Daniel M

9.2

We are celebrating my daughter's entering teenage years (tomorrow) and this Château Pape Clément 2012 is a year older than she is. I bought 2 bottles of it at a foire aux vins in 2014 back in Paris, have kept it since then, it went through a bunch of moves, including one from Paris to Warsaw and it came back in the trunk of our car this summer for the occasion. The carbon imprint of this (very heavy, on top of it) bottle is not great...
It was served along 2 massive beef tomahawk steaks cooked to medium-rare perfection by my dad.
Cassis, tar, tobacco, cedar, oak, a touch of red bell pepper which turned into menthol and black pepper as the wine warmed up in the glass (I had it chilled to 16°c and opened to shoulders).
The palate is full bodied, broad, layered, with cassis, black cherry, tar and oaky notes all along. It rolls on the tongue. The mouthfeel is soft and delicate but mutes into a grainy, gravely tannic wall that disrupts the finish and creates an additional layer of complexity. The finish is long, complex, evolving a tiny bitter note in the very end. The vintage is what it is and it can be felt in the way the wine is broad without being the broadest and in the mouthfeel which is a bit soft and lacking a tad of thickness. It's nevertheless a great wine which went super well with the steak. Happy Birthday Amelia! — 5 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Killer. Granite, red fruits, smoke, leather, so so aromatic. Just filthy. Palate is teeming with energy. It is insane that this regular cuvée from Gripa is so overlooked. A shanda. — 3 months ago

Matt Perlman

9.4

Lot of funk initially but on day two this really turned into a stunning wine. Give it some air and be open minded if there’s Brett at first because this is special stuff — 4 months ago

Martijn

9.1

Pure Cab S from Lodi.
Nice spicy wine with delicious sweetness. — 6 months ago

Henry Fuseler

9.0

2/2026. Good fruit and finish. Medium boldness. Very good for the price point. — 6 months ago

David Waddell

9.2

Clean, full bodied Montrachet with almondy body, hint of lemon and in excellent condition. — 3 years ago

romo

9.3

It’s alive! Carbonic concrete confluence. She’s my cherry pie. - at Franklin PT — 7 days ago

Ron Kyle

9.0

Another great vintage.
— a month ago

with Amy

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.3

At dinner at Le Cabotte. Entering a gorgeous drinking window. The nose is classic Chinon, loaded with red currant, crushed herbs, mineral dust, and hints of cassis. Beautiful Cabernet Franc herbaceousness, not green or vegetal, but alive. Red currants, crushed herbs, a little tobacco leaf, iron, stone, and that unmistakable Loire freshness. The fruit has enough generosity from the vintage to give a subtle fleshiness underneath the structure. The palate is all tension and energy. Incredible freshness, mouthwatering acidity, and a long mineral spine carry the wine across the palate. Unlike Baudry’s larger, more powerful bottlings, this is about movement. The fruit feels suspended in the acidity, and every sip seems to pull the next sip forward. After forty minutes of air, the wine became even more expressive. The red currant and herbaceous notes moved to the forefront, joined by gorgeous minerality and tremendous freshness. It is not thick or heavy like Cabernet Sauvignon, nor does it possess the density of Baudry’s biggest cuvées. Instead, it is all acid, tension, energy, and precision. Juicy, vibrant, and effortlessly drinkable, with the kind of electric persistence that makes great Cabernet Franc impossible to put down. — 2 months ago

Dave

9.2

Dynamite. Cork broke, but not to worry. The wine is so good. Deep, expressive fruit and bitter leaves. Earthy. Improving considerably as it breathes. And the bottle weighs 37 pounds.
Listening to Amy Winehouse — 4 months ago

Anthony Kluska

9.2

This is what new world should be. Pepper fruit oak. — 6 months ago

JKT

9.1

Very nice balanced well aged complex blend. — 8 months ago

christina a love

9.5

Barnyard yeast excellent 1+1=4 w strong cheese — 11 days ago

Mary Ellen Bonisteel

9.3

Great wine rated 93 points for the price — 19 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.7

Stunning. A total textural bomb, still very young but surprisingly accessible and open, which is the nature of 2020. Complex dark berry fruit, the sweetest, most velvety tannins, and that granitic edge only elite Hermitage gets. Powerful, deep and gorgeous. — 2 months ago

KP

9.4

I would absolutely buy this one again! Especially at the $20-$25 price point.
Delicious blueberry and rhubarb pie on the nose. Silky tannins with low acidity, and a long vanilla finish with mild oak. Well balanced and very enjoyable. — 4 months ago

Billy L.

9.5

Stunning Wine! Kudos to Loic Dugat & Family! Fabulous Cheers 🍇🍷👍🏻👏🏻 — 4 months ago

Patrick Litle

9.2

Great flavor, spice, smooth — 6 months ago

Mark Osmers

8.9

The 2020 vintage of Michael David Freak Show is a blend for everyday drinking. A blend of Syrah (appx 54%), Petite Sirah (appx 42%) and Souzao (appx 4%), it is a balanced, fruit-forward red wine with notes of dark berries and plum. Although it does not provide the complexity and tannic structure of a Napa or Sonoma Cabernet, neither does it come with the same price tag.

I recommend this wine, but just find the circus-themed bottle label a little freaky. — 7 months ago

romo

9.2

Put these down and watch the angry tannin melt away. Lighter-bodied right banker. — 9 months ago