10/28/2023 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

First sample of this; very tasty; ripe baked apple, pastry dough, lemon tart, honeysuckle, crushed stone; a rich style of blanc de blancs with lovely depth and richness; the mousse is silky and fine and a brioche note lingers on the finish. No disgorgement info on the bottle, but the seller thought it was based on 2014-15.

10/13/2023 - chablis28 wrote:

New producer for me and a terrific addition to the cellar! A classic example from one of Puligny's top Crus that reminds me again why I love White Burgundy above all other Chardonnay sources excepting Chablis. Pale gold color, clean aromas of citrus & mineral. A powerful but weightless ethereal palate w/ layers of mineral, citrus, stone fruit and other harmonics. Mesmerizing! Delighted to have 2 more and wish i could grab more. 13.5% alc 25% new oak.

9/27/2023 - jnewman77 wrote:

First time tasting Thomas; I must say it was not at all what I expected reading the notes; first my cork was perfect; well sealed, no sign of leakage and no staining really past the bottom of the cork; now to the wine; my initial smell after about 15 minutes open was dominated by sweet oak spice; vanilla and a hint of smoke; there is clearly lovely red fruit underlying and some earth, but I had trouble getting past what seemed to be a heavier veneer of oak than I imagined; the palate is ripe and for me borders on big; don't get me wrong it has lovely balance and energy and lots of fruit and earth that I love. But it is not in the "light and elegant category to my palate". There is definitely some tannic structure and plenty of density to this wine and I see it actually becoming quite stunning in another decade. For me right now it seems a bit awkward with oak sticking out and not fully coalesced. That said I see the underlying material to fully absorb the oak and let this soar. I'd love to try a bottle in 10-15 years, but given the secondary market prices I'm not sure I'll spring for one. I do know I will plan to give my other couple vintages much more bottle time based on this.

Night 2, not really much change; still a sweet vanilla note (almost like marshmallow) that dominates for me; palate largely unchanged which bodes well for aging if the cork is sound.

5/11/2023 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

bottle purchased in Chablis; I've never seen this wine before and wanted to try it; super ripe fruit on the nose, but almost immediately after you get classic sea breeze and oyster shell locating you to Chablis; lemon, golden apple, green pear, and floral notes appear as it airs out; large scaled palate that initially feels like it might be unwieldy somehow manages to maintain a fresh saline feel that keeps it driving and lovely; very long with impressive depth; would be fun to follow in the cellar.

2/23/2023 - randyjc wrote:

Giving consideration to trying to find a bit more of this - it’s just so clean and precise though it lacks the zippy acidity and weight of slightly better BdB. Still - thoroughly enjoyable except for the part where I realized it was not only my last bottle but was gone. All good things…

2/20/2022 - csimm wrote:

Bright and electric, with searing and near teeth-clattering acidity, the En Remilly is so vibrant and shining that it almost hurts to take it down now. Yet, with flavors so pure and distinct, you don’t mind staring in the direct sun because the radiance on your face feels so good.

Fresh squeezed lemon everything (juice, zest, pith, seed), yuzu, honeydew and pineapple rind, crisp green and yellow apple, a fistful of chalk, and white flowers, the flavors are swirling here; even with a long decant, they are just too lively to catch, like a bunch of swarming bees. Finishes as it starts, with speed-freak acidity.

I loved this. You can plan on this aging better than John Stamos if given some cellar time. Dons a thick wax cap and DIAM 30 seal, so it’s set for the long haul. I’ll revisit in 3-5 years if I can wait that long. Invigorating juice!

PS: If you are a new world, new oak butter craver, anything with Lamy’s tag on it will probably send you into some sort of excruciating orbit screaming Uncle. Best stick with your Rombauer and Capri Sun.

1/7/2023 - thesternowl wrote:

A buddy of mine and I dropped into one of my favorite little cafes in Omaha to get a bite and share a bottle. We grabbed a table and I scampered off to select something from the wall. As I walked over to the Rhone section, I began to scan the labels and about fell over when I saw three bottles of Gonon low-key just chillin…priced under $70. At this point, there was no question what we would be drinking tonight.

Popped and poured; no formal notes. I fully knew this was going to be somewhat considered infanticide but how was I going to pass this opportunity up? The nose is classic Northern Rhone with olives, black pepper, bacon fat and gorgeous blue and red fruits. The tannins are medium+; the acid matches. And the texture? Well, she thiccc but there is a sexy confidence that is enormously becoming. Finish is long and super satisfying. Fun to try young but I expect this to be a very lovely bottle for many years to come. Drink now with some patience (and an open mind) or through 2034 with ease. Oh…and you best believe we took the other two bottles home with us.

12/25/2022 - chablis28 wrote:

Christmas Eve is our special day with our immediate family. Today, Amy a long ago public Special Ed teacher of our adult son Joe who at 41 is doing fantastic no small thanks to Amy & a couple other great Special & regular class-room folks joined us for Christmas Day and Nita's homemade pizza. I decided on one of our fav Tuscan reds Montevertine, an anomaly IGT producer from the Chianti region. We love the regular Montevertine! Yes '15 is bit riper but ready to go tonight w/a PnP. Served in Riedel Burgs. Even in '15 this has Montevertine's signature purity, transparency & weightless elegance we love about Montevertine. So utterly fresh! '15 drinks very well before, with & after dinner. Admirable structure & lift w/o graininess to deal with. Amazing floral aromas marry up with red fruit, spice, underbrush, mineral & just a hint of herbs. 13.5% alc. I hope to taste at the estate someday. I'm a fan of many basic Chianti Classico but Montevertine soars over most everything I've tasted from Chianti.

11/26/2022 - Burgundy Al wrote:

Walkaround tasting. I know nothing about the specific wine, but this shows the ripeness of the vintage front-and-center. Ripe, sweet, and dense, there is a lot here to enjoy now, but I didn't sense the backbone that would allow this to age with much grace.

9/19/2022 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

First sample of this and it is lovely; showing the warmth of the 18 vintage this is probably the biggest version of sisters I have tasted, but it is still balanced very nicely; good stuff and excellent value.

8/31/2022 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

Wow, I love this wine. Second time I've had it and both times it has totally blown me away. I like riesling a lot, but I've never had a domestic riesling that really impressed me until this. The nose is super floral with peach and pear blossom followed by peach and apricot fruit, hints of stony mineral notes, and with air just a whiff of petrol; the palate is dry and equally impressive; vibrant energy, but great depth, perfectly balanced and a long finish. If Willamette riesling can be this good, maybe there should be more of it. Will need to try to get more for sure.

7/25/2022 - jnewman77 wrote:

This is a solid bottle, nothing really that stands out for me. A riper style of 08 with brioche, lees, and ripe fruit, but doesn't quite hit the balance or freshness that I want. Good, not great.

4/16/2022 - jnewman77 wrote:

First experience with this producer; lovely slightly aged color with just a bit of browning at the edges; the nose initially started with a rich note of sous bois which with air became less prominent and showed some still fresh smelling red berry fruits, crushed stone notes, violet, and black tea. The palate which I expected to be relatively mature based on the nose was still surprisingly structured with robust, slightly drying tannins taking over the latter half. This drank fairly well with food and was certainly enjoyable. That said, I'm not sure the fruit that is left will be able to last until the tannins are fully resolved. Given the fair amount of leaf litter notes on the notes already. I've had this experience with many '05s where the fruit is fading a fair amount faster than the tannins. Certainly I think the higher level wines probably have the stuffing to allow the balance to form, but many simply "good" appellations may not get there. We will see. I'll try another bottle of this reasonably soon to see if this was a representative sample.

Saved 1/2 the bottle for night 2 - overall the impression is slightly improved; the nose is still lovely with red fruits, minerality, and lots of earthy notes; tonight there is more of a green tobacco note alongside the leaf litter. The palate however seems a bit better balanced; the tannins are still a little pronounced, but less so than yesterday; they are almost enveloped by the fruit and earth; the acidity also seems a bit better tonight. This gives me more hope for the future development. Either way if you enjoy Burgundy with some mature earthy notes it is quite pleasant.

1/2/2022 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

New Years with the Ks and Browns: The nose on this was stellar; still fresh red fruits, forest floor, mushroom, dried violet, a hint of orange peel and black tea leaves. The palate was good, but seemed a bit thin as the acidity poked out to the fore. This was mitigated with food and still overall was very enjoyable, but the palate didn't quite live up to the nose

3/3/2022 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

Excellent bottle of this last night; excellent cork seal. The nose was killer with ripe red berries, green tobacco, mint, floral hints, and pine needle litter. The palate was tensile and vibrant, very good depth, great energy, everything in harmony with tannins mostly resolved and juicy acidity livening each sip. Highly enjoyable.

2/13/2022 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

Opened this thinking it would be fairly mature given the vintage; not so. The color is deep; the nose is full of dark, ripe fruits, still with a tiny hint of oak spice, some smoky and savory meat, violet, and mineral notes. Very explosive. The palate is also full bodied and rich, deep and powerful, tannins are certainly fading, but still plenty of structure and fruit here to age for quite awhile. With about 2 hours of air it became more elegant and the fruit turned a bit towards the redder side of the spectrum. Finish was lovely. Great stuff. Thoroughly enjoyable with a leg of lamb.

1/24/2022 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

This is a baby; but it is good stuff; the nose is exuberant with ripe red and blue fruits, also quite a lot of mineral/stone notes, very floral, and a hint of orange peel. The palate is initially quite fruit forward and super primary, but with a bit of air, this actually tightens up and becomes livelier and more mineral driven. Remains very floral and mineral throughout. Great development potential here. Hands off for at least 5-8 years.

8/31/2021 - chablis28 wrote:

Bought this btl a good 18mos ago and it has benefited from some extra time to relax a smidge. Tonight this was killer. Blind I might mistake it for Cristal. Classy bread dough & citrus aromas. Beautifully balanced and pure w/ signature racy layers of bright citrus, mineral, stone fruit along with delicate sophisticated bubbles. First sips hits with you a sexy burst of orange rind. Just terrific! Quickly grabbed 3 more locally. 94+ This is a remarkably consistently great cuvee that punches above its price point.

8/23/2021 - felixp Likes this wine:

Typical showing for a lesser PC in 2005. Still lots of high-quality fruit and tannin, very much a "foursquare" wine as critics would describe it. A little clumsy, again typical of the vintage. It needs another decade, will surely improve, but will never be a "great" wine.
2005 has produced many many wonderful Burgundies, but then again almost every vintage does. Is it the fabulous vintage that has been professed by so many critics for so long? Not in my book, give me 2002, 2010, 2015 and likely 2009 any day.

4/19/2021 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

I found this to be excellent for a Bourgogne; the nose was lovely with lemon peel, orchard fruit, a hint of hazelnut and spice, some jasmine/acacia floral notes. The palate is fresh and vibrant with very good concentration for the level. Great value.

12/25/2020 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

This bottle showed really great; now this is coming from one who enjoys "old" cabernet so take it as you may; the nose here is beautiful; cassis and dried blueberry initially quickly give way to pipe tobacco, damp earth, hints of cedar and spice. The palate is lovely and has excellent balance with better than expected concentrate and depth. Held up well for 2 hours of dinner with no significant changes. Delicious.

4/10/2021 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

From magnum; this was markedly better than a 750ml last year; the nose started smoky and savory, but opened with air to show more dried currant, cherry, damp earth, some mushroom, and leather. The palate was truly remarkable, silky and yet very fresh considering the age with a mid palate sweetness and concentration that was incredible. Best Chateauneuf I've ever consumed.

3/25/2021 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

This continues to be quite lovely. Should be delicious this summer.

8/8/2020 - aChave wrote:

Oxidized

5/20/2020 - dcwino wrote:

Second Zoom tasting – Chave Hermitage (Mi Casa): Incredibly youthful expressive nose displaying perfectly ripe concentrated black fruit, blackberry jam, crushed blackberry, blackberry liqueur, black cherry, liquid smoke, lavender, perfume, licorice, sweet spices, garrigue and crushed rocks. Exceptional concentration and incredible balance, beautifully layered perfectly ripe sweet black fruit, incredibly rich yet silky and fluid, bright acidity, strong limestone mineral and a seamless concentrated black fruit driven finish with garrigue and liquid smoke at the end. Despite being so concentrated and youthful, the palate is sensual and weightless which reminds me the 01 Yquem. For my palate, the 05 is the best Chave Hermitage. Monumental wine!

5/15/2020 - walkerjfw wrote:

With some friends, "socially distanced happy hour". First bottle of the 2018, nicely chilled. Drank over an hour...

Pale orange pink color.Floral driven nose, some orange zest and mineral. Lithe red fruit, strawberry, faint orange/citrus. Nicely acidic, but smooth. Nice red fruits through mid palate. Long finish by Rose standards.

Crisp and fragrant...really great. Consistently among the best rose in the world (IMO)

4/20/2020 - jnewman77 wrote:

This was relatively enjoyable; definitely on the bigger side; the nose shows lemon pie, ripe peach and pear, a nice floral note, and some wood spice. The palate is rich and full bodied, but actually has a little bit of freshness that keeps it from feeling heavy. Not overall my style, but still not bad.

4/19/2020 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

First wine from Lingua Franca - wow what a great first impression. The nose is stellar with lemon zest, granny smith apple, acacia blossom, a bit of wood spice, and just a hint of butter. The palate has a remarkable freshness that belies the depth and concentration of the wine. There is a vein of minerality on the finish that is killer. The finish lingers with crushed stone, lemon oil, and a hint of pear. Definitely one of if not the best Chardonnay I've had from Oregon. Will be buying more.

12/6/2019 - chablis28 wrote:

A sole village btl from an unfamiliar Gevrey producer purchased for fun and to fill out a shipper recently. Gevrey Chambertin is my favorite red Burg village so I'm always on the hunt for another under the radar producer making excellent wine. This isn't a flat out bargain at $72 for a relative unknown but, what's in the btl is dam good and worth the tariff. Even if, like me, you've never heard of Philip Livera. For me, this easiliy drinks at Ler Cru level.

With the first slow ox pour I got a rush of worrisome oak on the nose but, magically, it soon blew off. For a minute I was thinking, "what did I buy?!!!". The color is beautiful deep but, not opaque, magenta red. The nose soon offered up violets & berries. The palate has that signature 2015 fully ripe but, balanced & pure fruit. This is at once both rich and energetic. Never ponderous. There is a vine fresh mix of deep cherry & raspberry fruit. Along with Gevrey earth, minerality and light spice. I simply slow oxed for 75 minutes prior to dinner with an occasional sniff and sip before digging into the tuna. Alc 13% Again, for a relative no name producer I'd expect to be picking this up for $45-$60 tops. Not $72 but the good news, this preforms at a very high level and was worth every penny. Even if owning it offers no bragging rights :). Youngest vines are said to be from 1982. Many are much older. Going back for more, soon.

10/12/2019 - winot Likes this wine:

Delicious. Both of us were cooing and cawing, and I literally didn't want to finish the glass for fear of ending the party. Medium ruby with just slight hints of bricking - lovely nose, not effusive, but alluring, classic, detailed - Very Bordeaux, just right, delicate in this vintage, and finely appointed. The experts pooh pooh these "off" vintages, but although they may not be as grand analytically as the bigger years, I'm not convinced that they don't actually give more pure pleasure. We've had a lot of very pleasurable '02, '04 and '07 Bordeaux. This wine was impeccably balanced, complex and nuanced, just plain awesome. Got better as the evening progressed, I wasn't just nursing it, more like treasuring it.

10/3/2019 - jeagle Does not like this wine:

Decanted for several hours and consumed over two nights. I don't really understand this wine. I cannot see it ever becoming anyone's epiphany. Yet it is eight years old and hardly drinkable. The oak remains dominant and the tannin and acid seem to force the fruit to cower. One reviewer recommended cellaring to 2026. Is this bottle really worth that kind of investment? I don't think so.

8/13/2019 - Cote d'Or wrote:

Tasted over 3 hrs; leakage and soft cork
-saturated med dark red purple with minimal clearing
-slightly roasted/torrefaction note accompanies very ripe berry/black fruit
-med acidity just enough to give vibrancy, med weight silky ripe dark fruit starting to take on some earthy/mature elements, ripe med/med- tannins, good length
-stylish classy Bourgogne not terribly affected by the apparent poor storage (or overfilling)

6/25/2019 - msuwine wrote:

This earthy and lean Cabernet is hard for me to figure at this point - hence the lack of a score. I respect Ridge's place in wine history, along with its transparent and under-stated approach. I also know it has a loyal and avid fan base, who often evoke its reputation for ageability and Old World balance. So, I get it: smart people love these wines.

Still, I can't say I loved this wine, even at the 10-year mark. My main question is whether the flavor profile is a feature or a bug, so here come the descriptors: Brick red in color; light- to medium- in body; nose of plum, dill, and herbs. Understated but integrated tastes of black cherry, cranberry, anise, leather, vanillin, and (more) dill, with a wispy and dusty finish. Blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, and 6% Petit Verdot. 13.5% alcohol. Followed over six hours with little change.

Based on this bottle, I found a thinness, woodsiness (lots of American Oak), and lack of intensity that I don't typically associate with greatness. I believe in - and enjoy - great old wines, but I'm just not sure this is one of them, at least not yet. Maybe this is just a matter of this particular bottle, vintage, or stage in the maturation process (or, yes, perhaps this particular palate). I'm planning to try a few other aged Monte Bellos, but this wasn't a promising start, at least for me.

2/16/2019 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

First bottle of Perrieres and it was quite delicious; the nose is lovely and seems quite classic to me; ripe peach, pear, apricot, a hint of baked apple, acacia and jasmine, toasted hazelnut, hints of wet stone with just a whiff of wood spice. The palate is fresh and vibrant, more so than expected for a 2015, certainly very good depth and the wine fans out over your palate, but doesn't feel fat or heavy at all; the finish lasts 30-40 seconds easily. Fabulous with king crab legs, certainly upside for a few years at least

11/20/2018 - N.Bonaparte wrote:

From split- 4 hour decant, very light color. Good not great. Average balance and finish with very little fruit. Still quite enjoyable but underwhelming for this pedigree. In prime and will hold for a long time.

9/8/2018 - jnewman77 wrote:

This was overall fairly enjoyable. The nose shows rich dark fruits, some oak, a bit of purple floral notes, and crushed gravel. The palate is rich and tasty with plenty of fruit and oak. This is good, lacking just a touch of energy for me, but still good and quite young.

7/29/2018 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

This was really quite good, especially in the context of the vintage. The nose is beautiful showing perfectly ripe red berry fruits, savory/gamy notes, some spice, and a hint of floral notes. The palate is also excellent with perfect balance, very nice fruit and spice, with a lovely saline hint lingering. Really enjoyable. I'd love to drink this again, but I think for the price Rousseau demands, there are wines as good for 1/2 the price...

3/28/2018 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

First sample of Ruinart and it was quite enjoyable; nose with lemon, brioche, green apple, and hints of spice; the palate has richness yet remains fresh and lifted. Very enjoyable and while maybe not the greatest value play in Champagne it was definitely good.

2/25/2018 - rlove wrote:

TCA.

12/5/2017 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

Lovely wine; the nose is classic Cameron with beautiful bright red fruit, hints of game and funk, violet, and some tasty spice notes. Maybe a hint of black tea with more air. The palate is bright and fresh with stellar energy, but has plenty of depth and flavor to balance the acidity. Overall excellent. This is one of the two Oregon pinots I consistently think blind would place me in Burgundy. Really good Burgundy... but yet they still retain enough Oregon character that if you really look for it, its there. Delicious

11/3/2016 - aChave wrote:

Interesting. Eyrie apparently held this one back before releasing, and for good reason. On opening, was initially tough with a brambly character that I have found in a number of 2008 Oregon Pinot Noirs. But this example also had a strong, tight, pure fruit core beneath. This was apparent three days later upon retasting -- the attractive red fruit notes I initially found were more apparent and the less attractive aspects had receded to the background. It was a very good wine on day three. I recommend holding this for 5 years or more...I think it has the structure and fruit depth to improve for some time, and needs the time to soften. This could well be a long-term keeper with typical Eyrie weight and stamina bolstered by tight structure. Held in 375ml after initially opening the full bottle. 90-93; 90 at this point. To watch; not a pop-n-pour wine.

9/5/2017 - Deux Chevaux wrote:

The sweet spicy vanila oak was overwhelming and frankly quite astonishing, especially on opening, and continuing over to night two. On night three, although this predominant characteristic was still there, some pleasant backbone astringency emerged, to start to balance it out. Hmmm. It is an interesting, and probably well-made wine. There are some intriguing spicy components in the background. But we found it excessive and ultimately rather monolithic, at least at this stage.

8/11/2017 - aChave Likes this wine:

Hot year in Oregon, but not according to this wine. Orange edge with hints of browning and a denser center. Still fresh, with clean cherry and red fruit and some ripe strawberry notes. Has some density and lovely length. Contemplative wine, but good with food. Nice, David!

8/21/2016 - jnewman77 wrote:

This was good, but not really as good as I was hoping. The nose was nice with dark berry fruits, hints of leather, smoke, and violet. There is a hint of spice and pepper, but also maybe a hint of oak? which I was not expecting. The palate is good, but a little bit flat to me without much energy. Not sure if this bottle just didn't show well or if this is too young, but I was hoping for more from Jasmin...

5/3/2014 - jnewman77 wrote:

This was my first Clare Valley Riesling and I must say I was not impressed. It may have been that it was compared with some really good German stuff, but this did not have the goods. The nose is very citrus with lemon, lime zest, fresh tennis balls, and a touch of petrol. The palate is fairly thin, highly acidic, and slightly metallic. The finish is not good. Unimpressed.

1/3/2014 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

Quite good new world Chardonnay. Pale gold with a sumptuous bouquet of ripe pear, pineapple, hint of apple and some spice. The palate is ripe without being heavy and has lovely fruit, but a nice core of acidity with some minerality. It is rich, but still lively and has a lovely finish. Very good. Will likely improve with age, but haven't had an older one to really test that theory. Much better than essentially every Napa chardonnay.

5/17/2013 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:

Dark purple with notes of black cherry, plums, smoke, and earth. Fairly well balanced on the palate with nice acidity and tannins that are well ripened. Overall very good, but not as good as some of the classics like Rostaing.