3/15/2024 - slulkin wrote:

Best, and I think, last of our bottles. Dark ruby in the glass, nose of wet tobacco, black fruits and forest floor. Silky mouthfeel and the palate followed the nose. Nice medium plus finish. Wish I had one more to see if this continues to evolve.

1/12/2024 - slulkin wrote:

Just what was needed on a Friday night when no one wanted to leave the house. This was easy to drink and disappeared too quickly.

Nice brambly fruit, a bit of spice, and espresso notes.

Similar to our bottle about a year ago, seems to be in a nice holding pattern, but that was our last one.

12/25/2023 - slulkin wrote:

Last of our birthyear bottles for our son. Drank with beef bourguignon, which paired quite nicely.

Gave it a 90 minute decant while the stew was simmering. In the glass dark ruby core to a bricking meniscus. On opening nose showed smoked meats, spices, and some fading brambly fruit. Palate was silky with spices and leather notes dominating. Finish was balanced and long.

After 90 minutes in the decanter the smoked meat note was gone, but replaced with leather, dried tobacco and bay leaf. The spice and brambly fruit remained. Palate was similar maybe a little rounder than on opening and enjoyable through the couple of hours it took us to finish the bottle.

Since he'll be studying abroad and we won't be with him on his 21st this was a nice way to celebrate a little early.

12/20/2023 - slulkin Likes this wine:

Dark, Dark purple, almost black in the glass. Lovely nose of tart black and red fruits, and a melange of forest floor, mint, roasted coffee notes popping through. The palate followed the nose and was silky and teeth staining with a pleasing tannic edge. Long finish.

This is probably young, but just so delicious.

Short decant on night one, finished the last glass+ on night two with no degradation.

11/26/2023 - slulkin wrote:

Drank over two nights and slightly better on night two. Pale yellow in the glass. Nose of salty air, lemon/lime and tart apples. Palate is energetic, with nice acidity and weight. All the elements from the nose follow on the palate to a medium plus length finish. Highly enjoyable.

11/3/2023 - slulkin wrote:

I think between BHP1994 (needs about an hour of air) and Fussyeater's comments, it perfectly sums up this wine. The only place I would differ is I think there's not necessarily a rush to drink. Our bottle was still very fresh with no bricking or real signs of age, though I'm not sure it would develop any further with more time in the bottle.

9/28/2023 - slulkin wrote:

Last and best of three 375's. Nice nose of cherry cough drop, leather, and spice. Palate followed nicely. Balanced finish but not overly long. I wouldn't look to repurchase these.

9/23/2023 - slulkin wrote:

Wow!! First time I've had the pleasure of tasting a Williams Selyem and it was amazing. On the nose dark black and red fruits along with hints of mint, camp fire smoke, and eucalyptus. Just wanted to keep swirling and smelling, it was intoxicating. On the palate, the fruit on the nose was rich and mouth filling with the addition of baking spices leading to a balanced and lingering finish that just had you coming back for the next sip.

To make this even better it was a completely unexpected and generous gift from the next door neighbor of a close friend. Thank you, Mr. Grush.

9/15/2023 - slulkin wrote:

Similar impressions to bottle from December '21. This is lush, big and in your face. Highly enjoyable and guests liked it as well.

9/8/2023 - slulkin wrote:

I think Tward's note really nailed this one. Drinking great right now but don't see a need to rush either. Beautiful from nose to finish. Drank on it's own over two days with no degradation on day two.

6/9/2023 - slulkin wrote:

Garnet color in the glass. Nose showed cherry, earthiness, a whiff of cola and a little blue fruit as well. Palate showcased the cherry along with cranberry, pomegranate and the earthiness. Silky mouthfeel and balanced medium length finish. Day two showed more dark red fruits and earth, just as enjoyable as day one. Another highly enjoyable AR wine but no rush to drink either.

5/19/2023 - slulkin wrote:

Consistent with previous bottles. A not overly complex but highly enjoyable wine. Went great with Tomatoes Apizza (white & pepperoni)

5/13/2023 - slulkin wrote:

Color was deep red with slight bricking towards the edges. With a quick decant, the nose was gorgeous and full of sour cherry, flowers, leather, and hints of tar. Palate was silky yet juicy with the fruit and leather prominent. Finished long and balanced. This one really grabbed me and held my attention. Finished half the bottle on Friday and the remainder a couple days later with no degradation.

4/21/2023 - slulkin wrote:

Dark purple, almost black in the glass. Much different from the bottle we enjoyed about four years ago. Boozy, cherry, herbal, bell pepper and spice nose. The cab franc component comes through nicely and follows on the palate with the merlot adding some depth and spice. Where I struggled with this wine was how prominent the alcohol was (15.5), which I felt detracted a bit from the overall package. This issue is really mine and not the winemakers as over time my tastes have shifted towards lower alcohol wines in general.

4/14/2023 - slulkin wrote:

Better than our bottle back at the end of '21. Beautiful red fruits, hints of forest floor and cola. Silky and mouth coating with no hard edges. Highly enjoyable and will try to leave our last one alone for a while.

4/1/2023 - slulkin wrote:

Golden yellow in the glass. I picked up notes of overripe orchard fruit (apples, pears) but not much else. Muted upon opening after an hour in the refrigerator. Improved as it warmed between cellar temp and room temp. Not bad, but not my favorite.

3/31/2023 - slulkin wrote:

Dark purple in the glass. Very expressive on PnP with notes of violets, red and black fruits, hint of smoke and licorice. Palate is silky with no hard edges with the fruit really singing through the balanced meduim + length finish. Very elegant and was consistent over the few hours we enjoyed it.

3/29/2023 - slulkin wrote:

Similar to previous two bottles, nothing new to add.

2/12/2023 - slulkin wrote:

I think jmull's 3/19/2022 note really nailed this one - at least for the bottle we enjoyed Sunday night with a Tomatoes white apizza.

2/2/2023 - slulkin wrote:

Similar to previous bottle but this one was opened and vacuvin'd a few times over a week; by the last glass it lost a little oomph, but was good each time. Very enjoyable.

1/26/2023 - slulkin wrote:

Last of our three and this was similar to the prior two. Light ruby in the glass with nice notes of cherry and earth. Simple but enjoyable.

12/30/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Similar impressions to our bottle back in January of '22 (red fruits, herbs, hints of spice). Opened on Friday and finished the bottle on Sunday with no degradation. Highly enjoyable on its own but would also be very food friendly.

12/27/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Ordered off the bottle list, which is well curated, at Pompette in Toronto.

Dark ruby in the glass. Lovely red fruit (raspberry, strawberry), floral and hints of earth and spice in the nose. Palate was similar. Not overly tannic and paired well with our chicken vol au vent and short rib entrees.

The wine was lovely, but the ambience, service and food were even better. Highly recommend a stop at Pompette if you find yourself in Toronto.

12/25/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Bright ruby in the glass. Nose showed bright red fruits, floral and spice notes. Silky and soft on the palate and what was picked up in the nose came through on the palate. Very enjoyable bottle and good QPR.

12/16/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Dark ruby in the glass. Nose offered up raspberry, spice and meaty notes. Silky palate with the spice and raspberry notes coming through. Enjoyable enough on its own, but think this might need food for it to really shine (at least for me).

12/11/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Similar impressions to previous bottles. Lovely red fruit, floral notes and a bit of baking spice. Not overly complex but a very nice drink.

12/15/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Light ruby in the glass. Nose that seemed to change with each swirl of the glass. Cherry, menthol, raspberry, pomegranate. Palate is fruit driven, silky and mid-weight. Finishes juicy and kept you coming back for more.

Drank over two nights with night two just as good.

11/30/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Light ruby in the glass. Very expressive nose with floral notes, ripe strawberry, mint and cherry cough drops. Palate is silky and light with the fruit and florals really shining through to a juicy and yet grippy tannic finish. All of this and yet still distinctly in the AR mold. Very enjoyable on its own and perhaps some potential upside, but I don't see my other two bottles lasting that long.

11/21/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Dark crimson in the glass. Dark fruit (plum/blackberry?) nose. Fairly one note in the nose. Palate was a little more expressive with fruit, spice and olive notes. Enjoyable but should have paid more attention to this needing a good decant before drinking.

Went well with spicy black bean and sweet potato chili

11/19/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Enjoyable and well made, but was expecting more from a Ridge bottling. Overall not a terribly expressive bottle.

11/17/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Similar impressions to bottle from October. This is just super enjoyable and classy bottle without having to think about it too much. Spicy blackberries, red fruits and an earthy note in the nose. Palate follows nicely with the fruit and spice really shining.

Great bottle and my favorite of the weekend.

11/18/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Opaque purple in the glass. Somewhat muted/austere nose of black fruit, a little something floral and a lot of alcohol. Palate was full bodied, spicy, black fruited and hot. Again the alcohol at 15+% was not helping things in this case. Finish was somewhat hollow but balanced.

Overall this was not a good showing for what I was hoping would be a nice pairing with some beautiful ribeye steaks. Drinkable, and we finished the bottle, but overall disappointing.

11/11/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Similar but a touch better than our bottles last year. Nose of dark berries, cherries, smoked meats, mineral and floral notes. A bit hot out of the gate but smoothed out after being open for a couple of hours. Palate similar to the nose but with a touch of spice and a nice spine of tannins on the finish to hold everything together.

11/9/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Bright ruby in the glass. Pretty nose of sweet red fruits and floral notes. Palate similar with a touch of baking spice thrown in. Silky balanced finish. Very nice bottle for a Wednesday night.

11/4/2022 - slulkin wrote:

From 375 (first of three). Badly corked or just bad. Think/hope it was the former.

10/21/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Dark glossy crimson in the glass. Very expressive nose of dark red fruits, a touch of funk, floral notes as well as mineral and wet earth. Palate continues what the nose showed and leads to a juicy lingering finish. Drank on Friday and Sunday with no degradation. Just lovely.

10/21/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Light ruby in the glass. Distinctly cab franc nose with a little earthiness, dried herbs and red fruits. Light bodied, with the palate following the nose. Juicy but balanced finish that had you coming back for another sip. Disappeared quickly with cheese and charcuterie. Very nice QPR at $20/bottle.

Overall good, but maybe a little simple, especially next to the '16 Baudry Le Clos Guillot

10/15/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Dark crimson in the glass. Pretty nose of red fruits, earth and baking spices. Palate follows the nose nicely in a silky mid-weight package. Finish was medium and lingering. Drank over two nights and this was better on day 2.

The improvement for me was a much more expressive and inviting nose on day two.

10/7/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Light straw in the glass. Beautiful nose with notes of lemon, saline, and flint. Palate is lively, crisp and precise with the flavors from the nose coming through nicely. Finishes with racy acidity. Bottle disappeared all too quickly.

9/30/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Dark crimson/purple in the glass. Nose showed dark blue/black fruit, anise and scorched earth. This continued on the palate in a rich mouth coating manner. Finished long with noticeable but silky tannin. Twelve years in this still seems fresh and young. Will see if I can hold my last bottle another 6 years.

9/25/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Dark Crimson in the glass. Even on PnP the nose jumps from the glass with dark berries, menthol, earth and dried herbs. Palate is full, silky and mouth coating and follows the nose nicely. Sleek tannin and zippy acidity in the lingering finish have you coming back for more. Still young and no rush on these but this was my only one and don't regret enjoying it so young.

Bottle disappeared very quickly.

9/16/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Opaque crimson in the glass. Nose dominated by the Cab Franc with dried herbs, red fruits and a bit of earthiness. Palate is silky and full with more fruit, herbs, pepper and hints of vanilla (the merlot?). Tannin present but in check on the juicy finish. Drank over two nights, slightly better on night two (more expressive on the nose).

9/10/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Finished last 1/2 bottle after being opened, with air pumped out, after five days. So much better than when initially opened. Dark red fruits, licorice, dried herbs, espresso and kirsch on the nose. Palate was full bodied, mouth filling yet silky with the alcohol noticeable but not necessarily detracting. Balanced finish though not particularly long.

9/4/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Lovely as an aperitif. Served with various appetizers and dips at a family bbq. Crisp, refreshing, lightly red fruited and a nice bit of minerality as well. Bottle disappeared quickly.

9/2/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Similar impressions to bottle back in February and once again drank over two nights. To me it came off as a one note wine both nights (sweet red cherry). Not unenjoyable but not memorable either. Not sure whether to just drink up or forget about the remaining two bottles for a few years.

8/25/2022 - slulkin wrote:

This was the best (and last) of our bottles. Dark ruby in the glass with the nose showing a nice melange of blue, black and red fruits. Also picked up hints of baking spices as well. Mouthfeel was silky and the finish had a hint of tannin, but probably could have done with a bit more acid overall as the wine felt just a little bit flat though still very enjoyable.

8/20/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Drank over two nights; first night with pizza and second night with a spicy cherry tomato sauce.
Nose and flavor profile gave similar impressions to our bottle back in February. The improvement this time was there was no heat from the wine and it paired nicely both nights with what we were eating. For me, this was definitely better with food than without.

6/2/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Pale yellow in the glass with hints of green. Really lovely nose with just a melange of fruit notes going on. Silky on the palate and a very clean crisp finish. Perfect summer drinking.

6/3/2022 - slulkin wrote:

Better than our bottle back in '19, but our last. This opened up to briny olive, cured meat, a little green pepper as well as cool dark blue and black fruits. Palate provided similar impressions to the nose and was mouth coating and rich. Finish was lingering and the tannins made for quite a drying finish. Really liked this and again think there is no rush on these.

5/15/2022 - slulkin wrote:

This was our last of four and proved very similar to the last two. Highly enjoyable, nice QPR and the bottle disappeared rather quickly.