Tom Casagrande

9.0

Very fragrant, with iodiney minerality and sweat to go along with very nice macerated cherry. Very open on the palate. A soft whack of fruit initially, then it flattens out across the mouth with savory flavors. A little peppery bite at the tail end. Very nice for current drinking, as it lacks the tight-knit, linear intensity to age more than a few years. Very nice for a difficult vintage. — a month ago

"Odedi"

9.1

Golden in color.

On the nose apples, citrus, oak, vanilla, spices, lemons, pears and light honey notes.

Full bodied and elegant with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with yellow and green apples, citrus, spices, oak, minerals, herbs, sea salt and light earth.

Medium finish with lemons and marzipan notes.

This Napa Chardonnay is tasty right out of the bottle. Elegant and fruit forward. Nicely balanced with a soft mouthfeel.

Still young and needs a couple of years in the bottle to remove some of the oaky notes, but already balanced and entertaining, with nice complexity.

Easy drinking and good by itself or with food.

100% Chardonnay grapes were aged in (40% new) French Oak barrels for 10 months, and 4 months in steel vats. A small production of only 26 barrels.

14.1% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$70. — 8 months ago

Diane M. Napolitano

9.8

From Williston Park Wines and Spirits. Big jammy cherries, subtle spice, vanilla and chocolate swirl soft serve lol — a year ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

Delicious. Complex nose has plenty of ooozing, sappy dark cherry fruit, a decent amount of toasty, clove-like French oak, spice, warm moist loam. The palate is more minerally, with lots of crushed rock and salinity. Bone dry, but with mouth-clinging dark cherry extract. As slight bitter note at the tail end of the finish, which is long. The acids are there but soft, and there’s some very soft tannin, so this will certainly age at least a few years.

UPDATE: On night 2, the oak is much better integrated and the wine is more settled and complex. Upping from 9.2 to 9.3. — 3 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

This is a very elegant Chianti. The color looked a little dull and amber-ish when poured, but Benjamin-Buttoned and gained luminescence and youthfulness with air. Nose has deep, ripe, slightly dried cherry, violets, a kiss of vanilla, and sandstoney gravel. Soft, mouthfilling, nice acids. Fruity up front, with slightly tart cherry-syrup extract, turning savory on the soft, dry finish. Only slight detracting note is a tad bit of heat on the very tail. So good and entering its prime. — 4 years ago

Mike Kleba

9.2

Jammy, soft, medium big up front, sophisticated long tail without bitter candy. Beautiful with a grilled steak and potatoes. A lovely dinner wine that will impress your guests. — 4 years ago

David Kaplan

9.4

First, use a large well-shaped glass (this limpid, soft yellow-gold Monthelie is Burgundy, after all, and another textbook example of how fine wine evolves over time after it’s poured). The nose unfolds like a peacock’s tail, with aromas of salted Seckel pears, ripe white peaches, Marcona almonds and lime blossoms moving in and out of the foreground, adding fleeting suggestions of lanolin, balsa, linden, and parsley as the nose develops over time. On the palate, the wine is impressively concentrated, at the same time delicately textured,with an overriding impression of freshness and self-confident elegance. Ample, focused flavors echoing and magnifying the beautiful stone fruit nose are seasoned with palpable briny minerality, and persist in the long, sweet-spice-and-white-pepper seasoned finish. Drink now–2033. — Moore Brothers Wine Co. — 6 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

After my cat pee NZ wine last week, I needed reassurance. This is reassuring. Gorgeous nose of gooseberry and crushed limestone. Only a faintly herbal whiff, at a level that adds complexity. Minerally and intense in the mouth. Soft-textured. Just enough acidity to keep it fresh. Bone dry, and the slightest bitterish note in the tail end. Love it. — 2 months ago

Nick Brandon

9.1

Wet cork, dark red color.
Roasted meat, wet dog, takeout food, bay leaf on the nose.
Very unique and soft sour and salty, umami taste.
Not unpleasant at all, but very surprising overall profile. — 6 months ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Wow what a good value-priced St. Emmie. Detailed nose has cedar, green herbs, stony minerals, and, of course, deep plummy fruit (yay Merlot!). Soft and mouthfillingly textured, but it’s got nice balance. Rich fruit initially on the palate but turns savory on a very long tail. Really nice flavor intensity and persistence. Lots of integrated soft, chalky tannin will help this stay the course for several more years, but it’s delicious now. — a year ago

Kathryn McCarty

9.0

Lovely soft notes of raspberry and peach. Nicely balanced with almost no tannins. — 3 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.3

I can reliably be counted on to like Moulin-a-Vent the least, of all the Beaujolais crus. Usually I find them too tannic and astringent, and by the time that settles down, the Gamay fruit is gone. But . . . I like this one a lot. The tannins are nicely managed. Nose is quite complex, with underbrush, deep crumbly granite, and dark, plummy Gamay fruit. Almost a little animal note. In the mouth, it’s rich and minerally. Acids are a bit low (‘18 was hot!), but the balance is nice right now. Finish is long, with some very soft tannin making itself known at the tail end. Nice! — 4 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

Almost overwhelmingly mineral, displaying the smoky campfire embers and rich loamy scents I associate with Walla Walla, along with sandalwood and very sappy cherry-ooze fruit. Dark and minerally on the palate: very low-toned flavors fill the mouth. Fair amount of medium-soft tannin, and a very long, low acid finish that has an echo of port-like fruit and the very tail end. Very complex and idiosyncratic wine. — 4 years ago

Anne Richardson

8.9

Fruity with flavors of berries, currants and soft spice. Soft, rich and easy to drink. — 6 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.1

Popped and double decanted to remove some sediment. Very earthy nose, with a pleasantly sweet barnyard note, goes along with some ripe, oozing cherry fruit. A little limestone minerality too. Tighter and more youthful in the mouth than I expected, with tight cherry fruit and lots of acid and stony minerality. Some not-quite-soft tannin too. A slight bitter note on the tail end of the finish. Probably should have waited a few years but it’ll be nice with the simmering coq au vin. — 4 months ago

"Odedi"

9.2

Deep inky in color with a short reddish rim.

Fruity nose of black currants, black plums, blackberries, vanilla, cedar, licorice, light cola, eucalyptus, chocolates, Indian spices and peppercorn.

Full-bodied and elegant with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and fruit forward on the palate with blackberries, black currants, cooked cherries, raspberries, peppercorn, chocolates, spices and light oak.

Tangy finish with fine grained tannins and cranberries.

This young Cabernet Sauvignon from Atlas Peak in Napa Valley is already drinking beautifully. Nicely balanced with a soft mouthfeel. Elegant and rich. Fruit forward and complex.

Still young and needs a few years in the bottle to mature properly, but already enjoyable even by itself.

Needed 2 hours to open up properly, so be patient. Well worth the wait. Loved the nose once it opened up.

Tangy and interesting to drink by itself or with food. Paired nicely with my Ox tail.

A tiny production of only 6 barrels.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

92 points.

$75. — 10 months ago

Raun Kupiec

9.2

A soft brioche, but with a creamy lightly honeyed and lemon tail. Very nice. Thumbs up for Swiss 1st class, they don’t mess about. — 2 years ago

Jess

9.0

Medium-deep ruby color.
Aromas of baked black fruit, vanilla
Dry. Flavors of baked blackberry, soft vanilla, fresh black fruit on the finish.

Intensity: 4/5
Complexity: 2/5
Balance: 4/5
Finish: 4/5 — 3 years ago

Ron R

9.3

Classic super Tuscan. Already in the drinking zone. Plush, round and dense in the mouth. Nose is attenuated with hints of barrel toast. Mid palate is almost honied. Medium tannins with soft acidity. Nice long tail to finish. Almost no acidity to talk about. I’m not sure this can be cellared for too long.
Kesté, NYC. — 4 years ago

with Anne-marie

Andrew Mueller

9.1

Soft and flowery on the nose. Smooth, but fruity, has length. Medium body. Great with pork belly or stuffed fish filet. Best I’ve ever had from Finger Lakes. — 5 years ago