Conrad Green

9.5

Deep fruit. A touch of tang. Some tobacco and dried herbs. Iron and deep fruit. So young given its age. Quite intense. Soulful. Excellent — 4 months ago

with BOT, Jean-Francois and 2 others

Thijs Hendriks

9.5

Blood, iron, autumn leaves. Terra cotta, powdery tannins. Pot pourri, dark cherries and chocolate. Tobacco, sage and pepper. This is an extraordinary harmonious and elegant Chianti with, considering it’s developement, a long life ahead. — 2 years ago

Matt

9.8

Birthday/birth year vibes 😎. Alive, structured, focused and fruit clear still. Muddled black cherry, dried black plum, blackberry fruit leather. Notes of wood smoke, ash, cedar, juniper and pine, toasted oak, lovely sous bois character. Then the spices, cardamom, cinnamon, peppercorn, cloves. Herbals, but very subtle, dried flowers, bay and thyme. Perhaps some mushroom or truffle. Iron, dried beef, jerky, a little hoisin, but perhaps the most alluring is the velvety notes of milk chocolate and mocha throughout, almost coaxing some sweetness out of this wine. It’s upright, postured, and still showing some goods. The acidity is lively, tannins are still holding with a fine firmness, you get the feeling that this has always been a wine with a tight dry finish. Glad to see that has melted a bit. Can sense the chaptalization, but I wouldn’t mark it on that aspect. Cork was impeccable. Certainly in the running for one of the best wines this year, mainly for its contemplative nature and elegant deliciousness. Perfect with homemade tagliatelle, braised lamb shank, and a shit load of perigord truffles. — 4 years ago

Ludovic Anacleto

9.3

I love this vintage now. Cedar, camphor and pine as well as dry roses and pot pourri. Long finish full of elegance. The marker of Pauillac for me is blood sausage/iron/cured meat and here it was just exploding. Great bottle, classic, perfect for a blind tasting. — 6 months ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.3

Tight & closed with dark black currant, graphite, cracked pepper, green bell pepper and an animalistic whiff. With time more fruit comes to the front but also some bay leaf, the graphite turns into stony minerality.
On the palate this is tightly wound around a core of pure black fruit and graphite & iron minerality. Amazing energy & power yet in a closed, quiet way. Gloved. Terrific depth. Love the cloves & bay leaf & rocky minerality in the super long finish.
This is quite profound - and is so very young.
A great wine from an unusual place. Love it! — a year ago

Stephanie Forbes

9.1

Very tasty 2018 Zin we enjoyed with homemade cast iron pizza tonight…DELICIOUS! We loved the fruit forward but nice finish of this wine. This is a great deal for an under $20 wine. Definitely recommend and we will buy again — 3 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.3

Nose has fresh cherry syrup (whole cluster stems and all), cold dark chocolate, moist garden soil and dried unsweetened cranberry.

Palate has dried cherry, fresh cherry, cocoa powder, smoked oak plank, iron-biased soil with medium-firm tannins.

A great village level wine, from a low production vintage, so only the best fruit makes it into a barrel, rejoice!

Cork pulled for a slow ox., about 4h, then ~60m decant, perfect amount of time. Future bottles should be 2024-2030+

A great pairing with a salt-brined, slowly baked turkey, basted with a sage/rosemary/oregano/bay/onion/garlic/celery reduction based around Rodenbach Grand Cru/fish sauce/bone broth sauce, sounds unique, but umami! Delicious. — 5 years ago

Andrew Cullimore

9.3

Medium ruby , garnet core with medium garnet rim . Quite deep and meaty on the nose , liquorice , dried rosemary and bay, spiced balsamic hints . Red cherry , raspberry , beef blood . On the palate really quite strict acidity and gritty tannins , balanced alcohol , those spiced cherry , raspberry , liquorice notes , intense and with good balance . On the good length finish , iron filings and dark tea notes . This shows potential but needs more time , classic and serious . Will improve over the next 5-8 years and last well a further 5-10. — 9 months ago

Mark Farrell

9.9

Second time having this wine. Dark ruby with a nose of blackberries, cassis, violets, and lavender. Also picking up notes of anise and vanilla this time. Perfectly balanced, everyone is playing well together on this wine. The acidity, tannin, and fruit are in perfect harmony across the long, powerful finish. Had to pair this with a nice steak. Did a steak tasting along with this wine. Cast iron seared Snake River Farms(SRF) ribeye medallion, SRF sirloin, and a local grocery store NY strip. I would have expected the ribeye to be the winner, but the sirloin was the favorite for all of us. All that being said the wine paired perfectly. Also had a glass of this wine with my wife’s pot roast the day before and it was divine. Hearty beef is a perfect pairing for this powerful wine. — 2 years ago

Scott Spitzer

10

One of the absolute best pinots I've ever had. Initial aromas of potting soil, dusty raspberry/blackberry, pomegranate seeds, and grapefruit rind. After a few minutes, more earthy aromas such as clay pot emerge, followed by vanilla bean. A few minutes later, it's all dark cherry and cranberry chutney. Amazingly complex and continually evolving. The vanilla cream and soft oak emerges late in the palate. Just wonderful. — 4 years ago