5/3/2024 - JJYoyo wrote:

A much more oxidated smell and taste to this bottle, with green apples really took over. Gorgeous gold color though. Not as surly as the first time I tried it; not as expressive as the last time I did.
Score: 92. Relative to expectations: +

4/29/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Very nice “every day” Napa cab. Approachable, surprisingly supple, lots of red fruit and a light touch of oak vanilla/spice, tannins very soft. A very likable cab that really wears its 14.8% abv well. Went great with grilled steak on a very warm April day in NJ. At dN prices a definite hit.
Score: 91-92. Relative to expectations: ++.

4/27/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Decanted and immediately poured. The faintest hint of bricking just beginning. The combination of sour earthiness, attenuated fruit, intensity and limpidity made me think of the 2007 Raffault Chinon I had a few months ago. Very prominent cranberry flavor with raspberry playing a decided second fiddle. Very strong acidity which, when coupled with a boatload of (fully resolved) tannins, gave this wine a riveting structure. The earthiness eventually turned into an intense graphite scent. Complex, masculine, but for all that it was not at all tiring to drink.
This is not for beginners: the fruit is just too subtle, the acidity just too high, the tertiary just too in your face to appeal to civilians. And its charms are delicate at the same time: I paired this with veal chops and sage — which went together gangbusters — and a side of sautéed aubergines (hey, it was what was in the fridge and the Mrs loves aubergines, sooo…) — and the aubergines just dominated the subtlety of the wine. Pair this with the most refined meat dish you can think of — chaud-froid of chicken, no not kidding — or maybe just have it by itself with water crackers.
This is an intellectual wine — it begs for analysis and discussion, not food and fun. I loved the combination of depth and intensity with high taste transparency. Like no other Margaux I can think of.
Score: 93. Relative to expectations: ++

4/26/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Fierce acidity, nice combination of oxidative and fleeting reduction notes. Nose has nice balance of tart and stalky elements. Palate is driven overwhelmingly by tart green apple, obliterating what promises to be more intriguing tastes underneath. Maybe a few years would mellow this out — Gigou wines can have a preternatural durability. For now:
Score: 88. Relative to expectations: 0.

4/21/2024 - JJYoyo wrote:

Tasted over 2 days and a range of serving temperatures and this was a startlingly acidic lemon fest no matter what I did. Shocking given the vintage and so at odds with other TNs here that I hav to assume it’s a flawed bottle - although I am hard pressed to name the flaw.

4/20/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

1 hr decant. Very blue/purple color, striking to look at the decant dregs. Much sterner and more fierce than a stereotypical St Émilion. Intense dark fruit, still quite strong tannins. This is right now much more about power than precision; it was hard for me to pick out individual aromas in the bouquet or palate. Will this monolithic beast sort itself in the fullness of time? Above my pay grade to answer — I don’t have nearly the experience with Valandraud to answer. Right now, more impressive than endearing.
Score: 92. Relative to expectations: 0

4/17/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

1 hr air. Part of me is happy to have had such a fantastic OR Pinot and part of me is annoyed with myself because this is going to get so much better in about 7-10 years. Copious red stone fruit (cherry and plum) at the beginning, cinnamon and some stalkiness to it, along with a hint of smoke (the good kind, not the taint kind). The wine sort of shut down over the next hour or so - I say sort of, because it didn’t get surly; on the contrary, it tightened up but also revealed a gorgeous minerality and expression of spice that reminded me strongly of kasuri methi. I can imagine what this will be like at maturity and it will be fabulous.
Don’t get me wrong; this is delicious now, but only at the beginning of a stellar career.
Score: 94+. Relative to expectations: +++

4/14/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Can’t top @Viniferatu ‘s TN as that is spot on and far more complete than anything I could say. The cut on this is very sharp and the finish is very long — these are more dominant impressions than the nose. Mrs Yoyo absolutely flipped for this.
Score: 93. Relative to expectations: ++

4/14/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

1 hr decant and served in Zalto bordeaux glasses.
This is definitely the tastiest and probably the greatest Mourvèdre I have had in my life. Much lighter colored, lighter bodied and less tannic than a typical old world Mourvèdre. Tons of bing cherry, thyme, a light touch of vanilla and cinnamon sugar. Beautiful floral (lavender? Hyacinth?) touch on the nose as well. A completely different Mourvèdre than old world examples — and that’s the only reason for hesitating on the GoAT award, since they’re such different beasts — but oh my lord how delicious! Can it age? I’ll never know; I am not keeping these in the cellar. Wow.
Score : 95-96. Relative to expectations: +++

4/9/2024 - JJYoyo wrote:

1 hr air. Outstanding Chianti-oid style wine, exhibiting an exhilarating mix of Sangiovese and Sagrantino, along with Montepulciano (harder for me to discern because of flavor overlap with the other two varieties). Wow. Ready to go with only a little air. Tart cherry/cranberry, tomato leaf, earl grey, telltale raw beef / blood. Substantial and very powdery tannins that are already well integrated. Probably will keep for a few years — there is plenty of acidity and tannic structure — but it’s delicious now. Outstanding value.
Score : 94. Relative to expectations: +++

4/3/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

A solid effort. Medium bodied by Syrah standards, nose of dark fruit, pepper, cedar, menthol/eucalyptus/rubber/something like that. . Grippy tannins, not much sediment. It’s not the most complex Syrah out there but it’s really a very nice glass, a superior “everyday drinker”. Went great with gyros and Greek fries but would be even better on pizza night.
Score: 88. Relative to expectations: +.

3/30/2024 - JJYoyo wrote:

Second bottle of this and something funky was going on. Barnyard on the nose and dull on the palate. Former did not really blow off and the latter did not resolve itself. Nowhere near what the first bottle was.

4/1/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Similar notes to last time, although it was a little harder to get the exact right temperature to make this bottle shine quite as spectacularly as the earlier one. Memo to self: don’t overchill this. As it came closer to room temp it really came out of its shell. Wish I had a thermometer to give the precise temperature point.
Still delicious and awesome.

3/31/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

1 hr decant. Small amount of very fine sediment in the bottle. Nose has classic Lafite pencil lead and cedar over restrained blackberry scent. It’s not overwhelming — in other words, you could spot this as Lafite in a blind lineup if someone told you one of the wines was Lafite, but it doesn’t leap out at you like it does in a great year. The palate is closer to generic classic Bordeaux than an expression of a great claret. There’s nothing wrong with this, it’s actually very good, it’s just not special. I’m going to agree with @Jeff Leve’s note from 2017. Not going to fade any time soon, fwiw.
Score: 90. Relative to expectations: -

3/25/2024 - JJYoyo wrote:

Maybe too young, maybe my tastes have shifted, but I found this competently made and enjoyable but a little ponderous. Am I no longer liking CdP in general? I don’t think so because I had Pegau da Capo and loved that. Maybe I just don’t like multi vintage wines unless champagne — I have similar reactions to Unico Reserva Especials. I was surprised to find this was mostly Grenache after looking it up, although it does have a lot of dried herbs and leather notes. This was a de Negoce purchase and at those prices, this was very good value. Respected producer but I just wasn’t feeling it tonight — except for the 15% abv. Gonna save my other bottle for several years.
Score: 89. Relative to expectations: 0?

3/23/2024 - JJYoyo wrote:

Restaurant bottle. I was fearing an overly extracted juice bomb with enough RS to put me in a coma. Well, this was significantly better than that. Yes you taste a little sweetness and it’s not all that complex but it is not nasty or cloying. At about $60-65 (I think?) retail it’s about right: no bargain, not a travesty.
Score: 88. Relative to expectations: 0

3/18/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

From memory so no detailed notes. A startlingly approachable young Barolo with surprisingly smooth (though ample) tannins, beautiful notes of cherry, leather, and a touch of balsamic. In a line up of 4 young Baroli this one had an extra “wow” factor for lack of a more precise explanation. Really good now and with a lot of potential (I think). But it's delightful now.
Score : 93-94. Relative to expectations : ++

3/18/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Light and with a quiet aroma profile. Green apple and a little lemon. Better than a lot of Vermentinos I’ve had. Would be perfect for an aperitif on a summer day. Outclassed by the striking Viberti Papalot it was served next to.
Score: 89. Relative to expectations: +

3/18/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Superlative wine, my first Nascetta AFAIK. Showed a lot of the grape variety typicity, with citrus and sage on the palate. Body on the lighter side. Very refreshing.
Score: 93. Relative to expectations: ++

3/18/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

From magnum. A blast of cherry and light herbal notes. Still very primary. Very good tannic structure underneath which bodes well for a surprisingly long future. Loads of fun and a crowd pleaser.
Score: 93. Relative to expectations: ++

3/18/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Outstanding rosé. Great balance and the usual strawberry flavors were replaced by a mix of cherry and bergamot. Different and delicious. Score understates how subtly different this is.
Score: 92. Relative to expectations: ++

3/15/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Not gonna rate this because it is just too young. FWIW I didn’t find this terribly buttery — and we had this with popcorn. It is a big CA chard, but it’s not overripe or flabby. This had a ferocious pithy/ mineral taste to it along with lemon and light floral aromas.
I’m going to leave my other bottle for several years before I try this again.

3/9/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

5hrs slow o. Very expressive nose of cherry, cinnamon and graphite. Surprisingly silky texture on the palate for its age; the tannins catch up to you later when your head feels like it’s been hit hard. A few more years in the cellar would likely improve it.

Score:93. Relative to expectations: ++

3/8/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Surprisingly tight and backward at first, high acidity and minerality, citrusy without the weight of most Krug I am used to. Air brought out a little more toast and brioche and Krug weight but not a lot. I am tempted to think this is a matter of age. One of the great things about Krug is that lesser cuvées … are still Krug. Very good.
Score: 92. Relative to expectations: 0.

3/2/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

A fantastically elaborate nose of sour cherry, dried oregano, potting soil. Copious tannins. Palate favors the earthy side of the bouquet right now. Several years to go until maturity. Very far away from cheap n cheerful Chianti — a wine of complexity and pedigree. Not as multifaceted as this producer’s more prestigious cuvées (like Percarlo) but the same attentive and skilled winemaking is at work here.
Score: 93-94. Relative to expectations: ++

3/1/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Lanolin, apricot, with a minerality at the end so long and so far back it was like licking a sidewalk. Less generous to me than others’ TNs. As expected, not very high acidity but this is not at all flabby. 15% abv and you are going to feel it after a while, not at first. Mrs Yoyo adored it. Giving it a score that averages my reaction (92) and hers (95) and rounding up out of deference to her more sensitive palate. This will not enter decline for a long long time. No rush to drink.
Score: 94. Relative to expectations: ++

2/24/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

BtG at a restaurant. Straightforward but satisfying FLX Riesling. Medium bodied, citrus and honeydew notes. Good acidity.

2/24/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Not a bad CdR, with good grip, nice mix of ripe berries and even a little garrigue.
Score: 87. Relative to expectations: +

2/23/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Beautiful lemon meringue, fennel seed, touch of jalapeño, honey, apricot, and a posture-stiffening wallop of clamshell minerality at the end. Wore its 14% labeled abv with ease. Refined with a sneaky power to it. It was like all the things you like in other Chardonnay wines all put together here. Fully mature with a few years to go at peak before entering decline.
Score: 95. Relative to expectations: ++

2/19/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

My first Goodfellow white. Initial impression was of a very structured chard with a prominent reductive note (matchstick) on the nose. Tastes leaned heavily to the steel/lemon/stone side. It was a wine that , while impressive, told you in no uncertain terms to f right off and come back in at least 5 years.
A day later, and while the wine is still quite rigidly structured, it now reveals to me a very Chablis (Fevre?) like profile. Steely, lemony, and seemingly capable of very extended aging, this made me rethink all of my Oregon Chardonnays: that’s how forceful this is. Going to bury my other bottles for at least 5, more likely 10 years — something I never would have considered before.
Score : 92+. No idea how good this might be. Scored conservatively for now.
Relative to expectations: ++ for now.

2/15/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

So here is an object lesson for me in how scoring really doesn’t tell the full story. I had the Tournebride a few weeks ago and it knocked my socks off right out of the gate. This by comparison was a little angular, more traditionally Sancerre and much more obviously Sauv Blanc, with grapefruit and loads of cut grass in the bouquet. Now, a day later and this wine really came together beautifully: still leaner than the Tournebride but also deeper in a way. In the fullness of time this may be the better wine. For now though it’s rated a notch lower.
Score: 93. Relative to expectations: ++

2/14/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

6 hr decant. The smell upon first opening this was wild: black berries, very pronounced tar, dried herbs. With a lot of air the scents evolved into a sort of cherry, tons of smoke, venison, pepper. It’s almost criminally young, but this already shows its greatness. That said, give it a good long while in the cellar for peak performance.
The nose on this is like a cross between a left bank Bordeaux and southern Italian — which makes sense since it is a blend involving Cab and Aglianico. At first it smells very Bdx and then it just shifts on you out of nowhere. What a fabulous and tricky bouquet.
Score : 95 and going higher. Relative to expectations: +++

2/13/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

A good Malbec with loads of dark berries and espresso dominating the flavors. Medium astringency from tannins. Not at all bad.

Score : 87. Relative to expectations: +

2/11/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

It took 3 days for this to come together. Initially tasted after a 3 hr decant and this was an awkward, sharp-elbowed mix of fierce tannin, bold red berries, garden shop florals and searing acidity. A day after leaving it in an evacuated bottle produced some integration but still too much tannin to balance the other components. On the third day this finally came together magnificently, still very structured but now the ingredients were not competing: violets, orange, light spice, a touch of gaminess.
Honestly on the basis of my bottle I would leave this for at least another decade. It could be stellar.
Score: 94+. Relative to expectations: ++ at least.

2/7/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Wayyyy too young. Like its older sister Rioja, this is suited to substantial aging. Although this was enjoyable enough now, it begs for several years in the cellar. Copious cherry, very pronounced cedar which is aligned with an unctuous, seemingly high glycerin mouthfeel, but with an elastic tension that to me was not very Rioja at all. The texture is very unusual, both suggesting and refuting its 14% abv, heavy and liquid simultaneously.
This is not a wine for the AFWE, but it’s not a simple fruit bomb. Tricky, and scored conservatively for now, but this might evolve in a surprisingly elegant way. Intriguing for now, we’ll see
Score: 91+? Relative to expectations: +? Maybe more.

2/5/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Gorgeous smell of burnt hay, red berries, very light touch of pepper, earth, lead pencil. Tannins just melted down to a supple, refined maturity. This is the opposite of a big CA fruit bomb. Fully mature but going nowhere fast — you could keep this another decade without fear. Subtle, refined, pure class, and available for a song. Unbelievable value.
Score: 93-94. Relative to expectations: +++

2/5/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

1.5 hr decant. A delightfully light expression of three varieties (Mourvèdre, Carignan, Zinfandel) not always associated with gracefulness. This still had tell tale smokiness and a sort of corned beef cured tone that offset the extremely fresh blackberry scents and tastes. As with so many of EWCY! Wines, there’s a lovely low viscosity and solid acidity that gives this a trademark lift. At the same time this went extremely well with burgers and melted Gouda.
Score: 92. Relative to expectations: ++

2/5/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Double decant and 1 hr. Similar notes to last time, also tasted over two days. What surprised me this time was how well this went with smoked salmon on pumpernickel canapés. Took a chance and it married very well. I think this is a wine to have with food, like crab cakes.
Score: 91-92. Relative to expectations: ++

2/3/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Lots of blackberry and vanilla, slightly sweet. Some dill edge from what I presume is American oak. After a few hours of air it started to shut down, with the fruit shouted down by tannin and acid. I think this might actually reward cellaring, even though it’s supposed to be an everyday Rioja. Very good value, especially at Last Bottle prices.
Score: 90. Relative to expectations: +

1/27/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Very ripe blackberry and some plum flavors. Surprisingly accessible — still not shut down. Capable of aging and deepening. Wow what a great value.
Score: 92. Relative to expectations: ++

1/27/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

1 hr air. For science. It’s of course way too early to judge this, but we’re gonna do it anyway. Loads of dark berries and plum, unobtrusive tannic structure, surprisingly light on its feet. Loads of potential. For now:
Score: 93+. Relative to expectations: ++

1/23/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Still very primary, has a sweet edge to it but that’s a matter of youth rather than too much extraction. I found the bouquet rather strong on florals, like a wave of violets. Oak is kept in reasonable proportions. Lots of plum / cherry on the palate. I really have no idea how this will evolve.
I liked this more and more as we drank it. At this stage of its life it struck me as a perfect gateway drug for people who like mid-priced blueberry milkshake Napa cabs — because that’s all they’ve ever had — and can take them somewhere a lot better. This wine had the non-threatening taste profile of wines that are inferior to it; however unlike, say, The Prisoner this also has interesting balance and just a little tension to it. And although it won’t scare the horses that doesn’t mean it’s boring - not at all. A crowd-pleasing wine in the best sense and maybe my favorite Stereophonic wine so far.
Score: 92. Relative to expectations: ++

1/21/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Smooth, mildly unctuous Napa cab, full of plum and dark berry, mild spice, a little peat. Full flavoured but not overbearingly heavy. Very nice “basic” A/O. Went very well with steak. Wears its 14.7% abv with surprising grace. Good enough to make me interested in some of the fancier bottlings.
Score: 92. Relative to expectations: +

1/21/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Like some other EWCY! whites, this wine really needed a day to come together and make the leap from “very interesting, a little all over the place” to “delightful, fresh, integrated.” This has a slight carbonation at first pop and even after a day of evacuation a little sprightliness lingers. Some of the taste ingredients — green apple, ginger, a touch of honeycomb, lime — are at odds with each other at first and take a day to harmonize. But harmonize they do.
I have to give the Brosseau Chenin Blanc a slight edge over the Chardonnay. The Chardonnay is a little more accessible, with less reduction (from memory of the Chenin), but after a day the CB has a little more depth. However, the Chardonnay is a lot more immediate have-a-blast fun on opening. Although very fine, both take a back seat to the absolutely stupendous Chendawg II. That said, there is a lot going on here and a fairer opinion is something to be rendered (at least by me) after the Chard and Chenin have more time in the cellar. For now…
Score :90+. Relative to expectations: +at least.

1/19/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

An hour of air. Wow, what a great mix of the best of old world and new — vibrant fruit and soothing loam-like earthiness. There are gorgeous Pinot cherries and stalky charred wood. Very light spice notes (clove? Ginger? Barely there). This can last for a long long long time in the cellar but already tastes fabulous. Saving my other bottle for the far future. Mouthfeel is beautifully poised, like tensed silk if that makes any sense. I have a note that reads “this is so f***g Pinot I can’t stand it.” Love it.
Score: 93-94. Relative to expectations: ++

1/19/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Far more generous now than the last time I had it. The most snobby thing I could say about this wine is that it won’t ever reach the sublime complex heights of a GC from Puligny. Now that that is out of the way— this has classic white burg character, with a delightful if dead ahead mix of sweet and sour, honeycomb and lemon. Tons of smoke and citrus pith, very satisfying. Dont over think this: this is a classic expression of white burg.

Score: 92. Relative to expectations: ++

1/15/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

3hr decant and that is still recommended. This bottle sang a lot more than the companion bottle we had a few months ago. Tons of cassis, tobacco, espresso, graphite, bing cherry. Lots of very fine, chewy tannins. A light amount of silty sediment in the bottle. Refined and smooth, gentlemanly in a way.
Score : 95. Relative to expectations: ++

1/14/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

1.5 hr decant. A wild bouquet of cherry, wild strawberry, and a very strong floral element that is like a cross between violet and rose - something new to me. The wine has that whoosh but smooth lift to it and a soft prettiness on the palate (sour cherry, pine nut) that gets checked at the finish by an extravagantly complicated minerality (feldspar pebbles? I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s assertive and tells you the ride is over).
What a joy to drink.
Score : 94. Relative to expectations: +++

1/14/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

I am hard pressed to say whether I prefer this year or the 2020 I had a few months ago. I’d have to give this the edge for now because it expresses more of the femininity of “the Queen of Beaujolais”. It’s not a big difference though : this wine still has the red fruit, garden store herbaceous quality, a touch of gaminess that the other had. The 2020 is slightly more in your face and assertive; this 2021 is slightly more subtle and indirect. They’re both delicious now but could age and improve for quite a while. Love these wines.
Score: 93. Relative to expectations: +++

1/13/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

2 hr decant. Strong cherry / spearmint core, firm but supple grip, traces of umami/spice/smoke. Copious and very fine tannin. Not sure it will get better but it also comes across as indestructible— capable of aging for decades more. Got more flexible and the tannins /acidity blended better with another couple of hours of air. While it is not generous enough to be revelatory it has a very satisfying “old school” sensibility. Not your typical Pomerol at all : much more restrained and even left -bankish. Made me want to try more 2008 Bordeaux.
Score : 92-93. Relative to expectations: +