A beautiful expression, with meaty jerky and salami flavors intermingling wonderfully with black-red fruit. Leather, garrigue, mushroom, muddled strawberry, black cherry, red and black currant, and…
Butterscotch, apricot, honey, and orange blossom. A compelling wine, and though on the downswing of its evolution, it carries the perfect balance of savory, ripeness, and dry elements that all make…
A solid showing from a pristine bottle, this outshined a 2003 Chave and 2015 La Turque, especially given the focus and directional energy carried by the Ex Voto. Smokey and meaty, but with…
I thought this was good, but a tad forgettable. Dark red fruit intermingles with grainy earth and cedar elements. There is a muddled black cherry note that permeates throughout the profile, adding…
Notes of apricot, lemon, white peach, honey, limestone, and olive oil touch off an oily but properly dry delivery of controlled (and fairly restrained) flavors that roll along the palate in a…
Strict and linear upon opening, with a superficial and lighter bodied entry that keeps the fruit in the higher register red spectrum. Skirts the mid palate and finishes in a blocky and angular drop…
"We got the funk.yeah. Chave got the funk." If you're billet is a barnyard and your palate is a pistol pinging for peat, then the 2005 Chave Hermitage is a call of the wild for you my friend. Earth…
Less overtly exuberant and much more of a "cooler" feel to it than the 2017, the 2016 carries an older world restraint that presents a balanced and suave profile, especially for such a young wine;…
Ripe purple and black berry notes are suffused by oak char and dark earth; saturating and front-loaded, the Emilie flaunts a modern style that might make purists cringe a little. If you're into the…
Oh it's far too early my friends, but darnit-all if this isn't a fine specimen worth having in the cellar for a rainy day a few years from now. Opaque in the glass, with only the rims allowing…
Similar to my note from last year. Indeed a bit more depth and expansion this go-around. Fresh and not too brassy, finishing beautifully dry but not so palate-sucking that it pulls away from offering…
Plum, boysenberry, black cherry, and bits of sauvage and saline hit the palate with a smooth but youthfully linear execution. The profile is complete but extremely primary. Medium grip with no…
Honeydew and cantaloupe are complimented by lemon pith, dried pear, and apricot notes. Aptly dry from beginning to end, but with a decent degree of mouthwatering attributes to sustain a profile that…
Blackberry-meets-cranberry in this beautifully pitched Hermitage that showcases both balance and succulence, all the while avoiding any heaviness. No heat nor hard edges here. Medium acid. Starts as…
