12/17/2023 - Sagan99 Likes this wine:

I've been staying away from South America as much as possible, this mostly because of Malbec over exposure.

This wine is surprisingly delicious. And obviously not any Mendoza Malbecs!!
I guess those Bordeaux Lafite's know what they're doing!

Medium intense Ruby. No garnet on the rim as yet.

Mostly Cabernet character with the remaining backbone coming from the other grapes.

Body medium
Alcohol high
Acid medium high
Viscosity- fully envelopes the palate
Tannin- medium, nicely integrated.still resolving.
Finish long. 60s+



CabSauv
Carm
Syrah

14.5% abv

Buy this again. It's really good!

PS- Drink The Rainbow!

5/16/2023 - kuumies wrote:

The nose is rather comforting and familiar. There is primary, ripe-ish raspberry fruit along with some VA, wet rock and a tart hint of cranberry. It is somewhat reductive but not overly so. On the palate it is fruity, juicy and low in weight with very uplifting acidity. It doesn’t necessarily taste like a proper cool vintage wine from the yester year as it definitely has some density but it is positively crunchy with no Grenache-ness to it. In fact there is a wonderful minerally sensation towards the finish that I find immensely pleasing and it is also savory while very clean at the same time (meaning the VA does not play a big role). The mouth-puckering finish is just great, setting one up to take the next sip very quickly. There is nothing I don’t like about this, I would love to own a case or three.

7/20/2023 - wythes wrote:

I keep looking for that elusive Côte-Rôtie that surprises. Unfortunately, this one wasn't it. I found the nose to be almost indistinguisable (no, I'm not Covid+), and the taste was flat and uneventful. Maybe an off bottle. Maybe not. Maybe it will come to life with some air.

6/3/2023 - Wine Canuck wrote:

Salut Montreal (Montreal Area): This pours light straw in the glass with flecks of green. The nose is just lovely, airy and elegant, showing cold cream, crisp pear, white flowers, mint, light asparagus, candied lemon peel, and a touch of honey. The palate is equally fantastic with precise medium plus acid, gorgeous purity of fruit, and an impressively long finish. Texturally it really caresses and is very well balanced. Just a pure joy to drink. All in all this bottle absolutely blew me away and was just a gorgeous experience from beginning to end. None of the aggressiveness I occasionally associate with the variety. Just incredible purity, minerality, texture, and complexity.

5/9/2023 - Rallerboy888 Likes this wine:

Eh, it's alright. The wine itself is actually pretty decent, but the terrible corks used by Falkenstein have induced both a bad smell and flavour of wet cardboard on 2 of the three bottles, I have opened. In this case it mostly blew off after a little time, but I find it shocking that such a sought-after producer would use those horrible corks.

4/14/2023 - kuumies wrote:

Produced from purchased grapes, 1513 bottles made, 50% saw new oak (doesn’t specify between fermentation and aging), 25 mg/l of free SO2.

Reductive on the nose with a nice mix of tart (lemon) and riper (tangerine) fruit and hints of butter and hazelnut. Correct and detailed but seems a bit closed at the moment. On the palate it is medium-bodied with an airy mouthfeel and solid, somewhat relaxed acidity. Similar to the nose the flavors are rather restrained: citrusy fruit and various faint notes derived from wood. Clearly Côte de Beaune rather than Chablis, though, as it is quite textured and has certain weight without then any notable minerality. I would have hoped for more intensity and a more charming flavor profile but it does come off as well made and very drinkable with a nice mouthfeel.

Day2: The wood derived notes have gotten stronger on the nose while the fruit prevails, rendering the aromatics as a whole more expressive and more captivating. The palate likewise has become more powerful with some attractive spiciness coming through, again while maintaining all of the fruit and even gaining in vibrancy. Overall the wine has definitely improved quite a bit overnight and somehow also now showcases a nervous quality to the palate which is a feature I really enjoy in whites. Without a doubt I didn’t allow enough time for the wine at first to fully express itself as it is a totally different beast right now. In today’s form this is a rather serious White Burgundy that I wouldn't hesitate to buy more of.

4/19/2023 - jerhardt Likes this wine:

Six years since my last bottle, boy does time fly. Utterly delicious. If this what a ‘weaker’ year is about, count me in. Elegant, complex, and unmistakably classic northern Rhone Syrah. Great now, but no hurry at all. Excited to have plenty to follow over the coming years.

1/21/2023 - rlove wrote:

With a previous bottle a few years back I wrote I hoped this evolved positively from a bit of an understated slump, developing more producer typicity, but unfortunately that hasn't happened with a fairly classic Chablisien nose of lemon, white flower, and iodine. Prominent acidity and minerality with almost a phenolic quality that surprises me. A fine wine but given the producer and vintage expect more.

12/28/2022 - drwine2001 wrote:

Morgon and Fleurie with Charcuterie and Cheese (San Francisco): Deeper red than the 2011 Lapierre. Spicy nose. Darker, more backward red fruit in combination with licorice and substantial tannins. Serious, still youthful wine that is a different animal than any other wine tasted today.

6/14/2022 - kuumies wrote:

Attractively reductive on the nose with crisp citrus fruits, lees and just the lightest nutty hint. Not super aromatic but still swarms from the glass. On the palate absolutely electric with very good acidity and markedly tangy lemony fruit. Unlike some 2019s this comes off as tight and reserved yet still extremely delicious. There are no oaky notes but the texture is clearly that of an oak-aged wine. Has a lot of presence - you could almost call it grippy - and a very persistent finish. In a way this reminds me of a bone-dry Chenin with its austere style. I’m sure many would find this hard to approach, I find it hard to resist. A really superb Bourgogne Blanc with a style of its own.

9/28/2021 - ramtu Does not like this wine:

I've enjoyed many bottles of Domaine Heitz-Lochardet (emphasis on domaine) Bourgogne Blanc from 2014 to 2018 (Durots was the lieu-dit at that point). This is the first négoce Armand Heitz wine I have tried and despite my opening two bottles (after first showed some oxidation) the singeing alcohol and almost total lack of fruit of the second bottle force me to conclude that I've bought my first and last Armand Heitz (négoce) Bourgogne Blanc. (It also moved me to write my first cellar tracker tasting note). Hopefully the domaine wines are as good as they have always been.

6/25/2022 - chbeaumont wrote:

Pale primrose; this has an austerity & steeliness on the nose with a whiff of cow-lick; pinpoint focus, tremendous tension & energy, a lick of salinity; power surges through the intense finish. Lingering. The definition of great 1er cru.

4/14/2022 - Adamb2 Does not like this wine:

This is my third bottle of this wine in three months. They are consistently bad despite my really wanting them to be good. No fruit left. Thin alcohol. Can't even choke it down.

1/31/2022 - acyso wrote:

January Rhônes (Chicago, IL): I truly, deeply love Allemand, but I suspect this may be one of the worst wines that was made there in the decade. While this has the textural qualities that I expect from Allemand, there just isn't the richness and depth in this wine. The fruit feels emaciated, and there's even a slight hint of green. This isn't as bracingly green as my last bottle, but it's there and it's very distracting to me.

8/13/2021 - kuumies wrote:

Never had this one before but I loved it at first sight - literally - as the color is magnificent. The nose is yeasty and creamy with notes of cherry, raspberry, agrumes and spices. Very expressive, detailed and beautiful. The mousse is super fine and very persistent. Comes off quite vinous yet with the kind of elegance that easily sets it apart from some new wave grower Champagnes that really challenge one’s idea of what Champagne in ways that I am not always fond of. On the rich side but with incredible focus and chiselled form, it has power but then not much weight at all. I don’t know where the dosage lands but this feels dry without any sense of austerity, while having a great acidity. The wine just flows on the palate, feeling as effortless as any wine I’ve had this year. Finesse personified, as impressive as any rosé in this price range

7/13/2021 - kuumies wrote:

Popped and poured, enjoyed over a couple of hours. Highly expressive on the nose with an abundance of haunting, tarry cherry fruit. Savory with bitter tones and a tangerine edge, totally awesome. On the palate more timid early on, a couple of hours later ripe-fruited, mouth-filling and markedly intense. Pretty sizeable, grippy tannins. Wonderfully savory, very tasty and gastronomic. Super juicy stuff, still extremely youthful. Whoever marked the drinking window here to end in 2019 is out of their mind.

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.

6/19/2021 - kuumies wrote:

Ripely dark-fruited and very fruit forward on the nose, Chambord-esque if you will. On the palate rich and opulent with questionable/admirable density, depending where you are looking from. Thoroughly primary and a real bruiser - I would be hard pressed to name the variety or the origin here. Seems to have quite a bit of both tannin and acidity. The 13.5% does feel a bit. Will be interesting to see where this goes from here but my gut reaction is: yikes.

5/31/2021 - J'agnes Likes this wine:

Clean closure. Purple colour - still very youthful. Nose is raw meat. Palate simple but very direct. Grenache 50%,45% Syrah with a dash of Carignan and Mourvedre. Finish is a good length. Very good value entry level wine.

2/26/2021 - kuumies wrote:

The nose swarms from the glass and fills up the nostrils. Super chalky with awesome ripe fruit (lemon, tangerine, white peach), beeswax and white pepper. Massively expressive, crystalline HD stuff. Packs quite a volume despite moderate 13% ABV, this has a ton of texture. Lemon-driven but more saline than anything, iodine for days. A fantastic tangy, savory style, despite the concentration it is not heavy at all due to very good acidity. Great length and intensity too, this one does not disappear quickly from the palate. A splendid wine and solid value.

4/21/2021 - kuumies wrote:

Very gentle on the nose with sunny lemon-driven fruit, the slightest hint of oak (mostly in the way of nuttiness), cereal and some beeswax. Quite timid, but pleasant and correct. On the palate somewhat on the rich side with notably firm mouthfeel. Akin to the nose the flavors are pretty restrained and it is the texture that mostly stands out. Not oaky at all really then but the richness and volume hints that some was used. Far from showy, this almost feels like it tries not to be friends with you with its pretty neutral fruit expression. That said I find it difficult to not like it as it carries its weight gracefully with pretty considerable powerful underneath and does not feel unbalanced, the least so in the persistent finish that is marked by attractive nutty tones. The 2015 Boisson-Vadot was very easy to love, this is the opposite. If given the choice I would probably go for the former but that is not to say that this is not impressive. Will be interesting to try my other bottle in five years or so.

8/9/2020 - Tim Heaton Likes this wine:

As a long-time fan of this bottling, it's always fun, and informative to try this in its (early) youth. That said, while crunchy, structured, and fun, I'd strongly suggest holding for at least 3-4 years, and even then, this will probably benefit from aeration prior to service. 13,0% abv. HOLD. recommended

8/6/2020 - kuumies wrote:

The color is just beautiful: transparent and brick red. Splendidly expressive from the get-go with the most classic nose: savory, slightly sour and earthy red cherry, tar, and rose petals with just the right amount of Amaro character. Very clearly there is also a minerally dimension to it, fairly complex I would say. Serious for sure but yet there is something playful about it. On the palate it shows quite considerable richness with very respectable tannins to match. While relatively concentrated it does not carry much fat at all - an awkward analogy would be saying that it has rather good muscle definition. In addition to being markedly firm it is also mighty powerful and seemingly has quite a lot of acid as the finish is majestically mouthwatering. There is a degree of austerity to it right now but to me it seems very much obvious that it has a great future ahead.

7/16/2020 - Genghis88 Likes this wine:

Greenish silver in color
Lime notes, green apple, hints of petrol and sage
Fresh, effervescent, bright, aggressive acidity. Tastes like the nose. High degree of minerality. Medium++ finish. EXCELLENT wine with many years ahead of it.

Smoked a La Aurora Cameroon

5/27/2020 - jviz wrote:

This wine has gotten some shade that I don’t quite think it deserves. Good 2016 Bourgogne Blancs that I’ve had show a lot of ripeness and dry extract, whereas 14 and 17 appear to have more piercing acidity and more citrus, less orchard and stone fruit. But I digress..

The 2016 Roulot BB outperformed my expectations today. Pale gold in the glass, it showed well both at cellar temp and as it warmed. Lots of white peach, nectarine, and golden delicious apple, with balanced (but not searing) acidity. Fleshy in texture and round in the mouth. It may not live as long as its surrounding vintages, but might be more in my own preferred style.

5/11/2020 - french16 wrote:

Was very pleasing. High acidity and a touch of salinity on the nose and finish. Pineapple, hint of lemon and chalk. Lean, lots of tension.
Winemaker was working for Domaine de Soich and you can see the similarities.
Very nice wine.
12.5%
Roughly 70% petit Manseng and 30% Gros.

4/26/2019 - kuumies wrote:

Reminiscent of Gilles Berlioz's Les Friponnes last year the nose here has a distinct note that to me is very much yoghurt-like - if a bit too much at first it did integrate quite nicely in a short time. Besides that note the nose is classic alpine stuff: very bright and fresh, somewhat restrained aromatically yet not vegetal at all. On the palate it has quite a rich mouthfeel and a lot of oomph to it, especially considering the 12% ABV. The acidity is downright fantastic, providing a great lift, energy and freshness. There is plenty of crisp fruit and some more developed tones that indicate some sur lie ageing having taken place. I love the tangy edge here, this drinks extremely well on its own and is simply a very attractive wine.

4/25/2020 - kuumies wrote:

Drank from large Burgundy bowl over two hours. Quite fresh and lively on the nose yet with a distinct buttery oak component. Lemon-driven with some nutty and spicy hints. Great volume on the palate with a good amount of dry extract, this is not exactly of the steely kind yet definitely not flabby. Without a doubt there is good acidity beneath. Excellent use of oak gives space for the less than abundant fruit (lemon, peach). Does not offer great complexity but has a fine, airy texture. Finishes nutty, spicy and long. A very gastronomic wine.

4/16/2020 - kuumies wrote:

Popped and poured, tried right away, after a couple of hours and then again the next day. Fridge temp and room temp and everything in between, from Zalto Universal and Schott Zwiesel Burgundy bowl. No matter what the variables, I just could not become friends with this wine. The nose attacks the nostrils with this Sauvignon-esque stinging effect, reminiscent of nettle. Additionally there are also notes of yellow plum, lemon and faint yeastiness. On the palate it definitely has a decent volume but that is overwhelmed by this sense of unpleasant tightness and greenish fruit that starts to trend towards metallic quickly. For my palate it seems unquestionably unripe/underripe and there are very few redeeming qualities. It's just very tart and quite hard to drink, at least without wincing.

3/25/2020 - kuumies wrote:

The relatively dark yellow color hints at a certain level of ripeness. The nose is quite pungent with exotic fruits, spices and a tea-like note. On the palate it is surprisingly weighty and viscous. Quite concentrated and powerful with a spicy edge to it. Serious and demanding in character, this is no crowd-pleaser. I dare to say that it even feels a bit tannic, having some bite on the finish, which goes on for a good while. This is clearly no easygoing summer day sipper, it demands attention and evokes contemplation, even if it is not massively complex aromatically. That said it does have a rather nice stonefruit character and some bitterness towards the finish. I think for the price it provides quite a lot and as such I applaud the effort, even if this is not something I would consider drinking on a weekly basis.

3/21/2020 - Vinewanderers wrote:

The 2015 Domaine Tempier Bandol is a deep garnet wine with initial aromas of green olives, green bell peppers, smoked meats, manure and composted leaves. Once open for a few hours, the funk softens, and the wine reveals more menthol, blackberries, and tobacco. The palate shows menthol, olive bread, black licorice, and dark chocolate. The tannins are still a little robust and there is medium acidity and medium alcohol. The finish is earthy and slightly vegetal (not unlike Sonoma county Syrah). This wine needed the full 3+ hours of slow oxidation to show its full potential.

Original Score: 65
Grade: C+ (Top 70%)

3/8/2020 - Capt Cutlass wrote:

Sometimes I wish I hadn't read a review before opening a bottle! After reading the below notes I assumed I could open my first 2017 vintage before the 2015 which is waiting. Bad advice, this is nowhere near ready - tannins are tight and the fruit is unwielding. I will wait another 2+ years at least for the next one....

2/17/2014 - dead puddle Likes this wine:

Ski in Okanagan valley with Le Vieux Pin winemakers. (Osoyoos, BC, Canada): Blind tasting. decanted one hour. Very nice expression of a pure and feminin syrrah. Dark hue. Mouth fresh, crunchy red fruits, spices, violet. An elegant style. Excellent. But not as the nobleness and complexity level of Jean Louis Chave. 90

6/1/2019 - JWG wrote:

A remarkable grumello. I don't have detailed notes here, but the wine is stable at its high level, because the tasting notes from 2016 (nelson) and later from tannicbeast and ughey are all on the money in describing this delicious bit of northern Piemonte.

2/2/2020 - kuumies wrote:

The nose provides Viognier’s youthful exuberance at its finest while managing to be supremely elegant with its apricot-driven fruits, some floral notes, moderate oak and slight smokiness. Immensely attractive and all class. On the palate wonderfully rich, just very opulent but still in no way over the top despite 15% ABV. An unbelievable combination of decadence and freshness. Some warmth and spiciness that fit in well. Probably would age like a champion but who cares when it offers such a pleasure right now.

12/14/2019 - vide Likes this wine:

Some very mean scores below for a very fine wine. Lovely complex nose, with good clear lift of pear and stewed lemon; taste = more weight than other Sancerre wines I have recently drunk, such as the excellent Pierre Martin, and perhaps not quite with the definition of the latter. But this wine shows great purity of fruit, balance (in sugar/acidity), and speaks of very superior wine-making skills.

We are in the habit of underscoring Loire wine (not as good as White Burgundy etc), but we need to do justice to wines that excel within their genre.

7/12/2019 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

Watery and mineral and so darn good. With cream and salt. Wow, those are a cut above.

4/18/2019 - beatles wrote:

Layered, keeps surprising; orangepeel here, lots of minerals, fine acidity and a soft texture with some fatness. Much too young, unevolved as of yet.
#Rune#Avignon

4/6/2019 - Eudemis Likes this wine:

15% alcohol on the label, feels like a good bit more. From a restaurant list, so limited notes. Very pale colour, cloudy and distinctly orangey at the rim. Distinctive aromatics of dried flowers. The mouth is very good too, with "pain d'épices" among other flavours, but it is ultimately unbalanced by the alcohol.
Maybe a step up on the intensity scale from the CdR at this address, but if the price to pay for that is extra alcohol, it is not worth it in my book (not to mention the actual price differential).

2/3/2019 - Z1nnfull Likes this wine:

90 is the bottom end of Excellent on your rating scale.
I don't agree this is way too young. Given it's age, we only let it breathe about 30-60 minutes before dinner (which is what you do with older wines) and it was just fine. Lots of cherry, truffle and wood, a bit lighter in style than most Barolos I have had (medium-bodied), but a lot of depth and great finish. Could have a number of years left, but drinkable now. Do not decant, do not let breathe too long (opposite of what you do with young red wines). I have had better 2010 Barolos, given the price I would look for other brands, but in the past we have been very pleased with Oddero Barberas that peak at about 6-7 years. It WAS even better the second night - 89 the first night, 91 the second, so averaged out to 90, excellent.

1/23/2019 - acyso wrote:

Eclectica at Table, Donkey and Stick (Chicago, IL): A touch of bread on the nose and palate, but also some sweet fruit. This has the expected 2008 acidity which helps balance the overall wine, but it's lacking in overall complexity.

1/23/2019 - acyso wrote:

Eclectica at Table, Donkey and Stick (Chicago, IL): I liked this more than what I remembered of the Cornas. The nose had a slight bit of reduction, but there were a few meaty elements as well as the requisite 2015 fruit. The palate is surprisingly lighter than the nose, but with good acids. If anything, I would have expected some more heft, given the vintage.

12/31/2018 - vinhonotte wrote:

Cellaraid Discovery Box; 5/19/2017-5/26/2021 (Delivered to Home): Deep gold, with a very ripe nose of melon, carrot, and chives. Sweet, yet savoury and toasty and sharply acidic. Would have hoped that such a dessert wine is more luxurious.

4/11/2017 - beatles wrote:

Too young, of course, but explosive; ionide, blood, black olives, dense, black fruit, tannins, but the core of fruit dominates & wins. Extremely intense. Will live 20 years IMHO. #Le Mangevins

12/17/2018 - namertens Likes this wine:

You know I thought this would drink a bit richer considering the nine years on lees, but this wine is still very precise, nice mineral balance to the oxidative nuttiness. I’d sit on this for a few more years, though it is delicious right now. Reminds me of vintage Krug (‘01 comes to mind), but a bit more going on. I probably prefer it to Krug, especially at $100 less per bottle, but I’m not sure I’d buy it over Bouchard or Agrapart for the extra $100 per bottle. Great juice, just don’t love the value. Still thinking about it days later.

12/13/2018 - lbarnard wrote:

This isn't even approachable. Way too young.

9/26/2018 - beatles wrote:

Even though it's 2014, I am surprised to find this so open and charming already - certainly another style than Clape. Fine depth here and certainly the sense of the burnt earth, iodine, black fruit and some tannins - but they are friendly. Very fine concentration, and this wil live on for a long time.
#Mangevins

6/13/2018 - Joski wrote:

Did not taste this vintage but bought a bottle since it was highly regarded

5/16/2018 - mike l. Likes this wine:

very good very elegant and definitely in a nice place because of the age. this drinks just a notch below a good meursault, it has wonderful minerality on the back end. this didnt show its full potential too cold or on pop and pour. it needed some air to really get going.

this is not a wow wine. it's old world and the fruit is waning although still present and pleasing. it is complex and pairing it with fish is your best call.

i want more of this for the price ($30) for sure.

5/9/2018 - drwine2001 wrote:

Half bottle. Deep ruby but not opaque. Uniquely fragrant Syrah aromatics-fennel, mixture of black and red fruit, a bit of stems, and cut flowers. Medium weight, alluring texture with base of clay. Amazingly supple without hard edges, even at this early point. Solid acidity, unobtrusive ripe tannins, very discrete in terms of its concentration and not really showing any baked character. Glad to taste this in its youth; it should be really fine down the road.

After being recorked overnight, even sexier and spicier with more violet shining through, although the tannins were much more insistent about your taking notice of them at the end.