11/20/2022 - Big Swifty Likes this wine:

Popped & poured. Light tawny-red color. 30-60 minutes in and this really starts to sing. Explosive menthol, bruised rosemary, roses and dark, lurking fruit. Strong aromas with good detail and transparency. Big palate impact of sweet fruit and racy acidity with a strong current of herbs, black olive tapenade and balsamico. Tannins are classic Nebbiolo but well integrated to the deep, dark fruit flavor. This bottle is gorgeous - keeps building for hours and on day two was still delivering the goods. Classic and hugely gratifying! Much better than a tired bottle tasted a year earlier.

8/7/2021 - Big Swifty Does not like this wine:

1st bottle of 3. Decanted off extremely heavy sediment. Deep tawny color - very advanced appearance. Dull nose of menthol and balsamico mingled with light roses. Very subdued dark fruit notes. Not oxidized but fading. Palate is intense and dominated by powerful balsamic notes offset by slight dark fruit flavors. This bottle is over the hill. It was well stored since release so hopefully it's an aberration. Very disappointing bottle from one of my favorite producers.

6/30/2021 - Big Swifty Likes this wine:

Decanted off of medium sediment. Tawny red color. Penetrating aromas of mentholated balsamico, and earth. Airing delivers intense dark fruit. Powerful on the palate - sharp mentholated acidity, strong balsamic notes, deep tart fruit and excellent length. Outstanding Barbaresco with great power, elegance and focus. In a perfect place now through 2022.

12/27/2020 - Big Swifty Likes this wine:

Light yellow. Piercing minerality and airy petrol with floral Riesling notes. Pure and detailed. Clean piercing acidity with bone dry acidity. Flowery flavors evolve to peaches. Refined and intense. A beautiful wine that is in a perfect spot; will hold 2-4 years but won't improve further.

10/3/2020 - Big Swifty Likes this wine:

Decanted off light sediment. Mature color - medium deep red with distinctive tawny hue. Closed nose - sandlewood, freshly ground coffee beans, Grenache red fruits, spice. Medium intensity nose. Palate is refined in texture and offers subtle fruit flavors, spice and light earthiness. Delicate by CNP standards and moderately complex, at peak where it should hold another 1-2 years.

9/29/2020 - Big Swifty Likes this wine:

Light yellow with silvery highlights. Reserved nose of chalk and minerality with good presence and transparency. Medium weight palate with brisk, citrusy acids. Delicate flavors of bright chalk and recessive fruit. Detailed. Two hours of air time amplify the aromas and flavors and reveal clean, delicious fruit flavors and nice notes of hay. Next time decant this wine. Has entered window for prime drinking and still has the structure and material to develop into 2023.

9/20/2020 - Big Swifty Likes this wine:

Light sediment - not decanted. Mature color. Gorgeous nose! Aromas of sweet black cherries, underbrush and sweet flowers. Sappy. Bright attack of tart cherry and cranberry with sappy dark fruits. Detailed chewy tannins. Expansive with multi-layered depth. Powerful, graceful and with exceptional length. This is a great bottle of Burgundy and a perfect example of classicly grown and vinified Pinot Noir. Excellent!

10/22/2020 - Big Swifty Likes this wine:

Decanted off of light sediment - breathed 1 hour, then returned to the original bottle to take to Flavours Restaurant. Deep red with a tawny hue at the edge. Smoky meats, bacon, heavy black ground pepper, nice tart red fruits on the nose with a very nice floral component. Powerful and energetic palate of tart fruit, earthy tannins; sweet but bone dry. Intense earthy wine that needs food, esp. red meat. Very long but a bit rough on the finish. Drink up 2020-2021.

12/24/2020 - Big Swifty Likes this wine:

This bottle was purchased in 2015 and stored under good conditions.
Light yellow color with a good mousse; persistent beads of fine bubbles. Very nice nose of yeasty bread dough and subtle fruit. A blend of 60% Pinot Meunier, 20% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay. Quite full and elegant with a creamy texture and really good depth of flavor. Excellent balance and length. Drinking at peak, this is a delicious quite full-bodied Champagne.

12/26/2020 - Big Swifty Likes this wine:

Consumed at Flavours Restaurant, Wycliffe CC and consumed over two hours. Decanted by Somm - no sediment. Deep purple-red color. Reticent nose gives up pure dark fruit, hints of pepper and light, earth-inflected smokiness. Very refined texture with elegant black fruits and an extra kick of tart Syrah power on the finish. Ample tannins of good quality. This bottle really needs more age to develop its full potential. The material is present but only shows itself in reserved fashion. Wait at least 3 more years though it's likely to be at full peak in 8-10.

3/21/2020 - Big Swifty Likes this wine:

Decanted off very heavy, chunky sediment. Tawny color. Sweet menthol and balsamic aromas are immediate. Brown baking spices. Very slight oxidation which dissipates with breathing. Floral notes in the background and deep aromas of dried figs and dark fruits. Hits the palate with bright balsamic flavors over a backdrop of dark fruits. Cranberry acidity and deep tar inflected fruit. Tannins are solid and broad on the palate. Fully developed flavors. Very good length and balance. This bottle is firing on all cylinders; it's a really fine Barolo that should be consumed in 2020-2021.

5/18/2018 - Big Swifty Does not like this wine:

I have had this wine on a few occasions and have experienced the sour fizziness described by several other tasters. I believe that there is a high incidence of malolactic fermentation taking place in many bottles. CO2 is liberated in the ML process leading to the fizz. The sour taste is attributed to the lactic acid. Luckily, this level of sloppy winemaking is a rarity today.

4/26/2018 - Big Swifty Likes this wine:

Decanted off of medium sediment. Medium deep red with heavy bricking. Explosive aromas of sappy dark fruits overlaid with intensely mentholated bruised rosemary and a beautiful suggestion of roses. Wow! Big and forceful palate comes on strong with camphor, fresh herbs, powerful dark fruits and an earthy inflection. Exceptional balance and length. This is a great Barbaresco that is in peak form where it will hold through 2020 - in a perfect place right now. Bravo!

4/25/2018 - Big Swifty wrote:

Light red with brick hue; mature color. Taut red fruit aromas are the primary characteristic. Delicate sois-bois and fleeting floral notes. Not a powerful nose. Palate has crisp structure dominated by light red berries and red apple skins. Rather high in acidity with barely discernable notes of earth. 2 hours open and no significant development. A diplomatic way to put it is that this is a very delicate Burgundy, but additional depth and texture would be welcome. Disappointing for a 1er Cru in a great vintage. Last tasted in 2014 with similar notes. No further upside expected so drink up in 2018-2019.

12/3/2016 - Big Swifty Does not like this wine:

A perplexing wine. Decanted off moderate sediment; still youthful color. Huge jammy aromas of stewed black fruits. Rather one note. Consistent to the palate. Shows none of the typical characteristics of Cote Rotie - no smoky bacon or violets. Very disappointing. First of two bottles purchased on release. Cote Rotie is one of my favorite wines, but this bottle is unlike any ever encountered.

3/25/2016 - Big Swifty Likes this wine:

Light yellow…amazing at 24 years of age! Tight beeswax and intense minerals accented by white flowers and honey. Full-bodied with vibrant acidity and deep, fresh flavors. Superior length and excellent balance. Absolutely no oxidation present in this gem. A testament to both Chappellet and the under appreciated Chenin Blanc varietal. Wish I had more...

12/11/2015 - Big Swifty Likes this wine:

Yellow color with silvery highlights. Piercing chalk and stone fruits cut through the rather closed aromas. Great substance here. Lemony flavors with great minerality and power. After an hour this has moved to another level: rich lemon drop aromas with sea shells accented by toast. Verbena flavors with a forceful salinity and pretty herbal notes. This wine has great scale; very powerful and intense with superb length. A great bottle that is firing on all cylinders. Best 2015 - 2017.

10/6/2015 - Big Swifty wrote:

Deep red - still youthful. Bursts with big modern style fruit and strong oak aromas (8 months new French). Pleasant earthiness and herbal tones. Palate comes on with very ripe dark fruits and an excess of oak, which smears any detail. Some nice floral and earthy nuances. Good quality fruit that has been mistreated in the winery by overuse of oak. Still nice but could have been a lot better.

2/24/2013 - Big Swifty wrote:

Light to medium red; mature. Shy nose displays the earthy side of Burgundy. Sappy red fruits emerge with air time and even some floral tones. Palate starts out reticent but opens after about 30 minutes to show medium intensity red berry flavors with tart sappy highlights. Overall, an unfavorable tannin:fruit ratio. Never evolves to the hoped for height, and even falls off after a couple of hours. A bit disappointing as this seems a little past its prime.

1/27/2013 - Big Swifty wrote:

Very deep reddish-purple. Very restricted nose of graphite, iron filings and a slight suggestion of cassis. Unyielding. Palate is massively tannic and shows flavors consistent with the nose. This is my third bottle over the last two years, and it hasn't budged an inch. Better the following day but one must wonder if this has sufficient material to come around. NB: several bottles of the 2000 were delicious and in top form at a similar age. Try again in 2 years and keep your fingers crossed.

10/21/2012 - Big Swifty wrote:

Not decanted - minimal sediment. Light-to-medium red; mature hue but not tawny. Very pretty floral aromas and red cherry fruit; delicate sous bois notes come through a finely detailed, complex nose. Medium-bodied texture strikes the palate with precise red cherry and cranberry flavors enhanced by inner mouth floral energy. Precise and refined with ample sappy flavors and a long, satisfying finish. After 2 hours slight coffee bean aromas emerged and the fruit had receded slightly. A delicious refined red Burg for drinking over the next 12 months.