5/5/2024 - watcheslover Likes this wine:

Absolutely fabulous!

5/4/2024 - Likawine Likes this wine:

Nice one for 15 Euros.

5/5/2024 - watcheslover Likes this wine:

Very good wine and a top quality/price but nothing to see with the fabulous 2022

5/5/2024 - Guy Libot wrote:

Had a bit of an unpleasant smell, like sweat. Aside from this a very agreeable, bodied wine.

4/28/2024 - Tony Ling Likes this wine:

100% Pinot Gris. 11.5% ABV. 353 bottles made. Usagi-chuui literally translates to "Beware of Hares". (Note: Wild hares are in general a threat to wine grapes in Hokkaido)

Ripe stone fruits like apricots.

Voluminous palate with very high acidity, minerality.

One of a kind style which gravitates towards the Alsatian style ultimately indeed. 94 points.

5/5/2024 - Uncle_Iroh Likes this wine:

19 years old. Had one two years ago and my notes say it was nice. Tried again tonight.
The tannins are still very prominent. I am unsure this will be tamed based on the last 2 years. Still very enjoyable for me though. The nose of cherry seems to be fading. The earthy tea and the black tea like tannin astringency remains. The fruit is fading I think. Still a great experience for a 19 year old wine. No complaints.

5/5/2024 - Sven Spoelstra Likes this wine:

Very fruit forward. Already starting to show some oak and tobacco on the nose but filled with deep cherry, raspberry and even a hint of licorice in the finish.

5/4/2024 - ChairmanKao Does not like this wine:

ABV: 13.5%. 34% Merlot, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 33% Sangiovese. Herbs and spices dominate the nose with a subtle hint of fruit in the background. On the palate, there's a lot of bright red fruits (think cherries and cranberries), lifted by ample acidity. However, the acidity is a bit discombobulated and some tannic grip remaining so more time in the cellar should help. The finish is lengthy so there's definitely good potential in this wine. I'd say keep your bottle in the cellar for several more year, but if you're planning to open your bottle soon, perhaps decant it for at least an hour.

5/4/2024 - Nilikano Likes this wine:

It was ok this time but I think that it was even better last time we had it.

5/5/2024 - graemeg wrote:

{screwcap, 14.2%} Bright & youthful. Raspberry, hint of cola. Minimal oak. Medium acid, soft tannins. Medium weight. Juicy texture, dry, short/medium length finish. Tidy wine; aging for a decade or so will be fine.

5/5/2024 - Pidda99 Likes this wine:

Doftar röda vinbär. Fortfarande syra och strävhet direkt hint av sötma.

4/28/2024 - Tony Ling Likes this wine:

Domaine Mont Maker's Dinner in Barilotto (Barilotto, Otaru, Hokkaido): Zweigelt (2018-19 from Miura san near Occi Gabi, 2020-21 Tomizuka san near Rita Farm, 2022 is Tomizuka san + Aki Vineyard’s Merlot, 2023 is Zwei from Aki Vineyard as main and blended with Merlot) pressed with Pinot Gris skins. 1 barrel made with c.300 bottles. 12.5% ABV.

Medium purplish ruby to the eyes.

Irony and steely purplish red cherry fruits, white spices.

Extraction is quite high comparatively to other cuvees from this producer. Silky tannins.

94 points.

4/28/2024 - Tony Ling Likes this wine:

Domaine Mont Maker's Dinner in Barilotto (Barilotto, Otaru, Hokkaido): From Aki Vineyard with 4 years old vines. 12.5% ABV.

Pale garnet to the eyes.

Lightly extracted style given Pinot Noir vines are still relatively young. Aged in c.2-3 years old barrels.

Good bright acidity, oak nuances.

94 points.

4/28/2024 - Tony Ling Likes this wine:

Domaine Mont Maker's Dinner in Barilotto (Barilotto, Otaru, Hokkaido): 12% ABV. 100% Merlot from Soma Farm. (2020-22 Montrlot was 100% Soma farm, 2023 given low yield from Soma Farm, the cuvee was blended with Aki Vineyard's).

Pale garnet to the eyes.

Herbal like menthol and floral infused red cherry fruits. Cacao nuances being signature of the variety.

94 points.

4/28/2024 - Tony Ling Likes this wine:

Domaine Mont Maker's Dinner in Barilotto (Barilotto, Otaru, Hokkaido): Less than 1000 bottles made. 12.0% ABV. Almost 2 months in plastic tank in whole-bunches without pigeage. (Compared to 2019 which was harvested late, pigeaged, with 14% ABV. On the other hand, Dom Gris 2022 was 4000 bottles, and 2023 is c.2000 bottles.)

100% new oak given first vintage. This is now integrated with lots of minerality and umami on the palate.

Cinnamon and sandalwood notes. Lots of minerality and umami and well integrated oak nuances.

Best showing of Dom Gris so far in my view. Amazing wine here. 94-95 points easy.

5/5/2024 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:

Petroleum-like, smoky reduction to the aroma. The palate is quite full and sappy, with flavours of preserved lemon, peach and almond butter. It has excellent density and richness for its level and is cut by tangy acidity.

4/28/2024 - Tony Ling Likes this wine:

Domaine Mont Maker's Dinner in Barilotto (Barilotto, Otaru, Hokkaido): c.2000 bottles made. 13.0% ABV. Most botrytis infected vintage so far.

Deep copperish orange.

Dry with more bitterness (than the 2018 drank side by side) and more rich honey preserved apricots, orange marmalade notes.

94 points.

5/5/2024 - ttholst wrote:

Essensen av Burgund for meg. Klokkeklar lys rødbærsfrukt med stram struktur. Vinen er elegant, lett og kan virke tander, men har en form for mystisk urkraft det er vanskelig å beskrive. Lang, sammensatt smak.

4/28/2024 - Tony Ling Likes this wine:

Domaine Mont Maker's Dinner in Barilotto (Barilotto, Otaru, Hokkaido): c.80% Merlot, c.20% Kerner. 12% ABV.

At first quite reductive, with irony notes at release (Yamanaka san’s impression). Now is well integrated.

Pale garnet to the eyes.

Fine smoke infused red plummy and cherry fruits. Whiff of reduction that blew off quickly.

Bright acidity, with silky tannins, reminiscent of a lighter style of Julien Guillot's Macon Rouge Cuvee 910.

94 points.

5/5/2024 - vinhslee Likes this wine:

Opened 2 magnums recently. Very lively with plenty of bubbles. On the nose, it is unusually aromatic. On palate, it has complex layers of citrus fruits, biscuits, cookies and honey notes. It does have mature notes, but far from being at peak. It gets even better with air. Sensational

4/28/2024 - Tony Ling Likes this wine:

Domaine Mont Maker's Dinner in Barilotto (Barilotto, Otaru, Hokkaido): 100% Sauvignon Blanc from Soma Vineyards in Yoichi. 13% ABV.

Deep golden to the eyes.

Ripe exotic fruits (almost Durian like at first sniff), ripe grapefruits like pomelo (文旦 in Japanese), savory and minty, green bell peppery notes.

Clearly more voluminous on the palate with higher alcohol level than other cuvees. Quite a bit spices on the finish.

94 points.

[Note: 2022 Domaine Mont's Soumagnon Blanc only available to Sapporo outlets. 2023 had seen extremely low yield (only 1 barrel made, only available to Domaine Mont)]

5/5/2024 - David Meddings wrote:

Consistent with note from a few days ago. This went very well with slow cooked lamb.

5/5/2024 - ThomasAgathon Likes this wine:

90-92 TA

5/5/2024 - ThomasAgathon Likes this wine:

94-96 TA

5/5/2024 - ThomasAgathon Likes this wine:

91-93 TA

5/5/2024 - ThomasAgathon Likes this wine:

93-95 TA

5/5/2024 - weinreiter Likes this wine:

im Glas jugendlich hell mit grünlichen Reflexen, Bukett nach Stachelbeeren, Wiese und vegetablen Noten, am Gaumen schlank, zupackend, schöne Säure, wieder Stachelbeere, leichte Mineralik, guter Zug.

4/28/2024 - Tony Ling Likes this wine:

Domaine Mont Maker's Dinner in Barilotto (Barilotto, Otaru, Hokkaido): 100% Kerner from Aki Vineyard in Yoichi, aged for 50/50 stainless steel tank and new oak barrel (Taransaud Pure T) 1 year prior to release (blended). 11.0% ABV.

Deep golden to the eyes.

Honey stewed stone fruits like apricots and peaches, lemon balm and hints of white cola (characters from Pure T?)

Richness and higher volume on palate compared to Mont Kerner 2020 side by side and hint of white vanilla spices on the finish.

94 points.

5/5/2024 - ziggecg Likes this wine:

Perfectly mature with tobacco, cherry liqueur and menthol. We prefer to drink our Baroli when there is still enough fruit to balance out the tertiary aromas, and this Conca is in that sweet spot right now. Drink within 3 years.

5/5/2024 - jrick Likes this wine:

This is more rosé in taste than it is in color - although there are some tannins, Eric Pfifferling has also managed to place more rosé-typical notes of raspberry, peach, rhubarb and orange among red wine-red cherries. There is also a nice spiciness, almost like there are both herbs and a pinch of chili. I've had a few L'Anglore wines before but never this particular label Tavel, which is the flagship in the sense that it's the unique appellation that Eric has brought to the forefront of phenomenal natural wines. I love how drinkable this is, while still having the spiciness and resistance that makes it interesting. I feel like I'm starting to understand why these wines have such a loyal following.

5/5/2024 - ttholst wrote:

07 base. Fin modning. Mister piff etter 15 min.

4/28/2024 - Tony Ling Likes this wine:

Domaine Mont Maker's Dinner in Barilotto (Barilotto, Otaru, Hokkaido): 100% Kerner from Aki Vineyard in Yoichi. Made in Nouveau style with residual sugar. 11.0% ABV.

Medium lemon to the eyes with fine bubbles.

Citrus fruits with peels like lemon rinds. Florals and slightly stemmy, very fresh indeed. Signature bittersweet notes to the finish.

94 points.

4/28/2024 - Tony Ling Likes this wine:

Domaine Mont Maker's Dinner in Barilotto (Barilotto, Otaru, Hokkaido): 100% Niagara. 8.0% ABV. Kasai san’s Niagara + Murakami san’s Niagara. Cuvee first made in 2016 before domaine fruits are ready.

Deep copperish golden to the eyes with fine deposits.

Rich floral infused stone fruits like juicy apricots. Very nicely integrated oxidative hints.

Great acidity and good balanced rich texture on the palate. Clean finish.

94 points.

5/5/2024 - torbwelander wrote:

Had hoped for bottle variation, but this is disappointing. Medium yellow colour. Smells like yellow apples, forest floor and faint citrus. Unbalanced with low acid and aged fruit. This was a miss. Drink now.

5/5/2024 - ziggecg Likes this wine:

Quite tropical, with hints of pineapple and mango. Good acidity to balance it out, and a lingering aftertaste of citrus and minerality. Drink within 5 years.

5/5/2024 - crazywineguy Likes this wine:

This is a top knotch pinot. Still with dark colour. Gamey, forest floor, macerated strawberry on the nose. Smooth, huge fruit, relatively big bodied for a pinot. Really stands out with high acid levels which invigorates the fruit. Long silky finish. Yum!

5/4/2024 - mwneil wrote:

Drank at Amsterdam restaurant, dry but fruity with a touch of sweetness with a dry finish, seafood dinner, good complexity but maybe better with dessert or as an aperitif, 13%abv, maybe drink again, interesting comparison with German Riesling trocken.

5/5/2024 - Phildin Likes this wine:

Babe loves it. It has a strong fruit forward but has tannins. Goes well with harvarti cheese.

5/4/2024 - mwneil wrote:

Dry, minerality,good fruit, $68 on wine list in Amsterdam restaurant, drank with white asparagus, cod, langostines,red mullet, smoked eel, drank easily, 12.5% abv, would drink again.

5/5/2024 - VAGenius Likes this wine:

Nose shows wild berries with funky herbs and a hint of smoke character. Watermelon, wild strawberries, and some citrus notes with strong acidity as earth flavors evelop the palate. Tannins make a statement to start the finish without taking over, adding earth, rhubarb, and citrus peel. Even at the appellation level, this producer's wines show a house style that remains unusual and interesting.

4/26/2024 - El_Dougo wrote:

Ruby / garnet in the glass
Took 6 hours and 3 nights to open (decanter the first night and put away after 3 hours of no progress). Shocker because last year I don’t recall this being a challenge ( that said I do think our results are more in keeping with other CT results).

Ultimately, we found blackberry, earth, oak and cedar and graphite but we had to dig deep. Very dry. Med+ to high acidity. Long finish.

Still on the journey. Restrained to the point it is locked away. Years from peaking I think.

5/4/2024 - j.hol Likes this wine:

Aningen sträv, lite syra, mycket juceig.

5/4/2024 - il_diavolo wrote:

Second bottle, both stored since release.
Colour a touch golden, would have preferred lighter, but it’s not premox leaning just from colour.
The palate lacks the zip I would expect from Roulot, bit dense, bit clumsy.
Overall after two bottles I would say definitely get rid of this wine in the market if you own it.

5/4/2024 - CMJ222 Likes this wine:

Good pairing with bbq but tannins too pronounced / not well integrated to drink later in evening

5/5/2024 - Pancreatitis wrote:

Brown rimmed garnet.
Complex herbaceous nose with some meaty elements: Provençal herbs, wormwood, BBQ meats.
Saline, secondary palate, intense soy, difficult to swallow.

5/4/2024 - nicholasagonzales wrote:

It has lost some of the pepper and now resembles more of a merlot. Still very good.

4/28/2024 - CalimerosDad Likes this wine:

Zwar nur der kleine Bruder vom Chocolate Block, aber fast genauso gut. Viel Frucht und gut ausgewogene Tannine.

5/4/2024 - Morten Andersen Likes this wine:

Straw yellow. Lovely fresh in the nose, pears, citrus. Wonderful. a bit of sweetness and spice on the palate - fuld bodied. loooooonnng aftertaste. stunning wine.

5/4/2024 - journaldethomas Likes this wine:

The wine looks ruby colored. The body is light/medium. The wine has linear texture.

5/4/2024 - CalimerosDad Likes this wine:

Schöne Frucht, ausgewogener Körper. Echt gut.