11/5/2020 - Sashimie wrote:

Hmm, a bit more challenging of a Bertrand beaujolais than some of the others from 2019. Sweet dark fruit in the form of raisins or dates with a bit of a effervescent sensation, with saline in the background, and a thin puffy tannic texture and astringency in there as well. All of these flavors have the dials turned up to 10. This wine has intense tannins, acidity, minerality, and sweetness all fighting to achieve balance. None really dominates, but all are overstated on their own right. The overall impression is fine, but if this ages and the tannins ease up, it could easily come out of balance. Not sure I am experienced enough to know the best way to approach this one, or experienced enough to recommend it to others. I enjoyed drinking it though!

3/16/2024 - soyhead wrote:

the initial response to this bottle was criticism - too young, and should have been long ago decanted, what am I waiting for? But this is Soldera not Solaia so i allowed myself to be unperturbed by others' confusion, and the first taste validated my hunch. This wine was a joy to drink, with lovely unwound earthy red fuits including strawberry delicately dancing on the tongue. This is clearly a wine of finesse rather than power and on this night, at age 8, it was humming and dare i say sexy. my WOTN. Bottle No 00201.

2/24/2023 - Rollerball wrote:

The appealingly savory and evolving bouquet keeps you coming back. Good density but not bold, mostly dark fruits but not without some strawberry, cranberries, smoke, and herbs to keep things fresh. Nice balance and acid.

A beautiful instance of the underrated 2014 Burgundies, which seem to be drinking just great right now, (though based on my tiny sample, Nuits may be better than Beaune).

11/4/2023 - oxwombat Likes this wine:

Opened at Caprice in HK. Slow-oxed for a few hours before being slowly enjoyed over dinner.

Gorgeous sweet, seductive red fruit nose of cherries and roses. Incredibly smooth on the palate with a very long finish - intense but light on its feet. Soldera signature.

We compared this to the 2016 Stella VCLC and this was by far the more forwardly expressive and aromatic. Really enjoyable, but if I were to nitpick I didn't think that this bottle had the longevity of some other Solderas I've had, both from this vintage as well as others. However, this might be due to slight sniffles on my part meaning I wasn't able to fully appreciate it.

Soldera is always a pleasure, and I had a great time with this. Is it too young? Perhaps - I do think it will improve a little with age, but it is just so enjoyable now.

3/9/2024 - soyhead wrote:

per the label this wine developed voile while in cask for 2 years.
nose - strong, somewhat reduced, not necessarily to my liking but not offputting.
mouth - all of the above but with a minerally current. some interesting pit fruit flavors. i vacillate between liking it and disliking it. Not even sure what grape this is but in short i find this interesting even intriguing. In addition I think it would benefit from a serious decant.

2/9/2024 - soyhead wrote:

nose - pencil lead
mouth - rich but restrained. perhaps closed. not a great showing this eve

12/27/2022 - Mazy Likes this wine:

En magnum. Excellent, en très grande forme. Très équilibré, généreux avec une certaine texture en bouche, une certaine mâche, quasi tannique, d’arômes de fruit jaune du verger, avec une finale saline chablisienne.

5/4/2021 - christyler wrote:

Nice showing, but I prefer recent the disgorgement of the basic non-vintage wine

2/11/2017 - William Kelley Likes this wine:

Laurent Lignier’s Bussières is a very pretty rendition of Chambolle, bursting with aromas of creamy raspberry, spice and a subtle framing of cedary new oak which lead into a sappy, intense wine with fine, enrobed tannins and great purity through the long finish.

9/19/2023 - soyhead wrote:

savory, plum sauce, toasty and tart, lots going on here.
rich wine.

4/29/2023 - glou.sf Likes this wine:

The nose is quite intense and floral with notes of lemon, jasmine, minerals, white peach, and pear. Nice acidity with relatively light body, but lots of flavor, mostly similar to the nose but with a slight saline quality. Nice finish. Really quite impressive, a wine that's very easy drinking, yet doesn't lack complexity. 92++

1/28/2019 - Rollerball wrote:

Sommelier's Atlas of Taste w Rajat Parr and Jordan Mackay (The Morris): Herbal and round with nectarine and slight oxidative notes; pairs just beautifully with smoked trout.

11/8/2022 - Force5 wrote:

Strong char and tar aroma I associate with reduction with a slight touch of skunkiness, the reduction detracts from everything else. Flawed. Med-light bodied and fruit driven, would have preferred a bit more acidity if sound.

10/22/2021 - eoinhharkins wrote:

Drank along side the 20 graacher domprobst kabinett, this was lighter, lots more lime, and more pronounced minerals, really zippy mouthfeel, almost a slight spritz feel, lots of acidity and a nice finish

7/6/2019 - seijaro Likes this wine:

A really nice Sangiovese that was excellent with pizza. However, this is the second time a big score (97) by WA's Monica Larner was way off the mark for us... it was nowhere near that. I'm about to write her off as a critic, her tastes are just too different from ours.

5/19/2023 - Winning_Wines Does not like this wine:

Way too oaky for me, which is a bummer because the underlying fruit was inticing.

11/7/2022 - jmoore431 Likes this wine:

You could hear a pin drop as 3 of us tasted this (blind to two of us). First things encountered were classic French Chardonnay, stone fruits, slightly reductive notes, “oak and smoke” which had me initially guessing Meursault. (I’m told 80% of the fruit came from Meursault). Mercifully, the oak just bumps up against my limits of tolerance. But the shock effect hit as this warmed and opened up with enormous power and class, viscous mouthfeel and really nice finish. Had us (honestly) talking GC. It just ever so slightly lacks a touch of gravitas and dry extract for GC but when unveiled our jaws dropped. As good as any of the numerous Leflaive or Leroy bourgognes I’ve enjoyed over many years. Like them, this will almost certainly benefit from 5 years’ cellaring.

9/10/2022 - sdr wrote:

Clearly past its best although still has some interesting dark flavors but almost no fragrance. The color is just beginning to rust. Decent balance. Leathery. Certainly drinkable but not that interesting. Didn’t develop complexity or nuance with age because it’s not Burgundy.

5/6/2023 - glou.sf Likes this wine:

Ganevat Dinner (San Francisco): Pretty and very mineral driven nose with just a hint of apples, lemon, and slight honey note that emerged with air. The palate shows slightly riper notes but still has that mineralilty in the forefront and a interesting lemon/orange zest note. Good acidity and nice finish. Lovely wine and some preferred this over the other Marnes Bleues (especially on the palate), but for me the 09 was just a bit more complete.

1/22/2023 - Rieslingfan wrote:

Don’t get me wrong, this was very tasty, and a lovely accompaniment to our gougeres. That said it seemed rather generically rich, and lacked any edges to grab a hold of. Definitely bright and still very fresh, just lacking complexity. I have tried many vintages of Cristal, back through the 1980s, and it just doesn’t resonate for me. If it was $50 I would likely buy it by the truckload for basic pleasure, but once again I don’t see the presige factor with this wine.

1/26/2023 - randyjc wrote:

Aromatics to fill the room - both last night on opening and then a few hours on. The wine smells mature and older than it is - dark balsamic top notes, camphor, and black cherry. A bit of cedar chest. Flavor and mouth feel are remarkable. Explosive in the mouth - both black cherry and tart pie cherry flavors, the balsamic in the nose makes an appearance along with black tea and a smooth band of new oak. The finish is a burst of acidity that calms down, yielding to extremely fine-grained tannin then a long, pleasant acidic finish lasting well beyond 30 seconds.
This is the best performance of this wine and, in fact, this particular bottle is simply outstanding. But I have to comment on the broad array of scores and notes - even my own over the last year or so. If I thought every bottle of this wine would be like this one, I would buy every bit of it I could find/afford. But I think there is a great deal of variation and, because of that, I’m content to drink through my remaining few over the course of the next five years or so. This bottle, on these two days, was simply remarkable.

1/14/2023 - soyhead wrote:

nose- grassy, green pepper, minty
mouth - dark fruits, smooth and delicious, showing some tertiary flavors but still very much a wine of fruit. smooth and delicious and for many the WOTN; showing better than the '01 but the birthday boy nevertheless prefers the '03

12/25/2022 - soyhead wrote:

Impressive juice. Really forward berry but clean and fresh. Excellent fruit here. Must retry

12/3/2022 - soyhead wrote:

Dark fruited, juicy, really good, rich darker than expected though not sure I’m seeing the cult status here. No. 24396

6/5/2022 - bbq_grandcru Likes this wine:

Light to medium body. Color suggests some age but the palate does not; good balance but tannins need to simmer a little. Blueberry and cranberry on the palate. Some interesting sulfur and tar notes and palate characteristics that slightly remind me of a Liger Belair VR clos due chateau just a little to the north. I’d give this another 3 years before opening. Good value here. I’m a fan of this producer (if youngish) as I’ve had some early 2000s grand cru bottles that didn’t age well at all.

9/21/2021 - benjamin96 Likes this wine:

Beaucoup de matiere pour le prix! On dirait un mix de cab franc et sauvignon. C’est dense et concentré avec une mini pointe vegetale( qui rappelle le cab franc). Le tout avec un beaux fruit( framboise, bleuet) ainsi qu’une belle acidité qui evite le vin de devenir lourd. Va etre meilleur dans 5 ans
Minimum.

8/21/2022 - soyhead wrote:

Really delicious red fruit, quite vinous, with impressive tannins making it (1) perfect for dinner and (2) something that there is no hurry to drink. I was equally wowed by the 2016 Rosso many months ago. This particular bottle got 30 min of air in the decanter. drink & /or hold, but the main recommendation is buy.

7/18/2021 - csimm wrote:

2019 Droin 1er Crus side-by-side: Fourchaume, Montmains, Montée de Tonnerre.

The Montmains carried an elegance and smooth operator finesse that the Fourchaume and MdT currently were unable to show (likely due to youth - especially the rambunctious Fourchaume). The yellow citrus, lemon zest, limestone, and yellow pear notes flow beautifully in a gliding execution, finishing with an elongated tail of lemon juice and meringue. Sealed with DIAM 5. Drink now or hold for a few years. Enticing now.

8/19/2022 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine:

Nice bouquet on the nose and palate of red and black raspberries, blackberries and a slight black cherry note, earthy minerality with just a touch of funk, and a light note of tobacco. Deep crimson, medium bodied, medium to full legs. Lightish and completely integrated tannins and acidity, not a trace of heat. Good complexity, medium+ persistence and intensity. I guessed this brown bag wine to be a cab blend (my palate isn’t sophisticated to guess the exact other components of the BDX 5–all 5, as it turned out—or their percentages), probably from the aughts, and was impressed at the way this 26 year old wine continues to drink. Californian to be sure, it still had a Bordelasian elegance and silkiness to it which made it a pleasure to drink. That said, for my tastes, its components seemed to be losing delineation, which, along with the structure being completely subsumed by the fruit, makes it a drink now wine. I used to drink this and Pahlmeyer white from time to time (does it make me seem vapid that it learned of this label from Demi Moore in Disclosure?), but it had probably been almost 20 years since I had one. This piques my interest in trying more again, though if buying, I’d go at least a bit younger.

2/16/2022 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine:

Recent one off purchase ($25.99) from the big box wine store. On the nose and palate, sweet apples and pears, white melon, preserved orange and white florals. Medium yellow gold, medium to full-bodied, medium legs. Medium+ acidity and a surprising tannic snap, no heat. Good complexity and VG persistence and intensity. Pretty much of a PnP, this came out a bit disjointed, with a definite friskiness, but with a bit over an hour of air in the glass and coming to room temperature, it settled down into a lovely wine. There’s a sweetness to the elements here, but it’s held in check and balanced by an impressively stiff spine of tannins and acidity, a strong saline element and a pleasantly chalky texture that, if it won’t make you think of Montrachet, at least won’t make you think of Rombauer. Equally good as a standalone and with the difficult to pair chicken soup. That it took a while to come together and is going strong on night 3 makes me think that this has several good years of drinking left at or above its current level. I’ve been having a very strong run with Santa Rita Hills Pinots and chards, especially from 2016, and this very much continues that trend. 92-93+

All that said, I’m docking this wine a point for its super annoying closure (wax, I think, but maybe plastic). While I don’t know if it’s a trend, I notice wineries trying to standout by making bottles needlessly heavier and using non-conforming seals. This one was particularly vexatious since, not only was it harder to open than the usual foil, but it crumbled, requiring a fishing expedition in the wine. People, come on: what are we in the days of Jane Austen and letters sealed with candle drippings? It makes the wine drinking experience no more aesthetic, and more difficult. Boo.

8/19/2022 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine:

Medium strong notes on the nose and palate of lemon/lime, tart peach, rocky minerality, white flowers and oyster shells. Light yellow, medium+ bodied, medium legs. Powerful acidity, and with its 12.5%, lip smacking refreshment. Tremendous intensity, VG++ persistence, VG+ complexity. The only thing I can liken this to after the Kings Farm ‘12 chard is the Scandavian routine of jumping into the snow after a scorching sauna; if a slap in the face can ever be pleasant, this was it, bringing my palate back to life. This was likewise the yin to the KF’s yang with the sea bass, bringing out the savory aspects in the dish (again, kudos to Alex for preparing a wondrous meal!), but it would have shone at least equally with our sushi starter. Tastes like it’s just starting its prime drinking window, but if you’re like me and consider angularity a virtue, popping it now is completely defensible. I’ve had at least a half dozen, and probably a good bit more, of Fevre’s Chablis bottlings across numerous vintages, and this was as good as it gets. 40 years after my dad pushed any number of Chablis on me that seemed to do nothing so much for me other than make my mouth pucker, I finally get it. Too bad my dad’s not around to enjoy this TN.

6/2/2018 - Jean-Philippe M wrote:

On voit rapidement l'influence du 45% carignan dans ce vin, ce qui est malheureux pour ma part... Beaucoup de finesse dans le fruit et les fleurs présentes, mais aucune complexité, j'aurais à faire avec une bouteille à 50$ je serais satisfait mais 125$can, c'est du vol.

2/5

1/11/2019 - WoodieBayArea wrote:

bummed out, had one btl of this from K&L and it was awesome... bought a six pack therefore and this was the first bottle... the experience was nothing like the first... hope it was just an off bottle or an off "time" to drink... will try to wait six months before trying next... people preferred the Kumeu (NZ) Mate's 2014 over this

5/3/2022 - jviz wrote:

Wow. It’s been a while since I opened one and this was off the list at Black Walnut Inn. There’s something to be said for bottles that don’t travel far. This one was amazing. About as much reduction as one can handle in a chard, way more than I’ve perceived at home, with intense pear fruit, white peach, flint and raw coconut. Long and wild, with a deep acidic current. This wine is a masterpiece, and more than justifies its current price.

4/1/2021 - ledocq Likes this wine:

Have to admit I became obsessed with trying this wine because of its name - having two vineyards side-by-side (or one above the other) with one being village and the other 1er cru, and a single vowel separating them, is maybe the most French thing I've ever heard. This is a very pale hue, but its taste is elegant and precise and toward the weightless end of the spectrum. I don't think it's as lengthy or intense as the C-D 1er cru but I want to try them together to know. A very good village wine.

12/28/2020 - Lord of the Bottles Likes this wine:

Cherry and candy cane nose. In a riper style. Lifted palate with cherry, cranberry, 20 second finish. Delicious but tastes more like California than Burgundy and would never have guessed the origin. 92-93+ drink now if you like a lot of fruit.

1/7/2022 - N.Bonaparte wrote:

Last tasted in November 2018. The tension and energy is still incredible but it’s starting to reveal itself a little more. After about 45 min in glass, this starts to hint at the supreme balance to come. Today I got a sneak peek but this is still about 5 years out from reaching a more enjoyable drinking experience. Prime in about 10 years or so with 50 plus years of drinking. I’ll keep revisiting my remaining 46 bottles every year or two. Viva La Emperor

10/17/2020 - ohne_musik wrote:

Blind, I would have guessed old vine zin. Black plum and bramble fruit, moderate complexity, a streak of bright acid, and friendly tannins. A bit of heat and something lightly confected on the finish - which reminds me a bit of the ‘11 Palacios Petalos I had recently. Good, and appropriate for price, but not a rebuy.

7/22/2018 - acyso wrote:

Lunch at Jade Court (Chicago, IL): Honestly, I still can't quite figure out Dancer. Some of the wines are too reductive and clammed up for my palate, but some of them are absolutely gorgeous. This belongs in the latter camp. Yes, this was intensely reductive, but there was also some really nice white fruit to balance everything out. A bigger wine, this certainly helps with the leanness that I sometimes experience.

6/5/2021 - Bartondude Likes this wine:

Way young. Wine opened backwards kind of marmalade-y and nutty. Blossomed almost all of the sudden halfway through the bottle with 2 hours air. White and yellow florals, stream moss, slightly brioche-y nose. Bitter lemon, quince, a little honeyed element on the palate, with some chalky-stoneyness on the finish that really feels like river pebbles tumbling down your tongue. Concentrated and intense.

4/25/2022 - soyhead wrote:

Nose - earthy, olive, somewhat gamey, coming across Syrah like
Mouth - drinks delicious, dark fruits, fig, cocoa, still loads of tannins but good cushioning acidity. I suspect this is just now entering its drinking window, it’s criminal that I already blew through my stash. Drink or hold

12/12/2019 - Peter Kleban Likes this wine:

** (at least)

OMG, another great Vigot. This is f'n gorgeous! Words fail me... I'll try to update this later so it's more specific.
The next day, I discovered it had met a very sad fate. I left it open on the counter, and neglected to put in a Repour. So it was still drinkable, but the magic was gone. My bad. No way to end the day! But there was a lesson, of sorts. The difference between a wonderful wine, that I had been looking forward to, and one that is just drinkable was starkly apparent.
5/15/20:
Second (and last) bottle. Very good indeed. On the slightly darker and thicker side. Nice hint of Vosne spice. Just a pleasure to drink. Went beautifully with grilled flank steak.

5/2/2020 - Sotto325 wrote:

Ne'er a Chevillon at less than 20! So true here. I thought the 2011 might be more open for business, but the massive wall of intense dark fruit just showed a glimmer of its future self. Dark cherry in the red/black forefront, some nice oak hints and plenty of sous bois. But even after an hour's decant and time in the glass, just showing nothing but lots of promise.

2/13/2022 - 3daywinereview.com wrote:

Day 1: Got some big scores and it was $20 so why not try it. Well, no oak barreling and as I predicted tastes like a Sauvignon Blanc. It is not bad but 96 points is a joke! Straw, lemon, mild spices, lime and orange rind. A bit bitter on the finish. Acidity marginal. (Composite cork). 87 points
Day 2: Such a spritzy quality that I don't like on this wine. Again, is this Sauvignon Blanc? Lemon, straw, lime, floral and orange rind. Shorter finish and really lacks acidity. Not sure what they were attempting here but fails as a Chardonnay. 86 points
Day 3: Again this is why 3 Day Wine Reviewing is the way to roll. No this is not a 96 but better on day 3. Apple, lemon, spice, minerals, orange rind and floral. Acidity better and finish is closer to medium. Nice spices on the finish. Tastes more like a Chardonnay. 90 points
Recommendation: If you don't like a wine on day 1 try it on 2 or 3.

12/5/2020 - Rollerball wrote:

Drank without decanting over four weeks. Room temp. Just got better and better. Very high pleasure quotient.

5/18/2021 - finediningnyc Likes this wine:

Opened at 3pm, capped until 8pm. What was tightly wound upon original taste, unfurled beautifully to show explosive aromatics of intense high toned red fruit, exotic spices, fresh violets and just a touch of woodsmoke that’s followed by a cool mineral infusion with fine grained tannins.

The wine shows such class, focus and vibrancy, and I love the elegance of the vintage in combination with the vineyard. Takes it to another level, and it’s only going to get better. I’m definitely a big fan of Petits Monts. Along with Malconsorts, it’s hard to contest that there’s no better premier cru in Vosne Romanée than those two, located spitting distance from Richebourg and La Tâche, respectively.

1/30/2017 - soyhead wrote:

nose - dark fruit spectrum, hint of olive, vanish, wood
mouth - immaculate balance. very pure, complex blackberry and cassis with good acidity, plentiful yet round tannins. drinks nice now but has the stuffing and structure to last. A wine of elegance and proportion. This could be my desert island Bordeaux blend.

11/30/2012 - Sycamore Likes this wine:

No points given in light of the circumstances (thinking is in line w/Meadows, though, score-wise....). An interesting bottle, this. Arrived a few weeks ago following year-ago pre-order. Seeped during shipping. Went back and forth mentally quite a bit: return to retailer or consume early and hope for the best? Went for the latter (obviously), in part due to the irreplaceability of the wine. Not happy about the situation, to be sure, we popped it open tonight and hoped for the best. Cork soaked completely through, as expected. Some early marks of oxidation showing on the bottle lip. Initially overwhelmed by reductive odors and feared the worst. Blew off quickly, however, and the wine presented its beauty. Very big and premature, of course, but gorgeous on the overall and sure to be a showstopper circa 2020+. Impeccable balance, beautiful mixed fruit, acidity, calm but visible tannins, the works. Enjoy your hopefully better-handled bottle down the line sometime......

10/20/2018 - windgod wrote:

Daniel Moine, the Mayor of Chambolle, lived in a house on the edge of the village overlooking the climate of Feusselottes. He wass blessed with the right land and a passion for fine wines.His vineyard holdings consisted of the very top sites in Chambolle, such as Les Amoureuses, Les Charmes, Les Feusselottes.Domaine Moine-Hudelot all was sold off in 2008 to Patrick Landanger of Domaine Pouse d’Or which included Bonnes Mares when Daniel retired. Moine had a daughter, but she was not interested in maintaining the domaine. The Musigny vines were sold and split between domaines Leroy in 1990 and Drouhin-Laroze in 1996.

The domaine has not produced wines for more than a decade. When Moine was making wine, Clive Coates noted that Moine “produces round, fragrant elegant wines, at the top levels of high quality

5/25/2013 - TastesGoodToMe Likes this wine:

Love Buccella. This wine is full throttle on all fronts - starting with the 10 pound bottle, which leads to a pour that reveals black lushness in the glass, to the nose that is intoxicating to me like a pheromone is to an insect in the Spring, on finally to that big, thick mouthfeel that coats your entire palate and lasts for 45 to 60 seconds. Such a slutty wine. I can't resist. I want more...