Reviews

Château de la Maltroye Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Boudriotte Rouge

Simple and flat. Primary and linear to the point it has little sense of focus and direction. It is just kind of "there" on the palate. Some cherry flavors are....um... 'noticed,' I suppose, but they…

Domaine Bart Bourgogne

Rough. Pretty wonky execution of flavors, with some red berry dragging its feet behind medicinal and stemmy plum notes. An accident that found a place to happen.

Château de la Charrière Pommard Les Vignots

Black and red cherry, dark pomegranate, muddled strawberry, and some earth. PnP was super tight. After a couple of hours in the glass, it opened up nicely and deepened quite a bit more. Fairly simple…

Aubert Pinot Noir Reuling Vineyard

Incense, cedar, and black cherry. A nice Pinot that relies on some traditional earth components to carry the fruit core forward. Medium all the way around. 91-92 points.

Maxem Pinot Noir UV Vineyard

Deep black cherry dominates here. A super tasty sample, with the makings of a compelling wine certainly poised to crest on the horizon for this wine as the years go on. A broader spectrum of…

Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Rouge

Though it took a little time to unfurl its flavors, this came along quite nicely in terms of delivery and expansion, especially with its overall mouthfeel and texture. It comes across initially with…

Domaine Anne et Hervé Sigaut Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers Vieilles Vignes

Taut and driven, but relaxes its grip just enough to allow the red and black fruit to expand on the palate without clamping down too much. Red raspberry, sweet pomegranate seed, red and black cherry,…

Wren Hop Pinot Noir Cautionary Tale

As it's always been, the Cautionary Tale is a Vegas Bionic Cowgirl machine that pumps out Spice Girl sultry to the nth degree. It's loud and splayed on the toasted spice and saturated and sappy on…

Lutum Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard

This took some time to get over a bit of a flat affective response on the palate on initial PnP. Similar in flavor profile to the 2012 and 2013 served next to it, this 2014 started out with some…

Lutum Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard

The most accessible and giving in the flavor department compared to its 2012 and 2014 siblings served beside it, this 2013 impresses for its ripe red cherry, red raspberry, orange rind, pomegranate,…

Lutum Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard

Decidedly tight and a little unforgiving in the early onset of PnP. Some swirling coaxed out crunchy cranberry, red cherry, pomegranate, and butter pulverized stone notes. Finished linear and…

Ultramarine Blanc de Noirs Heintz Vineyard Sonoma Coast

The sparkler of the evening, this installment of Ultramarine impresses for its instant gratification delivery of open knit yellow citrus flavors, banana peel, wet limestone, seafoam, and salt lick…

Patiné Cellars Pinot Noir Sun Chase Vineyard

Darker in profile than the Ancillary Pinots, the Patine kicks out more black cherry and spice notes, followed quickly red cherry and earth elements. Also a bit richer than the Ancillary duo. Drink…

Ancillary Cellars Pinot Noir Sangiacomo Vineyard

Very similar to the Sun Chase, if not a little lighter on its feet overall in terms of depth of flavor and elongated finish, the Sangiacomo impresses for its freshness and purity of higher-toned red…

Ancillary Cellars Pinot Noir Sun Chase Vineyard

A healthy does of rhubarb and muddled strawberry lead the charge here, with a slight vanilla cream note on the finish. If you try hard, you'll maybe detect a citrus element, but it plays…

Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir Summa Old Vines

Similar as before. Exceptionally good in terms of exhibiting a nuanced and quasi-complex flavor profile from start to finish. Orange peel, red raspberry, and some bark elements dominate. A touch thin…

Aubert Pinot Noir UV-SL Vineyard

Plum, red raspberry, big black cherry, vanilla-strawberry, spice, and a fistful of alcohol. Following this over two days could not fully shake it of its cocktail profile. Air did help, and day two…

Maxem Pinot Noir UV Vineyard

A Coravin pour on day one was a lot of big black cherry fruit and a significant amount of alcohol swirling around in a whirlwind of flavors and varying levels of tug-of-war power and shifting weight…

Domaine Tortochot Mazis-Chambertin

A beautifully balanced Pinot, with earthy black and red cherry, black and red currant, bark, and hints of citrus. A bit of funk skirts the periphery, but only with a subtlety that elevates the core…

Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains

On initial pour, the nose was kicking out all sorts of floral and ripe black cherry notes. But alas, the front end of the attack delivered primary and somewhat linear on the palate. No surprise given…

Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Vougeot 1er Cru Les Petits Vougeots

Red and black cherry dominate here, with a primary flavor delivery and a medium-bodied weight distribution across the palate. Somewhat linear, with a thinner but focused finish. Impressively pure and…

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

Black and red cherry, bright red strawberry, orange peel, citrus blossom, and faint bark and spice notes. Some white pepper and subtle earth show up toward the back end, finishing youthfully grippy…

Domaine Robert Groffier Gevrey-Chambertin Les Seuvrées

Red and black cherry, black raspberry, roast beef, damp earth, and a slight wet hay note on the final tail end. A little barnyard funk jumping off here, but not enough to distract from the overall…

Buisson-Charles Volnay 1er Cru Santenots

Starts out intense and coiled-up, eventually giving way to highly focused but uber-primary notes of strawberry cream, red and black cherry, red raspberry, substitute teacher chalkboard, and white…

Domaine Anne et Hervé Sigaut Chambolle-Musigny Les Bussieres Vieilles Vignes

Plum, soft ripe black cherry, and earth lead the front end of the attack, with some cedar and slightly funky soil notes pushing through as it rolls across the palate. Finishes round and slightly…