1/11/2015 - Billigan Likes this wine:

Much more accessible and integrated than the 2009, with the alcohol more firmly in check. Gorgeous charcoal and florals on the nose and rich but balanced on the palate. Would be a killer ringer in a lineup of 2010 CDPs, as it's definitely more in the CDP register despite the CDR designation.

11/6/2014 - terroir junkie Likes this wine:

Medium to dark ruby red in color, with a more crystalline appearance than the Malbec.

Aromas of sour cherries; black peppercorn; an invited green steminess; a whiff of flower petals smashed underfoot. A primal, old-world bouquet with little to no presence of barrel. Pretty and even more feminine than big sister Malbec just for comparison's sake.

The palate is fresh and delicious with small red berry fruit; red wine-poached pears; black pepper for days; distant barnyard and again a hint of flower shop. Light of body; perfectly balanced; very feminine and innocent, but with an inner strength at its core like a young skinny country girl wielding a large sword with confidence and impressive skill.

Finishes respectably-not with weight-but a pleasant lingering trueness that will keep you thinking of it long after you've shaken every drop from the bottle.

The wonderful terroir in these Mérieau reds is like a trip to the French countryside, and at $15 for the Gamay and $25 for the Malbec there's just too much to like here. I'll be revisiting these multiple times and will definitely seek out forthcoming vintages.

7/24/2014 - doctornoah wrote:

A lot of overwrought reviews, methinks, for a basic, nice Pinot. Would not confuse this with a 1ere cru of any note. More of a Sonoma IPOB feel - good acidity, well balanced, good fruit but not overextracted. Missing the depth of a better wine and more of a fun anomaly but not worth it for almost $40...

4/3/2015 - chablis28 wrote:

Wowed me less tonight but Dalluge wasn't around. When Dave pours an Arterberry Maresh they're amazing :). This is my first glass of wine since last Friday night after finally defeating my 1st cold in at least 3 years. Drank it, enjoyed Friday night and didn't over think the wine except, this btl wasn't wowing me like the previous. 12.8% alc.

3/12/2014 - chablis28 wrote:

PnP into a Burg glass worked perfectly. Awesome nose. My wife loved it! We had consummed this btl by the time dinner was done and it was a perfect match with mixed grill. So tasty and so facinating! Everytime I drink a Tempier Bandol, which isn't all that often, I ask myself, "why don't I own more of these???" This is almost always one of the more characterful and terroir driven wines we drink. This '04 is no exception and one of the best I've had to date. Tremendous length and depth of flavor on a vibrant youthful frame. Has that wet stone minerality I remember a great btl of '92 Henri Bonneau Celestions showing a while back. This wine is somewhat bigger then most Burgs I drink and yet feels weightlessly fresh and ethereal. At nearly10yrs old this is now drinking very very well but shows great youthful vigor and color. Very happy to own a couple more andwill likely buy a couple more still. Wish this could still be had at $28 I paid but I'm betting its still sub $50 and a complete steal at anything under $50. This doesn't have the mass market appeal of CDP, which I love too but, frankly its a much more interesting wine than most CDP and can be had for as low as $35-$40 on release.

7/31/2008 - guitarguy wrote:

I am sad to see our last bottle go bye-bye. Memories of Chez Franks (Francois) in Geneva, IL where we discovered this wine. Thanks Betsy. Although this is 100% Chenin Blanc, it could have some Char and Sauvignon in it judging by the flavor profile. Wonderful acidity reminiscent of Chablis, a nose of butterscotch, orange marmalade and lemon peel. Flavors of wonderful lemon curd, orange peel and Indian spice. I hope to find a more recent vintage. This wine is showing its age, the wine has changed to nearly orange in color instead of lighter yellow.

8/22/2014 - nortonnose wrote:

Similar to my June tasting below

8/15/2014 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine:

Medium-to-deep garnet in color with some bricking at the rim, this well-cellared bottle is fully mature and ready for the taking. A core of dark bramble fruit has a supporting cast of garrigue, anise and loamy earth. Medium-bodied, freshly acidic, seamlessly alcoholic (13.5%) and with melted tannins, it retains a silky mouth texture throughout the middle palate. On the back end, it concludes long and a bit tart. No time like the present for this one! Drink now-2015.

7/5/2014 - lord of blasphemy Likes this wine:

Marine, briny, and umami flavors with brandy-like candied fruit. As I understand it, this is the only traditional fino on the market. Modern finos are made by filtering out the flor yeast before bottling. Traditional finos were made by adding brandy before bottling to kill the flor yeast. I love the light-bodied, modern fino style, but this wine was wonderful too.

There is no question in my mind that sherry offers the best QPR of all wines. A better question is whether sherry is simply the best wine in the world. Maybe.

3/4/2011 - tvinoronquillo wrote:

Jean-Claude Mouton own less than 2 hectares of vines in the southern most vineyards (Coteaux de Semons and Corps de Loup) of the Côte-Rôtie right on the border of Condrieu though he uses very little if any Viognier in his red wine. The soil is made up of loose granite. The grapes are almost always completely destalked and fermentation last about 3 weeks in stainless steel tanks with manual pigeage and pumping-over. The wine is then aged over 18 months in 225-228 liter cask, 50% of them are new and the others are 2-3 years old.

1/13/2013 - bestdamncab Likes this wine:

Closed at first, tasted direct from cellar at Silver Oak with staff, deep dark red color, black cherry and licorice and hints of smoke on the nose, opened slowly over the next hour, improved, needs 3 to 6 years to show its best, medium/long finish. blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc.

10/17/2013 - kanjimoti wrote:

From half bottle, closed for business. There's no way a wine of this pedigree is this boring. Look for the 09 Doisy-Verdrines to maybe start to open sometime in 2016, perhaps later.

10/9/2013 - kanjimoti wrote:

I've waited many moons to drink this as I bought two bottles upon release, opening the first probably within the first month. Not much bricking here and the color is holding up its dark purple robe. On the nose the bright deep red cherries are holding on nicely, still precise showing almost no effect of time, balanced fairly well by a bit too much oak for my taste. Missing for me here are any tertiary aromas I thought time would bring. In the mouth the tannins are silky with the finish dominated by the oak. A tad new world for me and agree with Roentgen there is a subtle streak of astringency here. I will say though that time has allowed most of the components in this wine to coalesce into something more than it was when I first tasted this. As the years have passed I am leaning towards less oak, less manipulation, more old world, and in Rioja I look to is the Rioja Alta, the Bodega that goes by that name in particular. The Muga, meanwhile is still going strong and I think will drink well for another five years.