Feral

Ziereisen

Gestad Syrah 2018

Lyle Fass
9.5

Really come out of its shell. Meaty, feral and minty nose. Also so much limestone and it’s so prevalent. Such a great nose. 50% N Rhone, 50% Baden. Palate is fresh and energetic with terrific intensity and gorgeous early season blackberry fruit and just insane juiciness. Powdery tannins and extraordinary fruit character. This is an easy 9.5 and will only improve over the days and hours. Now this is something with air and had a glorious velvety texture and melty tannins. — 2 months ago

Ray, Spencer and 7 others liked this

Domaine Jean-Claude Marsanne

Saint-Joseph Syrah 2019

Lyle Fass
9.4

Meaty, minty and peppery nose. Wow. So gamey and bloody. Pedal to the medal St. Joseph. Ultra traditional stuff here. Lots of olive and all on a serious granitic background. Palate is elegant and so refined but also has a wild side in that it’s super gamey, olivey and very supple and has good red berry sweetness. Really clean. These wines get cleaner every year without losing their feral edge. Very fine tannin. Also some youthful austerity. Needs air. I will be back. As this opens up exotic tea scents. Maybe oolong and Puer-eh. Great concentration and super silky and long. This is so good. 19 is also best vintage since 15. — a year ago

Ben, Severn and 12 others liked this
Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

Very old-school producer. Very old-schools stylings. Phenomenal bleep.
Lyle Fass

Lyle Fass Influencer Badge Premium Badge

@vinokeeno thanks! love that old school almost ancient style.

Domaine Vincent Paris

Crozes-Hermitage Syrah 2018

Deep and browsing this feral wine had 🥩 in spades. — 2 years ago

Brent, Kyle and 1 other liked this
Kyle Harvey

Kyle Harvey

If you can find a CH with some elevation and good grapes 👍

Domaine Gerard Courbis

Vieilles Vignes St. Joseph Syrah 2021

Lyle Fass
9.5

Hugely reduced out of the gates. Wow huge sulfur. Palate is red fruited, silky and so supple. Needs mega mega air. Wow what a nose now with air. Olive explosion. feral, meaty, charcuterie and so classic. Palate is so fresh, energetic and silky. So so supple. Amazing purity. Nose still not quite there but it’s going to get there. So silky and such refined tannins. Substantial but refined. Amazing presence. — 3 months ago

Daniel, Scott@Mister and 10 others liked this

Domaine Bernard Gripa

Cuvée Le Berceau St. Joseph Syrah 2021

Lyle Fass
9.6

I adore 2021. Insane wine. Nose is feral, herbal and gamey and so expressive for a young Berceau. Red fruits galore with unreal clarity and depth. Granite aromas but expressed in a floral way as they are so expressive. Quite layered and so elite. A knockout nose and that’s just as the bottle is opened. Maybe 3-5% black fruits but barely black. Wow what a palate. Rich yet focused and with maybe 75% red and 25% black fruits but beguiling freshness and velvety, high quality tannins. Wow the nose after a fresh pour is 9.8. Palate has substantial grip, tannins and structure and is imposing but not like a warmer vintage expression of Le Berceau. It’s got velvety, molten tannins that are perfectly ripe and the fruit is mid season red berries and such incredibly realized red fruits with just insane clarity. Infused with herbs and crushed granite and the finish goes on forever. But needs air and my score will go higher.

Nose is now smokey and meaty. Wild flowers and mint. So complex and intense. Palate is so fresh and energetic with red cherry and classic flavors and loads of mineral intensity. Really elegant and stunning texture. So much energy. Wow. 9.5 to 9.6.
— 4 months ago

Rob, Peter and 11 others liked this

Guillaume Gilles

Les Peyrouses Côtes du Rhône AOC Red Rhone Blend 2015

Cellar raid #23 - mini Cornas from GG - brooding, becoming feral, still young. — 2 years ago

Kyle, Ted and 1 other liked this
Ted Corvey

Ted Corvey

Does one become feral or are they born that why? Can some grapes be tamed?

Domaine Jean-Jacques Girard

Les Fichots Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Pinot Noir 2017

Lyle Fass
9.4

Darker more complex nose than the Vergelesses. So good. Big ripe mid season cherry, so much sinewy earthy diet, spice and it smells more structured and concentrated. So complex. Just a symphony of Pernand. Complex and structured and more obviously young than the Les Vergelesses. So sappy and pure with a dark and bright cherry fruit profile at the same time. Long, sinewy, feral, spicey and complex. Amazing purity, depth, structure and concentration. So deep. This will age gorgeously for the next 10-15 years. — 4 years ago

Mark, Keith and 10 others liked this

Malacari

Villa Malacari Rosso Conero Montepulciano 2017

With 7 years age, a tamed beast that always delights me. Have no idea what they do the Sangiovese to make it so feral & alive. Very dark black fruits. Slight frizzante & ping pong tannins. Let it develop in glass so you can taste how the fireworks morph. This wine has been around for a while,& I always have fun with it. Great QPR too. — 5 months ago

Severn, Pinotman and 3 others liked this
Tom Casagrande

Tom Casagrande Influencer Badge

Conero has to be 85% or higher of Montepulciano grape with 15% or less Sangiovese. The dark earthy berry character reflects the Montepulciano component most likely. I love Coneros when they’re traditionally made (and not overripe and overoaked, which unfortunately is common there). This one sounds delicious! I will look for it!
Peter Sultan

Peter Sultan Influencer Badge

I doff my cap, @Tom Casagrande ! So I got off my lazy etc*#%* & yes, it’s actually 100% Montepulciano aged in big botti. 🙏 love that we are actually reading each others posts!

Mas de Boislauzon

Tintot Special Cuvée Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red Rhone Blend 2015

We pulled this from our cellar and brought it to V. Mertz for dinner. We enjoyed a couple of other wines as aperitifs and then ultimately did what anyone given the opportunity should do: pair it with lamb chops. We poured it into a decanter while we enjoyed the conversation and opening courses. Given the setting, there were no formal notes however, I can confidently report that the 2015 “Tintot” absolutely slaps. From the first sip to the last, it was all balance, power and class. It was also a spectacular showcase for Mourvèdre. It was hard to fully judge color because the lighting was so low but it appeared to be nearly opaque. A touch feral with a slightly gamey element to it but there’s a great big ol’ basket of black and blue fruits with red and purple flowers, garrigue, some black pepper and cedar chest. Structure is still quite firm but totally enjoyable. While this is an unusual assemblage for the region, it still comes across as a wine from Chateauneuf-du-Pape. This was my first “Tintot” and it has left quite the impression. Drink now with an hour decant or over the next 7-10 years. P.S. it probably goes without saying, but the pairing with lamb chops was sublime. — 2 years ago

Severn, Daniel and 8 others liked this

Maryline et Christophe Billon

Vieilles Vignes Cote Rotie Syrah 2015

Lyle Fass
9.6

Just insane. Raspberry fruit cake, spice, florals, meats, savory, lavender, gamey, blackberry, perfumed, hint of a feral edge, omg, so concentrated and sweet. Terrific ripe tannins. Such purity. Deep. What texture. — 4 years ago

Josh, Arden and 8 others liked this