4/20/2024 - gregg g wrote:

This is in a fantastic place. Composed fruit, taught acidity, lovely length, sort of Chablis like but with a deeper Meursault vibe. An excellent qpr for this lieu dit. I was surprised how well balanced and vibrant this is. I suppose not all ‘18s are sub par. Love this producer.

3/3/2024 - gregg g wrote:

Homage to Chablis indeed! Wes, this baby was beautiful tonight. Fresh and energetic. Meyer lemon for sure. Excellent balance and length. Definitely knocking on the grand cru door.

3/3/2024 - gregg g wrote:

Bacterial, second fermentation. Biological mess. :(

3/1/2024 - gregg g wrote:

On p’n’p this showed a slight funk and whiff of caramel with some lemon tones. Within 30 minutes this really cleaned up. Flavors and aromas showed lemon blossom, eventually turning to chiffon. There’s a lovely saline streak that works with the acidity to really freshen things up. Very precise and pure. Held up very well. I love this wine! It would seem plenty of life is left, and though not in a hurry to drink, I think this wine is in the sweet spot.

2/11/2024 - gregg g wrote:

My last bottle of this wine. Showing very well. Lovely, lifted aromas of red & blue berries, dried herbs and baking spices. Flavors mirror the aromatics. Not the most complex wine but very appealing. There is a density to the fruit without it being overbearing or fatiguing, that I find in Rivers Marie. Still showing supportive acidity and well balanced with a lingering finish. Unabashedly CA PN. Don't be afraid to age these wines, especially the SVDs.

2/3/2024 - gregg g wrote:

Not much to say here other than staggering good wine. Note quite in the tertiary stage yet so delicious. My favorite bottle of champagne. Drinking perfectly and exactly where you would expect it to be at this age.

2/1/2024 - gregg g wrote:

Mature and very good. Flavors of lemon chiffon, lychee, petrol with vibrant acidity. There’s less sweetness here than a previous bottle from a year ago. Day 2 this showing a bit more depth and balance. Very good yet does not have the breed and class the ‘01 JJ Prum WS Spat showed tonight.

2/1/2024 - gregg g wrote:

Some wines are worth the patience it takes to show their potential. This wine exemplifies that concept. Composed and delicious. Gobs of yellow stone fruits, beautifully framed by perfectly integrated acidity. Some petrol and sweetness in the background. Oh how I wish I had loaded up on this wine. As good as it gets. My WOTN. AP 511-14-02

2/1/2024 - gregg g wrote:

Color looks great. Golden straw, slight green edge. This wine can’t be 34 yrs old. Very fresh. Lovely stone fruits and lemon curd. Butterscotch on the finish. Good acidity to keep it lively. Not the most complex wine but a delight.

2/1/2024 - gregg g wrote:

Pours dark golden. I got a sense of the beautiful fruit, but with 20 minutes, oxidized flavors prevailed.

2/1/2024 - gregg g wrote:

This wine needed no time to show itself, as if it was eagerly awaiting the pull of the cork. Very lifted aromas of olives, dried herbs, mature fruits, stewed cherries, wet saddle. This wine is wild and feral, not of the barnyard variety. There’s some viognier in the blend, adding a floral element. This wine is a perfect example of mature, classic CR. I could drink this all day. Stunning!

2/1/2024 - gregg g wrote:

Starts off a tad reserved with leather, violets and black pepper. Once it opens everything is amped up. The palate is deep, bloody and showing gobs of complex flavors. So beautifully balanced and composed. There is an elegant density to the mature flavors. Fantastic!

1/20/2024 - gregg g wrote:

Takes about 60 minutes to coax out the typical Chablis characteristics. Rich citrus fruits, mother of pearl salinity. The acid is there, but the dense fruit is overpowering at the moment. I suspect with time this will flesh out. Longish finish. Very good.

1/11/2024 - gregg g wrote:

My favorite Baudry wine due to it's relative price to satisfaction ratio, availability and the fact that I love somewhat rustic, mature wines. Dull, almost hazy crimson hue, with little to no bricking. Beautiful aromatics from the get go. A melange of red berry fruits, pencil lead and baking spices. Lacy, complete, engaging, mature, dare I say Burgundian in texture, with barely a hint of green bell pepper. Just a wonderful and delicious Grezeaux that has shed it's baby fat and has begun what seems to be a nice drinking plateau. Bought a 6-pack on release, have 3 more to enjoy. Do not hesitate to open a bottle.

12/29/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Sadly, this bottle was unbalanced and dull. Subdued aromas with a prune and dark fruits. There is a persistent and unpleasant bitterness that overwhelms any discernible fruit flavors. Bummer. Will open the 07 RRV shortly.

12/2/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Pnp. Electric crimson. Singing from the get go. A perfect place. Nice tart cherries, clove and other baking spices. A bit of sous bois, foresty underbrush. So glad to have enjoyed this wine’s evolution. I have one bottle left.

11/25/2023 - gregg g wrote:

This has really changed or at least this bottle. The acidity has perked up significantly. Very tight on opening, needing about 30-60 minutes of air. Lemon zest, oyster shell and minerals. Beautifully composed, pairing so well with a diverse array of food (tonight was fusilli with clams, Serrano, pecorino, garlic and roasted cherry tomatoes). It’s amazing how this wine went from low acidity and almost flabby to tight with punchy acidity. I have one bottle left that I will likely drink this coming year.

11/19/2023 - gregg g wrote:

From magnum. Shows a very light salmon-copper hue. Very tight and reticent on first pour with some lemony citrus notes. With an hour of bottle decant, it’s generously showing red berry fruits, hint of butterscotch and oven fresh croissant. Beautifully long with a wonderful richness for a no dosage. Why is champagne always better from magnum? Everyone loved this.

10/10/2023 - gregg g wrote:

This needs about an hour to really open up and when it does, it's simply delicious. There's floral, lemony-citrus, slight marzipan flavors and aromas. The palate is densely packed with a slightly oily and viscous mouth feel. It develops a touch of honey on the palate without being really sweet. I like this and it goes fabulously with an array of plates (roasted cauliflower, Hamachi crudo & a burrata plate). This is organic and natural. I'm told the grapes come from a vineyard next door to Valentini.

10/8/2023 - gregg g wrote:

This is a special wine by any standards and the most composed and complete wine in tonight's flight. Fragrant aromas from the get-go. Classic rose petal, leather, dark cherry and tar that continues on the palate. This wine is complex somewhat dense while remaining airy and delicate. It's plush mouthfeel is accentuated by long lingering finish. Structurally, the tannins are pretty tame and this is ready for what appears to be a long plateau of drinking pleasure. A really well crafted and special wine that is sadly no longer in production.

10/10/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Dark crimson darkest of the three Barolos tonight). This is tight and wound up at first. It really needed time and never fully opened up I suspected. That said, this is a phenomenal wine, still rather primary and showing hints of what it will be with more age. Concentrated and deep, with layers of tar, oak spice, leather, cherries. Structurally, the acid is very lifted and the tannins are quite evident, gripping the palate. That said, there is a luxurious sense t this wine and it is poised to be a blockbuster of a Barolo.

10/10/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Sadly corked! Dammit!!!

10/8/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Light red cherry color with some bricking at the rim. Starts off a touch closed but develops beautifully into a classic aged Barolo. Cherry, sandalwood, leather aromas continue on the palate. Tart red fruits with some tannin still evident. Seems to be maybe 5 yrs from peak maturity, but this was delicious. On day two with about 1.5 glasses left, this is more open and giving of itself.

9/24/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Ready to drink. Needs 30 min of air. Somewhat complex notes of sous bois, tart berries and spice. At the 1 hour mark, it drinks very well. Glad I held these and the Narbontons.

8/27/2023 - gregg g wrote:

I’ve had this wine a few times, notably at the domain in 2019 and bought a few bottles during my trip. I’ve enjoyed this wine a lot but tonight it’s even better than I remember. Bruised apple and mild citrus notes on both the nose and palate. Flavors are more profound and complex than four years ago. Enough acidity to carry the load. Just delicious!

8/27/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Poised and deep with classic flavors and aromas in perfect balance. Silky, complex and precise with great length on the finish. No question, this is classy stuff. A real treat!

8/27/2023 - gregg g wrote:

This is a lovely wine. Fall leaves, tobacco, dark red fruits, hint of green pepper. There is depth and nice balance. A really nice Chinon. No doubt this will continue to develop with age.

8/27/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Rather easy drinking, nicely balanced with some complexity. Nothing wrong but in the company of the Baudry and Rougeard it was simply out classed.

8/27/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Also starts off shy like the ‘07, but O2 does the trick. A bit simple but does gain some depth through the night. This was less complex than the ‘07 with less intensity and salinity. Still, a nice one tonight.

8/27/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Starts off muted with little character to show. Starts to open up and within an hour is showing a lot more flare. You trade zip of more mature flavors. Lemon curd, lychee notes. Pretty decent acidity. We all liked this.

8/27/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Wow! Just beautifully pungent aromas pour from the glass. This is divine in the mouth. The flavors are savory yet also fruity, with a sharp and focused profile. The finish goes on. This is a great Loire SB. Probably will drink well for a few years.

8/27/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Honeyed apricot and somewhat floral nose. Rich and dense flavors. Medium acidity, maybe a touch lacking in structure. Missing some verve and punch. I like the Secs at at this age a bit more.

8/27/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Rich, sweet, viscous, apricots, honeyed. Could use a touch, more acidity, but drinking pretty good. From .375ml

8/27/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Fucking corked!

8/23/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Tannic, wound up and tight. Needs time. Try in 3-5 yrs.

7/20/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Beautiful, crisp, brioche, pear, floral. Long on the finish and getting more complex with air. Lovely stuff here.

7/10/2023 - gregg g wrote:

This was just beautiful right out of the gate. Mature, complex, lithe and long. A beautiful mature Rioja, very ready to drink.

7/10/2023 - gregg g wrote:

My first time with the ‘17. This was terrific! Unmistakably Nebbiolo. While the fruit is very primary, a few years of cellaring should produce more complexity. Such a complete wine with every component in balance. A great future and just wonderful qpr here.

7/10/2023 - gregg g wrote:

I liked this but did not love it. Seemed to lack crispness and focus. Rich fruit, almost honeyed, with bruised apple. If the acidity perks up, this could be great. Others liked this more than I did.

7/10/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Fantastic wine! Complex, focused fruit, deep and energetic. Richness without fatigue. No mistaking this as anything but grand cru. Just singing after an hour. When they’re good, man are they good!

7/10/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Pop’n’pour. Very tight, barely budging over the 2 hrs we drank it. Trademark old school barolo with tea, leather, crushed flowers and dried red fruits. Well structured with firm yet not overbearing tannins and lifting acidity. Long on the finish with some depth. This is quite good. Give it 10 more years with many years of enjoyment to follow.

7/10/2023 - gregg g wrote:

What a delightful and delicious bottle of MaV. This needed about 30 min of bottle decanting to really start popping. And pop it did. Crunchy red Pinotesque freed framed by taut acidity. Very fresh and punchy. Served with roast pork done in a sweet Chinese style. Perfect pairing. Have two more bottles to consume in the next few years.

7/4/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Dark and brooding. Very shy aromas seemingly closed. The palate is more expressive. Mostly primary, dark berries and sous bois. Earthy and densely packed. Over the course of two hours this barely budges, remaining dark, dense and primary. Years away from maturity.

7/4/2023 - gregg g wrote:

From magnum, this is absolutely terrific from the large format. The hue is a beautiful green tinged gold. Mature flavors of lemon curd, butterscotch and crushed flowers Layered, complex and long. Superb!

3/24/2023 - gregg g wrote:

One of the better ‘18s in the sub $50 category. Classic flavors with medium length. Would buy again.

3/2/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Delicious, unadulterated Zinfandel. Lighter in body than traditional zin, there’s no lack of flavor. Red fruited, zippy acidity, crunchy fruit. Did I say delicious? High fiiiive! 13% abv.

2/18/2023 - gregg g wrote:

What a shockingly terrific wine! Cabernet Sauvignon from Sudtirol. A beautifully nuanced melange of cedar, cassis and pencil shavings. With air, more complexity emerges in savory, herbal notes. Textbook stuff. A great ringer for well aged, old school CA cab. One of those wines you think you catch at its zenith. I think this retailed for $30.

1/18/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Pours a dark crimson with no noticeable bricking or faded meniscus. Starts off with a clear menthol scent that thankfully receded. What emerges is wonderfully complex aromas. Layers of flavors and aromas emerge. Black cherry, pine needles, slightly smoky and herbal. This has structure for days. The acidity has always been prominent in this wine but it's finally starting to integrate. Tannins are firm but not intruding. What a wine and a joy to drink. I will drink my 2 remaining bottles in the next 5 yrs.

1/18/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Pours somewhat golden and definitely shows an aged quality from the get-go. Needed some air (1 hr) to crisp up a bit with the acidity lifting the stewed lemony and floral flavors. Definitely at the drink up point, but a nice wine.

1/18/2023 - gregg g wrote:

Wonderfully mature that gains length and complexity with air. Was really showing well after about 3 hrs open. Initially shows some sweet apricot, quince. Petrol emerges and acidity becomes more evident as it opens. Long finish. Simply great and very food friendly.