4/1/2024 - cfk49 wrote:

This wine is a prime example of how so much of one of France's greatest appellations is wasted -- there's Jamet, Barge, Vernay and maybe a couple of others worth drinking and that's it. I once thought Levet was in that group, which is why I cellared this wine, but this bottle proves otherwise. Even after being open a day, the wine is brutally tannic and the fruit has to struggle to get through. That's not old-style -- I know young Côte-Rôtie back in the 1970s and this ain't it. Cellared since original release.

12/27/2023 - TexasBob Likes this wine:

Glowing lite Brown-orange. Overripe red berry melange, quite sharp, on the nose. Drinks like a cab franc with explosive red fruit astringency including pomegranate, cranberries, Valencia orange, aggressive acids, and a wonderfully balanced sweet/tart ratio. Perfectly aged.

5/21/2023 - SMagowan Likes this wine:

Delicious blend of smoke, watermelon, and grapefruit. Substantial, yet elegant and refined. Opened and sipped small glasses over 4 weeks. It never faded the whole time.

9/26/2022 - Deaddeadwine Likes this wine:

Got the pairing correct this time - this was really good with rosemary-marinated grilled short ribs.

I have one remaining. I wish I had purchased more.

1/11/2023 - Donjcorleone wrote:

Corked!

1/22/2023 - AGELVIS Likes this wine:

Coravined a few weeks ago and PNP’d on this night. Tons of honey and apricot. Luscious, sweet palate, with nice acidity. Might be ever so slightly past its prime.

11/6/2022 - Jofie wrote:

A warning beforehand: the wine is far too young and probably needs a few more years to mature to its true greatness. If you are as impatient as I am and like to open a bottle right away, give it air, a lot of air. On the first day, the wine was still extremely closed and tart, but now on the second day it comes so slowly. The tannins have clearly retreated and let the fruit take over. This is very nice and full, but still very primary - the typical spiciness of Cabernet Franc is still in the background.

This is quite tasty, but more of a promise for the future.

3/12/2022 - Julian Marshall Does not like this wine:

Quite a rustic nose - some ripe blackcurrant, but a bit of barnyard and funk, then some leather and a little blackberry. In the mouth, some decent blackcurrant but a very simple wine, rather coarse and with a drying finish. Very basic and not very well-made.

This domain belongs to someone called Fiona Beeston, who used to write amusing articles for La Revue des Vins de France back in the 80s and 90s, so I really wanted to like it - oh well.

5/13/2022 - grafstrb wrote:

-- decanted 15 before initial taste --
-- tasted non-blind over a few hours --

NOSE: ripe; dark-fruited; a bit closed at first; clean (no brett); dark boysenberry, dark raspberry, and blackberry; no obvious mineral or bell pepper.

BODY: garnet-violet color of great depth; medium-full bodied.

TASTE: ripe; gently/moderately tanninc; medium+ acidity; it's a ripe Cab. Franc --- very nice, and will improve with age, but this is not a classicist's C.F.; background earthiness and typical C.F. character --- little bit of tanned leather on the finish; a touch inky; can taste alc. a bit (14.1%). NEWSFLASH: if you're down with this, then you like CA/FR crossovers --- and there's nothing wrong with that --- just be honest. Possibly tons of room for a higher score 10+ years from now, but, as it presents today, I score it right at the line that separates "very good" from "excellent".

50, 5, 12, 16, 7 = 90+

12/18/2021 - Chenin Blanc wrote:

I got punked when this wine through its dumb period. I loved it when it was young and fortunately acquired multiple cases, seemed like a sure thing. Over the last few years I thought maybe my tastes were changing and I did not like Chenin Blanc any more... a little flat, maybe oxidized, bitter, like a musty laundry bag. Was thinking of getting rid of what I had left. God bless procrastination. This has come back; super mineral, hints of pineapple (there is a hint of bitterness in pineapple but not a bad thing), tart apple; and like it was younger- a finish that just goes on and on.

12/17/2021 - bbq_grandcru Likes this wine:

Interesting - opened two 375s of the 2016 vintage and they couldn’t have been more different. One was quite oxidized and the other had fresh fruit. My rating is on the latter. Fresh strawberry fruit in the nose and on the palate. Nice balance and finish. Very enjoyable.

7/6/2022 - Stoic Warrior Does not like this wine:

Green. Tart. Tannic, but not in a good way. Untypical of decent quality Chinon. Unsavory. Unappealing. Unpalatable. Unacceptable.

2/6/2021 - cbforever1 wrote:

Give it a few more years to soften its hedges, but it remains among the best Etna out there

9/29/2021 - Guillaume-en-égypte Likes this wine:

Powerful, pure, deep, focused. I didn't take any notes, but I was really enamoured by this bottle. This is clearly still young for a Grand Cru, but it is wide open & all the parts seem integrated & in harmony....With more time, I'm sure it will develop greater complexity & tertiary flavours, but it is so good now, I don't fancy my other bottle's chances of lasting that long. By far the best Corton I have drunk & another gorgeous bottle of 2010 Burgundy - what a great vintage !
Bought last month in Paris for €60 something - so much for 'the land of expensive disappointments' this is really quite magnificent.
While it's already drinking with a lot of generosity & intrigue, this is still a young wine & the current drink dates to 2025 are misleading, this has the intensity & balance to go for decades yet. Must get to know this producer better 94 +

2/26/2022 - BadOyster wrote:

A bit less impressive than the last bottle - more pronounced methylpyrazines, less fruit, harsher tannic spine. I think that it’s time to cellar these and see what happens!

2/13/2022 - stkilda Likes this wine:

More than a year since my last bottle, it’s easy to understand why this is such a perennial favourite amongst lovers of Sangiovese particularly from good vintages. Upon decanting significant sediment from the bottle. The smoky aromas and exotic savoury spices are so seductive with baked earth and sage on the palette, some bricking everything is in balance it’s such a dream to drink and just outstanding value for money.

2/1/2022 - Jon Harrison wrote:

I love Chinon, especially the wines from the great Olga Raffault domaine.

Maybe my bottle was unrepresentative, but this was light in color. And a very light-bodied, slight wine in the mouth. Not much going on here considering the bottles of Raffault Les Picasses I've had before.

Anyone else?

JGH sommelier CMS-III, San Francisco, CA.

8/25/2021 - pjaines Likes this wine:

If you love Burgundy but recoil and the prices then you need to get your ass over to Franche-Comte to see Msr Guillaume because these wines (and indeed all his pinot noir) are truly brilliant and superbly affordable.

The VV is the mid-range wine (a heart swelling 12 euros!!) and the 2017 is just about opening up for business now. Where the 2012 is driving along in topo gear, this is just waking up - but still has the trademark mix of acidity and soupy strawberry/sous bois notes. Some bottles are a touch grumpy right now...some are more open.... but give them time.

Stupendous value for money - superb wines across the range. I fell in love with these wines years ago and now they are a year-on-year multi-case purchase. Excellent.

Will age a long time....the 2012 has years left on it yet.

1/27/2022 - Guillaume-en-égypte Likes this wine:

On opening this bottle came over as a very earthy, fairly mature & mellow Loire Cab Franc, with residual slightly grainy tannins... nice enough if you like that kind of thing ( I do), but not giving much by way of fruit. However. an hour or two (after a quick double decant) a beautiful violet scent emerges from the soil & undergrowth and while still not exactly fruity the wine definitely became more succulent....by this point there wasn't much of the bottle left, so go slow (or maybe decant) for maximum enjoyment.

Perennially under-rated producer whose wines really benefit from bottle age. I think I paid about £10 I/b a couple of years ago - IMHO the quality has almost no relation to the price...Drink date on here to 2025 is probably conservative, but this is drinking really nicely in early 2022, and despite needing some time to open up, I'm not sure if there is much further positive development in store ?

4/8/2021 - pjaines Likes this wine:

This is SPECTACULAR wine... it has all those layers of Etna Rosso rose and perfume notes but then there is an earthy, tannic backbone that lifts this above the other standard wines from the estate (the Don Peppino is another level - and price level), lifting it to Grand Cru burgundy levels of texture-meets-aroma-meets-potential. Rose, earth, grip, cherry. Wonderful.

1/27/2019 - forceberry wrote:

13% alcohol.

Translucent, pale reddish orange color with a developed mahogany hue. Rich, tertiary and already somewhat oxidative nose with aromas of sweet raisins, some nutty tones, a little bit of mushroomy character, light soy sauce aromas, a hint of strawberry jam and a touch of smoke. The wine is dry, medium-bodied and very aged on the palate with tertiary flavors of dried dates, meat stew, some salty soy sauce notes, a little bit of exotic spice, light mineral tones, a hint of raisin and a touch of oxidative nuttiness. The wine is moderately high in acidity with no tannins at all. The finish is long and tertiary with developed flavors of nuttiness, some stale bread, a little bit of smoke, light soy sauce tones, a hint of dried red fruits and a touch of beef jerky.

A very old and tertiary Trousseau past its peak. The wine is still quite enjoyable despite its advanced age - evident in how the bottle emptied itself over the course of our dinner - but the wine is already so old you really can't taste any sense of place or varietal characteristics here. The overall style is quite similar to an old Burgundy, but only tertiary fruit in place of Pinosity. The wine is so old I'm not rating it, but should I score the wine, it would be in the mid-to-low 80's. A nice experience at 28,50€, but perhaps not really worth the price.

2/20/2021 - EvoPeteMTL Likes this wine:

Love this producer. This is his negociant wine, and this is already a top quality red Loire wine in my opinion.

1/6/2022 - Vinogan(s) wrote:

Just flushed the last of my flawed radici riserva 06 bottles from Superiore down the drain

10/31/2021 - Putnam Weekley Likes this wine:

NOSE: sticky framboise tar. Reduction and oak are locked in wholesome embrace. There’s a delightful cracked slate vibe here. Exploring that, I find mint, and sacks of ruptured, mustard-scented muscadine. This is getting strange and remarkable. MOUTH: 24 hours into the open bottle and the barrique is popping through the formidable tide of pulpy berry resin. A waltzing churn. It’s like Cheval Blanc had a midlife crisis and decided to get in touch with its reddish, juicy half. 93-95+ points. Resist opening this for at least a few years.

1/3/2022 - Vinogan(s) wrote:

Another nicely oxidized bottle like only superiore.de can provide you with

10/23/2021 - yaCellar Likes this wine:

Medium bodied. Nose is Maraschino liqueur and ocean breeze. Palette presents some red fruits and tar. Medium weight, medium+ tannin, and strong acidity. Suckling gave 97 pts. I’ve followed it a few years now and still can’t give more than low 90s.

11/19/2021 - Guillaume-en-égypte Likes this wine:

Drank at Bistro Volnay in Paris. They are one of those wonderful French restaurants that must have a longstanding allocation from certain domaines, as the price was well below market / wine merchants tariffs.
I had never tried a Jamet Cote Rotie, and they had the 2014 on the online wine list - which is supposedly ready to drink - and it seemed too good an opportunity to satisfy my curiosity. Unfortunately the 2014 had sold out, but after going off to hunt in the cellar the manager came back with the 2015 and an apology. Sure this isn't ready by a long shot & the circumstances didn't allow for a lengthy decant. However, the wine did gradually begin to open up over the course of a couple of hours & was pretty damn good with a beautifully rare 'Beef Salers medallion'.
The nose took some teasing out, and it had a hard edge as it hit the pallet. However, there was a wonderful purity of dark Syrah fruit, impeccable balance and real elegance along with the obvious power. Far too young, but still a treat! The drink dates given here seem about right - I'd love to try this again around 2030.

7/12/2021 - pgordon62 Likes this wine:

Winemaker Note - my first chance to taste this wine in 4 or 5 months. I really liked this wine as a pop'n'pour. The tannin was present but nicely integrated. Lots of savory character. After 24 hrs there was more focused fruit intensity and pepper. Needs a year or two to hit the start of the peak window but very enjoyable now. Paul

10/8/2021 - Steve.330i wrote:

Falstaf: https://www.falstaff.de/pd/w/domaine-stephane-magnien-2016-chambolle-musigny-1er-cru-les-sentiers/

Noch sehr verschlossen im Duft. Im Mund straff gebaut, reife Säure, körniges Tannin in mittelhoher Menge, präsente taktile Mineralität, Körperkraft, wenig plakative Frucht, aber erkennbar gehaltvolle Anlagen. Endet kompakt, dicht. Zukunft!

Still very closed in the fragrance. Firmly built in the mouth, ripe acidity, grainy tannins in medium amounts, tactile minerality present, physical strength, not very striking fruit, but clearly full-bodied. Ends compact, tight. Future!

7/14/2021 - Julian Marshall Likes this wine:

My first Grolleau from anywhere, this was a fascinating first experience. The bouquet is quite different from the Cabernet Franc cuvée, less floral and more herbal, with savoury, smoky notes of herbs, brushwood, wild blackberry, a little rosehip and tar - which sounds awful but is actually rather enticing.
The attack is just as original, an odd mixture of herbs, green bell pepper and brambly fruit, quite nutty and savoury, before the fruit kicks in, the prominent flavours being wild blackberry and wild strawberry.
Very enjoyable but not quite as good as the Cabernet Franc cuvée in 2014, at least.
I can't help wondering why they don't make a blend of all three cépages.

10/16/2021 - eoinhharkins wrote:

Just emerging from infancy with mineral driven citrus note, nut, slight apple hint, harmonious texture, with plenty of fruits and lots of freshness, long salivating finish, hard to believe this is 11 years old!

10/6/2021 - 560 B&W Likes this wine:

Wow. A baby. 13%

4/12/2021 - BillBell73 Likes this wine:

Medium orange in the glass with a slight haze. Fantastically complex and comes across initially as completely dry although that’s more a function of the searing acidity as there is a bit of sweetness underneath. The palate is a wild mixture of blood orange, almonds, and bitters. A beautiful Zind-Humbrecht in full maturity that is probably best suited to fish, poultry, or pork. On a side note, this may be the first wine I’ve had that was beyond John Gilman’s drink dates...never thought I’d get there but it is clear that he may have been too conservative on this particular vintage.

7/28/2021 - Putnam Weekley Likes this wine:

NOSE: Its core is a bundle of sweet, brown, rigid trunk. Salted fruit extracts emerge from the middle, weeping with red and black bramble fruit, black cherry liqueur, espresso gravy, and river cobbles. MOUTH: Undulating texture with some intensity of flavor detail. Deep, juicy acidity supports dunes of black, mineral tannin. Dances of ripe fruit and bouquet garni cause compulsive–thoughtful–drinking. Intrigue and delight. Inky and refreshing. This is dynamic. Salty, concentrated flavors. Explosive, chewable finish driven by vitigenic acidity, shattering into kaleidescopic patterns of black stone, berry skin, mustard seed, and foraged fruit jam. This is remarkably drinkable. Why does it bring back fresh memories of 1985 de Pez, Poujeaux, and Haut-Batailly? I must have come into contact with aged Les Grézeaux back in the aughts, but I misplaced my notes. I will need to take home a case of this.

9/3/2021 - Oenecnist wrote:

Among the oddest experiences I've ever had with a case of wine: Bought 12b for 7/b about 6 weeks ago; this is #7. Light gold; white stone fruits, some honey, bit of dried grass; semi-rich ripe stone fruits, bit o' honey, slightly crisp; good mouthfeel. Tasty, good complement to rare grilled Ahi tuna. What's odd is the variety of bottles in the case: several have been amber/gold, two have been barely gold (including the first bottle I tried which convinced me to buy a case), and--for comparison last night--#8 was a bit more gold than #7 and tasted a bit more oxidized but almost as good as #7. The amber/gold bottles tasted badly oxidized, and I kept 1-2 of them to remind me of the poor quality. What is the source of the wide bottle variation (all the corks have been tight)? Were bad bottles mixed with good at the winery? The case was sealed when I bought it until I opened it to sample a bottle before purchase. Stored horizontally in a cool, dark basement since arrival. My evaluation (see earlier posts for my 4-category, non-point rating system): This bottle is notable+ when considering quality, age, and price. Most other bottles have been drinkable- or poor.

2/13/2020 - kuumies wrote:

I don’t normally comment on the appearance but I find the combination of transparency and haziness attractive here. The nose is simply divine for any fan of the variety. Savory, slightly volatile with tangy redcurrant fruit, paprika, herbs and a touch of barnyard. Sauvage, a bit natty to be honest. Still, bright and expressive more than anything. The palate is simply excellent, on the richer side of medium bodied with a velvety texture and very kind yet present tannins. The fruit expression is so, so bright. Pure harmony prevails, this is dangerously approachable and drinkable. The finish is absolutely seamless and very long. There is Burgundian elegance here, the only Loire comparison I can come up with is Clos Rougeard. In other words it is all about finesse yet it is also very serious. In this time and age finding a wine like this at only 12.5% ABV feels like a win in the lottery.

2/26/2015 - sleepyhaus wrote:

I kept thinking that this wine would get better, that it was closed and needed time. I now think that I got a bad case or else the wine is no good. Just tastes flat. No real tannin or acid, not noticeably flawed. Sad, I had high hopes.

7/7/2021 - d'Artagnan wrote:

Ouvert trois heures à l’avance, c’était suffisant.
Spectaculaire exemplaire de cette cuvée, le vin est aérien, avec un trait minéral extraordinaire en milieu de bouche. Finale d’une grande longueur et complexité, avec une finesse de grand vin. 93-94 pts

Son seul défaut fut d’être renversée sur la terre du camping, à cause d’un touriste (moi) qui le laissa sur le sol trop près des enfants, ne nous laissant qu’un quart à savourer.

4/17/2021 - bill00 wrote:

Another great bottle and vintage of Poyeux that was on par with a bottle of '10 from prior week. Classic and drinking so well.

12/20/2019 - Guillaume-en-égypte Does not like this wine:

Drank about a year ago, so no detailed note... To my taste this was not even 'modern' in the lush, hedonistic, obvious but on some level and in the right context, still enjoyable type of Bordeaux - I remember thinking it was rather hard work, dense, somewhat oaky and (possibly over) extracted... not at all refreshing or pallet cleansing and charmless. I sold my remaining 11 bottles quite easily and the other comments make clear that others like it, but it aint my thing at all - which was a shame. It may well get (significantly) better with age, but at 8/9 years wasn't giving me any encouragement on that front, and I don't remember it improving the following day.

6/12/2021 - Topper wrote:

Fairly acidic but broad flavored with a strong grassy component. Likely needs a couple more years to come into its own.

9/17/2017 - AudunG wrote:

Apple aromas. Fresh, pure and quite tender. Lacks some depth and concentration compared with its neighbour communes further north.

5/1/2021 - sooper65 wrote:

Somewhat flat and dreary. A bit stewed too. Did not improve in decanter. Unimpressed with this vintage of Barthod Chambolle

8/8/2015 - ericindc wrote:

One of the best Chinon/Cab francs i've ever had. Super aromatic, great mature notes along with the fruit. Taste was a great balance of fruit and maturity. Classic black fruits, with spice, bell peppers, pepper. Superb wine. Should be good for a few more years.

4/25/2021 - Motz wrote:

Tasted over two days, alongside the more traditionally styled 2012 Cantenac Brown.

My fourth experience with this and all have been outstanding! More red fruited, bouquet and palate, conveying a striking raspberry, strawberry amalgam, than one might expect for a Classed Growth Margaux, particularly in which Merlot comprises just 25 percent of the blend. However that works...this sensuous element, enhanced by velour-like tannin, rivets the senses! Not lacking for Cabernet Sauvignon imparted substance either, and the 5 percent Petit Verdot adds an overarching luxuriousness.

In a modern style to be sure, though not heavily extracted or oaked. Also, there is no suggestion of chemical or heavy-handed manipulation. The forwardness of fruit, and the listed 14.5 abv, which imparts a loudness to the bouquet, and textural richness to the palate, are the hallmarks of modernity here. My preference for root vegetable and mineral driven Left Bank Bordeaux leave me puzzled as to why I find this offering so goddamn appealing. Then again...why not just enjoy the experience?...and I have!

Unlike the Cantenac Brown, which, next to this, I described as an accomplished lover, this wine screams: high-class escort, and in the immortal words of that transcendent poet, Luda, "a lady in the street but a freak in the bed!" Or, put differently, she, this Margaux princess, made full use of her knee-weakening beauty and overt sluttiness to please...and I liked it! Is that wrong!?

8/6/2018 - dyuhas Likes this wine:

Perhaps the best port ever.

3/26/2021 - Guillaume-en-égypte wrote:

Oxidised :( ....I have had plenty of 2010 white Burgs / Chablis recently that have been drinking beautifully, even at village level, but this was shot. Poured a deep golden yellow, had distinct oxidative notes & was completely dead on the palette.
I suggest the 69% of community holdings still in cellar be approached asap & would love to know if this is across the board or just a bad bottle?
(Removed from bonded storage last week, so provenance should not be an issue) EDIT: next bottle was perfect & seems to have plenty of life left in it

3/25/2021 - sleepyhaus wrote:

Overripe and monolithic once again. I had been drinking through these because I see little upside, yet perhaps I should bury my remaining bottles for a few years and see what happens, because they bring little pleasure now unless you prize large scale in a wine. For me this utterly lacks in all qualities which make Beaujolais great. It's not fresh or vibrant or refreshing. 2018 is only a slight step above 2015, which was just terrible. Global warming is not kind to this region, though perhaps it will eventually lead to more development in the historically cooler crus.

3/13/2021 - CarpeDiem! Likes this wine:

Much Bourgogne typicity, charming bouquet with strawberry, raspberry, and floral notes. Medium bodied, elegant palate, with fresh but mature red berries, subtle cedar, cocoa, plum and vanilla notes, with a fresh menthol finish. Still early to judge, but I expect this bottle to further improve over the coming 5 years.

6/2/2020 - Tim Heaton wrote:

Aerated to decanter 90 minutes. Ripe red/dark red fruits, intense soil notes. Plenty of complexity by the 2 hour mark, but I feel it's still holding back. Pretty brilliant winegrowing here, another Foti success in a confident, structured style. It's clear this type of wine, and others like it, will help to elevate this area to DOCG status. HOLD for a few more years; may well bracket up. 13,5% abv. recommended

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