Wine Club Gift Guide

Lemon Wine Reviews

I drank these 8 wines and tasted aromatic, bright, brioche, fruity, grass, lemon, mineral, minerality, pear, slightly sweet. The wines are aged, biodynamic, bright, food friendly, grand cru, grower, my favorites, premier cru, small production, whole cluster and came from a variety of sources, including wine clubs, wineries, and wine stores.

Wine reviews by: Jessyca Frederick

Sancerre Lot 126

2023 Ninety Plus Cellars Sancerre Lot 126

Really nice, but kinda pricey. Not for Sancerre in general, just for what it is. But it’s sold out at the winery because Sancerre is having a moment.

Tasting notes: lemon, grass, mineral

Talinay Chardonnay

2020 Tabalí Talinay Chardonnay

A Chablis-style Chardonnay characterized by mineral-driven, saline, lemony citrus bursts, bracing acidity, and a light body from limestone soils near the coast in Chile.

Tasting notes: bright, lemon, minerality

Riesling Geisberg

2014 Kuentz-Bas Riesling Geisberg

This 2014 riesling was dry, but with a hint of sweetness in the finish. I had not tasted an aged riesling before and was enamored with the complexity, richness, and structure (and really wished I had another bottle).

Tasting notes: lemon, pear, slightly sweet, aromatic

Derek Rohlffs Pinot Gris

2021 Naked Wines Derek Rohlffs Pinot Gris

Fruity and bright, light white wine that tasted a little bit hot to me (the taste of alcohol). As with most Naked Wines whites, a great price for an easy drinking wine.

Tasting notes: apple, baked pear, bright, lemon

Brut Tradition

NV Champagne Lhuillier Brut Tradition

Delightful Champagne at a very fair price, it offered a subtle lemony essence and creme brulée while not being overly yeasty. More flavors developed while it was open.

Tasting notes: lemon, creme brulee, brioche, biscuit

“Special Club” White Wine Blend

2021 Martelloto Wines “Special Club” White Wine Blend

The drier, lemony flavors of the Sauvignon Blanc sort of pushed and pulled on the fruitier, more aromatic Riesling and Chenin Blanc. Lacked expected brightness.

Tasting notes: lemon, fruity

Esprit Couture Premier Cru Brut

2012 Champagne Collet Esprit Couture Premier Cru Brut

We very much enjoyed this Champagne, but it didn’t leave us wanting more. I smelled lemon custard and baking spice, and tasted a bright, complex blend of toasted brioche and appreciable salinity.

Tasting notes: lemon, baking spice, bright, brioche, saline

Vieilles Vignes Sancerre

2018 Roger et Didier Raimbault Vieilles Vignes Sancerre

This particular Sancerre is typical (in a good way) of what you’d expect for Sauvignon Blanc from this region — it’s fruity and bright, featuring a lemony essence on the palate with a touch of minerality.

Tasting notes: fruity, bright, lemon, minerality

Notice: I hold no formal wine credentials. I am a wine geek who has consumed 1000+ of bottles from 100+ different wine clubs and 1000s more bottles that didn’t come from those wine clubs. I do not accept payment for wine reviews, and I do not accept payments to influence my opinions. I happily accept free wine (and I buy wine).

Why read my wine reviews: Wine taste is subjective. What I like may not be what you like. I try to leave room for you to form your own opinions, so I don’t provide a score or a rating. I do point out wines that are an incredible value or truly not worth the money. I note flaws, wines that don’t have typicity (because this matters if you are buying wine without having tasted it yourself), when wines are out of balance, and when wines lack appropriate body.

I don’t like wasting money (or anything for that matter). I’m careful about where I spend my money and my mindset as a reviewer is to be careful about where you spend yours. I don’t believe a high price tag equals quality and I know for sure there are wines of very good quality that are also a great value.

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