Andrew Belzer

9.5

Bread, nutty, bruised apple, wet stone — 8 months ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.0

2018 vintage. Another spectacular value from the Côtes de Bordeaux, this time from Blaye. From 79 hectares of vines on sandy gravel soils. A blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet sauvignon and 5% Malbec. Again I feel sorry for owner Jean François Reaud that he has to sell such a good wine at silly prices (4,95 euro consumer price!). Even at twice the price it would be great value. Subtle nose with ripe black (blueberries, cassis) and red fruits (raspberry) with a subtle floral touch. The taste is amazingly elegant, the fruit is fresh and crisp, with a good soft tannic backbone, some complexity, moderate alcohol (abv. 13%) and very good length. Extraordinary value. Vignobles Gabriel & co. — 4 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.8

One of the absolute best white wines I’ve had so far this year to date was this extraordinary Grand Cru Chablis from 2006. I think we caught this wine at the absolute perfect time to drink. Grenouilles is French for frog, more on that below.
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The color on this was perfect, a vibrant light gold and yellow, watery at the rim. The nose was also in perfect condition, notes of flint, crushed oyster shell, a touch of smoke, allied with fresh Asian pear and crisp Fuji apple. The wind absolutely jumped out of the glass, the nose was so pronounced. The palage took it another level up with a perfect expression of what the nose was giving, all the while wrapped up in a perfect medium bodied majorly dense and complex wine. Medium plus acidity and very long on the finish.
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Formed in 1923, la Chablisienne is a co-op winery based of course in Chablis. As I have gone deeper into the rabbit hole of wine I tend to find these amazing co-ops which I wish I could have known about earlier as the wines are so impeccably good and priced so reasonably well. They produce something like 30 different wines off from the Chardonnay grape and all from vineyards within the AOC borders of Chablis.
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The Grenouilles climat is the smallest of the 7 Chablis Grand Cru climat at 9.38 hectares. It has soils that consist of upper and middle layers of Kimmeridgian, alternating with limestone and marl that are studded with fossilised seashells.
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The first vines to grow at the bottom of this hill were close to the River Serein and frogs no doubt came to keep the winegrowers company. — 6 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.2

2019 vintage. After the excellent Cabernet Sauvignon dominated 2018, this 2019 is predominantly Merlot (59%), with 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Less colour compared to fellow Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel Château Lestage (Listrac) tasted alongside, indicating more gentle extractions. Delightfully floral nose with bright red fruit and very discrete oak. Medium-bodied, fresh and energetic, with a serious tannic backbone, but smooth and elegant with very good mineral length. The Lorenzetti family is doing a great job here, and they just bought neighbouring Grand Cru Classé Lafon-Rochet, an exciting extension of their portfolio that already includes Pédesclaux (Pauillac) and co-owned Issan (Margaux). Terrific value too. — 3 years ago

Jeremy Shanker

Sommelier at RN74

9.1

Grand cru of Contra Costa — 5 years ago

Darren Dittrich

8.9

Affordable and quaffable Pinot + Gamay blend. I expected to see "passe-tout-grains" on the label to indicate the cuvée, but there's no mention of the blend that I could find. Pinot Noir and Gamay are co-fermented, and the typical Jolly Rancher carbonic maceration notes are prominent, but with a lighter weight and some savory and sour-cherry overtones from the Pinot. Great every-day food-friendly wine with low ABV. If you don’t like Beaujolais for some reason, you can skip this one. Total Wine/Alfio Moriconi. — 6 years ago

Matt Perlman

9.3

Having my dessert first. Co-fermented field blend of Alsatian varietals. Viscous texture, plenty of sweet flavors of course but not to the point of being cloying. Honey cake, dried apricot, orange, acacia, a little petrol and botrytis, acid is not front and center but playing a strong supporting role to hold things together — 6 years ago

Stefan Dolhain

8.9

2012 vintage. Alexandre de Malet Roquefort (owner of Premier Grand Cru Classé La Gaffelière, Chapelle d'Aliénor Bordeaux Supérieur and co-owner of the tiny Pomerol estate La Connivence) bought this estate in 1999. In my experience his wines are very reliable and classic, elegant and never overextracted. This medium-bodied Saint-Emilion (90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon) is a solid effort for the vintage (that generally fared much better for Merlot than Cabernet Sauvignon). Strawberry fruit and very subtle oak, freshness and balance. Drinking well now, but I feel there is more room for improvement. A nice wine nearing maturity. The only "problem" is that for the price (21,9 euro) you can buy the delicious 2015 second wine of La Gaffelière. — 4 years ago

Saman Hosseini

Writer Maison Abattoir

9.4

Mushroom duxelles, hazelnuts, caramelized apple, lively bead, long crisp finish.

8 years on the lees.
D: 08.2015
2g
Becky Wasserman & Co. — 5 years ago

Neal Dessouky

9.6

OK. I have a six pack of this which has the disgorgement date of my only child’s birthdate. So, so cool right? I’d planned to keep these for a while, but after tasting someone else’s bottle a few months ago which was brought through the US importer, Rare Wine Co, which showed very, surprisingly advanced, I thought to begin my kid’s birthDAY 6-pack early, so we didn’t miss the magic of this wine just in case. Wow, best Initial I’ve ever had and not at all advanced. Fresh, very long and textbook initial in every way. Glad to have checked in since this will@last many years and ill slow down on popping their corks. Will be a great wine for my son for many, 5 to be exact, birthdays to come. — 6 years ago