Pinotman /// Andreas

9.4

After a warm 2020 this 2021 is more backwards and classic and reminds me of the 2016‘s. The first bottle had a touch VA which blew off. Second one has no VA. Violets and a hint of roses. Robust beautiful cherry 🍒. Touch bark. This is a top vintage for them. Awesomeness in a bottle for a ridiculous low price for this quality. It’s hard to put the glass down - it is that good. So in this instance I do rate this higher than Lyle F. 3 days later on the Argon line - this is still exceptional elegant and unique. Gained weight and at the same time super elegant. What a wine. — 6 days ago

Dave Mayers

9.5

Wow! I’m back to Valentini after a dozen duds. Goose brought this back from Italy and it was a stunner. Very unique wine. Concentrated but enjoyable and a long menthol finish. — 9 months ago

Cassie Carreras

9.5

Commander's Palace wine and cheese night - Should Have Been Jazz Fest #2 — 3 years ago

Phil Kessling

9.0

Saumon Gamay/Grolleau Rosé. Yeah, another bottle. Totally chuggable summer wine. — 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Presented double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine pours a pretty ruby color with a transparent core and maybe some slight rim variation. Medium viscosity with no staining of the tears. No obvious signs of sediment. On the nose, developing with strawberries, raspberries, mushrooms, sous bois and soft baking spices. Delicate. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. Finish is medium+. Lovely and quite elegant. I called Bourgogne Rouge from a great producer but it was 2012 Raphet “Clos Vougeot”. Oooop. Drinking well now with some secondary characteristics just beginning to show. Drink through 2032.
— 3 months ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.0

Vintage 2009 | cherries, light cacao, vanilla. Juicy taste, start tertiary tones — 6 months ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Nose is like a gingerbread house. Honey, mineral, spice, orange flowers and so much more. So hard to identify aromas on this wine as it’s so unique, nuanced and complex. Stunningly pure, balanced and waxey with a no joke structure, purity and sap. Lovely mouth-coating tannins and so much yellow fruit/marzipan fruit complexity. Now it has iodine and hazelnut on the nose which is reminiscent of Puligny. Wow. So young but so much going on. Amazing concentration and depth. Enormous potential. One of my most favorites since the legendary 98.

After a few hours of air this has more dried honey on the nose and amazing elegance on the palate. Vibrant and refined. What a great wine. — 2 years ago

Vin d’Ottawa

9.4

I cannot describe how excited I’ve been for this bottle.

From Portugal’s tiny Colares wine region, this is the famed Ramisco grape, grown in vines in the sands off the coast of Sintra. Back when phylloxera destroyed most of Europe’s grapevines, these survived as the parasite couldn’t make its way in the sands the grapevines grew in. The Portuguese crown then nationalized the wine- unique to Portugal- and used it in diplomacy as a form of soft power.

The wine starts with a roughness that smooths into a beautiful, medium bodied flavour of black cherry and blackberry. Think of a juicy California Pinot Noir that manages the punch of a Rioja.

A wine worthy of its great history.
— 3 months ago

with Gillian

Russ W

8.9

Raphets ‘20 grands champs gets high marks for the sweet fruit and pretty texture. This a juicy fun wine to drink. — 2 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.2

So...I had a birthday a couple weeks back.and due to scheduling, my regular bottle finishing team wasn't available until now, so we're finally doing it up in my grand, unique style.

Notes possibly tomorrow, scores honestly tonight.

Decanted 6H.

24-Hour Update:
Nose has crushed bricks, blood orange, ripe cherries, cranberry sauce and wet vines.
Palate has dried cranberry (unsweetened), chalk, orange zest, black currant and dried blackberry.
Seems a little shutdown, revisit 2023+. — 3 years ago