AHF

9.5

Feb 2023. Slightly brick red color, more than last year. Palate slightly less candy sweet. Carefully decanted. A week later, very fine sediment on bottom of decanter. Recommend long decant. A month later, still drinks smooth and sweet. — a year ago

Delectable Wine

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9.5

The 2017 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru has a wonderful, focused nose: lean, mineral-driven, very flinty and very Chablis. The palate is taut and fresh, with sharp acidity, and very citric and powerful, with immense weight and penetration toward the finish. Very persistent, very sophisticated; this is what great Chablis is all about. But the bottom line is that it is very uncompromising. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting in Savigny-lès-Beaune. (Neal Martin, Vinous, August 2021)
— 3 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Another go to n/v Rosé Champange because of quality & availability in 375’s. Although, most people think their recent price increases are unwarranted. In large part, I agree. They just haven’t passed my threshold.

Lots of strawberries, black cherries, blood orange, uncooked rhubarb, blackberries, peach, Rainer cherries, loads of white spice w/ heat, sea fossils, dry yeast, some bread dough, weighed, crispy, crunchy minerals, excellent, powdery chalkiness, red flowers & both pink & red rose, lively, crisp acidity, great length and balance with polished, ripe fruits and falling onto pronounced minerality on the long set.

The bottom photos tell you all you need to know as to why the region of Champange is so excellent. Not many places in the world have that kind of chalk & for me, that’s what makes them special. — 3 years ago

Keaton Kail

9.4

Happily malted citrus peel. — 4 years ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.3

Completely alive!
Quite deep still , medium garnet core , medium narrow garnet rim . Rounded smoked plum , undergrowth , touch floral . Plump and round in the mouth , mix of red and dark fruits , quite elegant and medium bodied , pretty good length . Still a touch of noticeable but very fine tannins, though very much integrated into the wine. Elegant and well balanced acidity . Based on this magnum , the wine is fully mature but with a lot of life left. Not the most complex or large scale Petrus by any means , however it has great texture and elegance , harmonious powder fine tannins , just a joy drink now and over the next 10 years perhaps. This was opened and then decanted just before service , followed over 2 and a half hours and was still going strong at the end. Magnum had a level of bottom neck . Drank at Noizé, London . — a year ago

J. Kim

9.2

More complex fruit profile than the Bourgogne Blanc. Seems less mineral but really takes off after 24 hours. The bottom end fills out and the classic nutty component appears alongside more tropical fruit. — 3 years ago

Ellen Clifford

9.0

One of those wines that makes you say “huh, so that’s why they blend Sémillon with Sauvignon Blanc”. Although the Sémillon makes up slightly more of the blend the greenery of SB punches throughout not obnoxiously so. Like the Semi was holding out the plank of wood expressly for the purpose of SB breaking it in half with its bare hands. All the green things and citrus but there is depth and warmth and a bit of weight. And dang it’s a bargain. — 3 years ago

Timothy Lynch

9.0

A stained cork from bottom to top gave me pause. Phew! All good. Dusty notes dominate early on with stewed plumbs and Aussie scrub (underbrush) not far behind. Let’s see where we are in an hour. Sixty minutes on firmly delivers with a weighty 65% Cab Sauv with, dare I say it, a slight nod to Napa. Chewy tannins with continuous dust rounds it all out. I like this wine. As to down the road…I think we’ve arrived au point. — 2 years ago

Ely Cohn

9.1

When winemakers devote themselves to the mastery of one grape, every bottling from top to bottom tends to be exceptional.

Such is the case with Raul Perez and his consistent ability to make Mencia bloom.

Vico is aromatically rich and complex. Cedar, new leather, blackberry, black currant, cinnamon, cocoa, coffee.



— 3 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.3

Earthy aromas with ripe plum notes - a very Otago nose albeit in the lighter spectrum. Same notes transfer to the medium bodied sappy palate. Not as full bodied as I was expecting. Quite Burgundian in weight and texture. Made by the equally earthy Nick Mills, owner and winemaker who made his presentation at Pinot NZ 2018 in Wellington in bare feet. Rippon is biodynamic and chemical free. I subsequently had a nice chat with him - a genuine bloke. Must be one of the prettiest vineyard scenes anywhere in the world sloping up from Lake Wanaka. Whilst this is classed as Central Otago this is not as full bodied as the Bannockburn/Felton Road district. — 4 years ago