David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

From one of my favorite co-ops. I believe they are still the third largest co-op in Europe. Their tasting room sits on the top of the hill in the center of Barbaresco under & to the side of the church with an easy downhill short walk to Gaja.

2019 was a very good vintage in Piedmont.

The nose shows some light smokiness and lightly grilled meats. Dullish fruits of; blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, raspberries with notes of black raspberries. Sandstone, dark earth and dark withering flowers with red roses.

The palate is ripe, juicy and lush. Quite pleasant for a youthful Barbaresco. Blackberries, dark cherries, poached strawberries, black raspberries, raspberries & blueberry hues. Crushed sandstone & limestone, nice mid spice, dry tobacco, tough leatheriness, barrel shavings, soft presence mix of dry & fresh herbs, dry river stone, red cola, brilliant red florals, red & pink roses, excellent acidity with a nicely tensioned, structured, balanced, elegant finish that lasts minutes landing on wood & dry earth.

Another one to cellar 8-10 plus years. — 2 months ago

Ron R

8.9

This ain’t half bad. Maybe I just like to lavish out reasonable marks, but it’s a crowd-pleaser. Lemon rind, roasted almonds and roasted nuts on the nose lead to a weighty, sweet mid palate. Lacking acidity along with a relatively short, exotic finish, I’m willing to overlook its fault lines, cos overall it’s good. — 2 years ago

with Anne-marie

S.S. Mandani

9.2

Orange blossom honey, pears, funk, good funk, tangerine peels.

Mmm orange blossoms. Enough funk to curl up with some Richard Brautigan short stories and wonder about Big Sur waves crashing against cliff side mountainous triangles rising up from the sea foam.

My idea of a fun wine.

Enjoying the new couch/coffee table setup. — 4 years ago

Sam Wood

9.0

Delightful co-ferment skin contact. See what happens when you don’t have VA… — 5 months ago

Shay A

9.5

Opened as part of a 2-day tasting with Alex Macdonald while he was in town. Day two was a small group of us with killer wines (2010 Chave Hermitage, mag of ‘02 Krug, Selosse Substance, 1996 Latour, 2003 Mouton, 1992 Dominus).

Quick one hour double decant to prep this beauty. While La Mouline is my favorite, La Turque still incorporates the co-ferment with Viognier. 93 Syrah/7 Viognier.

Beautiful translucent ruby in the glass. As I get with certain Cote Rotie wines (especially Guigal), barbecue and bacon fat can be overwhelming when young, but this has channeled a really balanced profile. Aromatic notes of smoked meat, cherry liqueur, and espresso. Beautifully rich yet elegant on the palate. Great nerve of acidity with a finish sporting plenty of tannin to carry this a while. Black peppered raspberries, black fruit on the palate with a little bacon and a hint of sweet/tangy barbecue sauce note (delicious). Enjoy now with a short decant or hold another 5yrs. — a year ago

"Odedi"

9.2

Clos du Val Wine Company Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, California

Time for my #FridayCabernetfix. Here is a delicious Cabernet from Napa Valley.

Dark ruby in color with a short reddish rim.

Strong nose of black currants, cherries, raisins, dried figs, cedar, licorice, vanilla, spices, tobacco, black pepper and dark chocolates.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with blackberries, sweet cherries, tobacco, cedar, vanilla, leather, spices, earth, chocolates and black pepper.

Medium plus on the finish with round tannins and cherries.

This is a delicious and a classic Napa Cabernet. Exactly what you expect from one. Rich, yet not over the top and very chocolatey.

Still very young, but already very tasty. A beautiful Bordeaux blend with lots of potential. Very engaging and approachable at this young age.

Good right out of the bottle, but needs time to open up and show the tannins (90 minutes).

Showing great potential to become a 95+ point wine, and will age nicely in the next 10 years. Already showing nice complexity with a soft and smooth mouthfeel.

Good by itself as a sipping wine, and good with food too. Will pair nicely with a big piece of steak. I paired it with a charcuterie board of meats and cheeses.

A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Merlot, 7% Petit Verdot and 1% Malbec. Aged for 19 months in mostly French oak barrels (58% new).

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$52. — 3 years ago

Ray Vanderhoff

9.0

Light golden color. Nice hint of petrol right out of the bottle. Additional aromas and flavors of peach, nectarine, green apple, pineapple, honey and an intense lime note. A pleasant sour note on the finish. Bold, fruit forward and round with excellent mouthfeel. Crisp, but just a bit short on acidity. — a year ago

Shay A

9.4

One of the bottles I provided for a co-hosting with Mark at the City Club wine group.

Always a treat to enjoy well-made 2001 vintage Sauternes. This was my first experience with Rieussec’s 2001. Deeply golden/amber in the glass. Aromatics fill the room with apricot preserves, honeyed lemons, orange marmalade, little bit of caramel. Bordering on bombastic on the palate, it stops just short of cloying. Commanding and opulent. Honeyed stone fruits, truffle honeycomb, roasted cashews. Excellent acidity. Obviously young, I’d love to revisit in 10-15yrs. — 2 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.0

Nose has candied pineapple, very ripe nectarine, straw bale, white/yellow flowers and lemon peel.

Palate has tangerine zest, Mandarin orange slice, under-ripe peach, wet river rocks, slightly waxy texture with a short finish.

Decanted 2H.
A quite youthful bottle, revisit 2026+

On point with the Spätlese style connection per Vinous comments.

Paired to Chicken Adobo (Milk Street recipe) and I'm convinced that coconut milk ingredient dishes are a perfect match to Riesling. — 3 years ago

Severn Goodwin

9.2

Nose has mashed black cherry, dried plum, light stemmy notes, black licorice, charred barrel, cherry sauce reduction, warm tar, molasses, dark chocolate shavings, fresh cherry and light peppery herbs (watercress?).

Palate has bright black cherry, dried red cherry, unsweetened dried cranberry, moist earth, ripe plum, slight mint note, medium barrel notes, slightly drying with a medium-long finish, mild tannins.

The first of several 2014 La Pousse d'Or bottles we acquired late in 2019. This, as expected needs another 6-8+ years (2026+) to show its truer self.

Paired with slowly braised beef short ribs from a trusty farmer in Columbia Co. (Kinderhook Farm, Valatie, NY). Since good chefs know the sauce is the boss, we did an Asian-style sauce (soy, ginger, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, garlic, red pepper flake, carrots & onions) which flavored the beef nicely and reduced even better! All served over brown rice, with toasted sesame seeds, so nice.

Cork pulled ~8h prior, to allow for a slow ox in a cool cellar space, this was the right move. — 5 years ago