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Wine Type Vintage Name Variety Locale Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More...
Red

2015 Marie et Pierre Bénetière Syrah Vin de France Cordeloux

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9/4/2019 - clayfu wrote: NR

If you’ve been following the thread on Wineberserkers there’s been some drama on the 2015 Benetiere. First it was the issue with the massive delays on the wine bring imported due to significant administrative failures by Benetiere. Now it’s potentially the wine itself (some believe two are related).
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TL:DR my experience - wine was really good after 15 hours being opened. Very 2015 solar vintage. Bought from Down to Earth wine. Will sample another bottle when the weather cools.
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Polaner was the first importer to get the wine into retail stores in NYC. Immediately complaints starter to float in how bad the wine was. A Master Somm/retailer complained the wines were cooked. Polaner immediately recalled all the wine from retail.
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I purchased my bottles from a separate importer so I asked them to overnight ship me a bottle to sample to see. There are numerous reviews from people tasting the wine in France that have given it very positive reviews (including John Livingston). I brought the bottle to our @eversonroyce hangout.
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I’d say pop and pour would be a mistake on this wine. Color was a vibrant purple. It was very clunky, disjointed, alcoholic and raisny ripe fruit initially. No one liked it. So I dumped it into the decanter.
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Tried the wine again in 2 hours.
Wine has completely changed. It started to shed that alcoholic presence. White pepper and ripe dark blue fruit emerge on the nose. It still has the vintage profile (shows that over ripe brown sugar edge) but it’s no longer clunker and awkward. Minerality pops and the fruit is starting to soften. Everyone was surprised how it turned based on how poorly it showed on the pop and pour. Since I had to leave I poured it all back into the bottle to try later in the night.
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Tried it again 5 hours post open. Some va on the nose (as noted by John Livingston when he tasted the bottle back in October) But lots of pretty lilac and purple fruit also. The nose is quite enjoyable now. Palate is way cleaner now. Turned more into that bright blue fruit and a bit of chewy meatiness. Light tannin. Great supple acidity that’s lively Some alcohol on the back end. Very 2015, the vintage shows much more than the producer but the wine shows far more as Benetiere on the palate than ever before. Put the bottle back into the fridge. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Brought the wine to taste with @aewang the next morning. Poured him a glass (still a rich purple hue) without telling him what it was. Sniffed it. Soaring deep dark blue/black fruit, white flowers and pepper. Just kept sniffing. The palate is still a bit cold due to being in the fridge but lots of clean fruit and elegance. Getting more and more of the producer signature now after 16 odd hours of air.

The wine actually reminds me of a few 2015 N. Rhone I’ve had that show the vintage so strongly with over ripe fruit and awkwardness that start to shrug the vintage off its shoulders after significant air.

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Red

2015 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie

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4/11/2018 - clayfu wrote: NR

This thing is huge. Not in "OMG 2015s ARE SO RIPE WHY DO PEOPLE LIKE SOLAR YEARS" sort of way, but in a .. i think my 2 year old daughter might be starting to receive retirement checks when this wine might be ready. It is a tannic built frame. Dense material. Dark fruit. It is stuffed to the gills with unidentifiable material that's all mixed together and suppressed by the tannin and burly structure. The nose is much more forgiving but there was absolutely nothing on the nose until about 6 hours in the decanter.

I'll check back in in 5 years.

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White - Sparkling

2008 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut

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1/17/2022 - clayfu wrote: NR

tons of ripe Granny Smith apple on the nose - really broad mouthfeel and intense acidity. Powerful round ripe fruit. Clarity of fruit that seems typical of 08. Love the saturated sweetness on the finish and you feel the presence on the wine long into the finish. That weight is really what distinguishes it from the 164. A wine to definitely hold. It also needed a hour to really open up and get going.

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Red

2017 Marie et Pierre Bénetière Côte-Rôtie Cordeloux

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12/28/2020 - clayfu wrote: NR

I think we all know the 2015 Benetiere story and the highly variable bottles. Then the long delay in the 2016 release which ultimately ended up with none of it being imported. Rumors abound on why the 2015 and 2016 weren't labeled as cote rotie. Add in the 2014 Cordeloux that wasn't bottled (2014 Dolium was bottled and is fantastic), the public trust in Benetiere is at an all time low.

The main importer for Benetiere, Robert Panzer at Down to Earth Wines, knows my love for all things Benetiere so he sent over a bottle of the 2017 Cote Rotie Cordeloux (yes! Cote rotie! not vdp!) for me to give my honest assessment of prior to release. Consider these notes a running diary on the wine - Tasted on pop and pour - the first hour - then 7 hours later.

2017 Benetiere Cote Rotie Cordeloux - THE NOSE IS INSANE. IN-FREAKING-SANE. One of the most compelling parts of Benetiere is how fragrant the nose is. The 2012 (one of my favorite young cote rotie) is similar to the 2017 on the nose - the nose is a volcanic eruption of aggressive violet, spice, tapenade and bright blue fruit. With air, you get the savoriness of cote rotie building to match the floral spice box. For the first 30 minutes, i was taking the tinest sips as I kept swirling the glass and obsessing over that nose.

The palate is elegant weighing in at a mild 12.5% alcohol. The wine pulses from its vibrant core of cool acidity, the wine has depth and persistent sweet berry fruit on the mid palate deep into the finish. The mid palate shows a real clean purity of fruit. A flurry of cracked black pepper and roast meat linger on the finish. It's pretty crazy how much intensity the wine carries on its lithe frame. With air that finish gets broader and burlier- the fruit gets more concentrated and the tannin gets a jagged edge. There is a reductive element initially on the finish but it minimizes with air. I'm guessing a little more time in bottle will remove the reductive element.

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Red

2016 Pierre Gonon St. Joseph

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9/13/2018 - clayfu wrote: NR

Wonderful purity of purple clean fruit - contrast to the darker, more concentrated fruit in the 2015. Persistent crunchy fruit that finishes cool with acid. While it doesn't have the big mouthfeel of the 15 it makes up for it with balance and elegance. There's an underlying tension that pulls at the wine. Probably the most elegant clean gonon st joseph I've had yet. The contrasting vintages both have a significant place in the cellar.

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Red

2010 Pierre Gonon St. Joseph Vieilles Vignes

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10/7/2019 - clayfu wrote: NR

The hype is real on 2010 Gonon VV. It’s that 2003 Lebron draft hype and that is 100% justified. Decanted around 3pm and consumed from 8pm-12am. Plenty of repours ��.
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The first thing to note is how unique the nose is. It smells of hundreds of tiny black berries being crushed at the same time, it’s lively and there’s so much of it. Then there’s this white flower petal and lingering smoke that wraps itself around that explosive fruit nose.
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The wine has a mouthfeel that surprised me. It had an elegance to the texture that coaxed out great length of cool rich fruit. You feel it slowly taper away as it goes deep into the finish. I can’t remember the last black fruited syrah like this that felt so at ease and wonderful. Everything just fit together and presented a seamless package to be enjoyed. One of the all time great young N. Rhones I’ve enjoyed

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Red

2010 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve

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11/9/2023 - clayfu wrote: NR

I had this wine as a pop and pour this past April and it was pretty shut down. So knowing that information i decnated this puppy a good half day ahead. It needed every single minute of it. As the night went on, each pour, the massive density of the wine came into focus and unfurled. Started to pick up the beautiful spice laden aspects of rayas while keeping the space of its huge body in tack. Heavy intense saturation of fruit that leads to an incredibly sappy and long finish. POtential on this wine is monstrous.

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Red

2017 Pierre Gonon St. Joseph

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7/25/2019 - clayfu wrote: NR

Can’t remember the last Gonon St Joseph that was this opulent and accessible on release. Huge dark red fruit screams out on the nose. Hints of flower and spice but it’s dominated by the absolute orchard load of fruit. When we put it to our nose for the first time all of us went “woah”. Just weren’t expecting the intensity and forwardness of the fruit aroma.
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The palate was similar. Really opulent and bold wide fruit. Similar in profile of the 2015 with that shimmering red fruit but doesn’t have the tannic structure of the 2015. It’s an absolute hurricane of spiced red fruit that continues deep into the finish. It straddles the line of ripeness without going overboard in the way only a great winemaker can do. Generous and so tasty right now, there’s an ease and elegance to it. If you have plenty don’t be afraid to try one.
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I haven’t read up on the 2017 N. Rhone vintage but based on all my sampling so far it seems like a very fruit generous ripe vintage that’s more easily accessible than 15/16. Seems akin to 2012.

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Red

2015 Marie et Pierre Bénetière Syrah Vin de France Cordeloux

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11/11/2019 - clayfu wrote: NR

adding more data points - opened two bottles within the span of 48 hours this past week.

Both were miles ahead of the initial note I posted a couple months ago. Really pretty and full on the pop and pour. Has some of the 2015 ripeness which is expected. Did not need the aggressive decant to get the benetiere notes as the prior note did.

Gave one bottle 12 hours in the decanter and it became a fairly hard and shut down wine. Other bottle had 36 hours in the bottle (since i didn't get a chance to finish it) and it was a really pretty elegant wine at that point but don't think it needs that much air.

My rec right now is prob to pop n pour and follow through the tasting.

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White - Sparkling

NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée

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2/19/2017 - clayfu wrote: NR

Night two: No more rain but a lot more Rousseau - a story of Fred's birthday in Orange County (J Zhou): Old gold and red label krug, developed very nice. Expansive oxidized golden notes with hazelnut, intense apple fruit. So delicious.

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Red

2015 Xavier Gerard Côte-Rôtie

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4/25/2018 - clayfu wrote: NR

I love this wine but it needs a lot of air to show at its best. To me the wine is a middle ground between Jamet and Benetiere. Jamet being the wild wine and Benetiere being the bright red fruited cote rotie. The Xavier Gerard is fantastically perfumed on the nose from the viognier, fragrant and bright. The nose shows off a bit of the softness of the wine as the bouquet isn't sharp, it warms up and slowly rises out of the glass. The fruit on the wine is rich but elegant, a tannic grip sits at the end, but the edges of the wine are fleshy and lively. The palate also gains a floral note from the viognier.

Their viognier is fantastic alone, so it only makes sense that it enhances the cote rotie so much.

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Red

2013 Bernard Levet Côte-Rôtie La Chavaroche / La Péroline

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5/9/2020 - clayfu wrote: NR

Fu's wild ride - a blind tasting around the country with a vertical of Levet with French, Henriquez, Alfert, Carnes and Kane: just not ready at the moment. Closed up. Sweet fruit on the nose but everything else is shut down. Similar from the last time I had it a few years ago. Mostly dry tannin at this point

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White - Sparkling

2006 Dom Pérignon Champagne

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11/20/2016 - clayfu wrote: NR

Really enjoying these 06 Doms, they are clean bright and mineral driven. In fact I'm like 06 champagne period.

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Red

2013 Domaine Dujac Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts

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12/24/2021 - clayfu wrote: NR

really enjoy the 2013s from Dujac and the Malconsort is one of the most alluring wines they made in the vintage. The fruit is beautiful and layered, there's hints of the classic stemmed dujac spice but everything is well integrated and subtle. It's aromatically perfumed. The wine just screams clean and balanced.

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Red

2019 Walter Scott Pinot Noir Bacocho St. Augustine

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1/20/2022 - clayfu wrote: NR

blend of Seven Springs and Temperance Hill - @fuberwil and I were drinking this and we both concurred this is the best pinot we've tasted from the winery. I've always found the pinots to be a touch shy due to the structure but this melded the structure well and really accentuates the extract of deep cherry fruit, baking spice and pepper. Definitely one to follow and an impressive showing.

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White - Sparkling

2002 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut

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10/10/2018 - clayfu wrote: NR

Lazy sunday afternoon Krug event - Vertical of 160eme-166eme , some vintage brut, Mesnil and Rose.: I'm really liking where the 02 Krug is at. It's lean, precise and focused. It's still very youthful as it has an electric vibrant feel to the wine, almost like it's bouncing around a room. The texture of the wine is really exciting. The acidity isn't as intense as it was on release (nowhere near as intense as the 02 mesnil is now) but it's still very very present.

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Red

2010 Pierre Gonon St. Joseph

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10/7/2019 - clayfu wrote: NR

Tasted next to 2010 Gonon VV. It was interesting trying to regular 2010 St Joseph bottling next to it. The regular bottling is much thicker and muscular. The tannins have weight and the fruit gleans a more rustic earthy edge. It tastes like it needs far more time as it needed some time in the decanter to let the fruit come past the tannin wall.

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Red

2015 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage

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7/29/2019 - clayfu wrote: NR

Tasted next to 15 allemand reynard + 15 xavier Gerard La La

It was good but it felt glossier and less brilliant mouthfeel wise from the Allemand and Gerard. It had ample fruit and structure it didn’t have that extra spark the other two wines did.

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Red

2013 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo

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7/30/2018 - clayfu wrote: NR

gotta match the Burlotto with the other big boy Barolo of the vintage. The nose doesn’t have the airiness of the Burlotto but it makes up for it in its raw intensity of rose, red berry and earthy tar. It’s a big hit on the olfactory as it seems to just penetrate and stimulate all dem nose hairs. The palate is as expansive and deep as the nose. Textured and a bit jagged on the edges due to the tannins but there is so much going on in this wine. It is deep and filled with warm red herbaceous fruit. Doesn’t have the same primary nature of a year ago, but there’s still plenty of fruit and elegance to spare.

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Red

1980 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti

 Romanée-Conti Grand Cru Pinot Noir more
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5/10/2021 - clayfu wrote: NR

first time was a terribly heat damaged 2001 from god knows where, to say it was disappointing would be the understatement of the year. This time, a 1980 DRC Romanee Conti. The original purchaser's cellar was less than 20 miles away from the restaurant and was stored perfectly since release. I kept my expectations low as to tamper expectations.

Some wines are pretty tough to put into words - I'm usually taking notes on my phone as I'm tasting through wine and I update it as the wine changes through the night, but with this wine the note just kept getting longer and longer as the superlatives grew.

Decanted for sediment - decanted back into the bottle 15 minutes or so later then popped again around 1.5 hours later.

The wine is complete to say the least, over three hours it elevated and gained more and more as subtle nuisance layered itself in and built onto the base.

The nose is the very essense of sous bois perfection with baked spice, cedar, the sweetest resolved cherry - all subtle and floating in an ethereal presense that haunts YOUR VERY SOUL. As you smell the wine, the emotion empties out from you.

On the palate - simply, it is the most perfect balance of pure wild strawberry fruit and sweet earth that you get from aged burgundy, it is the dictionary picture of that combo that we seek from aged burgundy. It's interlaced with supple acidity that carries the flavor profile all through your mouth. There was one point I was asked what I thought about the wine but I couldn't respond as the wine had so completely saturated my tastebuds that I kept swallowing all the saliva that was being generated by the flavor explosions of fruit, black tea leaves, sweet earth - except it all just felt so "weightless" and seamless.

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White

2020 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur

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8/17/2023 - clayfu wrote: NR

a wow level Raveneau. They absolutely crushed this vintage. Sometimes in youth Valmur tends to be almost too big, needing time to tame itself but even out of mag this is showing so classically chablis-ish with loads of ocean spray and stone on first whiff yet so very much Raveneau with the spiced nose.

The wine on the palate is restrained initially (probably even more so in magnum) but in a way that feels like it has so much that wants to burst forth of its chalky waxy raw material but it’s being held back like King Kong straining to break free from his captors. With air each chain snaps and everything starts to amp up, the fullness of the wine expands, acidity starts to dance, and everything just saturates and sits on the palate. Truly splendid wine and I really followed this wine to the very last drop over the course of six hours to watch its evolution.

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White - Sparkling

NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 164eme

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10/10/2018 - clayfu wrote: NR

Lazy sunday afternoon Krug event - Vertical of 160eme-166eme , some vintage brut, Mesnil and Rose.: This wine is trudging along just fine, still one of the best young Grande Cuvees I've had. It takes from all the best of the vintages surrounding it and pits it together like a perfect finished puzzle. It had loads of clean bright fruit and bright lick smacking acidity. It's structured and full without feeling ripe and weighty. Incredibly persistent fruit presence on the finish.

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Red

2020 Pedres Blanques Vin de France

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8/17/2023 - clayfu wrote: NR

Each vintage the couple behind the wine, Hirofumi and Rie Shoji, seem to focus the quality of their wine more and more. What started as a more juicy natural Grenache has really deepened into a serious wine with cellaring. As they age longer in barrel each release the wines have really built structure.

Not that I’m saying the wine is like rayas, but it’s singular in the way it expresses Grenache. The dark purple wildness of the fruit is sweet and impactful. The 2020 is a dark material packed wine with loads of minerality brimming in the undertow of that serious savory Grenache. There’s a stemmy smoky reduction on the nose but peaks out bright fruit with each swirl. Tannin started to shed each subsequent pour.

I think this wine will definitely reward aging as it sheds its structure so drink the older vintages first before diving into this magnum.

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White

2018 Walter Scott Chardonnay X-Novo Vineyard

 Eola - Amity Hills more
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4/16/2020 - clayfu wrote: NR

Sharing the same bottle of wine with friends - Covid 19 style: what else needs to be said that I haven’t said before. The x novo from @walterscottwines is the best chardonnay made in America. Not only that it’s probably the best chardonnay period at the price point. The 2018 is one of the best vintages I’ve had from them, really dense concentrated wine with that hallmark reduction/flint and incredible length that lingers long into the finish. If there’s a vintage to load up on it’s definitely this one from them. I regret not getting a 3L during the futures offer.

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Red

2021 William Kelley Gevrey-Chambertin Aux Etelois

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12/1/2023 - clayfu wrote: NR

Decanted on the spot - consumed roughly a hour later and slowly through the rest of a leisurely lunch. I was surprised by the elegance coming out of this Gevrey. It’s an insane spice box that exudes from the glass to your nose. Loads of freshly cut rose petals, sweet cherry and that spice infused stem. Aromatically so perfumed and generous.

The palate was filled with elegant chalky red berried fruit, even with as elegant as it was, there’s enough weight on the material that you feel the saturation and mouthfeel persist on the wine. The acidity is in check to give that seamless cool fruit profile on the finish with that sweet tannin and stem dances along the fruit to give it a lively complexity.

Really terrific wine. Can’t wait to see what the future holds on these and the other wines in the lineup.

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  • Tasting notes: 1,609 notes on 1,397 wines

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