Peter van den Besselaar

8.9

Vintage 2022 | light colour, floral, mild spicyness, hint of almonds, vibrant. Long aftertaste. A bit atypical for Sauvignon Blanc. Long aftertaste. — 8 months ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.3

A little VA which blows off. Then a cherry freak show which calms down. Dark and morello cherries. Chalky. 13.5%. Quite rich and a little atypical for E&M. Needs more time to resolve fruit (3-5 years). — 2 years ago

Tom Casagrande

8.9

Atypical. A big, extracted Valpo. But it’s pretty good. Nose has dark berries, almond paste, a moist, humus-like note, and some turned soil. Mouthfilling, with a broad, textured feel, it’s got some baker’s chocolate notes to go along with the dark fruit and some surprisingly savory, almost minerally, notes. A bit of tacky tannin in the finish.

UPDATE: Night 2 this wine seems much more integrated. Still big but the mouthfeel is softer and the finish has the nice bitter almondy thing I like in good Valpos. Upping from 8.8 to 8.9 — 4 years ago

Sandy Wolf

9.3

A chillable red made with grapes too smoky to make Pinot. Bought at a PDX weekend with Lauren and Sarah — 5 years ago

Hum

8.9

Herbaceous, bright, and cherry scented Grenache. Pretty good and atypical of Montsant for me. — 5 years ago

Loren Grossman

Vintner Wilde Farm Wines

9.3

Absolutely delicious if atypical. Deep blood orange, black cherry, graphite, elegant and the definition of finesse. Lavender and resolved tannins. A wonderful wine. — 5 years ago

Austin Hohnke

9.1

Round tropic fruit and melon rind, which points to the ripe vintage. Great weight while still maintaining persistent, mouth watering acidity. Old world balance, but perhaps a somewhat atypical expression of Sancerre. Or is this what we should get used to? Listed as 14.5% alc. Don’t know if that’s accurate or is merely a way to avoid tariffs. Great wine though. — 6 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Vieux Château Palon – 2021
Montagne-Saint-Émilion AOC – Right Bank, Bordeaux, France 🇫🇷

Overview
A distinctive Right Bank Bordeaux, this cuvée flips the classic Merlot-dominant Saint-Émilion script. Instead, it is crafted from 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Cabernet Franc, making it unusually bold, structured, and aromatically lifted for the appellation.

Aromas & Flavors
Blackcurrant, blackberry, and cassis dominate, with graphite, cedar, and tobacco leaf from the Cabernets. Subtle violet and peppery notes emerge from the Franc.

Mouthfeel
Firm tannins, medium-plus body, and a long, savory finish. More muscular and linear than many Montagne-Saint-Émilions, leaning toward Left Bank style but with Right Bank elegance.

Food Pairings
Grilled ribeye, lamb chops with rosemary, cassoulet, duck confit, aged Comté or Tomme de Savoie cheeses.

Verdict
An atypical but fascinating Montagne-Saint-Émilion that highlights Cabernet structure over Merlot plushness. For those who love Pauillac or Saint-Julien, this bottle is a bridge into the Right Bank world. Cheers!

Did You Know?
Montagne-Saint-Émilion is one of the four “satellite” appellations of Saint-Émilion, known for offering excellent value Bordeaux reds. Few estates here lean so heavily on Cabernet Sauvignon, which makes Palon stand out stylistically. — 8 months ago

Michael Walsh

9.3

Fantastic atypical Bordeaux that provides the right level of intrigue — 2 years ago

John Bratincevic

8.9

Nose: White grape juice, pineapple, perhaps a dash of guava (?), orange blossom, caramel, yogurt, gentle flowers (white, fruity flowers), white tea, honeycomb, graham crackers. Smooth, much less acid than expected. Honestly just tastes like a sweet white wine. I am less impressed than I expected. Good, not superb. Tastes like honey, pear, pineapple, marshmallow (vanilla), gentle acidity, a little bitterness, short finish. Kind of disappointed, I love Sauternes. This is atypical. — 5 years ago

Matthew Cohen

9.4

This wine is just Fucking beautiful.

The style here is so elegant. I love these wines. I could really drink this once a week. So much the opposite of heavy.

Nose is perfume. Tropical fruit flowers. Not the fruit itself.

Palate is hints of tropical fruit. Mineral. Sleek in a good way. Gorgeous texture. So atypical for the rhone. If more wineries made wine like this I’d drink them as much as I do burgundy.

Bought from fass selections — 5 years ago

Byron Hewett

9.0

Last bottle. Big, rich Chardonnay. Hints of pineapple and coconut. Atypical to say the least. It is tasty, but you wouldn’t pick it as white Burgundy. Drink up. — 6 years ago

Eli Barton

9.3

I know this wasn’t supposed to be a good vintage in CA, but it happens to be one of my favorites because it was so atypical. This bottle did not disappoint. The aroma just went on and on, the balance of acidity, tannins, and fruit was beautiful. After a quick comparison of all the spices in our pantry my wife and I decided the aroma held a combination of dried thyme, coriander, black raspberries and currants. As with many good bottles, my only regret is that I didn’t buy more. — 6 years ago

with Jennifer

Jeroen Koenen

9.2

Quite funky, almost Jura-like in its presentation.
Don’t know if this is an atypical white burgundy. Or maybe it’s already showing some evolution.
Like it nonetheless. — 2 years ago

Lyn Farmer

9.3

Crisp and dry, this traditional method sparkling wine is an atypical Lambrusco but entirely seductive — 2 years ago

Conrad Green

9.5

Quite ripe for Rav. Peach, melon honey, chalk. A touch more exotic than the others. Atypical but very good. Balanced — 3 years ago

with BOT, Tony and 3 others

John W

9.2

Reddish brown coloration. Some transparency. On the nose, black cherry and some forest floor. On the palate, medium mouthfeel, initially, then a rich black cherry with vanilla takes over through a medium to longer finish of same. $79.99 at B-21. Somewhat atypical amarone. — 5 years ago

Severn G

9.1

Nose has lemon peel, green apple peel, saline solution, wet beach sand and crushed oyster shells; Restrained.

Palate has warmed lemon, dried lemon pith, steely minerals, sea salt and lemon peel.

A very nice wine, but a departure from the 2014 version, atypical for this gifted producer.

Decanted 3H. — 5 years ago

Aaron Rankin

9.0

I expected their Viognier to be atypical and bright but this is like Chernobyl in your mouth acidity. Give the 2018 at least another year or two. — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Previous notes apply. Drank a bottle on 21 September 2019. An atypical Langi. Still one of the best Shirazes in Australia but foregoing it’s white pepper notes in this warmer year hence atypical. — 7 years ago