Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Checking in on the 2016. Nose is all olive. Bacon as well. Super granite and also feral and primal. Wow. Gorgeous developmental. Some gravy. So meaty. So olivey. So N. Rhone. Classic. Palate is ripe, rich and chiseled in the 16 style. Lean and gorgeous filigree. Good depth, fresheners and impressive mid palate amplitude. Tannins clamp down initially but will mellow out. Juicy and very long. Superb. — 3 years ago

Hamza

9.4

The rock is primal. Earth elemental with fresh cut. Hint of pineapple and triumphant tannins coat your tongue with flavor. Minerals like a mine shaft. — 6 years ago

Jim Chen

9.1

Must wait must wait. So good, but still relatively primal. — 6 years ago

Sam Hara

9.1

Solid cab. Nothing too special but enjoyable none the less. — 6 years ago

Ganesh

9.4

Bold but velvety — 8 years ago

Mike Evans

9.3

More savory and primal than the 2008, a little herbal with a little pyrazine and a lot more black pepper, smoked meat, and more obvious complexity, it is drinking great now but no need to be in any hurry to consume them. — 8 years ago

Michael Meyer

9.1

Very primal and young, but the stuffing is there for a great wine in another 5-10 years — 9 years ago

Eric

9.3

Primal beast! — 5 years ago

Jim Chen

8.9

Primal! Hold. — 6 years ago

with Jeff

Big Wave Dave

9.0

Deep seductive blue and black fruit nose. Rich, plush dark fruit with a vegetal note. Med full bodied. Luxurious and harmonious. Sweet but with enough fine tannin to provide structure. Still very primal but will develop over next 10+ yrs. yumster. — 6 years ago

Fraser McKinley

9.3

Still primal and offering the promise of a long life ahead. Delicious too - 2011 — 7 years ago

Alex Jones

Marketing/Development Kunni/Westerly Wines

8.9

Needs time and primal for now, bacon fat, crushed dark fruit, lots of acid. — 8 years ago

Jörgen Lindström Carlvik

Owner, Brix Wine Consultants

9.8

Brilliant stuff here. Deep, seriously fruity and still very young, but this vintage has some serious stuffing hidden beneath its primal expression. Best from 2020 thru 2035+ — 9 years ago

Allison Heilman

9.5

Meaty and primal, lean and mean in the best possible way. — 9 years ago

William Paley

9.5

super minerals and searing acid - benefitted a great deal from an hour open. pretty red fruit, mainly pomegranate, a touch of dried leaf, backside has a metallic halo (blood? holy water?), teensy bit of orange rind, a lavish salt-wash, something almost bodily, primal, and with a color reminiscent of fresh red beet juice and deep pink peony petals it comes awfully close to breathtaking at times.... — 6 years ago

with Jess

Dan R

9.1

Great vintage for Malescasse. Very primal and coarse, showing a rough outer shell of earth, coffee and barrel char notes. There’s a nicely concentrated core of dark fruit and licorice that takes time to expose. Tannins are chewy but ripe. This will be great in a few years. Love the power and intensity here. A Bdx drinker’s Bdx. — 6 years ago

Big Wave Dave

9.2

Opaque, deep ruby. Unmistakably old world nose - damp basement meets wet stone and soy. On the palate, this has a sweet cherry character, with briny and mushroom notes, still quite primal and unresolved. But serious. — 6 years ago

Al Shikoh

8.9

Dark purple in color with aromas of blackberry, black pepper, and a hint of mint. Soft but very dense on the palate with dark berry fruit and bit of heat coming in at 15.1% alcohol. Blend of 61% Syrah and 39% Grenache. $60. — 8 years ago

Bryce Wiatrak

9.2

The Mullins family made their first vintage of Balo in 2009, after several years of selling their fruit. Following a string of all-star winemakers (Jason Drew and Anthony Filiberti, Alex Crangle is now at the helm, crafting tremendous Pinots from their estate property. The 2015 offers a juicy and broad expression of this middle sector of the Anderson Valley. Concentrated and pliant black fruit flavor - huckleberry, ginger, black cherry, sarsaparilla, and tarragon - it tastes medieval in its primal, earthen tones. — 8 years ago

Al Shikoh

9.7

Dark ruby/black in color. Dark berries, earth, and smoked meat on the nose. Complex and multilayered on the palate with rich dark berry fruit, cinnamon, licorice, and primal, gamy notes. Fine grained tannins give a lovely texture leading to a long finish. Blend of 30% Mourvèdre, 30% Grenache, 10% Syrah, and 5% Cinsault with all the remaining permitted red Rhône varieties rounding out the balance. Just about a perfect wine which seems to be at the top of it's game now. — 9 years ago

with Kelly