Very modern style Tempranillo. Huge and bombastic with an intense nose mixing violets, cherry, and vanilla. Jammy and creamy, the 2012 has definitely hit the peak of its aging. Tons of red fruit flavors that eventually meld into leather and earth. Slight amount of sulfur-y smoke finishes it off for a long lingering end. — 2 years ago
The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Mon Chevalier has aged impeccably. A dark, sumptuous wine, the 2007 is endowed with copious dark cherry, plum, gravel, bittersweet chocolate, crushed rocks, sage and lavender all meld together in this potent Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. What a terrific debut this is. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, October 2024)
— 2 months ago
The 2018 Barolo Le Coste di Monforte is a gentle, surprisingly open-knit wine from a site where Barolos tend to show quite a bit more muscle. Then again, this is 2018. Effusive floral and spice aromatics meld into a core of sweet red-fleshed fruit. Orange peel, cinnamon and rose petal lift the bright, vibrant finish very nicely. The 2018 is impeccably done. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, October 2022)
— 2 years ago
1997. Stewed prunes. Sweet almost too sweet but will meld with food. — 4 years ago
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Melanson Vineyard emerges mostly from upper blocks on this site, a striking hillside that faces Colgin, where the steep exposure can yield wines of tremendous pedigree. That is exactly what comes through here. Inky red/purplish fruit, spice, rose petal, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco meld together effortlessly, with silky tannins that wrap it all up. Bold and luscious, but with tremendous nuance, the Melanson Cabernet is a total stunner in 2018. As I have written in the past, farming here has improved tremendously in recent years. This is another superb example of the quality that this site is capable of. Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown gave the 2018 a relatively short 10 days on the skins. I imagine he thought the site would take care of the rest. It's hard to argue with that. The 2018 is off the charts great. Don't miss it. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, January 2021)
— 4 years ago
The 2006 Lafleur is a vintage that I have not encountered for a little while. It is similar to how it tasted at a decade old with wild strawberry, blackberry and hints of cooked meat on the nose, still pretty backward and needing time to meld fully. The palate is medium-bodied with still a slightly coarse entry that I don't think would be accepted by Baptiste Guinaudeau today, slightly tarry toward a dense and somewhat muscular finish. Maybe it's just missing Lafleur's usual charm? Yet it's still an impressive Pomerol that requires more cellaring. Tasted at 67 Pall Mall for The Complete Bordeaux Vintage Guide dinner. (Neal Martin, Vinous, December 2023)
— a year ago
The 2017 Barbaresco Ronchi is darker, richer and more potent than the straight bottling, but ultimately the two wines aren't as different as they have been or should be. I imagine at least some of that is attributable to the vintage. Black cherry, smoke, tobacco, licorice and leather all meld together nicely. The heat of the vintage is a bit more evident here, but is also nicely balanced. The 2017 finishes with notable substance and power. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, February 2022)
— 3 years ago
The new release by FIGGINS coming from the 2020 vintage is utterly fantastic now in its playful youth. Once on the nose this takes on layers of lemon zest and honey, alongside baking spices, ginger and shades of damp earth that all meld in the glass. The palate reveals just a kiss of sweetness with lemon cake, marzipan, quince and stony undertones. Seriously esteemed and bright in its youth, this has another decade to go. Drink 2021-2031- 93 — 4 years ago
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The 2021 Barbaresco is impressive. Intensely aromatic and explosive, the straight Barbaresco shows why 2021 is such a pedigreed vintage. Spice, lavender, sage and mint meld into a core of blue/purplish fruit. A gorgeous, overachieving wine, the 2021 just needs time in bottle. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, October 2024)
— a month ago