Bob McDonald

9.7

At my 2015 Chardonnay Challenge the Giaconda was a consensus 3rd. Easily the most smoky, sulphidic, struck match of the 6 wines. I loved it. On the palate a powerful wine. Opulent. This wine is becoming difficult to source and sells out in a flash upon release. — 2 months ago

Mario Vaillancourt

9.0

Red berries, a touch of cinnamon and spices. Fresh, elegant, lots of energy, nice soft tannins, well balanced, the most approchable and less powerful of all the premier crus from JM Vincent, very good, drank in a flash. 89-90

Fruits, rouges, touche de canelle. Frais, fin, énergique avec des tannins présents mais tellement approchables en ce moment, bien équilibré et le moins puissant des premiers crus de ce domaine, très bon, ça se boit tout seul. 89-90
— 4 years ago

James Gourley

9.3

Great barrel aged sour beer! I really dig the way oak aging softens the usually hard bite of a sour brew. — 6 years ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Flash tasting; no formal notes. The 2018 “Clos du Roy” is a light ruby and showing deeper, darker fruit and more structure than the 2019 “Clos de Chênes” (as it should). Balanced. The finish is also longer and slightly more powerful than the Volnay. Better after 2028 — a year ago

David Kline

8.9

Light golden color reminiscent of apple juice. Warm apples, baked pineapple, grilled lemon, walnut brioche, pine nut, hazelnut, and Bosc pear and vanilla cooking aromas. There is light Spanish cedar trailing. NorCal wildflower honey meets pine nettle and orange peel on the palate. Cedar plank, green peppercorn, currant leaf, lemon zest, grapefruit oils, and flash of cinnamon oil paints a pleasantly complex narrative of autumn comforts and campfire smokes with brittle caramel bits and bee pollen place it squarely in the meadow. Packs a surprise for those who underestimate it based on pale color. No caramel color here, and no dark shadows. Bright, lively, alive. #compassboxgreatkingstreet #compassbox #compassboxwhisky #scotch #blendedscotch #edinburgh #scotchwhisky #whisky #whiskey #artistsblend #johnglaser #nonchillfiltered — 4 years ago

with Courtney

Jay Kline

9.1

So...of course, if I’m drinking Maison Ilan, there is a story behind it. AFAIK, this was the last vintage that was released and I was fortunate(?) since many never received their allocation. My first of two bottles of “Aux Charmes Haut”. This was double-capsuled (no doubt by accident) which I found amusing. The cork was perfect and one of those super premium long sort of corks. The appearance in the glass was dark garnet bordering violet and a bit cloudy. From an enjoyment perspective, Day 1 was an utter waste. Too young. The bouquet was really intriguing with loads of dark and red fruits and spice but on the palate, this was completely coiled. All structure. I pushed the cork back in and waited for another day. On Day 4, I revisited, and it was in a much better spot. Ripe plums, dark cherries, bruised strawberries, forest floor, mushrooms...in that order. Still, it came across rather rustic, in a somewhat charming sort of way...but I never really fell head over heals for it either. No shortage of structure even on Day 4 gives me the feeling that the 2013 has a lot of life ahead. My last bottle will sit in the back of the cellar for some day long in the future and then I can once again recall the tales of this flash in the pan producer and what might have been. I would hold if anyone is still hanging on to these. — 5 years ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Flash tasting; no formal notes. The 2019 “Clos de la Perrière” is a similar, pretty ruby with bolder strawberry and cherry than the 2018 displays. The structure is quite a bit bigger as well with grippy tannin and good acid. Medium finish. Better after 2029. — a year ago

Joe Estrada

9.4

Enjoyed at Cork & Cow with NY Strip, flash froed brussels and tiramisu — 2 years ago

Matt

9.1

Why not my favorite vintage so far, I feel this carries the warmth well. Rich and ripe without pushing the limits too much. The extra SY and MO components lend themselves well and this has some flash and darkness that bring a wild side to it all. Ive found some ‘17s to have significant brett but I think this balances well. Tannins are ripe but could use some more time to integrate a touch and soften their chew. Ripe black cherry compote, Chambord, roasted plums, animal, sweet spice and clovey layers of brett. 60 GR 20 SY 18 MO 2 CIN — 5 years ago

Tobin Trevarthen

9.2

Medium garnet. Strawberry, barnyard, mushrooms, red licorice. Nice balance and incredible match with chicken, flash fried Romanesco and polenta sticks. — 6 years ago