Samantha I.

9.0

5/24/2026: OK — a month ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.7

Outrageous wine. Holy moly. Just incredible. So dense and juicy. Superb freshness and acidity. Gets deep in your cheeks. Unreal finesse. Top top flight Weiss here. Dense, structured and long. Unreal purity and clarity with this juicy structure. What a finish. Tour de force. Nose is a confectionary carnival freak show. But all potent and shy at the same time. Brilliant. The palate on this is truly special. Unreal density and purity. Just a shimmering diamond and so explosive on the finish. Wow. — 3 months ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Stunning and generous nose. Spicey cherry, macerated cherries, mid season, clove, cinnamon, cardamon, pomegranite and so much more. Such an evocative nose and super fragrant. Gorgeous, detailed minerality. Palate is so decadent with unreal sweet fruit that is kinky and confectionary. So juicy and sleek. Amazing, sweet and velvety tannins. Juicy and so tangy with just the most outrageous inner mouth sweetness and florals. This is so brilliant. Girard really stepped it up in 2023. This is such a refined wine and from an often forgotten about 1er Cru. The tannins are remarkable and substantial but man are they sleek and sweet. Some plum skin, black cherry now with air but my god the sweetness is literally insane. 9.6 for now. Let’s see where this goes. I can’t get over this nose. It’s just to kinky and exotic. It smells like a carnival. In Volnay. — a year ago

Marshall Todd Herron DPM

9.0

CLO de Lolo red blend from Chile : carmenere 36%, syrah 25%, cabernet franc 25%, cabernet sauvignon 10%, malbec 2%, petit verdot 2%.
This has a beautiful light bouquet of violets and honeysuckle. So slippery and buttery on the palate opening with dark currant, blackberry, and raspberry notes. Cigar box and pepper mid way through followed by tart berries and a hint of chocolate. The finish is very dry leaving you ready for a sip of water. Love this carnival! What a blend of fun!!! — 4 years ago

Mike R

9.2

Ok it is finally here - the wine nerd herd 5 year reunion has started - in 2016 - the herd met in NYC - there were amazing bonds and friendships developed and are intact to this day and growing 
Initially there was @Carl Fischer @Ron R @Joe Lucca @David L as well as myself @Mike R and one other who had such a blast we have decided to this get together as a herd frequently and for most part we have been United and strong even doing zoom tastings whenever 
Not long after the initial conclave in 2016 we traveled and expanded to include @Bill Bender @Shawn R @Eric L and our newest and a true foundation of youth and knowledge @Shay A and we have been to Palm Beach, Raleigh, San Diego, San Antonio, Des Moines, Paso Robles and now back to the starting place - NYC - 5 years later 
Get ready New York as the herd is running hard and with purpose in the city that never sleeps 
The picture / posting are two tune up tastings last Saturday with locals in Raleigh as I need practice a) red wines below 50 and b) red wines above 100
Standout to me was the Muga in the less than 50 and in the over 100 - all were good but Paul Hobbs, myriad, switchback ridge, Pulido walker
Of course the krug and aubert were good but maybe not able to keep up 
The carnival of love and Don Melchor were delicious as well but were not equivalent to the Napa cabs that are all world class vineyards and winemakers 
Again I say all this to say training is over and let the games begin in NYC as we have landed 
Thank you @Ron R and @Carl Fischer for hosting the herd and I am stoked 
Bam 💥🐂❤️🍷 — 5 years ago

Christy

9.2

C 30th birthday at Carnival 🎉 — 5 years ago

Mikey

10

The champagne that changed it all!!! Carnival candies apple with elegance beyond a dream — 6 years ago

with Shiho and Karen

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.9

This is flirting with perfection. Just opened and clearly still not fully unfurled, but already an absolute freak show. The nose is a full scene in nature: peach skin, apricot, tangelo, blood orange, Mosel slate, pine forest, a little blueberry, then with air this wild confectionary layer comes in, like a carnival in the forest. Now there is sea-air minerality too, and the whole aromatic field is getting more complete by the minute. The palate is the real astonishment. It has the texture of great white Burgundy, almost Leflaive-like in its glide and polish, but with no oak, no fat, nothing covering the signal. Just purity. Insane purity. The acidity is architectural, giving the wine line, lift, shape, precision and total command. Juicy, sapid, almost tannic on the finish, unbelievably elegant and harmonious. As it opens, the structure starts to dominate, but everything stays cohesive, integrated, and alive. The finish is a mineral blizzard, endless, fanning out for minutes, and still nowhere near where it will be tomorrow. Steinmetz wines are friendly on opening, then they just keep gaining depth, but this is already profound. One of the great dry Mosel Rieslings I have tasted. — 14 hours ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Right below Rugiens and it shows instantly. Kindly and confectionary nose. Like the carnival stopped off in Pommard. Gorgeous mid season and sour cherries and stunning mineral depth. Palate is unhinged in the best way. Super sweet and confectionary but slathered in minerals and ripe tannins. Perfect balance and very very long. Surprisingly accessible for a Poutures. Unreal concentration and brightness and the sweetness lingers and lingers. The tiny berry fruit intensity is off the charts. This is outrageous. Just insane inner mouth aromas. — a year ago

paul kretzer

9.7

Coppery gold shimmer to a medium bloody amber. Stinky warmed cured meats that were left out too long. Spiced cranberry Xmas cocktail, red raspberry puree, woody earthy cedar, with hints of tobacco and spicy fragrance/cologne. Somehow reminds me of a carnival with spicy sugary roasted nuts, cotton candy, and meats and cheeses- with some slightly stale meaty pizza. Leather and old rope. Spicy bloody raw meatiness on the palate. Great firm acidity, and zero alcohol noticed. Very well balanced and smooth with a great mineral backbone. So savory with all the meat and spice, but still has great fruitiness. — 3 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.7

Wow. What a nose. Confectionery city. Elite confectionery. Like God’s carnival but on a lazy spring day. So gorgeous. Citrus, candied lime, apricot, slate. So complex. Just stunning stuff. Palate is so elegant and juicy with just tremendous complexity and amazing fruit presence. Elegant and round. Man do Martin’s 20’s remind me of his 16’s. Icing on the cake texture and so sappy. Amazing purity and depth. Concentrated and ripe with great structure and grip. Super pure and deep. Genius. My score might go higher with air.

9.6 to 9.7 with two hours of air. So complete and so complex. The depth here is something special as is the accuracy and vividness of the fruit on the finish.

@Delectable Wine this is the alte reben. Thanks! — 4 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

The 2014 vintage was the last harvest while Serge Hochar was still alive. He tragically drowned while on holiday, NYE in 2014. I have no logical reason to be wary of Musar’s future as the team involved in producing the wines have been in place for some time. However, Serge’s death was for me, the loss of an wine hero. This is my first experience with the 2014 and I can’t help but reflect on the unforgettable experiences I’ve had drinking wines that he produced.

Decanted for several hours prior to dinner, the wine appears a deep purple turning garnet after plenty of air with an opaque core. High intensity, medium+ viscosity, a touch of sediment. On the nose, this is a wild carnival for the senses with cherries, mulberries, rhubarb pie, Twin Bing, harissa, kofta, pipe tobacco, oud, teriyaki, and event canned peaches (though only after some time in the glass). On the palate, things are much more modest with a very compelling cherry compote and bright cranberry notes with some tobacco and baking spices. Very primary at this stage. Medium tannin with medium+ acid. The finish long…forever and a day with dried cherries and dates bringing me home. While still an infant, this is shaping up to be a lovely and long-lived vintage of Musar Rouge. Cheers, Serge. Your legacy lives on. — 5 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Pulled from my cellar where is has rested since release. This is a carnival of characters with dark fruit, teriyaki, bacon fat, olive tapenade, moist forest floor, hollowed out decomposing log, leather, coco, and coffee. Tannic still with plenty of acid; the finish is as long as the day. Our assessment, considering the abundant secondary characteristics, that this was on the decline and opening now was a bit of a fortuitous save. And while I don’t disagree that now is the time to drink these wines, Day 2 was noticeable brighter with fresher blue fruits and structure even more pronounced. Overall conclusion, these are far from going dead anytime soon but why wait? This was a fabulous bottle and I’m so pleased we were able to share with a dear friend. — 5 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.3

2019 vintage. Opened and decanted. Tasted after 15 minutes and one hour. Medium body. Sleek and silky intro and mid-palate funneling much of the concentration and carnival into the back-end impressions. Picked up the various chocolates, earth. tobacco and cedar notes just before graduation. Obviously much much too premature but showing serious promise and composure after the first recital. 5.22.26. — a month ago

Nicholas Cotton

10

With Jay and Ted — 5 months ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

This is one of my favorite Lieu-Dit Pommards from Rebourgeon. That nose of kinked out Pommard fruit, super stones always delivers. The lift, the purity, the confectionary aromas. The precision in William’s 23 is just incredible. What a palate! Sweet fruit, oodles of stones, cherry liqueur, such freshness, finesse and precision. Really balanced and just such high quality winemaking. Juicy, tangy, succulent. Nose is like Burgundy goes to the carnival with this kinky, cotton candy confectionery that is off the charts. I have always believed in William and in 2023 he has made the leap. What a brilliant wine. Firm, stoney tannins. — a year ago

Ashley B

9.6

Delish! Goes down easy as a sipper that tastes expensive but was only $18 at Carnival Grocery — 3 years ago

Steven Phillips

9.2

Solid RRV Pinot — 4 years ago

with Drew

Mike R

9.6

Ok it is finally here - the wine nerd herd 5 year reunion has started - in 2016 - the herd met in NYC - there were amazing bonds and friendships developed and are intact to this day and growing 
Initially there was @Carl Fischer @Ron R @Joe Lucca @David L well as myself @Mike R and one other who had such a blast we have decided to this get together as a herd frequently and for most part we have been United and strong even doing zoom tastings whenever 
Not long after the initial conclave in 2016 we traveled and expanded to include @Bill Bender @Shawn R @Eric L. and a true foundation of youth and knowledge @Shay A we have been to Palm Beach, Raleigh, San Diego, San Antonio, Des Moines, Paso Robles and now back to the starting place - NYC - 5 years later 
Get ready New York as the herd is running hard and with purpose in the city that never sleeps 
The picture / posting are two tune up tastings last Saturday with locals in Raleigh as I need practice a) red wines below 50 and b) red wines above 100
Standout to me was the Muga in the less than 50 and in the over 100 - all were good but Paul Hobbs, myriad, switchback ridge, Pulido walker
Of course the krug and aubert were good but maybe not able to keep up 
The carnival of love and Don Melchor were delicious as well but were not equivalent to the Napa cabs that are all world class vineyards and winemakers 
Again I say all this to say training is over and let the games begin in NYC as we have landed 
Thank you @Ron R and @Carl Fischer for hosting the herd and I am stoked 
Bam 💥🐂❤️🍷 — 5 years ago

Ross Fulton

9.0

Quaff this on your carnival ride — 5 years ago