Community Tasting Note

• Cristal2000 Does not like this wine:

  March 20, 2022 - Goo, what a colossal mess of a wine. I had this blind with 19 Saxum G2, 19 Turtle Rock G2 and 19 Paul Lato Il Padrino and for all 6 of us it was dead last. As a matter of fact I poured out what was left in my glass. Super disappointed, as I have had much better experiences with other Andremily wines.
  
  Basically this was a massive vanilla, oak and sugar bomb that got worse the longer it was open. No acidity, extremely heavy, tasted like the Caymus of rhones, but even worse. Not much more to say. Disappointed to say the least. Won't rate but it was essentially undrinkable.

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24 Comments

• T.O.Wineaux commented:

  3/21/22, 3:54 PM - Just a total disappointment it seems...do you give this any chance of improving? I'm a bit surprised that a wine from a well rated vineyard made by a respected producer would have a showing this poor. I have a three pack and am hoping for a turnaround... Thx - Wineaux

• Cristal2000 commented:

  3/21/22, 10:38 PM - Yeah, I've got two more bottles. I'd love to think this will improve. Sure hope so. The main issue is there's no acidity to it, so it makes it hard to see improvement. Andremily wines always super extracted, so even at their best they are sweet and rich. The texture is always what's really special. This one just lost the guideposts.

• Decanting Queen commented:

  3/22/22, 3:28 AM - I’m going to be an optimist and give it at least 6 months before I try. I haven’t met a G2 from any vintage/producer that I didn’t like, I really hope Andremily won’t be the first. I was so excited to get these off waitlist.

• Cristal2000 commented:

  3/22/22, 7:46 AM - DQ: I'd definitely take that approach. Who knows - maybe it will come together. I mean it will always be insanely modern, extracted and sweet, but that is to be expected. I still have about 3/4 of a bottle from the tasting. I will see if anything good has happened to it.

• Decanting Queen commented:

  3/24/22, 3:40 AM - Cristal—curious to know if your remaining bittle improved with air/time. I will wait a few months and then do a turtle rock and Andremily G2 side by side. Hope we have better luck!!!

• Cristal2000 commented:

  3/24/22, 7:42 AM - Sadly it was still a vanilla, oak and sugar smoothie. I hope you have better luck, but I can pretty much guarantee you the TR G2 will smoke the Andremily, even if it improves. :)

• wdcwineguys commented:

  3/24/22, 1:20 PM - Can I ask how long the wine sat after being received before it was opened and what temp was it served at? I’m curious is there’s a bit of bottle shock.

• Cristal2000 commented:

  3/24/22, 1:25 PM - Sure. I received it about a week prior to opening (maybe week and a half). It sat in my cellar at 54 degrees. All the wines were opened approximately 4 hours before serving, double decanted, back to the bottle and back to the cellar. Right before consumption they were all poured into decanters (done by my daughter so it was truly blind). Service began around 55 degrees and warmed up over time.

• tyfabes commented:

  3/24/22, 4:50 PM - Disappointed to hear this. Up to this point, Jim could do no wrong in my mind and as a result, I went deep on G2 with very high hopes. I love Jim's style, so hopefully my experience is different or these improve with additional time in the cellar.

• Cristal2000 commented:

  3/24/22, 4:56 PM - No doubt. Andremily wines are always super ripe, sweet and pushing the line on extraction, but I was expecting a healthy competition, especially from this vineyard source. Interestingly, Saxum used to be more in this style, but the last few years they've really moderated the ripeness.
  
  I've had other wines from them, like EABA, that is wild early and gets better, so that is definitely possible here. I don't think I will ever like the style as much as Saxum/Turtle Rock based on my palate, but I've never shied away from fruit. It's the vanilla and oak that really get me these days.

• Big&Bold707 commented:

  6/6/22, 7:57 PM - Cristal, curious if you’ve had the regular Syrah or Mourvèdre and your thoughts on those?

• Cristal2000 commented:

  6/6/22, 8:12 PM - Hi B&B: I have had them all now. The G2 was the only one that was discombobulated, so it may have just been that bottle. Or perhaps because it was next to some fantastic wines it showed poorly. The Mourvèdre was far more contained and focused, and the regular Syrah was still super extracted and rich, but the texture, depth of flavor and opulence wasn’t disturbed by huge vanilla and oak. These are massive, extracted, plush and hedonistic wines at their best, so there’s not much room when things go a bit sideways. Not really my style anymore, but can be very good.

• Big&Bold707 commented:

  6/6/22, 8:25 PM - Really appreciate the insight. Haven’t had these before and was thinking of picking up some on the secondary market. Doesn’t sound like a wine I’d go to often but seems like a wine you want in the cellar to pull when in the mood

• Big&Bold707 commented:

  6/6/22, 8:28 PM - If getting a single 3 pack, would you go regular Syrah or Mouvedre?

• Cristal2000 commented:

  6/6/22, 8:36 PM - The Mouvedre is probably their best wine. Unless you don't like that profile, I would start there.

• Decanting Queen commented:

  6/7/22, 10:40 PM - No it’s just terrible. It’s all a disappointment, avoid buying (she says after being disappointed that her Andremily allocation yesterday was only 1 3 pack of each—hope the wishlist comes though)
  Lol

• Big&Bold707 commented:

  6/7/22, 10:44 PM - Alright DQ, say you’re in the wine club for saxum, turtle rock, and andremily and had to drop 1. Which one are you dropping?

• Decanting Queen commented:

  6/7/22, 10:49 PM - Well, I am still waiting for Saxum so it would be hard to say no if I had an allocation. Between Andremily and turtle rock I don’t think I could drop, but if I absolutely had to then I guess Turtle Rock but that is almost just a coin flip!! That said, Saxum has a few wines I am obsessed with and many that are great but I would be ok without. So maybe I would keep A And TR and then just buy Saxum G2 secondary when I can.
  Very tough question!!!!!!

• Big&Bold707 commented:

  6/7/22, 10:55 PM - I knew I’d stump you on that one!!! But when you wait 7 years to get on saxum, you can’t drop it lol. Which Saxums are you obsessed with? G2 and ? I’m in my second year on the list so haven’t tried many, just building a small collection Until I can dive into them and just tasting the ones I grab at auction to drink now.
  Btw, what are the 3 pack pricing on the Andremily from the list now? How about mags? I’m stuck trying to get them at auction but hate paying too much above retail.

• Cristal2000 commented:

  6/7/22, 11:01 PM - B&B: You'll find pricing has flatlined a bit with the Andremily Syrah. It's $110 on the list, and you can often get it for $120 or so retail. Same with the Mouvedre really. So you aren't doing too badly just picking it up aftermarket.

• Decanting Queen commented:

  6/8/22, 11:13 PM - B&B. You are right there is no way I would pass up the Saxum list!!!! Hoping my time comes soon, it has been a long time. Meanwhile, I can’t say I have had even a fraction of what they offer, and the G2 is the one I keep going back for. There is another I really liked above others but I have to check my notes and see (I want to say James Berry but I could be wrong!)
  Let me know if you have any mist try Saxum reco’s!

• Decanting Queen commented:

  9/4/22, 6:12 AM - Cristal—hope you have a chance to try again. What you described was not in our bottle at all. If you liked the TR version you would like this—they are different, but not desperately so

• Cristal2000 commented:

  9/4/22, 9:45 AM - DQ: Thanks for the update. I was hoping it was bottle shock or some other outlier issue, since I generally enjoy Andremily, even if it is a bit sweet for my tastes. One thing I am finding is I buy too many different wines, so in Paso/SB I've cut it down to Saxum, Fingers Crossed, TR (at times) and Next of Kyn. Napa is harder. No room left!

• Decanting Queen commented:

  9/4/22, 10:31 AM - Cristal—I understand, the struggle is real!!!

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