Community Tasting Note
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sfwinelover1 Likes this wine: 97 points
March 12, 2023 - At the Tesseron-Pontet/K&L Winemaker dinner at Mathilde (SF). It’s pretty much unprecedented that I’m the one writing the first TN for a wine, unless it’s some 20 case wine made by a friend of Cyclist’s. This was the first wine served as we walked in the door at K&L, with the ‘16 and ‘17 being served with dinner, and unlike the Pontets, all were similar in quality and qualities (and in light of that and, believe it or not, sfwl *does* have other things to do than write and respond to TNs, this note will have to stand in for the others). On the moderately potent nose and palate, blue and black berries, black and a slight hind of red currants, dark florals, rocky minerality, lavendar, graphite and a hint of tobacco. Dark purple, medium+ bodied, thick legs. Medium+ acidity and tannins, both well-balanced and fairly well integrated, no heat. VG++ complexity, VG+ persistence, VG intensity. With a suppleness, elegance and slight savoriness of BDX suffused with the sweetness, in a good way, of Napa fruit, these PR wines stood above, for me, the PCs, albeit at a 2x+ price. This was lovely to sip on its own, and its ‘16 and ‘17 siblings were great complements to the duck confit. I’m always trying to put wines I taste in the context of wines I’ve had previously, and these seem to come closest to the Verite Joies, although these were younger vintages, and, unlike in the case of the ‘06 of that bottling, this was just a half glass pour, rather than having the bottle in front of me for several glasses over multiple hours. Whatever Messr. Tesseron and his K&L friends did had all 3 of these wines drinking very well, with nothing sticking out and wonderful mouthfeel, and while underlying structure is clearly apparent, future iimprovement, at least if this is correctly decanted at present, will likely be more in the way of depth than balance. These wines were uniformly lovely, and after I failed to make the cut for 2022 Napapalooza, this producer has been on my list as one to try and certainly didn’t disappoint and outshone the PCs. But—and I know this is unfair since these are so young (by my standards), my tasting was small, over a short time, blah, blah, blah—these, at this point, didn’t have the density of Abreus, the litheness of Spottswoode or Promonotory, nor the intensity of the Ovids at price points at or above what I’ve paid for my Colgins or Abreus (although I did see the ‘17 at Chateau Costco for a bit under $300), so I’d be unlikely to be a buyer. But hey, that’s why BDX wine shops pour $100+ half glasses of the ‘00 Latour or I go to dinners like this, right? 96-97++, and if anyone wants to pop one of these in a decade and I’m still extant, I’d love to revisit my evaluation.
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11 Comments
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Cyclist commented:
3/15/23, 2:54 PM - Woo, here for the celebrity mention! Also, this dinner sounds awesome bummed again to be on the opposite coast these days…
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sfwinelover1 commented:
3/15/23, 3:56 PM - Good to know you haven’t lost your interest in wine! Was thinking of you on Saturday when sipping Bevan with A_M. We have to figure out a way to cross paths sooner than later, although I’m not sure the BA is on the way to Burgundy. Do keep me in the loop if you may make it out here. Best to S.
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Cyclist commented:
3/16/23, 5:58 AM - Yes, definitely still there just haven’t got around to writing many notes recently. Will be in burgundy in 2 weeks though so we’ll see if I can get some stuff written there!
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bsumoba commented:
4/21/23, 9:26 AM - I had the pleasure of trying the 16 and 17 with Alfred at the Pm Rae estate (Robin Williams home). Have not had the 18, but it sounds like it might be worth it.
Are you doing the CSIMM potluck on the 28th? -
sfwinelover1 commented:
4/21/23, 9:53 AM - Yes, I’d say so; I thought both wines had a similar profile (btw, while your expertise is far greater than mine, from my limited experience, I’m finding ‘17 to be far from a total washout, even if not quite up to the standards of the surrounding years). Haven’t seen any deals on the ‘18, but I wouldn’t go above the mid 2s that I’ve seen the ‘17 on sale for.
My wife and I are supposed to be coming back from Maui that day, but I’m trying to move things around so I can; I should know in the next few days. If I come, I’ll add to the Colgin fest. Are you coming? I think you were still open when I last checked. We should find a time to share some good wine another time soon if that doesn’t work for one/both of us. Cheers! -
sfwinelover1 commented:
4/21/23, 9:54 AM - And if you have any pull with Lite, if you can get me on the next Napa junket, I’d be wildly appreciative!
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Juliansi commented:
1/29/24, 5:06 PM - SFWineLover1 Congratulations on the first ever review of Pym Rae 2018! It also happens to be one of the wines I have been most excited about, and first time I pre-ordered a wine before release too.
Happens that my bottle is still in Singapore, I have to drive down from Kuala Lumpur some time this year to.. pick it up!
I can't wait for my trip to Napa Valley and Sonoma in mid-year, going to be a special 50th celebration. -
sfwinelover1 commented:
1/29/24, 5:31 PM - Thanks for your nice comment, Juliansi and congratulations on your upcoming celebration! I’d love to meet in SF or even in Napa for a tasting when you’re out here. If you’re interested, please keep me posted on your plans!
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Juliansi commented:
1/29/24, 6:56 PM - Very cool, thanks for the note and offer SFWineLover1 ...
July 8, 9 and 10th - Already booked up for private tastings (My wife and me have time for dinner of course if you are available!)
OR... July 11th - Still figuring out where to go for private tastings which may be complimentary, in Sonoma? Perhaps K Browne, P Hobbs, Kistler or Ridge Lytton Springs?
OR... We will be staying over in San Fran on July 2/3/12/13th as well! -
sfwinelover1 commented:
1/29/24, 8:49 PM - J, why don’t you reach out to me as we get closer to the date and we’ll figure out what will be best? I’d really enjoy meeting the 2 of you and sharing some good wine, maybe a tasting or 2 and dinner. Hope your 2024 is off to a good start, my friend!
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Juliansi commented:
1/29/24, 8:56 PM - SFWineLover1 Thanks so much, that would be super cool. You can drop me an email at:
Juliansi at Gmail dot Com
Or whatsapp is good too:
+ Six Zero One Two 3833125
Have a great evening!