Wulf Losee

9.4

2017 opened 2024. Lovely! Juniper, rosemary and blackberries on the nose. Succulent black fruit on the front, but the tannic structure doesn’t let this wine become insipid. Almost immediately I tasted the high notes of the distinctive Law estate calcaire. Its tannic structure is full and silky smooth and full. High and low notes play counterpoint on the mid palate and the finish. Low notes of dark chocolate. Mineral high notes—flint and limestone—that continue vibrating on the extremely-long finish.

I generally avoid 100% Syrah, because like pure Merlot it can tend to be one-dimensional and uninteresting without the addition of other grapes. But Intrepid breaks out of the Syrah mold. — a month ago

Wulf Losee

9.5

2019 opened September ‘24. Unusual nose — briars and turmeric. The light red fruits on the front are quickly subsumed by a complex wave of tannins. I detect dark chocolate in the base notes. Orange zest in the high notes. There’s some other stuff happening in the initial tannic rush that I can’t identify, but they’re yummy. These desperate elements are held together by an initially soft tannic structure — but a stronger mineral component starts at the back of the mid pallet and it provides a long tasty finish.

Personally, I think it was best right out of the bottle. After the first glass, I let it open up for an hour, and it got a little less interesting as some of the.subtleties disappeared — but still very tasty! That suggests to me that it might not hold up to a long cellaring, but I am a bit perverse in that I like my wines young. — 2 months ago

Wulf Losee

8.9

2020 opened June 2024. Tobacco, red grapefruit, and old books on the nose. Small amount of red fruit on the front. Astringent tannins of medium complexity. There are some soft undernotes, but I found the uniformity of zappiness across the mid palate and the back palate to make this wine to be less interesting than it could be. Long sour finish. Not a bad wine, but sort of typical for an average Pomerol. — 5 months ago

Wulf Losee

9.2

Very strange — but nice. “4th Edition” - This may be the 2018 vintage, but it was released in 2022 after it spent part of the previous year (a 135 days) in a ship’s hold from Portugal to the Grand Banks and back again. Definite scent of sea salt on the nose as well as tobacco and cumin. Very delicate taste of red fruit on the front of the palate. Medium-light tannic structure holds this wine together. An intense wave of high notes washes over the tongue on the mid palate. I detect buttery green olives, membrillo (quince paste), and a hint of sea salt. More of the same on the finish, but less so. And finish seems short except for a brief reprise of these flavors a few moments after the swallow. — a month ago

Wulf Losee

8.9

The 2019 isn’t aging as well as I expected it would. The limestone minerality that characterizes the Law wines has mostly faded. Sage and chocolate on the nose. Without the calcaire, the fruit and the thick tannins are fully expressed. It now has the consistency of a high-end cab or zin. It’s still very nice, but I miss the mineral astringency. I’m giving it an 8.9. I need to open another 2019 to see if this is a pattern or an anomaly.  — 3 months ago

Wulf Losee

8.8

Not sure why the ratings are so low for this wine. It’s clean, crisp. Grapefruit on the nose. Nothing offensive on the palate. Long mineral finish. Very nice. — 4 months ago

Wulf Losee

9.0

Old leather and licorice and old books on the nose. Cherries on the front. Medium tannic structure. Needs to open up. Harsh at first but the tannins become silkier. Long tart finish. Not a great Montalcino, but not bad either. — 5 months ago

Wulf Losee

8.9

Citrus on the nose with a sweet honey subtext. But there’s some overtones of cooked onions and eggplant on the nose. I can’t explain tbis because it’s not a musty corkage scent. The Intense frontal assault on the tongue overwhelms any of the umami notes on the nose. A distinct taste of Peaches on the front of the palate with lemon zest on the mid palate. Intense flower and citrus finish. I need to try another bottle to see if those umami notes were an anomaly. — 2 months ago

Wulf Losee

8.8

2017 opened 2024. A little too fruit forward for my taste. Mild scents of Earth and briars on the nose. Ripe black cherries on the front. Soft tannins — but otherwise not much is there. Earth notes begin mid palate. The tannic structure fades on the end leaving a mildly bitter finish. Nothing offensive about this wine — neither does it challenge me in any way. I’m not very familiar with the Aglianico grape. If this is typical of the of this varietal, it’s a better mixing grape than a primary. — 2 months ago

Wulf Losee

8.7

2019 opened July 2024. If you like full bodied California Zins You’ll probably like this Primitivo (Which I’m convinced is the same grape as Zinfandel). it reminds me of the Zins grown around Hopland in Mendocino County, but it’s a little too heavy and Rich for my taste. Parchment and oregano on the nose. Blackberry jam on the front. Very heavy tannic structure that’s almost syrupy without being sweet. Lots of mineral high notes on the finish, but they’re not strong enough to offset the syrupy tannic structure. This would stand up well to pepperoni pizza or chili con carni. — 4 months ago