May 5, 2024 - Hermitage's Dinner (Noizé): A vigorous purple colour. Lots going on here - some discussion of rocks at the table, there's a kind of minerality but also an explosion of flavour - gentle popping candy perhaps? Truly engaging wine this draws you in.
March 9, 2024 - Hawker Food Night: Blind, candied cherry, good freshness, drinking nicely
March 9, 2024 - Hawker night at Caroline's: A little disappointed by this for a vaunted maker and vintage, thought this was a southern Rhone. Dense and powerful dark red fruit, had an oak signature of a modern maker with some coffee and mocha notes.
August 13, 2023 - Hugely smoky nose of bacon fat and woodsmoke. Brambly and blackberry fruit - insanely rich and intense but, paradoxically, light and dancing. How can you be big and light at the same time? Like a great dancer? Like Nureyev or Baryshnikov. Light but strong; leaping and lithe but deeply structured and firm. Sensational and such a privilege.
December 16, 2021 - Popped and poured - then tasted over 2 days. Initally very stony and toght, vertical and very elegant indeed, on day 2 virtually unchanged, although gaining a bit of weight. Hanged meat, hints of coffe and chocolate, fine acidity, a perfect bottle of this. This is extraordinay wine. Drinking well, IMHO - but certainly no hurry.
#XmaslunchChezMoi#PB
December 4, 2021 - Fruit driven nose with dark cherries, savory notes, and a bit of a leather note. The tannins were surprisingly refined and soft with more cherry notes and black olives on the palate. Nice finish. Overall, a lovely wine and drinking very well, although I'm not sure how much longer I would keep this; I'd rather enjoy the fruit now than risking for it to fade, because that's what's carrying the wine.
October 29, 2021 - Still fairly dense and rich with loads of peppery black fruit. Lots to enjoy here though I wish it had a little more freshness / edge that I don't think is coming with more time though given the substantial amount of fruit it should hold for a decade+.
October 29, 2021 - "I wanna start clapping" (Chicago, IL): Somewhat high-toned and aldehydic on the nose, with some alcohol coming off (though the next flight really put me in my place with that). This shows more along the lines of meat and black fruit; a squat and sturdy wine, but with excellent purity of fruit. Despite some commentary that the older Sorrel wines can be dirty (not really my own experience), we all agreed that this was a very clean example of one.
July 5, 2021 - As this developed through the dinner it got better and better. Silky mouthfeel. Smoke, spices, a bit of pepper, red fruits but towards the end some darker fruits emerged. Wish I had more of this - has a lot more room to run if properly stored.
October 30, 2020 - Dark red, black core, looks young.
Gorgeous pure red berry, lifted florals, wood smoke, refined, intense.
Ripe, well structured, great intensity. Bright red berry, some blueberry, hint of sherbet, lovely dark smokey edge, no sign of development. Lots of fine tannins, youthful impression. Overall silky, classic hermitage. Delicious.