4/4/2024 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

30 yr. old vines, native yeasts, fully organic farming. Fermented in vats and then spends 9 months in neutral barrels.

Relatively pale yellow straw. Nose features Granny Smith apple, green plum, fresh hay and chalky minerals, but the fruit is restrained overall. High acidity confirmed almost immediately on the barely medium weight palate, almost choked me first time through. There's a buzzy vein of grassiness reminiscent of sauvignon blanc, light fruits, and a crisp, bone dry, lingering finish that conveys an overall green impression, however vague that may be. i've had this wine before in other vintages and I'll have to check, but don't remember it being quite so tight. Light fare and cheeses for now...

3/31/2024 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Day later from memory. Dark cherry color. Lovely deep woodsy nose that was bursting with sweet black cherry. Medium to full bodied, perhaps a touch light for grand cru but excellent once rolling around the palate with a solid retro-nasal blast of dark berry fruit and a mineral component. No deterioration over two days, still quite youthful but very pleasurable drinking right now.

2/24/2024 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

I was not familiar with 1er Cru Beugnons, which is a section of Vaillons at the very southwest edge entitled among other sub-zones to be labeled on its own at the producer's discretion. Equally unfamiliar with Sebastien Dampt, a younger member of the Daniel Dampt family who makes his wines on the same premises and in the same general style.

Pretty gold color. Immediately enticing aromas of fresh lemons, seashell and iodine, with the faintest but not distracting herbal tinge. Good 1er cru heft on the balanced expressive palate, yellow fruits, minerals and a tell-tale saline, chalky and zippy acid finish with good persistence. Young but composed and a pleasure to drink even now.

I had a few drops left in the bottle at the end of the evening that had been sitting at room temperature for over an hour. Something told me to give it a go, and it was delicious. You want a method to determine balance in your white wine, here's a torture test.

2/22/2024 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Wine of the evening for me, from a producer tasting organized by my friend David Wagner, longtime manager of the Adelphia Wine Company store in Bernardsville, NJ. I've known and trusted David and his palate for more than 30 years and as is the case here, he's unfailing in his singular search for balance in any region and price range. He was an early adopter of this relatively new winery, which apparently was just discovered by the descendants of Parker and named Sicilian winemaker of the year by Decanter, so you get the idea and say goodbye to anything like reasonable prices.

For some reason whoever entered it in the database gave this rosé wine an Etna Bianco Superiore appellation, which of course is silly and it should be Etna Rosato DOC. If I have the energy I'll see if I can get it changed. I guess you could call it an honest mistake because it's grown within the Etna Bianco Superiore appellation from a small plot of nerello mascalese yielding only about 1500 bottles a year. They should make more.

There's a pretty pale pink color. The nose offers a pronounced slash of salinity (the sea is apparently visible from some of the vineyards), light red berry fruits,, hints of pepper and bitter orange. On the palate there is rippling acidity, volcanic minerality, and almost a palpable sense of skin contact on the intensely dry, Campari-like finish. Served with tuna tartare in a caponata base that was a sensational pairing. 13% ABV.

2/12/2024 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Dr. Johnson: Sir, a woman's preaching is like a dog's walking on his hind legs. It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all.

Thus I commence a note on an 11-year old Mondeuse from Savoie, which would have stumped me blind for a month and I could easily have mistaken for aged Burgundy or Cru Beaujolais. Who knew? Not me obviously.

The color might be the only tell, a pretty pale red. The nose mixes cranberry and sour cherry with graphite minerality and an earthy, sous bois note. Light to medium bodied (12% ABV) but not wimpy, the graphite, earth and perhaps an herbal, rose petal note underpinning the fading fruit, and lending an air of gravitas to the relatively light, grainy tannins on the finish. Mayhap running a bit low on fruit at this stage, but it's still got game.

Is it a Magnin or a Magnien? Like I said, you coulda fooled me.

2/11/2024 - bevetroppo wrote:

Some initially attractive red fruits on the nose cut short by an unmistakeable wave of TCA. Confirmed on the musty palate. Pop and pour (in the sink).

2/9/2024 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

As I grasped my trusty waiter's corkscrew and began to cut the foil, I experienced a weird sensation that the blade was collapsing against the edge of the bottle. Lo and behold, there's no cork just a short glass stopper that popped out so easily I worried for a moment that it hadn't been properly sealed.

The concern proved unfounded as the pretty pale red wine with coppery hues poured into the glass. looking more rose than red. That's schiava for you. In fact this is a blend of approximately 80% schiava and 20% lagrein. The nose is a mix of enticing strawberry and raspberry and lifted florals. Light to medium bodied with a pronounced and engaging sour tang and gentle tannins, the fruit and florals mixing with an herbal maybe anise-like edge to a bone dry finish. A delightful aperitif and foil for lighter fare-serve at cellar temps for max refreshment.

2/7/2024 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Judging by the almost unreadable label, you could be forgiven for thinking the producers of this delicious chenin were so modest they didn't want you to know what it was or who made it. Simply labeled Anjou, all the other key data is practically invisible, at least to me!

It's a gleaming gold color, and maybe there's a little stuff in the glass, but the somewhat more readable back label tells us it's biodynamically farmed, with "long fermentation" and "non-chaptalized, in an "artisan small production" process. Not to worry.

Rich, compelling nose, bruised apple, honey, lanolin, ripe autumn pear, and a whiff of oxidation. Mouth-coating and long, the flavors cascade over the palate, dominated by the ripe cider impression honey, and a mineral, near metal sensation toward the dry, balanced finish. It reminds me of Vouvray, and I have no doubt well-stored it will last quite awhile.

Purely by accident, I noticed as I was preparing to enter my note that this producer makes several wines in the Coteaux du Layon, an occasion for an aha moment given the region's reputation for sweet wines. You'd certainly never know it from the rest of the label.

2/4/2024 - bevetroppo wrote:

Opened this with a fair amount of anticipation last night but was left with disappointment. It was a "failure to launch," not so much overtly flawed as scalped of any fruit or expected characteristics of the grape/appellation. I've been told this (rare) condition is a variant of TCA contamination and I hope that's true, because at least that would explain what I experienced. It would have been a very interesting case study to encounter this bottle at a restaurant. I wonder if it would have been graciously replaced or if it would have precipitated an argument, since you can't smell the typical TCA off aromas/flavors.

1/30/2024 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

In the old days of cellartracker it wasn't that uncommon to stumble on a wine that had thus far eluded the database, especially if you often drink off the beaten path. But as the site has matured, such an event increasingly became a rarity, and I don't think I've entered a new wine in a few years.

Imagine then my surprise with today's specimen, which is apparently so obscure that even the importer doesn't list the grapes, and I only found them on a hopefully reliable retail site in France. It's actually a blend of 80% piedirosso and 20% aglianico, if you can believe them.

The color is a pretty pale cherry with purple highlights. largely transparent. The nose is initially delicate and I find if I sniff at the rim vs. deep draughts there are delightful lifted blue fruits with floral underpinnings, followed by plum and cherry as I nose around a bit. It's at best medium-bodied, with a lovely initial entry full of red fruits, flowers and crushed stone, finishing with an acidic tang, cracked black pepper and telltale bitterness, not that I'm any expert on piedirosso. The tannins are persistent but relatively mild, although there's plenty of acid keeping things juicy. A lively 12.5% makes it rewarding right out of the cellar.

Very cool wine, and fun to be here first. Good for 3-5 years, just be conscious of the bitter finish if that's not your thing.

1/16/2024 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

I don't know about you but I still can't adjust to seeing "Chardonnay" on the front label of a good white Burgundy. It betrays a certain conservatism borne of my advanced age, perhaps a longing for an era when men were men and capable of remembering what's supposed to be in a bottle of Bourgogne blanc.

This wine is a pale gold color, with a fruit-driven, but not effusive nose. Ripe yellow apples predominate with hints of pineapple and tangerine peeking through. The tears are substantial, and in fact the ripe vintage characteristics translate to 14% labeled ABV. Surprisingly full, well-nigh creamy body that suggests a pedigree beyond simple Bourgogne, finishing with a touch of lemon curd sweetness and a deft bit of wood.

An excellent glass of Bourgogne blanc, I mean chardonnay.

1/10/2024 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

An impressive wine from a humble appellation. Nose features bright ripe cherry and raspberry, earth, and a subtle woodsy touch on the edges. Delicious red fruit flavors with a slight creaminess to the texture and a refined, balanced finish. This small, family-run domaine is now fully organic and if not biodynamic, conducts various activities on lunar cycles. I look forward to trying other wines from them.

1/7/2024 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Pale red nebbiolo color, lightening at the rim. Classic nose of cranberry, rose, and leathery earth. Starts very tight, grippy tannins seize the upper gums, suggesting this is still very young and requires a good decant if drinking soon. With all that grip it's still nicely balanced by fruit and ample acidity. Definitely benefits from time in the glass, as tannins start relaxing and fruit takes on a ripe, sweet, sour cherry profile. Six hours of open time isn't a stretch at all.

1/5/2024 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

I'm drinking a bottle of this right now that was opened maybe 10 days ago and left in the back of the refrigerator with perhaps a glass consumed. Under the circumstances, it's not fair to give it a rating. What's remarkable is that it's drinkable at all! The high altitude acidity must be acting as a Coravin-like preservative. Again, no descriptions beyond some light citrus and pronounced minerality on Day 12 or whatever, but I believe I could serve this right now to almost anyone who likes crisp dry whites and get nothing but compliments.

12/26/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Day later from memory. Light and utterly winning Sicilian red which must be frappato-based but I will have to confirm after the fact. Pale ruby color, engaging notes of fresh red berry and earth on the nose, and delicious fruit upon entry with gentle framing tannins. Terrific with a light chill as the 12.5% alcohol doesn't pose any barrier to refreshment. It's possible this has some nero d'avola to add a little body but would guess it's in the minority. Let's go find out.

Pretty good guess, it's 75% frappato/25% nero, presumably from just outside whatever jurisdiction would allow labeling as Cerasuolo di Vittoria. Still this has a lovely purity and is hard to resist. Definite re-buy, especially when in pursuit of a lighter, aperitif-worthy red.

12/22/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Bright pale gold color. Nose a blend of yellow fruits, lemony citrus, white peach, and some reduction that starts to lessen after 20 minutes or so but remains noticeable as a smoky/mineral tone when drinking. Ripe, juicy and nicely balanced on the palate, with very appealing fruit, greengage plum and enough acid to snap it right into focus on the dry bitter lemon finish.

Excellent as an aperitif, with mild cheeses, or lighter fare.

12/24/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Day later from memory. Brought this to a BYOB restaurant featuring venison and pheasant. Was hoping the bottle age would match the gamy qualities and was not disappointed.

Restaurant light wasn't optimal but the color was a transparent red with beautiful layers lightening towards the rim. Full maturity seemed likely. Nose full of ripe "pinot" fruit, sour cherry, sous bois for weeks. Gently expressive on the palate, again that distinctive fruit that was scratching my memory for comparisons, and soft but not at all flat or flabby impression on the long finish.

It took me awhile but then I had it. This wine was a throwback to my earliest exposure to Burgundy 40+ years ago. At that time there were maybe four critics in the world whose books you could read to help understand wine: Schoonmaker, Lichine, Broadbent, and Coates. In my struggles to put labels on what I tasted, I followed Broadbent like he was a holy prophet and he described this mature pinot flavor as "beetroot." I never actually understood what this meant, only learned to recognize it when it appeared.

Whether it's a stylistic shift in the wines over time or I'm not drinking enough fine aged Burgundy (likely), I haven't experienced this unmistakable fruit signature in a long time.

The farming and handling by this very authentic domain, committed to biodynamics and self-described "neo-classical" winemaking, resulted in a beautiful wine that for me was like a reunion with an old friend.

12/14/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

It's always an occasion popping a 2005, regardless of pedigree. My experience has been consistent confirmation of the vintage's greatness, with occasional questions about whether a given wine would ever come around.

This bottle, for which I'm posting a photo, was nothing short of pristine. I wanted to kiss my cellar when I grabbed it and saw the fill level, which for all intents and purposes looked like it was 20 years younger. The color is more age-appropriate, a healthy garnet lightening to the rim, but still quite dense if not opaque at the center.

The nose is guided by a deep vein of red fruits, beam-like in its intensity and cloaked in emerging sous bois notes with a graphite mineral border. The fruit is a mix of ripe cherry and raspberry compote, which if not absolutely primary is still flying its '05 freak flag.

Flavors are consistent with the nose, texturally tending toward an elegant, lithe palate impression. There's a level of sweetness in the fruit with tannins that unlike many other '05's appear fully resolved in a long balanced finish. Net, it's drinking at its peak and seems capable of holding for at least 3-5 years. Labeled 13% which was probably ripe back in the day but now is a fleeting memory for 1er Cru Burgundy. My end drink date is 10 years later than what appears today on CT! As Uhtred of Bebbanburg might have said, storage is all.

12/9/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Coming immediately after a hideously corked 2016 Barolo I would have liked this wine just for being sound. Fortunately, it's not only sound but wonderful to boot.

Pale nebbiolo color with clear lightening at the rim. Presumably ready to drink. The nose is confirmatory, boldly offering tightly coiled cranberry and rose aromas, with rumors of tar and berry-studded leather (even I'm not sure what that means), maybe a touch of heat. Suffice it to say it's appealing.

Surprisingly elegant on the palate given its 15% ABV, which other than the aforementioned heat on the nose isn't really a factor. Cranberry fruit and leather dominate for now, with grippy tannins quickly asserting themselves on the fresh, acid-inflected and very long finish. Leaves the tongue a-tingling.

This is mid-journey for now at 8 years old and has the components to age effortlessly for another 10 years, when some of its more spiky elements can be expected to soften. The winemaker lovingly dedicates the wine to her father in an all Italian label tribute. It's easy to see she means it. While you can enjoy it right now, a few hours in the decanter wouldn't be a mistake.

12/9/2023 - bevetroppo wrote:

I had great expectations for this bottle. It was purchased as an "individual direct import" from a wine guide in Piedmont during the height of COVID when I had to cancel a bucket list wine trip. Her business dried up completely as you can imagine, so I bought a case of fun stuff from her just to show my support. The cool part is it doesn't have a word of English on it since we bypassed the importer.

Anyway, I opened it a few minutes ago thinking it might be young but damn, sometimes you just want good nebbiolo. The front part of the nose is stunning-but halfway through it goes all Jekyll and Hyde and becomes severely, grossly corked. It's so bad as to be a textbook. Run over to my house right now if you aren't sure what TCA contamination smells and tastes like.

Well, that's the risk you take when you bypass the importer and the rest of the three-tier distribution system-no place to return it and nothing to be done but empty it in the sink. Sigh.

12/7/2023 - bevetroppo wrote:

Pale yellow/gold color. Nose is effusive, fresh borderline tropical fruit, pineapple, ripe apple, honeydew melon-it's a fruit salad without holding much back, and were it not for a bit of acidic tension I'd call it almost over the top.

On the palate it's overtly rich and struggles to maintain balance given the palpable residual sugar, but once you adjust to the idea that it's nearly demi-sec, it's once again rescued by the acidity and a bit of stone toward the reasonably dry, long finish, marked by touch of sweet oak.

Whether this is climate change in action or a deliberate attempt to emulate a New World style I can't say. I imagine it would be a hit at a party. My wife, whose idea of wine perfection is the most buttery Russian River chardonnay imaginable and considers minerality the devil's own work, said she liked it. I rest my case.

Post script. Something was nagging me all day about this wine so I decided to consult the 3 wise 'M's" of Burgundy (Meadows, Morris, Martin). None of them said anything about the sweetness I detected. Fortunately, I had a half bottle left in the fridge, and serving it ice cold knocks the fruit back to a much more agreeable level for me. Maybe my barrel had a touch of Botrytis that didn't affect the majority of the production?

10/12/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Pepe Montepulciano needs no introduction to lovers of great Italian reds. But I suspect less is known or appreciated about their Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, which you could call a rosé of montepulciano but that's a gross undersell of what's in the bottle.

it has the limpid, transparent coloration of a light red and blind you would be forgiven for not recognizing it as a rosé at all. The nose is an intoxicating mix of fresh red berries, earth and baking spices, with a light floral overlay. There's plenty of attractive acid that starts the juices flowing before the first sip. It's surpassingly lovely on the palate, juicy, soft, but with a tart sour cherry edge, all somehow conveyed at a surprising 14.5% ABV. So harmonious you're barely aware you just drained the glass except for the persistent, gently tannic finish.

Is there is a better rosé made on this planet? I doubt it. From the first sniff to the finish, it's a nearly magical experience-a balancing act of depth of flavor and almost weightless grace that maybe only the best Burgundy achieves. Mine cost around $70, which in absolute terms is a pittance for the contemplative pleasure it conveys. I didn't have a bottle of Valentini on hand ($170) to compare. A rosé by any other name would not smell as sweet.

10/5/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

A candidate for the most impressive, beautiful, haunting Beaujolais I've ever had. Until you try the right one on its 14th birthday, how would you know? This largely "natural" wine made with ambient yeasts and very low sulfur-the label says drink soon after uncorking- was way ahead of its time.

The color is a pretty translucent plum lightening toward the rim. No bubble gum on the nose! Beautiful, somber, bosky aromas remind you more of Burgundy than anything. Dark red fruits and sous bois with perhaps a touch of VA. Certainly mature on the palate, unspooling with fading dark fruit flavors, wet autumn leaves, a hint of mint and stone, gentle almost absent tannins, and dare I say it, a suggestion of dusty Cote de Nuits spice toward the finish.

If you don't like old Burgundy you won't like this, but it's pretty special if you do and are able to put it into context. I don't really have the knowledge to back it up, but a wine like this would have to be considered a forefather of the natural wine movement that IMO few of its progeny are likely to rival. When the winemaker says drink it up (in 2009) I better respect him in 2023. Another glass please before it goes. It somehow conveys a bit of sadness at the inevitable passage of time, like Hopkins' goldengrove unleaving.

9/10/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

The backstory on this wine is that it does not appear to be sold in the US right now. My intrepid brother-in-law lugged it back from a trip to Spain, where this was recommended to him locally in Rioja.

Jancis Robinson is on a global crusade against excessively heavy bottles for their environmental impact, and truth be told, I could barely lift it off the table-it weighs approximately as much as Sancho Panza-so even before pulling the cork I was a bit worried about the winemaker's priorities.

The wine is an impenetrable deep red color lightening only a bit at the rim. The nose is surprisingly generous, showing very ripe deep red fruits, kirsch, graphite and mint. You don't have to go looking for it. Rich and mouth-filling, with the dense fruit giving way to notes of cinnamon and vanilla, and mildly aggressive tannins on the long, drying finish-though nothing like the wet wood of old-time Rioja. You could almost be forgiven for thinking it's New World-ish until you get to the mid-palate when it becomes more savory and less sweet. The structure is bolstered by 14.5% labeled ABV.

Altogether it's a bold mouthful of wine that could accompany any kind of red meat dish, stew, barbecue etc. and can take some bottle age, especially since the bottle might as well be made out of stone given its weight. When the bottle is so heavy and dark you can't even tell how much wine is left as you're pouring it, well, you get the idea.

8/31/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Day later from memory. First encounter with Elbling and had no expectations of any kind. Poured a very pale straw color. Not much going on with the nose, a reticent note of lifted lemon, saline, and green hay. Super sleek on the palate, absolute steely acid, it makes Chablis look fat by comparison. Served cold it's an incredible aperitif, and a glance over at the bottle confirmed it's a crushable 10.5 % ABV. The lemon flavor is more of a whisper than a shout and if you prize austerity you can't go wrong. My only regret is discovering it at the end of the summer instead of the beginning. Awesome in the late afternoon at poolside.

8/24/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Pretty garnet color. Nose is immediately heady, fully ripened cherry and plum with hints of leather and light florals underneath. It's hard to resist before you even taste it.

If anything, it's richer and fruitier on the palate than I would have guessed from the nose alone. Mouthfilling red fruits dominate, more Vino Nobile than Chianti, or maybe Maremma with a touch of warmth. It has a soft, furry texture resolving in a balanced finish with well integrated tannins. Might have liked to find a little more Sangiovese bite but no complaints.

I wasn't at all familiar with Predappio so looked it up just now. It's SE of Bologna, about 45 minutes SW of Ravenna. I know Europe is baking this summer but the listed temperature was 97 F right now. Hard to make subtle wines in these conditions, Perhaps a similar effect touched the 2020's?

8/2/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Dark red color with an opaque core. Beautifully accessible syrah nose that bursts from the glass and practically shouts its components: blackberry, grilled meat, pepper and violet, with some olive notes on the edge.

Immediately inviting on the palate, with a velvety texture, granite-like minerality, unassertive but balanced acidity and gentle tannins, distracted only by a mild sense of heat on the finish. I checked and in one of the weirdest things I've ever seen on a wine label, it's listed as 14.16% (sic) ABV. That's some serious precision assuming it's not a typo...

This entry level Vin de France is a sucker punch if I ever tasted one. It's like a mini-me version of a classy Northern Rhone and a siren call to anyone hooked on New World reds who wants to try an Old World wine and "breathe its pure serene."

7/30/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Pale gold color. Beguiling nose of yellow fruits, saline, herbal tea and chalky minerality. Supple on the palate, light in alcohol but still surprising volume. Flavors echo the nose with a touch of popcorn I associate with Fruilian whites and some bitterness on the dry, tart finish. Very seafood friendly.

7/9/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

No one, and I mean no one, can match Lyle Fass for irrational exuberance in a tasting note. Every single wine he promotes sounds like you'll regret it for the rest of your life if you pass. One thing you can't fault him for is his advocacy of Spätburgunder and I'm happily letting him "lead me around by the nose."

I don't know about you but for some reason I immediately force any unfamiliar pinot noir into a direct comparison with Burgundy. Weird, because I don't of it for any other grape or region and it's not really fair. But I gotta tell you, looking through that lens in no way disadvantages this wine.

The color, which is a deep regal red and fully opaque in the center, seems a bit of a curveball from the presumably cooler climate. It actually made me think of Oregon. The nose is restrained, but offers dark red berry fruits, baking spice, a touch of the sauvage, and a mineral vein. Certainly more Burgundy-like than New World and it puts me in mind of the Cote de Nuits.

Deliciously silky on the palate, the fruit now appearing if anything riper but still perfectly on point with just a touch of kirsch towards the finish. It has that surprising impact that occurs when you are not fully prepared for the intensity of the flavors, and I'm not talking about extraction or alcohol, but of concentration, density and quality. A persistent stony minimality lingers deep into the finish.

Blind? I wish I'd had the chance. I wouldn't kick myself if I called it Morey 1er Cru, Pretty damn impressive, which wouldn't even register on Lyle's scale.

7/6/2023 - bevetroppo wrote:

I'm greatly relieved that after a dismal first bottle of this about a year ago that I still remember with distaste, I can find some redemption here. It's a pale orange, citrine color with a complex nose of bruised yellow fruit, dusty, roasted nuts and saline minerality. Mouthfilling impressions of bruised, baked peach and apple on the palate that are altered in a way that makes them seem alien somehow. Full finish with a slightly bitter, pithy and textured finish.

It's still a wine that challenges rather than rewards my expectations, but at least I feel like I get it (if not actually enjoy it) and can go for a ride on the Orange Line, unlike the last time. No idea on drinking window but it's clearly not the 2023 I see below.

I don't begrudge the winery's intent to go back to the future or whatever they were trying to do here with skin contact and amphorae. These guys have been pioneering retro practices for a long time. However, it's clearly a case where, as my father used to wryly observe about gambling, "you pays your money, you takes your chances."

7/5/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Day later from memory. Terrific, classy profile, certainly rivals more exalted and expensive appellations and a great value as a result.

Bright apple and white orchard fruit, subtle minerality and a saline bead on a taut acid-driven spine. Seems a little drunk on oak right now but given the overall balance and drinkability I'm ready to predict it will integrate nicely over time. Best if cellared for a few years.

6/30/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Dauvissat is one of those Burgundian surnames that is so confusing it makes you think 'hey, you wanna know why young people would rather drink beer or god help us hard seltzer instead?" I'm pretty sure I looked Jean Pere & Fils up at one point before buying but I don't remember a damn thing as I drink this. Thank God it's very good.

The color is a pale straw with green highlights. It's got a crystalline nose, beautiful white orchard fruit, seashell, salinity out the wazoo, all delivered in unmistakeable Chablis pedigree. Delicious across the palate with terrific acidity on the rounded, taut finish. In fact, I left a third of a bottle unintentionally for three days in the fridge and it was every bit as fresh and enticing. That's impressive and a sure indication of aging potential around those prodigious acids. I'm definitely bumping the window up from 2026.

Note the label of the 2020 is different than other images I saw. I'm going to add my own and hopefully they represent the same producer or pass me the High Noon.

5/21/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Fully mature somber red color, turning orange if not actual bricking at the rim. I don't know why but the color in the glass makes me a little sad in a wistful, memento mori nostalgic kind of way.

Not so the nose, which shines forth with sour cherry and ripe boysenberry, a distant note of menthol, all wrapped in a soft earthen shell. In the mouth it delivers attractive fruit and a lovely cooling sensation that speaks to balance and reasonable 13.5% alcohol. There's a little hint of sweetness almost on the long, gamy and gently tannic finish.

Drinking in its peak window if you enjoy some age and probably 5 more years if well stored. Sound bottles only need apply.

5/11/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Note this wine is labeled "sec." The relatively pale gold color belies the majestic expression of chenin blanc that awaits. The nose contains multitudes, dancing from beautiful yellow orchard fruit and green gage plum to hints of wet wool, honey and a beguiling salinity on the back burner, just starting to show glimmers of petrol. There is, oxymoronically speaking, weightless heft on the palate, the tension so precise between acidity and fruit it's almost painful on the tip of the tongue and you could bounce a quarter off it. Texturally it's of the mouth coating ilk, yellow apple fairy-dusted with honeycomb, contributing to a finish for this relatively inexpensive wine that is so charming and long it's like an extended warranty. Clearly someone agrees because as I type I can see the drinking window pegged at 2040. Impeccably stored it could be longer.

Chenin blanc has gotten a lot of somm love in the past few years but it's all an understatement when applied to this beauty. I don't know what more we could ask of it.

5/3/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

I opened this and was surprised by a somewhat meh initial impression. It took no more than 10 minutes of air to completely blow open the doors of perception. This is a terrific barbera that perfectly straddles the line between sheer drinkability (at 13.5%) and serious contemplation. Better yet, it gets more complex by the minute and rivals a lot of more exalted Piedmont appellations (yeah, I mean you nebbiolo) in the process.

Translucent ruby robe. Within a half hour and with a bit of swirling it's positively "intoxicating" on the nose. Sour cherry, deep raspberry bordering on liqueur that casts a haunting net of sweetness, hints of graphite minerality, a bit of baking spice. Spreads beautifully across the palate, more velvet than is usual in often spikily acid barbera, not that it lacks in that department, with softly concluding tannins.

There's a sense of completeness and harmony that is simply not common in barbera and leaves me with an internal struggle over whether to belt it down with tonight's homemade perciatelli in simple marinara sauce (have you tried the incredible Phillips pasta maker?) or lay about like an opium eater and savor it. Either way you can't lose.

Don't read the following unless you truly have nothing better to do. Those long-time followers of my tasting notes (all 3 of them) know that I often pepper them with cultural references, ranging from Romantic poetry to execrable puns. I've got one so bad and so obscure it's even making me squirm. "Putney says the barbera '16 grape has got to have soul." And this one does. Ok, you were warned.

4/30/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

In an era when to even use the term value in conjunction with Burgundy is an oxymoron if not an outright joke, Gilbert Picq continues to make relatively affordable wines true to their terroir. The '21 Vieilles Vignes is no exception, delivering authentic Chablis character and even a little depth for under $40 a bottle.

The color is a sparkling pale gold with some green highlights. The nose mixes apple and lemony citrus fruit with a nice smack of chalky limestone and saline minerality. Fruit is evident and even sneaky ripe, but so is the biting acidity that snaps everything into focus on the mid-palate and doesn't relent through the tart, refreshing, green straw finish (oh yeah the 12.5% acidity doesn't hurt matters one bit).

Crisp, honest, satisfying and great with lighter fare.

4/8/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

I struggle to call this wine a rosé both because of its beautiful pale garnet hue and the depth of flavor belying the tropes of the category. From a blend of nerello mascalese, nerello cappuccio and nocella, it is a haunting, light evocation of the producer's estimable Faro red with a personality all its own.

The nose offers sour cherry, cranberry and slightly unripe red berry fruit shot through with volcanic minerality. The flavors echo the nose in a beautiful, tart wash, framed by a slight bitterness on the finish. It's as refreshingly light at 12.5% as the hot air balloon on the label.

So I reiterate my contention that this is a light red in disguise, with nuance and interest perhaps only surpassed in the Italian rosé genre by the Cerasuolo of masters like Valentini and Pepe.

3/29/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

A very pretty transparent light cherry color. It had me on the pour, beautifully fragrant strawberry, black raspberry and pomegranate fruit on the nose backed by a peppery, volcanic minerality. Barely medium bodied (13.5%), lovely balance across the palate yielding to well integrated peppery tannins on the dark stony finish, with plenty of backing acidity. Outstanding with a simple red sauce pasta with turkey meatballs (sorry for the sacrilege.) Potential to deepen a bit with a few more years in bottle. Shall I compare thee to a Santenay?

3/12/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

This wine has no discernible vintage but I'm going with 2021 in case there is some secret natural label code I can't interpret. Yes this is a natural wine, the color of a cloudy urine sample. My wife took one look at it and said "gross." Needless to say she wouldn't go near it.

But they pay me the big bucks to be intrepid so I soldiered on past the unappealing heavily sedimented dusty yellow and slightly orange color. Yeah there's some skin contact here.

I made sure it was plenty cold. The nose has a lot going on, lemon, orange, peach, honey, honeysuckle with a touch of citrus pith and some light VA and oxidative notes. Maybe you could say it was unfocused but I found it engaging nonetheless. it's an equally chaotic experience on the palate, ripe yellow fruit colliding with honey, bitter almond and a salty, tannic feel on the exit.

This will not be everyone's cup of wine but neither is it a mad scientist's experiment gone wrong. You can appreciate it on its own merits if you can get past the appearance, unlike my wife.

3/8/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

The descriptions of perricone from two magisterial and heavy tomes, Wine Grapes and Native Grapes of Italy, proved somewhat unsatisfying to me. I learned the varietal was nearly obliterated by phylloxera, and its small remnant production is often used in nero d'avola blends to add tannic support.

If this organic version of perricone is typical of a revival or a new wave, I'm all for it. The color is deep, impenetrable red. It's a wild and heady nose, casually tossing off ripe dark fruits, blueberries, cracked smoky pepper notes and black licorice. The body is medium but there's a satisfying sense of weight and depth even at a relatively modest 13.5%. Mouthcoating dry finish with a bitter, somewhat raw edge, perhaps an artifact of the grape's aforementioned tannic structure.

It's hard not to compare it to nero d'avola even if I don't have a glass in front of me to enable a more systematic appraisal. I almost never buy nero d'avola since I find so much to be jammy, fat and boring except when cut with the lively frappato in Cerasuolo di Vittoria. Here, the decisive finish makes at least this version more interesting to drink and potentially better with food. I'm a fan based on a "n" of 1, let's see some more.

3/6/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

What do good Burgundy producers have in common with the US Postal Service? All that stuff about neither snow nor rain nor heat etc. Everything I've read about the 2021 vintage makes it sound like all hell broke loose and growers were lucky to emerge with their lives let alone their livelihoods intact. Yet here we are, there is wine to be had, and judging from this bottle, some of it is damn good and even broadly affordable.

Now speaking of the weather, biodynamic (since 1979) pioneer J.C. Rateau is a terrific under-the-radar producer whose careful, nature-based farming probably puts him in as good a position as anyone to deal with the vagaries of the seasons.

This particular wine is a gleaming, attractive garnet cherry color. The nose is terrific even at this early stage, bursting with red berry fruit, black raspberry and cherry. with intimations of forest floor and ferrous minerality. Lively and brisk on the palate, showing lovely fruit and pronounced acid followed by an engagingly dry smoothly tannic finish. Clocks in at a refreshing 13%. Assuming "Les Beaux et Bons" is a lieu dit, it really lives up to its name.

No reason to think it won't improve to one degree or another but boy it sure tastes good now. Outstanding for a Beaune village to say nothing of the annus horribilis.

1/16/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Nothing to add a year later except mild surprise at more body and extract than I would otherwise expect from such an offbeat, humble appellation. Fruit now trending darker to black cherry still delish. The ad in the gutter says you can find it for$ $25.69 via wine-searcher. What are you waiting for?

1/14/2023 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

You can imagine my anticipation when independently this wine was strongly recommended by a favorite retailer and then the main Italian wine critic of Decanter. She named it one of her favorite wines of 2022.

According to the label, Contrada Volpare sits on the eastern slopes of the volcano at 700m and is either the entire or part of the only region entitled to Etna Bianco Superiore. Since Bianco Superiore was a first for me, I had to check the local regs. After multiple false starts I really couldn't find anything illuminating, even from a site called etnawineschool.com, so enough of that.

The wine is a pretty pale gold. The nose is seductive and refined, combining high-toned yellow orchard fruit, scents of honey and light florals, a touch of nuttiness and an oily minerality. Remarkably composed on the palate, with substantial weight for a wine labeled 12.5%.The fruit seems to linger in the forefront of the mouth and teasingly retreats to a well-textured dry and lingering finish. It's in a goldilocks zone, neither too heavy or too light.

Easily the classiest Etna white I've ever had and a ringing endorsement for the potential of carricante. Both my sources were right. Consumed over two nights with zero deterioration.

12/23/2022 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

Consumed over two nights, this is a stunner of a non-cru Barolo. Fully translucent red even lightening a touch at the rim. No-holds barred on the nose though, which bursts from the glass in waves of anise, tar, rose and dark red fruits-a very traditional expression. Still coiled on the palate, with notes of cocoa creeping in on the fine-grained but intensely long tannic finish. Unless you have a soft spot for raging young Barolo. I'd let this go for another 5 years or so. Shows both the producer and the vintage in a compelling light.

12/23/2022 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

If you like acid you've come to the right place. This makes Chablis look like dessert wine. Obviously from my score the style appeals to me, but I could be an outlier so just be warned.

It's a pale straw color. The nose is restrained with notes of yellow apples, faint petrol, and greengage plum. So tautly dry on the palate it's almost painful, just absolutely scrapes the tongue and upper gums, but there's an understated elegance. Light fruit with just a touch of unsweetened pineapple on the finish. Ravishing as an aperitif or with shellfish or cheese if you can handle the sting of the lash. I wonder if it will relax with a little age? I'm betting yes and assume this will be good for quite a while.

12/16/2022 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

This is the kind of discovery that makes you hesitate to post a tasting note because you'd prefer no one else knew about it. The last time this happened to me it was Heitz-Lochardet, when almost overnight the price for his whites more than doubled after I bought two cases of Chassagne-Montrachet 1er cru for a pittance in an auction. That's almost impossible today in the hyper-inflated world of Burgundy, or is it?

I hesitated to open it so early, but since this was my first bottle of Buffet I was eager to see what was going on. This has a lovely deep garnet color. The nose is absolutely beautiful and not at all reticent: deep alluring notes of ripe red berries and cherry, in an seductive style that feels totally Volnay and could quickly get me canceled if I go any further. The presentation is appropriately primary at this stage but it's oh so enticing. Harmonious, juicy and flat out delicious to drink, and while there's not much evidence of complexity except for a little spice on the finish (at least at this point) OMG it's hard to put the glass down. If I had to use one word to describe it I would say purity. Labeled 13.5% ABV which seems a challenge in today's "climate", and I'd guess this had to have been picked at the perfect moment.

Net, I'll be buying all the Buffet I can until I can't afford it any more. It could probably bury any pinot under $45 I've had in recent memory.

12/10/2022 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

For some unknown reason the US label buries the Superiore designation of this barbera in some filigreed almost unreadable type on the back label. I'm glad I turned the bottle around because I was having a hard time accounting for the richness and yet utter drinkability of the wine.

The nose belts out deep red and black berry fruit with a vein of minerality and baking spices. Mouth-filling with delicious fruit, good acid structure and balance leading to an almost sweet mid-palate and on to the moderately dry long finish. They say alcohol contributes sweetness and here is a case where I suspect that is in play.

While this is plenty rich (15% ABV is well hidden), it manages a degree of elegance due to the overall balance and I did not find it cloying. Appealing on its own and with whatever you want to throw at it from pizza night to eggplant parm to stewed meats in winter. Excellent value around $20.

12/5/2022 - bevetroppo Does not like this wine:

One of those fun blind tastings where you can see the label but it offers not a blessed clue what's in the bottle. it features a red tractor, it's labeled 11.5% alcohol, and away we go...

A pretty translucent red. There are fresh red berry scents on the nose, both strawberry and raspberry, piercing in a good way if you pay attention. Otherwise it's got that telltale natural wine thing, kind of a hay/straw gently bretty impression. It's quite light on the palate, nicely fruited and lightly tannic but with a distinct tang of mouse that emerges on the taut acid finish. I'm going to guess something Loire-ish, maybe grolleau or pinot d'aunis or both in a devil-may-care natural mash up. Don't taste any gamay or cab franc. The natural elements would probably be off-putting or even outright flaws to some, but at first I found them kind of funkadelic and ok, though more appealing with some chill to it.

So let's take a tense few minutes and go to the internets to see if we can unpack it. Holy Merlot, Batman, this is obscure. It's from a small appellation in Savoie about 2 hours southeast of Lyon and just NE of Grenoble. It took me 10 minutes just to find it on a map. It is in fact a field blend of gamay, pinot noir, persan and merlot so I was completely wrong, except perhaps for the natural fingerprint, which to me obscures the varietal character, but what else would I say? For $15 it's a fun experiment but for God's sake chill it if you want to keep the mouse somewhat at bay.

In good conscience I can't rate a wine that even experts won't agree is flawed or not. If you don't mind faint aromas and flavors of mouse cage in your wine, this might hit your sweat (sic) spot. Ultimately it started to back up on me and I had to dump it. I guess it proves the wisdom of the old vigneron's adage, "One man's merde is another man's persan."

11/25/2022 - bevetroppo wrote:

For fun arranged to have this served to me quasi-single blind from four random bottles all less than $11. At that price it's hard to approach with a true spirit of academic interest, but I tried. Here's my thought process: It's got a robust red color, expressive nose of dark red and black fruits and something not altogether unappealing like burnt marshmallow. Open and unassuming on the palate, clearly New World in its simple straightforward fruit attack. Seems like a blend but couldn't get past the evident vegetal presence of cab franc which I would have bet cash money was part of the story. It was of the South American herbaceous ilk so that's where I went, though I didn't really hazard what the other components might be. So I got the south part right if not the African one, and lo and behold, it's 23% cab franc with the rest syrah, merlot and tempranillo. Too fruity and sweet for me and I have a hard time with that cloying New World cab franc edge. Now 2/4 rebuy rate on the sub-$11 case. Early hypothesis:stay away from red blends that are 14% alcohol or more.

11/25/2022 - bevetroppo Likes this wine:

A delightful Trentino/Sudtirol "red" via Chambers St. Wines. Biodynamic with mostly schiava, some lagrein and miscellaneous others. The crown cap suggests it's all about pop, pour and enjoy, and that's the truth. The bright cherry color truthfully hovers somewhere between rose and red, not surprising given the schiava base. Attractive red fruit and berried nose, lithe expression on the palate (thank you 11% alcohol) with a snappy crisp finish with only a suggestion of tannin. A playful, fun-to drink wine I would substitute again for any rose (serve chilled!), sip on its own as an aperitif ,or anytime you want something "leggero." I might be a little happier paying less than $26, but that's not robbery for such an intriguing alternative to the everyday.

PS. Some weird instinct said go ahead, throw it into Thanksgiving. Guess what: it was my favorite pairing wine across the board.