Pinot Franc
Kosta Browne
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2022
Cherry, vanilla, and blackberry with a touch of oak. Fruity but still very structured this is still a favorite of mine. — 18 days ago
Billecart-Salmon
Brut Rosé Champagne Chardonnay Blend
Very nice sipping wine. Fruit forward with a slightly sweet finish. — 18 days ago
Château Montrose
Saint-Estèphe Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1989
At first I scored this 99 points, flirting with perfection just like the 1999 Dunn Howell Mountain we had in our glass moments before. However after 15-20 minutes in the glass it began to fade and aged characteristics like tea leaves and Maggi began to emerge and the color went much more brown. Still a very good wine. — 4 days ago
Château Lynch-Bages
Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 1988
1988 vintage. Feminine-styled. Ran into some resistance back in the day with the (re-) emergence of this Château and the massive 85/86 and 89/90 efforts. Eff all that. The 1989 AND 1990 vintages probs the best this Château has ever realized. The 1988 slid in then and performed delicate magick. That cocoa powder and blueberry combo still coming forth with undeniable impressions. Whereas those four “bigger” vintages rocked harder, all four have had more noticeable drop off. This 1988 just doing its best La Mission Haut-Brion/Haut-Brion impression and pulling it off. No rush to crush. 5.13.26. — 12 days ago
Louis Roederer
Cristal Brut Champagne 2012
Lemon yellow. Fine bubbles. Elegant aroma with something in the deep area. Creamy. Aged flavor. Changed a lot. Dried brioche came out later and quite impressive. Louis Roederer Cristal 12 @9750, wine plus - vic, 260510 — 16 days ago
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (DRC)
Richebourg Pinot Noir 2009
Slightly deeper more ruby , wide rim but brighter and redder , less garnet than the RSV . Younger looking certainly . Deeper , spicier with darker fruits on the nose , some blackberry , dark cherry , exotic spices , pomegranate tea , violets , quite exuberant and dashing . On the palate this is denser and richer , deeper more velvety fruits , dark cherry , blackberry , spice and rounded but noticeable tannin . Balanced acidity. Quite gritty finish, darker and richer , long suave dark fruit finish . Really quite primary still, though with more time this does show some more wet slate and mineral side. This grows in the glass becoming more expressive and complex , showing something new each time you come back to the glass . Enjoyable due to the richness of fruit , but probably deserves more time , very promising however , the richness and decadence of 2009 seems to suit Richebourg . Better in 5 years and will last well a further decade if not more . — a month ago
Hirsch Vineyards
San Andreas Fault Pinot Noir 2022
13.2%. A perpetual favorite. This vintage seems more fruit driven compared to previous renditions. Quite dark. Cherries, raspberries, cranberries and some tea notes, well integrated tannins and dare I say “smooth” mouthfeel. Sadly/unfortunately in a different prize range compared to a decade ago. 75$ or so. Seems high to me. — a month ago
Bob McDonald
First sentence is a tester. Now the full note. We don’t often have Grand Cru Burgundy but we had roast duck legs on Mother’s Day. An intensity to the nose - Sous Bois/Compost heap with savoury red fruits - smoky with a hint of pepper. Many of the experts are saying a high influence of stems in the ferment is apparent and I totally agree. Interestingly Richard Hemming MW gave the wine 19.5/20 and said “This is what all the Burgundy fuss is all about.” Continuing to evaluate - this wine has a beautiful nose (very Morey one taster said). In summary a magnificent wine with great persistence. One of the 1001 Wines. Clos des Lambrays can trace its history back to the 14th century. — 17 days ago