Reviews

Henri Boillot Bourgogne

Accessible flavors of black cherry, black raspberry, and a dash of spice set off this Bourgogne in a fashion that is immediately pleasing. It over-performs a tick or two above its class, fanning out…

Henri Germain et Fils Pinot Noir Bourgogne

Up from the nose wafted scents of spring flowers and fresh strawberries, however the palate offered a thin and overly lithe presentation of watery rhubarb and some citrus peel. No mid-palate drop at…

Domaine Parent Corton-Renardes

Red and Black cherry, cranberry, plum skin, Asian spices, cinnamon stick, burnt orange zest, coffee bean, bitter bark and edible flowers, and dry twig dust. With air, this becomes deeper and…

Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Noirs Côte de Val Vilaine

Same as previous notes. Drinking fantastic now. V2015/disgorged2017. My favorite vintage of Val Vilaine thus far. Beautifully balanced delivery of tension and flavorful fruit. No decant this time.

Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Murgers

Black cherry, black raspberry sorbet, citrus peel, and bark. Some deeper pitched dark berry bass tones allow for more accessibility and some sexy sauntering along the palate while still touting its…

Domaine Launay-Horiot Pommard 1er Cru Les Chaponnières

Wild dark berry flavors intermingle brilliantly with fascinating Indian spice, fresh pine needle, forest floor, cremini mushroom, and the slightest tinge of burnt orange peel notes. Even more…

Domaine Taupenot-Merme Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru La Riotte

Wild and fresh strawberry-orange sorbet and stemmy brush notes compete with darker black cherry and plum skin flavors. Unresolved and raw indeed, but loaded with awesome stuffing and energy just…

Domaine Michel Mallard & Fils Corton-Rognet

Compacted black cherry, Asian spice, pine needle, and faint earth notes make a serious and slightly linear delivery with the Rognet. More academic and less succulent than its more giving and…

Domaine Anne et Hervé Sigaut Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Chatelots

A purple and red-black fruited core, beautifully pulsating with black cherry, ripe plum, and muddled black raspberry flavors all swirling around periphery notes of underbrush, stems, and rock.…

Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes

Black cherry, strawberry-orange sorbet, and hints of cedar stick and mulch. Medium-bodied and a bit linear at the moment, but the flavors are extremely pure and inviting. Lighter on the tail…

Domaine Taupenot-Merme Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers

An absolutely fantastic 1er Cru from Taupenot-Merme. Highly complex and bursting with vibrant but also deeply pitched black cherry, red and black raspberry, wild purple plum skin, fresh pine needles,…

Domaine Launay-Horiot Pommard 1er Cru Les Chaponnières

Black cherry, tea, earthy black raspberry, and some wet cedar. More medium and even tempered than the more complex 2016 version. Air in the decanter for 2-3 hours made for deeper tonalities; black…

Domaine de la Vougeraie Charmes-Chambertin Les Mazoyeres

Earthy wild red and purple plum, black raspberry, spice box, incense, bitter cacao powder, garrigue/underbrush, and some cedary forest floor. A front end straight-shot delivery of primary flavors…

Domaine Henri Boillot Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets

Primary red and black cherry fruit. Similar to the 2017 version, with perhaps a tick less depth. Today, I prefer the comparative promise the 2017 shows, with its heightened vivacity and budding…

Domaine Taupenot-Merme Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru Rouge

Man.... For $33 I should have backed the truck up with this wine (of course, now that I see it's around $50 now - which is still a reasonable tariff). This WAY over-delivers for its class and…

Gilbert et Christine Felettig Gevrey-Chambertin La Justice

Primary black cherry and slightly earthy rhubarb notes, with subtle citrus on the back end (with a lot of coaxing and swirling in the glass to try to bring out any true depth of flavor). Youthfully…

Henri Boillot Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens

Dark red and black cherry, red and black raspberry, forest floor, and rocky earth. Nicely pitched, with a cascading and saturated mid-palate expansion that surprises considering its youth. Fresh and…

Olivier Bernstein Clos de la Roche

Rhubarb, wild ripe strawberry, RC Cola, red and black cherry, bruised raspberry, dark earth, and subtle vanilla liqueur. Deep and concentrated, with slamming grip and speed that beg for more time in…

Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Rouge

Rhubarb, red and black cherry, strawberry, incense, orange rind, and some smoke. A hair more intensity and fruit than the 2015, with a succulent delivery that makes for a juicy core. A judicious hit…

Domaine Henri Boillot Volnay 1er Cru Les Fremiets

Generous with the black cherry fruit, with burnt orange rind, smokey earth, and spice notes. A tick of extravagance mid-palate is perfectly counterbalanced with extraordinary acid. Notable speed and…

Gilbert et Christine Felettig Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Carrières

Cool wild blackberry, rhubarb, purple plum, strawberry seed, stems, and some subtle limestone and garrigue notes. With a couple hours of decanted air, this really produced an interesting layered…

Domaine Michel Mallard & Fils Corton-Les Renardes

A succulent black cherry and wild berry core is flanked by a gorgeous array of spices and subtle forest floor notes. Youthfully driven but surprisingly accessible and unctuous, with a flavor…

Nicolas Rossignol Pommard 1er Cru Les Épenots

Black and red currant, black and red cherry, rhubarb, and some earthy spice. Linear and reserved, with a muted flavor expansion. Finishes simple. Not a ton of stuffing, with even less intensity, but…

Domaine Launay-Horiot Pommard 1er Cru Les Chaponnières

Dark and earthy plum, deep black cherry, muddled ripe black raspberry, forest floor, pine, and faint passings of crimini mushroom, black tea, and bark. The core fruit is carried wonderfully along the…

Domaine Bruno Clair Vosne-Romanée Les Champs Perdrix

Subtle earth-inflected mineral elements dart in and out of the dominant black cherry and black raspberry core. Flavorful and a bit darker in profile overall (which I was especially drawn to) with a…