Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

My continuing quest to taste as many 22 Burgundies as possible…

Rounding up to 94 here.

The nose is warm & inviting. It leads you slowly through & down its path. Warm compote made with; blackberries, dark cherries, plums, dark cherries, cherries, strawberries & some blueberries & raspberries. The core is dark & a touch brooding. Anise to black licorice, baking soda, beautifully, layered baking spices, moist/dry herbs, caramel, chocolate baking bar, notes of fallen tree bark, sun tea with fruit dropped in with amazing fresh & withering red, dark, blue florals framed in slightly candied & liquid violets.

The palate is beautiful and strangely wrapped in a waxy coating. The fruits have a slightly baked to stewed and yet candied topping. blackberries, dark cherries, plums, dark cherries, cherries, strawberries & some blueberries & raspberries. The core is again dark & a touch brooding. Anise to black licorice, mid berry cola, baking soda, beautifully, layered baking spices-cinnamon stick, nutmeg, clove & vanillin, moist/dry herbs-sage, bay leaf, caramel, chocolate baking bar, some butterscotch notes, fallen, dry tree bark, dark spices, sun tea with fruits dropped in, dry oak barrel shavings, amazing fresh & withering red, dark, blue florals framed in slightly candied & liquid violets, excellent acidity with a very well balanced, well structured-toned, elegant & polished finish that last minutes falling on dark spice and beautiful earth tones.

This is easy to drink now, but better things lie ahead with another 10 plus years of integration and evolution.

Beautiful 22. — a year ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

My continued quest to try as many 2022 Burgundies as possible.

So, after my first sip, I stopped & went to grab one of these and got the last floor bottle. This is my red burgundy wheelhouse.

The nose is somewhat subtle at this stage. But is dark, somewhat big and definitely brooding. Slightly candied darker fruits with beautiful dark, fresh & withering florals framed in violets.

The palate shows beautiful, near perfect ripe fruits of; dark cherries, plum, poached strawberries with hues of purple & blue. There are fairly pronounced tannin profiles in all this wines in this tasting. This shows more than the others. The body/mouthfeel is excellent. Dry top soils, dry, crushed rock power, dry herbs, red cola, both licorices, soft, dark spices, light baking spices, used tobacco, dry leather, a bit of lightly grilled meats, dry river stone, dry brush, bright red & dark florals framed in violets, excellent acidity and a excellent finish that is well; structured, balanced with elegance and last two-minutes.

10 plus years of cellaring will yield another two points.

— 2 years ago

Kristin the Wine Girl

9.2

Perfectly bright cherry - like SRH love child with SLH. Lighthearted and fun. Just enough baking spice to mingle with the cherries and coat the palate. — 5 years ago

Cullen Carlin

9.1

Great blend that cuts against the grain. Tons of complexity and flavor with a smooth finish. — 5 years ago

Steven Gullo

9.1

Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Verdot dominant blend. Pours Inky and dark in with mint and eucalyptus aromas jumping out of the glass. Awesome value for under $20! — 6 years ago

Martin Mazner

9.1

Enjoyed on the Seabourn Quest Boston to Montreal cruise Oct 2019 — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I bought my first vintage from this producer & terroir beginning with the 2010 vintage and what a vintage to start. I bought four bottles for right around $50 or a little less. They were so amazing, I drank through them in no time at all. For those of you that read my posts, that’s not normally what I do. I like to drink one & age the rest. Since then, I have looked & looked for more. I’d finally given up hopes of finding more until recently I struck gold. I should have bought all nine bottles but a calmer head prevailed. It’s definitely changed since having it fresh. On the nose, the fruits are slightly macerated. Heather honey, beeswax, golden & green apple, pineapple upside down cake, slight orange citrus blend, mango, glazed nuts, soft, delicate, chalky minerals, a touch of jasmine & yellow lilies. The body is much rounder & thicker than when it was young. Waxy. So, beautifully layered across the palate. Much of the palate matches the nose. Heather honey, beeswax, golden & green apple, apricots, peach, pineapple upside down cake, slight orange citrus blend, mango, slight molasses character & glazed nuts with citrus blossoms, yellow lilies & jasmine. The minerals are much more grippy & bold as they cut across and set on the palate. The acidity round & phat. The texture is amazing as is the length, balance & beautiful, rich, long finish that lasts two-minutes plus. So glad I found more of this wine! Hubert Lamy seriously over deliver the terroir & the price point by a country mile. If you are not buying this wine on pre-arrival, you are missing great wine and excellent value. Can’t say enough good things about it. Especially, the 2010. I expect the 15 to hold similar quality. Photos of; Olivier Lamy, Olivier working in this vineyard, barrel room and their Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Vineyard. Producer notes and history...There have been Lamy’ s growing vines in St-Aubin since 1640, today it is run by Olivier Lamy. Olivier is a new breed of Burgundian grower keen to progress. He trained Méo-Camuzet & made a number of vintages before taking over in 1996 from his father Hubert. Hubert Lamy used to sell fruit to négociants, but that stopped in 1997. He grubbed up and sold off peripheral vines, keeping only the best and oldest sites. Currently he is experimenting with different planting densities in a quest to capture even greater expression of terroir. The Domaine produces both reds and whites and now has 16.5 hectares of vineyards, mostly in St-Aubin but also own a few parcels in Chassagne-Montrachet and a tiny plot in the Grand Cru Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. Yields are kept low and recent innovations have been introduced with selection tables in the cuverie to ensure that only the healthiest and ripest grapes are used. His more recent move to reduce the amount of new oak with the introduction of demi-muids 300-600 liter barrels have also helped to improve the wines. Vinification is traditional and the wines are matured with only 20-30% new oak for 12 months before minimal filtration and then bottling. The quality is very high and is often superior to many wines from much more prominent villages that sell at twice the price or more. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

My continuing quest to taste as many 22 Burgundies as possible…

The nose is a little dull, but shows beautiful, floral & slightly candied red fruits. Dark cherries, cherries, strawberries, pomegranate syrup, raspberries and blueberry hues. Understated, dark, rich earth, very soft baking spices and dark, red, florals framed in violet potpourri.

The palate entry is wonderful. Ripe, juicy; dark cherries, cherries, strawberries, pomegranate reduction, raspberries and blueberry hues. Understated, dark, rich earth, baking spices-cinnamon stick, clove, light nutmeg vanillin, sandalwood to light cedar shavings, caramel, touch of toffee, dry tree bark w/ a touch of moss covered in sap, red & mid berry licorice/cola, dark, the red, florals framed in amazing violets are exquisite, perfect acidity with an elegant, balanced finish that lasts nearly two-minute.

92+ with a bit more time. It just lacks more depth for a higher score. But hard not to drink now. Good value here at $59.99.
— a year ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Continuing quest to taste as many 22’s as possible.

Nose shows similarities to Vincent Dauvissat. Honeysuckle-honeycomb, butterscotch, melted butter, biscuits, yellow florals.

The palate reveals good viscosity, round, long & thick. Meyer lemon, apricots, yellow peach, red & green apple, syrupy pineapple, white spice, limestone marl, grey volcanics, sea spray-saline, muddy chalk, flint, almonds, yellow & white flowers, excellent round acidity and beautiful, balanced, well polished, lush finish that lasts just over two-minutes and landing on spice & minerals.

Will merit another point or two w/ appropriate age (5 plus years) and is a better buy at $220 than the 22 Dauvissat for $20 more. — 2 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.1

My continued quest to try as many 2022 Burgundies as possible.

On the nose, beautiful mid red berry w/ some darker fruits, bright red florals that are slightly withering.

Lovely, ripe, juicy strawberries, cherries, pomegranate, raspberries with tones of blueberries. Light dusty, dry top soils, dry twig, sagebrush, dry river stone, crushed, dry, limestone, some barrel shavings due to their 1/3 new oak use, understated red cola, baking soda, some light dry herbs, bright, red, dark & some blue forals, big acidity (maybe a bit too acidic) with a lovely fresh, elegant finish that lands a bit short. This doesn’t show a ton of depth now, but may in time. — 2 years ago

Dan Higginson

9.4

Marshmallow, pineapple, juicy — 5 years ago

Norma Normington

9.3

Nice nose. I’m not really sure how to describe the taste other than smooth as silk; very pleasant. Possibly because it’s aged extremely well? Found it on clearance in my quest for older vintage wines and I’m quite happy with it! — 6 years ago

Monica Orms

9.3

Smooth and easy. Nice finish. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

My continuing quest to taste as many 22 Burgundies as possible…

This one is being poured colder than I would like. Because of that, I will skip the nose.

Beautiful palate with nice viscosity. Round & lush. Meyer lemons, lime zest, amazing green apple, pineapple, yellow & white stone fruit, kiwi, thick caramel, heather honey, cream, white spice, grey volcanic minerals, excellent chalkiness, fresh & dry herbs, crumbly limestone, touch more woodiness than I would expect, very light flintiness, yellow lilies, jasmine and white spring flowers, well knitted, balanced, good tension & texture, elegantly polished finish that lasts 90 seconds landing on brilliant fruits, spice and soft earthiness.

93+ with 5 yrs or more in cellar. — a year ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

My continuing quest to taste as many 22’s as possible.

This leans into 93.

The nose shows, ruby, slightly candied mid to dark fruits. Dark cherries, cooked strawberries, blackberries, black raspberries and raspberry hues on the glass edges. Flowers that are soft, dark, red flowers with violets.

The palate reveals ripe to just a touch syrupy; dark cherries, blackberries, cooked strawberries and black raspberries. Clove, nutmeg, soft cinnamon & vanillin with deep, dark spice, melted caramel, barrel shavings, dry tobacco w/ some ash, lightly grilled meats, limestone marls, dry herbs, dry stone & topsoil, light forest floor w/ dry leaves, brilliant dark red flowers famed in liquid violets, rainfall acidity with a balanced, well made, nicely tensioned, elegant finish that last ninety seconds falling into dry stone and spice.

This will require about 7 years in the cellar and last 20 years properly stored.

At $159, priced fairly in today’s Burgundy market, which has soared. — 2 years ago

Guillermo Gonzalez

9.1

Sunday night rosemary and lemon roast chicken led me to this trusty standby. Love the cherry, dried herb and eucalyptus. But also launched a quest for an excellent, sub 30 Barbaresco . . . — 4 years ago

Meredith Capasse

9.0

Slightly sweet. Really nice. — 5 years ago

Jorge Pazos

9.0

Visita Castell d'Encus — 6 years ago

Ellen Clifford

8.9

In my quest to compare old v new world kicking it off with olld world. I was worried this would be an oak bomb based on some previous vintages but there is restraint here. Golden vanilla and somehow green on the nose. The palate is bordering on rich but not. Cool climate fun that is balanced by baking spice and sass. I like this. If you want kosher for Passover (albeit not mevushal) this is for you. I’m neither of those things but finding it a pleasant Chard that flirts with oak just enough to keep enjoying. — 7 years ago

Clive McNish

9.8

Absolute stunner, perfect example of a fine quality Napa Cabernet. It’s powerful with a nose that carries across the room, dark fruit, vanilla, spice and mushroom. The palate is smooth even though there are muscular tannins lurking around, flavours are balanced and lead to a lingering finish with a little sweetness. This wine throws an extremely fine sediment which is present in the glass and next time I would filter but only for visuals, it has no bearing on taste I feel. So good I almost wish I hadn’t opened it! Now the quest begins to find some more. — 7 years ago