8/16/2022 - Derek Darth Taster wrote:

Evening session at ESBK. Tasted blind. Drank in Grassl Cru. Pop and poured.
Appearance is clear, very pale intensity, bright ruby colourl. Legs.
Nose is reductive with sulfurous egg kinda smells. Aggressive swirling to blow it off. Underlying aromas of high-toned red florals, red licorice, red cherries. Youthful.
On the palate, dry, high acidity, medium+ alcohol (14%), silky high tannins, medium+ body. Medium+ flavour intensity, with flavours of red licorice, red cherries, lovely red plum, inner earthy minerality. Very long finish with tannin showing its grip after the initial silkiness.
Very good quality. Early days yet. We guessed Giulia Negri Barolo - I was thinking 2018 since this showed so young. Turns out to be 2016 Serradenari.

6/30/2022 - JohnMcIlwain Likes this wine:

Just entering maturity. Beautiful bottle. Beeswax, wool, good tension. Lovely. Courtesy Nils. Enjoyed at Wu’s.

5/2/2022 - MuddyBoots wrote:

I have to confess upfront I wanted to like this - to validate my having bought ten bottles purely on faith that this terroir ought to be special, given it’s pristine location high on the Fixin slope, aligned with vineyards in Brochon that evidently are very good indeed - such as Gevrey Evocelles and even neighboring Queue de Hareng - and having regard to its historical status. Jeanne-Marie des Champs - who imports the wine into the USA - had told me a few years back to wait on this a while yet. Decanted 30 minutes. Very ruby red. Darkly fruited but restrained nose of some distinction with florals and pleasant savory elements but slightly muddled in composition. Altogether serious and not even aspiring to be pretty. Concentrated ripe cherry fruit on the palate, seemingly a little extracted by todays standards, though this sensation may be amplified by it certainly not yet being relaxed. Seems a little wound up on itself. An inner sweetness. But not (yet) really complex. Lacks a little delicacy and nuance and lift. Well behaved tannin. Long. This wine was made to be a long haul wine and on this showing I remain of the view it is a terroir on which one should take a chance (for the current $95). But it's likely a long wait and don’t expect sparkle or exuberance or pretty aromatics or fireworks. It’s not Griottes-Chambertin. It is a bit sombre and introverted. But it is surely elegant and distinguished and worthy. It got better and better over an hour - some delicacy emerging from behind the curtain. Suggest waiting five more years. Bought on release. Next day - I noticed the level of extraction more. The fruit is dense and a little ponderous. At a tasting in 2022 Joliet conceded he may have extracted a little too much in 2010. But beautiful expression of tannins.

3/12/2022 - JohnMcIlwain Likes this wine:

A fascinating, though certainly unexpected Vieille Serine Domaine de Pergaud from Eric Texier. Given the vintage reputation one might expect a bruiser, a brawler, a blunderbuss pointed menacingly at the face—all structure and sublimated charm. But where are the brutal tannins? The stewed fruits? The heat? If you are expecting that brawn and burliness, best to look elsewhere. That said, the 2015 tickles the palate with ripples of wild berry fruit, aromas of crushed violets and pastilles, with fine-grained (and lurking) tannins, and just a whisper of black pepper and game. And while decidedly mid-weight, this dances about the ring more like a bantam weight: finesse married with sneaky power—punching above its weight indeed. And lest one think it’s insubstantial or lacking gravitas, there’s startling persistence and detail belied by its relative generosity. I suspect there’s a more “serious” wine that will emerge from within, but in the meantime, this was delicious with braised duck legs in red wine with mushrooms, though fresher and less structured than expected. But as they say, it’s always the quiet ones.