Vinetasters: (mostly) 2010 Burgundy (Park Ridge, IL): Served double blind. A sweet nose, showing a bit of hawthorn and strawberry. Riper on the palate, with a slightly darker profile, but the fruit is starting to dry out a bit on the midpalate and finish here. Good acidic backbone and showing like a 15-year-old pinot noir. My 3rd, group's 6th.
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Relatively dark, definitely powerful, great aromatics, more fruit driven than most vintages or for that matter other producers, still structured and quite young. I’d love to try this in 10 years. 4 (out of 5).
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Nice but not great Burgundy; perhaps not remarkable as a 1er cru. The wine is drinking well now, and is very drinkable (as all good Burgundy is for me) and pairs very well with food, but doesn’t particularly stand out nor does it seem to have developed much complexity. Could be heat damaged as the wine seems a bit dead.
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The last time I opened a bottle of this it was a mistake, I misread the label and opened it too soon. This time it was premeditated and in fact I've been planning it for awhile. i am not disappointed. It's beautiful right now, just teetering on the razor's edge between primary fruit and the earliest development of secondary characteristics.
Dark garnet color. Heady nose of Volnay perfume, and I apologize in advance for saying that to me it seems feminine and seductive. There's lovely pinot fruit, ripe red berry and cherry with a soft ferrous, perhaps graphite mineral edge. Soft again on the palate, juicy but still a bit of restraint and the earliest suggestions of earthiness on the balanced, graceful finish. Hard to pick a drink date but 10 years seems fair from here.
cork soaked all the way through but happy to report wine was not oxidized fruit explosion on the nose by 2nd day settled into a nice burgundian drinker check one out if you have a bunch for the cork status
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N - rather muted M - voluptuous red and dark fruit attack, clean and tart midpalate with mild but still surprisingly astringent finish. Perplexing. If blind I might have guessed it to be Italian.
Complex aromas of dry heath, spiced cherry, white pepper, and purple flowers. Rich aromatic dark fruit on the palate, sweetly candied, with a savory mix of tannin and acid. Wonderfully complex and showing the tertiary notes and melding of age. Delicious with Faroe Island salmon.
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Lovely bottle tonight; I know Boillot is more known for his whites, but I continue to have very good success with his reds as well; the nose here is classic Volnay though maybe just a bit deeper; floral, airy red fruits, mineral, some damp earth, and a bit of spice. The palate is mineral driven and full of bright red fruits; there is plenty of structure and acidity and this has very good depth. It is drinking beautifully with food right now as many 2010s have continued to do. Has easily another decade ahead.
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Very good. Bright raspberry and sous bois. Bright pale red color. Bright red fruit, raspberry, acidity and tart tannins. A bit rustic in the mouth and finish - the lack of polish and seamlessness keeps this a low 90s score. Terrific combo with the crispy duck breast I cooked!
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Took a couple of hours to open up - but this was spectacularly good. Fruit, structure, acid. Still too young, but hey, i was trying to perform a mini horizontal and 10 years from vintage should be fine (no: still too young). Henri Boillot reds are strangely underrated... is it because he is more known for his whites?
On the nose, red fruit, mocha, moist earth, with a hint of black pepper. On the palate an inital attack of salty fruit with a clear acid underlayer moving into aromatic dark fruit at the back with a nice base of integrated tannins. In the end, a little thin on the palate, but went well with pork chops sauteed with apples and onions.
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Wow, holy ripeness. This is so primary right now, with sweet strawberry and pomegranate. On the palate, good acidity and loads of extraction. This is yummy, but it didn't seem very Volnay to me. Soft tannin on the finish, which leans juicy and ripe. I think this is just way too young right now (though it is extremely yummy right now, it definitely has the stuffing for a lot of time in bottle).
A Survey of Volnay (Chicago, IL): Much darker in colour than the Armand. I suspect there’s some more extraction going on here. Black fruited, but incredibly pure in the fruit as well. The palate has some intense sweet elements, and the relative ripeness here shows very prominently. There seems to be some oak treatment here, but it’s not overdone. In fact, I really like this for its slightly more silky and voluptuous presence. My 5th, group’s 6th.
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Aromas of red fruit, wild rose, and river moss. Sweet clear red fruit on the palate with prickly acids and a dry tannic base, sweet vinegary aromatic back note moving into a firm acid finish. Lovely with pan fried salmon, asparagus, and boiled potatoes. 50 + 17 + 17 + 8 = 92.
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PnP. Surprisingly open but not showing all of its cards. Tanzer calls this correct. “Good full red. Beautifully balanced wine with a firm spine of building tannins and the fresh acidity to ensure a long life in bottle. Very long...”
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Nice and balanced. Strawberry, damp earth and spices are combined in a clean and pretty package. The wine demonstrates a elegant fragrance, a balanced mid palate and an austere finish that suggests its needs at least another five years to smooth the rough edges. Good but not great.
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I grabbed this out of my cellar thinking it was the 2010 Boillot Volnay villages, of which I own a few bottles. It wasn't until I'd opened it and had a glass or two that something began to twitch-that is, why is this so dense and even a touch woody? Why isn't it more open off the pour? Doh! That's because I grabbed a Tuesday night 1er Cru Les Fremiets instead, like the dummy I am.
Wait, maybe I'm crazy like a fox. Why shouldn't I drink this tonight? I scored a case for $41/bottle at an auction. The only downside is I don't have the faintest idea what I said about the last bottle of it I opened.
Unlike the plain AOC villages, this still needs a good hour before it's really ready to show the pedigree. The color is translucent cherry. Increasingly seductive nose of red fruits, sous bois and a bit of graphite-spiked minerality. Texture is towards the silky but still a bit of roughness that I expect will smooth out with more age. As I continued to drink I realized it would benefit from a few more years of bottle age, when I suspect it will really deliver the implied breed-I'm guessing start in 2020. Now I just have to learn how to read the label before opening!
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Initially shy nose emerging into aromas of Morello cherries, sousbois, wood smoke, with a hint of lavender. On the palate the fruit is both concentrated and weightless, with a deep drive down the center of the palate to a lovely back melange of acids, fruit, and aromatics. A wine that fills the senses. 50 + 17 + 17 + 9 = 93.
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Medium red. Announces its pedigree quickly with a complex and nearly intense nose of rose, light sous bois and dark red fruits. There are hints of spice that seem to flash upon opening and become integrated with air.
Pretty silky texture that glides over the palate, very Volnay. The finish has a mineral streak and comes up a trifle short and tart but begins to even out with time. This is still quite young and will benefit from additional age, even if it's very enjoyable now.
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Pretty dark ruby color. This was decanted for 3 hours. Still young and reticent, but showing some notes of red currant, also some darker berries, tobacco, some spices, underwood, some animalic notes too. It's medium-full bodied and dense, but like most wines in this vintage also has excelletn freshness with medium-high acidity and some medium+ tannin that is perfectly ripe. Good length. At the moment, it's still a little closed aromatically. But I am pretty sure this will be even better in another 2-3 years. (92+)
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Very dark for a pinot. Initially reduced on the nose which aggressive swirling help unfurl. Dark fruits with some spice. Still very tannic, but this should be better integrated in several years. very balanced.
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I'd recently had the 2010 Boillot Volnay Caillerets and it was open enough that I thought I'd try the Fremiets. The Fremiets is excellent but probably 3-4 years behind where the Caillerets is at the moment. Red and black fruit, but the acids and tannins pull you up a little short at the moment. Aeration helps, but time would help even more.
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Ruby garnet. Complex wafting nose of cloves, iron, violets, red fruit, and undergrowth. Strong gripping tannins on the palate with a submerged core of soft aromatic fruit, long tannic finish. A charismatic and handsome wine. 50 + 17 + 16 + 9 = 92.
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This was rocking. Gorgeous nose with lovely purity and depth on the palate. Still very young but this is a super promising wine. Once again 2010 shows why it is one of the best vintages of all-time in Burgundy.
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Bright ruby. Nose of dark crust, pinot berries, pungent flowers. Palate of rich pure concentrated fruit, focused at the core, prominent acids, noticeable tannins on the mid-palate, long sweet clear finish. Austere, rich, powerful and precisely balanced. 50 + 17 + 17 + 9.
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Hint of red fruits...nice peppery and smoky flavor. Really nice balance of tannin and acidity. An exciting wine to pair with Beef Bourguignon. A little bit of black licorice as well. I opened this and served 1 hour later. Would recommend 2-3 hours decant as this came even more alive after dessert!
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4/15/2024 - martin_e Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great! Aromas started immediately when cork popped, black fruit, solid structure. Maybe still slightly tannic.
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2/4/2024 - acyso wrote: 90 Points
Vinetasters: (mostly) 2010 Burgundy (Park Ridge, IL): Served double blind. A sweet nose, showing a bit of hawthorn and strawberry. Riper on the palate, with a slightly darker profile, but the fruit is starting to dry out a bit on the midpalate and finish here. Good acidic backbone and showing like a 15-year-old pinot noir. My 3rd, group's 6th.
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1/21/2024 - Rupert wrote:
Smooth, full, round ripe pinot, delicious.
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2/6/2023 - hectic Likes this wine: 92 Points
Lovely. Needs 30 minutes in the decanter.
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1/29/2023 - NMSteve Likes this wine:
Relatively dark, definitely powerful, great aromatics, more fruit driven than most vintages or for that matter other producers, still structured and quite young. I’d love to try this in 10 years. 4 (out of 5).
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8/2/2022 - SMZ wrote: 93 Points
Beautifully crafted
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5/30/2022 - Brendel Likes this wine: 90 Points
Nice but not great Burgundy; perhaps not remarkable as a 1er cru. The wine is drinking well now, and is very drinkable (as all good Burgundy is for me) and pairs very well with food, but doesn’t particularly stand out nor does it seem to have developed much complexity. Could be heat damaged as the wine seems a bit dead.
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5/18/2022 - bevetroppo Likes this wine: 92 Points
The last time I opened a bottle of this it was a mistake, I misread the label and opened it too soon. This time it was premeditated and in fact I've been planning it for awhile. i am not disappointed. It's beautiful right now, just teetering on the razor's edge between primary fruit and the earliest development of secondary characteristics.
Dark garnet color. Heady nose of Volnay perfume, and I apologize in advance for saying that to me it seems feminine and seductive. There's lovely pinot fruit, ripe red berry and cherry with a soft ferrous, perhaps graphite mineral edge. Soft again on the palate, juicy but still a bit of restraint and the earliest suggestions of earthiness on the balanced, graceful finish. Hard to pick a drink date but 10 years seems fair from here.
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12/18/2021 - Eugenedinapoli Likes this wine:
Excellent drinking tonight but no rush. Went well with venison and cherry sausage.
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6/25/2021 - bugdoced Likes this wine: 90 Points
cork soaked all the way through
but happy to report wine was not oxidized
fruit explosion on the nose
by 2nd day settled into a nice burgundian drinker
check one out if you have a bunch for the cork status
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6/11/2021 - soyhead wrote:
N - rather muted
M - voluptuous red and dark fruit attack, clean and tart midpalate with mild but still surprisingly astringent finish. Perplexing. If blind I might have guessed it to be Italian.
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5/15/2021 - bugdoced Likes this wine: 91 Points
More earth than fruit
Except for one moment late in the bottle when the fruit sweet cherries shined through
Went well with Peking duck at Sun Wah
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3/1/2021 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 93 Points
Complex aromas of dry heath, spiced cherry, white pepper, and purple flowers. Rich aromatic dark fruit on the palate, sweetly candied, with a savory mix of tannin and acid. Wonderfully complex and showing the tertiary notes and melding of age. Delicious with Faroe Island salmon.
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12/15/2020 - jnewman77 Likes this wine:
Lovely bottle tonight; I know Boillot is more known for his whites, but I continue to have very good success with his reds as well; the nose here is classic Volnay though maybe just a bit deeper; floral, airy red fruits, mineral, some damp earth, and a bit of spice. The palate is mineral driven and full of bright red fruits; there is plenty of structure and acidity and this has very good depth. It is drinking beautifully with food right now as many 2010s have continued to do. Has easily another decade ahead.
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11/15/2020 - Rupert wrote:
Burly, tannic. Serious, powerful stuff, but I prefer a gentler style.
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8/22/2020 - winelover1808 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Very good. Bright raspberry and sous bois. Bright pale red color. Bright red fruit, raspberry, acidity and tart tannins. A bit rustic in the mouth and finish - the lack of polish and seamlessness keeps this a low 90s score. Terrific combo with the crispy duck breast I cooked!
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8/21/2020 - asparagus Likes this wine: 92 Points
Took a couple of hours to open up - but this was spectacularly good. Fruit, structure, acid. Still too young, but hey, i was trying to perform a mini horizontal and 10 years from vintage should be fine (no: still too young). Henri Boillot reds are strangely underrated... is it because he is more known for his whites?
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7/16/2020 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 91 Points
On the nose, red fruit, mocha, moist earth, with a hint of black pepper. On the palate an inital attack of salty fruit with a clear acid underlayer moving into aromatic dark fruit at the back with a nice base of integrated tannins. In the end, a little thin on the palate, but went well with pork chops sauteed with apples and onions.
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1/25/2020 - Aravind Asok wrote:
Wow, holy ripeness. This is so primary right now, with sweet strawberry and pomegranate. On the palate, good acidity and loads of extraction. This is yummy, but it didn't seem very Volnay to me. Soft tannin on the finish, which leans juicy and ripe. I think this is just way too young right now (though it is extremely yummy right now, it definitely has the stuffing for a lot of time in bottle).
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12/26/2019 - Larre Likes this wine: 91 Points
See previous tasting note.
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4/7/2019 - acyso wrote: 93 Points
A Survey of Volnay (Chicago, IL): Much darker in colour than the Armand. I suspect there’s some more extraction going on here. Black fruited, but incredibly pure in the fruit as well. The palate has some intense sweet elements, and the relative ripeness here shows very prominently. There seems to be some oak treatment here, but it’s not overdone. In fact, I really like this for its slightly more silky and voluptuous presence. My 5th, group’s 6th.
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3/8/2019 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 92 Points
Aromas of red fruit, wild rose, and river moss. Sweet clear red fruit on the palate with prickly acids and a dry tannic base, sweet vinegary aromatic back note moving into a firm acid finish. Lovely with pan fried salmon, asparagus, and boiled potatoes. 50 + 17 + 17 + 8 = 92.
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2/9/2019 - Drankard Likes this wine: 93 Points
PnP. Surprisingly open but not showing all of its cards. Tanzer calls this correct. “Good full red. Beautifully balanced wine with a firm spine of building tannins and the fresh acidity to ensure a long life in bottle. Very long...”
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9/14/2018 - brettay wrote: 87 Points
Nice and balanced. Strawberry, damp earth and spices are combined in a clean and pretty package. The wine demonstrates a elegant fragrance, a balanced mid palate and an austere finish that suggests its needs at least another five years to smooth the rough edges. Good but not great.
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5/22/2018 - bevetroppo Likes this wine: 91 Points
I grabbed this out of my cellar thinking it was the 2010 Boillot Volnay villages, of which I own a few bottles. It wasn't until I'd opened it and had a glass or two that something began to twitch-that is, why is this so dense and even a touch woody? Why isn't it more open off the pour? Doh! That's because I grabbed a Tuesday night 1er Cru Les Fremiets instead, like the dummy I am.
Wait, maybe I'm crazy like a fox. Why shouldn't I drink this tonight? I scored a case for $41/bottle at an auction. The only downside is I don't have the faintest idea what I said about the last bottle of it I opened.
Unlike the plain AOC villages, this still needs a good hour before it's really ready to show the pedigree. The color is translucent cherry. Increasingly seductive nose of red fruits, sous bois and a bit of graphite-spiked minerality. Texture is towards the silky but still a bit of roughness that I expect will smooth out with more age. As I continued to drink I realized it would benefit from a few more years of bottle age, when I suspect it will really deliver the implied breed-I'm guessing start in 2020. Now I just have to learn how to read the label before opening!
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4/29/2018 - soyhead wrote:
More delineation than the ‘09.
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4/4/2018 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 93 Points
Initially shy nose emerging into aromas of Morello cherries, sousbois, wood smoke, with a hint of lavender. On the palate the fruit is both concentrated and weightless, with a deep drive down the center of the palate to a lovely back melange of acids, fruit, and aromatics. A wine that fills the senses. 50 + 17 + 17 + 9 = 93.
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3/10/2018 - Larre Likes this wine: 91 Points
Elegant with a nice body. However, lacking personality, complexity and depth at the moment. Maybe further cellaring might help? 91?
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1/28/2018 - jwsmith wrote: 92 Points
Just so good better than most the reviews/
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12/18/2017 - bevetroppo Likes this wine: 91 Points
Medium red. Announces its pedigree quickly with a complex and nearly intense nose of rose, light sous bois and dark red fruits. There are hints of spice that seem to flash upon opening and become integrated with air.
Pretty silky texture that glides over the palate, very Volnay. The finish has a mineral streak and comes up a trifle short and tart but begins to even out with time. This is still quite young and will benefit from additional age, even if it's very enjoyable now.
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11/5/2017 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 92 Points
Pretty dark ruby color. This was decanted for 3 hours. Still young and reticent, but showing some notes of red currant, also some darker berries, tobacco, some spices, underwood, some animalic notes too. It's medium-full bodied and dense, but like most wines in this vintage also has excelletn freshness with medium-high acidity and some medium+ tannin that is perfectly ripe. Good length. At the moment, it's still a little closed aromatically. But I am pretty sure this will be even better in another 2-3 years. (92+)
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9/5/2017 - asparagus wrote: 92 Points
Very dark for a pinot. Initially reduced on the nose which aggressive swirling help unfurl. Dark fruits with some spice. Still very tannic, but this should be better integrated in several years. very balanced.
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9/3/2017 - jwsmith wrote: 90 Points
One dimensional good fruit more raspberry excellent balance and finish
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8/19/2017 - ducster72 Likes this wine: 92 Points
I'd recently had the 2010 Boillot Volnay Caillerets and it was open enough that I thought I'd try the Fremiets. The Fremiets is excellent but probably 3-4 years behind where the Caillerets is at the moment. Red and black fruit, but the acids and tannins pull you up a little short at the moment. Aeration helps, but time would help even more.
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6/24/2017 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 92 Points
Ruby garnet. Complex wafting nose of cloves, iron, violets, red fruit, and undergrowth. Strong gripping tannins on the palate with a submerged core of soft aromatic fruit, long tannic finish. A charismatic and handsome wine. 50 + 17 + 16 + 9 = 92.
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11/6/2016 - Rupert wrote:
Structured, powerful, spicy, the red fruit quality came out with time in the glass - excellent
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8/16/2016 - JOsgood wrote: 92 Points
This was rocking. Gorgeous nose with lovely purity and depth on the palate. Still very young but this is a super promising wine. Once again 2010 shows why it is one of the best vintages of all-time in Burgundy.
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6/11/2016 - Rupert wrote: 91 Points
Deep cherry liqueur fruit, minty oak, powerful - approachable now, quite fine
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3/31/2016 - wgmccallum Likes this wine: 93 Points
Bright ruby. Nose of dark crust, pinot berries, pungent flowers. Palate of rich pure concentrated fruit, focused at the core, prominent acids, noticeable tannins on the mid-palate, long sweet clear finish. Austere, rich, powerful and precisely balanced. 50 + 17 + 17 + 9.
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11/21/2015 - xtenson Likes this wine: 91 Points
Hint of red fruits...nice peppery and smoky flavor. Really nice balance of tannin and acidity. An exciting wine to pair with Beef Bourguignon. A little bit of black licorice as well. I opened this and served 1 hour later. Would recommend 2-3 hours decant as this came even more alive after dessert!
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11/16/2015 - Rupert wrote: 90 Points
Big, dark fruited, grippy and to start with the tannin makes it a bit cardboard, but in integrates in the glass, young, fine and substantial
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11/18/2012 - Edouard84 wrote: 90 Points
No formal notes.
Very fruity, too young for no earthy notes hence the "low" score.
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