8/19/2023 - alion wrote:

Clearly Nebbiolo and Barolo flavours - rose especially - but will great elegance and a gentle touch with the tannins. Some wonderful wild strawberry on the nose. Surprisingly ready and balanced especially for the vintage.

8/20/2023 - alion wrote:

Wow - so different from the PYCM tasted alongside. Fresh, citrus. Would guess Chablis blind. Making my mouth come alive. Delicious. Understand the fuss. Drink or keep.

8/19/2023 - alion wrote:

Completely ridiculous quality for the ep price. Richer than expected from a PYCM. Honeyed. Slight wood. Beautiful mouthfeel. Surprisingly ready now.

8/19/2023 - alion wrote:

Completely delicious. Rich and fresh. Complexity. Generous. Great spot right now.

11/18/2022 - alion wrote:

Love this. Elegant. Burgundian. Red cherry and herbal nose. Similar on the palate. Such controlled and understated winemaking. Doesn’t have the natural wine feel of some of Sean’s wines. Not concentrated but builds and builds. Brilliant. Wish I had more.

4/14/2022 - alion wrote:

Gorgeous Nebbiolo masking as Cotes de Nuits Pinot. Has the beauty and precision of the RAEN wines but not the stems. Purity is the story here - and spicy, red fruit. Can happily drink now but will go years I suspect - and mess with blind tasters everywhere!

4/2/2022 - alion wrote:

At last! Patience rewarded with a silky, smoky, Autumnal red burgundy. Some dark and red fruit but this botttle is mainly about the secondary flavours. Wonderful.

3/4/2022 - alion wrote:

In a fantastic spot. Completely unfashionable cold damp night drinking. All damson and blackberry. Clove and vanilla. Christmas spices. Concentrated. Long. Tongue coating. Brilliant.

4/1/2021 - alion wrote:

Magnificent hedonistic juice in a perfect but still fruit forward spot. Red cherry. Vosne spice. Wood much more integrated than last year. Should wait but so much pleasure now. Gorgeous.

2/11/2021 - alion wrote:

Candied cherry and cranberry. Slightly herbal. Silky. Opens quickly. Young but this is delicious now from Thierry Pillot. Shame about the unnecessarily large and heavy bottle though.

12/18/2020 - alion wrote:

PnP. Unfashionable. Rich. Ripe. Woody sheen. Vosne spice - not Chambolle. But strawberry, damson fruit. Secondary notes. Sous bois. Like it.

11/27/2020 - alion wrote:

PnP. Could be bottle variation but after the Damodes last night, there is immediately more to this: still fruit driven, but less gentle and delicate in the mouth, blueberry fruit as well as the red berries from yesterday, noticeably richer, less tannic finish, more 2015. Same winemaker. Same year. Side by side sites. Still more Vosne than NSG. But down the slope with more exposure shows even if alcohol is the same on the bottle (13.5). Like them both.

11/26/2020 - alion wrote:

PnP. Slight natural wine to smell. Vosne spicy. Precise and elegant. Generous, red berry fruit. Fully ripe - vintage - even though high on the slope. Nothing NSG about this even though Vosne border. Plenty of acidity but still gentle, although tannins catch up with you on the finish. Dangerously drinkable now but better in a few years.

11/14/2020 - alion wrote:

Brilliant, beautiful wine. Perfect balance. Ethereal. Understated. Burgundian. Speechless. While I have always loved her Rosso, I have previously found Stella’s Brunello too much of everything. This is so wonderfully in balance, complex, haunting, amazing length...everything you could want from a world class wine. Such a shame that it’s Millionaires only now with secondary market prices...

11/13/2020 - alion wrote:

Pure, elegant, ethereal. Concentrated red cherry on nose and palate. Savoury. Perfect balance. Nothing forced. Opens beautifully over 3 hours. World class Sangiovese with a red Burgundy feel.

10/17/2020 - alion wrote:

This is gorgeous! Red cherry and strawberry fruit fills up my kitchen and my palate. Filled out but not overly rich. Slight savouriness but mainly primary. Completely drinkable. Of course will age but in a good, fruit driven spot now.

9/26/2020 - alion wrote:

Burgundy glass. Um, mould on the cork doesn’t bode well. Thankfully juice is fine. I like the nose on opening - mahogany; dry maderia; leather armchairs - and surprisingly integrated and elegant palate. Not really getting the fruit other tasters find. Finishes long, warming. Understated power. Fine tannins. I understand why it’s classic, and considered a great wine. But you have to love the style. I like the elegance and the nose but want less woody notes and more fruit. Appreciate more than love.

7/23/2020 - alion wrote:

Wood - and woody sheen on the palate. Slightly musty on the nose too. But in a burgundy glass after 30 mins this is complete pleasure: intense red cherry, more mature than expected, silky, a little Vosne spice, not too much extraction. Another hedonistic wine during these strange times - maybe we need them right now. From now for my palate with just a little air in the glass to enjoy the fruit.

6/6/2020 - alion wrote:

Very special. 2 1/2 hour decant. Intense blackcurrant and cigar / pencil lead nose. Primary. Mouth coating, darker on the palate. Hedonistic but with plenty of time and tannins to resolve. So much pleasure - and concentrated fruit! From now with decant.

3/19/2020 - alion wrote:

PnP. Rich, tannins integrated, concentrated, blackcurrant and spice, slight glycerine, powerful. Hedonistic. Really good now - and even though primary the vintage really makes sense because the tannins are so fine. Wish I had kept them. Ready. So much pleasure from start to finish. 92+

2/7/2020 - alion wrote:

2 hours air. Sweet blackcurrant and tobacco nose. Fine tannin. Concentrated. Elegant. Velvet texture. Fresh. Very high quality indeed.

1/23/2020 - alion wrote:

PnP. Tannins resolved. Slight funk blows off after 15 mins or so. Oh boy this is magnificent. Perfectly integrated, elegant, Burgundian-style Sangiovese. Savoury with hints of cherry, coffee and tobacco on the nose. Richer on the palate than expected. Ready - and in a great spot now.

10/18/2019 - alion wrote:

Not ready by far but after 2 hours air a wonderful and warm spice, some red cherry, and strong acidity. Fresh. Wears the warmth of the vintage lightly. Surprisingly long finish. Lovely wine making here.

10/5/2019 - alion wrote:

A wine I feel a real privilege to own. 4 years on from an extraordinary showing, and again I am hypnotised by the 2008 Dominus. Incredibly young, rich yet elegant. Blackcurrant cream, and Havana cigar on the nose. Still young with black fruit dominating the palate. Such fine tannins. Incredible length. Perfect balance. Not even a hint of heat from alcohol. Genuinely magnificent.

10/5/2019 - alion wrote:

PnP. Completely delicious from start to finish. Hedonistic, Vosne style spice, more red than black fruit, surprisingly developed, long. Impossible to put down and in a very good place right now.

7/19/2019 - alion wrote:

Just entering its drinking window. Red fruit forward with a hint of Gevrey/ undergrowth on the nose. Violet and rose? Rich with a little shine and bitterness on the finish which will disappear with more age. Fresh but understated power. Long. Nothing overdone. V nice indeed.

7/12/2019 - alion wrote:

2 hour decant. So much softer than a couple of years ago, especially with food. Rich, rose, cherry, cedar and shoe polish nose. Slight warmth from alcohol. Savoury. Will last for years and keep a slight tannic firmness from the vintage but this is giving lots of pleasure now. Serious and really very nice indeed.

7/5/2019 - alion wrote:

PnP to check in. Over 2 nights. Tight, disjointed (of course) on day 1. After 2 hours, some Gevrey aromatics, red cherry fruit, gloss on the palate. Recorked and kept in fridge. Fantastic on day 2. Fruit dominated but integrated. Generous, concentrated, still red fruit but clearly Gevrey - not wild - and wood handled well. Going to be lovely in 4 or 5 years.

4/6/2019 - alion wrote:

Pnp in Burgundy Zalto and followed over a night. Hauntingly beautiful on the nose. Precise, exquisite, fresh. Oak sheen still evident. Stems. Violet, red and black fruit on the palate with a slight Gevrey wildness. Lovely leafy undergrowth. Magical, magnificent wine. Drinking - just - from now, especially with air.

3/23/2019 - alion wrote:

Ep samples of this wine were so vibrant and alive, bright fruit but with the savoury notes Burgundy lovers believe are unique to its wines. This wine in bottle both last year and now over 2 nights is on mute. You might coax a little cherry kernel if you push your nose into the glass and swirl extra hard. You certainly get a savoury palate but without fruit in the mouth. Right now, this is the sort of wine which drives Burgundy drinkers mad, and which, if served to those who don’t have the Burgundy bug, means they’ll not ‘get’ it. I tried different glasses. More air. Just had nothing going on. Wait and hope. Scoring only because if / when a bottle is wonderful in 5 years need to remind myself how disappointing this one was!

1/19/2019 - alion wrote:

Perfect January drinking. Pretty red fruit nose. Easy and fruity on the palate but with enough savoury sheen and tannin to suggest will age and fill out. Even though expensive for a Bourgogne, great value given where the fruit is from. You can wait but plenty of pleasure now.

1/5/2019 - alion wrote:

PnP. Rich, plummy. Nice tobacco notes from the Cab Franc. On the nose, early maturity. Plenty of tannins. Still think it lacks balance - too much alcohol heat - but at least we are over the burnt fruit / oak / ‘this can’t be from Bordeaux’ phase, and into something better integrated and pleasurable to drink. From now but worth a few more years.

1/5/2019 - alion wrote:

Lovely. Fresh, acidic, precise, citrus on the palate with a warmer, nutty, richer nose. Young, but drinking well.

10/12/2018 - alion wrote:

This is a magnificent wine. So different from her earlier, overly extracted and overdone vintages, this has a haunting, red fruit and herbal nose, gentle but concentrated palate, and perfect balance. Burgundian. World class. Drinks now but will last years.

10/11/2018 - alion wrote:

Red raspberry and strawberry nose. Delicate. But thin and tannic in the mouth. Lacks generosity even after 2+ hours. Bitter. Reduced? Leave - and hope something more giving and balanced emerges in a few years.

9/14/2018 - alion wrote:

Most interesting wine I have had in ages. No petrol - not even a hint of Australia until it becomes richer and overly warm in the glass. No colour - could almost be water. But when fridge cold, incredible acidity - fabulous, mouth puckering citrus - and not even a hint of sugar even though it’s there. Absolutely loved it.

5/3/2018 - alion wrote:

Classic on opening: tobacco, spice, savoury, blackcurrant fruit. Fresh. Slightly thin on mid palate. Lovely wine, and by third hour, fuller, more integrated, almost everything you could want from a Bordeaux. Needs a bit of time but - with air - pretty special already.

2/23/2018 - alion wrote:

PnP from perfect cork. Great first 45 mins - rich, black cherry, savoury. Then slightly fell apart - strong brown sugar on the nose, fruit disappeared. Recovered after a couple of hours, herbal and red fruit notes. Nice surprise and v. good value for the quality. Drink now.

2/2/2018 - alion wrote:

Too young to rate but all of the components are there. Great, delicate - esp for a Nuits - spicy nose - I think Jamaican spice bun. Not meaty. Fresh. Fine tannins but they are there. Very Vosne in style. Needs a year or two to fill out but nose is already all pleasure.

1/19/2018 - alion wrote:

Hauntingly beautiful on the nose; red but with darkness to the fruit, and a little Autumn forest undergrowth; rich, a little shine on the palate, with long finish and slight acidic note. Fantastic drinking.

10/12/2017 - alion wrote:

1 hour’s air in glass. Surprisingly gentle and elegant for a Barolo although becomes fuller. Red fruit, dried herbs, some warmth from 15% alcohol but wears it well. Rich in the mouth. Tannins remarkably fine. After another hour, slightly darker, port like and hints of tar. I like the sheen on this v. much. Real pleasure - not just appreciation. Barolo with a warm vintage Burgundy hint? V good value for the quality. Drinking from now

10/5/2017 - alion wrote:

PnP. Signs of early maturity on the nose - truffle, slightly wild - alongside red mainly strawberry fruit. Some sweet Jamaican spice and violet on the nose as the wine opens up. Like it - v Gevrey. Palate - strawberry fruit, high acidity, precise, slight modern sheen, great freshness. 12.5 %. Good concentration for the vintage. Finishes a bit short but excellent balance. V nice - and v good value.

8/26/2017 - alion wrote:

This wine needs a lot of patience and understanding. PnP and followed over 2 nights. On day 1, only gets going after 3+ hours when fierce oak tannins subside, and gorgeous sweet red fruit, violet and tobacco nose takes over. Rich, complex, darker on the palate. Day 2, after re-corked and kept in fridge, takes an hour to get going, and shows what this wine will be like in 5 or 10 years. Still tannic. But more port, tobacco, some sweet cherry and rose. This will always need food to help cut through those tannins, and I don't get anything "modern" from it, but richly complex and satisfying. 92++ upside

8/17/2017 - alion wrote:

PnP and followed over a night. Immediate intensity on the nose: truffle, violet, dark chocolate, damson. Great concentration for the vintage. Some freshness but this is also rich, hedonistic wine. Blackcurrant, plum, chocolate, dark cherry but also after a couple of hours some Rhone like black pepper and increasing Pomerol creaminess. Incredibly fine tannins. Bitterness in the mouth on the finish stays for the first couple of hours as does a hint of burnt tire. Is it overdone? I hope not, because if it integrates over the next couple of years this will be a remarkable wine, even more so given the vintage. ++ upside.

8/10/2017 - alion wrote:

PnP. Blackberry, woodsmoke, after 30 mins or so some surprising honey - almost like a rich old sweet wine - mahogany. Palate becomes richer and more concentrated with time, still mainly blackberry fruit, bramble, herbal notes, fine tannins. Some tartness from the vintage. Smooth but fresh. Long. As with the nose plenty of evidence of the oak. Even though this is young, and the parts need longer to come together, there is already so much pleasure in this wine, especially after an hour+ of air, I can't stop drinking it! For those of us who are drinkers and not investors, this is why Maxime - and many of the other young Burgundy Winemakers who are less known - are so exciting. While styles are different - some are min sulphur, some not, some (carefully chosen) new oak, some not, some whole bunch / stems, some not etc - all of them aim to produce wines that people will love drinking. Wines that will give pleasure throughout their drinking windows whatever the vintage has given them. Wines that make you smile. Rant over. Fabulous wine. Enjoyed throughout but needed the hour+ for both nose and palate to really start showing well.

8/2/2017 - alion wrote:

Second bottle. Slight apple natural wine note on the nose blows off eventually but is still a shame because the palate is rich, dark fruit, animal Gevrey note too. So much better than the first bottle which I found volatile. Drinking now but wish I had another to see if it ages. You'll need to be tolerant of natural wine type aromas on the nose but much to enjoy here.

An update after 3+ hours. The nose is finally Gevrey with no hint of the sulphur treatment - and we both agree the last glass is fascinating as it tastes so much older than it is - think a high quality 2009 - and could only be Gevrey!

7/15/2017 - alion wrote:

Followed this over a couple of days. Best day two after a night in the fridge after a wine saver spray: integrated, rich, dark black fruit, with mushroom and undergrowth on the nose; rich, full on the palate - much more so than on previous day. Slightly wild Gevrey feel - think Mazis - on day 1 but less on day 2. Also less obvious violet on day 2. Fabulous nose on both days. I am going to (try) to leave my remaining bottles a few years. Even if oak and stems not your thing, this is still pretty exceptional for a village level wine.

6/29/2017 - alion wrote:

Natural cellar so may be more advanced than others. An hours air in a glass. Sweet, red cherry nose. Some dried herbs. Concentrated palate - still primary - mainly red fruit - and rich in the mouth. Would not pick Chorey. Tannins have a way to go. Needs food - still quite tight and primary. Apart from short finish, this feels like a much fancier wine than one bought from Vincent for 14 euros a few years ago! My only comment is whether at this stage it tastes of its place - rather than of the talent of the winemaker. Will age. Difficult to score. Those that don't want new oak but do want concentration I expect would score higher. V good value.

4/14/2017 - alion wrote:

V brief note. Fabulous, intense blackcurrant nose. On the palate lacks concentration, slight tobacco bitterness alongside creamy black fruit, tannins pretty much resolved, fairly simple. Not sure - see if it becomes more interesting tomorrow. Better balance on day two, fleshy, ripe black plum, more tannic and concentrated, (too) warm from alcohol. Better. Leave another year or 2.

4/12/2017 - alion Likes this wine:

Slightly smoky, blueberry / black cherry fruit, first signs of Autumn undergrowth on the nose; similar palate, rich, elegant, precise, nothing overdone - a phrase I often use from here in recent years - a bit tight but not closed; grows in the glass. Oak much more integrated than a few years ago. Beautiful wine. Tannins still a way to go but in drinking window. Fabulous.