Austin Hohnke

9.3

Firecracker. This is gonna be really exciting in a few years time. Volcanoes are in. — 9 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.6

If I put this in a blind red tasting, I’m pretty sure that many would not call Bordeaux. Rarely do I call perfectly ripe fruit. This 05 fruit is perfectly ripe. I would say this 05 is at its peak it is so good but it truly isn’t. This D’Issan has 12-15 years left of good drinking with a 5 year slide after. 2005 Bordeaux’s are drinking exceptionally as it was perceived when they were birthed. Three hour decant.

The wine glides effortlessly & beautifully over the palate. It is delicious. Ripe, floral, not quite candied fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherry kirsch, black plum, strawberries & blue fruits. Mid berry cola/licorice, black tea, softened lead pencil, dry crushed rocks, dry river stone, limestone, mostly fresh tobacco, firecracker, flinty spices, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, just moist, dark turned earth, drying clay, volcanic stones & ash, loaminess, dry to slightly fresh mixed herbs, sandstone, sandalwood, some black pepper, red, purple, dark, blue florals framed in violets, Hawaii waterfall acidity with a well polished, balanced, nicely tensioned & structured finish that lasts minutes. Wire to wire outstanding.

It is interesting reading the multiple RP reviews after my notes…from 90-92 young by Neil Martin to his 94 later & then Parker himself in 2015 a 96. Not surprising that time in bottle is constant evolution and worth the wait in proper storage. @D&SLounge — 3 years ago

Ely Cohn

9.1

Glowing firecracker, deep embers.

Sonoma green with one part cool climate lean, one part fudgey rich, thick and viscous.

Cedar cherry cola nose with accents of wild strawberry, cinnamon and Hot Tamales. Chewy chocolate mouth with an upfront sweet note - raisins and dates and then a finish of woodsy green rosemary stems. — 4 years ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.8

Speechless…
Guigal La Doriane meets Aubert Ritchie and then back to Chapoutier l’Oree.
Monumental wine showing mesmerizing notes of tropical fruit and flowers. Deep, rich and intense. Pine-Apple and papaya, firecracker, ginger and candied lemon. Such an impressive and heavy-handed wine… yet Its fantastic acidity makes this is so complete, so hedonistic, so cerebral….
Just great.. 🤙🏻 — 4 years ago

Michelle M

9.4

Black cherry, prunes, blackberry bushes, cocoa powder, burnt toast, and firecracker smoke on the nose. Similar notes on the palate, short juicy finish but slightly chalky tannins linger quite a while. Had more the next day, it’s changed quite a bit. Smoke smells are tempered, cherry smells are stronger. Same with the palate - stronger fruit, softer wood influences. Mouthfeel is still juicy but more polished, astringent fruits and spicy tannins on the finish decrescendo more slowly and skillfully, and a touch of Szechuan peppercorns linger a long time. Had to bump up my rating. Definitely recommend opening the bottle a day prior to drinking
— 5 years ago

Ira Schwartz

9.2

Citrus and fading oak on the nose. In the mouth it reminded me of sushi as this bottle was all about texture. Sat in your mouth but then started to build like a firecracker with a long fuse. Slowly citrus flavors and nut flavors are joined by apple skins and sets up camp on your tongue. Squats there but never explodes . — 8 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

This is my second time with the 2021 “Chambrees” by Caroline Morey and this time, it was a firecracker. Powerful notes of apples, star fruit, lemons and limes, marzipan, chalk and limestone. The acid was rippin’. The finish was extraordinarily long and complex. A banger. Drink now through the next decade. — 2 years ago

Ely Cohn

9.2

Firecracker strawberry with a slippery slide: quiet to bold.

Humming strawberries, white pepper, and thyme, then something spicier, deeper, candied, rich & savory. — 3 years ago

Ely Cohn

9.4

So pretty it's unfair. Sitting there like a lil' firecracker pumpkin ale in a burnt orange sun.

Thin, but chewy. Jammy fruit, spice, and pretty florals. Apricot marmalade peppered with cinnamon dust and nutmeg, brittle butterscotch and rose water.

For when anyone's wine bored or needs convincing that Orange isn't all sour stale mimosa. — 3 years ago

Geoff Franz

9.3

Straight firecracker. Intensely aromatic nose that's so fruit-forward its almost fruit loops. Medium plus acidity. Just a joy to drink. — 4 years ago

William Paley

9.3

water candy, rose, caramel, grapefruit skin, firecracker, white pepper, garment dust, red hots — 4 years ago

with Jess

Ely Cohn

9.3

Rose with no inferiority complex. Pradeaux is rich and exciting. A glowing firecracker. Haribo Cherry gummies - oily, the freshly opened kind. Then classic notes - red ripe strawberries, raspberries, blood orange, Vietnamese cinnamon. Rosemary and thyme sneak right in.

Big, round, a complete circle. — 5 years ago

Willem Booij

9.6

This is a firecracker of a wine! Very soft and open with a enormous length. Love the fat, spicy taste. This is pure silk and now very enjoyable. — 6 years ago

gino CapitalG

Round Pond Wine & Olive oil educator/sales

9.3

Really nice and perfect for my wife bday. Happy 4th to my firecracker wife. #bubbles — 8 years ago

Ely Cohn

9.3

Color of dried orange peel or Hot Tamales. Beautiful little firecracker.

Smells oxidized, though crisp in the mouth. A duality of candy and fresh fruit, like biting into a caramel apple. Deep, and whole, and very appley indeed. Also dried apricots and butterscotch and fresh peach.

A deep, complex wine that could go the million and one directions of a human mind. — 2 years ago

Greg Strong

9.0

Typical Provence rose with summer berries and mineral nose which follows on the palate. Paired well and tamed the grilled firecracker salmon. — 3 years ago

Ely Cohn

9.1

A .75X slow swirl, finding the deepest bottom corners of my glass. I like my dinner Rose' moving just a little slower, with a little extra weight.

Steely cool to the core with soft aromas of sour green strawberry and rose hips. Bandol weight and Chablis level acid. Smells cool, pours firecracker hot and livens up in the glass. Lingering acid, the kind that needs a good squeeze from tight clusters of red berries - tiny strawberries and cranberries and red currant.

Sour stuff. Stays and stays, a good reminder that it's cold in Sancerre. — 3 years ago

Brent Young

9.5

Sweaty Animals? Yes please

DAY 1
👃Complex. Distinctive. Amazing. Charcoal, pepper, sweet dark cherries, smoke, barnyard, sweaty animals, earth, garrigue & violets
👅Full bodied. Complex. Balanced. Purple/red fruit, thyme, licorice & pepper. Silky. Finishes with mod+ tannic pull. Delicious
Note: With time in the glass the nose and palate lost some focus and animation. Still drinking well but probably lost 2-3 points

The remaining wine was Slow Decanted in my refrigerator

DAY 12
Slow Decanting this wine did not improve this wine. Just as with Day 1, letting the wine aerate resulted in less intensity. The wine did not develop any faults and was still a very nice glass. It just wasn’t the firecracker it was on first pour

Verdict: A fantastic wine. It was best as soon as it was poured on Day 1. I would not decant this wine or give it extra time in the glass.

Question: I have noticed this with many CdPs in the past. They do not do well with aeration. And it seems particularly true of wines with more structure. Anyone else notice this? — 4 years ago

Michelle M

9.7

Softly polished subtle notes of summer berry bushes, firecracker smoke, faint hints of prunes, pine bark, and candy cane in the bouquet. Prune juice, tart cherry, vanilla extract with strong chalky tannins puckering the tongue.... stronger blackberry and softer tannins emerge after a full 24 hours (!) in the decanter. Always a fun little adventure to smell and taste this one. — 5 years ago

Emily Virgil

9.6

Delicious, peppery firecracker 🧨 of a wine!! — 7 years ago