Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.1

@Delectable Wine this is the “Vignolo.” Thanks!

100% Syrah which is what this winery specializes in. Our first Sicilian estate and of course it’s Syrah. Lol. Wild, awesome and super Syrah nose. Violets, lavender, olives, ripe blackberries and even a hint of cassis. Lovely rocky minerality. Some nuttiness as well. Very complex and nose that suggests this has entered maturity. Palate is juicy and elegant. Suave and silky. Loads of berry fruit and a hint of nuttiness. Is this from low sulfur? Delicious and fresh. Not overly complex. As it airs the nose opens more to reveal tree bark, fresh meadow, kalamata olive and more palate becomes more refined and silky as well but the nuttiness takes a way a bit. Like this is 90% stable but 10% freaky. It’s an earlier vintage here since I started with the 18’s so this is more a curiosity that anything. It’s very good but there is a bit of a flaw here. It doesn’t take away much but it doesn’t add anything positive. 9.1 maybe 9.0. Finishes also a bit dirty. — a day ago

Matthew Cohen

9.5

Either mildly corked or brutally closed aromatically. :-(. So no rating. In the cat is alive universe decant for quite a while.

Nose. Occasionally some lilacs peek out from under the sheets.

Palate : Very elegant. Not super grippy. Crushed flowers. Super sweet raspberries. Black cherries. 9.3-9.5. A kiss of awesome elegant licorice.

Finish is a 9.5. So this would likely be very good. Stream of crushed flowers. Long.

—-
ok. This is closed now. After an hour it opens and is great. Blind a more dense and dark fruited Cote rotie. Not rustic at all.

Fauterie rocks.

Bought from fass selections.
— 7 days ago

Deborah M

9.3

It’s a walk in the woods with a bowl of cherries. The nose presents with woods and earth. The palate brings forward subtle fruit notes. This is a complex beauty that paired perfectly with my rustic herb grilled whole chicken. While I’m generally not a huge fan of Syrah, this wine is wonderful. — 4 days ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Don’t be fooled. Just because this is the entry level for Clape does not mean this should be overlooked. “Le Vin des Amis” is made from a 1ha vineyard in between the village of Cornas and the Rhône river. This bottle was opened about an hour before it was poured. Deep, dark garnet in the glass...bordering violet. Glass staining. The nose was absolutely wild! Straight up deli case with olive mortadella, and all the cured meats. But it doesn’t stop there. This is well endowed with baked and smoked blueberries and mulberries, dried herbs and lavender. The palate tells more of the fruit story with the lush blue and black fruits taking the starring role. So pure; so dense! Yet, there is minerality and remarkable acidity giving all of the fruit the lift it needs. Tannins are medium. Long, long finish. This wine was fermented and aged in concrete tanks and passes through foudre for two months before bottling. Some people hate on the price for this wine (around $50 these days) considering its humble designation but the quality is absolutely undeniable. A very serious wine. Impressive. — 2 hours ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Consumed directly after the 2015 Cornas “Le Village”. This was just a notch below that wine in my opinion. Right now, the structure is taking center stage and not allowing the fruit to deliver in the same way its cousin is giving. I also think the Cornas showed more complexity. Not that this isn’t endowed with fruit or complexity. A very lovely wine though. — 4 days ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Feral smelling but in the reductive way that Syrah can so easily become...if that makes sense. This characteristic softens with air and finds a groove after about 30min. Smells like a deli case with blue and black fruits and purple flowers. On the palate, powerful blue fruits herbs and spices. Big in the structure department too. There’s a whole lot to like here. I would love to revisit this in 10 years. — 4 days ago

Scott Soren

9.7

Powerful nose on this original Pax wine. Black olive and black cherry punch you in the face. Rich peppery finish , melds with medium acidity. I actually preferred these younger, but they’ve become sublime in their later life. Just ridiculous — 5 days ago

Doug Cranmer

9.5

A Santa Barbara County Proprietary Red Wine. Unfiltered and unfined. Entirely constructed of Estrella-clone Syrah from two ends of the Santa Rita Hills and a sprinkling of Viognier. Native-yeast fermented with 40% whole cluster inclusion and raised in large neutral barrels for 26-months. Matthias’ expression of great Syrah from a great Syrah growing region, cool coastal vineyards north of Santa Barbara. Recommended to a little above cellar temperature.

NOSE
Young boysenberries. Steeping Darjeeling tea. A hint of barbecue smoke drifts by.

COLOR/MOUTHFEEL
The color of a deep burgundy Chrysler Cordoba. Big, velvety mouthfeel, but not Corinthian leather.

TASTE/FINISH
Taste: Black cherries, just before 100% ripe. A touch of blueberry pie, but savory, not sweet. Finish: A finish of black pepper with a touch of cocoa nib at the last few touches of finish. Juicy, bustling tannins right to the point where you think they’re a touch too bold, but then the finish reaches over and says “I believe you were mistaken”.

MUSIC
Jazz trumpeter Jeremy Pelt with the track “I’ve Just Seen Her” on his album “The Art of Intimacy”. The Jazz Crusaders with the track “Young Rabbits” from their “Festival Album”, 1966, recorded live at the Newport and Pacific Jazz Festivals. — 5 days ago

Matt Lasater

9.3

Black cherry liquor, candied plum, cool blackberry, lavender pastille, olive caramel, bacon fat, cool herbs, woodsmoke, fine layers of hung meat and forest notes. Fruit is bouyant, juicy and offers immense pleasure while its wild side adds dimension. To me there is a perfect amount of richly layered fruit and palate weight with proper acid balance to cut it all back. Tannins are ripe, yet supportive. — 6 days ago

Pooneet Kant

9.2

Very nice overall but if I’m being honest a bit under expectations. Aromatically brilliant, with dark petal flowers and earth and a bit of sweet dark red fruit. Just before the finish the palate falls apart a bit - just missing that extra gear. Still an excellent pairing with the steak in the background (prime dry aged rib eye from Hudson and Charles). Decanted for 2 hours but not sure it made a huge difference, didn’t change much in the glass. — 6 days ago