Ira Schwartz

10

Wine stimulates our sense of smell and taste but in this case it also created a tidal wave of emotion. Through a tremendous act of generosity a dear friend shared this special bottle when he heard me lament I was not able to secure a bottle of wine to celebrate my mother’s 100 birthday. My friend stood the bottle up for several days. We decided it made sense to PnP. As you can see the cork was intact and the color of the wine defied its age. The excitement to take that first sniff was overwhelming for me. Old but alive scents wowed me. Lots of tobacco, leaves, leather and dried fruit. In the mouth those same scents were transferred to my palate thanks to a tsunami of acid. At about the one hour mark the wine quickly entered a death spiral. I cannot imagine another bottle of wine that will ever conjure up that amount of emotion and happiness. When I described my experience to my mom, a very broad smile came over her face. A blessing to share this experience with my mom and a privilege to taste a wine like this. — a month ago

with Richard

Alex LeKid

9.4

Wow... we had
"Onice" their entry level and were surprised... we decided then to carry the higher end... what a stunning surprise! This tempranillo is pitch black ! So bold! You even can't imagine a tempranillo that deep and intense! When you uncork it... the stain is black... and after... the dream start! One of my favorite wine so far, for the taste and feel but also for the "wow" effect. Congratulation for the brilliant wine maker — 2 years ago

Paul T HB

9.4

64% Cab 30% Merlot 3 % cab franc 3 % Petit Verdot 90 points across the board on release, time heals all wounds!
K&L notes as follows.
Another $45.00 Steal

I often imagine the vine as a family tree, stretching back centuries, in this case, to 1550 or so, when La Louvière acquired its name from the many hungry wolves (louves) that roamed the deep forests of the Graves, well before the construction of the elegant 18th century chateau that adorns the label of this flagship wine. This brief history lesson makes me appreciate even more the imposing qualities of the 2005 La Louvière, a wine with a lot of time on its hands. Firm and taut as a young wolf, with the strong heart to endure and improve for a decade or more, gracefully maturing into a benchmark Pessac-Léognan, stylish and fleshier, more supple and savoury as the willful tannins are further seduced by the dark and persuasive fruit. If you really can't wait, then bite the cork, figuratively, and decant for an hour before enjoying with gently-braised lamb shanks. — 3 years ago

Will Stanley

9.4

A gift from my old man for my thirtieth birthday this year. My last experience with this wine was the 2001, enjoyed around ten years ago. I described then how the wine lived up to its popular reputation. Happy to reaffirm that feeling with this 1994, that is an absolutely gorgeous, captivating wine that ticks every box one may have for older Rioja. It marries sweet with sour in that way that the best wines from this region do, a medley of ripe blueberries with sour cherry; bitter orange, coconut, balsamic, tobacco and cranberry. The finish is long, with flecks of sweetness that beg you for another sip. I would imagine that Faustino produce in excess of a million bottles of this stuff, given the size of their holdings, which only impresses me even more that it turns out so well. — 3 months ago

Ryan Kravitz

10

Perfect perfect perfect, paired with homemade steak Withe the sheer grace of the planets stars clusters and busters in the universe there is a home inside the hole of holes. Deep deep deeper than you think or possibly could imagine a man soaks in the joy and felicity that his life can offer. He is picking jars full of his neighbors beeswax and plucking petunias for his underarm odor. why is it too late to fall into love and lust at the ready age of 98? but not too late to pass away or fall into total oblivion what purpose is it to prove chronological order of hierarchical needs true when the people do not get fed or pleased in a way they agree — 2 years ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

9.3

1630 bottles produced
Old school natural wine
Niccolaini was the avant-garde of the movement without ever being in it himself.
I got told stories of a farm with no electricity perhaps a decade ago or so
Massa Vecchia is appreciated for all its labels and you can find out which one is your favourite
Personally i am not a rose drinker, but i knew i wasn't going to be disappointed here
This is more like a Valentini cerasuolo d'Abruzzo, but even more extract, i dare to say if you sell this wine for a red nobody would argue.
It's funky to start, it gives you cola and china and its fresh and fun, plus very long and mineral.
Quite earthy perhaps not a precise fruit to define, but real good altogether
For my understanding this is the last vintage made by Niccolaini' daughter in law as a winemaker and i keep a bottle of the next vintage..i am very curious to how he has come back to his captain seat. — 3 years ago

Jim McCusker

9.1

This one took a while to figure out. One of those wines where you’re not sure if it’s corked or not. I always let those sit for ~10min: if it’s corked it will get worse, and if not it should improve. This one definitely improved, with that initial funkiness on the nose evolving into more of a burnt cigar aroma you sometime get in older cool-climate syrahs. I personally prefer The Dare from 2009, but this was an interesting one to sample over time. — 4 years ago

with Vanessa

Guillermo Ntwari

8.9

Jean Paul Daumen 2016: Imagine taking a stroll through a whimsical French garden, with each sip revealing layers of flavor like a treasure hunt for your taste buds. It's as if the grapes themselves orchestrated a symphony of deliciousness in this bottle. With its charming complexity and tantalizing finish, it's an 8.9 out of 10 enchanting delight that'll have you saying "oui, s'il vous plaît" for another glass! — a year ago

Shay A

9.7

Drinking at the source…Les Avises restaurant at Jacques Selosse. Home for the weekend at Hoteles Avises.

Bucket list wine for me and it lived up to the hype. I love the Selosse champagnes for their oxidative profile and was curious how a rosé would drink made in that same manner…just a hint of sherry in the glass before an absolute tidal wave of flavor and power. Dried apricot, plum, cranberry and orange marmalade out of the gate. There is a sweet/savory roller coaster showing red flowers and shortbread before a pink sea salt and truffle spice arrives. Texturally, it’s commanding but so cerbreal. If you enjoy Egly Ouriet’s rosé, imagine more depth and complexity and you’ve got it. Stunning rosé and the best rosé champagne I’ve had. — a year ago

Aaron Tan

9.4

"How many bottles do you have left?"

Now imagine the nagging I received when I told her that it’s the only bottle we got, and that the importers have since sold out. I guess I should have expected this when my wife was quick to claim that it smelled like the perfume I got her for Christmas the moment the cork was pulled - anybody familiar with Le Labo's Rose 31? I thought it may have been her perfume itself, but alas, she wore none during dinner. Gosh, it really does smell like decaying roses, wood-spice, and musk. Swirl the glass and I was instantly hit with high-toned cherries, tinged with liquorice. Oh, so ethereal on the palate, yet so intensely flavoured. Gorgeous red fruits, earthy nuances, silky texture, and a bright acidity that carries the pure and energetic finish. What a wine!

Not hard to see why my wife’s smitten with this wine - I clearly am too. Thankfully, while I’ve failed with stockpiling on the Rosso, I did secure some of Stella’s Brunello for the household. Now it’s just the arduous task of explaining to her that it’s all cut from the same cloth without popping open one too early. — 3 years ago