Andrew Cullimore

9.4

Medium light Ruby with wide garnet ruby rim. This is quite reserved , cool and mineral on the nose , some pine notes with herbal , red cherry , cranberry hints , black tea . On the palate this has more red fruits , raspberry , red cherry, sweet wild strawberry , along with black tea , thyme and rosemary . Wet slate tinged finish . High acidity and fine but gritty tannins . Long and really detailed . Very young but will age effortlessly for another 20 years , perhaps more . Very promising . At Vinous Icons NY , Pier 60 , Feb 2025 — 15 days ago

Joseph Picca

8.9

Delightful, crisp and well paired with shrimp and pesto — 6 months ago

Matthew Cohen

8.9

Nose: sea breeze. White flowers.

Palate: elegant yellow fruit. Long. Balanced. — a year ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.1

Quite pale ruby . Very fresh and red fruited , red currant , cranberry , with fresh herbs , sage , thyme , quite enticing and aromatic. Very refined red fruit on the palate , elegant and fruit forward , with some wet slate . Quite light tannins , and fresh acidity . Good red cherry stained , herbal finish . Good for drinking now but will last well over the next 5 or so years. At Vinous Icons NY , Pier 60 , Feb 2025 — 15 days ago

Roman Ochocki

9.3

A leather, vanilla, chocolate, prune and cherry. Very good amarone. — 4 months ago

Jack Krawczyk

9.9

freshly ripe plum with a cherry-bourbon light finish — 7 months ago

Aaron Tan

9.1

My last note on this wine is relevant here. Like then, this was fresh, pure, and elegant. There was perhaps a touch more volatile acidity in the backend than expected which knocked back my score. — 3 years ago

Bruce Leboff

9.5

A lovely Brunello. Classic in style, nose and character. Lovely. Drinking well but could go for another decade ( or two!). — 2 months ago

with Michael and David

Bruce Leboff

9.7

Brilliant. Elegant and well balanced. Superb. Outshone the Biondi Santi - albeit completely different character. Love the smooth caressing finish. Beautifully balanced — 2 months ago

with Michael and David

Jay Kline

10

Served double-blind as a sort of epilogue to an already epic night. This was served alongside another red wine that was also presented double-blind. Immediately, I called this Southern Rhone and the other wine, Sangiovese from Toscano (it ended up being a 2012 Biondi Santi Riserva). This presented a bright ruby color in the glass with a transparent core. This wine…had an OMG nose. The kind of aromatics that could end all wars and bring a century of peace to all mankind. It’s both powerful and elegant. Both ripe and fresh. An androgynous wine that represents both masculine and feminine with a grace that would make Prince or David Bowie envious. Gorgeously layered red and dark fruits, exotic spices, licorice and garrigue wrapped in the most beautifully textured package imaginable. It reminded me of something similar a previous experience; like Fonsalette…but this was different, there was more here. When you taste this, everything becomes clear. You look at everyone at the table differently; for what you have more in common instead of what makes us different. An experience akin to an Odesza show on MDMA. It’s that profound and then you are forever changed. You wake up the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that and weeks go by and your worldview is different. You see love in everything. And then it was revealed to be a 2010 Chateau Rayas. *Insert expletive*. A magnificent wine. An epiphany and, as far as I’m concerned, perfect. This is not merely a great Chateauneuf du Pape. This transcends the appellation. It should be its own AOC. Drink now or whenever you’re reading this note. — 2 years ago