Ray Vanderhoff

9.2

Blend of Grenache (88%), Syrah (10%) and Mourvèdre (2%). Dark ruby color. Aromas of ripe red and blue fruit, fresh herbs as well as red and purple flowers. Flavors of red cherries, blueberries, black pepper and those lovely fresh Southern Rhône herbs. Long bright and savory finish. Full bodied, well structured and fresh tasting. Medium bodied, with ripe tannins, high level of complexity and very harmonious for such a young wine. Solid now as just a baby. Will continue to improve with age. Thanks so much for sharing, Keith S! Happy 60th Birthday, Karyn! — 2 months ago

Al Doyle

9.3

Gorgeous as ever, at a dinner with the man himself at Brawn in London, all cuvées singing 🥳 — 2 years ago

Paul St Clair

8.9

Blackberries and currents to spare with a mineral finish. Went very well with a steak seasoned with Adobo. And grilled zucchini from the garden — 3 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.0

Interesting Rhône Valley Rose’ blend of Grenache (70%) and Carignan (30%). Dark pink/salmon color. Aromas and flavors of cranberry, pomegranate, watermelon and dark cherry. Slight hint of citrus. A bit of a tart (but in a pleasant way) yet fruit forward finish. Bright and crisp acidity. Rustic, expressive and hearty. Dry and refreshing. Thanks for the bottle, Kase! — 3 years ago

Willie Carter

9.3

These Pierre Gimonnet champagnes are always of the highest quality from the Côte des Blancs and with terrific prices. An original member of the Club Trésors de Champagne, the Special Club, and an easy buy, each and every time.

The color of starlight on a cloudless night. A surplus of tiny bubbles and persistent perlage throughout. A very clean and focused nose showcasing lemon peel, pears, and sea salt. Vanilla custard and pronounced smoke. Hazelnuts and freshly baked dough with a nice dose of spice. Apples of the green and red varieties.

Some love has to be shown to the labels. Classy metal front label and an ultra informative back label. Pure Chardonnay from the Grand Crus of Cramant (59%) and Chouilly (25%) with the rest coming from the Premier Cru terroir of Cuis. The acidity here is outrageous and highly focused, really beautiful. Very pure and creamy. Disgorged in December of 2019 with an Extra Brut dosage of 4 g/l.

Everything carries over to the palate. A very complex and harmonious champagne. Fresh and bold with more apples and spice. Strong minerality and yeast here. Long, enduring finish. This definitely lives up to the standards of Gimonnet and the Special Club. Don’t sleep on these 14’s, they’re alive and kicking. — 5 years ago

Jessica Guard

9.3

Tart and fizzy pet nat, drinks as easily as a cider — 6 years ago

Mike Levin

8.9

Saline and pretty. Clean and a near universal pair-er. — 7 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

One of the best Girard 23’s. First time since April and it’s just as I remember. What a wine. Lush, giving cherry nose that just exudes purity and generousness. So inviting. Palate is lush and generous with unreal fruit. Black cherry, red cherry, blackberry. So dense, so explosive and fresh. Gorgeous, diamond cut tannins. Unreal wine. Wow. — 6 months ago

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

9.1

More perfume and more fruit than the Clos du Chapitre. Yes it’s more expensive but it’s worth it. One of the best Mercurey I’ve had. I’m not usually a fan but I found balance and elegance in this one. #mercurey #premiercru — 9 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

First things first, the wines of Bel Air Marquis d’Aligre or “BAMA”, as they are affectionately known, are not for everyone. They are essentially relics of a bygone era, made by a man who has largely resisted change over the last 74 years. Yes, that’s right, Jean-Pierre has been making the wine at BAMA since 1950. While nearly everyone around him has adopted whatever technology or technique that is trending, Jean-Pierre has held fast to his tradition. Before I get into the tasting notes, it’s worth sharing that opening a bottle of BAMA is a wild trip. A spirit walk of sorts. There are periods when you think the wine is fading and then minutes later, it’s a whirling dervish. It transformed every 20 minutes so be ready for the ride of your life.

Popped and poured; consumed over two days. Remarkable throughout. In the glass, the wine is a deep garnet color moving towards a rust color rim; slightly hazy with a near opaque, translucent core. Medium viscosity with light staining of the tears and some signs of fine sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous showing notes of desiccated cherries, currants, rhubarb, prunes, pomegranate, tobacco, cedar box, a well-conditioned horse saddle, an old library, espresso, roasted Brussels sprouts and damp earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium(+?) tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is seriously 5 minutes long; it’s got the elegance of Margaux with an unctuous texture. Truly remarkable. A veritable abyss of complexity. Drink now with patience but honestly, I’m not even sure a wine like this ever dies so I wouldn’t be concerned about holding these for another couple decades. Special thanks to @Lyle Fass for the assist. — 3 years ago

Nicky Sampogna

9.5

From a special person. — 5 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

Producer makes a really nice 100% rousanne as well but this was firing from the get-go. Lovely. — 5 years ago

Scott Rowe

9.3

Old world charm, it would be an everyday occasion in a different life. I’ll settle for Vintage Saturdays at lunch with the crew. — 5 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.3

22’s are having a moment now. Ripping their shirts off like a WWF wrestler. Man the fruit on the nose is pungent. Dark cherry, black cherry, black plum skin, just amazing. And classic Girard sous bois. Mint, tree bark and more. Palate is decadent and juicy with lovely amplitude and richness but also sappy density and purity. Really elegant and just raring to go out of the bottle. Great energy and let’s see what air does. — 7 months ago

Brad Jensen

9.2

Beautifully old world, with nice acidity, minerality, and refined fruit, with a beautiful perfume and notes of sharpie, black olive, ripe red fruits, a hint of cognac and even a lil smoke. — 9 months ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

So young and primary but shows the substance of 18. Nose is so mineral and deep with dark red cherry and mid season cherry and wonderful, expressive minerality. A deep earthy scent as well. Really wonderful depth on this. Palate is juicy and explosive with endless depth and super primary red and black cherry fruit. Super concentrated, structured with a huge, mineral and acid backbone: An epic Dominode. Wait a decade. At least.

Wow on day 2 this is so good. Smoothed out and full of fruit and silky yet substantial tannins. 9.4 to 9.5 overnight. I continue to strongly believe in the 18’s. They are modern day 93’s but better and more overall success across vignerons and appellations.
— 3 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2017 vintage. In a state of transition. Tannins softening a little and a bit muddy right now. Still chock full of fruit with a splash of cinnamon. Last tasted approx two years ago and the tannins were rambunctious; let’s see where it is in another two years. — 4 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

Jean-Pierre, François and Pierre Perrin craft wines, inspired by the memory of their grandfather, Pierre Perrin. Mostly Grenache, this is a classic Châteauneuf du Pape. Vivid Ruby with dark fruit and spice aromas. On the palate flavors of blackberry and cherry with notes of herb pepper and leathery character. Soft tannins, good balance, long finish ending with fruit and spice, very nice! — 5 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.1

A producer that I enjoyed many times over the years at Bern’s drinking their 40’s thru 60’s GC’s where back in the day they say the wines were made by Roumier. Dried cherry, strawberry fruits, earth, baking spice, orange peel & rose petal. Lighter in body than previous btls but still enjoyable. — 5 years ago

Raun Kupiec

9.0

Very rounded, with a complex mix of floral fruit and minerality. To my mind much better than their “La Borne” Grand Cru Dézaley which seemed a bit hollow in comparison. — 7 years ago