4/21/2024 - SARED wrote:

93-94. Pop and pour. Leans tart red fruit: 40% red cherry / 60% sour cherry/sour strawberry, bergamot, black tea, rosewood. Medium bodied, extremely elegant. Clean, lightly polished, very fine tannins, very smooth. Slightly mouth puckering acidity and then modestly drying woodsy on the finish, suggesting (I think) more time to age this is warranted. Very drinkable but would be better with a cheese. My last note called out tannin as prominent, and here it was acidity. Tempted to slow-O the next one overnight and see what nature brings. 93-94

4/20/2024 - SARED wrote:

Had a pleasant sweet tart tension on open, with tart cherry. Something angular about it. With more air, the wine became more angular and the fruit roasted. I didn't pick up TCA on the nose (I am TCA sensitive), but I don't think this was a correct bottle.

4/15/2024 - SARED Likes this wine:

Out of a 375. Tasted like a barrel sample on open, big and oaky. Transformed with a couple hours decant, with a nose showing some olive and berry, and a palate with stoney raspberry, red currant, plum skin, cedary spice. Didn't show the 14.5% alc as the wine was drunk slightly cool (which added to the stoniness on the palate). I like where this Jamet is headed - but it certainly needs many years to get out of this adolescent stage, as its neither complex at this stage nor showing the youthful fruit on its nose or palate. But I am certain to love this when it reaches its final destination. 94-95 potential.

4/14/2024 - SARED Likes this wine:

Lovely wine. Like a mature claret (78 DDC comes to mind), mixed with a mature rioja (98 Bodegas Hermanos comes to mind, which itself has a Bordeaux sensibility about it) and mature CDP (2001 vintage comes to mind). Full of rounded red fruit that is both ripe and mature at the same time, with some complexity added from spiced figs. Doesn't have the "feta cheese" I've gotten from Economou's base wines in the past, with this wine being cleaner, redder fruited and slightly larger bodied. Congrats to Economou!

I remember seeing this wine in tanks when I visited Economou in 2017, and the thought it would reach new quality and price points. Certainly a success on both fronts! If this was $100 (like it is in Europe), this would be a great option. At $150, it feels a bit much. But nonetheless a great wine, a great blind wine, and its ready to be drunk now. *EDIT* Also interesting to see other notes referring to this wine as a blend of more common regions! Fun wine.

4/14/2024 - SARED wrote:

Unfortunately this wine has shut down, and giving a couple hours of air couldn't redeem it. Off the open, slightly austere. With some coaxing, there was strawberry water, red cherry, bitter cherry pits and a long finish. Very light on the palate, yet a very long finish. Med+ bodied. Fruit was a bit high toned, jarring with the bitter cherry pits. I blinded a couple somms on the wine and they guessed ("shut down wine from a strong producer in an off vintage of barolo/barbaresco")... did they cheat!? At this point, I feel the wine will benefit from a few years, putting on weight as the fruit darkens and becomes more balsamic with age. A bit of a bummer because I really loved a bottle two months ago!

4/12/2024 - SARED Likes this wine:

95-96. Double decanted in the AM, drank in evening. Nose was pouring out of the glass. Wears its labeled 15% alc like something lower (I would guess 14.5%). Great transparency of fruit and complexity on the palate. This is going to be a hauntingly good wine in another 10 years, when the fruit fades to more complexity and the tannins melt further - 96 potential.

4/12/2024 - SARED wrote:

93-94 Reportedly the best value buy of the 2019 vintage. Double decanted in AM and this may have shut down the wine a little bit in the evneing. Med+ acids, and good balance of fruit of tannin. I did not get the filigree precision of a top wine, although this will certainly be better in 10 years.

4/10/2024 - SARED wrote:

A different showing here. Slow-O’d from night before with an added shake for air in the bottle. Served too cool a temp. Here the wine was taut, red currants, stoney red fruits and generally cooler fruits with good acids. I opened this for a Napa drinker and the wine was not Napa esque… needed food. air and temp clearly played a role here versus prior showings. Based on today, I would say give this 10 years to start showing more complexity as that youthful fruit was more easily masked by cool (albeit too cool) temps this go around.

4/9/2024 - SARED wrote:

92-93 Lots of phenolic material, ripe and somewhat grapey. But lots of redeeming freshness to balance it out. Nit my preferred style of wine, but I am curious how it may age given nice freshness.

4/9/2024 - SARED wrote:

I found this wine hard to drink. Heavy, syrupy, lacking freshness, alcoholic. Lots of phenolic material redeems the score. 88-90

4/7/2024 - SARED Likes this wine:

93-94. Drank out of Grassl Cru. The nose is phenomenal, one of the rare wines that I am happy sniffing and not drinking. On the palate it was mineral, lemon, salty. A Meursault crossed with bigger fruit from an Aligote. A great wine to open up with a non-wine geek to show a wine that has complexity. A safe wine to open with a variety of seafood. Better on the chilled side (don't let warm up to room temp while drinking through).

4/7/2024 - SARED wrote:

More chiseled than 2018. Lemon, lemon curd, fresh grapefruit, salty salinity

4/4/2024 - SARED wrote:

Double decanted in AM. I fear this got too much air, as the nose was quite mute at dinner. Perhaps going through a dumb phase?

3/16/2024 - SARED wrote:

Nose is just gorgeous right now. At peak.

3/16/2024 - SARED wrote:

Better in 15 years. Has the material that deserves to be given the distance. 94-95 with time.

3/16/2024 - SARED wrote:

Starts opening after 2 hours of air, better with more. 94-95. Upon open the nose was fairly clean, but picked up tones of sweat earth over time.

3/9/2024 - SARED wrote:

92/93

Pure red fruit, lower 12% alcohols, glassy acids, minerality, a kiss of sweetness. This bottle was highly aromatic with watermelon and spice, with stoney, ripe dark cherry, watermelon, green watermelon rind, gently tannic, slightly bitter/austere on the finish, with med+ acid (others may not like the finish as much as I did)

3/7/2024 - SARED wrote:

Very pure fruited and transformed in the glass. On open it was crunchy strawberry and red raspberry, with air it picked up violets, black cherry and black raspberry. Extremely primary, vivid fruit. Very clean and pure. Reminds me of what Oregon pinot could be, if it was made in Burgundy (this vivid fruit also has spice, slightly more concentration and ?layers? you don’t find in Oregon). There is value in Beaune.

3/5/2024 - SARED wrote:

I think a value sweet spot in the portfolio (although I have yet to try the Vosne village). Cedar woodspice, raspberries, green strawberry, lavender, black cherry and cream with some bitter cherry pits on the finish. Has tension of fuzzy ripe and medium ripe fruits. Will lay down the rest for 5 years and hope the cedar notes integrate a little (I didn’t get that note on Brulees last year).

3/2/2024 - SARED wrote:

89-90

3/1/2024 - SARED wrote:

Not scored. I found this wine really hard to assess in youth. Decanted for 3 hours, and best glass was an hour into the bottle. Reticent nose. Very black fruited and savory graphite - no fruit and no hints of anything red. A lot of fine tannin interwoven throughout. A bit glossy. At the very end, a little bit of blueberry and red cherry could be perceived. VERY different animal than the 2019 was (red fruited, full, billowy and a little Napa-esque). I wonder if this is what the 2005 was like in youth? I get that same profile of elegance here. Makes me think... next bottle in 5-10 years. I also kind of want to blend this with the 2019...

2/29/2024 - SARED wrote:

91-92. hot 2009 year with warmth, spice. a lot of VA on the nose. otherwise elegantly made with dark red fruit. would like to try again in a cooler year perhaps 2013 or so.

2/29/2024 - SARED wrote:

93-94 Needed 30 min decant to blow off some stinky reduction and open palate a little bit. 94 on nose, 92 palate, 95-96 long finish. I don't 'get' Roulot.. so fine boned to make you blink and miss it.

2/15/2024 - SARED wrote:

PNP and drinking incredibly well (better than the bottle I had in 2023). Valentine’s Day wine. Burlotto is consistent, producing great wine in any vintage - and cleaner than his peers (I don’t recall having a Monvigliero with pronounced VA?). From the hot 2018 vintage, this was elegant and light footed, with red cherry, red strawberry, fresh rose petal and tarry tannins - on a medium bodied frame. Reminded me of a cross between Nebbiolo, Wasenhaus and Burgundy. Red, crystalline, gently tarry tannin. The wine tastes better closer to cellar temp than room temp, cooling the fruit and adding some stoniness (betraying the warm year). A shame how pricey these have become. 95-96 for me.

2/10/2024 - SARED wrote:

Tight and fruity on open. Picked up oxidative notes after 30 minutes. Best glass was just before it was finished after 2 hours of air where the fruit and complexity started to get married together.

2/3/2024 - SARED wrote:

Decanted a few hours prior. Very pretty midweight barolo with red cherry, florals, red rose, and svelte tannins. Pretty tannic in midpalate and finish. Did not need food. ZW93/95. At times a complete wine, at others more tannic without offsetting concentration. Defer to others on how long to age this one, but certainly has the structure to go many years longer. Great wine from the difficult 2014 vintage.

1/27/2024 - SARED wrote:

Very tannic. Wait 10 years. Needed cheese (pepperjack worked well).

Double decanted in AM and tasted in evening. Still improved with air in the glass - would do a full decant the next time. Dark berries, plum, cherry. A kiss of sucrosity but not overripe. Dense with nice freshness. Subtle notes of tobacco, smoke, rose. Lots of tannin in midpalate and finish, that dominates.

1/27/2024 - SARED wrote:

Double decanted. Oaky cherry lollipop that picked up some pomegranate nots with more air. Big wine. A good substitute for a sub $40 cab, rioja. 90-91.

1/20/2024 - SARED wrote:

I liked this wine, although wouldn’t pay current market ask for it. A bit ripe.

1/13/2024 - SARED wrote:

Has upside

1/10/2024 - SARED wrote:

Enjoyable aligote

1/6/2024 - SARED wrote:

94. 94-95 potential. Elegant red cherry fruit and med+ acidity. Very tannic. Lighter bodied and very tannic. Better with charcuterie and cheese board at this stage, to soften the tannin load.

1/5/2024 - SARED wrote:

Won’t hit highs of Figeac this vintage. Which means I underscored Figeac.

1/2/2024 - SARED wrote:

Double decanted a few hours in advance... but still transformed in the glass/bottle in the next couple of hours. Would give this an open air decant or more time.

1/2/2024 - SARED Likes this wine:

Strikes me as old meets new. Very vibrant/concentrated/polished/sleek... but with excellent balance, precision, freshness, and savory complexity. Enjoyed a 94 now in youth, but I suspect this has 96 potential over time. 95-96?

375ml decanted for 3 hours at cellar temp. Mouthwatering cassis, pencil shavings, tobacco, cherry, lilac, red currant, vanilla. Focused acids and ultra fine tannin. Feels 13.5-14% (label is 14%). No sign of alcohol. Very sleek and polished. Precise. Loads of red currant, pencil shavings and drying cassis. Med+ body. Long finish. More savory & complex, than sweet, supported by perfect balance of mouthwatering acid and polished tannin. Would like to try this again with camembert or brie. No idea what a sleek wine like this ages into with 30 years time, but the balance is impeccable and I certainly look forward to following this wine over time.

12/23/2023 - SARED wrote:

89-90
White grape, ripe bruised apple, med+ acid
Pleasant for a BTG albeit on the riper juicier side

12/20/2023 - SARED wrote:

I wanted to get a look at the 2018 Cappellano Rupestris before I went dry again. Conclusion? Cappellano is on a roll. Another “top of a difficult vintage” wine.

Double decanted earlier in the day. Translucent dark red and magenta. Wood spice and dried florals on the nose. Rose, dried rose petals. Fresh dark red cherries, red raspberry with tarry overtones and mineral complexity. Picks up a bit of black cherry ludens with more air. Crystalline and clean in the mouth. A layer of fine structure on the finish. Polished with ludens cough drops, yet translucent. Power without weight. A classic barolo with all of that cherry, rose and tar. I would be confused to call this year blind (reminds me a bit of 2019 Burlotto and 2017 Rupestris). I don’t know when peak is for this wine (10 years)? Certainly earlier drinking than 2015, 2016 and maybe 2017. And no crime to open one now (with a double decant).

12/7/2023 - SARED Likes this wine:

Somewhat open, but not ready. Earth and red berries on the nose. Palate strikes me as having put on weight and chalkiness on the texture, but not seamless acids. Will be great in 5 years is my wildly uneducated guess. Love the direction. 93-95 potential.

12/2/2023 - SARED wrote:

For my daughters 2nd birthday in 2018, I tried put a couple of $25-30 bourgogne. The winner was 2016 @domaine_meo_camuzet bourgogne. It was balanced, layered and smooth. Trying my next bottle 5 years later, and the balance, smoothness and freshness remains. More sweet than I remember, but still Burgundy. Dark cherry and pomegranate. Now a $60 wine on WS. ZW90. My old tasting note from 2018 said “89-90 and would benefit from some age”. Backtesting track record of 100%

11/29/2023 - SARED wrote:

Relatively tight after an hour decant. Pure fruited. 95/96 potential. Try again in 5 years?

11/28/2023 - SARED wrote:

Great drop, but really needs to be kept cool or it feels flabby with more pronounced tropical notes.

11/28/2023 - SARED wrote:

Lovely rich flavor profile. Wish it were slightly more chiseled though.

11/28/2023 - SARED wrote:

Did not get the same expressiveness with this bottle. Double decanted and not open decanted. Also did no favors by following the 1989 PLL.

11/28/2023 - SARED wrote:

Double decanted in AM and drank in PM. Lovely and more expressive on palate than prior bottle which was pop and poured.

11/26/2023 - SARED wrote:

91 now, with potential for 92+. Out of 375ml, pop and pour. 15 minutes to open up. Ethereal weight carries vivid red cherry, pink strawberry and smooth med+ acids. True power (14%) without weight. Translucent ruby red in the glass. Gently drying tannin on the finish. Cherry takes on a candied note with more air, a little jolly rancher-ish. I'd love to see this in 5 years when the tannins have softened further, but this is surprisingly quaffable now. Will be an excellent pour for non-geeks (red cherry notes, quaffable) while interesting to geeks (lighter bodied). Wondering how the candied note evolves..

11/24/2023 - SARED wrote:

89-90. Dark fruit, big fruit, dark in the glass. Blackberry, black currants, bing cherry. Plum skin. Fresh glassy acids. Mostly smooth finish. 90 on its own, 89 rusticity showed up with food, with a harsher finish.

11/23/2023 - SARED wrote:

Enjoyable. Best at cellar temp.

11/22/2023 - SARED Likes this wine:

92-93. A bit different than I remember a couple years ago. Red cherry, dark cherry, raspberry, a slight dark green note that never fully shakes away, lifted acids, and some subtle drying tannins at the end. Very enjoyable, and the subtle drying tannin leads to me think no rush on these and give them a couple more years.

11/18/2023 - SARED wrote:

91-92 pop and pour. Simple cherry, cranberry, cranapple. A wisp of flower petal and pine. Elegant with med acidity. I like how this is aging. Curious if this picks up secondary notes in 3 years. Label 13%, I would guess 13.5%

11/17/2023 - SARED wrote:

One of the better Napa I have had, but brutally young. Would like to see this in 10,15,20 years to better assess. Felt more balanced/fresh/poised than typical Napa juice, but I shall disagree with you all saying it's not a crime to open one now (it is!). Will definitely buy Roy's 2023s if offered, given the vintage rep for cooler temps and alcohols.