Rajiv Ayyangar

9.6

Blinded as a '91 Musar, this wine has achieved Brett, oxidative, VA-drenched nirvana. Dark tamari fruit with phenomenal integration and length. — 7 years ago

with Gence and Leon

Rajiv Ayyangar

9.6

Nose is well-proportioned and complex- earthy funk, reductive match, plush leesy baguette, lemon, green and yellow apple, peach and underripe plum. Fresh almond and marzipan!!!

Fine mousse, high acid, perfect balance, elevated flavor concentration mid-palate, beautiful savory and fresh at the same time. A combination of developed and fresh aromas.

Lives up to the hype for sure. — 8 years ago

with Tim

Rajiv Ayyangar

9.3

Rajiv had this 8 years ago

with Eddy

Rajiv Ayyangar

9.6

Rajiv had this 8 years ago

with Rachel, Eddy and 2 others

Rajiv Ayyangar

8.8

1cm dry cork, soaked through the rest of the way.
Just medium plus gold color. Rather youthful hue given the age.
Faintest hint of terpenes but then hazelnutty developed oxidative savory aromas. Smells like old white wine but still hanging on. Slight candied sour apricot.
Dry, medium body, medium alcohol (12%) medium acid, slight bitterness. Seems to have seen a touch of oak? Pretty elegant at this point but not showing much complexity.
I'm frankly amazed this is still drinking nicely. — 8 years ago

Rajiv Ayyangar

9.5

As phenomenal as I remember from nearly a decade ago. Scintillating nose of stewed ripe capsicum, dried blackberries and black raspberry, savory sweet tobacco, dried trumpet mushroom, also fresh blackberry and fresh bell pepper. Medium bodied, moderate alcohol, beautiful acidity- medium plus. Medium tannins (super melted). Finish has a lot to say- fruits are more forward than the last bottle I had. This is really nice! — 8 years ago

Rajiv Ayyangar

9.7

Noble reduction with intense lemon oil and matchstick. Memories of India and sandalwood. Head-spinning hazelnut and lemon oil. Slight buttercream from oak. Super well integrated.
Medium bodied. Slightly elevated alcohol. Tensile high acidity. Long. — 8 years ago

with Marlon and Eddy

Rajiv Ayyangar

10

This is a knockout wine, a stunner, a pitch-perfect expression of love for wine in general, and Loire Cab Franc in particular. It's wild in all the right places, and impressively refined where it counts.
Medium ruby color. Arresting and straight-up delicious nose that has a certain choreography to it. Specifically it reminds me of Jiří Kylián - finding freedom within a melange of classicism and visceral impetus. Exuberance in wine is rare enough, but exuberance with such focus and intention?
The classicist bent was my first impression - a correct nose of stewed bell peppers and coffee grounds (pyrazines), earthy dog fur with slight clove (brett), and a savory blackberry-cherry fruit compote.
Tasted blind, you would guess Loire, but you might wonder at the shifting nature, at how occasionally the bretty flavors rear up in a flourish, only to be overshadowed a second later by a warm, pure fruit. There is something haunting about the fruit here - it seems to contain memories of many different wines. The wildness is complex - dried leaves, dog fur, toasted mushroom, spiced clove, moist earth. The pyrazinic aromas have uncommon depth and character - stewed bell pepper, coffee, and nascent tobacco.
On the palate, the wine dances with an elegant 12.6% alcohol frame, vibrant acidity, and satiny tannins - the medium on which the finish is printed. There is a moment, mid-palate, where the individual components come together seamlessly - a strong argument for structural-aromatic integration in the Clark Smithian sense. On the finish, the flavors subtly unravel, then persist like a vocal ensemble with synchronized vibrato.
Get this. — 8 years ago

Rajiv Ayyangar

9.4

Brilliant nose of crushed stones, iced caramel, strawberry jam and butter on toast, lemon brûlée. Still has some verve and power! — 8 years ago

with Tim, David and 2 others

Rajiv Ayyangar

9.4

Rajiv had this 8 years ago

with Eddy