Robert Swart

9.0

At Poulet Bleu - Premier Cru Classé second wine, government-owned teaching estate.

• Nose: Honeyed apricot, peach, beeswax, orange marmalade, saffron
• Palate: Lush botrytis fruit, balancing acidity (2022 ripeness held well), ginger lift
• Texture: Medium-rich, viscous but not heavy, clean finish
• Style: Opulent 2022 vintage — generous, expressive, ready to drink now
• Tasting note: "Honey + citrus peel + a savory ginger finish. Cut through any buttery dessert; would also wreck a blue cheese."
— 2 days ago

Robert Swart

9.0

45 years on, and still singing. Our friends’ wedding anniversary year. Classic tertiary Saint-Julien: cedar, forest floor, dried cherry, tobacco, pencil shavings — fruit fully resolved into savory complexity. Silky, perfumed, no rough edges. Need time to breathe for nose to be appealing. — 18 days ago

Robert Swart

9.2

Single-vineyard Ambonnay Pinot Noir, AB-stamped cork provenance. White cherry, citrus pith, brioche, and that signature chalky minerality from old vines on deep chalk. Extra-brut dosage, no malolactic — piercing acidity and cut, more serious than a typical aperitif. Showed exactly as a top grower Champagne should. — 18 days ago

Robert Swart

8.9

At Poulet Bleu - Biodynamic Pic Saint-Loup (labeled Vin de Pays d'Oc), no oak, concrete tank.

• Nose: Bright cherry, raspberry, garrigue (thyme, rosemary), limestone minerality
• Palate: Crunchy red fruit, no oak weight, fresh acidity, very drinkable
• Texture: Light-to-medium body, fine tannin, clean
• Style: Pure, immediate, food-friendly — Kermit Lynch classic
• Tasting note: "Like a limestone-driven Loire Cab, not a Languedoc oak bomb. Cuts through frites, doesn't compete with the steak." — 2 days ago

Robert Swart

9.2

51-year-old Mosel BA from the red-slate "Spice Garden" — and it held. Honeyed botrytis, dried apricot, beeswax, a flicker of petrol, and still that racy Mosel acidity cutting through the sweetness. The geology (volcanic red slate and ironstone) gives an exotic spiciness that younger BAs from flatter sites can't match. — 18 days ago

Robert Swart

9.0

Had at Balvenara’s. — 23 days ago

Robert Swart

8.9

Had at Bar Marco. Cataldo Calabretta, Calabria. Organic Greco Bianco from old bush vines on Ionian-coast limestone. Briny citrus, white almond, pith, herbal lift, tight mineral finish. Restrained, savory, salty — not tropical. Built for clams, raw shellfish, and oily fish. Honest, old-school Calabria. — 11 days ago

Robert Swart

9.0

Had at Siempre Algo. White cherry, red currant, and pink grapefruit pith on a precise, fine-bubbled mousse; long lees aging brings toasted brioche and almond cream without weight. The Verzy chalk runs the finish — clean, almost saline, persistent mineral line. Biodynamic, low-dosage, grower Champagne in textbook form. — 18 days ago

Robert Swart

8.9

Traditional Sangiovese from a warm vintage — ripe but structured. Sour cherry, dried herbs, leather, balsamic, fine-grained tannin, bright acidity holding it all together. Entering its window now; the fruit has integrated and the tertiary notes are emerging. Built to drink through 2030+ but already showing well. — 18 days ago

Robert Swart

9.4

Dried fig, prune, black cherry, orange peel, cedar, clove, violet, dark chocolate, walnut. Smoky note — cured tobacco, not char. Silky tannin, integrated spirit, long warm finish. — a month ago