3/3/2024 - Helmut Wraak wrote:

Strange wine. First glass was with a chemical smell. I will leave the rest of bottle in the fridge for a couple of days and see what happens.

12/2/2023 - Eric wrote:

ESTG Year-End Tasting (Newcastle, WA): Mmm, some pine forest on the nose. Seriously closed. A pure, tannic, mineral core. It slowly gains some florals, but it just wants time, much more time.

7/17/2023 - Papies wrote:

The first time we try one of the “younger” ones of these , last one we had was the 1995 5 years ago ( Papies 93) and this had a very similar profile, rich and round well welcoming and with a rich yet composed palate. A very pretty wine and much like its older siblings thoroughly underpriced. 92-93

2/4/2023 - acyso wrote:

Saturday hangout at Domaine (Chicago, IL): From magnum. Disgorged 2017, laid in chalk cellars in 2007. Admittedly not as good as I would have expected given the confluence of so many factors here -- magnum, Charlie, rose, 2006. Feels quite structured and less charming than I would have liked; this comes off kind of dull to me. Likely at an odd point right now, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect upside in the future.

12/23/2022 - Cote d'Or wrote:

Rather ripe and concentrated but also some mild oxidation

4/29/2022 - Vinogan(s) wrote:

All of my 3 bottles were flawed. Good riddance

4/23/2022 - oldwines Likes this wine:

Quick decant for a little sediment. Bright pleasant acidity framing a cherry and spice core with just hints of herbs and green pepper. Pleasant enough but lacking the depth and complexity I would expect from a wine rated in the mid 90’s by several “pro’s”. Very tasty with grilled steaks but I expected a bit more.

12/24/2021 - Paul852 Likes this wine:

Just a note to say that for the first time for me in a few years of drinking this wine my latest batch came in a screw-cap format, but the wine is much the same.

4/23/2021 - 559Cheers Likes this wine:

Matured it is. Forest floor and autumn leaves. Fruit still there but holding to it’s last breathe of life. Drink.
*3rd night Autumn leaves is dominant.
*4th night the fruit is coming out. Drinking nice. Spice and cola on the nose.
*7th or 8th night wine really comes together.

12/2/2021 - Tylerk wrote:

With caviar and salmon. This is really a treat and I do like blanc de noirs and few do them better than bollinger! This is pinot noir based (PN) with a core of the 2015 (80% or so)- and that was likely the best vintage since 2008- and from Verzenay (VZ)- hence the PNVZ15- I can’t wait to compare with the PNVZ16 just recently out?

6/11/2021 - bestdamncab Likes this wine:

Thank you Alex, from a recently opened magnum, nose of black berry, forest floor, and a hint of barnyard, same on the palate, tasty, time to drink up, mouth filling fruit, almost elegant, old Bordeaux style, and a medium/long finish, photo uploaded.

4/20/2021 - NickA Likes this wine:

French classics at The Clarence (The Clarence Tavern): Very well-mannered with everything in balance, lots of green (but not sharp) apple, silky texture and (unlike my other experience of this) not obviously BdN. Certainly not too early to start on these, but upside with further aromatic development likely; indeed, this felt less mature than when I first tried the wine BTG last November.

11/1/2020 - The Drunken Cyclist Likes this wine:

Retail $25. 100% Chenin Blanc. Where to start? With little doubt, this is one of my favorite Chenin Blancs as it comes from an iconic vineyard from a legendary producer in one of my favorite regions in all of France. But. For whatever reason, the current head(s) of this winery decided to close this wine with one of the absolute worst stoppers ever invented. In fact, it might have been better to have crammed one of my teenage son's sweat socks that he had worn for 72 hours straight than this abomination of a plastic "cork" that starts to spin after a mere two turns of my waiter's corkscrew. Really, what were these knuckleheads thinking by systematically ruining one of the best Chenin Blancs on the market?? Decidedly golden, almost brown in the glass, clear signs of oxidation, but this wine nonetheless resists, determined to show its mettle. Fruity (albeit caramelized) on the nose and tart, fruity (and just a hint of sweetness) on the palate, this wine really sings. Yes, it would have been better three (four?) years ago. Yes, the "cork" is to blame for its demise, but this wine perseveres despite its mishandling. But I am forced to ask: "What could have been?" thedrunkencyclist.com

8/19/2020 - Ellen5181 wrote:

Appearance - it’s an unusual color. Wasn’t sure why the icon showed as a rose. Not sure I would say rose, but a pinkish gold for sure. Clear.

Nose - medium plus to pronounced. Alcohol eye burn. Citrus with an oily petrol smell. If I had to pick a fruit, grapefruit. Bitter pith.

Palate - acidity medium plus, medium body, dry, alcohol is med plus, it tastes balanced, crisp, saline, minerals, citrus - less Intense than nose. Some white pepper. Finish is medium plus.

It’s a weird wine. I feel like it’s probably a decent blend and expression for the local grapes and she is a talented wine maker vs. it being a spectacular wine. Given the price, I think there is better out there.

I’d like to see how her blend compares to other local winemakers.

9/16/2020 - Mrbuzz Likes this wine:

Open in bottle for an hour...rust crancherry, slight orange rim color...gorgeous nose of leather, black pepper, sous bois, cigar ash, dried cherry/orange. Been 6yrs since the last test drive on this, and it looks to be aging at a glacial pace! Still quite rustic and structured..an ala Barolo intense acidity and tannin dryness, yet a delicate transparency of rose florals and dried fruits. Then you get to the Rhone with earth, meat, leather, and that black pepper...although more nuanced than previous bottles...very prevalent cigar ash giving it some dirtiness...yea you can sip this in the Rhone vigneron's garage...yet also some elegance that the Burgundy vig won't kick you out the Domaine's gates. Always thought of this wine as the love child of Cornas and Burgundy...but I think Barolo has now made it a threesome! Oh, by the way, I love this wine!

5/6/2020 - ericindc Likes this wine:

Solid wine. I expected this to be a bitter sweeter. This was pretty darn dry. This was a very nice wine, with good fruit, complex light almond and mint, light bitterness and good acidity. light-medium body.

Unfortunately, I expected this to be fuller bodied and sweeter so it did NOT do well with barbacoa tacos.

3/21/2020 - BSA wrote:

Reg. btl. 2015 base. Disg. 05?/2019. Bit too fresh and lacking sync on day one. Much better balance on day 2. Nice complexity, smooth and refreshing. 90-91p for now, with def potential. Will pick up some mags here for sure.

8/31/2019 - uncorked.fr Likes this wine:

I am surprised by other community reviews of this champagne, having had quite the opposite experience. Perhaps my bottle was disgorged later than others (mine was disgorged January 22, 2018) but there was nothing simple or short about this wine, in my humble champagne-loving opinion! After ~14 years of resting on its lees, this cuvée packs a punch of fantastic autolytic aromas & flavors. My partner and I both thoroughly enjoyed it (but we love well-aged champagnes).

Full tasting note:
https://uncorked.fr/2019/08/31/vincent-couche-champagne-brut-2004/

11/3/2019 - dssinger Does not like this wine:

I tried to like this wine - but it’s not possible. Out goes the rest of the case, too.

1/10/2019 - dcwino wrote:

Small friends gathering - 90 La Tache, 12 Coche CC, 37 Mouton in mag and etc. (Officina - Washington D.C.): Incredibly expressive beautifully mature nose displaying decadent ripe red and black fruit, dry cherry, raspberry, blackberry, tomato water, strong sous bois, Chinese medicine, rose, black truffle, fresh roasted almond, cinnamon, cumin, sap, a hint of DRC stem and limestone. Perfectly integrated harmonious palate, beautifully layered subtle slightly dry red fruit, opulent yet precise and detailed, perfect amount of acidity and mineral, and the never ending finish. Despite displaying the 90 ripe opulent vintage typicity, it displays perfect balance and precision. It has always been a very emotional wine but RJ generously sharing it amongst friends take it to Nirvana.

5/19/2019 - Pluecht wrote:

Past its prime

2/23/2019 - ericindc Likes this wine:

Light chemicals on opening. Decanted to blow off the chemical note. Meaty nose with light red fruit. Very savory and herbal tang, light oak, some saline notes in the middle with earth, leather and red fruits. Really complex. Really nice wine.

5/4/2019 - Barry Rothof wrote:

100% Savagnin Vert, 12% vol. from vines planted in 1933. Fresh, pure, intense, mineral and very long with powerful, pear, lemon and high forward acidity. Impressive, but very young!

8/26/2018 - peternelson wrote:

very good; dark rose, extract. Tournament of Rosés. 2009 was doubly good.

9/21/2018 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:

From a 5L. It was a bit of a process to get the cork out. Wax had to be softened and underneath that the cork was fairly soaked through and crumbly. Strained and decanted and enjoyed. This was prob a touch over the hill if I had to guess, but still really quite enjoyable. It's got a full set of more tertiary notes - the olive tapanade. Still has the red fruits (a hint faded). Well balanced. Got better for the first 30 minutes of air and then seemed to even out and stayed strong through the end. Very enjoyable.

6/19/2018 - SteveHyde Likes this wine:

Very good wine, but not at what I would call Grand Cru quality. Layered and balanced, with dense, resin-y mouthfeel, floral, honey and almond, well-structured. But. Lacks the vibrancy and angularity I associate with Riesling. Softer, more plush. A different approach to Riesling that is less to my taste than its counterparts just a little north.

10/3/2017 - fitchbuck Likes this wine:

Didn't follow my own advice to wait 6 months on next bottle; luckily, I didn't need to. This showed much better than that 1st bottle six weeks ago [which likely has at least something to do with the funky petite sirah drunk prior].

She's in a good place now, folks. Drink or hold thru 2020. Consumed over 3 days.

11/15/2016 - ericindc Likes this wine:

Spectacular wine. Alot of VA that eventually blew off. Just gorgeous and just got better over 3 hrs. Surprisingly young for a 52 yr old wine. Beautiful red fruits, violets, light tar with the great mushroom and leather in the middle. Still a good solid tannic structure. Great bottle. If this one is any indication, it should last another 20+ years. Oh, goes great with the white truffles.

8/12/2017 - ericindc Likes this wine:

This was one of the best Chianti's I've ever had. Decanted for 3 hrs. Nose was everything you would expect, earth, mushroom, strong red fruit, slight pine. Strong and clean sweet and clean red fruit, earth, very light tannins, mild green note, good acidity. Pretty drying on the finish. Just a fantastic bottle.

4/18/2017 - Fugu Me Likes this wine:

Bright and slightly citrusy, but more mineral driven. Nice and clean.

4/5/2017 - ininov Likes this wine:

Just singing. Very typical chenin, but yet light and elegant, with racy acidity and white fruits, all in perfect balance. The first of my 2014s to open, looking forward to the rest!

3/21/2017 - LoireFan wrote:

No pleasure here.

2/23/2017 - pclin wrote:

Gamay grapes (Beaujolais) blended with old indigenous varieties from Ganevat's vineyards in the Jura: Petit Béclan, Gros Béclan, Geusche, Argant, Peurion, Portugais Bleu, Isabelle, Enfariné... The vines are 30 to 40 years old - from merchant.

Intense Gamay nose, floral and pungent, very good nose. Can't detect other varieties on the nose. Sweet and smooth on the attack, plenty of tannins on mid-palate but not obtrusive, good acidity, decent length with slight heat at finish. ABV 14%. Rich but no over-extraction. In the mouth, this tasted so much like a CDP, no Grenache? Well made wine and fun to drink, will buy more.

2/23/2017 - sleepyhaus wrote:

My first time with A. Occhipinti's Frappato. Very nice wine, superior to the COS version IMO. Fresh, light, but with depth too, mainly in the realm of a strong mineral component. This bottle has a slightly oxidized edge but it was purchased as a store closeout and I assume any off quality is a result of sitting on a store's sales floor for a few years, clearly less than optimal conditions. For that reason I won't return for the others, but it was a very nice wine. For me, I'm just as happy though, and maybe happier even, with the SP68...

2/14/2017 - rocknroller wrote:

Light gold color. Split bottle over 2 hours for Valentine's Day tasting menu. This was a bittersweet night. Always a treat eating at Piccolo, but with their closing rapidly approaching, this was likely our last meal there. To celebrate both Valentine's Day with a special bottle and our many wonderful memories at Piccolo I picked this little honey to bring. We benefited from some good karma too. While I have never been disappointed by this wine, I have some that were flat out spectacular - and this was one of them. There was incredible energy from the start, with a most extraordinarily focused, fine bead of speedy bubbles. The nose was bright and fresh with a lovely yeast, baking spice, fresh baked bread, lemon, meyer lemon, and hints of orange zest. The palate has depth and power without heaviness, quite elegant, lemon, meyer lemon, autolytic, orange peel, clean minerality with hints of chalk, medium plus body, and a very long finish. Great complexity, in a super spot. Best bottle to date.

2/6/2017 - ericindc Likes this wine:

Bigger, bruiser (bordeaux blanc style) of a sauv. blanc. One of the better I've ever had from California. Classic nose of grass and white fruits, no alcohol hit. Medium/heavy body, good racy acidity which gives it balance. Great fruits, and long finish. The fruit is strong, but I didn't notice any residual sugar. Unfortunately, this is the last vintage as the vines were ripped up and replanted to Cab. Sauv.

2/2/2017 - EhrlichDY wrote:

Pop and pour. One of the rare occasions where the palate completely outperforms the nose. Very reticent nose not giving much at all. Gorgeous resolved palate with seamless texture and secondary earthy flavors. Still retaining notes of dried fruit as well. I'd say to drink these up as it seems to me that this wine is at peak or on a slow decent.

12/14/2016 - DaleW wrote:

Very nice- apple, citrus peel, leesy/yeasty notes with an exotic overlay of ginger. Tasty and distinctive. A-/B+

7/16/2016 - Steve Brickley Likes this wine:

Fine bubbles drop off quickly. Golden brown yellow. Yeast bread notes. The non-sweet honey aspect of this wine is the keynote as is just fabulous. Recommend. If you can open, have a sip or two and wait 2 hours you will get the full flavor profile of this wine. Outstanding and I will look to find more. (From recent release, not original release.)

5/12/2016 - Danthejuiceman Likes this wine:

This wine is drinking beautifully. The Latitude has consistently showed well. Way more interesting than pure Cabernet. I cannot figure out why this producer was left to the second tier distributors. Acceptable alcohol levels. Never over extracted.
Maybe ahead of it's time.

4/6/2016 - SchlaepDog Likes this wine:

Bottle # 017695. Shopping at my regular wine retailer (wine club SF), they still had bottles of this wine that I purchased and drank a couple weeks ago. You can read that note below for the full summary, but the quick story is that bottle was very disappointing (sweet and syrupy, oxidized) compared to what I tasted about 3 years ago when I bought the supply for my cellar which was great. The bad bottle was 300000 something, much higher number, and other tasters have noted bad bottles at similar ranges.

So of course I wasn't thinking about buying another bottle, but picked one up anyway shaking my head in frustration when I noticed it was a low bottle number. In the bin was a mix of very high and low number bottles, and the merchant said they all came arrived in a single 3 case shipment. So I bought a low number bottle for $32 theorizing that it would be great based on my low sample size experiment.
Day 1: first taste and I immediately knew it was a completely different wine from 2 weeks ago. Poured half into 375 ml screwcap for next day, then drank with smoked chicken thighs. Very intense and primary upon opening and for the first couple of hours, then mellowed a bit with some tart cherry and raspberry working through the tannins, but never really opened up before it was drunk.
Day 2: finally opened up into an elegant and refined wine. Not sweet or syrupy at all like the last bottle. Cherry, leather, earth, a nice dose of acidity to keep it fresh, not oxidized at all. Earthy red fruit lingers on the finish, still some tannins to be resolved. Beautiful wine.
Overall, completely different experience from just a couple weeks ago and lends some credence that lower number bottles are better with higher number bottles completely different and not as good. I will hold my 2 bottles that are in the same bottle # range as this one until at least 2021-2031 and drink the one around 100000 sooner. Cheers.

2/26/2016 - David_T wrote:

Aromas and flavors of red currant, brick dust, tobacco and a hint of cocoa. Smooth with medium acid/tannins/finish. Drinking well now but has the structure to last at least through its 10th birthday.

11/6/2015 - dcwino wrote:

2015 Villa d’Este Wine Symposium - Kelly and Kevin's excellent adventure; 11/3/2015-11/9/2015 (Villa D’este, Lake Como): Dry cherry fruits, a hint of licorice, tar, rose, pepper, mineral and earth. Very good concentration, polished palate, slightly dry red fruit, good acidity and seamless long finish.

7/21/2013 - ericindc Likes this wine:

Excellent wine. Doing great and has many years left. People who rated this low have either had a bad bottle or only like super fruity American pinot.

Evolved significantly over a couple hours. Bricked, on the nose had muted red fruits, honey, light cedar, earth, truffle, chocolate. Taste has plum and red fruits, mushroom, earth. As time went on, it was dominated by sweet pinot fruits. Really long finish of earth, dark fruit with some light drying. Did have a touch of heat which kept it from being outstanding.

11/5/2015 - Tonyboons33 wrote:

Pretty disappointed given the price point of this wine. Complete lack of fruit, balance and structure. Still pretty tannic, but I just can't envision it improving much with age.

6/7/2015 - wicho Likes this wine:

An outstanding wine. Decanted it for 4 hours and it really changed from when I opened it. I wish I had more!

5/1/2015 - Ardross Likes this wine:

Quite superb for a Passetoutgrains. Spice and wild cherry and raspberries - rounded but good structure and acidity . Mr Clark's retirement from being a vigneron a great shame

4/30/2015 - Champagneinhand Likes this wine:

3rd to the first place Tie between Trimbach and weimar in the dry group. Others really liked this as it was completely dry but fruit seemed to give it a touch of perceived RS. Plenty of great riesling fruit from the tropicals of asian pear, to the stone fruit of white peach, acacia florals and tangerine/mandarin orange acidity with that serious flinty and slate mineral backbone.

THE USA, especially the Finger Lakes and Northern CA bested wines from Australia, NZ, and this was just under Weimer Reserve and Trimbach.
7 wines were had in this flight of dry Riesling and they all were very good.

12/14/2013 - ericindc Likes this wine:

Truly young for a 23 year old wine. Better after 1+ hrs open. Nose of strong black fruits, dirt and light herbal note. Taste, as I stated... very young, with black fruits, dirt, strong tannins, and a moderate alcohol hit. Heavier bodied wine. This wine has 10++ years left. Might actually be better in 10.

1/12/2015 - Rhonda wrote:

Brought this back from France. Loved it! Wish I had more!!!!