11/18/2023 - Nanda wrote:

One of the top wines tonight and a total stunner. Incredible concentration and power while still showing an ethereal elegance. Lovely tar-funk complexity.

2/11/2024 - Nanda wrote:

Pop n' pour. Good out of the gate and much, much better with a few hours of air. Loads of power and concentration that initially manifest itself in a compact palate but lengthened and broadened with air. Eventually achieved the seamlessness that I enjoy in 2010 but it took some time to get their. A more reserved and not quite ready 2010. Upside from here.

10/21/2023 - Nanda wrote:

Wines while dining in Montreal; 10/18/2023-10/21/2023 (Montreal, QC): PnP. Wide open for business. Quintessentially Vosne and DRC with loads of black cherry, black tea, violets, stem spice and Asian spice throughout. Rich, velvety and delicious fruit that is non-stop. Young, but pleasure-packed already. I suspect the young vines help and allow this to show so well already.

11/24/2023 - Nanda wrote:

From magnum. This is a ridiculously good Chardonnay with bright orchard fruit laced with minerals and match stick. Excellent density with luscious, fresh acidity. Mouthwatering finish.

10/27/2023 - Nanda wrote:

Northern Rhone Dinner (2012/2005/1998 focus) (Chez Lagragne): Single blind. Aromatically this improved with time in the glass, yielding some meat, olive and black pepper notes. The palate starts open-knit with lovely florals and black pepper, but is quite truncated by a gritty structured finish. Another wine that needs 10-15 years. My #1/5. Guessed Alemand for it's relatively open-knit start.

1/15/2023 - Nanda wrote:

Just an okay bottle that had flashes of Northern Rhone nuance and complexity but seemed to close up and become stern. Hold.

12/27/2022 - Nanda wrote:

A terrific bottle and the best 2004 we had this evening. Gorgeous red fruit, florals and spice (which was an exception among the more black fruited/closed 2004s). Showing at an early peak level of integration and approachability.

12/24/2022 - rlove wrote:

Classic, bright, floral. Will be lovely.

11/12/2022 - Nanda wrote:

Wow, a total baby with loads of candied red cherry and strawberry. It has that olive and stem spice but perhaps just a bit subdued and shielded by the fruit at this early stage. Best 2030+. A taste on night two was hard as nails. A glass on night three was texturally thrilling - totally Burgundian.

4/13/2022 - SARED wrote:

Tight and unyielding on pnp and an hour in the glass. While the pedigree here seems strong, seems less exciting than the 2016 (although admittedly this is speculation given how tight this is).

2/12/2020 - Nanda wrote:

Tasting at Domaine Henri Gouges (Nuits Saint George): Pretty red cherry aromas. Round and fresh on the palate with a gentle structural stature. Generous vs. imposing. Some nice savory earth tones. 89-90

11/23/2021 - Nanda wrote:

Glorious aromas of crisp black cherry, smoke, potpourri spice and musk. Ripe but cool and crisp black cherry has serious Grand Cru concentration. Silky structure is more refined than you might expect in Pommard. Seamless and delicious. At peak, and should hold for a decade+

8/27/2021 - KenK Likes this wine:

Perhaps a perfect wine in reality. From the aromas alone this was clearly going to be amazing. Chiseled and bright while also deep and rich with a finish that does not seem to end. The texture and balance create perfect harmony. A wine of real breed that impresses, Even served blind everyone got this right. A very special treat!

9/17/2019 - Nanda wrote:

Chevillon Survey (Brasserie Margeuax): Side-by-side with the '13. While the '13 was better for current drinking, this should prove to be the superior wine. Aromas are super rich and primary at this stage -- almost like a barrel sample. Palate is similarly dense with terrific concentration. Needs time. Clear upside from here.

4/20/2021 - Nanda wrote:

This is in a terrific spot with buoyant, round, fresh blackberry and black cherry fruit that is laced with spice, toasted herbs and florals. So much flavor and textural complexity. Long, bright finish.

11/4/2020 - Nanda wrote:

More open and ready than a bottle 2+ years ago. This seems to show the house style well with more earthiness and a baritone nature to the fruit. Good spice character brings out the Echezeaux terroir. At the front end of what should be a long drinking window.

12/22/2020 - Nanda wrote:

This is best after 90 minutes of air. Full, dense nose of intense red berries, toasted herbs and spice. Pure fruits and significant concentration already on display in a primary but integrated fashion. Better with 5-10 years when this will show more complexity. Delicious already, which I think is a nice feature in the 2014 vintage.

1/23/2021 - Nanda wrote:

Decanted for ~3 hours. Best on pop n' pour and this faded with a volatile note taking hold and marring any pleasure. Hopefully other bottles don't have the same VA.

1/23/2021 - Nanda wrote:

A stunningly good Cali Cab that is made for the long-haul and showing great pleasure now. Huge, dense, detailed aromas of cherry, plum, cedar, tobacco, bell pepper, smoke and spice. The palate is integrated and balanced with plenty of power and stuffing to age for another decade or two. Long, complete, compelling finish.

1/15/2021 - Nanda wrote:

Appealing, enthralling aromas of toasty orchard fruit, brioche and mineral. So much fruit concentration, zippy acidity and an energetic bead.

12/30/2020 - Nanda wrote:

Volnay, Pommard & CdB 1er Cru (Chicago): Double blind. Smoky red cherry, raspberry and floral aromas. Juicy and very crisp on the palate. Mid-weight with lots of acid and showing mature. I was guessing 96 at first, when told much younger i went to 08, shocked to see this was a 2012 as it showed both older and leaner. Revisited a few hours later and the nose had picked up some intensity though the palate was still lacking the fruit fleshiness I'd expect from this wine in this vintage.

12/14/2020 - Nanda wrote:

Now in a peak window. Attractive nose of red cherry, pine, spice, florals and some toasted herbs. Palate has terrific concentration of modestly sweet red and black cherry. Juicy and well integrated acidity gives this a long and precise palate. Feels like it will hold for a decade+ with some modest upside.

11/9/2019 - Nanda wrote:

45th Birthday Celebration (Chez Nanda): ~8 hour decant. This is so good and insanely young for a 20 year old wine. Structure is starting to dial in with the fruit. Loads of licorice, florals and spice. Excellent.

9/22/2019 - Nanda wrote:

~6 hour decant, and then back into the bottle, served 90 minutes later. Stunning bouquet of smoke, tar, dried fruit and spice. The palate is moderately concentrated with precise delineation. So complex and nuanced. Long finish.

8/4/2019 - Nanda wrote:

Very good with nice balance, but not up to the high standards of the 2014 version. Just not as rich, dense or bracing in acidity. A dialed down version.

5/11/2019 - acyso wrote:

"Wines that don't suck" (Chicago, IL): Served double blind. The triumph of Quercus spp. and Homo sapiens over terroir, vintage, and grape. Good job! Someone call the firefighters to put out this dumpster fire.

3/8/2019 - Nanda wrote:

La Paulée Zachy's Auction Friday (Le Bernardin Privé): I'm no fan of old Champagne, but this was damn impressive. A full, boastful now of mature orchard fruit and brioche. Mature fruit that is reminiscent of aged white burgundy. Layered and even rich. Still fresh with good length. Wow.

8/15/2018 - Nanda wrote:

Off the list at Summit @ Broadmoor. I suspect this is as good as an Eola-Amity appellation blend can get. Gorgeous spice-filled aromas of black cherry with earth tones abound. The palate has terrific density and richness, belying an AOC type blend. Terrific balancing verve and freshness. A tasty and deliciously complex young wine.

6/29/2018 - A6Rover Likes this wine:

To tasted the 2015 Arnot-Roberts and Ceritas Trout Gulch was a kind of revelation about the beauty of the vineyard site -- phenomenal wines both. But the 2016 is an entirely different story: the AR was, alas, profoundly disappointing (not terrible just not what I hoped for) but the Ceritas just sings loudly and on tune: this wine just leaps out of the bottle with verve, energy, and depth. I enjoyed it with a shrimp salad with house-grown veggies and it was the perfect foil for the wild flavors, but then leave it out and let it come close to room temp and you've got something unique and truly special. Okay, as I typed I went back and added two points. I'll do my best to squirrel the remaining two bottles for half a dozen years for what I anticipate will be something sublime. And that AR ain't bad at all, but the Ceritas is just miles ahead.

5/22/2018 - Nanda Likes this wine:

A serious candidate for house Rosé here. Disgorged 10/16. 8 g/l dosage. 50/50 Pinot and Chard. Pretty strawberry short cake, floral and earth nose. Excellent stuffing with rich fruit and driving energy. Tasty and full of flavor, if a tad straight forward and obvious.

2/8/2018 - Nanda wrote:

The nose is a bit wound up, tight and not showing too much outside of red fruit with some clay and spice tones. The palate is more generous and layered, with a significant undercurrent of spice throughout. Good concentrated fruit, and still-firm round tannins. Give this another 5-10 years. Upside from here.

2/26/2018 - Nanda wrote:

Dinner at Formento's (Chicago, IL): Initially there was some talk that this might be an off bottle. We all came to agree that it was just an ornery bottle, even after an 8+ hour decant. With time in the glass this did show to be quite classic, if a little cranky and brooding. What emerged is a classic Barolo with tar, spice and black cherry. It's still stern, but you can seep the potential. 5+ points of upside in a decade or so.

12/25/2017 - Nanda wrote:

Consistent with my note from March 2017. This was decanted for ~9 hours prior to being served with Christmas dinner. A gorgeous Barolo that's in a prime drinking window. Great aromatics that span fresh cherries, balasam, dried flowers and new leather. Still has loads of rich cherry fruit that is starting to show some balsamic character. The structure is there but in total harmony. This will hold for a decade+.

11/26/2017 - winelover1808 wrote:

maybe it was the bottle i had, but this was very very tannic and not as giving or lithe as i expected. got better as it opened but disappointing

11/5/2017 - Nanda wrote:

Really pretty Cali Syrah with a full, aromatic nose that has ripe black fruit accented with florals, potpourri spices, black pepper and toast. Palate is moderately rich with nice sweet fruit. Savory notes along with some semi-sweet chocolate. Great balance and persistence.

8/25/2017 - Nanda wrote:

Served blind. Oh my, this is really good and definitely Bordeaux. A wow nose that is classic Bordeaux -- young red fruit, bell pepper, cedar and cigar. On the palate, this is quite young and burly. Stuffed with lots of fruit and structure. Needs a Ribeye. Surprised this was a PLL, which is usually more elegant, but for it's age I guess it all makes sense.

8/4/2017 - Nanda wrote:

Disgorged 10/2014. So pure with strawberry, rhubarb and some light baked bread notes. Very fresh with a driving bead and acidity. Terrific NV rose.

8/1/2017 - Nanda wrote:

Dinner at TDS (Chicago, IL): A seriously wow Pinot. The nose is endless with layers of dried and fresh fruit across the black and red cherry spectrum made complex by truffle, underbrush and dried herb notes. Texturally beguiling with power in an ethereal frame. The fruit is still fresh and lithe across the palate. Layers of flavor, accented by baking spice in the finish. So, so good. A testament to classic winemaking and good dirt.

11/16/2016 - Nanda wrote:

A very, very good Syrah with traditional structure -- full bodied with restrained fruit, crunch acidity and grainy tannin -- though decidedly smooth and clean for Cornas. I really enjoyed what was in the glass -- good concentration and lift across the palate. Precise flavors of black fruit, olive, game and cracked pepper. Well made syrah.

9/2/2016 - CMallard Does not like this wine:

First of 3 bottles bought at auction. This has just about everything I dislike in a California chardonnay: high alcohol (15.1%), not much structure, lacks acidity, a lot of juicy fruit sure, and exotic too, but no balance. No offense meant to the fans out there, but this wine is a little vulgar to my taste.

8/12/2016 - Nanda wrote:

A disappointing showing. The fruit just never came out to play and the tannins were a bit too hard. Air didn't seem to help much. There were some redeeming earth/cigar notes but without any fruit with which to integrate, it was hard to get much pleasure from this hard wine. Hopefully just an off bottle ...

6/4/2016 - Nanda wrote:

Slow oxed for 6 hours and consumed over the next 3-4 hours. Gorgeous aromatics of cassis, pencil lead, bell pepper, tobacco leaf, and cigar ash. So much good stuff going on. On the palate the fruit is round but by no means hot/roasted. Good lift and precision from medium acid. The tannins are suave early in the night but more brawny and biting with time. Great precision and complexity here. Will be better with 5-10 years. Who says '03 BDX from 'modern' producers can't age?

5/13/2016 - Burgundy Al wrote:

THE Burgundy Dinner (The Doctors Nosnik Cellar - Dallas TX): Very pleasant while slightly more mature and honeyed than I'd expect at this stage. Also simple for Montrachet. If served blind, I would never have thought Montrachet.

3/24/2016 - Eric Guido Likes this wine:

The ‘01 Monvigliero is almost impossible to resist at this stage of its life. On the nose, a display of exotic floral tones, savory herbs and black olive were offset by alluring notes of ripe strawberry fruit and minerality. On the palate, I found soft, velvety textures with fleshy, yet bright and vibrant red fruit, sweet herbs and inner floral tones. It finished on a note of sweet herbal tea and dried strawberry, with fine tannin that was nearly enveloped by it’s juicy and vibrant fruit. This was a real stunner.

3/9/2016 - acyso wrote:

Jason comes to town (Chicago, IL): Holy green, Batman! This is green. Super green. I mean, really, really green. Like smelling the sap from some raw stems green. But since it's cabernet and not pinot, that's not a huge deal, though I could easily see this becoming offputting to those who are more accustomed to Californian jam. The palate is soft, elegant, and floral, with a wispy lightness to it. Demure and shy, but showing its charms all the same. The palate shows some red fruit, and the green doesn't manifest as prominently there as it does on the nose. A superb example of cabernet.

2/19/2016 - Nanda Likes this wine:

Popped and poured into a decanter. Enjoyed over ~3.5 hours. Big, bold nose of spice filled black fruit with licorice and a touch of underlying herb and meat. Palate has bold, concentrated fruit that coats the mouth. Just enough acidity to keep the wine fresh and moving across the mid-palate. Big, inky, black fruit finish. A baby and rather monolithic right now.

2/7/2016 - Nanda wrote:

Big, effusive, layered nose of sweet black fruit, smoked meat, camphor and pronounced spice. Palate is medium-to-full bodied with big black fruit and racy, juicy acidic cut. Terrific lift and persistence. The palate flavors are more straight forward than the exotic, enticing nose. I suspect this will get even better. Amazing for a <$20 appellation syrah! NIGHT 2 ADDENDUM: The aromatics are a bit more subdued but consistent in flavor profile. On the palate there is now more depth of flavor with the black fruit accented by spice, meat and asphalt. Still features lively energy and cut.

1/19/2016 - tooch wrote:

Incredible depth and balance. While not a regal pedigree, this is a stunning white burgundy. Intense, perfectly balance, and ripe. Can't ask for much more.

1/16/2016 - alphalam wrote:

Tasted side by side with a Bernard Levet La Chavaroche 2009. The wind gap has a lot more fruit than the Chavaroche. Floral and high in acidity. However the wind is too simple when compared with the Chavaroche and almost taste like grape juice. Interesting effort for making an atypical Calirofnia Syrah but still not quite a Cote Rotie. Hard to see the aging potential of this wine.

12/26/2015 - Nanda wrote:

Blind Post-Christmas Lunch Tasting: Served a touch too warm as it came out of the cellar for lunch. Light gold in color. A broad and giving aromatic profile with tangerine, lime peel and apricots. A wow, round and luscious palate that has precision and lift from tart underlying acids. Long, lemony finish is bright and long. A lovely, complex Chard that still shows primary.