4/26/2024 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

Grassi's 2017 Recioto della Valpolicella is a beautiful wine, wafting from the glass with aromas of licorice, orange confit, roasted berries and vine smoke, followed by a medium to full-bodied, deep and fleshy palate with a sweet core that's tempered by elegantly mordant structuring tannins to render this cohesive and harmonious, concluding with a perfectly balanced finish.

4/25/2024 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 2019 Trebbiano d'Abruzzo is a beautiful vintage for Valentini, unfurling in the glass with gently reductive aromas of briny green olive, mandarin pith, fresh fennel, fennel seed and wet stones. Medium to full-bodied, layered and textural, with a deep core that's framed by palate-coating reserves of enlivening dry extract, in its aromatic profile and its antimony of texture and mordancy it's uniquely Italian, yet it can stand alongside some of France's greatest whites.

4/20/2024 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

Lafon's 1994 Charmes is drinking beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of confit orchard fruit, lemon oil, iodine and chamomile, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and suave palate that exhibits exceptional tension and structure for the vintage, its core of ripe fruit fully intact and framed by chalky structuring extract. This is a definite over-performer that's in its prime today.

4/16/2024 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

2021 is quite a persuasive vintage for Gonon's Les Oliviers, offering up of peach and elderflowers mingled with waxy lemon and olive brine, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping palate that marries this cuvée's characteristic texture with uncommon cut and delineation.

2/24/2024 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 1981 Kalin Cellars Zinfandel is an extraordinary bottle of wine, and one of the best reds Terry and Frances Leighton produced in California. Still remarkably youthful in hue at age 43, it wafts from the glass with complex aromas of dark berries, baked earth, smoked tea, orange rind, heather and spices more redolent of great Côte-Rôtie than this variety's stereotype. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and seamless, with melting tannins and a long, sapid finish, it's the last vintage produced of this bottling.

2/24/2024 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 2001 Kalin Cellars Chardonnay Cuvée W remains very youthful at age 23, bursting with aromas of golden orchard fruit, green pineapple and buttered toast mingled with hints of guava and mandarin oil. Medium to full-bodied, broad and enveloping, with a satiny attack that segues into a deep, almost unctuous core of fruit, it's layered and flavorful, with lively acids and a long, saline finish.

2/24/2024 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 1983 Kalin Cellars Pinot Noir Cuvée DD unwinds in the glass with aromas of sweet red berries, dried fruits, sandalwood and spices, followed by a medium-bodied, deep and concentrated palate animated by tangy acids and framed by powdery tannins. Somewhat reminiscent of a good 1972 red Burgundy, this starts out a little angular but fleshes out to offer more plenitude and mid-palate fat. Its considerable sediment mandates gentle service.

2/24/2024 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 1983 Kalin Cellars Sémillon is drinking beautifully at age 40, offering up notes of orange pith, fig, buttered citrus, beeswax and subtle hints of vanilla pod, followed by a medium-bodied, deep and layered palate with a satiny attack, lively acids and a mouthwateringly mordant finish defined by typical varietal dry extract. Something of a Viña Gravonia and Laville Haut-Brion love child!

1/14/2024 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

This was served very cold; and what's more, I'm so used to utterly overblown Rhône whites, that I failed miserably to identify Faurie's 2018 Hermitage Blanc blind. Offering up aromas of marzipan, yellow orchard fruit and white flowers that remain pretty primary (and there's a healthy dose of sulfites here), followed by a full-bodied, broad and fleshy palate that's rich and unctuous, remaining fresh and precise despite its heft and scale. It's a top-flight rendition of the appellation, even if, pace certain commentaries here, it's not going to make me stop drinking Meursault Perrières any time soon.

1/13/2024 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 1970 Château Fortia Châteauneuf-du-Pape Tête de Cru is a rich, gutsy wine, offering up aromas of macerated black fruits, licorice, grilled meats and toasted herbs, followed by a full-bodied, broad and layered palate that retains an impressively dense core of fruit that's framed by melting tannins. A touch of brettanomyces-derived funk holds it back when compared to other purer vintages, but its vitality and density are impressive.

12/29/2023 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

Niepoort's 1952 Colheita is a lovely wine, offering up aromas of dark berries, baked plums, licorice, dark chocolate, espresso roast and cedary spice box, followed by a medium to full-bodied, suave and seamless palate that's beautifully harmonious and integrated.

11/26/2023 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

As I drank the 2018 Giaconda Chardonnay, I found myself wondering if this is the best Chardonnay made in the New World today; and also reflecting on how risk-averse so much contemporary white Burgundy has become. Unwinding in the glass with notes of crisp stone and orchard fruit mingled with accents of citrus zest, hazelnut, gunflint and bread dough, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a concentrated core of fruit, tangy acids and a long, precise finish. It's a spectacular wine that I'd kill to own more of.

11/26/2023 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

Gangloff's 2019 Condrieu shows the maturity and heft of the vintage, and if there's a fly in the ointment it's a touch of overt alcoholic heat; but the sheer baroque exuberance of the wine does much to mitigate that, with its soaring aromas of ripe peaches, honeyed pears, apricots and confit citrus; its textural sheen and plenitude; and its long, perfumed finish. Context and serving temperature are everything to getting the most out of it.

9/21/2023 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

Kalin's 1991 Cuvée LV is still showing brilliantly, offering up aromas of white currants, buttered popcorn, ripe white peaches and honeysuckle, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and fleshy palate that's rich but lively, with bright acids and a discreetly residually sweet finish.

9/16/2023 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

Quintarelli's 1997 Valpolicella Classico Superiore is drinking brilliantly today, offering up rich aromas of black fruits, figs, cedar, sweet cigar tobacco, vine smoke, licorice and balsamic reduction. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and layered, with huge depth and sweetness of fruit allied with impressive energy, it concludes with a broad, resonant and gently heady finish.

8/27/2023 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 2006 Fonsalette is drinking beautifully, bursting from the glass with aromas of sweet raspberries and cherries mingled with vine smoke, orange rind, sun dried tomatoes and paraffin wax. Full-bodied, suave and seamless, this has really come into its own in the last few years, showing depth and intensity that wasn't apparent in its youth. In the end, it's emerging as one of the finest Fonsalettes of the decade.

8/27/2023 - William Kelley Does not like this wine:

I love Gourt de Mautens, but this particular bottle of the 2012 was totally dominated by the animal aromatic signatures of brettanomyces.

8/27/2023 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 2013 Gourt de Mautens is showing very well, offering up a rather Reynaud-like nose of dark fruit, kirch, exotic spices, orange zest, balsam bough and paraffin wax along with just a touch of brett that doesn't dominate the wine. Full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it's muscular but seamless, with an impressively suave, sensual profile for a wine of such authority.

8/23/2023 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

Faurie's 2014 Hermitage is brilliant, offering up aromas of minty blackberries, cassis and burning embers, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and layered palate that's fleshy, concentrated and penetrating. While the tannins are supple, a healthy dose of dissolved carbon dioxide argues in favor of decanting. How refreshing to taste Hermitage that actually tastes like Hermitage.

7/8/2023 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

Bottle age has paid dividends for the 2017 Argile Blanc, and the wine is drinking brilliantly today, offering up inviting aromas of sweet orchard fruit and blossoms mingled with subtle hints of petrol and wet stones. Medium-bodied, fleshy and precise, with a beautifully succulent core fruit and a long, pure finish, it's intensely flavored but simultaneously weightless on the finish.

5/21/2023 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

Grippat's 1994 Hermitage Blanc is drinking beautifully, offering up deep but subtle aromas of frangipane, candle wax, crisp stone fruits and a subtle top-note of petrol. Full-bodied, fleshy and expansive, it's a supple, viscous, textural white with terrific balance and persistence.

5/14/2023 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 1966 Château Pradeaux Bandol is drinking beautifully today, offering up aromas of roasted red berries, figs, bay leaf and aromatic bark, followed by a medium-bodied, supple and melting palate with a sweet core of fruit and a nicely defined finish.

5/10/2023 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

Bonneau's 1972 Réserve des Célestins is a superb wine in what was an excellent vintage for the appellation. Offering up a deep, carnal bouquet of baked red cherries and berries mingled with notions of balsam bough, fennel seed, bay leaf, rosemary and vine smoke, it's medium to full-bodied, thick and fleshy, with a deep core of fruit, supple tannins and a seamless, suave, harmonious profile that marks it out as the most elegant Célestins I've ever tasted, concluding with a sweet, sapid finish.

4/7/2023 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 2009 Fonsalette Blanc is a brilliant bottle, and one of the best Southern Rhône whites I've drunk for some time. Offering up aromas of candle wax, confit citrus, sweet orchard fruits, orange zest and herbs, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and textural, with lovely cut and grip despite its rich, glycerin-laden style. The Marsanne in the blend, along with the cooler Fonsalette mesoclimate, really distinguishes this from the baroque extravagance of Rayas Blanc.

3/25/2023 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 2011 Pignan is one of the best recent vintages of this cuvée. Soaring from the glass with aromas of lemon thyme, peonies, kirsch, rose petals, warm spices and blood orange, this cuvée always shows its stems more in its youth, and that's certainly the case this year. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and sapid, with melting tannins and a long, sapid, perfumed finish. For once, this is a wine whose market price is more coherent with its quality than the evaluations of the wine commentariat.

3/20/2023 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

A stunning wine, this preternaturally youthful bottle of the 1979 Rayas was reminiscent of a more elegant version of the muscular 1989. Offering up aromas of raspberry liqueur, paraffin wax, balsam bough and sweet spices, it's full-bodied, deep and layered, with a beautifully seamless, harmonious profile and a long, resonant finish.

2/20/2023 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

Reynaud fans who gravitate to the cooler vintages will adore the 2013 Château des Tours Vacqueyras, a beautiful wine that soars from the glass with aromas of red berries, cherry pits, confit orange, balsam bough, lemon thyme and tobacco leaf. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and sensual, it's fragrant and melting, with supple tannins, mouthwatering acids and a long, perfumed finish.

11/19/2022 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

Offering up aromas of desiccated red cherries, licorice, fennel seed and rose petals, Giacosa's 1980 Barolo Collina Rionda is medium to full-bodied, supple and fleshy, with a sweet core of fruit, rich structuring tannins and a long, chalky finish. At age 42, this is showing brilliantly!

10/8/2022 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

Gangloff's 2018 St. Joseph is drinking so beautifully that I almost went down to my cellar to pull out a Gonon from the same vintage to compare the two, as in their different styles I think it might be a close run thing. Bursting with aromas of wild berries, tapenade, violets and spices, with a touch of bacon fat that segues into a discreet framing of wood (much more discreet than was the case a decade ago, by the way), it's medium to full-bodied, seamless and fleshy, with lively acids, powdery tannins and a long, pungently perfumed finish. What's more, it's a reasonable 13.5% in this lusty vintage. With St. Joseph this good, one hardly needs Hermitage.

9/26/2022 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

Bottled under Diam, Gangloff's 2019 St. Joseph Blanc is impressively tightly wound out of the gates, and I followed a bottle over three days with great success. Exhibiting aromas of crisp apricot and honeysuckle, mingled with hints of buttery pastry and baking spices, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and seamless, with a satiny attack, lively acids and a long, saline finish.

9/23/2022 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

Jasmin's 2015 Côte-Rôtie La Giroflarie unwinds in the glass to reveal attractive aromas of wild berries, violets, spices and a very discreet background framing of oak. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and elegant, it's still a touch tightly wound, but it's beautifully balanced and should really begin to pop with another 3+ years on the clock.

9/19/2022 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 2000 Château de Pibarnon Bandol is drinking beautifully today, and really blossoms with an hour's decant, fleshing out and opening up to exhibit aromas of black cherry, licorice, warm asphalt, black olive, aromatic bark and cardamon. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, it's a seamless, sensual wine with a generous core of fruit, melting tannins and a sapid finish.

9/17/2022 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 2020 Côtes du Rhône from Jamet is showing beautifully, bursting with aromas of violets, blackberries, burnt sage and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, ample and sensual, with a sweet core of fruit, melting tannins and a broad finish, it's drinking very well out of the gates.

9/16/2022 - William Kelley wrote:

Allemand's 2013 Chaillot is still quite youthfully reserved, opening up in the decanter over several hours to shed some volatile phenols and exhibit an attractive bouquet of smoky berry fruit, plums, violets, warm spices and black pepper. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy but chiseled, it's deep and concentrated, with bright acids and a long, penetrating finish.

8/15/2022 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

While the 1962 La Chapelle is always destined to lie in the shadow of the 1961, the wine is drinking beautifully today, even for 375 ml, and is clearly well worth seeking out. Reminiscent of a more concentration (and somewhat less evolved, by the way) version of the estate's 1982, it offers up deep aromas of wild berries, orange rind, boot polish, vine smoke, heather and partridge, followed by a medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered palate with impressive depth at the core, lively acids and largely melted structuring tannins. Long and penetrating, it tastes like the essence of Hermitage, even if it isn't a "hors normes" wine like the 1961.

8/8/2022 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

A rich, powerful wine, the Clairette bottling of 2017 Domaine des Tours exhibits aromas of orange blossom, Acacia honey and sweet apricots, followed by a full-bodied, broad and fleshy palate that's textural and unctuous, though remarkably dynamic for all its mid-palate fat and glossiness. It's a characterful, stylish wine that comes into its own at table.

6/24/2022 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

Offering up aromas of spiced plums, sassafras and cigar wrapper, the 1985 Domaine Pichard Madiran is drinking beautifully after a decant, its broad attack segueing into a fleshy, succulent mid-palate framed by melting tannins, and concluding with a long, sapid finish.

6/21/2022 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 2008 Viña Gravonia was quite tight-knit on release, but it is relaxing to offer superb drinking today. Exhibiting aromas of confit lemon, citrus oil, dried white flowers, vanilla pod and subtle hints of honeycomb, nuts and petrol, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and textural, with racy acids and a long, saline finish.

6/11/2022 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

I haven't posted a tasting note on cellartracker for a while, but this 2008 Cannubi was showing so well that I felt compelled to. I've always chased the Monvigliero for its perfumed, sensual style, but this bottle of Cannubi more than justified its distinct style in the range, unfurling in the glass with aromas of balsamic black cherries, mulberries, spices, licorice root and subtle hints of dried flowers. Full-bodied, broad and textural, with rich, powdery tannins and an elegantly muscular style, it's seamless and integrated, concluding with a long, resonant finish. This certainly isn't Pinot Noir, but for once, that isn't a criticism. Decanted at noon in the cellar, it was at its best seven hours later.

3/19/2022 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

Cotat's 2016 red is showing very nicely, bursting with aromas of sweet berry fruit, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy palate that's supple and succulent. This is a juicy, fruit-driven Pinot Noir that's generous and uncomplicated, drinking well today.

3/5/2022 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 1989 Brune et Blonde is drinking well today, fleshing out in the decanter and offering up aromas of sooty red and black fruits, camphor, warm spices and dried petals. Medium-bodied, lively and seamless, with bright acids, melting tannins and a sapid finish, it's an elegant, classically proportioned wine in its prime. After two hours of aeration, this is immeasurably richer and more interesting than on opening, by the way.

1/16/2022 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

While the name "Fructus Voluptas" gives intimations of early maturation, the 2015 is still some way away from peak drinking, offering up a rich bouquet of blackberries, smoked meat, kelp, cracked black pepper and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and savory, with powdery tannins, succulent acids and a lingering finish, it's somewhere in between youthful boisterousness and maturity, so I wouldn't touch any more bottles for five years or so, to avoid falling between two stools.

11/15/2021 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The #10 Little Wine is showing brilliantly at this early stage, offering up a rich bouquet of black fruits mingled with subtle hints of olive, licorice, potpourri and spices. Full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with rich structuring tannins and ripe but succulent acids, it's deep, concentrated and resonant.

11/14/2021 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

Togni's 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon is beginning to drink brilliantly, offering up aromas of blackberries and cassis mingled with hints of loamy soil, violets and cigar wrapper. Full-bodied, layered and velvety, it's rich but vibrant, with ripe tannins, lively acids, and a long, resonant finish. Still an adolescent in terms of development, this might be the most underrated Togni of the decade.

11/4/2021 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 2013 Côte du Rhône from Château des Tours is drinking brilliantly, bursting with aromas of incense, apricot, peaches, griotte cherries and kirsch. Medium-bodied, ample and fleshy, it's sensual and enveloping, with melting tannins and succulent acids, and concluding with a pungently perfumed finish.

10/11/2021 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 2018 Iles Feray is drinking beautifully, bursting from the glass with aromas of blackberries, violets and tapenade, followed by a medium-bodied, seamless and sensual palate that's vibrant and concentrated, with melting tannins and a long, perfumed finish. It's worth a special effort to seek out.

10/10/2021 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 1995 Domaine de Chevalier Blanc must have been an austere wine in its youth, but at age twenty-five, it's beginning to unwind enough to make for very interesting drinking. Offering up aromas of lemon pith, beeswax, pine needles and subtle hints of vanilla pod, it's medium-bodied, deep and incisive, with a satiny attack, it's concentrated, precise, and bone-dry. Patience has been rewarded, and I'm looking forward to my remaining bottles.

10/4/2021 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 2001 Asili is brilliant, and drinking beautifully today after a longish decant. Offering up aromas of cherries and berries mingled with subtle hints of fennel seed and rose petals, it's full-bodied, broad and enveloping, with a layered, concentrated core, ripe tannins and lively acids. Seamless and complete, another five or six years should bring even more textural sumptuousness and refinement, and I'm going to try to be patient with the rest of my case.

10/1/2021 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 1990 La Lagune is a brilliant effort that outperforms in this vintage. Offering up a rich bouquet of blackberries, vine smoke, loamy soil and black truffle, mingled with subtle hints of cigar box, it's medium-bodied, ample and enveloping, with melting tannins, ripe acids and a long, expansive finish. This is an especially velvety, sensuous La Lagune that's à point today.

9/30/2021 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

The 2014 Lynch-Bages is full of promise, offering up a classic bouquet of rich but vibrant blackcurrant fruit mingled with with hints of loamy soil, cedar and vanilla pod. Full-bodied, deep and layered, with an abundance of ripe but youthfully assertive tannin, lively acids, and a long, resonant finish, it will hit its stride in ten to fifteen years. This is a more than merely good Lynch-Bages that represents especially good value in the contemporary marketplace.