12/7/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Acid on this is delightful. Cream of wheat and fresh linen on the nose. Baked lemon curd and mango sticky rice on the palate. This will be incredible in 3-5 years but its really fucking good now.

11/26/2023 - rawdealbuffy wrote:

This felt completely shut down. After a couple hours there was less pronounced dill and vanilla character and more of that earthy, black tea, red fruit quality I was expecting. On day 2 it was showing much better but still very tightly wound. Would recommend an 8+ hour slow ox if you're eager to taste it now.

11/26/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Drank over two days. On PnP was showing very well. Lots of ripe cherry, blackcurrant, balsamic, freshly opened cigarette pack, blood, and dirt. Acidity was medium+. Had just a touch of that natural bretty-funk quality which gave it incredible complexity. On day two, more earthy. Desiccated strawberry, menthol, mushroom, and a more pronounced VA note that was moving away from balsamic and more towards ethyl acetate. I open these bottles with slight trepidation these days but this confirms that Dutraive is 100% worth the occasional mouse-y brett bomb. This was a truly exceptional bottle.

11/24/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

The concentration on this wine is unreal. It's bruising on PnP. Jammy cherries and a lot of ripe blackberry and blackcurrant but with enough acid to have it feel very lithe on the palate. Vacuvin'd it and it was much more my style on day two. Black olive, pepper, smoky fat. Basically like if you made a pan sauce with chicken drippings and blackberries. Either give it a slow ox or sit on it for 5 years.

11/20/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Initially very shy on the nose. Decanted for an hour and re-tasted. Still pretty tightly coiled but starting to unfurl. Baked pineapple, persimmon, rambutan, tarragon, and what can best be described as horchata on the nose. Palate is super intense with deep concentration. Loads of ripe persimmon, pineapple upside down cake, peach gummies, and some oolong tea. After a couple hours more of the classic markers of riesling emerge; petrol, lemon oil, kaffir lime leaf. Acid was ripping and kept things lively though it did feel a little hot at times. I'm inclined to not touch my other two for at least 5 more years or at the very least slow ox for awhile before tasting.

11/20/2023 - rawdealbuffy wrote:

This wasn't showing much. Fresh milk and yeast on the nose. Mineral and acid driven on the palate. Certainly none of the qualities I'd expect from 100% Meunier. I definitely prefer the blanc d'assemblage to this.

11/18/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Bottle had a slight mousiness that blew off with a few minutes of air. Super ripe boysenberry, muddled mint, and a touch of the horse blanket on the nose. Palate is all cherry, wet earth, and crushed rock. Nice concentration and length. Acid was medium.

10/30/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Consistent with previous notes.

10/30/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Delicious. Violet Pastilles and Kirsch on the nose. Super juicy fresh strawberry and ripe red cherry on the palate. Very crushable.

10/23/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Incredible. Everything you want from a 26 year old Napa Cab. Could keep going but giving so much pleasure right now.

10/16/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Random wine shop find on clearance. Cork was clean and wine appeared to be well stored. Gorgeous aromatics. Balsamic, dried mushroom, tar, and chai. On the palate dried cherry, balsamic reduction, morel, rose water jelly. Fully resolved tannin. Medium acid. Expansive mid-palate. Held up after about two hours. More intense morel and candycap mushroom nose. Really quite blown away.

10/3/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Freshly opened fruit rollup and the smell of walking into a magazine shop that also sells pipe tobacco. Juicy juicy ripe raspberry, Hawaiian Punch, and cherry/orange fruit leather on the palate. Medium+ acid. Remarkably long finish. So good.

10/2/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Absolutely gorgeous. Cherry cola, ripe raspberry, lemon thyme, fresh mushroom, and sweet tobacco. A harmony of primary fruit, earth, acid, and tannin. Will undoubtedly improve but if you have a few open and enjoy.

8/30/2023 - rawdealbuffy Does not like this wine:

While my previous bottle had gorgeous aromatics this was completely flat. The palate was just as boozy though. I've got one more that I'll probably leave untouched for a few years (for science) but my impression is that this is either in a dumb phase or should have been drunk closer to release.

8/9/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Gorgeous cool climate pinot that reminds me I need to drink more Sonoma juice. Ripe boysenberry, tart cherry, and irish moss on the nose. Seaweed powder, dried shitake, plenty of ripe cherry and plum on the palate. Medium+ acid. Great length. Beautiful wine.

8/9/2023 - rawdealbuffy wrote:

I potentially had unrealistically high hopes for this wine. It came across as a pretty simple natural wine with no clear indication that it was sylvaner, swiss, or made by a specific producer. That sort of generic natural wine taste that is a hallmark of a lot of new to market producers in the early to mid-10's. Having had a '16 Pinot from Mythopia recently I know more recent efforts have produced good results. I'm glad I opened it now rather than sitting on it as I don't know if it would have improved though it certainly had the acid to live a very long life.

8/9/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Stunning as always. Apricot, tarragon, crushed rocks, tangerine zest. Delicious.

8/9/2023 - rawdealbuffy wrote:

This is so drum tight at the moment it's hard to be objective. The nose is incredibly disjointed from the palate. Smells like natural wine smell. Dried apricots and lanolin The palate is delicious, nutty, waxy, zesty, funky, stone-fruity chenin. We decanted and drank over about 6 and it only really started to come alive towards the end. I would just keep this on it's side for the next 5-10 years.

8/6/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

So good but nowhere near peak. Baked cherries and sugar plums, cedar, eucalyptus, warm clay, iodine, jasmine. A little bit of dried porcini. Nice merger of primary and secondary characteristics. Beautiful length. Medium acid. Delicious wine.

8/3/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Objectively this is a really well made Vin Jaune. Diesel, camphor, burned rosemary, green chartreuse, smoked maldon. Great acidity. Perfect with cheese. I guess I was expecting to be floored and it was just simply quite good instead. Glad to have tried it.

7/21/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Super super elegant wine. Herbaceous, almost medicinal nose. Underripe cherry, cedar, tarragon, apple skin, and clove cigarette. Completely other end of the spectrum from the 2010 Cappanelle Solare we drank alongside.

7/18/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

A lot going on here and several grapes I haven't had before. Meaty, and kind of sauvage. A little ethyl acetate initially that blew off. Some balsamic that held on until the end. Crushed cherries, pits and all. Bramble-y. Game-y. Black tea. Eucalyptus. Medium+ acid though edging towards high. What a stunner. Great wine.

7/17/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Definitely riper but has a lot that I loved from the 2014 vintage of this wine. Green pepper, white peppercorn, raspberry jam, cassis, peat smoke, and blood. Insanely good value.

6/27/2023 - rawdealbuffy wrote:

This was in great shape though I felt potentially a little past prime. Lovely nose of dr. pepper, cassis, mint, and sous-bois. Cedar, fennel, baked plum, clay, and peppercorn. Medium acidity. Nice length.

6/15/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Wine was surprisingly expressive on the nose. Still a little primary. Cranberry, watermelon jolly rancher. Some earthy funk. Still some unresolved tannin. Acidity was still there. If anything the wine was a little thin but fully exceeded my expectations. If you’ve got any ’61 barbera laying down, you can safely drink up.

5/30/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Beautiful nose of toasted almond and bergamot zest. The wine has nice balance not shifting too hard into brioche-y or oxidative notes. Marzipan, orgeat, salt, and lemon curd. High acid. Reminds me of Dom P a couple years after release.

5/30/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

A real cab franc lover's wine. Herbaceous nose. Fennel, radish, green bell pepper, green peppercorn, thyme, all held together with a ripe plummy and blackcurrant core. On the palate the wine is spicy and meaty. Delicious.

5/30/2023 - rawdealbuffy wrote:

Gorgeous nose of orange zest, almond paste, sea spray. Lightly oxidative. Some salty-ness, lemon juice, apricot, and rosemarry. In a great spot right now.

5/18/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

In a great spot right now. Ripe blackberry, stewed plum, fennel, dried mushroom, rosemary, cigar box. Medium acid. Probably could sit on it for another 10+ years if you really wanted to. Reaffirmed that these wines become profound around the 14-20 year mark.

4/4/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Another stellar bottle. Consistent with previous notes but with a tinge of alder wood smoke on the nose and a more pronounced saline quality on the finish.

3/20/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Restrained nose that took about a day to open up fully. Hight toned fruit. Cherry, cranberry, and a little wet dirt on the nose. Candied cherry, craisin, and some mushroom on the palate. Nice acidity. Tightly coiled at the moment but really lovely to drink. I'd sit on them for a bit longer though.

2/10/2023 - rawdealbuffy wrote:

Popped and poured at 45º. Green apple, ripe apricot and ginger on the nose. Lusciously textured on the palate. Baked pineapple, green apple candy, peach nectar, and star anise. Medium acid. Starts to fall apart as it gets warmer though. What was intensely perfumed and flavored becomes boozy and monolithic. Will probably sit on the next few and try to keep it chilled a bit.

2/6/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Beautiful nose of violet candy and ripe cherry. Lots of fruit and earth on the palate. Cherry juice, strawberry candy, wet dirt, chanterelle mushroom, thyme, and this persistent Earl Grey tea quality on the finish. Medium+acid, with silky tannin. Needed about 2 hours to start showing itself so would recommend a decant if popping now. That being said it's nowhere near peak so don't feel like you have to pop these soon.

2/6/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Drank over two days. Crystalline minerality and laser like acidity on day 1. Rounder and fuller on day 2 showing much more lemon curd and nougat. I think I prefer this PNP rather than with a ton of air. Really delicious. Last vintage of Forets by MN I had was 2014 and I'm kicking myself for waiting this long to try it again.

1/25/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Granted my experience with older Malvasia is limited. The last time I had a wine from this producer was the 2017 a few years ago and absolutely loved it. This was a different beast entirely. Not bad in the slightest just not what I was expecting. It's almost like a 50/50 conferment of cider and wine. A case study in fruit ester.

A cloudy peach hued wine. With aroma of bruised apple, over-ripe pear, and quince. On the palate it has this luscious mouthfeel. Peach juice, fried apples with cinnamon, and lime. Medium acid. Really really enjoyed this but very different from the 2017.

1/19/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Bottle says just outside optimal drinking window. Tastes just as fresh as when I had it at the winery 10 years ago. Still abundantly present oak, which was a bummer. Quite fruit forward but very muddy from the oak. Over-ripe blackberry, ripe blueberry. Some Eucalyptus and pepper. Completely resolved tannin. I would recommend not touching these for another 5 years at least.

1/19/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

On the nose, a really pronounced initial impression of blood and the thought that, “this is going to be a top 5 wine for me”. Just super super sanguine. Then a real prune-y Dr. Pepper-y aroma with some soft cedar undertones. On the palate, Baked Plum, Creme de Cassis, Dried Prune, Tobacco, and a hint of mint.



After about an hour it took on some qualities that reminded me of Recioto Amarone. Brandy-soaked Raisin and some very pronounced menthol cigarette on the nose. 

Almost completely resolved tannin. Great concentration. Acid was Medium/Medium+. I honestly think could go another 20 years though it felt like a great merger of primary and secondary characteristics.

Top five wine for me for sure.

1/13/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Gorgeous and exactly what you want in an older Ronchi Bianco. Oxidative, nutty, lemon zest, fennel seed, honeysuckle, and toasted coriander on the nose. Baked lemon, hazelnut, and dried apricot on the palate. Medium acid. Nice finish. Definitely a well stored bottle.

1/13/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Quite mineral and precise rather than round or full. Not a ton of fruit on the nose, more hazelnut, crushed rock, and lemon oil. Some slight oxidation but not Prevost, or Laval levels by any means. Plenty of pear and quince on the palate. It woke up a bit after about an hour and coming to temp, though it was pnp at 45º so not bracingly cold to start. Would benefit from a bit more cellaring.

1/11/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Super fresh. Had it not been for the softening tannin I would not have guessed 2006, maybe 2014. Lots of ripe plum, prune, and graphite on the nose. Earthy baked clay, dried strawberry and dried plums, tobacco on the palate. Medium acidity. Finish was short. Textbook St. Julien and as such it's just never really going to knock your socks off.

1/10/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Stupid good value for a wine this exuberant. Tons of ripe, verging on over-ripe strawberry and cranberry. Tart on the palate. Only fault is it might be too drinkable.

1/10/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Racy acid kept in check by some barely present RS. With a little air and an increase in temp there is an abundance of tropical fruit notes. Lots of ripe mango, pineapple, and star anise. Just needs some sticky rice and you've got dessert.

1/6/2023 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Lovely aged Rioja. Cherry shisha, warm leather, and mint on the nose. Dried cherry, ripe damsom plum, blood, and fennel on the palate. Completely resolved tannin. Medium+ acid. Didn't exceed expectations but was exactly what I wanted it to be. Perfect with Prime Rib. Slightly elevated score to lift the average. Would rate it as a 91.

12/15/2022 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Drank side by side with the '20. Much more shy. Not much has changed since last tasting it. Nose of chalk and lemon zest. Pure energy. Crushed rock and lemon juice. Acid is showing very high.

12/15/2022 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Drank side by side with the '19. PNP with Sushi. Restrained nose of sea spray, bitter orange, a touch of flint. Lemon, crushed rocks, and mint. More round than the '19 with a more pronounced lactic quality. Medium+ acid. Really enjoyed it though like the '19 I need to be hands off to let things develop.

12/13/2022 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

A sentimental wine as we opened it when we bought our first house. Showing more oxidative and nutty than I remembered. Brandy soaked orange, brioche, toasted hazelnuts. High acid. Gorgeous wine.

12/13/2022 - rawdealbuffy wrote:

Massive fucking wine. Super super concentrated. Tastes as full-throttle as it did on release. Blackberry pie, rye whiskey, rosemary and nyquil on the nose. Over-ripe blueberry, over-ripe raspberry, and cherry cola on the palate. Medium acid. Medium+ tannin. Alcohol so high it will light your ass on fire. Not what I enjoy anymore but still appreciate it for what it is.

12/13/2022 - rawdealbuffy wrote:

I love this wine in any other vintage. It's too ripe and imprecise showing a more fruity version of Gruner than what I prefer. I don't necessarily think this is a failing of Knoll, just a consequence of climate change.

12/13/2022 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Not quite as oxidative and nutty as I remember it being the first time I had it at Brat in London. Kind of thin. Still quite drinkable and perfect as an aperitif.

12/4/2022 - rawdealbuffy Likes this wine:

Polished the remainder of this bottle off with some Malted Milk Ice Cream. Unreal combination. Despite being relatively austere initially, after being open for about a year this wine was gorgeous. On the nose: Orange oil, dried mushroom, espresso, raisin, and alder wood smoke. On the palate: Salted toffee, bitter orange, toasted hazelnut, espresso, and rum-soaked raisin. While the acid and salinity did keep this relatively light on the tongue, it is really a wine to be enjoyed in very small pours as the RS made it occasionally quite cloying. I can imagine though that it has all the components for a very very long life ahead.