7/28/2021 - Steve Brickley Likes this wine:

This went from the winery to 53 degrees. Drinking very well with a future in it. Darker side of syrah. The nose cherry fruits. The fruit starting to fade a bit, maybe resolve is the right word. Smooth yet a bit tangy. Tanins in the background. Lovely wine.

7/8/2023 - Steve Brickley Likes this wine:

We had this in L’Isle-sur-la-sorgue FR at Hotel Henri. They poured it with the dessert. It is a lovely, gently sweet simple muscat. While in FR I went online only to find it blocks away from our California home at K&L wines in 375ml. Such a great memory to repeat here back in CA.

12/8/2021 - winesavant68 Likes this wine:

I’m so glad i have a few more bottles of this monster. Consistent with the 2017 note this bottle continues in the vein of rich and unctuous flirting with perfection.

6/1/2022 - Steve Brickley Likes this wine:

Enjoyed at Le Supreme in Lyon. Crisp, light, clean, good acid bite but slight, melon, some citrus, saline. Very easy and enjoyable.

2/4/2021 - andyhall_95 Likes this wine:

Very smooth would buy again

3/17/2020 - ledocq Likes this wine:

My last bottle and quite the contrast to my first one. This didn't age well. The tannins have receded a bit, but so has the cherry taste. The menthol thing is in full play at first, and after an hour the wine is flat, almost corked, but then it comes forward and it's...okay. Just okay. Probably a 91. A little disappointing given how I felt in its youth.

11/28/2020 - Steve Brickley Likes this wine:

My second bottle of this and it did not disappoint. Tar, light black fruits, no edge anywhere, round mouthfeel, fruit still there, alcohol way in the background, cloudy so let it settle a few days, soft cork but in good shape, bricking, nice acid. While drinking well now, this has a decade or more in it if you want to keep it around. I have two more in the cellar for another time. Lovely experience.

2/7/2021 - CHarder wrote:

Fantastic chard.

8/8/2020 - Pmgreenberger wrote:

Chardonnay dominated the flavor profile, similar to the Hebrart Blanc de Blancs.

12/14/2019 - greenbe33 Likes this wine:

Started cherry strawberry and maybe hint of tobacco, cigar box (second taster got a touch of smoke). Then it developed some herb maybe Rosemary or anise and creme de cassis then shut down a bit. Then it opened up again after an hour back to strawberry cherry raspberry on a foundation of wood and classic Bordeaux medium french oak vanilla. This was not fragile - it is fresh, precise and polished with some acid and tannin I thought it could go another 30 years more likely 10 or 20. It's a 93 wine maybe drinking 95 due to classic Pauillic experience. That said it was really fun to try what may be a good (or best) example of 89 left bank.

I was not too aware of the high ratings some pro reviews have given it at the time we had this, but I too wondered a bit about bottle variation and whether the wine was completely authentic at the time of drinking. Having had quite a few other lesser 89s as well as many 90, 95 and 96 it came across to me as a nice wine but not huge standout of that group. Main advantage was a 30 year left bank just entering prime drinking window. Bottle variation is common in these years though and I don't know how this was stored. Hard to say. That said, my better half who actually has an extremely sensitive nose got the notes of tobacco, smoke and cherry, and I added the creme de cassis and herb reported here and by a number of pros. Better half was blind to all the reviews. So if you are matching to the descriptions blind it's hard to believe it is completely fake, just maybe highly variable quality.

The wine has mellowed out and tannin and acid left are mild, so you can pair it with any meat, duck, game bird with a bit of reduction sauce. I would not go too strong on the cheese.

6/4/2018 - Jeremy Holmes wrote:

Fabulous nose of tar and roses. Gains depth and dimension as it sucks in more air. There’s a core of sweet red fruit and ample countering structure.

6/30/2019 - christyler wrote:

Hmmmm not sure I like this. Nose is fairly shit down. Decent fruit on the palate, but not really distinctive as bojo. Woody and drying on the finish.

8/27/2019 - JonnyG wrote:

I really could not have been more pleased with this. Pop & pour, mixing in a lot of fine sediment, but the wine showed beautifully nonetheless: energetic, fresh and delineated, with loads of dried cherry and tobacco notes, along with the expected earthiness, some pepper, leather and muted herbs.

6/8/2019 - Matt Scott Likes this wine:

Dried papaya, dried pineapple rings, salty mineral, lychee, ginger and lilies. A long finish, with precision and depth, that has such a tropical aftertaste. Although this is enjoyable today, a couple of years will help the completeness. Layered, pure and sultry. Drink 2021 - 2036.

1/20/2018 - ledocq wrote:

Two in a row. All acid and fizz and otherwise flat. Verrry curious how others’ experience is.

3/9/2019 - Matt Scott Likes this wine:

Blueberry cobbler, eucalyptus, braised lamb, ground rock, raspberry liquor and black pepper. So complete and unctuous, with this emphatic expansion in regards to palate. Paradoxically heavy but light, which is a very attractive quality. The finish is absolutely perfect. Decanted for two hours. Through the vein there is a Turkish coffee element. This will age for many years, and I am challenged in finding an end date. The tannins are quite velvety. Drink 2022 -.

12/15/2018 - Matt Scott Likes this wine:

Opened the day before and finished the following night. Plum, terracotta, black cherry, rosemary, blood orange zest, currant and sun-drenched stone. The palate is almost perfect, with depth, dimension and every step is quite musical. An extremely long finish, with microfiber tannins and layer upon layer of noir fruit; I love how this is broad, yet remains racy. Still monolithic, this exquisite offering is beseeching the cellar. Even better than the epic ‘15 and ‘13, this is a hybrid of modern Tuscany in terms of showing both classic and modern tendencies. Full-bodied but exemplifies finesse within the same moment. A true cellar treasure. Drink 2024 -.

5/7/2017 - Steve Brickley Likes this wine:

I enjoyed this but would not go out of my way to rebuy. Give this a 1-2 hour decant as the improvement was material in an hour. This is moving past its prime if you want fruit center stage. A smooth gentle and enjoyable wine with few edges and tannins are resolved. It could cellar longer but improvement is doubtful.

9/19/2018 - Jeff Leve wrote:

Dense, opulent, sensuous, richly textured and layers with ripe, sweet, fresh tropical fruits, lemon zest, white peach, flowers and minerality. The wine has a lot of heft, but with all the acidity, it is also light on its feet. This should age for decades if you can find any. Only 500 cases, give or take.

11/24/2018 - RobinHeimdahl wrote:

Very shy at first, showing only raspberries and blueberries.

With air I find lots of minerals and the fruit gets darker. Light, berry dominant and very soft tannins.

Day 2: delicious, even better now. The fruit is darker and it seems more structured somehow. Would prefer it to be more acidic though.

11/16/2018 - Matt Scott Likes this wine:

Decanted for two hours. Complexity and purity are the first two words I think of while spending time with this chanteuse. Very expressionistic, the nose displays dried raspberry, melted licorice, mineral, chiseled chalk, rosemary, rattan, white pepper and dark berries. Effusively long and classicly balanced, with sweet tannins that glimmer, and folding layers of fruit and stone. Legendary and almost ageless. Drink 2023 -.

11/10/2017 - RajivAyyangar wrote:

Blinds at Palace Steakhouse (The Palace Steakhouse, SF): (Blind)
Medium ruby color. Pyrazinic and earthy.
Dry, medium body, 13% alcohol, medium acid, medium plus tannins. Scratchy texture to the tannins.

Laterals: Chinon, Chilean cab, Carmenere

Final call: 2003 Chinon (ripe vintage).
Actually: 89 couly dutheil clos l'olive.
Analysis: I’m in the right region but totally misread the vintage! This is quite a live and in a good place.

9/13/2018 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Opened at the end of a night of fantastic wines. Remarkably light in color. Fantastic nose, pepper, spice leather. Fresh acidity on the palate, still very much alive. Great stuff.

2/23/2018 - Andre Brattland wrote:

Denne vinen på 100 % roussanne er det hvite flaggskipet til Ch.de Beaucastel fra sør-Rhône og er ikke akkurat for sarte sjeler.

Vinen er faktisk ikke veldig oppulent på nesen enda, den er tung og svær, men prøver desperat å gjemme seg. Tunge tropiske toner, sitruser, smørblomster, og skifer gir et relativt komplekst aromabilde.

På palletten hopper derimot vinen brutalt fram! Her er jeg! Den er fet, bred og med en voldsom konsentrasjon. Dette blir nesten litt sirupstendenser, bare uten sødmen. Her er det også tung tropisk moden frukt, heftig trevirke, nøtt, lys sjokolade, toffee, og noe floralt preg. Dette sært, villt og vakkert. Flott vin!

11/10/2017 - Bernt Olav wrote:

Gyllen strågul farge. Trengte tid for å åpne seg på aroma, men i løpet av de 4 timene det tok før flasken ble konsumert så kom det frem elementer av: røyk, sitrus, aprikos, honning, grapefrukt, litt urter og tydelig parfyme. Aroma oppleves som kompleks og kom med stadig nye elementer. I munn har den flott balanserende syre, noe som man ofte mangler i hvite CDP. God fedme og veldig god lengde. God konsentrasjon og med reserver for fremtiden. 93+ p. Spennende vin som frister til gjennkjøp.

5/31/2018 - Raizes Likes this wine:

樱桃、草莓、橘皮、甘草、香草、百里香和烟丝，香气层次分明而立体。酸度非常华丽，单宁细腻成熟，展现了Sangiovese优雅的极致风格，不同于大多数BdM的热烈或甜蜜，展现了另一种纬度的慷慨和鲜明个性。

5/7/2018 - peternelson wrote:

162nd edition based on 2006. Darker golden color; vinous, savory almost, with a fish oil aspect alla DP but more deep; rich pit fruit nuances, rich, slight oxidative notes but more tertiary and barrel flavors than oxy. powerful, concentrated, but elegant on the palate. Super long finish. MEM

3/15/2018 - Matt Scott Likes this wine:

At first this is foreboding, then after three hours in the decanter the latent qualities are starting to present what they have to offfer. Blue and black fruit, used coffee grounds, cedar, violets and red spice; not to mention the terroir which is shining through. The finish lasts for minutes; the palate is round and almost complete. I love the chewy and of course omnipresent tannins. Let her slumber for a period of time or decant for many hours. Drink 2022 -.

2/20/2018 - Steve Brickley Likes this wine:

Charlie Heintz’s grapes can make wondeful wines. A bit of petrol on the nose in such a good way. Just a hint of butterscotch tells you this is California, but not in the least dominant -very backstage. SO2 but blows off. Acid bite, citrus, tart, with backend hint of alch. This isn’t watery or weightless, but instead a mid-weight wine that feels round. A lovely balance that reads California and Chablis. Enough description — This has a good decade plus in it with improvement probable too. Wow.

3/1/2018 - cweiner Likes this wine:

Continues to impress- what in my mind a Sancerre should be.

1/10/2018 - Mascarello59 Likes this wine:

Enomatic sample. Red fruit towards strawberries with elements of dill and a fair amount of oak. Elegant and attractive with high acidity and fine grained drying tannin at this stage. 91-93

10/23/1997 - bestdamncab Likes this wine:

!997 Birthday Dinner (Walnut Creek, Ca.): Average amount of fine bubbles in the glass, cardboard and sweatsox, corked, fruit showed but quickly faded. My #7 of 7.

11/14/2017 - MWiking Likes this wine:

inga egentliga notes på detta vin men otroligt ungt och gott för att ha denna ålder. och lätt min bästa Borgogno tillsammans med 1964 som dracks samma kväll.

7/31/2017 - fontaine wrote:

Au flocon de sel, vin plutôt abordable à 160 euros en restauration. Parfum concentré de pêche, melon et agrume. En bouche on sent que le vin a commencé à perdre un peu de gras, mais il tapisse toute la bouche par sa texture soyeuse et on y percoit bien la minéralité de ce Blanchot. Les fruits sont encore bien présents en plus des fleurs blanches, des amandes et du pain grillé. Longueur appréciable et belle fraicheur. Accompagne parfaitement la polenta aux champignons, la poelée de champignons, le biscuit de brochet et la truite. Grand Vin !

11/21/2017 - Rieslingfan wrote:

Totally by random chance I ended up having this wine again, 2 months after an odd, monolithic showing. I have to say it had gotten worse. It smelled exactly like a Boxwood hedge. Yes, there was some red fruit and a few flowers, but it was so dominated by vegetal stems that it was zero fun to drink. Major fail in the Rhys lineup, with the 2014 Swan Terrace going 0 for 2. Glad I did not waste any cellar space on it. Major waste of cash though.

12/4/2017 - Andrew Christiansen wrote:

Corked

11/19/2017 - Rollerball wrote:

Smells like red fruit, cinnamon, cool coconut, and sweet urine. Bright and very flavorful toward the back of the tongue. Interesting dynamic melange of twizzler, raspberry, sumac, cider, and bitter melon. Noticeably pretty without demanding attention.

3/22/2016 - globi wrote:

Even better than the previous bottle ! One a the best red Loire I had the chance to drink, including some good years of clos rougeard, and certainly the best Chinon !

QPR is out of this world !

4/8/2017 - r.o.man Likes this wine:

Hands down the best cab franc I ever tasted. Exactly the sweet spot of maturity - concentrated and calm, but expressive and full of energy. Impeccably balanced, juicy, suave, sweet ripe fruit, almost chewy soft tannins and still very firm, holding the wine to the last moment of long clean finish. (Practicing organic, 20+ year old vines, a ‘grand cru’ vineyard of Chinon, south-facing, clay and limestone soil, very steep slope – 40% incline, aged in barrel 25% new.)

7/19/2017 - cct wrote:

A bright and beautifully fresh nose. Crunchy fruit, subtle florals, cooler herbs, peppercorn, and grapefruit pith on the nose. This is fresh and clean, with great cut and precision. There is almost a sense of drinking water, it is so easy to drink. On the palate, fresh fruits, strawberry and red currants, with terrific acidic cut, that is for me in perfect balance, all with a herbal lift and a savory slant. The Pelaverga really adds to this with some peppercorn notes that add quirky complexity. This would be amazing with some spicy charcuterie. This is a great vintage for Elatis. Fresh, complicated, yet light on its feet and incredibly refreshing. Wonderful rose, and as wonderful as the '13 was, I think this may have the upper hand. This is a wine where numbers fail. True, it is not a grand vin, but I can tell you on a hot Arizona day this is a situational 98 point wine, more if I had some charcuterie. One of my favorite two rose's of Summer 2017. Bravo Fabio!

6/3/2017 - walkerjfw wrote:

Final bottle of the evening, a late decision to open this after an 03 Rudd Oakville Cabernet. Last tasting of this 3 years ago...splash decant, drank over an hour.

Dark ruby color. Nose was red fruits, spice, licorice, Palate of blackberry, blueberry liqueur, strawberry preserve, pepper, savory and herbs. Rich mouthfeel, secondary characteristics on the mid palate. Long and nuanced finish.

This is in a really great spot, even more depth than last tasting. I didn't decant this time, would do so next time if I have time. Should continue to drink well for 7-10 more years...

5/22/2017 - Steve Brickley Likes this wine:

I had the 2015 Metras Fleurie and what a wine it is. Not much on the snout but the body of this is not a bit jammy or alcohol rich as other 15's can be. This is closer to 2009 or 2014 in general characteristics. This isn't particularly light for a Fleurie either. Instead a full palate of gamay fruit with no noticeable sweetness, yet lively and dark fruits and a mild acid bite. This has the makings of a drink it or hold it wine with good outcomes either way. It took everything to not tip that whole bottle into my glass last night. Added a magnum and two more 750's to the inventory.

5/14/2017 - Matt Scott Likes this wine:

Decanted for three hours. Raspberry reduction, currant, kirsch, cigar box complexity, river rock and cassis. The prowess of the Cabernet fruit and the slowly revealing layers just add to the myth. During the episodic finish there's a lovely flower shop quality. A truly epic Grand-Puy Lacoste, this will not only age for many, many years, but, this is the best bottling produced by GPL in the 2000s. Drink 2022 -.

10/21/2016 - alr6767 wrote:

My first with this producer, and my first 2014. This really didn't have much to distinguish itself in the way of nose, texture, or favor, and didn't really pair well with salmon, asparagus, and potatoes. This could have been from Macon or Central CA, no Les Clos terroir that I could find. Not worth the price of admission at half the tariff. Hard pass

3/23/2017 - Jhpozza Does not like this wine:

The 2007 was delicious, rich and complex wine.. The 2011 was poor on nose and on palate.. Ok 2011 was not a good year, but it's 50 bucks wine and we expect more from a Pegau..

3/2/2017 - ddemetri wrote:

Nose has dirt and mushrooms and tumeric.

Palate has significant sourness. Like a sour beer made out of grape juice. Cranberry and lingonberry.

2/24/2017 - Paul D Likes this wine:

Served at about 16C. Pale/medium garnet core, wide pale garnet/mahogany rim. Nose immediately aromatic, pure dark fruit, lots of cigar box, touch of leather, florals. Extremely complex, beguiling. Medium bodied, fine-boned and elegant, cool, pure, tobaccoey dark fruit, fine but still slightly firm tannic spine, elegance with depth, lovely fresh acidity, long finish. Exquisite. Can be approached now but with many years of life ahead still.

2/11/2017 - Steve Brickley Likes this wine:

Pig pen forest floor all over the nose. Inhale pepper spice. Slight sweet fruits remain. Stunning cab franc delivery. Chalky, chewy, subtle. This is chinon at its best. Excellent. This has at least five years (2022+) of lovely drinking, probably more. Wow.

2/14/2017 - Steve Brickley Likes this wine:

Brioche notes, nutty, drinking well on pnp. Recommend. Valentine's Day at Evvia restaurant where we were lucky to share with our two new friends from Iceland. Lovely bubbles with years in front of it although improvement would be negligible.

1/29/2017 - BradE wrote:

Drank absolutely beautifully. Wish I had more than two of these. Interestingly, both of us liked it more in the first hour than the second.