10/8/2022 - MrTMAN77 Likes this wine:

Fantastic! Very mineralic and very bordeaux. Still have many years ahead. Sadly my last bottle.

12/27/2022 - bsinclair Likes this wine:

My second Mouton after a bottle of the 1981 vintage.
Bottle bought at an auction a couple of months ago and opened 30 minutes before drinking (no decant). The cork was entirely soaked.
Very ethereal and complex medium-bodied wine. Very Pauillac.
Now, would I think this is a great wine if it wasn't Mouton Rothschild? I mean, I had other 1989s Pauillac (PLC, Duhart Milon) that were in my mind as interesting as this. But perhaps my palate is not distinguished enough to appreciate all the subtelties of a wine of such pedigree.

12/20/2022 - jviz Likes this wine:

Delicious wine here. It's rather approachable, with somewhat fine grained tannins and open aromatics. I get licorice, aloe, blackcurrant, and very faint oak notes. The wines is partially fermented in concrete and raised in 70% new barrels per Jeff Leve's site. I think those judicious moves show up in the glass. From high density old vines, it's concentrated and plush, but retains an excellent balance with pointed acids. I'm seriously impressed and imagine this would do very very well in a blind tasting format.

12/1/2022 - d'Artagnan wrote:

Souper-dégustation Domaine Christian Moreau & fils (Restaurant Chez Sophie): Nez fruit noir, goudron, olives. Puissant mais gorgé de fruit mûr, c’est frais et profond.

7/23/2022 - Rote Kappelle Likes this wine:

Right, let's get straight to the point. Sell your children, murder your spouse for the life insurance, lose the fiddle playing competition with Lucifer - it really doesn't matter, just do whatever you need to do to get as much of this as you can and start drinking before the consequences catch up with you. In all seriousness, I think this may be the greatest Clape Cornas I have tasted.

The colour is an impenetrable purple-red. There is not a hint of fading at the edge as you tilt the glass.

The nose starts rather stinky but over about 8 hours opens up. The funk remains but there are wonderful fruit aromas of blackberry, dark plum and a lifted perfume of blueberry. Smoke, black pepper and a hint of clove add to the mix. By now I am looking for someone more evil than the Devil with whom to make a pact so I can get more of this.

The palate rolls on like a highway to hell (you know you shouldn't go there but it just looks too infernally good), supple, long and intense. This has the balance to be Malificent drinking now, but the components are all there for a long, long afterlife ahead. It does finish with some fine, drying tannins.

I bet this is what the French at Bir Hakeim were thinking of in 1942; if we can break-out we can guarantee a lifetime of Clape Cornas. By Jove, even a lifelong Flashman devotee like myself would fight for this.

If you are reading this in Australia, my disinterested advice is to save yourself for swill and buy this, buy lots of it, but donate it to the Rote Kappelle Hepatic Foundation. It does such good work.

11/23/2022 - Cailles wrote:

20 Vintages of Troplong Mondot: This was a trainwreck of a vertical tasting. An average of meager 86.8 pts, only 6 wines with a rating of more than 90pts. Almost all wines pre 2017 and a winemaker/style change have dried out. Too much extraction and heavy oak treatment produced wines that did not age well, have no fruit and charm left. I don’t have group ratings but the sentiment in the room was similar (this was the fastest tasting ever with this group). It was a root day but that can’t explain everything. Also, the provenance or storage of the bottles was no issue (all bought En Primeur, stored perfectly since). Troplong Mondot seems to be a victim of a series of bad choices, mainly the wrong consultant. Luckily, the future looks brighter.

TN: A bit hot on the nose but with ripe blue and black fruit. On the palate very sweet, sigary but at the same time fresh black and blue fruit. Round and harmonious, no wood dominating. Not too long, though. But overall the best wine of the bunch.

11/20/2022 - acyso wrote:

Dinner at D Cuisine (Chicago, IL): If the 2018 (which I called the wine of the vintage) was any indication of the insane quality that Domaine Jamet is hitting these days, then the 2019 seals the deal. This is even better than the 2018! What a splendid bottle of wine. The nose is unequivocally Côte-Rôtie syrah. Intensely dark purple in hue, the colour belies what an elegant and light wine this is. The nose is intensely fruity, with a distinct black raspberry note on top of some seriously intense olive brine aromas (which get more and more intense with air). The palate is extremely lithe and elegant for the reputation of the vintage, and in fact acidity plays a strong role here, keeping all the ripe fruit, smoke, meat, and olive in check. Obviously young and somewhat coarse tannins, but there's so much material and stuffing here that's of no concern. This is everything you would want in a syrah, and then some -- it's just missing the bottle age. I loaded up heavily here, and wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger on even more bottles; I'm that excited about what the future holds in store for this. A magnificent effort by the master of Côte-Rôtie.

2/23/2022 - chatters wrote:

Coravin fun - Domaine de Chevalier; 2/23/2022-3/6/2022 (My place, Kent Street): From Coravin. Aromas of cream, honey, butter, sweet spice, green apple with a smidge of bruised apple in support, a little cheesy lees. with time the oxidative note grows. Honeyed and rich but with sufficient acidity to keep things clean. A little front of mouth grip and a smidge of bitterness on the long finish lends further interest. Engaging and rather lovely.

5/23/2021 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

Wow! First bottle of this one from the SAfrica trip of '19! One hour decant then consumed over 4 more by the group. In a syrah and grenache heavy drinking day, this one stood out as THE cab bottle. Nice blend of Cab, Merlot and Malbec but heavy on the cab end. Cedar/oak on the nose completes the rather classic cab presentation. Could easily be mistaken for a firm, densely structured, (but not overly weighty) Napa cab, even though it's from a very small producer in SAfrica. The very first joint venture between people from Napa and SAfrica is a definite success!

12/1/2021 - kostaslonis wrote:

Oenocosmos tasting (Athens Hill): Highly aggressively hot and oaky in the nose, very stiff, earthy and spicy. In the palate, the wine is again harsh, with angular tannins, high acidity, alcohol heat, green fruit, thin, medium finish

7/10/2022 - bsinclair wrote:

How should you rate a 36-year-old Bordeaux that tastes like a young Beaujolais?
More seriously, I think Jake Barnes's note is spot on: the wine looks amazingly young and fresh, but does not offer much beyond that.

7/28/2022 - ThijsV Likes this wine:

[Holiday @ Sailhan] We had our goodbye Pyrenees dinner at Herbege Les Aryelets, a bib gourmand in the small hamlet of Aulon. A brilliant setting and they had this wine on the list at about 1/3 of the current secondary market prices. Of course (too) young, but lovely already. Medium ruby in color, with an interesting nose; a sort of combination between the richness of a Chateauneuf du Pape, the power and aroma’s of a Northern Rhone Syrah and the lightness of mencia. Deep, cherries, meaty, violets, garrigue. I brought the bottle with one glass left home and on day 2 it had transformed into a much lighter and more elegant wine. Medium+ acidity, medium tannins (surprisingly well integrated already), long finish

Great bottle and would love to see where its heading in its evolution, but definitely not at current market prices

9/4/2022 - lozatron Likes this wine:

Zinchester: Had no idea of what to expect from this. On the nose, earthy, with a hint of electricity - damp ground before a thunderstorm . On the palate - a punch in the mouth - there’s a depth and complexity there. My handwritten note says “a portal” - a portal to what I don’t know but it seems right. Violets in an iron glove. This was a serious wine, the kind you’d not want to drink too much of - not because it’s too boozy, or tannic, but just because there’s so much much to it. A real treat.

12/5/2019 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine:

Beautifully balanced and integrated. Subtle aromas of leather, game and black fruit. Very smooth and restrained fruit on the palate. Drinking well now and nice complexity but still has upside.

8/28/2022 - Woodbridge Brad Likes this wine:

My birthday, just my wife and myself. I knew this would be wonderful and it was. Hard not to hum the theme song from Camelot when I drink this and think back to a great time in the California wine community. We reached a peak in those years and have lost our way since. Too many egos and too much money now.

4/9/2022 - chablis28 wrote:

Decanted 3hrs & back into btl 1hr prior to dinner in Riedel BDXs. The air we gave this allowed it to resolve nicely w/ excellent aromatics while lending an elegant mouthfeel. Semi opaque ruby garnet. Plenty of scorched earth, black currants, cherry, dark chocolate & hint of cigar. The nose is more compelling than the palate. The palate could use a tad more energy & acidity. 1/2 a shot glass of sediment in btl upon decant. 12,5% alc. The first of my 4. I'll likely try one every 3yrs. Very good, not sure it will ever be great! 92+ / 93 -

8/13/2022 - MJP Hou TX Likes this wine:

Late night pull from the cellar during the Almacerro tasting. Looking to impress fellow CT'ers with a wine that changed my palate forever.

Primary with the stuffing to be a legend. This 15 JLC is a structured beast of a wine. Dark red fruit, cinnamon baking spice, blood iron, pepper. Incredible mouth feel with a medium body and long palate coating finish. Undeniably Chave. I need to source more as this is only going to climb the charts.

97++

Hold

3/30/1990 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine:

With the poker gang at Dwight Dickerson's. Medium-dark ruby. Excellent nose: ripe, firm, and deep. On the palate, extremely powerful, full-bodied wine, though not overly tannic and even somewhat elegant. Chocolatey fruit, very long on the palate with a fairly complex, extended finish. Excellent wine, especially for $12.99.

7/2/2022 - Slaz wrote:

My second bottle since 2019 when I first tried it. Takes few hours of decanting to open up. Fairly rich but largely balanced. Should improve further. I continue to think this is grossly overpriced relative to many terrific Italian gems at this price point.

6/25/2022 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

1st wine this evening with the HMCs.....pnp'd and it needed 20-30 min to be drinkable. A little tight, and very introverted to start. At 30 min, it's very rich, thick, dense, deep fruit with tons of creamy milk chocolate. No sharp edges and well integrated. The problem here was I didn't put the cork back into the bottle after pouring the first glass for us. The cork stayed out, we drank some of the Kamen, some of Jimbo's own '16 cab he made that was quite good and quite Bdx-ish and even some Italian before going back to the Carter and enjoying it when it was open to air a total of 3-4 hours......and it is now doing what so many of the '16s did.....it became darker, slightly bitter and coarser. So, in a nutshell again.....the '18s right now, do not appear yet ready for prime time, unless you pour a glass and immediately put the cork right back in, until you pour the next glass. Too much air, too soon causes them to transition out of their best spot at the moment. If by some chance you drink the entire bottle the first hour, you are probably ok, even if you leave the cork out.

Looking back at my last bottle provided by HMC, he did a 5 hour slow ox and it was great, easily the WOTN. This is very frustrating to try to decipher.....do these go through a dark phase before re-emerging over an additional 4 hours of slow ox or did this vintage regress over the past 4-5 months or is this just a off bottle? Hard to tell with any certainty........

6/9/2022 - csimm1161 wrote:

Party with some 100 pointers: Aromas of blueberry feta cheese water topped with pickled chocolate syrup and sheepdog left outside in a hurricane. On the palate, gross.

3/28/2009 - beatles wrote:

Dinner @ Christiansholm (Christiansholm): Oh boy. A woman is only a woman, but a good cigar is a smoke; text book côte-rôtie from back, when men were men, and barriques were not as present. Smooth, silky, almost Burgundy-like and still with a masculin peppery, licorice-like sent - the fruit is still alive, and it could live longer, but the wine is ready and open.

6/4/2022 - Brendel Likes this wine:

Blind tasted.
A: deep purple.
N: perfume, malolactic, medium leather, Bordeaux funk, soup stock, cayenne pepper, celery, oregano. A wonderful nose.
P: rich, complex, plenty of interesting round silky tannins are present but it is eminently drinkable now. Excellent.
96-97 pts.

This easily beat out a 2015 Troplong Mondot, 2015 Cantenac Brown and 2018 Cantenac Brown (in that order).

6/1/2022 - RhoneWho wrote:

Recently I did a vertical tasting of Andremily Mourvedre 2016-19. I did not expect 2019 Mourvedre to be ready to drink so well within 3 months upon release as my experience all other Andremily (with the exception of its Grenache) could benefit from 6+ month of bottle aging and from bottle evolution peaking in a few more years (such as 2017 EABA). The only word to sum it up is SEAMLESS. The only problem right now it's so delicious that we (3 guys) finished drinking it in less than half an hour! Sorry we didn't really give it a chance to show off its full monty, strut and swagger, evolving complexity. But I will come back to it every 6 months with plenty in cellar :) Normally I don't review or write up notes on red wines until after 2-3 years of following through the wine but this one (2019) is quite special for me to break my norm.

I had tasted 2019 Mourvedre components from their barrels just before bottling last year; and I thought it's amazingly great and the 2019 vintage is a fantastic 4 (GSME). I'm really glad and happy for Jim that his wines have come up beautifully now in bottles.

First sip reminded me of those perfect scored wines from 2019 vintage (Saxum G2, TR G2, Tensley Noir) which all have that incredible "weightless" profile but they all still need time to gain more "body" and richer aroma (for now they are 97-100 range on my scale). Jim's winemaking skill in extracting pure fruit essence seamlessly into a full-body aromatic elixir has taken it to another heavenly level; this reminded my first experience drinking 100-rated 2010 Dominus (its first ever perfect score by RP). At times, I find myself at odd philosophically that "imperfection is perfection." Yes, I do like some imperfections (or near symmetry but not perfect symmetry) to be interesting.

The bouquet from the first pour brought joyful faces of my friends, which I had recommended to drink this unicorn last after meal to enjoy its pure enjoyment (drink along with 2018 Grenache pairing with the last course). The signature of Jim's finest mourvedre uplifting aromatics coupled with rich dark cocoa notes, dark cherry notes and some provencal herbs. Sensational - reminded me the experience drinking its 2018 Grenache at its pre-release.

For those who find 2017 style too big big and rich (and intense), then you will love the 2019 vintage (a finesse redux/feminine of 2017 version). For those looking for more structure than 2017, then 2018 with a touch of higher acidity which I think it'll evolve and challenging current perfect 2017 vintage. For more details on other top-rated mourvedre, see my notes from 2017 vintage.

Rating: 98-100; currently 98+ and won't be surprise to hit 99+ next 1-2 years from now.

5/13/2022 - Motz wrote:

Decanted and enjoyed over a long evening.

Very young! At this stage, seemingly equal parts red and purple fruited. Exquisite bouquet, prototypical of varieties in place. Bright red fruits and berries, deep purple and black berries, herbs (mint), tobacco, spent espresso grounds, dark chocolate powder, and more concentrated clay and gravel terroir elements than this purist knew what to do with! Hot Damn!

High quality Merlot, with plum, pomegranate, and crunchy red berry notes, serves as a velvet glove, draping an iron fist, Cabernet Sauvignon-driven core, of blackcurrant, pepper garden, graphite, and that piercing, powdered steel-like suspension that differentiates Saint-Estèphe from other Left Bank communes.

Acid, medium plus to high. Tannin, medium to medium plus (powdery and gritty). Air enhanced the experience. The last sips were best.

Purists with low tannin tolerance, who enjoy great Left Bank offerings fully resolved should avoid this for no less than another decade. More rough and tumble, high-tannin tolerate palates should decant for several hours, strap in, and enjoy the kick-ass ride. Once the wine hits its square drinking window, perhaps roundabout 2035, but more likely, 2040, it should hold for several more years.

Only the Léoville Las Cases has made an equal impression in this vintage. That wine delivers strapping substance. This wine delivers striking balance of range and depth. Improvement likely. 98-99.

A powerful tasting experience on which to write my 1,000th Bordeaux note.

5/9/2022 - bsinclair Likes this wine:

Cinsault, Cabernet sauvignon and Carignan.

Bought 4 bottles for 34 CHF each last autumn on the occasion of a special deal offered by a wine shop in Zurich. (The whole stock of bottles put on sale were gone after one day.)
I intended to bring the first bottle to some friends for lunch. Based on the CTs, I opened the bottle the night before. Unfortunately, I fell ill during the night and I gifted the bottle without being able to taste it.
Second bottle opened for mother's day. Here also I opened the bottle the night before. Cork in a very bad shape but easily removed with a two-blade corkscrew.

Right upon pouring the wine and smelling it, I knew we would be drinking something special. I am unable to do justice to the complexity of aromas that we encountered upon drinking the bottle (although I can say that I didn't detect any cockroach smell). This wine manages to be light and powerful at the same time. As somebody described, it's something for Bordeaux lovers that is not Bordeaux.

All in all, a stunning wine and crazy quality for the price. I look forward to sharing my remaining bottles with good friends that don't know this producer.

4/3/2022 - bsinclair Likes this wine:

Mid-shoulder. The cork disintegrated upon opening. At first almost overwhelming barnyard notes but these dissipated after around 20 minutes in the glass. After that we got to enjoy a good if not great mature bordeaux. I still have three bottles and will allow for 30-60 minutes between opening and tasting.

3/27/2022 - MicklethePickle Likes this wine:

Opened after learning from another CT user that this was drinking well already. I bought three more bottles, then uncorked this. Incredibly saturated black purple with thick purple legs. Wow! Gorgeous deep nose, with ripe (not overly) fruit aromas. Very rich. Extremely attractive in the mouth, sooooo full of thick, rich fruit it is hard to believe. My God, this is one of the best wines I have had in my mouth in as long as I can remember. Fully a minute after swallowing, I am still experiencing all this wine has to offer. The best 2018 I have had thus far, and that is saying ALOT. 5-13-19-10: 97/100.

4/4/2022 - Franken Berry wrote:

Brought to a French bistro. Corked. Got worse with air. Ugh

3/29/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote:

One of the top vintages of Leoville Poyferre, the wine sports a beautiful dark color in the glass. The showy nose opens with black and red fruits, espresso, cocoa, tobacco leaf, smoke and floral aromas. On the palate is there the wine shines with its multiple layers of sensuously textured, deep, ripe, dark red fruits, plush, polished tannins and its multi-layered, lusciously-textured, long, vibrant finish. This will age and evolve for decades with little trouble. Drink from 2027-2055.

3/21/2022 - Sid_Loves_Wine Likes this wine:

Gorgeous wine for my 800th CT review. I was a little worried about buying this even for $50 on winebid, given that the CT notes are really varied, and many describe some flaws, or at least that it's unbalanced or inexpressive. I made the purchase anyway and I'm glad I did- even if there's some bottle variation, I must have gotten one of the really good ones.

To me this is one of those syrahs that feels exactly like how syrah "should" be in it's purest form. That's not to say it's the most incredible syrah I've had in my life, nor is it the only style of syrah I love, but it shows a truly rare sense of balance and beauty with absolutely nothing out of place. I don't say lightly that if I blinded this I would probably call Northern rhone, either a somewhat higher-end St Joseph or a Cote Rotie (reminded me very intensely of the entry-level Rotie from Clusel Roch, around the same price.) A lot of Washington syrah is very savory, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily Rhone-like.

Nose shows loads of pure, pretty, fresh but also dense and ripe blueberries- plus a bunch of high-toned gamey/briney accents that were intense without ever getting in the way of the fruit, nor ever appearing truly "vegetal" (which I don't always love). Cured meat, olive brine, a little funk, but not overwhelming. Not really any noticeable oak. It's complex, but in another way it's straightforward - a pure, harmonious combo of rich dark fruit and super fun, well-integrated savory tones.

Palate is just the same. Super elegant, fresh, lithe, but still intensely concentrated blue fruits glide down with silken tannins, while a pop of briney acidic energy dances in the background. Again extemely harmonious, and extremely delicately or carefully crafted- it's truly amazing how much depth there is here along with such freshness and elegance.

It's not the *best* QPR ever for the usual $80+ price, as I've had a few $50 syrahs that feel very similar, but there's no denying this is special stuff. Compared to other Washington heavyweight syrahs such as the K Vintners Hidden or Cattle King, I found much greater beauty in this (although it was very similar to the K vintners Rock Garden, which is less expensive.)

1/24/2018 - forceberry wrote:

The typical Clauzet blend is Cabernet Sauvignon (55%), Merlot (40%) and Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc for the remainder. Macerated for 3 weeks with the skins. Aged in barriques, of which approximately 30-40% are new.

Still youthful, almost completely opaque black cherry color with a slightest hint of developed brick color towards the rim. The nose is still quite rich and succulent with intense aromas of dark fruits, some sanguine iron notes, a little bit of ripe blackberries, a hint of pruney fruit and a touch of sweet oak spice. The wine is full-bodied, ripe and quite tannic on the palate with quite muscular and dense mouthfeel and rather powerful flavors of blackcurrant-driven dark fruits, some tart cranberries, light leathery character, a little bit of wild strawberries, a hint of tobacco and a savory touch of cedary oak. The wine is still very structured and tightly-knit with high acidity and quite pronounced tannic astringency. The robust finish is long, grippy and chewy with bold, savory flavors of roasted spices, blackcurrants, some leathery complexity, a little bit of tobacco, a hint of sour cherry bitterness and a touch of dried dark fruits.

A quite brawny and muscular powerhouse of Bordeaux, still obviously in need of further aging. The wine is quite a bruiser with still rather bold and powerful flavors, a little bit of glossy new oak sheen and pretty tightly-knit, imposing structure. With some decanting, the wine is perfectly enjoyable already, given that it is paired with something hearty enough to tame the still very young and vibrant structure. However, the wine is obviously in need of further aging and most likely it will take yet another decade - if not more - before the wine reaches its plateau of maturity. With its powerful character, this really isn't a poised, delicate claret, but I can expect the wine to gain further finesse as it continues to age. A real keeper and simply stunning value at only 27,50€.

1/31/2022 - bsinclair Likes this wine:

Bought based on the notes from Cailles and Sirpat007. Opened two hours before serving with entrecote for lunch.
Quintessentially Bordeaux, long finish and definitely punching above its weight.
In an excellent phase right now.

1/1/2022 - bsinclair wrote:

Drank for NYE after a short decant.

Very jammy nose. Off-putting sweetness on the palate that somewhat subsided with time in the glass. Full-bodied and rich.

Overall, a bit disappointed by this wine. My palate is probably too used to Old World wines, but then I've also had a couple of wines from Paso Robles that were, to me, much more enjoyable (perhaps because they were based on Syrah).

11/20/2021 - timothynbond Likes this wine:

Judgment of Lafayette (West Lafayette, IN): Served blind. Took some coaxing, but eventually offered some red fruits (especially rapbserry) on the nose, along with some meaty aromas. Medium body, medium-to-medium-plus acid, lithe tannins. Flavors of cherries, balsamic, and a warm Christmas spice like feeling on the finish.

1/14/2012 - Zweder wrote:

DJ's Birthday. A mixed set of special and beautiful wines. (@The psychologist): This wine has 60% Grenache and I did not do research about the rest of the grapes used. The wine showed a beautiful deep color. In the bouquet some smoke. Overall a beautiful and harmonious wine with some spiciness, good acidity and soft tannin. Not a bit too old at this moment, but completely ready now.

11/11/2021 - Decanting Queen Likes this wine:

Wow. I may have found my nearly perfect soulmate wine.
On opening, a nose of bacon fat and sweet berries. 3 hour decant and the nose has become ever changing—black fruits, exotic spices, a touch of green, some white pepper, a touch meaty but much more subtle than say a Cayuse syrah which screams carnivore.
This is so light on the mouth yet so plush and decadent at the same time, I don’t know how it is possible. Dark berries, pomegranate, mouth coating chocolate syrup, accents of garrigue. Silky fine tannins so smooth I am not even sure they can be called tannins—they are like a whisper of tannin. And such a long lasting explosion of flavor.
I foolishly only bought a 3 pack of this as the cellar is full and I’m trying to be more responsible in my wine buying. But now I realize it was irresponsible of me not to buy every bottle that I possibly could.
Wow, just wow.

10/15/2021 - Cailles wrote:

No notes taken. This is the second time I come to taste one of Andremily‘s Mouverdre and just as the 2016 vintage, this 2018 is an absolute stunner. There is a lot of aromatic intensity and ripeness but at the same time the wines is so incredibly weightless and airy without any hard edges. Expressive nose and palate full of ripe but not even a bit too ripe fruit, chocolate, herbs, minerality, great balance, impeccable strucutre and a very long and expanding finish. Quite complete. I don‘t buy much Californian wine anymore these days but this Mouverdre will stay on my shopping list. Crazy (impressive) thing tasting this was, that one in our group correctly identified is as Mouverdre from California (double blind).

Decanting: No extensive decanting necessary. Good from the go.

6/19/2019 - harrie wrote:

A funnny wine. Sweet, fruity and powerful it is. You’ll be happy with the Jachello if you like the primitivo wines of this world or occasionally venture into Veneto with its valpolicellas and amarones (would be fun to run against a Zyme Kairos). A score of 90+ is easily in the books.

If Pinot noir is your thing, don‘t bother here.

88 is three quarters the Pinot drinker I’ve become and one quarter the Amarone fan that accelerated my appreciation of red wine two decades ago.

8/17/2014 - Collector1855 wrote:

Switzerland as a wine producing county has several problems that make it difficult to find 90+ point wines from there. Most Swiss wine should be regarded as digestiv for Cheese Fondue or to make Ministers drunk quickly during Comptoir apéros, a cheers to the late Mr. Delamuraz... There are 3 reasons for that 1) in many areas the lesser grape varietals are used, Chasselas and Gamay (Chasselas is a table grape not a wine grape) and Gamay, well, I'd rather not comment. 2) most terroir is good to produce potatoes and mais but not wine and 3) unlike Austria the country never uses its quality scandals (eg, Giroud Vins) to weed out the many primitive, subsidized producers that are paid per liter and not quality.
Gantenbein is one of the few exceptions (others are some emerging leaders from the Merlot di Ticino movement). Tasting note: Medium-light red. Expressive nose of floral and red cherry notes with some sweet spices. There is noticeable oak as well. On the palate quite light bodied but with excellent balance and freshness. This goes towards Burgundy 1er Cru qualit. Great to see that they can pull this off from Bündner Herrschaft (=Heidi Land). The 2012 is even better.

2/12/2014 - Zweder wrote:

Monthly Tasting Group HWS #086; Syrah/Shiraz worldwide. (By BS): To start with my conclusion; this is a WOW! wine. In the bouquet ripe dark forest fruits and luxurious beautifully toasted oak. On the palate a mouth full. Ripe dark berries, minerals, spiciness, beautiful acidity and still very youthful, round tannin. Wait until 2020+.. What a great finish of a beautiful tasting evening.

7/9/2020 - hprphf Likes this wine:

Leftover third bottle, it was popped and barely touched. One day in the fridge really softens it up, even though there is still tannin for years. Old school nose is just so attractive: chalky, bold, minty and a little creamy. There is pencil box, smoky tobacco, chocolate, strawberry, cherry, prune, vanilla, fresh grass, meat and tea. The palate is juicy, sappy, cleanly resolved but still with a firm grasp, reaching superb depth with amazing hearty spice. It is for the similar reasons I like 82’ and all these older Lafites. Truly classy. 95

7/9/2021 - VinhoVerde Likes this wine:

Medium dark red color. Beautiful berry, cassis, mineral, and exotic spice bouquet. A rich powerful wine displaying a steel fist within a velvet glove character. Massive, supple fruit, intensely flavored. Long, long aftertaste.
Wow. Enjoyable now, but will continue to evolve for a decade. Truly, an extraordinary experience.
Double decanted for 2 hours prior to tasting.

From Mark’s 2005 Bordeaux Vintage Tasting:
Attended a 36 wine ‘05 Bordeaux tasting recently. The wine above is one of those wines. Served single-blind.
All wines were tasted over a 2 day period, 18 per day. The wines served on the 1st day had their corks pulled two hours prior. The second day’s wines were served “ double-decanted”, 2 hours before the first flight. The overall tasting experience was quite different, as one would expect. Day 2 wines were softer, displaying more ripe fruit, and less harsh tannins.
Kudos to Mark for both a fantastic experience as well as providing an instructive opportunity to evaluate this vintage.

6/9/2021 - RhoneWho wrote:

2018 Andremily Grenache sample is my fountain of youth elixir:

(1) Intoxicating yet uplifting bouquet with beguiling floral and black raspberries perfume — making you just want to enjoy the hedonistic nose without knowing your hand is in perpetual swirling motion.
(2) Weightlessly elegant yet full bodied, ultra pure and yet concentrated, complex and fresh yet deep gorgeous, opulent dark fruit flavor with hints of cocoa, herbs, licorice — savoring every sip and salivating the very last drip ...
(3) Seamlessly smooth with expansive texture (no hard edges) driven by uber-fine and ripe tannins yet cellar worthy as the acidity is superbly masked under rich opulent fruit profile as it glides your palate like riding a Cadillac — so ready to enjoy even in the year of release (the most impressive and unique x-factor in all of Jim’s wines without long barrel aging as in Guigal, Alban or SQN) .. Carpe Diem!

Many wine lovers would consider ‘14 SQN Shakti as one of the most unique and outstanding in the recent years of SQN grenache. I’d thought I would never find another grenache like that or a more complete. I’ve finally found what I’ve been looking for while listening to Bono’s song in writing up my notes :).

Some may describe Andremily’s tasted the closest to Rayas except the color which I am glad Jim’s is garnet purple & not the limpid red or ruby red.

I recall it's a blend of 80% Grenache, 14% Mourvedre, and 6% Syrah; but I think the syrah is co-fermented with viognier. Unlike SQN grenache, Jim's varietal approach is quite "simple" and minimal using Viognier instead of other Southern Rhone white grapes and KISS without needing to add a garden of varietal grapes (another x-factor or signature of Jim's wines).

One big surprising discovery in this Grenache sample is that, like his famous flagship Syrah, it does not get oxidated or degraded (in fact better) over a few days in the sample! This can be another x-factor.

Keyword: Gorgeous, Opulent, Delicious, Sexy (GODS) FACT (Flavor, Aroma, Color, Texture)
Rating: 98-100 (triangulated with California and CDPs grenache rated 100)

10/31/1999 - Zweder wrote:

Light blood red/carmine colour. Firm. Good bouquet with some fruit left. Soft, but a lot of good acidity. Very vital wine.

6/19/2021 - The Wine Geek Likes this wine:

Had the 2017 last week. Fabulous. I had to rate this wine 100 points the reason being its just pure pleasure in a glass. Rich dark fruits and a finish that goes on for ever. Hold on got to take a sip. This wine is a $120 a bottle. You won't find wines like this for less than $300. One of the best Syrahs I have ever had. I have had a couple of Granges that have been better and a couple not as good. The problem, Grange is $800 a bottle.
I bought 3 bottles. Called my supplier he had 5 bottles left, took them all. That gives me seven to drink over the next few years. If you can find this wine for less than $150 a bottle buy it, it's a steal.

5/20/2021 - James Kim Likes this wine:

From memory. Double decanted but not sure for how long. Small pour. Strong green tobacco on the palate with graphite, leather, earth with fruit in the background. Less balanced than the 81 Cheval Blanc. Still, it's drinking well and would never refuse a glass.

2/13/1988 - Zweder wrote:

An easy evening with close friends PdV and FD (@ My place): Deep dark red with a brown edge. Expressive and mature bouquet with good liquorice, vanilla from the oak and still cassis. Full bodied and round and in a perfect maturity stage. Excellent wine but lacking the complexity to be extraordinary.

5/23/2021 - Mark1npt Likes this wine:

3rd day of the '21 Wine-o-palooza.....only 4 contestants left. Jen opened this one from her cellar as a birth year wine since she is the birthing person for her 18 yo....

A little bit of an odd nose on the pnp but over 3-4 hours in the decanter it evens out and over 2+ hours more it grows on you and struts its stuff. Competes fairly and squarely with the '03 Cos d' Estournel that I brought for the occasion til about the 7th hour of decant when the Cos pulls ever so slightly ahead.......soft cherry fruit, leather, tobacco and cassis. As time wears on, sneaky tannins start to show up late to the party, low to moderate intensity, but integrating well with the fruit and the acidity. A little tart cherry initially it evolves into more dark red/black fruit later. Maybe a little pine needle late, too? I think DJHammond covers this wine perfectly in his note from the other day. A screaming buy at this price.

11/4/2011 - Zweder wrote:

A weekend with friends in Germany Mosel area: Part 1: Rustic bouquet with a touch of barnyard and still a bit reticent. On the palate juicy red as well as black fruits, licorice, a touch of sweetness (from the alcohol?) and firm, still sticky tannin. This wine is still much too young.