Pitted dark fruits on the nose. Very smooth and elegant feel with the perfect blend of fruit and earth. — 4 days ago
Wow. The timing and oxygen on this bottle requires precision.
At opening there is some alcohol and weirdness that needs to blow off.
Within about 20-30 mins - the wine settles down and then it delivers just as you’d expect. Beautiful flavors.
Leave it out an hour and it begins to turn a bit. — 4 months ago
This wine has a beautiful golden color in the glass. Citrus, apricot, almonds and a floral note define the nose. The palate brings steely acidity and citrus flavors. The acidity is bracing, and the finish is long and delicious. Pair La Bernardine with white meats or seafood of any kind. It also goes nicely with a soft cheese. — 16 days ago
Similar notes, starting to resolve a bit. Alcohol levels are keeping it somewhat unbalanced at the moment. Frankly it’s only getting better, wish the alcohol was a bit lower. — a month ago
Very fine representative of Cote blends… — 3 months ago
I picked up a couple C-H wines last month and this is my second bottle to open following Jaboulet’s Thalbert.
Followed over two days. 91-92 initially, finished at 92-93. Still some room for upside, so scoring accordingly.
From start to finish this was undeniably a more enjoyable wine than the Jaboulet. Day one was a potpurri and floral overload aromatically before ripe dark fruits and green herbs shut it down hard with a wall of tannin at the finish (similar to the Jaboulet). Day two showed what this wine is evolving to be…a softer aromatic profile but so much depth on the mid-palate with lavender, charcoal and dark berries before a finish of black peppered meat. The wine feels well balanced by acid and tannin and the alcohol isn’t obtrusive. Not quite crunchy, but bright and powerful. Lovely C-H from the Chapoutier team. Could cruise another 5+yrs in this same drinking window. — 2 months ago
MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET
Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com
A little bit of reduction on the nose and on the finish. On the nose spicy floral typical northern Rhône Syrah aromas plus a rubber or latex touch. On the palate a little hollow on the mid palate but in a way more quaffable and smoother that way. Medium tannins and a medium+ finish with a dried roses and light geranium touch. Very good quality. #crozeshermitage — 11 days ago