Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.7

An extraordinary bottle that still feels almost absurdly young. The nose is elite and intensely site-driven, with peach, apricot, citrus, wild mint, petrol, huge spice and soaring minerality, all with an airy quality that somehow makes the concentration feel weightless. The palate is outrageously dense, chewy and pure, with massive citrus intensity, tremendous inner-mouth aromatics and absolutely ferocious acidity. The finish is endless and intensely saline, almost like sea salt, with enormous mineral persistence. More open than my last bottle, but still slightly backward and clearly built for decades. Outrageous concentration, density and length. This could easily move higher with air.

This has become extraordinary with air. The nose is now more complex, confectionery and elegant, with peach, apricot, citrus, wild mint, petrol, spice, mineral and that distinctive swimming-pool-chlorine note. The palate is outrageously dense, chewy and pure, but increasingly refined, with tremendous inner-mouth aromatics, ferocious acidity and an endless saline finish. The concentration is enormous, yet the wine somehow feels more graceful as it opens. Still remarkably young, with decades ahead of it. Outrageous wine. — 7 hours ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.3

Gorgeous, classic Burgundy nose of red cherry, sour cherry, spice, sous-bois, wet earth, fresh moss and desiccated leaves. The palate is opulent yet remarkably light on its feet, with terrific concentration and density, that beautiful 2023 progression from sour to mid-season cherry, and barely sweet, velvety tannins. Pure, clean, juicy and wonderfully balanced, with real depth despite the featherweight feel. Just a terrific, immensely drinkable Pinot. — 8 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Gorgeous, deeply classical Hermitage that keeps gaining structure with air. The nose opens into clay, loam, herbs, lavender, black and green olive, blackberry and dark berry fruit, while the palate is lush and juicy in that unmistakable 2017 way but still remarkably refined, linear and aristocratic. The tannins become increasingly substantial and chewy without ever disturbing the balance, and the fruit stays vivid, pure and beautifully delineated. Tremendous sap, freshness and granite underneath everything, with an electric, incredibly long finish. Clearly still opening and could easily go higher with more air. — 12 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.1

Very aromatic and immediately expressive, with peach, apricot, green melon and cantaloupe giving the nose an almost fruit-cocktail character, while a mineral current starts to emerge underneath with air. The palate is juicy, sleek, pure and balanced, with plenty of ripe melon fruit, a lightly opulent 2025 texture and a persistent sizzling minerality through the finish. There is a faint medicinal note at first, but the wine grows more mineral after a few minutes. Light, refreshing and very drinkable, almost what I wish Pinot Grigio would be. — 7 hours ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

More of an impression than a formal tasting tonight, as this was with very spicy Indian food and not exactly ideal glassware, but the wine showed beautifully. Creamy, opulent and rich, with the luxuriousness of 2023 very much on display, yet still held together by excellent acidity and freshness. The acid felt a little softer than on my previous bottles, but the balance remained terrific. An absolutely killer foil for green chilies, lamb and heat, with enough sweetness, texture and energy to reset the palate over and over. I’ll revisit the last bit tomorrow for a more focused read. — 5 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.7

Absolutely stunning out of the gates, with a deep, creamy nose of mid-season cherry, dark cherry, black cherry, raspberry spice cake, leather and a faint birthday-cake sweetness, all framed by beautifully integrated wood and a very clear limestone signature. The palate is a nuclear detonation of tiny-berry fruit, with extraordinary clarity, juiciness, freshness and energy, plus velvety, beautifully articulated tannins and outrageous inner-mouth aromas. There is an almost holographic intensity to the wine, as if every liquid molecule explodes with fruit and mineral detail. The sweetness and freshness are in remarkable balance, the finish is long and limestone-driven, and this has enormous upside potential toward 9.7 or even 9.8 as it continues to open.

After about 75 minutes this moved higher. The finish is epic, nearly two minutes long, with beautifully hierarchical layers of dark cherry fruit, limestone and serious, perfectly articulated tannin. Tremendous clarity, intensity and structure, with the fruit still absolutely detonating through the finish. Remarkable wine with easily another decade ahead of it. 9.6 to 9.7. — 9 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Fascinating evolution. The wine opened beautifully and for a while was clearly in 9.5 territory, even flirting with 9.6, with classic Meursault aromatics of brown sugar, lime zest, hazelnut, sweet oak, salinity and terrific mineral depth. The palate initially showed real richness, sap, purity, density and elegance, but then the wine gradually shut down and never really reopened. By the end it was obvious this is simply far too young. Excellent material, but I would not touch another bottle for seven to eight years. The 2024 is in another league right now. — 12 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Much more open on day two, with a lifted, beautiful nose of mineral, red fruit, confectionery notes, cotton candy, mid-season cherry and spice. The palate has gained elegance and expression, with remarkable tiny-berry fruit intensity, terrific purity and excellent balance. This is clearly a nervy, high-acid expression of the wine, and there are still some harder edges that need time to sand down, but the material is outstanding. Bright, energetic and beautifully delineated, with the fruit more visible today and the structure still firmly in command. 9.4 now, with clear potential for 9.5–9.6 as it develops. Was a tough customer yesterday. — 10 hours ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Stunning and utterly singular. The nose is intensely mineral and almost impossible to categorize, with desiccated leaves, yellow fruit, green banana, plantain, wheat field, stones and crushed rock. The palate is opulent but incisive, with tremendous concentration, density and chew, almost carrying the structural energy of a red wine while remaining remarkably alive and fresh. The fruit is difficult to identify in any conventional way, which is part of the fascination, and the inner-mouth aromatics are thrilling. The finish is long, mineral and deeply resonant, with this uncanny honeycomb character, not honey itself, but almost the greatest ice-cream cone imaginable without the ice cream. Juicy, powerful, complex and beautiful in a way that feels unique in the world of wine. There is simply nothing else quite like Château Simone. — 6 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Initially restrained on the nose, with faint tar, roses, chestnut, macerated mid-season cherry and a touch of classic Nebbiolo funk. The palate is already beautiful, silky, sweet and elegant, with tremendous purity, juiciness and vivid cherry fruit. Late-breaking Nebbiolo tannins build steadily across the palate, while the finish explodes with intense mid-season cherry and remarkable persistence. Aromatically still closed, but the finesse, balance and sheer length are already superb. — 12 days ago