2/18/2024 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

After a two hour decant, this was a very enjoyable off-vintage LLC that has nicely developed. Side by side with Chateau Latour (its first growth neighbour) I preferred the LLC. Tannins are very fine and do not get in the way. Acidity makes you want to come back for more. Just the right balance of juiciness, sweetness and underlying classic structure. Blackberries, dark cherries, cedar, some graphite, but also a tropical element often missing from LLC. Very nice.

1/22/2024 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Probably the sweetest MarMar in the last 5 years. The residual sugar no doubt comes from the ripeness of the fruit in the long hot growing season of 2018. Impressive thick juicy concentration with notes of apple, quince, peach, and vanilla. Very persistent and long. Low acid. Integrated and ready to drink in 2023.

1/22/2024 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

The wines of Miani have turned our attention directly to a dedicated and gifted loner--in this case, an engineer-turned-farmer-turned-winemaker perfecting the vineyards of his family. I don't think it's out of order to observe that bottles of Miani wines are almost impossible to get, either allocated on a single bottle basis (as this one was for me in a wine store in Como, Italy), or only accessible to premium or club members of individual retailers. In the spirit of generosity, even this base level Chardonnay is an admirable statement in an elegant Burgundy-esue dispensation towards a clean, refined Marc-Morey-Chassagne-type-style (this is actually even more elegant than a Marc Morey) with an almost clear colour and very recessed fragrances. The spicy wood tones leave the subtleties of the smokey white peach fruit core intact. This is not an easy style to handle, but this is where the soul of these grapes sits. Very elegant, light and ethereal. One would think, from the glorifying praise for Miani from the wine press, that this wine would be an enlightening synthesis of Western culture that stands above all competitors, but it is actually a very unique, understated expression of Chardonnay, maybe even easy to overlook. For connoisseurs not looking for power, but finesse. Too bad I was limited to only one bottle.

12/23/2023 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Somewhat closed at beginning. After 30 Minutes the nose picks up white flowers, orange peel and fine herbs. Very fine, balanced MarMar, with a subtle persistence--not as extracted and powerful as the 2019 or 2021: elegant, precise, but still with some grip. Fruit medley of quince, apricot, ripe apple, some orange and lemon, not much other exotic fruit as other vintages. Very expressive and, IMO, fully approachable in 2023.

12/23/2023 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Very exciting mix of flint, oyster shell, limestone, algae, green apricot, and barnyard in the nose. Persistent palate of citrus, pears (including the skin), lemon, herbs, and flint. Long, salty, absolutely focussed, cool finish. Improves with an hour in glass. Tend to think Saalwächter's white wines are less reductive than the reds from them. Or, at least, the reduction in this vintage was very well managed. In addition, the winemaker avoided the mistakes that were to be made in the 2021 German vintage. This is a very refined, persistent and balanced terroir wine for 2021.

12/23/2023 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Opened up to its fullest expression after a two hour decant. Some bitterness surrounding the milk-chocolate-and-dark-cherry centre, which is like a fruit holograph in the background, slowly fading, giving way to clay-derived and leathery secondary and tertiary terroir elements. Wonderfully polished tannins, and elegant mouthfeel keeps you coming back for more. Just wish it was more rounded and less bitter.

12/22/2023 - slaughterer wrote:

Madeirized to the hilt. Down the drain. Tons of sediment in this bottle as I watched it swirl away down to the sewer.

11/20/2023 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Very stone-driven with fine barrique notes that blow off after 30 Minutes. Somehow the cold vintage and this high-altitude vineyard plays well to David Moret's typically creamy style, adding freshness and vivacity. Lemon peel, grapefruit on the nose. Brioche on the tail end. Some exotic spice notes after some time in glass. A nice entry level wine.

8/12/2023 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Decanted for 2 hours before serving. Some slight sediment. Refined mouthfeel with finely chiseled tannins, alcohol hardly noticeable. Somewhat faded fruit profile with sweet plums, sour cherries, chocolate, spices and herbs--absolutely no blackberry notes. I found this rather muted, gentle, reserved and not at all a full-throttle Trotanoy. Still, it is a well designed and very noble and pleasurable wine.

8/12/2023 - slaughterer wrote:

Fine nose of delicate citrus, white peach, flowers. Slim, energetic on palate with some hints of grapefruit and lemon grass added to the nose. Very chic and fresh and delicate, but not very rich as the grapes added from Meursault might indicate. Nice as an aperitif but I do not see how this will hold up with a main dish. Has class and pedigree, but on the lower level of the Agnes Paquet ranges.

8/11/2023 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Intense aromas of peach, and ripe lemon on the nose, that later grip on the palate. Very exciting mouthfeel, yet somewhat light--like many 2021s, the wine dances on the palate. Juicy but with a fine mineral content. Very precise Chardonnay rich in finesse. Leflaive really knows how to do up a Macon wine, for sure.

8/11/2023 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

A reserve wine with very long elevage and yeast contact. On the nose: gunpowder, sliced apple, lemon, thyme, lemon balm, verbena, peach. Deep dark minerals. Palate of powerful, enormous concentration. Finely chiseled, mature acidity. Lots of grip and salty minerality. Reductive notes of rotten eggs and a bit of garlic, but these are very slight and disappear as the wine is exposed to air upon serving. As grandiose as a Puligny Montrachet premier. Great fun, but treat this with respect: drink after decanting, in large Montrachet stemware, at almost room temperature, like a big Burgundy wine

2/9/2023 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Fresh white peach skin and ripe gardenia pollen on nose. Green pepper, mirabelle, pineapple. apple and under-ripe peach on palate. Not as complex as the 2015, which has the edge in acid profile and fruit expansion. This is much more compact by comparison. Would be curious to see where this goes in 1-2 years though.

2/4/2023 - slaughterer wrote:

Nose of bread, mint, and orchard fruit. Medium bodied, satiny palate, with a vibrant core of white peach, passion fruit, melon, and some creamy caramel notes towards the end that interfere with the development of the mineral finish. I tend to find Lumpp's red wines much more dense, serious and powerful than the white wines. This 2018 Crausot Blanc is no exception. Still, it is a decent, neat, little food-friendly wine which shows no stylistic errors.

2/4/2023 - slaughterer wrote:

The 2015 German vintage at 8 years still has a fecund concentration and bite--as proven here. Nose of pear, pineapple, maracuja, and some white peach. The fruit element of the nose is even more overflowing on the palate (yielding additional litchi and apple notes), with the extra element added by the barrique above and beyond creation, growth and nourishment, adding spice and some vanilla confection. The chalky mineral base reaches out after the initial attack of the acid recedes. A fulminant barrique-driven Riesling--in a modern Burgundy style. All parts fully integrated with one another--if at the cost of the tropical fruit explosion that this site shows initially after bottling. My suspicion is that the grapes of this site might be extracted even more to better survive the aging process, which for these von Winning 1st growths on the Deidesheim (not Forst) sites tends to round off the initial wildness in favor of more balance of component parts.

1/30/2023 - slaughterer wrote:

Not from my own cellar. Horrible cork which broke apart. Double decanted for two hours--which I highly recommend. Withdrawn nose of cherries and freshly moist soil. Brittle initial acidic attack which yields a hard palate of cherries, soil, and some autumn leaf decay. Medium weight. Tannins somewhat rustical. Not really up to Grand Cru level.

1/30/2023 - slaughterer wrote:

Fine nose with barrique vanilla and some exotic fruit. On the palate papaya, mango, orange zest, peach, jasmine, pineapple, maracuya, caramel. The heat from the alcohol cuts into what I imagine would be an otherwise creamy finale. Too much alcohol for my taste to be a truly elegant and balanced wine.

12/30/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Tight ripe acid, lemon zest, greenish citrus fruits, dark minerals, some salt. Nice dry extract, if a bit bitter at this stage. Elegant, light mouthfeel that dances in your palate. No doubt needs a few years to open further.

12/30/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

PNP, which was a mistake. Very tight, and not opening up in Montrachet stemware even after a few hours. What was jutting out however was a high intensity, electric palate of pineapple, mango, volcanic minerals and 500L barrique notes. Still a baby. Puerile now but later no doubt will be a very hedonistic powerful Riesling. Best to wait another 2-3-5 years.

12/29/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Needs a three hour decant to open up. A miniature version of the first wine, made with younger vines. Modern St. Emilion palate of cherry, milk chocolate and some herbs. Heat throughout from the 14.5% ABV. The thin, brittle palate leaves you wanting the extra fruit substance of the first wine, which is of course much richer, but this second wine is still a good accompaniment with the right food. Its lightness does not only call out for red meat.

12/18/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Light golden color, nose of flora, citrus fruits, marzipan. On the palate zesty Meyer lemon, lime, some pear, a little caramel, with a slight amount of bitter citrus acid in the end. Very precise and rich and elegant, very fresh and mineral with a long finish. Enchantingly alive for two hours in glass before fading. Perfect time to drink up.

12/12/2022 - slaughterer wrote:

Could easily be mistaken for a low-mid Sonoma Chardonnay rather than a Pfälzer. Heavy oak on nose and palate with lots of alcohol legs. Nose of yellow apple peel and smoke. Crisp clear attack of peach, apple, caramel, vanilla, butter and bourbon barrel. Some lingering limestone in the decay, but overall very short. Needs food.

12/4/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Nose of white flowers, and green citrus fruits. Palate of quinine, pears, caramelized pineapple. With time in glass, add apples. Some salty minerals. Very balanced. Tightly wound but open. With substance. Lovely.

5/7/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Pleasantly inviting, fine, almost salty bouquet of red berries. Very fresh, ripe blood orange, black cherry and blackberries on a light, juicy, charming palate, Tannins are fine and silky, and the alcohol hardly is sensed. This not a powerhouse Höllenberg loaded with blackberry and bacon fat, but a fine, extremely precise wine with a complex aromatic expression. Very much in style of a young modern Chambolle: elegant, ripe, clean.

1/18/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

This 1st Growth from elevated vineyards near the woods surrounding Deidesheim is probably the most popular crowd-pleasing VW wine. While the 2019 is probably a 93 point wine for me because of its racyness and full fruit expression, the 2020 seems almost diluted in its withdrawn elegance. There is a pattern here: I am rating the same 2020 wines three or four points lower than the 2019s. No need for buyer's remorse if you went long 2019 Germany, whereas the 2020s are really not showing well enough by comparison to compete. That said, the 2020 is a warm, elegant wine with fine and exotic fruit. Light smoke notes on the nose. Pear, apple, some peach and orange zest, kumquat come forward on a thin, piquant palate. While the 2020 does not have the juicy fatness of the 2019, it is well made and has a long ending.

1/12/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Green gold with silver reflexes. Bouquet of salty lemon, peach and some floral components like orange blossom and eidelweiss. Enormously young and fresh and bone-dry old-vine riesling with a piercing acidity and tightly wound palate of peach, apricot, lemon, papaya, orange zest, slate, flint, mica and honey. Very pure and crystalline. Medium bodied but very intense.

1/12/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Reserve bottling released in 2021 which has added some more creaminess and rounded out the acid to this wine. Charming bouquet of lemon zest, mango, passion fruit, mandarine. Soft, gentle, enveloping palate of lemon, yuzu, Meyer lemon, grapefruit, pineapple, over-ripe orange and a little rosemary. Very long finish. I always preferred Hermannsberg over Kupfergrub (this latter was always a little raw for me), but the Reserve bottling shows what potential is locked away in Kupfergrub. It is ready to drink now, but--my only caveat--you have to love lemon to enjoy this wine.

1/10/2022 - slaughterer Does not like this wine:

Another supposed hedonistic 2005 that is like a deflated balloon. The primary experience is of the gruesome leftover of manically implemented cooperage on grapes screaming in agony: toast, oak spice, espresso, cedar, cedar (did I say cedar?). Fruit is dried out and the wine is basically a skeleton with a little flesh hanging from it. Nauseating palate of prunes, raisins, blackberry liqueur, and vanilla. This wine made me ill.

1/9/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Somewhat smokey nose of dark spices, pear skin, tobacco, mirabellen. Creamy palate of smooth yellow fruits, with wound up concentration and a finely-chiseled acidity. The mirabellen, grapefruit, lime, and pear tastes linger on the long, creamy, salt-and-white-pepper finish for an impressive amount of time--actually, the finish is as enormous and imposing as a highly extracted Burgundy. No wonder the wine critics are going crazy about this producer... Although it is already showing alot, one senses even more latent substance under the surface, and this wine will likely gain 3 or 4 points in a few years.

1/7/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Restaurant purchase. Popped and poured at table. Astoundingly fresh and open with a charming potpourri of red berries: strawberry, raspberry, plum, sour cherry, holunder, pomegranate. On the nose roses, menthol, herbs de Provence, iron, and sloe berry. All of this wrapped in a structure of very fine, silky tannins. Very elegant, Burgundy-esue for a Garblet-Sue (whose grapes tend toward a more raw style) and still open and inviting in this first seductive phase.

1/7/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

I am rating the Rivetto Nebbiolo D'alba "Vigna Lirano" here as there is no entry for it on cellar tracker. Ruby red. Spices and floral elements on nose. Palate of currants, cherry, licorice, cola, vanilla. Rich (even opulent) in taste, mid bodied, very fine strong tannins (that are not aggressive), balanced, rounded, and a pleasure to drink at this early stage.

1/6/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

A small-production cru-level Derthona made from a 1,4 hectare plot with spontaneous fermentation in steel tanks after 60 hours of skin contact. Floral bouquet with apple in it. Salty and lightly bitter palate of watermelon, green walnut, honey, with a finish of ginger root. Balanced right now, but the power of the wine suggests it can age another 10 years at least.

1/5/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

A Derthona made from Timorasso grapes from diverse limestone and chalk plots around Monleale in Colli Tortonesi. Fermentation and aging in steel tanks--very clean and precise. Nose of almonds, green apple, some flowers. Fine tannins, with lots of apple, lemon zest, mandarine, sea salt and bitter hazelnut in the finish. Wine expands with air contact, best to cold decant 1 hour before consuming.

1/3/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Gladiolas, grilled lemon, vanilla, smoked pineapple, orange zest, fine spice and high-end barrique notes. More complex, mineral-chthonic than the MarMar reserve selection, which is more forthcomingly juicy right now. Needs time, but for Montrachet lovers. Seriously up there. Lucky you if you got your full allocation.

1/3/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

This burns with a volcanic ferocity that puts it way above many Aetna volcano wines. The new hidden cult S. Italo red (she's the firehouse!) for lovers and seekers. Super tart combination of blueberry, raspberry, dry yeast, and 50 year old leather destined for your next Panerai watch strap.

12/21/2021 - slaughterer Does not like this wine:

Shame on Suckling for rating this so high and misleading so many consumers. This vintage was made when American Steve Filipov (financier with wine hobby) owned Chateau Godeau (5.65 hectares, south plateau), before selling it off to the Florisoone family (former owners of Chateau Calon Segur) in 2012. The wine is purple. It is glossy, but rustic. The faded fruit tastes of under-ripe blackberries, soy sauce, tobacco ash, coffee, anise and licorice. The wine is very hot, with prominent alcohol, and it is very hollow, unbalanced, and unpleasant. The Florisoone family have achieved better results with this property.

12/21/2021 - slaughterer Does not like this wine:

Here's a wine that seems to have failed to get past the tannic hump of many 2005 BDX wines. There is still a modicum of black fruit here to be sure, and you can taste oak spice, tar and leather from the aging process. But overall it is unpleasant and a struggle to drink. King and Queen's new clothes.

12/20/2021 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Mandarine skin on the nose. Vibrant peach, powdered sugar, passion fruit, orange and lemon zest on a juicy palate. Slightly off-dry, like many of Kesseler's GGs. Very clean, clear and fresh.

12/14/2021 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Vines over 50 years old on about 2 hectares of steep slate and quartz. Golden reflexes. An extremely powerful and concentrated wine. Stonefruit, salt, powdered sugar, chalk, and lime on the nose. Green apricot, apple, reinclaude, melon, mandarin, ripe grapefruit, slate on the very dramatic, immensely juicy palate with fine residual sugar. Very chic and incredibly delicious

12/12/2021 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Very concentrated, earthy, spicy wine, with saturated red fruit at its peak. Sour and black cherry, strongly tart cranberry, cassis, plum, Goudron, and clover. Light salty minerality and very silky smooth mouth feel. Very warm, and comforting but at the same time electrifying and intellectually bright. Fullness and finesse. Up there.

12/12/2021 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

A blend of equal parts white Grenache, Macabeu and Pedro Ximenez. Onion colored with orange tints. Beer yeast, brioche, faint tastes of dried orange, dried apple, honey, chamomile, dried herbs, chalk. Bitter finale. Strong phenolic structure, oxidized. Still needs air to unfold, but even with an hour-long chilled decant not entirely forthcoming. Drank two bottles on separate occasions with same experience. Priced high by comparison to competing wines from Loire, Jura, Sardinia, Dolemites, etc. I would prefer to buy a Meursault at this price.

11/27/2021 - slaughterer wrote:

A dark golden color reflected in the nose with ripe flavors of white stone fruit and yeast. Minerally and cool with a broad juicy palate showing GG class. Ripe reineclaude, sweet peach, grapefruit, yuzu, along with creamy wood tones that are largely submerged by the intensity of the fruit. Absolutely no green or grassy notes like with a New Zealand SB, more in the direction of the power of Pessac Leognan (Chevalier) and the cool finesse and minerality of a Loire (Silex). The electrifying acid is balanced by sheer tropical fruit intensity. Very hedonistic and grandiose, but needs a few years.

11/27/2021 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Darker and more brooding than the other Von Winning Pinot Noirs. Crafted in largely new barrels from Burgundy, the grapes are from the cool area bordering the woods in Ölberg. Thick dark cherry, some mesquite smoke, vanilla and cloves on the nose. Ripe peach, concentrated raspberry, cherries and blackberries, with fine wood tones and rosemary push through with alot of juiciness and force on the palate. This is not a Pinot for lovers of the tart, delicate, light style, but more for Gevrey and Vosne enthusiasts who prefer the thick, juicy, full-throttle style of Dujac, et. al. Give it a few more years, as the 2018 is still underdeveloped in bottle.

11/22/2021 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

First vintage from a half hectare large plot above the Violette plot, with fairly young vines harvested for low yields. Resin in nose, along with eucalyptus, black fruit, barrique, coriander, estragon and thymian. Elegant cherry drop palate with mint, cranberry, and a little cassis. Ending tapers with pepper, pimento and alot of stone. Very elegant and ethereal with lots of slender fruit. End impression is of Pinot lightness and elegance but with volcanic minerals and tart salty red fruits. Very nice.

11/20/2021 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Grown on a selection of Massale vines from Vosne-Romanee that were transported and replanted in the Reiterpfad parcel. Nose of blackberry yogurt, sour cherry, dry-aged meat. Fine palate with smooth, salty attack, then, in the middle, the presence of the wine dissipates and thins out quickly. Brambly blackberry, salt, cranberry, elderberry, anise and camphor. Smoke, some wood, and pepper accompanying. Ending of cherry, and cranberry juice. Stylistically, like a Nuits Saint Georges or Savigny-Les-Beaunes.

11/14/2021 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

A little brittle and spindly, but definitely in its window. With thyme on the nose, and a lithe palate of strawberry, cherry, plums, raspberry, vanilla and chocolate. Fairly long licorice ending.

11/8/2021 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Lovely, herb-and-flower-scented Grenache/Garnacha emphasizing more transparency over the concentrated "Barrosu" bottling--this reserve bottling is drier and much more cooler than its sweeter daughter. Some cherries, stone and herbs in the middle with a slightly saline finish. Gentle, refreshing, pure and ethereal. Although the alcohol is high, the wine is not heavy or hot. Smartly packaged in a traditional, artisanal way. If there is a comparison to France, it is to Ch. Rayas. Although the tannins are well managed, this wine is not something for immediate drinking, as this wine most definitely has ageability. It was drank over 3 nights without losing its freshness.

10/31/2021 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

I am rating the pure Moscato version of this wine. Even if the wine is light orange from being mascerated with extended skin contact, it has fresh personality, with structure and an extremely lively palate, a nice mineral texture and supple fruits flavors. Nose of flowers, fennel, pollen and stone. Some oxidation with a full palate, saltiness and very full. Sliced apple and cooked pear with lots of honeysuckle,lemon and aromatic herbs. Perfect with a plate of raw oysters, which was our first pairing with it, but this can deal with alot of different foods. A brilliant Mediterranean wine, somewhat close to a Priorat white, with the texture of a Jura. Lots of personality and poetry here.

10/31/2021 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Pure hand-picked bio-dynamic old-vine cannonau from an elevated exposure which remains true to its original territory. Dark ripe fruit without being extreme, but very rich and warm. Damascus plums, dark cherries, Amarena, cabbage, Frankenincense, nutmeg, burnt meat and rum barrel, with a little brown sugar sweetness at the back of the palate. I said simply it was "exotic" to Giovanni in my bad Italian. It is actually alot more with its red berry onslaught and electrifying tension. Great food wine: think roasted meats.

10/31/2021 - slaughterer Likes this wine:

Soft and round-textured with a lively palate. Nose of flowers, palate of lemon, herbs and spices. A touch of oxidation, as is probably desired. Depth and tension and flow thanks to the acidity. Powerful yet light.