Reviews

Château Pavie Decesse

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…

Aubert Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard

Meyer lemon juice and zest, lemon verbena, lemon tart, honeydew, lime, and some yuzu. Misses the mark on any mineral elements. A decent acid zip on the initial pull of the cork, with a speed that…

Andremily Mourvèdre

Blackberry cobbler, spicy black cherry, garrigue, and wild licorice dominate this fascinating Mourvèdre specimen. Rich and full bodied, but also (after extended air time) developed an enhanced silky…

Bevan Cellars EE Cuvée

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…

Tenuta Sette Ponti Oreno Toscana IGT

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…

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 Michel Mallard & Fils Corton-Charlemagne

Smooth and pure yellow citrus flavors. Seamless from start to finish. Perfectly weighted. The glide and equilibrium of this C-C's flavor expansion is most notable, with a silky draw of seductive…

Jerome Blin Champagne Les Caillasses Brut Millésime

Lemony citrus, brûlée, and brioche notes interplay with some more serious wet rock and kirsch flavors, with the brighter and richer yellow fruits predominantly prevailing on the palate (nice…

Domaine Thomas Morey Chassagne-Montrachet Clos St. Jean

Yellow citrus, lychee, citrus zest, meringue, orange rind, lemon and lime zest, white rock, and hits of creme fraiche notes. Complex and vivacious, with a balanced delivery of verve and flavor.…

Domaine Vincent and Sophie Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets

A beautiful execution, with an instant "damn, I wish I had bought more of this when K&L had their deal going for $50" kind of regret and satisfaction hitting me at the same time.

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.…

Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon

Much more of a linear performance from when I had it three years ago. A solid wine, but even a few hours of coaxing in the decanter did very little to truly deepen and expand its flavors. It was a…

Olivier Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc Oncle Vincent

A tad better than when I last had a bottle. Less oxidative, but still finishes with a drying, brassy note that squashed some of the freshness. It's fine and all but not especially inviting. 86-88…

Olivier Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc Les Sétilles

Yellow citrus and some light vanillin yellow and white peach notes make up the core here. Less punchy than the 2017 version, with the warmer 2018 vintage translating in more round edges and medium…

Domaine des Malandes Chablis 1er Cru Vau de Vey

Initially reserved and linear on opening, but with some significant swirling and aeration the Malandes Vau de Vey wakes up and delivers attractive lemon citrus and cream flavors that continue to…

Antinori Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Badia a Passignano

Translucent red and black berry, dried cranberry, cedar, forest floor, mushroom, tobacco leaf, and slight citrus rind. Medium-bodied, decent complexity (eventually), with a light and racy delivery…

Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre

2018 Jean-Paul & Benoit Drion Vaudesir GC, Fourchaume 1er, and Montee de Tonnerre 1er side-by-side.

Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume

2018 Jean-Paul & Benoit Drion Vaudesir GC, Fourchaume 1er, and Montee de Tonnerre 1er side-by-side.

Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir

2018 Jean-Paul & Benoit Drion Vaudesir GC, Fourchaume 1er, and Montee de Tonnerre 1er side-by-side.

Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Frionnes Blanc

Lemon seed, green apple, and chalk make up the core of this taut and linear representation of St.-Aubin. Though there is decent energy and zip here, it currently misses the mark on that extra layer…

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 François Mikulski Chardonnay Bourgogne

Hey bro, for $20, who could complain. Lemon and some white stone notes. Round without being too plush or soft. Just enough acid to keep it all in focus. Bottle was gone before we knew it. It's…

Domaine Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Maltroie

Previous notes apply, except that this bottle seemed to have even more of an uptick in verve and energy compared to the one I had four months ago. Elevated freshness and a lemon zest punch made for a…

Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Estate Vineyard

Plush, flavorful, and savory, but sluggish and saccharine-laced, with the glycol making for resinous and sticky effects from front to back. Even more "slow" than when I had a bottle six months ago.…

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,…