Jay Kline

9.1

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a couple of hours. The 2017 (S) pours a garnet color with a translucent core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and signs of fine sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with pretty notes of mostly red, tart fruit: strawberry, raspberry, Montmorency cherry, licorice, dried green herbs, menthol, and rocky earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and just a touch mousy but within the acceptable range. Refreshing and a lovely pairing with burgers on a warm Spring evening. Drink now through 2032. — 20 days ago

Tommy

9.1

Rocky with lush, concentrated black fruit flavor. — 4 months ago

Kyle Kniss

9.2

Jammy with structure — 9 months ago

Jeremy.Buss

9.2

While a bit of age has softened this, you still get some of the pepper and spice along with soft dark berries, some light tomato and maybe even a hint of cherry at times. — 4 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Poured into a decanter about an hour prior to service; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2010 pours a hazy garnet/purple color with a translucent core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of tart, ripe and desiccated fruits: blackberries, black licorice, horse blanket, some animale, mushrooms, forest floor, rocky earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. It has been eight years since I last enjoyed this vintage of the VV and it continues to age with a lot of grace. Drink now through 2030+. — 18 days ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Equally enjoyable on both nights however, the nose was most powerful on Day 1. “Ampodium” (formerly Classique) is 100% Syrah sourced from a dozen or so vineyards and made in a largely traditional style; plenty of whole cluster and a very judicious use of new French oak. The 2010 “Ampodium”pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears and signs of light sediment. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of ripe, some desiccated and some tart, black and blue fruits: blackberries, blueberry pie, fields of lavender, black pepper, bacon fat, iodine, and granite earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin (mostly integrated) and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and laden with rocky minerals. Totally in balance and at peak. Lovely. Drink now through 2035. — 3 months ago

John Tan

9.3

Sanshugong.

12% alc. Margalagua is a charismatic parcel of the Taganan vineyard comprising 100- to 300-year-old vines on a uniquely iron-rich seam of rocky volcanic soil. This treacherously steep vineyard site is planted with a mix of mostly indigenous red grapes, such as Negramoll and Listán Negro, with a small amount of Listán Blanco. This parcel is about elegance and depth rather than power: due to the silky character of the wines, it is vinified differently with a much longer (30- to 45-day) maceration and 100% stem-inclusion, yielding a darker, bolder, richer wine.
[Vintage 2018:] “This vineyard has been vinified and bottled separately since 2012 because it has a very strong personality, not surprisingly, because it's one of the most fascinating and exceptional vineyards I've ever seen in my life. . . This is a translucent bright ruby color, and it's aromatic, floral, spicy and mineral, expressive and super fresh, because of the year and because they have new cooler vineyards. It has lots of notes of violets and lilies. The flavors are pungent, precise, clean, symmetric and very elegant, with refined tannins and a tasty, somewhat salty finish. This is the best wine they have produced to date. Truly word-class.” WA 98 (Luis Gutiérrez) — 3 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.8

Glory is this wine. Just one of the best wines in Burgundy now. After the 22 I had large expectations and this surpassed them. Nose is just bananas. Not literal bananas. The other type of bananas. The most complex cherry diaspora. Sour, mid season, late season and black. Spice galore and florals up the wazoo. Earth, limestone, dead leaves, living leaves and wet leaves. The nose is a 9.8 on the pop and pour. Just insane. Wild mint. What stands out the most is the layering and the clarity. Also the breadth. Wow that inner mouth perfume and endless, boundless energy that has the same fruit energy as La Tache. What I mean by that is this wine, yes can be about minerals as CDC is rocky, but man the fruit in 22 and now 23 is just in another register. Sappy, poised and clear as the sky is blue on a cloudless day. Yes the tannins are firm but you know with air they will melt into the fruit. The nobility of this site never fails to blow me away. Unreal concentration and density and just insane length. The tannins are velvety, sweet and intense but so so high class. Nose has so much florality, spice and red cherry fruit one cannot believe it. This is just insane. It’s almost a perfect wine. The balance is just beyond and the structure is incredible. This is a 50 year CDC. What a finish. Let’s see where this goes. After an hour the nose is remarkable. So deep, so nuanced, so spicy, so floral. Provocative. Palate is silky, sweet and so dense. Pumps the fruit out like an old set of Wilson Puppies. Unreal balance and purity. But this is built like a brick house. Let’s see where this goes. Will unfurl more but it’s a slow one! The concentration and tiny berry fruit intensity is off the charts. Now after 17 hours open its nose is full blown complex and flat out stunning. The cherry trifecta of sour/mid season and black. Mint and bramble plus wonderful and gorgeous sous bois. Stoney as well. All velvety bramble and such elegant and ripe tannin. A wave. Stunning inner mouth aromas, tiny berry fruit intensity and stunning purity. This seems like it’s more classic than the 22. Even on day 3 this is stunning. Lost nothing. — 25 days ago

Jay Kline

9.0

Unscrewed and poured; enjoyed over two days with consistent results. The 2022 pours a straw color with medium viscosity. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of yellow flowers, Cuties™️, hot steel and rocky minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with sneaky medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. There’s a somewhat waxy texture. The finish is long and savory. A charming Soave Classico. Drink now. — a year ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Wow this is singing! What a nose. Gorgeous lemon inflected minerality. Hints of attractive spicey oak and stunning rocky minerality. Tree bark and herbs. So good. What a screaming mimi of a nose. Palate is rich and ripe but also nervy and tense. Amazing purity buttressed by that awesome Meursault richness. Lovely texture. Awesome mouthfeel and a lovely lemon drop lime zest finish. Wonderful. — 4 years ago