November 12, 2022 - Pale / translucent ruby. Spicy, sous bois, with a pleasant touch of funk. Nice acid backbone. Lovely on opening, and perhaps even better, taking on some weight, on the second night. Despite all the drama surrounding this enterprise, this bottle was really quite good.
April 13, 2022 - Five years after the prior: This was quite lovely. Because others have mentioned, we will too: the (rather short) cork was in fine shape. Certainly there are barnyard characteristics, but they are pleasant. Slight suggestion of (what, Kirsch?) but that added interest and did not detract. Despite the bizarre backstory, this struck us as quite classically Burgundian. Very enjoyable upon opening, fine on the second day, fading a bit on the third.
December 27, 2021 - Mega cloudy, muddy flavors, not pleasant. Bought on a lark based on all the old drama with Ray Walker, glad it was a single bottle.
September 4, 2021 - Drinking quite well if a bit shy initially. Slow ox after standing up a couple weeks, no clouds or haze here. A more pronounced earthy and slightly animal nose led to rather bright and youthful red fruits on the palate. Plenty of spice and lots of character here, a pleasure all around.
Also, this cork is in pristine condition and has no import label. Must have been purchased in France. Got it on auction a couple years ago!
February 11, 2021 - Ready to go at the pop with minimal change over time.
Hazy, rusty red color with a small bit of sediment. Cork was actually in good shape for an MI bottle. Profound and enticing nose of baked cherry pie, roasted nut, brambles. Very nice.
The palate doesn't quite live up to the bouquet as the fruit is light and, imho, tired. Shorter on depth and persistence than it seems like it should be, at least compared to the promise of the aroma. Not a hint of any tertiary development and I'm not sure there will be as this just fades away. It's worth a go, just for the gorgeous aroma, but I wouldn't hold out hope for future improvement. 4+13+14+6= 87
February 1, 2021 - I have not had many morey st-denis wines and this one was not a disappointment at the price point. Clouded by Ray Walkers (in)famous legacy, the wine was nothing but truly burgundian in all its classic signs and literally cloudy. Beautiful nose with cherries, red currant, roses and forest floor. Super long finish. Complex and well integrated wine that has the tannic backbone yet the delicate fluttery mouthfeel.
January 6, 2020 - Followed over two days open. It was a bit rough and tumble for the first 30 minutes but came together well before the first hour was up. Good thing, because by hour 6 it was starting to fade away.
Dark garnet color with a slight haze, though no sediment in the punt. Cork was almost half-saturated but not leaking. Nose has a beautiful cherry, star anise, and floral foundation, also a hint of funky/poopy/mulch for added interest. The palate displays fruit of fine pedigree and raw material, though maybe would’ve been better in the hands of another winemaker. I find it lacking stamina for a long future and will get after my remaining bottle within 2 years.
4+12+17+7= 90
November 2, 2017 - PnP, then followed over 4 days. Cork was in perfect condition.
Disjointed on night one. Felt like it was coming together on night two, with predominant notes of agreeable barnyard funk and sous bois, but still didn't quite hit its stride. Day 3 & 4 kind of fell apart. This had a cloudiness to it in the glass that was a little odd. This may just be in an odd developmental phase. Will give it a few years before I revisit.
October 6, 2017 - Raspberries, white pepper, compost, dry soil, stone. A bit cloudy, but not matter. Medium finish.
April 10, 2017 - According to CT stats, 32 bottles have been consumed by folks here -- and not one note or even a score. Hmmm. I bought this a few months ago at less than half the community listed price -- and at that rate, we liked it. Had we paid full, we might not be so pleased.
Light in color, translucent at the edges. Pronounced funk, but pleasantly enough so. Dark fruit. Barnyard to be sure. Long finish. Somewhat rustic. Hint of white pepper. Decent evolution and showing more complexity on day three. We have one more, and will wait a couple years before opening.