1/14/2024 - Honest Horse Likes this wine:

I strongly feel this punches above its weight, with the caveat that the drinking window is shorter than consensus.

Deep garnet w slightly purple core, translucent edges in line for ‘05.

The bouquet and palate match, and both are layered and delicious and surpass expectation. Black plum and cassis for fruit, which is balanced and in a great place… Gingersnaps and spice box and leather, lilac, which are all integrated and harmonious... I could name lots of subtle notes that reveal themselves over time, but this is Grade A complexity.

The tannins have time, the acid maybe less so, but this is so great in terms of balance and integration now, I don't see the peak being much better and you risk the acid and fruit fading.

So enjoy it over the next few years and maybe hold a few back just in case, but this stuff fucks hard now. Enjoy my friends!

1/14/2024 - Honest Horse Does not like this wine:

What am I missing?

Like undressing a girl after waiting and waiting, only to find you were deceived by a push-up bra and some Spanx. Why hold back and build it up only to disappoint?

1er cru my ass. Both bottles I opened lacked harmony, power, complexity, or any other redeeming feature. Basically tasteless???

I gifted my other bottles to Leroy, the kind homeless man who sleeps on my corner most nights when he doesn't go shower at a hotel.

1/12/2024 - Honest Horse Does not like this wine:

Sort of a MILF that turns out didn't pick up any skill or freak along the way. Drink now, but you prob won't enjoy it unless you like faded wines that are just numb. Bottle seemed fine just dull. Fruit gone, tannins still there, zero secondary notes other than the unpleasant raisiny funk.

12/16/2023 - Honest Horse Likes this wine:

Nose: floral, tar, black cherry, orange peel, stewed fruit, cedar
Palate: peppery plum and stewed fruit, leather, fennel, coffee

ALERT: DON’T BE A LEMMING. This is muted and boring AF if you PnP or decant 30 minutes. Maybe it was a pretty caterpillar to all those saying short decant, but who doesn’t prefer the butterfly? You will absolutely miss out on its best attributes without say 2.5 hours decant.

Popular wine so no need to rehash things. These 09s are a bit sus, because as much as they were well regarded, the whole no rain, low yield, hot and dry might have actually pushed them a little far into dried fruit dustiness and away from a juicier built-to-last vintage.

That said, I found this excellent, maybe slightly muted, just terse and dusty on the finish, but overall harmonious and drinking well now and for another decade, although the fruit won’t last.

It’s always hard to beat these at the price point. Beaucastel really doesn’t miss. Would score higher if the vintage hadn't cooked the fruit so much.

12/10/2023 - Honest Horse Likes this wine:

This is wine for Taylor Swift fans and guys who only do missionary, with their socks on.

It’s a single generic (but very harmonious) note of “red berry perfume with oriental spice.” Nothing layered or complex—forget about the tasting wheel—but it’s very very harmonious, like a pleasant sedative rather than something to contend with. Not my favorite style personally, but there will be many fans, and I didn't hate it.

Very pale purple/ruby. Light and translucent, as is reflected in the palate. Light bodied, definitely a bit racy at this age, probably only needs a few years to settle in as it’s already pretty balanced, but honestly it’s just boring.

Dusty charcoal covering the nose at first, tart plum and pomegranate and red berries, highly perfumed, somewhat floral, a bit of light spice present. But again, better to just call it spiced red berry parfum.

12/10/2023 - Honest Horse Likes this wine:

Good juice, bad QPR. (Bought today at $165 in NYC, can def find cheaper but still…)

2010, banger of a year, powerful and opulent wines built for aging, but this isn’t too powerful and is drinkable now.

Dark concentrated garnet color, looks its age.

On the nose, the fruit was very constrained, with black currant and strawberry dominant, and a subtle mango note. Bbq smoke, charred meat, cedar, and crushed rocks after an hour decant. Rather nice at that point, but after ~6 hours the bottle died a bit, so no need for long decants.

On the palate the fruit is richer and juicy. Bright black plum and black cherry, licorice, crushed rocks, pencil lead, smoked meat, cedar, medium bodied, but then the tannins overwhelm the finish.

An overall decent bottle, just would have guessed it’s $40, not 4x that.

11/26/2023 - Honest Horse Likes this wine:

Warm dry growing season yielding quality wines for aging, but said to be too fruit-forward or overripe for some. Padrone, aka “the thinking man’s Caymus” (lol), is great execution of the big concentrated Napa Cab. I’m a fan despite my inclination against fruit bombs.

Deep purple, very light evidence of aging at the rim. Decanted 3 hours, drank over 2 days: Yes, a fruit bomb, with the nose somewhat linear but more interesting over time… Cherry and raspberry syrup, BLUEBERRY JAM, tons of red plus some black fruit. After several hours an ethereal looming very ripe stone fruit stewed along with the cherries??? And a peachy spiced note that I love. Recommend 5+ hours decant.

The palate reveals MUCH more complexity (hence the score)! Cherry compote and blackberry x100, chilled blueberry jam, fruitcake, ginger, starfruit, wet gravel, lavender, dried flowers, late arriving cigar box and baking spice. Delicious. Finish lingers forever, too.

Tannins are delicate but plenty present, and the wine is mostly balanced, but given the fruit and acidity, I’d love to revisit this for years to come. Thinking 2025-3033 as the ideal window.

11/25/2023 - Honest Horse Likes this wine:

Medium garnet, evident bricking. Ready for business an hour after pouring (from magnum).

Tart cherry, stewed red fruits, earth, dried herbs, dried flowers, tobacco, forest floor, terracotta dust, cedar, eucalyptus.

Nice balance, tannins resolved but enough of a backbone. Definitely at peak, drink now. A lovely wine, perhaps would score higher with a bit more intensity or longer finish, but overall very good. Not quite as forward as other 2004s.

11/24/2023 - Honest Horse Likes this wine:

I deeply want to like this more, because it was a favorite of mine in years past. It's good, a bit out of balance with the tannins not giving way yet, so perhaps there's better days to come, but it's just okay...

Deep garnet. Nose is black cherry, blackberry, black tea, plum, clove, and h/t to the prior reviewer who noted tomato leaf. Some fresh oak, eucalyptus, and violet round out the nose.

Very very highly recommend a 5+ hour decant to let the wood/dust/tannins smooth away.

Palate has similar viscous cherry, a bit of graphite, overall similar to the nose but with a very dusty finish. The tannins and alcohol are a bit hot, and the finish is very tannic, yet I don't see the fruit holding up for another 5-10 years to balance it out. So overall pretty good, and good for those who like the grip and wooded brunellos.

Prob about peak in 2-3 years, but not sure it will balance out, so drink any time in the near 5 years.

11/24/2023 - Honest Horse Likes this wine:

Drank from a magnum, this is a BANGER, absolutely not past prime--singing now and at peak.

Medium ruby/medium garnet.

Bright nose, good fruit holding up well. 2004 Brunellos were built to last, and this is no exception. Ripe cherry, red plum, bright red fruit, which is primary for sure. Nose also reveals more subtle sandalwood, asian spice, tobacco, underbrush, pine, menthol, flint, with a bit more air and study.

Very well integrated and perfectly balanced right now. Palate reflects the nose almost identically. Tannins are fully resolved and the wine is in a perfect place. Recommend a 3-5 hour decant to get it really singing, but this is a treat. Won't get better and while it might have a few years, the time is now.

Enjoy!

11/22/2023 - Honest Horse Likes this wine:

This wine scored very well, and I do think it is deserved. It was a banger of a year that's created elegant and refined Barolos, young as they may be. This one is medium ruby, would have guessed it a bit older if blind, tasty now, but tannic, and has tons of potential, so as gorgeous as the nose is now, I’ll hold them for another 5+ years.

The nose is a treat: Stewed raspberry, sour cherry, black cherry, a lovely tangy note that’s like starfruit, black licorice, anise, some black fruit, already sense the underbrush, leather, forest floor, and wet tobacco, but the fruit is primary for sure. It may be a reach but I do notice some tree fruit on the nose, like a very ripe peach.

Palate has great promise but as of now is too tannic to really shine just yet. Medium bodied, big fruit, INTENSE cherry cola dominates, the finish gets a bit of cigar box, cedar, and baking spice. Quite complex as of now, but I really think this will shine in say the 2030-2040 range.

Drinkable and enjoyable now with a few hours decant, but also lots of promise for future. Cheers!

11/19/2023 - Honest Horse Likes this wine:

Pretty good vintage for Northern Rhone, slightly on the lighter side, so great for those who prefer the more Burgundian Syrahs.

Color is deep garnet, slight bricking, with a beautiful floral nose of potpourri, lavender, a bit of hay, and crushed gravel. Fruit notes are less powerful on the nose than expected, but quite lovely, with black currant, boysenberry, and cranberry.

The color and nose suggested this would be further along, but the palate is young. Lots of fruit: primarily plum, blueberry, and strawberry, giving way to baking spices and dried fruit (plum again), with almost no evidence of tertiary notes developing.

The nose outshines the palate here, especially for those looking for power, but it's a lovely wine. The structure is integrated now, but there's enough tannin that I think this probably has 4-6 years until peak and can go for at least a decade.

Overall less powerful than some others, with some room before peak, but nonetheless an ethereal floral nose and subtle but lovely palate, and especially recommended for those who like the lighter styles.

11/18/2023 - Honest Horse Likes this wine:

Goddammit this fucks HARD. Tremendous banger of a wine from a hot dry vintage built for intensity and aging. I love it...

Exceedingly chameleonic over the course of even a single glass. The nose and palate change so intensely with temperature, I can't help but to point out how extreme it is. At ~68 degrees, the intensity of the leather and tobacco and secondary/tertiary notes is beautiful and steals the show, but also at ~60 degrees the fruit does the same. More than I expected. Anyway...

Dark bloody barn red color, very minor bricking, although the nose immediately suggests its age.

Excellent concentration and highly complex on the nose: Black plum, mulled black cherry, white pepper, cedar, wet tobacco, leather, cocoa powder, steak blood/heme/iron, smoke, igneous rock, wet stones. A lovely bouquet to keep revisiting and peeling layers.

On the palate, tannins quite present but well integrated and well balanced--might improve from here for ~5 years, but really showing tremendously right now, hard for me to hold. Palate shows sour cherry, red plum, leather, fruitcake, baking spice, tobacco, crushed rocks, dusty forest floor. Finishes long but slightly dusty, so perhaps a reason to hold for a few more years, given there's definitely plenty of life.

This is TREMENDOUS

11/18/2023 - Honest Horse Does not like this wine:

What a toothy beej. '07 was an uneven growing season known for producing lighter reds, but the degree to which that impacted this vintage of l'Ermite isn't well-reflected in other reviews.

We tasted '07 first, then later opened a '98 l'Ermite for comparison. The '07 is just lacking any depth and power, and much lighter and duller than even expected, which the '98 underscored with exclamation.

Ruby in color, uncharacteristically thin with shorter legs. Fruit is soft and barely there, and instead of the characteristic intense black plum, my notes are primarily soft strawberry and blueberry, flint and wet stone, forest floor, and allspice. Finish is barely there.

I am a huge Chapoutier fan, not trying to hate here, however there's a reason the price on this vintage has come down so much. Worth skipping IMHO.