1/23/2023 - violistus Likes this wine:

Wow, yes, bottle variation! I opened a bottle of this (from the same source!) two months ago and it was completely dead, flat, brown, no fruit, baking spices, and caramel. Maybe heat damaged, or just too old? BUT this bottle tonight was zippy, savory, and tense, with tart cranberries, pomegranate, nutmeg, green pine, citrus, and leather. A salty feral Burgundy for red Northern Rhône lovers.

8/17/2019 - violistus Likes this wine:

There was a whiff of smoky oolong tea amongst the violet and dried citrus aromas that this gorgeous autumnal wine was giving off. I noted vibrant and refreshing acidity, a watery rim with a tint of orange, good fine velvety tannins, smoke, and mesquite that reminded me a bit of an aged Bandol. Cathy Corison often talks about pairing her cabernets with lamb, and this one would have made for a beautiful match. Tasted at the winery, so impeccable storage. An extremely tasty and joyful wine!

4/14/2022 - violistus wrote:

Kept in cold cellar since release... dark golden color, fully oxidized, acetone. Ugh!

3/27/2022 - violistus wrote:

Stored in cool cellar since release, deep golden color, fully oxidized. What a disappointment!

12/25/2021 - violistus Likes this wine:

With a slight chill, this was charming last night and tonight, and even better on day 2. Someone below described her as "bland", but I disagree, I found her to be beautiful, lifted, with great energy and fresh acidity, mixed with barely-secondary smoky leather, damson fruit, black fig, and garrigue. This vintage is a little austere and light, but serious and elegant for its weight. Aristocratic and balanced, with an expressive nose that leaps out of the glass.

At least a decade left, I will track my remaining bottles with pleasure.

Here's to you, Ron, wish we could have shared this together.

11/25/2021 - violistus Likes this wine:

This was a stunner last night. Zippy, tangy, and zesty, fresh for a 14-year old Savennières, perfumed, and incredibly long, this was a total delight. The wine was balanced and tense, with high acid and a bit of an oily texture, and with none of the austerity that some old Savennieres can have. Loads of ginger and lemongrass on the palate, Granny Smith apple, bergamot, lychee, honeysuckle, almonds, and petrol. The only quibble is that the wine is mostly front-loaded and doesn’t have much of a back palate. No matter, this was interesting and delicious, and I wish I had backed up the truck on this one.

8/4/2021 - violistus Likes this wine:

Simply outstanding wine, far more tense and profound than a usual Langhe Nebbiolo. Killer producer. This had layer upon layer of savory fruit, tart cranberries and dark cherries (a fulfilling combination), smoky asphalt, burning rosemary branches, euchalyptus, soy, balsamic, and a healthy amount of sourpatch tannin. Incredibly fresh, lithe, and salty-dirty all at the same time, this wine was thrilling tonight with a little chill on her, and no doubt will sing throughout the decade. An absolute steal at $28. One left.

7/29/2021 - violistus Likes this wine:

This is a delightful and practically 'joli' St. Julien. Out of 375mL, with a great cork and spinning heavy capsule, this savory and fruited bottle had lifted aromatics, fresh acidity, and a full and pleasantly rusty/sweet mid-palate. Dried tobacco, cigar box, tar, candied plums, red currants, smoldering cast iron, and eucalyptus were all present in the expressive nose and palate. Slightly-purplish crimson to a watery rim, barely any bricking. She scarcely budged (only getting a little tighter/less generous) over the paltry half-hour in the decanter before this beauty was gone. Lip-smacking, brooding, and balanced. Wish I had more, for $25 this well-stored half-bottle was a joy!

7/30/2021 - violistus Likes this wine:

My 1st bottle of 6, this is liquid venison. I feel like I'm in on the ranch in Montana, eating local meat grilled rare. This wine is dark and brooding, with fresh acid, salty crusty brisket, toasted sesame seed, savory rosemary and sweet grilled plums or damson fruit. Delicious, thrillingly savage and feral. Love this wine. Great now, albeit a bit short/tight on the finish, but will cruise for a decade.

6/6/2021 - violistus Likes this wine:

I’ve been stockpiling John Lewises for a decade now; only last night did I open a bottle for the first time. What a joy! This was singing from the outset and didn’t require a decant, though after an hour it was even more open and expressive. I chilled it for 30 mins, which really flattered this bottle.

Deeply savory and rich — yet lifted and light on its feet — the wine was layered, textured, and balanced, especially through the mid-palate. Salty asphalt, hot blueberry compote, roasted plums, mesquite, this was delicious. I didn’t notice oak, and only the hint of sweet ripe fruit is what might have prevented me from blindly calling this Northern Rhône from a big year. This will hold for quite a while. Maybe the finest bottle I’ve had from this producer.

4/24/2021 - violistus wrote:

I bought 2 bottles of this at auction by mistake, thinking they were red. (Not sure if it was their mistake or mine grrrr....) I'm a big fan of La Suffrène, but these bottles, still with very good fill levels and plastic corks, were totally gone. I'm not sure what one should ask of a 14-year old rosé, but I had '07 Tempier Rosé not that long ago, and after 10 minutes in decanter the rubber balls and reduction blew off to reveal autumnal fruit and a pleasant bitterness. Not so with these deep copper-colored bottles of Suffrène, which were all nail polish and saline. If there was any fruit left, maybe papaya or persimmon, it was raunchy and unattractive. Dommage, I would have loved to try this 6 or 7 years ago.

There's actually something Vin Jaune-y about this and it will be great to cook with!

4/19/2021 - violistus Likes this wine:

With a slight chill, this was singing tonight! Screechingly good acid, lifted aromatics, salty kalamatas, peppery leather, tar, lilies, sour and sweet black cherry and damson fruit. A savory but elegant beast, she's got a long and persistent finish. Liquid brisket, amped-up Côte-Rôtie. 12.5% ABV wheeee! Drink now or in a decade. Vacu-vinned and can't wait for day 2.

1/18/2021 - violistus Does not like this wine:

This showed very well last night, after 1.5 hours in the decanter. I got sweet plums, boysenberry, blueberries, and a tiny bit of smoky licorice. It had a very expressive and generous nose. The texture was round and smooth, and the oak integrated.

Based on this bottle alone though, this producer is not a re-buy for me. While tastefully done, this was too creamy and modern for my taste. Maybe in a decade more savory elements would come out, but for my taste this lacked tension and cut. Blind I might have guessed a syrah from Washington State, perhaps. That's not intended as a sleight to WA, I just thought this Côte-Rôtie wasn't true to type.

1/15/2021 - violistus Likes this wine:

This was downright stinky and poopy upon opening, tough and shrill, but with 1h15m in the decanter and a slight chill it blossomed into a feral, dark, and dirty beauty, wood-roasted eggplant, black juicy plums, BBQ chips, smoke, charcoal, blackberry compote, leather, and a little bandaid. Reminds me a little bit of early 90's Pradeaux but with some other grapes (Grenache?) thrown in, and thus prettier.

Contrary to what someone said below, I enjoyed this more than the two old Junquets bottlings I've had. Delicious and with lots of spunk, this was a great match with a porcini mushroom and garlic (white) pizza.

1/5/2021 - violistus Likes this wine:

One of the greatest wines I’ve ever had, rustic, true to type, and soulful.

What an incredibly generous nose… salty, smoky damson fruit, roasted charred serrano peppers, charcoal, Nyons olives, bay leaf, fresh oregano, brine, smoked brisket, and tart blackberries. I could drink this for days. If you have a few bottles, open one immediately and enjoy its vibrancy mixed with mature smoked leather. SO smoky. It rapidly improved with some air and continued to fill out with 2 hours' air. If you have only one bottle... wait a couple years. If opening now, give it an hour or two decant and use some big glasses. A cool cellar temperature was extraordinarily flattering on this wine. I couldn't have had a more different experience than Jwsmith's note below.

Feeling supremely grateful that I was alive during this wine's life.

1/1/2021 - violistus Does not like this wine:

At just under 15% alcohol, this was completely unbalanced and unpleasant at this point. There were green vegetal notes, roasted plums, and the distinct impression of sweetness. This wine was a blowsy bruiser, flabby, hot, and sweet from too much oak and onetime crazy-ripe fruit. Definitely not my style at any point in a wine's life. Perhaps 5 or 10 years ago it would have been more palatable, but this bottle will be used for cooking.

10/31/2020 - violistus Likes this wine:

Simone holds a special place in my heart, but this Crémade was stunning tonight. Generous and broad, with a saline streak, she was rich and refreshing at the same time, voluptuous and lithe. Juicy ripe honeydew melon, creamy white peach, raw almond, honeysuckle, verbena, and a gentle ginger note on the palate. There's a surprising sensation of fresh and mouthwatering acid underneath the lightly oily texture, and the finish is long and with a hint of pleasant bitterness. It's woodsy too, but green pine forests, not oak. I'm in awe of the incredible balance at the moment. I feel lucky tonight.

Wish I saw this producer more often on this side of the pond. (That would be the US side...)

10/25/2020 - violistus Does not like this wine:

I'm a Bandol freak, so I was thrilled when I learned this was an homage to that appellation and to Tempier. This was a huge disappointment. Of course, I was drinking this with an open mind, taking it for what it is, and with a genuine like for Washington wines influenced by the Northern Rhone (i.e. Gramercy Cellars), but this wine was SWEET. I thought it was flabby, lacking any tannic spine, and it was extremely fruity. There was loads of candied fruit, both red and purple, and a strong scent of lipstick and violets. It was rich and broad, lazy and flat, with too much oak and cream. I would have guessed there was a lot more Grenache in the mix.

Completely different experience than the Wine Spectator review! Not an olive in sight, and not a rebuy for me.

9/10/2020 - violistus wrote:

Hopelessly oxidized, rich yellow. Volatile and stinky. Sigh.

7/31/2020 - violistus Likes this wine:

If you're reading this because you want to see if it's a good time to open your bottle, DO IT. And if it's like 5 years from now then REALLY DO IT.

This was amazing two days ago, and hot fire tonight. Smoldering damson plum tapenade, leathery old library book, gangly brambles and blackberries, balsamico [Brent25's note below nailed it], Starburst acid, wild boar ragù, pomegranate, smoking rubber tires. Can't look away!

7/2/2020 - violistus wrote:

Flawed bottle. No TCA, but strong feeling this bottle was cooked by heat. Horribly stewed, poopy and funky, nothing changed after an hour in the decanter. :(

6/29/2020 - violistus Likes this wine:

Out of magnum, last night, this bottle was impeccably stored, had a pristine label, great fill level, perfect cork, and a spinning capsule. My lucky night!

The wine was delicious and perfectly mature. Vaulted aromatics of roasted jalapeños, dried red and black fruits, cranberry, cinnamon, currant, sous-bois, and band-aid. It was light and lifted on the palate, and still juicy, reminding me even of an old-school and savory red Burgundy in texture, except for the vegetal notes which screamed old Cabernet. It lacked some concentration in the mid-palate that perhaps a finer wine would have provided, but it filled out nicely after an hour in the decanter.

No doubt this was a better-than-average bottle. If I had any remaining, which, sadly, I do not, I would drink now. It offered lots of pleasure and was a great match with fire-grilled skirt steak with a light shallot and cognac sauce.

6/22/2020 - violistus Likes this wine:

I had quite a different experience than Davergny below, my bottle last night, after an hour in the decanter, was exceptional. I bought it at auction, but it must have been stored incredibly well - the cork was fresh and tight, there was an extraordinary fill level, and a spinning capsule. The wine had impressive freshness, with lifted aromatics of dried strawberry, black raspberries, and earth, leather, and tobacco. There was a pleasing snap of bitter licorice, though the wine remains overall friendly and easy-drinking. It opened up nicely over two hours, and had a great balance of plush fruit, body, and acid. In a lovely place, the wine was a perfect match with rare filet mignon with béarnaise. I wish I had more!

6/19/2020 - violistus Likes this wine:

This wine is not for wussies!

This was firing on all cylinders tonight, day 2, and much better on the 2nd night, as others have noted. This is of decidedly old-school stock, briny, and reminds one of a traditional old green St. Joseph, full of racy acid, freshness, and vibrancy. At the same time, it's mixed with singed rosemary, tart violets, lavender, damson fruit, and slightly bretty canned spinach. It's thrilling, still with gutsy high-toned tannins at the end, and very juicy. High acid year in Bandol etc. Lots of fun, love this gem of les Alpilles.

5/23/2020 - violistus wrote:

This wine has a lot of character, and I think could be quite divisive in a tasting. Without a doubt my bottle was in great shape, the aromatics were huge in the wine, and the fruit was leaping out of the glass. Unfortunately, there's not enough crisp acid or linear tension left for my taste, so it feels overly rich and kinda blowsy. Jonagold apples, tangerine, and ripe yellow pear. It has impressive breadth on the palate and hangs around for quite a while, with a long flirty finish. 14.5% ABV and you feel it. Drink up.

5/22/2020 - violistus wrote:

Big fan. I could tell this was a special bottle, but unfortunately it was mostly corked. I say 'mostly' because the stuffing underneath was so pleasurable and vibrant - savory blue plummy fruit, salty brisket, lifted quasi-Viognier-added trebly aromatics - that I struggled through a glass and a half before ultimately succumbing to the wet funky cardboard. Bummer! I've been unlucky, this happens to be my 2nd corked Gramercy bottle. I've got a 2012 in the cellar, and hope it's in good shape!

5/20/2020 - violistus Likes this wine:

I didn't have high hopes for this bottle, for while the fill level was high, the label was in horrible condition and the loose cork slipped out (I used a Durand) as if a knife in hot butter. Plastic rip-cord top instead of a capsule. The cork smelled fine and the wine had no aromas of TCA.

I decanted the bottle, and disappointingly, there was only a hint of sediment. It was clear at the rim, then a light old-Barolo-brown, then a dark carmine/faded ruby in the center. Remarkably, there is still vibrant bright fruit, salty dried strawberries and rich red cherry. And it's light and elegant, yet it has a slightly viscous texture in the mouth. JACKCMAC's comment below about cedar is spot-on. There's also a strong lifted and treble green note, green bell pepper and roasted jalapeños. It's tangy and sweetly rich, and was very stable and slow-opening over 2 days (vacuumed and refrigerated). There are some elegant tannins left, but it's incredibly easy to drink.

I've had more than a dozen 1980 Cali Cabs over the last 3 or 4 years, and surprisingly, considering the humble origins of this wine, this was perhaps the most delicious and lively. I have no doubt that another well-stored bottle could offer a lot of pleasure now or for a few more years.

5/20/2020 - violistus Likes this wine:

This bottle was vivacious and delicious last tonight, with crazy sharp acid and crunchy energy. Tasting of briny and puckery lemon juice, it only lacks some concentration in the mid-palate to otherwise be punching way above its village status. Would be great as a bracing apéritif, with a fresh whitefish, or of course with oysters. This is basically liquid salted lemon oyster shells with a bit of yeast, lasered into your glass. No rush at all. Ravishing and complex.

5/11/2020 - violistus Likes this wine:

Had this last night from a half-bottle and it was scintillating. Absolutely fresh and with delicious green apple and bracing acid, it had lots of biscuit underneath, and a very long intense finish. Sekt-like acidic profile and lots of linear tension. Very sad to see this one go.

4/13/2020 - violistus Likes this wine:

This was spectacular last night. Deeply savory, rich, and briny, this was lifted and singing throughout the spectrum. There were deep bass notes of damson plum, blackberry, smoke, and roasted meat, it was full throughout the mid-palate, and it had a trebly briny tang that, while perhaps a bit brighter than a Northern Rhône counterpart, was delicious and filled out the profile in a really balanced way. The finish was long and intense. A really fine pairing with a beefy French Onion Soup. Wish I had more bottles to follow over the next few years, but this is delicious right now.

1/30/2020 - violistus wrote:

My experience was similar to Sommkennedy's most recent note below. I'm quite a fan of Fontodi Chianti Classico, but this half-bottle tasted 20 yrs older than it is. Stewed fruit, cloying, dill, salty maple syrup, and dusty tannins. Surely this bottle is heat-damaged, a fluke!

1/7/2020 - violistus Likes this wine:

This was a joyous and humble stunner tonight: juicy, and with crunchy, tart cranberries, and a persistent green bell pepper note. There's also a heady whiff of garrigue (strangely enough) to complement the vibrant fruit that must be beginning to fade on the slightly short finish. This bottle was in great shape - this wine still has a good 5-6 years of life - with some zip and zest, and a total steal at $16.66.

12/30/2019 - violistus wrote:

Hopelessly corked. :(

11/25/2019 - violistus Likes this wine:

This was absolutely lovely tonight, day 3 of its open life. Tonight it's autumnal, but still with some red fruit. On opening it was very tight, crisply tannic, a bit thin, unbalanced, and hot, but over the next two days it softened and the tar and dried flowers came to the fore as the dusty (yes, as below) tannins faded into the background. It was most vibrant on day 2, boding well for the short-term aging of this bottle, which was evidently very well stored.

7/14/2019 - violistus Likes this wine:

What a difference a decade makes! This beast was a total steal at $31. I had a glass last night, just put the cork back inside, and put it in the fridge overnight. Tonight, it was best at hour 5...

This is both an extraordinarily pretty wine and a wild and crazy animal. Still with ample fruit, the wine shows bright crunchy cranberries and toasted dried strawberries, but also with lots of tertiary aromas and flavors: sous bois, mint(!), truffle, soy, sesame, leather, old library, and dried citrus. A total lifted beauty that only improved with air. If I had another bottle I'd decant 4+ hours. Lovely surprise.

4/8/2019 - violistus wrote:

Unfortunately this bottle did not survive. Cork top was moldy and there had been some leakage over the ages. Strong scent of pyrazines, asparagus water, and roasted stewed jalapeños. Undrinkable even/especially after decanting. I bet a properly stored bottle would be a different story, though I'm altogether not sure...

12/25/2018 - violistus Likes this wine:

This is utterly fascinating, and a delicious after-dinner vin de méditation. It's a funky yet 'joli vin', lifted, aromatic, and pleasantly oxidative, with a nutty saline streak. On the palate I get weak oolong tea, walnuts, darkly-toasted caraway bread, and syrupy strawberries and rhubarb. At the very end comes bitter blood orange rind and stinging nettles. The color is like watered-down 70's Carema. $21 for 375mL and worth every penny.

12/18/2018 - violistus Likes this wine:

This wine was stunningly beautiful from the get-go, with ravishingly broad and energetic lime, lychee, and slate aromas leaping from the glass. The acid was absurdly high and fresh, and yet with 5 minutes of air the palate began to fill out and the wine got richer and more mouth-filling. And how long! This beauty was persistant and linear, and the balance of round fruit and tense acidity thrilling. This was fresh like a much younger wine (we had it after a delicious ‘05 Gaunoux Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières which tasted far more advanced, with both great oxidative and reductive notes) and a total surprise how it was lithe and strong when it didn’t have any right to be, more than 30 years after harvest. There was a racy and unexpected (from me) petrol note too, which reminded us of 70’s auslese Riesling.

A rare and total delight. It was mind-blowingly good with some Époisses. Grateful to Steve for this one.

10/31/2018 - violistus Likes this wine:

This is a remarkable wine, which almost knocked me out when I went in for a sniff - saline and oxidative notes abound on the nose and leap out of the glass. On the palate, when your tongue finally recovers from the hit of acid there’s a fascinating panoply of flavors: wool and filberts, parsnips, chestnuts, bruised sour apples, turkey gravy, porcini mushroom, and finally, more roasted nuts with salt and vinegar.

The acid is teeth-chattering and almost ripped my lips off. It’s crazy long and tangy and goes on forever after you swallow, heading more and more towards nutty oxidized caramel as it goes on. I expect to be still tasting this when I wake up in the morning. Love.

8/26/2018 - violistus Likes this wine:

This is a joyous and lovely little thing, natty cranberries, a very good lunchtime wine. A deeply rich transparent watermelon crimson in color, this is a perfect example of how you shouldn't prejudge a rosé's concentration and extraction by its color. This is extremely lifted and with the slightly-effervescent and juicy vegetal qualities of a zesty Sauvignon blanc. It was a great apéritif - recalling a simple Campari drink - but really sang with food. Slightly hollow and very light on its feet, this has the natural energy of a chilled Beaujolais. Drink within 2 yrs.

7/26/2018 - violistus Likes this wine:

My experience with this wine was quite similar to Klezman's below. (Good note, thanks!)

Wonderful sweet green bell pepper on the nose, and yes, jalapeño on the palate, a minty and vegetal freshness, and a rushing juiciness reminiscent of middle-age Sangiovese; tannins leading acid.

This was a joy to drink and in fine form. I poured it into a decanter and we drank it straight away from there over 45 minutes. The first 10 minutes were primary and juicy, tart cranberries and bright red fruits, then it closed down and got tighter over the next 20, and the tannins released their grip in the end to make a very balanced and satisfying Napa cab as we finished it. Fun bottle.

6/4/2018 - violistus Likes this wine:

Great color and good fill level, with no signs of oxidation. Upon opening, all we could smell was reduction - fresh rubber balls galore. Gratefully, 10 minutes in a decanter and all of that blew off to reveal an elegant creamsicle of a rosé, creamy, oily, yet lithe, and with a pleasant bitterness on the finish. Cantaloupe, grapefruit, weak tea, and blood orange notes. A lot of fun to drink at this stage, though I would drink up!

5/24/2018 - violistus Likes this wine:

This was pretty tasty last night. 75% Mourvèdre. Straight from the bottle it was a little tight, with drying tannins, but over 45 minutes they softened to reveal a lively rustic wine, juicy and with a wonderful mid-palate texture. Meat, blood, confit plums, dark tobacco, mesquite, and some smoke. Compared to the 2000 Pibarnon we opened afterwards, this seemed more old school, much less fruity, and I preferred it.

5/1/2018 - violistus wrote:

Poopy and funky, with tart crunchy cranberries and a racy and lifted acidity. Has the energy of a bright village Beaujolais with slightly thinner and higher-toned stuffing. A slight smokiness and some oxidative notes. Savory and fun.

4/29/2018 - violistus Likes this wine:

This was absolutely extraordinary tonight. The wine was a beautiful ruby, clear and brilliant, and with moderately significant chunky sediment. There was a tremendous amount of bright fruit, candied fruit, frutti di bosco, mature tobacco, autumn, and a sappy sweet smell balanced by a refreshingly tart energy and long persistent finish.

This was a total joy to drink and opened exponentially over 45 minutes. We couldn't keep our hands off it. The juicy energy of a Beaujolais. Completely integrated oak.

Steal of the century at $25 on auction.

4/15/2018 - violistus wrote:

I enjoyed this last night, though I think I would have enjoyed it even more maybe 2 years ago. There were lovely peach, wax, and wool flavors, and a light ginger note, and the mid-palate and finish were both quite long. It would have been very good with a creamy chicken dish, or perhaps a lobster risotto. The wine was in good shape right out of the bottle, it had a rich golden color and slight oxidation which called to mind Chenin, except the acid wasn't high enough for a Loire Chenin. Also, the alcohol stuck out a bit. It did call to mind the whites of the Northern Rhone, though without the concentration of an Hermitage. Served blind, a sommelier-friend initially thought it reminded him of Vouvray or a white Musar.

In the end, it was a bit easy-drinking and I wanted a bit more acid for the freshness and the balance, which is why I said I wish I'd opened it 2 years ago, but it was quite fine for a cold rainy night.

3/8/2018 - violistus Does not like this wine:

Drankard's review below hit this one on the head. Modern and too hot from the alcohol, this young wine feels creamy and oaky, with some chalky dark fruit. There are some Syrah notes - a bit of smoky blueberry and some olive, but it has a real southern Rhone feel, and blind I would have called a Grenache-dominant GSM blend. Maybe a few years will shed some of this, but I'm not interested in the raw materials enough to retry. Drinkable, but definitely not what I was hoping for, and will not buy again.

2/27/2018 - violistus Does not like this wine:

This was quite disappointing tonight. From a 375mL, this was luscious, creamy, and oaky even after an hour and a half decant. Sure, I got some rustic Syrah blueberries and a hint of smokiness and some black olives at the back, but the biggest impression was cream, oak, and vanilla. I would have pegged it for a Jeff Runquist Amador County California Syrah had it been served blind. Perfumed and forward, I was hoping for much much less oak and bright fruit. Absolutely drinkable, but overtly new World and très moderne. Lots of lipstick. Maybe I would enjoy this in 2028.

2/7/2018 - violistus wrote:

What a delight this was tonight! Sweetly juicy, and with strong bloody and ferrous notes, this was captivating, savory, and long. I poured it straight into a decanter and drank over 2 hours, and the tight drying tannins barely budged. I suppose the suppleness of the pinot in the blend - or the slightly noticeable oak - smoothes things out a bit, but the nebbiolo dominates and presages a long life for this tarry beauty. A steal at $28.

1/11/2018 - violistus wrote:

Bought from WineBid, the labels on the front and the back both said 2012 but the cork said 2014.... So if indeed this was the 2012, or if it was Bandol at all, I drank it with pleasure. [Wine-searcher at the moment shows no listings for any 2014's sold around the world]

Plummy and lifted, with green figs in the background, it's open and generous at the start and juicy through the mid-palate, but the finish ends up short and very tight. A few years in the cellar will flatter this wine, the tannins will soften, and the fruit is present enough to warrant retrying in 3 years, methinks.