Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

The new vintage! Yay! Just a stunning nose that is at once confectionary, opulent and chiseled. Just insane. It has that aromatic roundness that very very few wines get. Like an orb of Cassaneas. Lime zest, sea salt, green apple skins. Unreal clarity. What a palate. Concentrated and deep but showing a bit of shock (arrived 5 days ago) and seems a bit clipped on the mid and finish. But man the length tells me this will expand like a peacock’s tail. Unreal density and concentration but is light as a feather. So juicy and acid is very good but it’s no 22 or 21. Think 19 or 17. Nose is so saline. Man the energy and almost tannic grip on the palate is brilliant as it fleshes out. This will be tracked tonight. Wow with a few hours of air this is like a better 18 Cassaneas and that’s the best one ever. This now has an icing on cake texture and outstanding purity, depth, texture and freshness. 9.6. Wow. On Day 2 this is even more elegant and is so close to a 9.7. What a wine! — a month ago

Marshall Todd Herron DPM

9.8

2018:
Bouquet is oak and berries. Just like being there when the juice is placed in the barrel. The initial palate is outrageously good! Big oak up front. Large dark berry presentation. No butter. Very dry.Lots of cigar box and soil flavors. No spice. No chocolate. No sour. 14.5% abv. Wonderfully dry finish. Simply amazing. Nothing to confuse your palette. I LOVE this wine. My favorite of 2023 so far. 67 dollars from wine.com. And for the record, this 2018 is perfectly aged for my palate. My palette disagrees with those who say otherwise. I LOVE IT!!!!!! Drink now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! — 2 years ago

Troy Clark

9.8

No sophisticated descriptors here. But this was off-the-chart good!
Hosted our company party. Went perfect with our apps- cheese puffs, pigs in a blanket and blue point oysters. Perfect way to kick off the party. Everyone keep their glass refilled. No leftovers. We are buying more next time — 2 years ago

Aravind A

9.3

Pop and pour. I've found significant variation in perceived brett on Cameron wines from vintage to vintage and, frankly, from cuvee to cuvee. I adore these wines, and this bottle is no exception. A touch of reduction and some.bretty funk, but the brett blew off with 30 min of air. On the nose: pure sweet strawberry and raspberry, spice, soft vanilla, pepper...To be honest, this bottle showed better than the 18 Reserve and closer to the 18 Clos Electrique in spirit, at least aromatically. On the palate: fantastic density and good acid, loads of wild strawberry, soft leafy notes and soft tannin on the finish. This is downright excellent, and has forced me to revise my views on the 2018 OR vintage (speaking in broad strokes, I've far preferred 15 and 17 vintages to 18, until this bottle and the Hundred Suns Bednarik I had recently). — 4 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2022 vintage. Medium heavy body with a feminine-styled effort so plenty of smoke, cocoa powder and blueberry. Tannins not even hanging out on the corner and no visible storefront or corresponding street truck. Waay too young but still waay too delish at this point. 67% Cab, 30% Merlot, 3% (combined) CF and PV. 03.12.25. — a month ago

Will Stanley

9.6

Sniffing upon opening, this had me jumping for joy – and I’m not exaggerating. What an introduction! I immediately chose to decant the wine, although in hindsight I don’t think that’s really necessary. The ‘Cuvee Monsignori’, one of the flagship wines from Estate Argyros in Santorini, is 100% Assyrtiko from ancient (~200 year old) vines, the minimal yield of which is then fermented in stainless steel, and aged for ten months on its lees. The island was never affected by phylloxera, hence the vines’ great age. It’s a muscular, chiseled, lean wine with the precision of the very best Chablis and impeccable concentration of fruit. It carries the smoke of the island’s volcanic soils (this is no floral language: it really smells of it), beautiful flinty reduction, depth and harmony on the palate and a long, saline finish. It may count among the world’s finest whites, and all for around £30 (if you can find it). Why didn’t I buy this by the case? I’ll never know. Superb. — 8 months ago

Doug Powers

9.4

Tight bead, lovely Blanc de Blancs!! — 3 years ago

with Jim

Jay Kline

9.6

Popped and poured but not something I would recommend. The 2017 Cuvée Réservée benefited from some time in the decanter and the Cuvée Laurence would enjoy the same. However, a decanter we had not; nor was the setting appropriate. And while I wouldn’t have described this as shy upon opening, it certainly went from strength to strength with exposure to air and by the last glass, this was sensational. Beautiful dark bramble fruit, salmiakki, black pepper, red flowers, bacon fat, garrigue, old wood, and exotic spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long lasting and ever so sexy. As a reminder, no “Cuvee da Capo” was made in 2017 so there’s no wonder why this is special. Drink now through 2042. — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Opened just prior to service and poured into a decanter. This is the second time I have had the opportunity to enjoy the 1967 Riserva although, the previous bottle was a more recent library release from the Borgogno cellars. This was a period release and yet, the experience was similar.

The 1967 Riserva pours a deep garnet color with a transparent core moving towards a slightly orange rim. Medium viscosity with no staining of the tears and some slight signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous but showing much more power than the ‘67 Abbazia SS Annunziata we drank on the same evening. Again, there is a lovely mix of ripe and desiccated red and dark fruits with forest floor, porcini, dried roses, tar, some tobacco, dried herbs, dusty earth and exotic spices. On the palate, the wine is dry; medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long a savory. My previous notes suggested to drink now and while I still hold fast to that statement, twice in the span of 18mos with two separate bottlings encourages me to be a bit more bullish and suggest this has many years, perhaps decades left in the tank. — 3 months ago

David L

9.6

16’ Peter Michael Cuvee Indigene.
Do yourself a favor & decanted this in a cellar for 60- 90 minutes.
Intense nose of mineral, dried apricot, peach.
WOW… Rich pear, fig, butter, honeysuckle, hazelnut, Banana foster, 4/10 acidity.
Flipping sick!
Wish I had a case of this.
No problem holding onto this wine for another decade. — 4 years ago