Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.8

Just a stunning bottle. Deep, dark, coiled and incredibly pure, with that unmistakable Hölle combination of fruit intensity, mineral darkness and quiet inner violence. Black cherry, sour cherry, wild raspberry, crushed rock, violets, smoke, earth, iron and spice, but the real story is the texture. This has that dense 2022 core, but it never feels heavy or overblown. It is compact, serious, layered and beautifully proportioned, with tremendous midpalate depth and a finish that keeps expanding instead of simply fading.

What I love here is the tension between ripeness and restraint. There is real fruit, real concentration, real flesh, but the wine is controlled by structure, minerality and site. The tannins are fine but present, the acidity gives it lift, and the whole thing feels like it is moving inward and outward at the same time. Young, obviously, but already compelling. Needs air and will be better with years, but this is a major 2022 German Pinot Noir. Serious, dark, elegant, and absolutely loaded with future.

Day three. Still completely alive, not a thing lost. Creamy, juicy, ripe, sweet-fruited, with the tannins finally calmed down and perfectly integrated. The whole wine has snapped into harmony. I knew it had the guts to go the distance. Fantastic. 9.7 on days 1/2 and 9.8 on day 3. — 2 months ago

Ira Schwartz

9.4

A lunch for the folks who have been extremely generous and influential in my wine journey. Salon always needs 20 + years from vintage. As expected no where near maturity.A shy nose of apple , pear and flint. On the palate more round than linear. Acidity is very good but not as assertive as some previous vintages .A coiled spring. — 3 years ago

with Jason and Richard

Doug

9.3

It's duck horn move on — 4 years ago

Shay A

9.4

This 2017 is less opulent, more compact, and tightly coiled compared to the 2016. Because of that, I followed this wine over two days.

On day one, this was tart and tangy…almost steely and too powerful. Day two saw this blossom and expand on the palate. The tart/tangy vibe is still there but it’s accompanied by a deep richness. Everything about this Chardonnay is lemon driven…lemon oil, lemon scone, powdered lemon tart bar, especially on the nose. There is a nervy vein of acidity at the core carrying notes of pineapple and white peach, but never pushed too far to the ripe side. One of those wines that retains freshness with the richness. If popping now, decant 1-2hrs or hold another few years, and enjoy the 2016 before opening this 2017! — 5 years ago

Jan de Weerd

9.3

Rich red fruit with great depth and well integrated spicy tannins. — 5 years ago

with Tammy

Severn G

9.2

Kicking into a long weekend to celebrate our Country 🇺🇲 and those who have worked to give me the freedom to enjoy this beautiful wine.

Nose has under-ripe peach, lime peel, limestone paste, lemon pith and faint, green herbs.

Palate has day old cut lemon, warmed peach, wet limestone, dried lemon pith, minor tart acidity with a medium finish.

I still think this bottle is looking for more development. Our last check-in was two years ago, doing well then, about the same tonight.

(Note to future self, decant for 2-3h, the wine is coiled, better with air/patience.)

24 Hour Update: Adding a warmed lemon trait on the nose and palate, but palate picks up a pleasing light sweetness on the finish today. Improvement. — 6 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

2023 vintage. Courtesy of @Pinotman /// Andreas. 12.2% ABV. Light-medium body. Slight hint of initial sweetness before casting it off. Obscene amounts of stone fruit flavors on the finishing palate. Clean almost to a fault. Trace amount of petrol made a cameo appearance on the intro after 1.5 hours open. Nice bleep @Pinotman /// Andreas. Thank you again! — 4 months ago

with Pinotman

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.8

Huge spice on the nose. Cinnamon and allspice. Very Volnay 1er cru. Palate is high acid and so juicy but with semi decadent sweet, mid season cherry, stunning freshness. But closed and coiled initially. Now the nose js getting that 4d aspect. High acid, grainy texture, tannins are refined, they come across as lacey, and there is a restrained intensity, So insane. But needs 3-4 hours to get there. I will be back. Finish is epic. After 7 hours this is so epic. Nose is allspice, deep cranberry. Palate is so red fruited and spicey. Very long and unreal tannins but it’s still holding back. — 2 years ago

Conrad Green

9.4

Intense, dense, dark, inky. Dark fruit. Tightly wound. Lead pencil, dark plum, iron. Tightly coiled, to young but good stuff. — 4 years ago

with Chris and David

Alan Weinberg

9.3

an annual purchase over the past decade, there is occasional premox and common price increases, but it is a premier cru that always performs at grand cru level. This bottle is packed, full of citrus and acid, tightly coiled and so promising, such a graceful elegant wine. It’s a 30 year wine that’s just a baby now. — 5 years ago

Michael Greene

9.0

More dark fruited than usual. Tightly coiled. — 5 years ago

Joe DAscoli

9.2

Very good but not the best single vineyard from duck horn — 6 years ago

David Shaw

9.2

Revisiting the vintage; see previous tasting notes. — 6 years ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.6

See previous notes. Less showy today. From one of the top vineyards in the Pfalz Germany. Quite herbaceous, very racy, coiled. Apricots, not overly acidic, minerals galore. Touch bitter. Sour mandarine. Needs 10 years or so. I would leave this alone for now!!! — 7 months ago

Pinotman /// Andreas

9.7

Ultra coiled. Super complex already f-ing awesome as is. Will continue for 2-3 decades. Easily. — 8 months ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Showing very young with notes of lemon, porphyry, some florals but faint and barely ripe apricot. Some confectionary comes through as well. Tightly coiled on the palate but has terrific freshness and just insane acidity. Electricity. Tactile impression of minerals and faint fruit on the backend which dissipated gorgeously. So pure and so sappy. Exceptionally long. Needs to open a lot. But 9.5 for now. Getting more confectionery on the nose after some air. More elegance as well. But fiercely mineral. Almost no fruit. A contrast to last time I had this. — 4 years ago

Alan Weinberg

9.4

damn fine but so young. Like an incredible coiled spring draped with acidity and fruit—orange, apricot, apple, so much potential. It’s so tight it’s almost scary to drink. Like handling TNT. A wow wine. — 4 years ago

Shay A

9.5

I double decanted this for about an hour then consumed from bottle over the next three.

I’ve had most of the Saxum offerings, but I don’t think I’ve had Broken Stones before, yet it’s just absolutely killer like every other Saxum I’ve had. Deeply purple/black in the glass with aromatics of roasted blueberries and blackberries that are then dipped in dark chocolate, alongside smoked meat. I never know how else to describe it, but certain high quality Paso Rhône style blends have this airy/weightless-jammy flair to them, which I love…definitely present here. Coiled up at first but as the evening moved on, the layers kept unfolding with notes of charcoal, spiced dark fruits, cherry jerky. Perfect balance of acidity & tannin.

Best in 2-3yrs, but quite enjoyable with 3-4hrs of air now. — 5 years ago

LM Segal

9.7

Despite a 2+ hr decant this was a coiled titanium spring. Shy nose gave only wafts of schist (full of schist?), and led the palate with steely black fruit. I watched Zach Snyder’s Justice League last night. This Musigny is Superman’s new black suit. Power and force. Timeless. Impenetrable. Awesome. Don’t touch this for at least 10 years. 🙏 my friend! — 5 years ago

Jan de Weerd

9.2

Nice ripe dark fruit with a dusty edge. Very enjoyable with bbq beef ribs! — 6 years ago

with RoAnne and Tammy