Tom Casagrande

9.3

Very interesting aged Gamay. My brother Dan says it’s very Pinot-like. I can see that. Love the depth of flavor allied with a light, crisp, floaty frame. — 3 months ago

with Rebecca, Angelo and 1 other

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Stunning aromas of mid season cherry, some malted milk balls, gorgeous earth aromas and a firm mineral background. Really lovely pointed spice as well. Really expansive and so crystalline as 19 can be. So opulent in the mid palate but also allied with terrific energy and freshness. Luscious cherry fruit with great tang and chewiness Long, winding finish with even a bit of citrus Really gets to every nook and cranny. Superb stuff. Wow. — 2 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

So killer. Needed something bombastic yet focused tonight. This did the trick. Gorgeous nose of butter, minerals, sweet wood, and wafting wet earth. Classic. Palate is rich with great amplitude and killer acids and just outrageous length. The length pushes this to 9.5. The terrific purity here allied with the length is pretty thrilling. It just grips your back palate and does not leave. — 2 years ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.4

No formal notes ….Medium straw colour . Quite intense slightly smoky lemon peel , flinty , oyster shell nose . On the palate quite surprising intensity and excellent length , refreshing acidity . Nice yellow fruits and roundness allied to great freshness . Drinking surprisingly well , though better in 5-10 years and should hold for a further 5-10. — 3 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.5

A top flight of Cimarossa while visiting the winery last month, all were great but the 2018 Rian really struck me. Purity, elegance, structure, allied with density, complexity and length. Black currants, blackberry, cherry, graphite, and spice. I have been a long time admirer of their wines, especially the best ever from outside Italy nebbiolo they make called Foglet. Mia Klein makes these beauties and you can't get them anywhere except from the winery. — 4 years ago

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9.8

The 2018 Dominus has really shut down over the last year. I underestimated its imposing structure and density, both of which are on fully display today. The 2018 is a potent Dominus endowed with superb depth and tons of vertical explosive energy allied to a feeling of elegance that becomes increasingly apparent over time. Dark fruit, spice and a whole range of earthy, savory notes add layers of complexity. Superb. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, January 2022)
— 5 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.7

I adore this wine as there is nothing like it in Germany or the wine world at large. One foot in the Cote de Beaune, one foot in Saulheim and one foot somewhere else. Nose is so giving and intense. Some toasty wood, but minerals blaring underneath, and just gorgeous limestone minerality but what stands out is the absolute purity aromatically and on the palate. Seductive and rich but oh my god the purity is out of this world. So fine, so elegant, and so nimble. The combo of richness/decadence and nimbleness allied also the most filigree one can imagine makes this a knockout. This is just profound. Finish is endless and this is at once delicate and rich. This wine is a contradiction that works. This is so elegant, so delicate and the controlled richness is out of this world. — a year ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Unreal florality and richness allied with huge acids. So compelling. — 2 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.3

Killer nose. Smells like German Meursault. Some lemon drop, some richness and outstanding salinity. Expansive and precise. Palate is so good. A perfect balance of richness allied with pointed minerality and that stunning 21 acid. Round yet so intense. Superb concentration and airiness along with amazing precision. Really easy drinking but also has complexity there so best of both worlds. Now with air we’ve got gorgeous citrus oil on the nose and the palate is so juicy and playful — 2 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Wow has this opened. Stunning nose of red berry fruit, herbs, granite, red plum, tobacco and so so much granite. Wow the aromas are so potent they are going up my nose and massaging this huge schnozz of mine. Clay pottery studio developing now. A 9.7 nose. The essence of Mauves St. Joseph. Just amazing. It’s ripe but within the context of the vintage. Some malted aromas as well. Palate is ripe, rich, silky and so fresh. The acids in 15 are truly what define this vintage. Allied with the ripeness. Perfect balance with not a hair out of place. Long granitic finish. Wonderful focus, precision and powdery tannins. Amazing length. Superb concentration and insane purity of red berried fruit. Treacly texture. Out of this world. 9.6 for now. After 3 hours it’s gained unreal finesse. So decadent yet also so nimble. So close to a 9.7. — 3 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Neal Martin has to be smoking crack for his review of this wine. Anyway. Stunning nose of seashells, lemon merengue, Meyer lemon, airy minerals, oyster brine and so much more. Fantastic! Some wet stones as well and tree bark and semi wet soil. Big time Gout de Terroir. Palate is super elegant and has loads of salty, concentrated fruit and is energetic as all can be. Dense as this bottling usually is. What texture and richness but allied with salinity and a licking a rock finish that is very long. Ideally this needs 3-5 years but what a smoker now. What length! — 4 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.1

2016 vintage. Expressive from the start. Roasted cashews along with cocoa powder and cherry in the nose. Medium body with some oak fat. Finishes relatively lean but fresh with that cherry looming large and allied with dark plum, watercress, mint, lite green tea and some earth. Pretty and concentrated but not a powerhouse. — 5 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.2

Another great version of this Bouzeron. Lime zest and minerals on the nose. Super clean and fresh. Terrific palate. Has a lovely balance between richness and freshness. Textured and deep. Awesome purity, depth and structure. Love the combo of richness allied with freshness. Decent length. But what a mid palate. — 5 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.3

Uber classic, almost Mosel Troxkwn in style with its elegance and allied density. Lime, lime skin, lemon, green apple and pear with loads of salinity, chalk, and acid for days! — a year ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Stunning nose of vivid tobacco, gorgeous cassis, saddle leather, earth and mineral. Really intense nose. Wow the tobacco and leather are on overdrive. Supple and ripe palate with firm tannins and terrific freshness and some nice opulence but allied with energy. Terrific concentration and super intense mouth coating minerality. This will surely evolve with air and needed a break from Pinot. — 2 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.5

Lovely and elegant density allied with whole cluster spice, always love the RS Pinot from Ross! — 2 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.0

1995 vintage. Great aging cork in good shape. Decanted and tasted immediately, after 30 mins and after 2 hours. Decent amount of sed. Slight brickish color. Initially and generally throughout, reticent nose and flavors. Very tightly wound overall. Eventually able to coax a small amount of black olive out of the nose along with minerals for days. Some dark cherry and plum allied with baking chocolate in the transition from mid-palate to finish. It was tough sledding in the frontal palate. Super dry with summer earth/dirt at the start. Obvious class but never really flashed more than a few cards to play. Perhaps a different bottle shows a little more love? Producer is always on the leaner side so unbridled optimism on that front is likely wasted energy. 10.25.23. — 3 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.3

Outstanding, this is all about the density allied with elegance. Tasted over 2 days and was level up after 2 hours open on day 1 and then another gear on day 2! A Domaine to watch! @domainelarue — 4 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Have not had in 2 years. It’s awesome now. Nose is olive and game. So wild. Black and red berry fruit. Granite galore. So fine. So refined. Gorgeous and wide open. Palate is a wonder. Super juicy and decadent but allied with terrific freshness and a smoking granitic finish also with notes of game, herbs and olive. The nose is a 9.6. Outrageous. Wow this is juicy. I’m going 9.5 here. The purity and clarity of fruit puts it over the top. — 5 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

9.8

Jaw dropping length, purity, elegance, and filigree. Tremendous weightlessness allied with massive flavors that felt like looking through a kaleidoscope orchard and fruits, flint-slate like minerality, luscious acids that buffer everything in this wine perfectly. — 5 years ago