January 15, 2022 - À l’ouverture c’est une bombe de cerises mais très tannique et assez fermé. On le carafe. Après 30 minutes, l’aération permet une ouverture, sur le cassis, avec des épices douces en finale, mais ça se resserre rapidement, redevenant tannique, fermé et se terminant sur des notes dominantes d’élevage en fût. Clairement un vin costaud, certainement avec un élevage long sur fûts assez neufs. Attendre au moins 3 ans avant la prochaine bouteille.
December 5, 2021 - Meal prep and with bean ham soup. Great color, earthy.
December 5, 2020 - Seems to be shutting down now. A little tart, almost sour, maybe grapefruit. Lots of acid. Will hold for a couple of years.
November 29, 2020 - Blocky and dense, slightly muddled flavours. I may havebeen slightly harsh on this and previous Bouchard wines since they were allobtained from the same retailer that has questionable storage.
October 17, 2020 - Dark red fruit, dense, chewy and primary, with a bit of a tannic bite. Has potential to be very good, but needs some time.
September 17, 2020 - Pale garnet, translucent.
Nose: Huge spice notes, juiced cherry, clove, nutmeg, garden earth, a bit of reduction. Beautifully haunting.
Mouth: Pure, round cherry and red forest berry come through with rose hip flavors and a light stem/herbal edge, turning slightly bitter ahead of a powdered spice note that the fruit proceeds to orbit around. Polished tannins check in as a hint of red flower pipes up and the finish sails on and on.
Overall: Juicy and silken, but still with lovely delicacy, this is captivating in a haunting way that the nose first alludes to. Has good palate action where it counts, and the extended finish makes this a really nice value. Flavors aren’t hugely complex, so additional aging here would be helpful to give both meld and tertiary development. Drink 2023 - 2029.
92.
March 9, 2019 - La Paulée de NY Grand Tasting (Pier 60 - NYC): Earthy black fruit perfume. Yum, really round and tasty fruit showing good concentration and textural interest. Should improve with 5+ years. But delicious now. 90-91
March 9, 2019 - La Paulée de New York Grand Tasting (Pier Sixty - New York NY): Tasting, brief note. Red and black cherry throughout that comes across as elegant to start, then picks up weight through long finish. Give this 5+ years in the cellar, but very good 90+ point potential here.
March 9, 2019 - La Paulée 2019 Grand Tasting of 2016 Burgundy (Pier 60, New York): Light color. Aromas of warm earth. Soil and dark red fruits on the palate, surprising tannic clout. Not as cuddly or open as it smells. Very good.
February 26, 2019 - Kevin Zrlay Red Burg: 92 my WOTY (against fairly weak competition). A weak 93 and some may call it too plush, dark, ripe.. but enough finesse here to cut through it all. Not sure if best to drink in 5 years or 10 but only way to find out...
Nose: perfumed candied black raspberry. a little crushed rock - but overall a black and red raspberry starburst
Palate: red raspberry, black raspberry, cassis. Not tart. Not overly ripe. A little dill from the oak.
Structure: Just enough acidity to provide some finesse to the fruit. a lot of grip on this, probably from oak.
Finish: lengthy finish with grip, acidity and fruit all there, with finesse.
At end of the night a more cranberry note came out.
** After tasting again, the notes are consistent, but this wine lacks a certain level of depth/breadth to be a 93+ **