12/24/2023 - Dulcie and Aylwin wrote:

Although the wine had been open a considerable time, I still found it to be somewhat closed in. Thinking my palate was just not up to the task this particular evening. Clearly a wine that people have a high regard for.

10/20/2022 - rdsboca wrote:

Grossman gets one

2/4/2022 - csimm wrote:

Quite elegant and sophisticated, with a silky-smooth texture that glides across the palate effortlessly, the 2013 Les Chetillons carries a magnificence in posture and stride that is at first remarkably understated but also stylish and exceptionally polished. Airy but persistent in its unfolding of creamy lemon, almond paste, fresh ginger, olive oil, and slick white travertine flavors, this is indeed a Champagne of elusive majesty and focused administration of its measurements. For such a buoyant being, there is distinguished depth and persuasive penetration. There is too a seductiveness here, which is heightened by the velvetiness of the fine finish, misting the yellow citrus core with calcite and sea spray notes. 94-95+ points. This is beautiful now and will also age gracefully over the next decade+.

Be not nervous by my seemingly delicate adjectives used to describe this Champagne; there is perfect equilibrium, with judicious cut, frame, and the most precise bead of effervescence to energize the whole production. I would certainly caution those looking for a straight powerhouse of a bubbly with more of a slap-you-silly temperament. The Chetillons doesn’t have that kind of overt heft and is not that kind of bully. Food emphasized that sense even more, as this was paired with a smoked salmon chowder, which worked well but wasn’t ideal given the weight of the dish. Less of an eggs, cheese, or heavier seafood type of Champagne, the Chetillons might marry best with Suzuki/Sea Bass or Yellowtail sashimi, or a steamed halibut soaked in lemon water.

2013 Vintage. Blanc de Blanc Chardonnay, Extra Brut Grand Cru. 2g/L dosage. March 1, 2019 disgorgement. Les Chetillons vineyard.

12/29/2021 - Cabernet4me2 Likes this wine:

This was a very enjoyable bottle and see no hurry in drinking.

It was not decanted, but opened 1 hour before and then consumed over the next 3 hours.

There is no sense in trying to re-invent the wheel, that being said think the notes given on 1/22/20 by Snag One are pretty spot on, I did feel like there was some undertones of purple fruit like some stewed prunes helping balance out the more red fruit domination after some good air time in glass.

All in all a Solid wine at the price paid, and think these have at least another 5+ years .. and depending on when you might catch it.. might pop a point higher, but solid 91 tonight.

8/4/2021 - Neecies Likes this wine:

"Like it" just isn't strong enough. This is one of the most captivating young Napa cabernets I can remember having--impeccable balance and sophistication without an overload of oak or other manipulations. It earns the scores. Btw, I read thru all the notes here before deciding how to prep it and decided to err on the side of a splash decant. The result of pouring off (yes there was some sediment) 80% of it, filtering the remainder then adding all back to the cleaned bottle and recorking about two hours before service was perfect. The wine was fresh and accessible, and we drank it over two hours without the tannins clamping down. Outstanding.

7/11/2021 - Frank Murray III wrote:

Disgorged March 2018. 100% Chardonnay, no dosage. This is drinking great. Spicy apple, grapefruit, dried herb. Just a kiss of toast remains in the finish, along with some lemon oil and a touch of saline. Time to move onto the 2013 soon.

7/3/2021 - Beachfan wrote:

Nothing remarkable, too much dosage, while a reasonable value, rather have a Loire white than this.

5/21/2021 - Cabernet4me2 Likes this wine:

This Bella Union was much improved from the last bottle opened, it definitely seems to be coming together, and think another 6 months to a Year, might even be a point or two better.

5/17/2021 - Jahull03 wrote:

for me, consistently a great "early drinker" vineyard in a vintage that's been super-accessible early. I may never have the chance to taste one of these 'properly aged' - can't keep my hands off.

4/25/2021 - J @ y H @ c k Likes this wine:

I think this has entered a dumb phase, although the four other diners liked it more than I did. It was toasty brioche with some lemon acidity, but not as expressive as I expected. Purchased three years ago from a retailer. I like the Comtes style a lot and this seemed more subdued that the other bottles of the 2006 Comtes that I have has, so I recommend keeping hands off for a few years - preferably five.

12/13/2020 - wine-enthusiast Likes this wine:

46 was very purple. Indistinct black and red fruits. Tannic, very primary still. Lots of fleshiness. will try some more on Sunday.

Decanted and hour- not enough. Potential is there.

3/19/2021 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Rose dinner at Chaoshan: 55% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache, 20% Cinsault. First time trying the benchmark rose, surprisingly most didn't care for this at the start. Strong scent of onion peel and raspberries, lots of tropical fruits on the palate. To me it lacked character and didn't have anything to distinguish it from a 4 euro supermarket rose. It improved with air though to put on more weight and complexity towards the end of dinner, so maybe it just needs more time.

3/8/2021 - csimm wrote:

The 2018 Fingers Crossed Off the Record White Wine is Off-The-Chain exquisite. White and yellow peach, lemon confit, unripe mango, lime rind, quince jelly, kumquat, and honeycomb flavors Heidi Klum-sashay down the palate runway with both class and ethereal complexity. Here too is a broad-shouldered ‘if Fred Astaire beefed-up and hit the Peloton’ buoyancy that speaks to smart balance but also captivating jubilation; it’s a full-bodied and built gym rat, but also one that unquestionably knows how to dance. No doubt, the 72% Roussanne takes center stage with its core display of peachy Rhone fruit, but there is added lift from the remaining Chardonnay and Viognier components that provide Meursault-esque body and determination. Most importantly, this wine possesses a poise and accord that skirts Frankenstein asynchronization syndrome; the parts make sense and translate into not just a cerebral muse but similarly one of bangin’ honeylicious liquid pleasure.

This now-second installment of the Fingers Crossed white wine remarkably avoids the fried plantain pool boy aftertaste that can bubble-up on many foreign and domestic Rhone whites. There is a tropical tincture here, but its full aggregate essence remains healthily dry and sans confection or the often-over-ripe bruised banana stand aftertaste. The honeyed sense of this wine is also tempered by its judicious grip, completely dodging a saccharine gummy bear mouthfeel. Instead, you’ll simply find one of the best expressions of California Rhone white out there.

Decanted for three hours (and probably could’ve used a couple hours more), with the perception of booze on the finish lingering for the first two hours, but eventually burning off to reveal more glorious flavor expansion. For those holding your precious one bottle, I’d continue to do so for another year or two to further integrate some of its back end brawn. 97-99+ points.

PS: And speaking of bottles… I’ve read a few griping-gut posts about the somewhat unique shape of the bottle and how that is causing first-world storage problems for stymied collectors McEnroeing about their inability to Jenga their way into the geometry of idling their cherished glass cozies. Though I empathize with such a grinder of a dilemma, and certainly not to Nietzsche myself all over others’ conundrumcopias, I find myself championing for the stick-to-itiveness of these surprisingly divisive bottles. I’m all for ‘em. I say keep ‘em going. Make ‘em even more rock star. I personally find them to be classy and unique, complimenting the totality of the presentation. And hey, it even comes with a fancy box so you can humblebrag your acquisition to all your friends. So cast my vote in the ‘Aye’ box. Does it make the juice taste better? Of course not. But it adds a smidge of rad factor to what is already an awesome wine. I know, I know…You live in an apartment in New York and have no room; your mom won’t let you get another wine refrigerator; you forgot to tell Ty Pennington to factor-in Champagne-sized bottles when you won Extreme Makeover: Wine Cellar Edition… I get it…. kind of……

2/4/2021 - Immigrator Likes this wine:

Perhaps I assumed G2 would be a lesser wine than the JBV, Bone Rock, and other well established Saxum offerings, but I am startled at how good this one is.

Ripe red, blue, and black fruit, spice notes, excellent balance/structure and mouthfeel with a medium/firm tannic bite, and an ultra long finish. I've got 11 bottles left to contemplate for the next several years, but am glad to know that this one is a real winner.

12/27/2020 - Crawfordesquire Likes this wine:

opened for about an hour.
lots of pepper-white,black, pick your color.
strong oak on the nose, well balanced wine. similar to my previous note.
id say this has about 6-8 years left depending on the style you prefer.

12/3/2020 - fdub Likes this wine:

Powerful and intense but showing nice balance to the fruit.

11/25/2020 - samiamx_1999 wrote:

Popped and poured sans food to get a read on the buy and whether to put it down or not. The nose is of average expanse and features typical chalky, dusty, Napa Cab notes. The attack is quite pleasant, more than usual fruit for many a Napa Cab. The mouth feel has good acid but is rather linear, nothing mouth coating herein. As one continues down the bottle, the fine tannins do fill that void. But they are not aggressive and remain sufficiently at bay to make this a drink now, with or without food, or put it down wine. A year or two and/or decanting would improve it, but not a disastrous infanticide should one be too impatient ; ) An overall win on the QPR front.

11/21/2020 - pakabear Likes this wine:

Intense citrus, rocky minerality, lemon, yellow apple, white flowers, blue stone, great balance and purity. Probably needs 2-3 years to settle down at this point, it should drink well for a decade.

11/18/2020 - cbuhlman wrote:

This is a luxury cuvee of Napa Cab, but as I said on a previous note, many of these Carter Cellars wines are not food friendly. This OG is way too flamboyant, sweet and rich to pair with food. I mean the palate weight is unreal as well as the finish, which is easily, 2+ minutes long. (complaining about the richness and purity of this wine reminds me of the Snowbird ad campaign where they posted critical reviews tongue in cheek, of their terrain being "too steep" and "way too much powder")
I am beginning to reconsider my thoughts about the Carter cellars style, they are impeccably made, and delicious, but maybe as a Bordeaux lover, who values the relationship between wine and food, I will never be able to reconcile this dilemma.
Perhaps these wines calm down in another 5-10 years...
Love to know what others are thinking..
I said I cannot rate this wine, but will offer two ratings instead. I did not mention this wine was paired with steak au poivre, roasted potatoes and a beet salad)
98-100 drinking one+ glass on its own.
88-89 with food.

11/15/2020 - csimm wrote:

A county fair carny’s confection cart of churro, funnel cake, cotton candy, and kettle corn overwhelm the otherwise throbbing, syrupy blackberry smoothie core. Making for a glycerin-jolted coconut spray tan experience on the palate the likes of which any chub-club kid would salivate pools of goo over, the EABA makes its initial mark as the End All Be All in savory debauchery and saweeeet pie-in-the-face excess with unabashed disposition. Unless you’re looking for a mile-high-10,000-buzzes-a-second methamphetamine gyration on Marilyn Manson’s vaudevillian Tilt-A-Whirl, might I suggest sending this tox-screener to rehab for at least a few years to best assist in overcoming its addiction to mainlining formaldehyde Mountain Dew and molasses slathered pseudoephedrine.

Fret not Andremily loyalists, the EABA stands to get where ya’ll want it to go at some point, but it’s just going to take some serious assimilation of its crushing wood elements to ultimately enable the user to decipher what exactly this wine is trying to “Be.” The EABA’s single varietal Syrah and Mourvèdre siblings are much keener on their respective trajectories in their current states, with acuities that are more delineated and fixated on a deliberate path toward progressive sensibilities and flavor-wisdom. The EABA is perhaps staking an early claim as the black sheep of the family. I’m cautiously optimistic there is a more established savant to come with this present Weeble Wobble. Hiding somewhere underneath its current gawky “Why won’t girls talk to me” formative years awkwardness is a dot-commer just waiting to prove to mom and dad that his gallons of Clearasil and years of harpsichord lessons will actually, somehow, make for a successful entrepreneur. For now, best let the EABA stay locked in its room listening to scratched-up Social Distortion records for the next few years.

A bit of an expansive 92-96+ point range here depending on whether this wine becomes a clocktower kid or the next Howard Hughes.

UPDATE: Ok, so on day 3 it starts to inch into 94++ territory perhaps, with some more delineated notes of licorice, asphalt and road tar, ripe blueberry, and dark chocolate chunk. Still in need of 3-4 years of sleep, but there is better promise here.

10/5/2020 - 2020 wrote:

I must say, this wine disappointed me (again).

Billecart doesn’t print disgorgement, so I’m not sure on the specifics. This however was a bottle from a case of the current release.

Not much character, very minimal nose, with inconsistent/large bubbles that didn’t last long in the glass. It’s hard to find the character of the ‘old vine’ Pinot Noir they talk about that they use to make this wine. I certainly don’t taste it.

If we talk $, this wine is so overpriced now. Money is far better spent on rose from Aubry, Mark Hebrart, Vilmart, Charles Heidsieck, or Laurent Perrier. This B.S. NV is more expensive than vintage rose wines from both Louis Roederer or Pol Roger. Definitely not a value wine with so much better out there for less.

11/1/2014 - sachsen wrote:

NR--first night nose of deep cigar box, tobacco and spice but seemed awful pruney on palate. Seemed to improve after about 45 mins, but most of bottle was recorked for next day. Next day nose was certainly more subdued, but still nice. Previous poster mentioned cola--while I characterize KB as heavy cola, and a MUCH different style than this, I think there is a bit of a cola influence. Not over-sweet though, as lighter cigar box and tobacco and dark cherry dominate. Interesting wine to say the least, but feels like its best years are from 2016 - 2020.

8/8/2020 - shadow wrote:

Spicy berries attack the nose promising a good time to come.
First sip, She's got balance, burst of rich flavors with traces of violets and dark berry smeared leather.
No heat, cool as spring water on the palate.
easy 99pts

3/12/2019 - Thad wrote:

Did not show as well as a year ago, either in a dumb stage or lost its fruit

6/21/2020 - Sauvyfan Likes this wine:

I found this to be very peppery and rather one dimensional. It was abrasive and youthful across the palate. I would give this a good five more years before trying again, though I have my doubts about significant improvement.

1/24/2020 - shadow wrote:

Distant smoke on the nose, first sip, demi-glace of black berry and roasted mushroom.
Smooth but thick, goes down like warm cream leaving a big impression, this is heavy wine.
Sips like a 40 year tawny.

1/12/2020 - WST wrote:

The group consensus was TCA, but I disagree. It had corked-like aromas, but it was more cooked, run down, and had a little volatile acidity. Mine was a small minority opinion, but I'm hypersensitive to TCA, and while flawed, this wasn't TCA.

1/11/2020 - Neecies wrote:

Had completely forgotten I owned these, so this was my first from the pile. Good complex plummy fruit at first with a touch of barnyard, but the plums turned into prunes toward the end of the bottle. UH OH.

12/6/2019 - wynlvr wrote:

Beautiful color, in balance. Cork looked like it was bottled yesterday.

10/26/2019 - pvetsch Likes this wine:

Oh my goodness, Kobayashi - now I get it. Why WeatherEye Vineyard, on the wild, high-altitude, north-facing, untamed side of the Red Mountain AVA, is so special. Why a Viognier picked at 25 Brix but 3.21 pH can show both the opulence required to showcase the essence of the varietal but also the acid necessary to slice through it. Why this is the next frontier of Washington wine. Why nothing that came before from the state smells or tastes quite like this does. Why you have invested so heavily in this desolate mountaintop. I have made Washington State the cri du coeur of my wine devotion since I first started studying and writing about the grape, because I saw the potential of the area, because I believed in what select producers were doing there...this, more than any words I can write, explains why. Keep going.

8/24/2019 - Neecies Likes this wine:

Magical nose of black raspberry, strawberries & biscuits, and green martini olives. Weightless and intense, as someone else noted, with a sweet-sour kind of ying-yang on the palate with cactus pear, pomegranate and black pepper. On the subject of Drink or Hold, considering that this is only two-year fruit would hedge my bets on drinking sooner than later. Another argument: so perfect now, why wait?

10/22/2016 - AllRed wrote:

4th Saturday Group brown bagger (R&D's): Opens with a dirty quality that's kind of distracting but that quickly blows off leaving pear, florals and peach notes. There's some very nice fruit on the palate along with honeycomb and a subtle floral quality. The floral notes had me thinking Viognier, and I thought domestic.

1/30/2019 - bubbachumps wrote:

Mid-Week Mostly Merlot Dominated Bordeaux Blends (just organically happened that way) (Casa Billiet): Exotic nose with white flowers, butterscotch and Meyer lemon. On the palate, medium to full bodied but not over-bearing with great acidity and lift. No noticeable oak. So impressive for its scale and complexity. Absolutely delicious!

8/14/2018 - csimm wrote:

PnP was a bombastic booze blast of red and black raspberry liqueur, cassis, kirsch, cherry syrup, vanilla, and limestone. A massive attack, striking aggressively with big fruit and big alcohol. A couple of hours in the decanter helped deepen the mid-palate, but otherwise the hooch wouldn’t let up with its numbing pummeling that washed over the flavors and made for a bruising experience overall. Seemingly quality fruit, but its adolescence is really at the forefront currently.

Looks like Saxums are really needing at least 8-10 years from vintage to really become more agreeable. I’d hold this wine until at least 2021/2022. I’m confident it’ll chill out once it finishes puberty.

9/22/2018 - tcufletch Likes this wine:

Exceptional; allow a full 2+ hours to open up and shine; full, mouth-coating strawberry and dark red fruits with a nuanced spice undertone; a bit of sweet earthiness and savoriness; the most remarkable attribute is how smooth this drinks with a plush mouthfeel; on the newer-world side of Cali Pinots, but by no means over-the-top; just really well made and a joy to drink.

11/1/2013 - Neecies Likes this wine:

After reading FredB's perfect note here, all I can do is agree: "Medium-bright yellow-gold color. Aromas of butterscotch, peach, apple, and lemon curd. Palate explodes with lemon, apple, pineapple, mango, mineral, and passionfruit that carries into a long, stone-infused finish. This was in a great place...." Brought to dinner by Ron F, and my WOTN.

6/24/2018 - 82Latour Likes this wine:

Dark purple rich, oppulant. Ripe blackberries, licorice, plum, smoke. Beautiful velvet mouthfeel. Excellent.

6/20/2018 - sachsen Likes this wine:

Delighted to have more to enjoy over the next number of years. I get the waxy comments of other reviews, but it is fairly subtle. By no means a great QPR, this is still about the best Etna BIANCO I have tasted (though at 2X the price).

4/21/2018 - ParisWino wrote:

I like SQNs, and am no AFWEr, but this particular bottle was something of a disappointment. Amply fruited, but dark and roasted; monolithic and hot (I don’t fear alcohol when it’s well integrated, but this was not); and no complexity to speak of. In sum, I hoped for more. I acquired this bottle around five years ago, and while it has been well-stored since then, I can’t vouch for its first few years of life, so perhaps this was an exception. But I wouldn’t buy another bottle.

11/23/2017 - jzebrack Likes this wine:

Drank a magnum.
It was fairly remarkable how much better the large format tasted compared to the 750ml bottles.
We like the 750ml bottles of this En Route, but I have never experienced such a difference in taste from a magnum.
Almost like a different wine.
Wish we had bought more.

12/28/2016 - tp096255 Likes this wine:

Okay, so I have been enjoying the JBV bottling for years (since 2004?), but I have to say I think this has been my least favorite one so far. It's kind of like sucking on a bitter, burnt piece of wood that has been soaked in Knott's Boysenberry Drink Extract. It's the same reason why I seem to have never found an Hermitage that I enjoy, they are just too extreme and angular. Yes, perhaps with another 15 years this will calm down and become some amazing swan of a wine, but I kind of count on my Saxums to be ready to go with 5-7 years of bottle age. I am sure this will last another 20 years, so enjoy it then if you think you'll be alive at the time.

This bottle has been Coravin'd 4 times in 12 months, this being the final time. The results have been consistent.

4/3/2016 - Thad wrote:

I tasted this wine in a large tasting. Did not take notes. I found it very typical of Washington Bordeaux blends with savory, dark fruits and tannins. I felt the alcohol was too evident from the nose to the finish. I will pass on any more

10/17/2015 - Cabernet4me2 Likes this wine:

Was a bit cradle robbing, i know... and also Think this bottle might be in a bit of a dumb phase, as it was not showing as well as the last bottle tasted, but did open up toward the end of the evening. Was very muted on both bouquet as well as mid and finish, but started after a few hours to show some great light and dark red fruit, and some good acidity, with a nose of candied cherries and some menthol notes... IMHO, just needs some time to integrate... would hold them for a bit, or make sure to give some good decanting.

8/9/2015 - haldolugr wrote:

Some great fruit in this bottle - really vibrant blueberry and raspberry, but there is an off-note. Can't place it. Looking at some notes - seeing other people mention, it felt almost flawed but its not - is a good way to describe it. Didn't give it time to open- as some mention maybe that will help.

11/16/2014 - MikeZ Likes this wine:

Double decanted, gave my wife a sip to try: "Wow, this is fantastic..."

nothing else matters, well done!

9/13/2014 - caeleric Likes this wine:

pnp at a restaurant with friends. did not last long. this was very "blue" and "purple" tonight. really came across as fruit-driven with less spice and earthy aromas and flavors than i expected. but it was delicious. plenty of life left here, so no rush. sad i don't have any more bottles :(

1/25/2013 - caeleric Likes this wine:

winemaker suspected that my first bottle was corked, so i drank a second bottle with friends and was blown away. these friends don't tend to dig on my rhone-based wines quite as much as i do, but they LOVED this wine. it was spot-on with some artisan salami and boursin cheese. heady in a good way, but very balanced and explosive in the mouth. lots of violet and purple fruits, good acid, and nice minerality. very very well done. if scoring, 92-94. should be even better in a couple years, but i don't know that i would age it much longer than that since the fruit is in such a good place right now. highly recommended.

1/3/2013 - sachsen wrote:

This was pretty nasty upon opening, but we were pleasantly surprised at how it changed after just about 30-45 minutes in the glass. I think the wine was tired after about 3 hours of air, which doesn't bode well for those planning on aging this a long, long time.

1/1/2013 - caeleric Does not like this wine:

decanted for 2 hours, consumed 70/30 over two days. if someone had served me this wine and i didn't know anything about it, i would have said, "hey, thanks for pouring me a glass from that $7 bottle of cheap spanish garnacha you bought" and then i would have sped home to open something good and hopefully forget about the boring wine i was served. too bad this was a $50 bottle of wine! it had a promising nose of lush cherries, forest floor, alcohol burn (who needs nosehairs anyway?), and sweet spice. but then it fell off the cliff into an vacuum abyss where no sensory input is available. it had NOTHING to the palate, and nothing more than an astringent slightly vegetal finish. i choked it down for the new years eve buzz. about 30 hours later, as i was finishing the last few sips of the bottle, the fruit showed up. better late than never, you tease. if i had to score this bottle (that may have been flawed for all i know), it was 79-81. blech!