4/15/2024 - jviz wrote:

Extremely pleasant and perhaps even more so on day two after it had a chance to fan out.

I favored the 21 of this slightly for its concentration and piercing aromatics, but this has petrol, light honey, and unripe mango. It’s so refreshing, deeply elegant and bright at this stage. It’s also bone dry. I’m a big fan and will look to replace

4/15/2024 - jviz Likes this wine:

This developed nicely over 2-3 hours. Decanting might speed it along, and the wine held up well during that time. Bricked, with red clay and tobacco leaf, somewhat angular but still with ample fruit. I don't see it improving further but it was more than enjoyable.

4/15/2024 - jviz Likes this wine:

Another lovely rendition. This was popped and poured. Rather fruit driven, definitely some olive brine but minimal volatility and somewhat soft structure. This is going to be a great vintage to drink early while more brooding years mature.

4/13/2024 - jviz wrote:

Clean and precise. Focused and expressive of its origin, and no frills. This is classical Chablis.

4/13/2024 - jviz wrote:

From mag. This rendition was pretty youthful. Somewhat firm and a little toasty wood tannin. Kind of pithy too, maybe a little less generous in this format. Alas, more time sideways is needed.

4/13/2024 - jviz wrote:

Very rich and unctuous. Butterscotch and creme brûlée but not overdone, just at its peak and with balanced acidity. Oak is still present but mellowed. Blind, I thought it was a 2010 Corton Charlemagne.

4/13/2024 - jviz wrote:

This has improved in bottle somewhat. It seems as though the vintage was redeemed by winemaking rather than the reverse, that is, this tastes like DP, but it’s a little lacking in concentration and richness, and will never be among the best vintages. Doesn’t hold a candle to 2012

4/12/2024 - jviz wrote:

When it’s on, it’s on. I’ve only had the 89 (and a damaged 88) in the past, but this bottle was reconditioned at the chateau in 11 and to me shows more 86’ character than any other I’ve had from the vintage. Searing tannins slam the gate on an otherwise generous wine! This particular bottle was impressively fresh, and blind guesses centered in 98-01. Partly this owed to the color showing surprisingly youthful. It was also especially red fruited and bricked. More than a little educational.

4/11/2024 - jviz wrote:

Last bottle a year ago. It’s improving. Quite plush for a St. Joseph. Remains rather primary and lactic, with some oak tones on the pop. Give this one more time.

4/9/2024 - jviz wrote:

pours copper in the glass. This bottle was marred by ethyl acetate, very much like the 2016s I've had from Feneuil. I'll try the next one in a restaurant

4/8/2024 - jviz wrote:

Last bottle and it appears to be in pretty good shape. In recent vintages, I have lost my belief in the ability of these wines to age without Oxidizing prematurely. However, this wine was fresh with honey, green to yellow apple with good concentration. It’s a lovely vintage, I just don’t want to take up space on a low hit rate.

4/8/2024 - jviz wrote:

I thought this was marvelous. There is a concentrated cherry note along the midpalate that really stands out, taking this wine up a gear. Balanced and complete, nothing overwrought or out of place. I really enjoyed it.

4/8/2024 - jviz wrote:

Varietally correct, balanced, and simple. Grapefruit citrus with some grassy notes.

4/8/2024 - jviz wrote:

Very challenging blind in this ripe vintage with showy alcohol. It gave me some Nicolas Joly vibes with the botrytis and heat on the front of the palate. One taster guessed California blind. I might stick to this producer in cooler vintages where possible.

4/8/2024 - jviz wrote:

This was fine, pleasant, fairly generous sugars for a kabinett. I thought it improved with air but I would prefer a little more concentration and exoticism. The profile was otherwise in my wheelhouse, but I’ll be buying the trockens henceforth.

4/8/2024 - jviz wrote:

This wine is already entering its tertiary phase based on this bottle. Red fruited, muscular, rustic, even a little angular, the bouquet shows leather and potpourri. To me, the wine is ready to drink now and over the next 5-10 years. I don’t think it will dry out, but giving off 93 vibes.

4/8/2024 - jviz wrote:

Thought this was outstanding for the level. Not quite the concentration or mineral of a Keller Von der Fels but clearly cut from a similar cloth, expressing all kinds of tropical fruit notes, ample cut, and a light dose of petrol. Very tasty

4/7/2024 - jviz wrote:

I thought this was very good. A melange of candied red to black fruit and soil, this had a very authentic presentation, with some meaty, peppery almost Syrah-like traits. It pours really dark for a 21, but without the grippy structure of his 2019 corcelette. I found this more than ready to enjoy now.

4/6/2024 - jviz wrote:

Really excellent. Drinks like a blanc des blancs, with ample richness, cupcake batter, and green apple. This has improved over the last year in bottle.

4/6/2024 - jviz wrote:

This was really excellent, and in my opinion, a lovely point in its drinking window. Totally open and aromatic, with a prominent cinnamon stick note. Red fruited, with dusty cocoa coating the finish. Really delicious. It actually has quite of bit of runway ahead, but very much in balance today

4/3/2024 - jviz wrote:

This bottle was advanced, with golden color and early oxidation. Natural cork looked fine, no seepage. Looks like a legit case of premox in this bottle.

4/1/2024 - jviz wrote:

This wine was really good. Best on day one by a long shot, but red fruited with ample spice. Muscular, almost gevrey styled, and somewhat rustic. Maybe a little bit of stem, but really tasty and impressive overall wine at its level. I believe it was Kelley who said this wine is the best value in the lineup, and that shows with this bottle.

4/1/2024 - jviz wrote:

Light golden color. Lovely petrol note on the immediate pop that lingered with the wine for 2 days. It has yellow apple, somewhat showy alcohol at 13.5, snappy acidity and a high pitched herbaceous note, celery perhaps. This was very good, but not at the level of a 17 Veyder Malburg a week or two ago.

4/1/2024 - jviz wrote:

Another lovely bottle. Bright, fresh, very low pH, grassy and acidic with key lime and underripe nectarine. Again, nice minerals and focus..

4/1/2024 - jviz Likes this wine:

This was nice! Pleasant and clean. Nothing too "natural" which one might wonder looking at the label! Green apple and lime zest tones, fresh and not overly complex but more than enjoyable.

3/30/2024 - jviz wrote:

Remains a really consistent and interesting bottle. Not as much snappy acidity from years past, but it makes up for that with increased complexity. A perennial winner in my book

3/30/2024 - jviz wrote:

Really great showing for this wine. It was a remarkably strong 2013 and drinking well. A particularly good bottle it seems, too. This had premier cru weight (next to a 2013 Fourrier Latriceres) but was so nicely balanced, elegant, with a nice finish of Christmas spice. Well integrated and perfumed, this beat my expectations for sure

3/30/2024 - jviz wrote:

I thought this was a fabulous rendition of Marechale. 21s in general seem charming, red fruited, texturally fine grained, with bright acidity and open for business. This wine is no exception, and the note of white pepper is really prominent on the finish. In a lovely spot and I’m going to try and source a few of these.

3/30/2024 - jviz wrote:

Same bottle as Nutty08. Decanted and enjoyed in a Grassl cru over the course of several hours. Extremely dark in the glass, and fairly open aromatics, the best thing here was its silky, polished texture. Violet florals and dark fruits are present. Not overripe and the alcohol and acidity are very well balanced. To my palate, the oak was overly dominant, so much so that another taster and I aren’t sure we would have settled on Pinot blind, with so much makeup concealing varietal character at the moment. I’ve had older DRC a few times and this was an entirely different animal young. Although this isn’t shut down or remotely closed, I think drinking it before the oak has had time to integrate is a shame. It has massive potential though.

3/29/2024 - jviz wrote:

I was so excited to finally try this wine. The 21 was released in advance of 2020, which makes perfect sense tasting the open, expressive nature of this wine against some more brooding and extracted 20s on the table.

This is a study in winemaking. Knowing some of Mr. Kelley’s favorites, I can’t help but think of Rayas with this 21, the orange peel, angostura bitters, wild strawberry and hint of cola. It's delicate and ephemeral on the palate, with a resonant note of white pepper and a lingering finish. Bright acids, supple texture. There is some faint oak present but it’s well tamed. Charming and seductive, I’m 100% sold.

Day two showed further improvement with air. Extremely lifted aromatics with more spice box and sandalwood tones peeking through. The wine is full of character and personality and I’m extremely happy to have a few in my cellar.

3/29/2024 - jviz wrote:

Got my note in before Nutty08! This was a broad shouldered, masculine wine (in contrast to the delicate Hudelot Noellat VR Beaumonts alongside). Notes of eucalyptus and berry compote. Very melded and complete. It has broad shouldered structure and a definite green pepper note. He thinks it will improve, I’m not so sure.

3/29/2024 - jviz wrote:

This bottle also showed best with an hour of air. I’m not a fan of decanting champagne but this certainly has the pressure to handle it if you desire. 60m on lees, 2015 vintage, a blend of PN,PM, and Chardonnay from a 1.5 HA parcel in Congy. The wine opens with notes of yellow apple, cinnamon stick and faint fino sherry. A bit angular on opening, if fans out with 1-2 hours of air. In contrast to the 60m Roises (all Chardonnay) it doesn’t appear to oxidize. Delicious and complete. Just ripe enough and I love the low dose effect. This married well with a huge variety of foods, from oysters, mushrooms, sweetbreads and roasted chicken. Wow.

3/29/2024 - jviz wrote:

This was popped and poured, followed over a couple hours after a long week. Knowing we would finish it, I probably should have decanted.

The bottle was perfectly clean and sound. Sort of a right down the fairway expression. Neither reductive or oxidative, balanced without any overly assertive acidity, pretty regal but there is no significant oak on this wine. That’s been my experience so far with Lafon.

Showing a bit of heat upon opening, and seemed to gain some weight with air, which helped, but more concentration would have been welcomed. This 2018 still felt quite young, and yet, I would drink any others in my cellar over the next 5 years.

3/24/2024 - jviz wrote:

My second time with this wine and just don’t find it all that compelling. Vinous with strawberry but high pitched and less outright tasty than the MV.

3/24/2024 - jviz wrote:

Really showing well today. PnP, notes of milk chocolate with cherry tones. Polished tannins and bolstering acids. What’s not to like?

3/24/2024 - jviz wrote:

Man, I was psyched to try this again. But, compared to tasting it on release, I found it a significant let down. The alcohol is really really showy. It comes across as far more shrill and high pitched than I remembered as a result. It has some of the same honeycomb and lime fruit, but didn’t hit any of the same buttons for me 3 years later.

3/24/2024 - jviz wrote:

Pretty incredible concentration and intensity at the village level. It comes across ripe, but not as much as 16. And less power for sure than the 18 MdT enjoyed a few weeks ago. Still, I was impressed by the bottle. Dripping with concentrated mineral, oozing sliced Anjou pear, maintaining its sense of place. This is a great intro to Raveneau if one is new to the team!

3/24/2024 - jviz wrote:

This wine has seen better days, and it isn’t a storage issue. It has butterscotch and marshmallow tones with high alcohol and doesn’t stand any chance for improvement. There is refined oak still present which is a welcomed feature, preserving balance. Drink yesterday!

3/24/2024 - jviz wrote:

Very nice note below, with which I fully concur. It’s slightly reduced, with some exotic fruits like kiwi, starfuit, a little sliced pear. Very nice for the level with reasonable concentration and no discernible oak. Good buy, and rather quaffable.

3/24/2024 - jviz wrote:

Some smoked meat, sweet fig paste with definite residual sugar and high alcohol. Some nice mineral effect from the oak, which seems to have receded a bit. This is pretty much a dessert wine in my range now, but kind of like a summer blockbuster movie. Action packed, fun to consume, not a ton of depth or substance.

3/24/2024 - jviz Likes this wine:

Served blind. I whiffed, but that always happens with Sangiovese. This had red cherry, a healthy dose of spice and tea leaves. Approachable structure and vibrant acidity. Good complexity and highly aromatic. Very nice wine.

3/24/2024 - jviz wrote:

This wine is a little beyond its optimal drinking peak in my opinion. Drank next to a 2018 PYCM Le Banc, this felt slightly richer but a tad flabby in comparison. Nectarine and stone fruit, quite a bit of honey. High pH. Marshmallow notes peeking in. Time to drink up. I’ll pull my last bottle out of storage.

3/24/2024 - jviz wrote:

Crisp mineral notes with lemon pith and sea spray. Bright acidity, moderate concentration. Somewhat austere.

3/24/2024 - jviz wrote:

Second look at this wine and I’d revise my view a little. This was WOTN over a 16 Ramonet Boudriotte. It wasn’t close. It’s a highly reduced style without any overt sulfuric notes. It drank well from the PnP over several hours, and plainly, this is an outstanding wine and value. I found it very youthful, unevolved with sliced pear and pickled ginger. Crisp acidity for an 18 with good concentration. Every time I taste an 18 lately my impression of the vintage improves.

3/24/2024 - jviz wrote:

Looks smells and tastes like a Langhe Nebbiolo, but apparently is not. Transparent cranberry color, the palate is marked by cherry with a bit of VA and shoe polish. Firm tannins are present. Fun drink

3/23/2024 - jviz wrote:

Very pleasant, 50/50 PN:PM with 0g/L, no sulfur, aged in oak foudres. This is eerily similar to Prevost Les Beguines - it is marked by ripe blue fruit and conceals its brut nature identity with that candied fruit tone. Lovely acidity and concentration, I enjoyed it alot

3/23/2024 - jviz wrote:

Beautiful wine. This concentration, minerality and elegance are all on display. This isn’t quite as fine yet as the 2019 was but I’m glad to follow a few bottles.

3/23/2024 - jviz wrote:

Balanced and suave, somewhat round and a nicely complete wine. Not as much complexity as say an Egly VP, but it trends in that direction. Very nice.

3/23/2024 - jviz wrote:

This was delightful. Far more elegant than I expected. Lighter in body, with purple florals and spice to go along with the briny olive note. Impeccably balanced and not lacking in substance, but more ethereal than I was expecting for such a young St. Joseph.

3/22/2024 - jviz wrote:

Pleasant and crisp, subject to the hay/peanut butter note that is sometimes present in the 2020 vintage. Nice verve and good concentration and purity. I’d happily order this at a restaurant. Good QPR.