Basel Cellars
Weingut Riehen
Le Cidre - Riechner Epfel Basel-Stadt 2018
The nose is just the most incredible thing and if the palate wasn’t so delicious I’d be smelling this cider till the pigs come home. It’s smokey. But smokey in a smoked applewood type of way. It’s got green apple, red apple, and the aromas are mostly green and red apple skins and not the flesh. It’s not floral but has that same floral effect a floral red or white wine has in that it’s expansive and has a bouquet but these “floral” aromas are more like leaves. Fresh, gorgeous leaves. It’s so uncanny how complex this nose is. The nose also has hickory and iodine and I yelled out “This!! This is what would happen if you made Puligny Montrachet from apples!” I was so proud of myself. It’s got that Puligny iodine, sweet hazelnut thing and a kind of florality from the combo of apple skins and leaves. It’s just insane. After maybe 25-45 minutes of air this develops some quince, apricots and spice aromas that only add to the allure.
The palate is so juicy. I mean this is juicy and delicious like nothing else. It’s so explosive and just bursting with the purest green and red apple flavors one can imagine. It’s absurd. Nearly religious experience as you cannot comprehend how apples can be fermented into something that is at once contemplative and also insanely delicious. It’s delicious like ice cream you cannot stop eating. There are few wines like this and even fewer beverages. It’s so pure and so refined with just incredible finesse. The palate has these amazing candied apples that I have never experienced before in my life. These candied apples in this cider have to be tasted to be believed. There are also flavors of brioche and sourdough bread. There is a hint of sweetness but it’s like the sweetness one gets when one bites into a ripe, juicy perfect mid season apple. This is so so juicy and so clean. I mean this is as clean as any beverage I have ever had. The finish goes on forever and ever and finished with spice, complexity, green apple skins, green leaves, hazelnuts and iodine. This is absolutely bonkers cider — 2 years ago
Weingut Riehen
Le Grand Pinot Noir 2016
One of the best Swiss Pinot Noirs. Just a stunning stunning example. Nose is all woodland berries, mountain spice, insane florals and sweet herbals and unreal mountain cherry. So alpine and floral. Captivating and enveloping aromas. Plum skin as well that is so so fine. Stunning purity, breadth and detail the nose. Enchanted forest floor aromas. Keeps changing and changing. Just stunning. 9.6 or 9.7 on the nose. Smell like Grand Cru Burgundy. ZOMG the palate. Insane fruit and sweetness. So sweet and so intense. Wow. Mid to late season red and black cherries. Just so elegant and pure. Suave and chewy but silken tannins and impossible length. Just sickness. So long. Endless. Sappy and noble. There is a very serious and substantial structure here. This is truly amazing wine. Better than the 15. Needs air and I’ll be back. 9.6 for now.
After air the texture on this is truly stunning. So velvety. Amazing sweetened and no hard edges. Nose has so much Burgundian sous bous now and really is in Clos Vougeot territory. Brilliant. An elite wine. This is very close to a 9.7 but not quite. Only age is holding it back now. — 6 years ago
Domaine Barmes-Buecher
Steingrubler Alsace Grand Cru Riesling 2022
Brasserie Les Trois Basel — 3 months ago
Weingut Möhr-Niggli
Graf Maisprach Pinot Noir 2022
Superb. Brambly cherries, glorious spice and Alpine love. Really airy and expansive. Palate is full of minerals and energy. Gorgeous cherry fruit that is so pure and sapid. Velvety tannins that are so well knit. Needs air but this is a superstar. The texture became so creamy but it didn’t sacrifice its minerality. — 9 months ago
Weingut Riehen
Le Grand Sauvignon Blanc 2017
Basel Cellars
Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
11/26/22
The nose is phenomenal. — 4 years ago
Huchu Homare Brewery
Watari Bune Shiboritate Namazake Genshu Junmai 55 Ginjo Sake
@ art basel w alexia, Joey & wife for a sushi tasting event @ omakai - love this sake always 🤩 — 5 years ago
Jost & Ziereisen
Le Grand Basel-Stadt Pinot Noir 2016
Just opened this. One can tell this will be a journey. I would only open this if you have at least 2-3 hours to Taste it. It’s all over the place on open. Basically tastes like if Ziereisen made wine in the mountains.
Nose is dense but has that alpine thing you get from like savoie. Very pretty. Almost intoxicating. Like a field of flowering cherry trees on top of a mountain.
Palate is very bright. Sweet cherry fruit.
A 9.5 easy on open. I’m guessing this will be better as it airs and integrates.
As this opens holy fuck. Nose is alpine with some gevrey spice. Palate is rubber made from grape vines (I know impossible), cherry. Rich. Elegant Cherry extract. Just a kiss of bitterness. Wowowowowo. So elegantly rich. Unbelievable.
Bought from fass selections. — 6 years ago
Weingut Riehen
Le Petit Pinot Noir 2021
Absolutely phenomenal. Black raspberry, black cherry, white tea, flowers, some red currant. Stellar aromas. Unique. The palate is teeming with energy. Juicy, and slathering minerals. Velvety tannins but also substantial. This needs to flesh out but the underlying everything is brilliant. After 19 hours open the nose is softer and more expressive. Really a lipstick like intensity and just evolved so much overnight. Loads of Alpine spices. Palate is so round now but still has that energy and that barely there sweetness. Juicy and clean. Wonderful. 9.4 to 9.5. — 8 months ago
Weingut Möhr-Niggli
Matthias & Sina Gubler Clos Martha Pinot Noir 2020
Gorgeous aromas. Mid season sweet cherry fruit, spices, some gorgeous sweet oak, wet earth, florals and aromas that penetrate deep in the nasal cavity. Almost some barely ripe blackberry and cassis. Really a whole world of difference than last August. Just silly good aromas. Palate is ripe and juicy with a lithe, silky texture. Awesome purity and balance and such haunting delicacy. Sweet fruit and so nimble this is shockingly great. I vastly underrated this last time. Sweet, lithe and ripe tannins. This is stunning and achingly beautiful. 9.6 for now. Let’s see what air does to this. — 3 years ago
Basel Cellars
Claret Red Bordeaux Blend 2021
12/04/23
Clarks
Berries. Earth. Slight bit of pepper?
— 4 years ago
Basel Cellars
Merriment Pheasant Run Vineyard Estate Red Wine 2008
Tannins are really smooth now, wine is super round and balanced. Classic red aromas, wood, spice. Luscious chocolate and a hint of red fruit, cedar box, tobacco. Really great wine now, drinking much better than when I first tried it 6+ years ago. Well done Walla Walla. — 4 years ago
Duckhorn Vineyards
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
The grand finally of the evening was the full bodied Cab with multiple layers of dark, dry earthy fruit soaked in tobacco chocolate and fine, well integrated tannins that create a sensational finish. Paired with bbq lamb chops marinated in olive oil infused with rosemary, Basel, black pepper, garlic and sea salt. Heavenly! — 6 years ago
Castellare di Castellina
I Sodi di San Niccolò Toscana Sangiovese Blend 2015
Intense SuperTuscan wine made from Sangiovese and Malvesia nera. Dark red fruits, some notes of plum and deep, well integrated tannins that give it great structure. Plenty of acidity to stand up to our Basel tomato soup and made it a great pairing. — 6 years ago
Matthew Cohen
Oop. Ignore the following needs a 45 minute decant.
Nose: not much golden raisins ??
Palate: delicious. Old. Rich.
I’m pretty sure this is “drink em if ya got em “.
Fass selections — 23 days ago