11/12/2023 - asparagus Likes this wine:

Crisp, refreshing, good acid. Good length. Lemon curd. Great value. A rebuy

2/3/2024 - asparagus Likes this wine:

very classic bordeaux, just entering into its secondary phase. where the fruit is receding but the secondary charectersitics are starting to dominate. cedar, graphite. lovely

6/18/2023 - asparagus Likes this wine:

Very well made and very good. But felt the alcoholic heat.. too strong for me.

4/21/2023 - asparagus Likes this wine:

In a side by side of 3 Egly BdN Crayares (04 DG, 18 DG and 19 DG), this was the best of the lot, though not by that much. This has the most roundness and depth, great vinousity and was dancing on the tongue. This was also the most oxidative, though no where near as oxidative as a Selosse Substance, for instance.

3/17/2023 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Right bank Bordeaux: My contribution, correctly identified in blind. Very opulent, fruit-forward nose but not jammy in a caricature sort of way. Muted palate at first but after a couple of hours this was textbook Magdelaine. Understated and restrained dark red fruit, seamless and elegant palate. Nobody else liked this I think, but by far my favourite of the night.

12/15/2022 - asparagus Likes this wine:

reticient on the nose, but very, very good on the palate. it took some time to come out of its shell - but this had so much material. loved it

11/19/2022 - jrbates68@gmail.com Likes this wine:

Very different from Australian grenache. Not as fruity.

9/21/2022 - Brendel Does not like this wine:

Seems overpriced for what it is: the acidity came off as a bit harsh, gravely, and there wasn’t enough fruit or brioche to balance that. This is $15-20 more than other champagnes that are of comparable or better quality in our opinion.

5/6/2022 - asparagus Likes this wine:

Snuck it into the cinema (Dr Strage II - first movie since Covid hit in early 2020 - YAY!) and drank it from Riedel stemless glasses. Drinking well - stony minerality, decent acid, good length, if a touch flabby. Maybe reminiscent of a village Meursault from a hot year.

4/9/2022 - Derek Darth Taster Likes this wine:

Late night impromptu session. Drank in Gabriel Standart.
Somehow feels a lot more awesome than the last time I drank this in 2017. Or maybe my palate has matured into liking such stuff now?
Appearance is clear, medium intensity, yellow gold colour. Fine bubbles. Thin legs.
Nose is clean, pronounced intensity, with aromas of toasty brioche, ripe citrus lemon, fresh orange, lemon peel, chalky stons minerality. Developing.
On the palate, dry, lovely high acidity, medium- alcohol (12%), medium body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of chalky stones minerality, sweet saline minerals, ripe Meyer lemons, orange + lemon peel, toasty brioche. Long finish with wet stone sucking and searing high acidtiy.
Excellent quality. Intense and lots of open charm appeal.

3/17/2022 - asparagus Likes this wine:

Had this side by side with the 09 version. Both bottles were opened 3 hours prior and consumed over a 2.5hour dinner.

The 09 was showing better at the start... but over the course of the evening, the 08 outshone it

Violets and roses. Such a lovely bouquet. And on the palate, present but unobtrusive tannins. But over the course of the dinner, the 08 was just better. More acid, more structure, more fruit... more joy. The 08 was just better.

3/24/2021 - Derek Darth Taster Likes this wine:

Right Bank Lunch at Wakanui. Drank in Grassl 1855. Tasted semi-blind (only Right Bank Bordeaux was known).
Appearance is clear, medium intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose medium+ intensity, with aromas of lovely cheesy earth, gravel, aged leather, classic cedar, dark red plums, black cherries, deep red cherries. Developed.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium alcohol (13.5%), smooth velvety integrated high tannins, elegantly full bodied. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of grilled capsicum, cedar, clayey earth, black cherries, dark red plums, dark red cherries, smooth leather, bits of blackcurrant and some chalk. Long finish.
Very very good quality. Wow nose. Lots of classic Bordeaux feels. Wonderful texture. Could still age more for sure, but already drinking in such a good place now.

6/30/2021 - asparagus Likes this wine:

My group of friends (who are not champagne drinkers) were very taken by this. Fine bubbles, amazing vinousity, fruit and concentration. A wow champagne. Paired well with a sh*t ton of McDonald's mcnuggets whilst watching England vs Germany

6/22/2021 - asparagus Likes this wine:

This moved me.

The nose was intoxicating - sour cherries, blue fruits, graphite, flowers, cured meat, bacon. And the palate lived up to promise of the nose - loved the dancing fruit, the acidic tones, the minerality and the sensation in the mouth. I was in heaven. 96 points and I may be underscoring this (and this is "only" the basic Cote Rotie!).

6/12/2021 - asparagus Likes this wine:

Think that this was when Patrice was still at the domain. Dark fruits, very subtle spice, good acid and a decent finish. Didn’t scream Vosne to me and felt a bit disappointed - thought the 96s should be in the zone at the moment. Overall a bit meh. Bought from auction.

2/16/2021 - forceberry wrote:

The fruit is sourced from biodynamically farmed Cabernet Sauvignon (70 yo) and Cabernet Franc (50 yo) vineyards. Typically a blend of two-thirds of Cabernet Franc and a third of Cabernet Sauvignon. Fermented spontaneously, macerated with the skins for approximately a month. Aged for 12 months in used (6-7 yo) 228-liter pièces, followed by 6 months in a large tank. Tasted blind.

Translucent, deep and luminous cherry red color. Quite open and somewhat savory nose with aromas of tobacco, ripe blackcurrant, some fragrant notes of leather, light leafy notes, a little bit of animal funk and barnyard, a woody hint of old oak and a touch of fresh and crunchy red berries. The wine is dry, ripe yet crunchy and medium-bodied on the palate with quite intense flavors of tobacco and leather, some fresh dark plums, light phenolic notes of brett, a little bit of ripe blackcurrant, a hint of tart and slightly bitter lingonberry and a touch of barnyardy funk. The overall feel is enjoyably firm and structured, thanks to the bright, high acidity and enjoyably grippy medium-plus tannins. The finish is long, dry and slightly bitter with moderate tannic grip and savory flavors of tart lingonberries, fresh blackcurrants, some tobacco, light bretty notes of leathery funk and stable floor, a little bit of savory wood spice and a hint of sour cherry bitterness.

A beautiful, crunchy and somewhat - but not excessively - funky Loire red with good emphasis on freshness and relatively tightly-knit structure. The wine shows a little bit of aged character, but is nevertheless relatively youthful for its age. Has tons of that "proper claret" feel, which made me think this was an old-school Bordeaux red from the late 00's, perhaps 2008. Feels like a missing link between Loire valley and Bordeaux. I guess I should start drinking these Clau de Nell wines instead of contemporary Bordeaux, since they offer me lots of that stuff I don't seem to get from modern Bordeaux reds anymore. Terrific stuff, highly recommended. Will continue to improve from here.

3/21/2021 - asparagus Likes this wine:

This was a great wine. Opened 3 hours before dinner and drank over a further 3 hours. Such a wonderful nose full of secondary aromas - plum, some tea, earth, mushrooms and graphite. Such weightless intensity in the mouth and such a long, lingering finish. I liked it very much - but was it a 100 pointer? Not on this showing...

3/21/2021 - asparagus wrote:

This was good - great fruit and nice length. Big quibble - way too advanced (far too much soy and tea). Probably a provenance issue, not uncommon with that particular merchant.

11/24/2020 - asparagus Likes this wine:

Had this side by side with a 2001 LDH Tondonia. This was showing better. Good acid, good length, great fruit. Soft tannins. Noticeably new school in style but very enjoyable nonetheless.

8/21/2020 - asparagus Likes this wine:

Took a couple of hours to open up - but this was spectacularly good. Fruit, structure, acid. Still too young, but hey, i was trying to perform a mini horizontal and 10 years from vintage should be fine (no: still too young). Henri Boillot reds are strangely underrated... is it because he is more known for his whites?

7/7/2020 - Rieslingfan wrote:

Lot 9.120

Just starting to unfurl. For the first 30 minutes it was bottle sick, and a bit angry. The next 30 minutes it started to show more. Fast forward to 90 minutes and dinner is ready. So is the wine. The rose petal nuances emerge to supplement burnished red fruit and worn leather. The tannins underscore everything. It’s a weighted blanket of complexity, comforting and familiar. There is still plenty of material for further cellaring, but it seems to be on a plateau. I would be happy to drink this every night this week, if someone else would cook the food for it.

6/29/2020 - Derek Darth Taster wrote:

3 day old sample in Xoss glass bottle. Drank in Gabriel Standart. Tasted blind.
Appearance is clear, pale intensity, lemon colour. Thin legs.
Nose pronounced intensity, with aromas of nectared flowers, bit of petroleum oil, slate minerality, citrus lemon-lime and stone fruits. Developing.
On the paate, medium sweet, low alcohol (8%), medium body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of sweet oil, honey, citrus lemon-lime, sweet cream peaches, clean slate minerality. Lovely lithe body with a long finish.
Very good quality. Guessing a sweet Mosel Riesling - Spatlese as I didn't get any botrytis notes. Only middle-aged, this still can go a long way.

12/10/2019 - asparagus Likes this wine:

A really good, vinous champagne - still primary yet drinking very well. Maybe too vinous as an appertif - but I should have known better. This felt very Pinot dominant - does anyone know the cepage?

5/31/2020 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:

Aerated to decanter 1 hour. Classic, top-shelf Brunello that should never have been opened this young, but friends, erm, implored. I get to taste Stella's wines each year, my friends had never had any. So. Med/Med+ body, did not evolve much during the 2 hours it was open. Excellent typicity of grape. Cool, graceful. highly recommended

https://www.ItalianWine.blog

5/30/2020 - chablis28 wrote:

Since this is from a young upstart, quality obsessed, female winemaker the vines are only 20yr old vines located between 780 -1100ft. Aged in a combination of cask (15L-25L) and tonneaux (900L) for 44 months. Bottled unfined & unfiltered, then aged an addl 33 mos in bottle. In other words, pretty old school. She mostly lets the vines do the talking.

I double decanted this for about 75 minutes. Then it sat in the blt for another hour before drinking. Color was a youthful semi translucent ruby varietally correct red color. The nose offers up smoky dark fruit and light spice. The palate is a slightly brawny satin textured, lifted mix of dark cherry, plum, underbrush, tobacco leaf, earthy minerality and spice. Still miles to go for this baby but intriguing now with big upside yet. 93pts+ I have 2 more and won't try my second btl for a minimum of 3yrs. If I opened another one right now, I'd decant an addl 2 hours.

5/23/2020 - asparagus Likes this wine:

such a vinous, pinot centric champagne. consistent with previous notes though now it has an additional red apple element to it.

5/8/2020 - KVM wrote:

Dark yellow to orange.. gun powder, smoke and oxidative nose. Wtf. The palate is lusciously textured, herbaceous, pear confit, mature. Jesus, it is good but it has an unusual collection of attributes, for an 8 year old, expensive Grand Cru.

4/18/2020 - asparagus Likes this wine:

Drank over 2 days. On the first day, decanted 1/3 a bottle over w hours before dinner. With aggressive swirling, a lovely perfume of red and black cherries came wafting out. On the palate, the wine was not giving much, obfuscated by a wall of tannin, though there was good structure and acid. As the night wore on, the nose too became somewhat subdued though intermittently there would appear some hints as to its future potential . On the second day, this baby was still closed and tight - maybe even more so. What a mistake to open this a mere 6 years from vintage. I had thought that given the supposedly weak vintage, the Langhe Nebb would be in a good spot for early drinking - boy was I wrong. 88 on current drinking. Potentially 92 or 93 at peak (conservatively 5 years away).

11/20/2019 - asparagus Likes this wine:

My WOTY so far, comfortably beating a lineup of Krugs at a tasting with Olivier Krug at Origin Grill (04, the newly released 06 and the 162ed, all from 750ml bottles). Drank over 2.5 hours with Alan and Albert.

A beguiling nose of almonds, pear, red fruits with a kiss of toffee. This was married to abundant acidic zest and a lovely heft in the mouth. Just a tinge of the oxidative style - perfectly done and not overly done as with Selosse. Such a joy to drink now, yet should make old bones (at least a decade, probably several).

I am probably underrating this but wow. Would love to see how this ages and evolves. July 2018 disgorgement - does anyone know the vintage blend (Vinous doesn't have it)?

9/3/2019 - asparagus wrote:

10 years from vintage. At the darker, plummier end of the spectrum. Tannins were very much on show. This felt somewhat flabby and disjointed for me.. Did not improve significantly on the second and third days. I hope this is just a phase. i LOVED the 2000 version that I had some time back (red fruited, complex, acid, personality) and this was disappointing by contrast. I hope my 09 bordeaux won't all turn out this way....

6/17/2019 - asparagus wrote:

NR - in a somewhat awkward phase, but good stuffing and potential. a hypothetical cross between 09 and 10, if one were to make a guess..

4/15/2019 - asparagus wrote:

This seemed a lot more advance/tired than the previous examples of this same wine that I have had over the past 5 years. Nose was a bit more muted than what I remember. Back then there was an explosion of flowers, cherries and a long lovely finish. This was nowhere near as good and did not have the grand cru weight or cut. I hope this was just an off bottle as I have quite a few bottles yet. Still a good pinot, though, but what a shame...

4/3/2019 - asparagus Likes this wine:

So much fruit, was surprised when I realised that this was non dose. A lively, fun champagne with stuffing and acid to age... curious how the lack of dosage will play out

10/27/2018 - collin wrote:

I think this was on the edge of premox... If I squint, there's lemon curd and hazelnut. But it's flattened on the palate. Better after being opened for hours, but not the best example of Lamy with some age.

12/31/2017 - asparagus wrote:

The worst Billecart NV that i have ever had - and i have had my fair share. Thin, weedy and insipid. A bad base vintage? Cellared for at least 3 years.

4/22/2018 - asparagus Likes this wine:

Drank over 3 days. Dark cherries with medium acidity and medium tannins. An enjoyable wine in its own right that was best on the second day, but cannot hold a candle to some aged tondonia riservas (the 1987 immediately comes to mind) which were amazing. too young or did they change the winemaking such that these are meant to be enjoyed younger?

4/17/2018 - Derek Darth Taster wrote:

Impromptu dinner at La Barca with Asparagus.
Pop and poured. Drank over 2 hours. Very shy and only opened up after 1 hour.
Appearance is clear, pale intensity, ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium intensity, with aromas of dark red cherries, black cheerries, garden earth, sweet baking spices, licoric, floral hints. Developing.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium alcohol (13.5%), soft medium- tannins, medium body. Medium flavour intensity, with flavours of sweet dark red cherries, black cherries, sweet baking spices, licorice, garden earth, chalky stones minerality, Medium+ finish.
Good quality. Still youngish but doesn't really feel like it is going to blossom into anything spectacular. Competent, though quite a pedestrian performance. Somewhat like a New World Pinot trying to be a Chambolle Musigny. Not clearly Gevrey in character.

12/12/2017 - asparagus wrote:

Relatively harsh going right now, though the underlying material seems to be there. Will be very good in 5 to 7 years and will warrant a retaste.

3/28/2017 - asparagus Likes this wine:

Have had this several time. A really decent champagne. Tasty, with a fine nose. But not as fresh as I had hoped and not worth the price...

12/10/2016 - asparagus wrote:

This just gets better and better. Still primary. Such a heady nose - cherries and violets. Lovely length and finish. Must learn to keep my hands off!

12/1/2016 - asparagus Likes this wine:

Such, power. Such intensity. A dark, robust rose. Much different from the billecart salmon rose that we had alongside. From a bottle that was purchased in 2013.

10/6/2016 - justburg wrote:

Sushi at Matsuya Sushi Bar. Bright yellow, almost greenish like in appearance. Very yeasty, crisp and fresh. Lemon, lime, Chinese pear, flint, wet grass and stone. A bit light on the body, but that would come with age. Fresh and clean yellow fruit with a short finish. Refreshing and clean, a young Dom always makes the perfect aperitif.

8/9/2016 - asparagus wrote:

NR. Unlike the bottle that a couple of us had shared a few months back, this sample was very closed and disjointed. Still very primary, but with graphite unmistakably on the nose. will put the remaining ones on ice for at least the next 5 years

12/21/2015 - asparagus wrote:

very impressed with this. was recommended by the sommelier at chez olivier in tokyo and am mightily pleased i listened to her. not cheap, but drinking well above its price point. lovely on the nose, highly perfumed and ethereal. If I did not know better, I would have thought it was a pinot noir. On the palate, smooth, good acidity and just the perfect level of alcohol. A food wine, if there ever was one.

9/25/2015 - asparagus wrote:

Very good, but a bit of a letdown, considering the vintage

7/23/2015 - Derek Darth Taster Likes this wine:

Birthday present from wife. Enjoyed after Sukiyaki dinner at Jess's. Tight on pop and pour. Only opened up after ~45 mins of air time in the decanter.
Appearance is clear, beautiful pale bright ruby colour. Legs.
Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with a bouquet of perfumed flowers, earth, forest floor, red cherry, sweet spice, and slight mushrooms. Developed.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium alcohol, silky medium- tannins, medium body. Medium flavour intensity, with flavours of red cherry mixed with some dark cherries, ripe strawberry, sweet spice, earth, and slight mushrooms. Can feel the depth of the old vines. Long finish.
Very good quality. The floral nose was really lovely, and the palate very elegant, but not really matching up to the nose in terms of intensity. In drinking window now. Enjoy over the next 3-4 years.

6/27/2015 - justburg wrote:

A little evolved in appearance, almost dark yellow. Lots of yeast, brioche, citrus and pear, with quite a bit of acid and minerality. Palate was a little short, and slightly disjointed. Chinese pear, fresh lime and green apple with lots of acid again. In comparison to the Doms of 02 and 03, this falls a little short on complexity and balance.

4/11/2015 - justburg wrote:

Over lunch at Shinji. Ex domaine. This wine is just absolutely delicious. I started with a half case, down to last 3 bottles now. Bright red, so vibrant, clear and pure. Lovely freshness in the floral bouquet, red roses, wild strawberries and pomegranate. This had lovely acidity as well, with a terrific expression of Chambolle. Chef Oshino, who had a glass, insisted Uni was the best match! On the palate, brimming with pure red fruit, with lots of wild strawberries and sweet cherries. Delicate yet expressive, a hint of soil, minerals, acids. Very good structure and length. This is a really seductive and alluring wine, perfect balance. If I could keep my hands off these for 20 years, it would easily hit the 96-98 range.

12/25/2014 - justburg wrote:

Dark yellow, showing some signs of age. Nose was very intense, lots of dark yellow fruits, butter and toasted brioche. The wine drunk more like a good Montrachet with butter, truffled olive oil, toffee, butterscotch and orange cream, with some matured fruits, kiwis and a hint of grapefruit. This wine was just so fat and rich, but with excellent acidity, structure and complexity. For me, this does edge out the 96 Oeno I had some time back. Lovely aged champagne!

10/27/2014 - asparagus Likes this wine:

Laser--like precision. Fresh and zesty. Didnt seem like a non-dosage champagne, so abundant was the fruit.

Great value and strongly recommended. gonna get some mags of this to see how it ages.