5/13/2024 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

lovely. drank alongside the 2022 and found the extra couple years to add a layer of richness and texture that balanced the acidity nicely. very well made, would not hesitate to drink again if offered, esp at $20.

5/12/2024 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

Even at 26 years, this needed 2-3 hours of air to really shine. Tasting neither old nor halbtrocken, acidity moved this more into the perception of trocken. Pineapple, green apple, lots of length. lovely.

5/9/2024 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

sooooo tight. took 2-3 hours of air to yield anything at all. bury these and forget about them for a few years.

4/28/2024 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

Super cool wine. Rich mouthfeel, deep flavors. Fun to try side by side with the regular Flame Tokay, albeit 2020 vs 2022.

4/28/2024 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

Both modern and a little rustic, which gives it some good character. Looking forward to following the evolution over the next 10-15 years.

4/28/2024 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

Well resolved, drinks well with 45 mins of air.

3/25/2024 - mtaczak wrote:

needs lots of air, serve cellar temp.

2/29/2024 - mtaczak wrote:

not improving at all. with air it developed kind of a sour note, and kind of a weird blend of green notes and "purple" fruit (if that's a thing). drink up (like last year)

2/27/2024 - mtaczak wrote:

It's... fine. Def on the lean side, borderline underripe but not quite. Would never place it as CA without knowing in advance.

2/11/2024 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

drinking very well, definitely softened a bit with fruit fading, but holds together well. give at least 30 mins of air.

2/7/2024 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

From magnum. Splash decanted, consumed over 2 hours. Oak on the nose, but not nearly as obvious on the palate. Somehow both well integrated and tight at the same time, probably needs more time. Plenty of high quality stuffing, for sure.

1/29/2024 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

in a great place. glass on opening was tight and tart and didn't give up much; stoppered under a Repour and after 2 hours of warming and air the next day was fantastic. air it out!

1/20/2024 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

Decant for 60-90. Ready to go.

1/20/2024 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

I still find this a bit rough and astringent. Could use a few more years.

1/13/2024 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

Needs at least three hours of air to yield anything. Developing nicely, still room to run.

1/12/2024 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

Dark flavors while still being light. Clipped on the finish. Reminds me of a simple Ruche.

1/10/2024 - mtaczak wrote:

poured a generous glass via coravin. I don't even know how to score this, it's wound up so tight. austere and dark and unyielding, mineral with good acidity, inky and impenetrable. you can tell there's tons of potential here, but it's not giving up its secrets quite yet ...

1/8/2024 - mtaczak wrote:

Like drinking a blueberry pie. Fully integrated, smooth, drink up.

1/1/2024 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

Second bottle was much more enjoyable, even if it wasn't the most complex. Much more true to style, previous bottle must have been mildly corked or otherwise flawed to have been so flat. Previous reviews said it best" a fine lunch claret, nothing more.

12/30/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

From 375. Still needs time.

12/30/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

One of the few wines I’ve ever had that can stand up to cedar plank salmon. Not because the usual pairings don’t work, but for some reason my palate always tastes a metallic flavor with any wine with salmon. I didn’t get that here. I wasn’t blown away by the pairing, but the fact that I could drink it at all was a pleasant surprise. Either way, a delicious wine, but requires at least 60 mins air and is best served closer to cellar temp.

12/26/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

plenty of botrytis, but heavy and rich, could use more acidity. well developed but nowhere near dead. drink or hold.

12/23/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

honey, flowers, and a distinct note of macerated strawberries

12/23/2023 - mtaczak wrote:

really hollow after a yeasty attack. not my favorite.

11/27/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

It's fine. Somehow has all of the things you look for in a solid sparkler but without pulling them all together. Like a (noticeably) wannabe champagne.

11/19/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

Varietally correct, well integrated, polished, good price - what’s not to like?

11/18/2023 - mtaczak wrote:

thin, acidic, insipid, uninspiring. I hope this was just an off bottle, because there was nothing pleasurable about this. It wasn't "bad", but the best I can say is that it was "present."

9/15/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

This was drinking so wonderfully even with a minimal decant. drink drink drink!

9/11/2023 - mtaczak wrote:

inky black, but also very bright on the palate.

9/11/2023 - mtaczak wrote:

super dark, austere and mineraly, plenty of sediment. needs time to mellow out.

9/10/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

Somehow more tannic than last time? Cork saturated to within 5 mm of end. Best after 2 hours of air.

9/9/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

NATER nailed it, but I found it just so very compelling and delicious.

9/3/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

Give it a couple hours of air. Tannins still rough and burly, but this bottle was much less tight than the last, and opened up eventually into a really nice balance of fruit and earth. No signs of decline, should continue to drink well for at least another 5+. 2005 is such a good vintage.

9/3/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

Still a bangin wine. Rich and deeply flavored (crushed pineapple) without being sweet, oxidative without being weird. Bravo.

8/20/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

tasty but a bit heavy, could use more acidity. developing nice notes but still not mature

8/20/2023 - mtaczak wrote:

briny and savory, kind of a vinyl-y, rubbery nose, some called it smoky. it's ok.

8/20/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

still a really big wine, tannins smoothing out but not really developing much.

7/31/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

I disagree with those saying that it's at peak and won't improve. There's still plenty of structure and grip and fruit to give this some runway to develop more complexity. Is it brooding and monolithic and backwards? No, it's lovely to drink, especially after 60 mins ina decanter. But it's hardly becoming geriatric. Will it live forever? Also no. Probably 5-10 more years?

7/16/2023 - mtaczak Does not like this wine:

unctuous golden raisin syrup, one dimensional and not enough acidity

7/3/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

Distinctly different experience than the first bottle. Splash decanted, was a bit more closed up front. After an hour in the fridge it was pretty shrill and thin with little to no pleasure. Opened up again after an hour warming and smoothed out, gained weight, and let the fruit peek out, but it never really shook kind of an "ick" on the finish. Overall fine, but without the "wow" of the first bottle.

6/26/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

not fancy, but perfectly developed and drinking beautifully with a little air. my three bottles won't last the summer.

6/14/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

Incredibly pale and light, both in color and weight. Went down like water. Great porch sipper, but not super complicated.

6/8/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

great balance of freshness and richness

5/30/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

Better than the last bottle but still not amazing. This one had acidity that stood out as distinct and disjoint. A bit hollow on the mid-palate, even after 4 hours in a decanter. Pristine cork - recorked at the domaine before released recently? Would not rebuy, and don't know what it would do if it was further aged.

5/28/2023 - mtaczak Does not like this wine:

bitter, astringent, entirely lacking in pleasure.

5/28/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

wow what a cool wine. very slightly oxidative, flavors of rooibos tea and gummy life savers and kind of just weird savory fruit. love it!

5/26/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

drinking perfectly right now. not especially deep, but just gorgeously balanced and polished. the bottle was gone way faster than it should have been ...

5/21/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

needs at least one hour of air. opens up with plenty of old world funk on the nose, but the palate was pretty austere. mineral and a little funk but totally hollow until it opened up towards the end of the bottle.

5/6/2023 - mtaczak Likes this wine:

Love it. Fresh and light but still rich and deep. Acidity ping-pongs around for a bit but settles down after an hour in a decanter. Drinks best from 90 mins at slightly below room temp.

5/5/2023 - mtaczak wrote:

a teeny bit hollow, but otherwise fine.