Mario Vaillancourt

9.1

Opened with slow oxygenation for 5 hours before tasting. Palate is expressive and changes nicely in the glass all night, very floral, violets and still some varietal Syrah scents and profile despite the 15 years. Palate is medium bodied, freshness is there, the tannins have melted and are of very nice texture, the medium plus length finale ends with some peppery and flowery tones. Nice but expected a little more. 90-91

Ouvert 5 heures avant dégustation en retirant le bouchon seulement. Un nez aromatique et évoluant très bien dans le verre, floral, violettes et montrant assez peu d’évolution. La bouche de texture soyeuse est assez fraîche, des tannins fondus, c’est fin et assez élégant sans être très complexe, une finale de longueur de niveau moyenne plus sur de jolis accents floraux et poivrés. Très bien mais je m’attendais à un peu plus. — 9 days ago

Severn Goodwin

9.4

Nose has grilled lemon, squeezed lemon, light warm caramel, candied lemon, bruised white peach, distant wood smoke, dried pineapple, butterscotch candy, light roasted hazelnut and wilted yellow flowers.

Palate has braised lemon, toffee sauce, candied pineapple, warm vanilla cremé, honey drizzle on baked yellow apple, pineapple puree, ripe apricot and dry crushed rock. Plenty of acidity and powerful forever finish, a striking wine, amazing.

Cork pulled for a slow oxidation at 3h then a 1.5h decant and the wine is really singing!

Paired to braised chicken thighs with a paprika/nutmeg/rosemary spice rub, shallots, garlic, mushrooms & apricots, plated over jasmine rice... delicious! — 7 days ago

Willie Carter

8.9

A vibrant light yellow with a really nice mousse. Tons of tiny bubbles, nice effervescence going on. The bouquet is packed with complexity and deep citrus aromas. Pears and apple pie start things off with warm bread coming in later. A nice touch of smoke complimented by minerality and grapefruit.

Disgorged on 3/19 after spending over two years on lees, this is wonderfully crisp and focused. Moderate dosage with a generous amount of reserve wines used for TGIF cuvée. It punches far above its weight as a NV entry level bottle, there’s real depth and harmony here.

Medium to full bodied with outrageously wonderful acidity. The star of the show. The palate shows more citrus and minerality. Delicate white flowers and green apples show out here. Nice length and structure. Terrific stuff. — 9 days ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.3

The wine is a beauty with so much substance and layers but it was clearly not yet ready. Oak is very prevalent and not yet integrated. Although 2009 is often a very forward and open-knit vintage, this baby needs much more time to integrate. — 4 days ago

Mario Vaillancourt

9.2

Nice red fruits, cherries in particular and some black currant too, the nose as well as the palate has a touch of smoke or toasted scents but still the new oak treatment is not too prominent for my taste. It is very young but approachable with fine grained tannins and a nice acidity, the balance of that medium plus bodied palate with all elements is good, gorgeous fruit and decent length. 91-92

Au nez, magnifiques fruits rouges, cerises entre autres, un peu de cassis, une touche de boisé, légèrement toasté mais à peine. Ce beau fruit est très présent en bouche avec une belle acidité et les tannins sont de belle texture, des grains assez fins, une bouche avenante malgré la jeunesse et avec une puissance contenue, une belle fraîcheur, un bel équilibre et une finale sur des fruits très légèrement acidulés, avec toutefois une longueur correcte sans plus. — 9 days ago

Mario Vaillancourt

9.1

Discrete nose and palate but open ip nicely with air on dark and red fruits, very pure, medium plus bodied, structure and linear palate on a long powerful finish, very nice but not cheap.

Nez discret au départ tout comme la bouche mais s’ouvre et se bonifie avec beaucoup de temps dans le verre. Fruits rouges et noirs bien présents et très purs, une belle structure et droiture en bouche après un départ qui semblait mince mais qui ne l’est pas du tout finalement. Très beau mais pas donné. — 18 hours ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.3

Pale lemon color with fine creamy mousse and rapid bubble flow, spent 54 months resting on Lee’s in their underground caves. Medium intensity aromas of stone fruits, blossom, bread dough and citrus. On the palate flavors of golden apple, peach, lemon citrus and honeysuckle with biscuit toast and nutty notes. Long finish, almost full-body ending with hints of biscuit and citrus. Very Good, more complex than NV, will improve a bit more with bottle age. — 13 days ago

Matthew Cohen

9.6

Wow. One of the best cote roties I’ve ever had. A wine of exquisite detail and perfect balance.

Nose is violet lilac lavender. Blackberry flowers. Perfect integration. So elegant. Not heavy or intrusive despite everything that is going on.

Palate is such soft blackberry fruit. Almost velvety. Internal aromatics are insane. Delicious in an elegant way. More Mont Blanc than chocolate mousse.

Finish is flower extract and soft blackberries clinging to the palate and teeth.

As good as wine gets.

Bought from fass selections. — 2 days ago

Mario Vaillancourt

9.0

The oak seems to be digested a bit finally, great explosive red fruit, fresh and with some power and tork at the same time, the bottle goes down easy. Love it. 90-91

Le bois se digère un peu finalement, fruits rouges éclatants, ça pinote, frais et assez puissant en bouche mais ça se boit tout seul. Bien aimé. 90-91 — 13 days ago

Benoit Duhamel

9.5

Cloture ce beau réveillon de Noël, un 2007 ouvert, épanoui, dans une très belle fenêtre actuellement. Ouvert en même temps que le Batard bu précédemment, la bouteille a eu le temps de respirer presque 1 heure et demie. Le nez est assez intense, très floral, cerises, fraises des champs, fumée, épices qu’on retrouve sur beaucoup de vin de Vosne. En bouche, ca ressemble au nez mais j’y trouve aussi un côté terreux. Il y a une belle profondeur et une concentration d’aromes. Pas un grand millésime mais une grande bouteille! — 24 days ago