it is a medium-bodied, velvety, long Pinot Noir to consume over the next 5-7 years.

2012

Two Brothers Pinot Noir

$55

VM 89 (1/2015): Crushed rose petals, raspberries, mint and cinnamon are some of the notes that lift from the glass in Donelan's 2012 Pinot Noir Two Brothers. I would prefer to drink the 2012 sooner rather than later. Over the last year, some of the radiance and sweetness that was present in barrel has faded. Antonio Galloni.

2013

Two Brothers Pinot Noir

$49

VM 91 (2/2016): The 2013 Pinot Noir Two Brothers is pretty, floral and lifted, all qualities that make it quite appealing for near and medium-term drinking. Crushed flowers, sweet red berries and cinnamon are all given an extra kick of savory lift from the 30% whole clusters. The Two Brothers is now a Sonoma County wine. Antonio Galloni.

2013

Walker Vine Hill Syrah

$59

JD 97+ (7/2017): One of the larger scaled examples of this cuvee I’ve tried, the 2013 Syrah Walker Vine Hill saw only partial destemming and 20 months in 25% new French oak. Reminding me a great vintage of Hermitage Les Bessards from Delas, it boasts phenomenal notes of crème de cassis, graphite, roasted herbs, melted licorice and burning embers. Rich, voluptuous, seriously ripe and decadent, yet with density, tannin and structure, it needs 3-4 years of cellaring (it needs an hour decant or more if drinking today) and will have two decades of overall longevity. This is what great California Syrah tastes like!

USA White

Donelan

2015

Venus Proprietary Blend (1.5 L)

$119

JD 88 (6/2019): The 2015 Venus is cut from the same cloth yet doesn’t have the texture or density of the 2014. White currants, white peach, and citrus notes as well as a touch of salty minerality all emerge from this medium-bodied, elegant, streamlined white that’s going to continue drinking nicely for another 7-8 years (probably longer).