Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I remember when the 2005 Pichon Lalande was reviewed by RP, 89. I saw that & said, you would have to get in the way of the 2005 Bordeaux vintage to be that sad. I still bought 6 at a bargain basement price. A very good idea post 20 yrs+. Both Pichon’s don’t have a modern day history of getting in the way of a good vintage.

I also bought this one. 18 yrs in bottle and still acending. This will hold 5 more yrs and will last another 10 yrs properly stored.

I have visited Bordeaux 11 times. This chateau visually is still my favorite. It was showing a picture of this chateau to Sofia that launched our first visit. Sofia loved it and we have stared at it multiple times on every visit.

It was in our visit in 2007, I stood in the estate vineyard, looked & tasted their soils. After doing so, I said, “I get it.” I understood everything about what I was tasting in Left Bank Bordeaux’s early in my wine journey.

Sofia and I had dinner w/ Christian Moueix not long after the 2005 vintage was hyped/released. She asked him, when did you know you had something special?” He said, “as soon as I tasted the fruit at harvest.”

Tonight, it shows that it is a close relative, a sibling to Pichon Longueville. Cork, perfect.

The nose shows; classic left bank traits. Ripe, dark, brooding fruits, bright, mid berries, red cola, leather, tobacco, sandalwood, leather, led pencil, dark rich earth, limestone, dry river stone, hint of mushrooms, dark, red, fresh & withering florals.

The fruits on the palate show everything outstanding from the 2005 growing season. Ripe, juicy, brilliant; dark currants, blackberries, black raspberries, black plum skin, black cherries, baked/poached strawberries & some hovering raspberries. Dark chocolate bar to pudding, red cola, anise, dark spices w/ palate heat, dark, rich earth w/ dry leaves, pronounced graphite, dry tobacco, leather, limestone, dry twig, dry river stone, moist clays, moist herbs, cedar to sandalwood, withering & dry, dark flowers, red roses, some lavender & violets, beautiful rainfall acidity, excellent; balance, tension, structure, length w/ an elegant finish that lasts minutes and lands on spice & earth.

13.4 ABV. Nice.

#TheTwoHourRibcap

This held up vacuumed sealed the same night, refrigerated & enjoyed exactly a week later. — 5 months ago

Doug Powers

9.1

From goblet-trained old-vine Clairette in Lirac (vineyard was “planted before 1870) on a hill overlooking the Rhône on the west side of the river, this lovely white wine shows honey and minerals, also some very nice acidity to balance, Clairette (which I adore) rarely shows the more viscous textural notes I get from southern Rhône Blancs that are mostly Roussanne and/or Marsanne (the latter mostly found in the northern Rhône), very good finish, lovely wine!!
I have actually walked this vineyard (6 years ago), the gnarled old vines are a pretty cool sight!! — a year ago

with Jim

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Is this the best wine in Beaujolais? I think so. Super refined and complex nose of leather, dark cherries, earth and mineral. A lipstick like intensity. Saline and mineral. Just a stunning refined and complex nose that defies the appellation. Palate is round, elegant and concentrated, with such grace and nimbleness. Amazing elegant and delicate structure suggests this has a decade or more. Wonderful long finish. Grand Cru all the way. A stunning wine and I can’t wait to see how it opens. — 4 years ago

Charles York

9.1

Tart apple, white flower. Clean, crisp limestone like finish.

Interesting wine. Definitely not Meursault-like, blind I would have went chassagne. I might be a bit low on the rating, often I need a couple of tries on wines like this that taste different than expectation of location. At Hestia — 4 years ago

Diana Cohen

9.5

We had at Apicius , amazing , smooth a hint of oak but rounded and easy to drink — 5 years ago

Roman Boudou

9.5

Larissa 30.. — 5 months ago

Vino Joe

9.3

Nice minerality and some oily complexity but a bit more limited. Light flowery touches. — 7 months ago

Daniel Jara

9.5

Vinazo ! Mi nuevo preferido, silky and smooth, redondo, taninos presentes , complejo — 9 months ago

romo

9.2

Sweetness trumping most finish notes. Cider-y in the best way. — a year ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.4

This was even better on day 2 Notes from K&L, 88-acre estate, Château de Montfaucon sits just across the Rhône River from the esteemed vineyards of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It is owned and operated by Rodolphe de Pins, a UC Davis graduate and former member of the winemaking staff at Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe. Over the years, Château de Montfaucon has developed a HUGE following among both our staff and customers.The vines for the Mme la Comtesse vineyard were planted in the 1870s (that's not a typo). These old gnarly vines with their highly restricted yields produce some of the richest most concentrated Clairette in the entire Rhône Valley. Planted on a mix of sand, clay and pudding stones, this wine is the essence of sleek minerality. A touch of barrel fermentation adds volume and structure. The flavors resonate with ripe stone fruit flavors and white flowers, a touch of fennel pollen rounds out the finish. This reminds us of Château de Beaucastel's Châteauneuf Vieilles Vignes Blanc which sells for well over $100 a bottle. This is just as limited and just as cool for under $50. — 3 years ago

Daniel Bloom

9.2

N; like violet pastilles. Swampy funk, blows off, stones, interesting blue/black
with a touch of garrigue.
P:Lithe, somewhat saline upon entry,
trips over the tongue, such nice mouthfeel. Blackberries, slightly prickly tannins, this wine could go 10 more years. The panoply of flavors hints at tomato leaf, black fruits, with that ever present chewy tannin structure lurking.
Mind you, we PnP this one.
I could drink this …a…long ….time — 4 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Yes, these guys do Beaujolais in a Bordeaux bottle.

Great nose features ripe cherry and berries, along with a rich, humus-like earthy note and scents of old barrels. Fruity but fairly structured in the mouth. Significant tannin frames the sultry, oozy fruit. Initially, it’s a little austere in the finish (a la the region whose bottle shape is used), but more fruit comes through as it gets air. Unique and very good. — 5 years ago

Doug Powers

9.2

This Lirac blanc is 40% Marsanne, 35% Clairette, 20% Grenache Blanc, and 5% Picpoul — the Marsanne really shows out, the Grenache Blanc adds some fatness, while the Picpoul adds some nice bracing acidity, this has long been one of my favorite southern Rhone whites, this really shows the richness and power of the 2022 vintage, lovely!! — 7 months ago

with Jim

Robert Swart

8.9

Very good! Fruitier than other champagnes. — 9 months ago

David Dranit

9.3

2005 drunk in 2025. Delicious even though the cork crumbled. Gorgeous color, full body, a bit grassy and green apple. — 9 months ago

Riccardo L.

8.9

Tastes like FIFA club World Cup. A disorganized mess. But pretty good. — a year ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.0

Floral, with some darkness and bitterness on the palate. Quite a bit of volume and texture. — 3 years ago

Conrad Green

9.2

Light oyster shells, lime, limestone, salinity. Light and pretty and long — 4 years ago

with Gregg

TwiLea Fletcher

8.9

01/14/22
Here comes the ❄️…. Maybe.
Meanwhile we bring our own wine. It’s chilled a bit more than we’d like….. but after a bit it’s very palatable. — 4 years ago

with Neal

vin vin

9.3

Great ripasso — 5 years ago