February 18, 2023 - Ski trip - Four wino familes; 2/17/2023-2/20/2023 (WISP Resort): Light color. Medium expressive nose displaying sweet yellow fruit, lemon curd, yellow peach, apple peel, orange zest, cream, strong coriander seed, honey, spicy spices and mineral. Very good concentration, nicely layered concentrated sweet yellow fruit, rich and oily, bright acidity, good mineral presence and a medium to long sweet yellow fruit driven finish. The coriander seed note is very noticeable. It seems sweet and richer than a few years back.
December 23, 2017 - Holiday lunch with many magnums (Black Salt): A disappointment, showing excessively evolved color and taste and lacking verve on the palate. Almost past due; if you have any of these vintages, drink up!
July 13, 2017 - Maison Bras (Roederer, Lafon, Mission, Barral...) (Aubrac, Laguiole, France): N'étant pas un grand fan du viognier, je suis d'autant plus content de l'avoir beaucoup apprécié.
Nez incroyable sur la pêche de vigne, belle trame acide en bouche, pas fatigant, parfait en accompagnement d'un foie gras de canard poêlé.
April 1, 2017 - HDH Burgundy Auction (Chicago, IL): Ok, this is actually pretty incredible. The nose is simply brilliant. It's almost a volatilized young riesling nose, with plenty of sweet white fruit and florals. The palate shows lots of the same, but it's not as thick or rich as the nose would imply.
June 25, 2016 - Gorgeous nose displaying perfectly ripe yellow peach, apricot, lemon candy, orange zest, banana, a hint of coconut, rose, saline and mineral. Excellent concentration, quite airy and cotton candy like which I get from the top Condrieus, vibrant and precise palate, bright acidity, strong presence of mineral and lovely long cool finish. This is absolutely delightful. The perfect wine for a cool summer night.
February 15, 2016 - Fermented in barriques for 4-5 weeks. Aged for 12-18 months in barriques (25% new).
Pale lemon yellow color. Very open and ridiculously expressive nose with unctuous aromas of all kinds of perfumed, exotic flowers, pronounced apricot tones, a little bit of white peach, light pear marmalade tones and a hint of creaminess. The nose here is so powerful it almost feels like Viognier concentrate. Contrasting the bold nose, the wine is surprisingly fresh, only medium-bodied and a lot drier than the nose suggests. There are very intense and complex aromas of pronounced peachy fruit, ripe tangerine, lean stony minerality, some orange blossom, a little bit of exotic spice, light creamy tones, a hint of honeydew melon and a touch of toasty smoke. The wine is high in acidity, lending it great intensity and making it feel very fresh and structured. The finish is very long, powerful and complex with intense flavors of peach, honey, stony minerality, some creamy richness and a hint of ripe pear.
A stunningly beautiful, incredibly complex and exceptionally structured Condrieu. This wine has nothing to do with those ponderous and flabby Viogniers the variety is so known for - this wine certainly boasts those hallmark peach and apricot tones and floral aromatics of a fine Viognier, but this wine is all about freshness, focus and intensity. An exceptional wine and probably the greatest dry Viognier I've tasted. I'd love to see how a wine like this develops with age, but it must be quite difficult, since the wine is drinking so beautifully right now. Very highly recommended.