Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.8

WE ARE SO BACK! Best Beliando since 15 and is it better? Maybe! Haunting nose of blackberry and blueberry but so crystallized. Unreal fruit character and depth. Crazy granite. Such a deep nose but 10.0 on the clarity. Gorgeous herbs like lavender, rosemary and thyme and just unreal soft clay is only way I can describe it. Unreal decaying leaves and so much granite. 9.9 nose. Just insane. Palate is massive and initially it’s brutally closed but man what a wine. Powerhouse of a palate with raspberry/blueberry/blackberry crystallized fruit. Big tannins and so primary now but wow this is so so good. Unreal concentration, depth and complexity but showing 5% of itself. 9.6 now but as this wine and frigid night in NYC develop@it will get higher. Getting sappier with air and the fruit is so 19. Decadent yet crystallized. Now some sweet green olive on the nose. Ethereal violets, the level of crystallized, clear fruit on the nose is the most precise ever on any beliando. Nose is 9.9999 now. Huge power, depth and concentration and just outrageously rich, decadent yet energetic black raspberry, with almost a pastille element and just outrageous concentration. The finish just echoes and echoes with that ethereal finesse. This is a benchmark Beliando. 9.6 to 9.8 now. — 3 months ago

Kate

9.5

Thick and dark fruit. Floral nose. I love the smell more than texture. Tart fruit. Has something else like a wood or earth that toned down the fruit. I enjoy. Tastes much better after it opens up for a while. Went from chewy to softer after a few hours. — 2 years ago

Brent Young

9.3

6000+ years

DAY 1
Served this with the Vinlog System
Removed the soft cork with a Durand
👃Oh my! Cabernet notes, charcoal, earth, + a volatile element
👅Lovely red/purple fruit with plum sauce. Silky. Elegant

Remaining wine Slow Decanted in my refrigerator

DAY 14
👃Smoky strawberry jam, earth, dark fruit, & volatile notes. Are the volatile notes a Musar signature? They work for me👍
👅Cherry, plum and sweet BBQ notes. Soft, silky & elegant. Transparent tannins

Musar wines are known to be unique &
enigmatic. This was both and it was also really enjoyable👍🍷

Follow full note on Instagram “Vinloq.notes” — 3 years ago

Matthew Cohen

9.6

This is just such a distinctive and delicious wine. Yellow flowers.

Nose: so mineral and nicely tropical. So silvaner. Amazing typicity

Palate is stone fruits, minerals. So juicy. Great acidity.

Amazing with food. Just makes a good evening great. An hour in you get the wall of flavor. Dense yellow fruits mineral acidity all hit you like a lunch in the face all at once. Magnificent. Rich. Amazing body. Minerals crushed by hand in your mouth.

Finish has this almost savory element. Terrific

We can argue about styles but this is one of the best silvaners on earth.

Fass selections — 7 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Cascina Ornato is located in the southern portion of Serralunga d’Alba, right along the ridge. The elevation is higher here and the Ornato MGA falls to the west and south from there. Ornato is nearly a monopole for Pio Cesare would it not be for a couple of parcels that are controlled by Palladino. This bottle of the 1982 was generously provided from the cellar of a good friend; it was opened and enjoyed over two days. On Day 1, half the bottle was poured into a decanter and served immediately. The color was a slightly hazy garnet with an orange rim. On the nose and the palate, the wine came across rather tired. It wasn’t dead…and it definitely wasn’t vinegar, it just was...a bit dull. Since there were other wines open that were showing very well, we let it sit. At the end of the night, we poured what was left back into the bottle and I elected to take it home; hoping that it might wake up overnight. On Day 2, the wine had transformed. The color had deepened and everything had brightened up! The nose is loaded with tar, desiccated red fruits, sweet pipe tobacco accompanied by porchini, forest floor and dried, cracked leather ball glove…like after pitching 6 innings of baseball in the middle of July (IYKYK). On the palate, the wine is dry with surprisingly vigorous structure! The tannins are more pronounced than they were the day before and there’s also great acid to give everything a buoyant lift and some youthful energy. The fruit and non-fruit notes from the nose are confirmed with an added element of red rope licorice. Somehow, this is younger today than it was yesterday. At forty years old, this bottle clearly needed time to stretch its legs. Drink now with several hours of air but remarkably well-cellared examples could last for many more years. An illuminating experience in so many ways!

Something worth noting: Pio Cesare did not begin bottling single-cru Barolo “Oranato” until 1985. Curiously, this bottle was labeled “Vino da Tavola del Piemonte”. I reached out to Pio Cesare in hopes of getting some additional information and they were very kind to share some helpful detail. It turns out this bottling was an idea from their former importer, Terlato, with grapes for this wine sourced by Cascina Ornato. It was a traditional blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera! A long time ago they had a small amount of Barbera planted there. Now, Ornato is more or less 100% Nebbiolo. The “Vino da Tavola del Piemonte” was a sort of predecessor to the “Langhe Rosso” designation since there were not many appellations back in those days. The more you know!
— 2 years ago

Jason Gelman

9.2

first time trying. gave it a couple hours in the decanter. still young and probably will improve with more bottle age. on the bulky side for beaujolais - heavier mouthfeel and less acidic than i was expecting. really rich flavors, very earthy and nice peppery and herbal element. very delicate red fruit profile. good stuff. — 3 years ago

Willie Carter

9.3

Bright straw in the glass. Impressive, persistent perlage. Killer label, as usual. Notes of warm honey and ginger. Wet stones and ocean spray mingle with fresh herbs and nuts. A touch of pear, a slice of pineapple, and a bit of passionfruit.

Every single time I open a Bouvet champagne, that’s all I want for days after. Refinement, clarity, and purity. Always plenty of tension and drama. Oxidative and wonderfully dry, this is showing so well despite the youth. Very similar to previous vintages, which is a very good thing. The acidity is racy but not bracing.

Half Chardonnay, half Pinot Noir from 40 year old vines and disgorged in 2021. Very generous and engaging throughout. A bit of earth on the palate to accompany the gorgeous citrus. Lemon peel, apricot, and orange slices. There’s a nice light coffee element here along with fresh brioche. As ever, a great champagne and one of my favorites of the short year. — 2 years ago

Carter White

9.4

See earlier review. — 2 years ago

Nicolas Greinacher

9.6

Rousseau's stunning 2002 Chambertin bursts from the glass with intense aromas of wild blackberries, red and black cherries, dried violets and rose pedals, earth, licorice and noticeable wood spice. There's a herbal element to it, lending the wine a wonderful freshness. On the palate, this concentrated, medium to full-bodied, deep and powerful wine still retains its distinctive Burgundian elegance, leading to spot-on balance and a long, immaculate finish. Drink now or until 2042. — 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.6

We pulled this from our cellar and brought it to V. Mertz for dinner. We enjoyed a couple of other wines as aperitifs and then ultimately did what anyone given the opportunity should do: pair it with lamb chops. We poured it into a decanter while we enjoyed the conversation and opening courses. Given the setting, there were no formal notes however, I can confidently report that the 2015 “Tintot” absolutely slaps. From the first sip to the last, it was all balance, power and class. It was also a spectacular showcase for Mourvèdre. It was hard to fully judge color because the lighting was so low but it appeared to be nearly opaque. A touch feral with a slightly gamey element to it but there’s a great big ol’ basket of black and blue fruits with red and purple flowers, garrigue, some black pepper and cedar chest. Structure is still quite firm but totally enjoyable. While this is an unusual assemblage for the region, it still comes across as a wine from Chateauneuf-du-Pape. This was my first “Tintot” and it has left quite the impression. Drink now with an hour decant or over the next 7-10 years. P.S. it probably goes without saying, but the pairing with lamb chops was sublime. — 3 years ago