7/10/2023 - Cellar603 Likes this wine:

I’m a Loire Chenin freak. It makes up a solid quarter of my cellar, mostly Huet, Domaine Aux Moines, and Chidaine. But this bottle blew me away this morning, sitting on a stifling rooftop pool deck in Tampa. I was transported to Vouvray, or Amboise, or Montlouis. So much great acid, ripe fruit, and kerosene phenolics, this is all I ask for in a dry Chenin, and I got it for like $19. Bravo. How can I get more?!

12/22/2021 - Cellar603 wrote:

Perfect Loire Franc. Edgy, a touch of brett, plenty of fruit and spice, but the age has calmed it down. Drink this now.

7/12/2020 - Cellar603 Does not like this wine:

Usually I LOVE this wine, but this vintage is completely lacking in the acid department; the Vulcaia generally depends on acid, because duh, oaked sauv blanc....without it, it’s flabby and uninteresting. First time I’ve had a bad vintage of this wine, super disappointed.

2/16/2020 - Cellar603 Does not like this wine:

Much more Brett on this bottle than the last one, to the point that it distracts from the fruit and tertiary elements entirely. I hope the other bottles aren’t this funkdafied.

5/4/2017 - Cellar603 wrote:

Needs more time. This was a big, hot vintage, and it's drinking very new-world-esque right now. Still enjoyable, but a baby nonetheless.

4/6/2016 - Cellar603 Likes this wine:

Epic. Nothing more to say. If you don't love this wine, you are wrong.

2/17/2015 - Cellar603 Likes this wine:

This obviously needs time and will improve for years, but it's lush and giving right now too. If you do open it now, I'd recommend decanting for a few hours, or open it the night before you plan on drinking it.

1/17/2015 - Cellar603 wrote:

This is drinking perfectly right now.

9/3/2014 - Cellar603 Likes this wine:

Aged very well, less fruit than a couple years ago, but very well-composed. Love this wine!

7/13/2014 - Cellar603 Likes this wine:

Great vintage bubbly at what I consider a steal. Plenty of layers, beautiful structure, very ready to go right now. Anytime I need something special after a difficult day/week, this is a go-to.

1/4/2014 - Cellar603 Likes this wine:

This has calmed down considerably in a few years' time. It's more composed, the fruit is focused (tart cherry, mostly), and the nose has a very distinct black pepper character (reminiscent of N. Rhone Syrah).

There's still a faint bit of VA on the nose and palate right after opening, but it's the kind of VA I expect from this wine. The acidity is assertive but less aggressive than it was previously. I love the balance on the palate, too. Great body, but the acid lingers.

Wonderful stuff.

12/26/2013 - Cellar603 Likes this wine:

Just enough oak to make its presence known. Juicy pear and a bit of vanilla, almost like Savennieres. Nice balance, great acidity to balance the round, plump texture. Excellent wine, at its peak now I think.

10/28/2013 - Cellar603 Likes this wine:

Pure power and grace. So much substance here, but it's essentially a soft wine with floral/perfume notes scattered between savory and fruity punctuations. I'm glad I hung onto this wine for this long, as it's very giving and open, even within 15 minutes of pulling the cork. There's still some bright acidity and freshness, but I can't see this wine really getting better than it is right now. I was saving it for a special occasion, but that just turned into "screw Mondays", and I couldn't be happier with that decision. Drink this wine if you have any left...it's starting to show some bricking at the edges, and is wonderful now.

5/4/2013 - Cellar603 Likes this wine:

So giving, so expressive. Plush fruit, iron and eucalyptus, brilliant acid and nice balance. Drank it with lamb racks, and it couldn't have been a more perfect pairing.

5/23/2011 - Cellar603 wrote:

Classic, very much like aged second-growth. Drink this stuff right now, though, because I don't think it's got much time before it starts to go downhill fast. Seemed a little more fragile than the last time I had it.

2/4/2011 - Cellar603 wrote:

Phenomenal as always. This wine does not change. It's still youthful and vibrant, but it's undeniably modern (even 'New-World') in style. This is probably what you would get if you took a bottle of 3rd or 4th growth Bordeaux and a bottle of ~$50-$75 Napa Cab and combined them in the decanter. Just a wonderful experience, but don't expect it to transform drastically with age

1/16/2010 - Cellar603 wrote:

Corked

1/16/2010 - Cellar603 wrote:

Stinky, muted fruit, the brett really took over. Awesome (but then, I love brett)

2/11/2009 - Cellar603 wrote:

Beautiful, spicy, cedary, jammy. Well-balanced, tons of depth, this is sick for the $$

1/8/2009 - Cellar603 wrote:

Brilliant, huge, tons of leather and brambly fruit...but rough and tight---still needs a long time!

12/20/2008 - Cellar603 wrote:

Nice big fruit, definitely opens up and shows more rose petals and cedar spice if you give it some time.

10/25/2008 - Cellar603 wrote:

Open the day before, leave it be. Had half the bottle the night we opened it, half the next day. First night, it was tight as a nun's twat, but the next day, it was beautiful, immense, composed.

5/31/2008 - Cellar603 wrote:

Amazing again. I need more!

5/26/2008 - Cellar603 wrote:

Almost entirely shut down. Not sure if this is endemic for 99's now, but I was terribly disappointed.

5/26/2008 - Cellar603 wrote:

Still a bit clumsy and too fruit-forward/new-worldy. Needs time. The other bottles will be hidden!

5/24/2008 - Cellar603 wrote:

Excellent cheap bubbly. A slight richness, but mostly floral and fruity with a touch of vegetal character that is altogether refreshing and inviting.

5/17/2008 - Cellar603 wrote:

This bottle rivals some of the best Bordeaux I've had. It is rustic, and shows its age where it should---but at the same time, it's still vibrant. There's plenty of acidity and fruit left, and the tannins are huge and pliable. The level of complexity is staggering, with tons of old tobacco and graphite mixing with leather, herbs and dirt. A truly epic wine that has stood the test of time very well.

5/16/2008 - Cellar603 wrote:

Quite possibly the best village Chablis I've had to date! After a somewhat disappointing Garagiste streak with a couple of Beaujolais, this is the latest and best in a series of excellent selections. CT showed the 03 1er drinking before this VV, but I really wanted to check this out and hold off on the 1er for now. We were rewarded with a glass full of chalk, lemons, green apples and white pepper, and a palette that delivered on all those fronts. The mouthfeel was, to put it lightly, perfect---one of those things that sends chills down your spine. The acid balance and profile blew me away; it seemed to have an actual complexity of acid, which sparkled on the top of my tongue and trickled down the sides to coat my taste buds and cleanse my palate, while ending a great, long note of citrus, stone and melon. There is a touch of creaminess from oak, but it doesn't overpower.

It isn't the most complex wine in the world, but for about $15, Garagiste might as well have given it away. The acid profile tells me that my other bottles have at least another 5 to 7 years on them.

5/10/2008 - Cellar603 wrote:

This is, as Jean-Pierre told us and we noticed at the domaine, all about balance. Anyone can make over-the-top ripe chardonnay in the hotter Maconnais, but restraining yourself in the winery, restricting yields, letting fermentation stay cool and go longer, it all really comes to roost here. This wine is rich and full of fruit on the nose, but there's a terrific minerality that chard is usually loathe to reveal. The 05 was richer than normal, of course, but there's a nice lemon-mirange element with sweetness and acidity playing well together. The palate is equally balanced, and the wet stones are a great match for the sweet lemons.

This is one of the best maconnais chards I've had the pleasure to try; it's restrained and flashy at the same time, full of flavor int he mouth but never over the top. Maybe we'll get a US importer soon. If you come across some of Michel's wines, grab some. For the $$ (and for the Macon), they are amazing.

5/10/2008 - Cellar603 wrote:

subsequent tastings have shown that the sawdust/new raw wood smell/taste is just about enough to distract from the rest of the wine and turn me off. I'm definitely waiting for a while on the rest, hopefully this will blow off.

4/12/2008 - Cellar603 wrote:

A rather quiet LCF compared to some other 05's (Gaillard comes to mind, which is more like a big Chateaunuef in this vintage). Not as weighty as expected, which turned out to be a nice surprise. Decanted for an hour before the first glass; started off all fruit but slowly extended to a deeper palate. By the end of the bottle, all the typical LCF depth was apparent, with no discernible flaws. There's tons of ripe red fruit on the front, but towards the mid-palate it starts to show some great spice and a vibrancy that the Gaillard lacks. There's not as much tannic structure as the Gaillard, but it has a brighter, more defined acidity, which makes it an excellent choice for food. We had this with Coq au Vin and it was an excellent match. The one strange aspect is that in the nose, there's a distinct "new wood" aroma. Not "new oak barrels", but like freshly cut wood...almost sawdust-ey. Not bad, just strange.

Overall, towards the end, it lived up to its potential and really shined as a screaming deal for the price. I have 7 more bottles and I think I'm going to let a few of them age for a couple years just to see what happens. I think the acidity will lend the wine the potential to improve ion a few years, but the relative lack of weight and tannic structure makes me weary of going longer than 3 years on it. The Gaillard will probably go much longer.

4/11/2008 - Cellar603 wrote:

More weight than I was expecting from Gamay, but with weight comes more complexity---a very subtle asphalt/graphite nose with a great amount of darker red fruits and even some raisiny notes. Good acid balance and even some tannic structure. I'm pleasantly surprised on this one, and would recommend it for food or just by its lonesome.

2/22/2008 - Cellar603 wrote:

Again, these bottles defy the typical LCF restrained softness and come across like baby Bordeaux's. There's so much there, mostly dark fruit and earth. Some of my all-time favorite juice under $20. I didn't get to enjoy this bottle as much as I usually do, but that's due to the fact that I was pretty wrecked by the time the wife opened it. It was still excellent though, and I continue to recommend that if you can find this wine, buy a case or two. They will last for a decade.

2/29/2008 - Cellar603 wrote:

Very correct, very stony, creamy; not quite as crisp or acidic as I expected, but overall, very Chablis.

2/14/2008 - Cellar603 wrote:

One of the deepest, more character-rich Turley's I've tasted. Not overly opulent, with rhone-ish traits.

1/31/2008 - Cellar603 wrote:

Flawless, amazing wine with tons of dried fruit and spice/cedar. Amazingly, none of the bottles that I purchased were spoiled. Best $11 I ever spent...

1/19/2008 - Cellar603 wrote:

more bordeaux than cali. winner.

1/19/2008 - Cellar603 wrote:

vibrant, lively, mineral/vanilla

12/20/2007 - Cellar603 wrote:

I'm glad I drank this when I did. It was probably at or around its peak. A little more extracted than I remembered it, much more PN-ish. The color was unreal, about as translucent ruby as it gets. The nose was a ton of fruit, with a touch of caramel that would probably have evolved into oxidation in another 6-9 months. The palate seemed to be not quite as fresh and vibrant as it once was, and seemed a bit more serious. Dark cherry and strawberry fruit with some extraction and a weight that is new. A great, no-nonsense bottle.