Peter van den Besselaar

9.1

Vintage 2015 | From 50+ years old Chenin Blanc grown on Schist. Modest colour not giving away the age of the wine. A bit shy in smell, the characteristics are all here: hay, minerals, hints of honey. Quite powerful taste, I’d say for acquired tasters, good balance with a lot of bitters. As beautiful as difficult. 🫶 — a month ago

Barberry Garden

9.2

Tasted blind while knowing the list of wines. Guessed the bottle. The first sniff reveals a fistful of peonies and violets (sorry, Lena), which led my thoughts to Fleurie. Add some sour cherries, strawberries, a tiny bit of barnyard, and underbrush. Sophisticated, concentrated, juicy, smooth, round and flavourful wine with good acidity. Wonderful evolution in the glass.

Tasted on 2023-07-21 — 2 years ago

ESF

8.9

Priorat made for the masses: this was a very accessible med bodied fruit driven crowd pleaser - I mean there was some of the mineral schist that you look for, but it was hidden in the background. Smooth & juicy gobs of red fruit - fairy well balanced, not a bad effort at all w/approachable price point of $21 — 4 years ago

Martinez

8.9

Fresh, mineral-driven blend of Palomino Fino and Doña Blanca from 115 year old vines from Valdesacia, a tiny parcel at an elevation of 750m on sandy soils over a bedrock of quartz and schist. Very dry. Good acidity. — 6 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.0

Château de Fesles – La Chapelle Vieilles Vignes Chenin Sec 2010. Anjou, Loire Valley – France 🇫🇷

Overview
A limited-edition bottling from one of Anjou’s most historic estates, this Chenin Blanc comes from old vines (“vieilles vignes”) rooted in schist soils surrounding the chapel of the domaine. Château de Fesles is renowned for producing some of the Loire’s most age-worthy Chenins, and this 2010 shows just how gracefully the grape can evolve.

Aromas & Flavors
Complex layers of baked quince, dried apricot, acacia honey, chamomile, and lanolin, underpinned by beeswax and a mineral flintiness. Secondary notes of almond and brioche hint at its decade-plus of bottle age.

Mouthfeel
Dry (“sec”) yet textured, with a medium+ body, bright acidity still intact, and a long, savory finish. The balance between freshness and maturity is remarkable, showing both vitality and evolution.

Winemaking Notes
Fermented in oak and matured patiently, with low yields from old vines contributing depth and concentration. Loire Chenin’s natural high acidity is what makes wines like this so age-defiant.

Food Pairing
Perfect alongside roasted chicken with herbs, veal in cream sauce, or rich seafood like lobster and scallops. A natural match also for aged goat cheese (think Valençay or Crottin de Chavignol).

Verdict
A stunning example of aged Loire Chenin Blanc: vibrant, layered, and endlessly complex. Proof of why Anjou and Loire whites belong among the world’s most cellar-worthy wines. — a month ago

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9.4

The 2019 Pinot Noir Elliott is a deep, dense wine, but always within the context of the Ceritas Pinots. There’s real depth and gravitas here, tempered by a style that seeks finesse more than power. Small clusters and small berries on a site rich in blue schist and quartz yield a distinctive Pinot built on resonance and power. Clean mineral notes support the bracing finish. The 60% whole clusters are very nicely balanced. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, June 2022)
— 3 years ago

Adam Beasley

9.2

Candied yellow fruits on the nose with a slatey minerality. Super dry on the palate with underripe tropical fruit and vanilla cream. Lots of tension and energy. These guys just make killer wine. — 5 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

Really great value in a straightforward, honest, balanced Grenache. It’s grown within the Faugeres appellation but can’t claim the AOC apparently because it’s from deep sandy soils and not schist. No matter! Rayas grows Grenache in sand so there’s great precedent! Nose shows sappy kirsch-y fruit, lots of savory, mineral notes, and a touch of vanilla and spice. Soft and light-footed in the mouth. Quite dry, savory, and saline. Very soft tannin. Alcohol is relatively low at a stated 13.5. Drinking well now, it will certainly last a year or two longer, though I don’t think it will improve. I love wines like this. So food flexible. — 2 years ago

Barberry Garden

9.0

Almost 3 years ago, I was looking at the bottle of Fistful of Flowers and considered buying it. I was hesitant. Not least because of excessive sediment flocks swimming in the bottle. And once I decided to give it a try, it was already out of stock.

Today I completed my gestalt with a different vintage. And actually, I am glad that I tasted 2020 because even Fistful of Flowers needs some time to settle down and become more cohesive.

Interesting blend of Vermentino and Moscato Giallo. The aroma like butterflies bursts from the glass and fills the room with its gifts. Field flowers, honey, ripe peach, cinnamon, cardamon, candied orange peel. All that with a nice musk touch that is more prevalent in the aftertaste. It is well-balanced, fresh and flavourful. My favourite part is the salty-musky finish. Overall, it’s definitely good. Maybe it’s a little bit too bright or even vulgar, but it has some charm.

— 3 years ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.0

Aromatic, mineral, spicy with ripe, honeyed apricots plus a fistful of dried, salty herbs. Precise & pure in the palate with brilliant, juicy acidity, just the right amount of fruit and beautiful minerality.
Brilliant stuff for 12€. Unbeatable price/quality ratio. — 5 years ago