ESF

9.1

very pleasant, elegant, all kinds of cherry, raspberry and red currant on nose, some red florals, spice and an herbal note. great varietal typicity w/out carbonics - legit, classic style, has many more years ahead, mild tannins and decent acidity make this versatile for food options — 25 days ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 2012 pours a hazy garnet color with a translucent core; medium viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of tart and ripe mixed fruits: raspberry, pomegranate, strawberry, Bing cherry, licorice, horse blanket, forest floor and rocky minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. This finish is long. A wild wine; literally and figuratively. Teeters on the edge of being too careless but it doesn’t cross over into the realm of gerbil cage. Drink now. — 5 months ago

Yaw Awuku

9.5

Aged 8 years and introduced itsself with wonderfully dense aromas of dark fruits and forest floor. Fresh and peppery on the palte, but in a very smooth way. Dark fruits and black cherry. Finely grained mineralic Texture and a long, long finish! — 2 years ago

Jack Petras

9.4

Having this 2022 with a Montreal grilled pork chop and a fresh local tomato basil mozzarella salad and it has been one of the perfect pairings of all time. The wine is a little young but comes into its own with the pork. Black petrified forest stones with just picked raspberries and tart morello cherries. A hint of Bret in the background which enh the interest without ever competing with the fruit and wet stones. Outstanding with at least 4 years ahead if it — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Poured into a decanter about an hour prior to service; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2010 pours a hazy garnet/purple color with a translucent core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of tart, ripe and desiccated fruits: blackberries, black licorice, horse blanket, some animale, mushrooms, forest floor, rocky earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. It has been eight years since I last enjoyed this vintage of the VV and it continues to age with a lot of grace. Drink now through 2030+. — 4 months ago

Jay Kline

9.1

“La Rochelle” is a 5ha lieu-dit in Moulin-à-Vent with a reputation for making wines that have great potential for aging. This is but a wee babe. Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Slightly better on Day 2. The 2022 pours a ruby purple with medium viscosity and some staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of ripe red and black fruit: desiccated raspberries, black cherry, pomegranate, flowers, dried herbs, a touch of barnyard, warm spices, and rocky earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and slightly spicy. This is really high quality juice. Bravo. Drink now through 2042. — 8 months ago

Evan Karp

9.2

3rd bottle from a rare auction purchase. Deeply earthy, loads of red and blue fruit. Lavender, white pepper. Delicious. — 3 months ago

Sarah O'Kelley

9.5

My second time rating this Wine lol but this time with much more age: it has a lot going on! Classic Chenin on nose & palate: sun warmed, straw, Parmesan, bruised Apple, lemon zest, and of course, loads of acid & minerality! — 4 months ago

Pooneet K

9.0

Forgot to take detailed notes, but this was nice. Not really any carbonic / natural / “new agey”notes, just a solid classically made gamay. Definitely has some structure, opened 4 hours before serving which was good. Didn’t sing on any one dimension of fruit / earth / acid / length / texture but was nice overall. — 6 months ago

Ted

9.2

Ripe cherries and plums, fresh herbs and flowers. Will try again in a few years. — 2 years ago

with Jeni