Linear and thin upon opening, with a primary and somewhat watery delivery of red currant, cherry, vanilla, and light spice. A few hours in the decanter helped to ease some of the tension otherwise…
Pushing two years since my last bottle of the 2016 Falstaff, and with the 2018 vintage Realm allocation deadline quickly approaching, I was of course compelled to venture into my stash and see what's…
I've been sitting on these bottles for over two years now and decided to check what's under the hood in hopes that this 2015 would nudge me enough to coerce-out my plastic cash to invest in the…
I've followed and reviewed this wine quite a bit over the course of the last few years and it has certainly delivered a consistently lushly dark and hedonistically round profile. For those who know…
Similar to my tasting note almost a year ago. This had a very nice delivery of flavor that slowly evolved over a few hours with decanted air. Kept this at cellar temperature most of the time. Black…
A lavish and decadent wave of black licorice, dark berry, and earthy plum flavors undulate across the palate as they slide into a synchronized assembly through its opening delivery. A beautiful…
Similar to my tasting note from last year. Progressing very nicely. Decanted two-three hours to really get its glide on. Beautifully weighted, with a flavor expansion that offers a surprisingly…
Exact same performance as back in October 2019. It was displaying fabulous dark black cherry, currant, and dry spice notes on the first pull of the cork. Briefly dipped into a nice medium-deep…
Because I've reviewed this wine a ton of times, I'll simply add that there were slight pyrazine and green peppercorn flavors that came from this bottle. Overall, a flavorful creature indeed, but in a…
Displaying a similar flavor profile to the bottle I had six months ago, but this bottle was more muted and shut down in terms of expressiveness and exuberance. It was a "nice" wine, but it took more…
Similar to previous notes. 2-3 hours in the decanter helped, but could've used longer to deepen the mid-palate drop even further. Very attractive dark berry fruit, black licorice, and earthy spice…
Dark black cherry, black raspberry, licorice, plum, embers, and some bitter chocolate and soft wet cedar. Medium bodied, with a balanced push of young but budding luscious fruit. Holding back its…
A fairly typical young St Julien, with higher register red and black fruit, sour crunchy cherry, red currant, dried cranberry, and cedar. Acidity takes the stage currently, with an inability to truly…
Black raspberry, red and black cherry, spice, earth, cassis, and some toasty vanilla. A super punchy delivery right now, with some high register sour red fruit darting around the core and making for…
A wine that wants to be awesome, but isn't quite there yet. The front end hits the palate with intense blackberry, black raspberry, bitter chocolate, and earthy black soil, but then the attack…
Rich, lush, and plump blackberry, ripe blueberry, black cherry, chocolate, and some earthy spice. A heightened plushness makes for a round delivery that is certainly flavorful (and luckily still…
Primary red fruit dominates here for now. Some red and black cherry, cranberry, unripe plum, limestone, dried flowers, and spice. Linear overall, but notable purity and mouthwatering acid keeps you…
A stunning wine. Even more depth and body than the 2015, with a darker profile and fuller mouthfeel overall. Earthy blackberry, black cherry, black and red raspberry, black currant, deep black soil,…
Plum, ripe black cherry, earthy-chocolate, and some cedar. A pleasant sipper with medium-weight flavors and a quasi-sluggish delivery; a relatively simple expression overall. Not much tension here.
Similar to my note from November 2019. Succulent and rich without being heavy. Dark fruit core and a bitter chocolate profile that makes for some chewy, sexy time on the palate. The QPR here is…
Black and red currant, black and red raspberry, black cherry, pipe tobacco, mulch, Christmas spice, and some earthy cedar. Exquisitely balanced and perfectly weighted. Full without being heavy, with…
Over-delivers for its class. Black plum, blackberry, earth, cedar, bitter chocolate, and rocky dry soil. A bit of creosote and burnt embers show up with air and add complexity. The cut is a welcomed…
Primary plum and black cherry flavors. Clean and pure, but somewhat flat on delivery. Especially drying on the finish. Not much depth or complexity to speak of currently. Similar to the 2015 Pagodes…
