Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.3

Beautiful nose if bitter almond, key lime pie, sea air, and that strange Marsanne/Roussanne Saint-Péray minerality, nervy and aromatic, almost underarm if underarm smelled good. Palate is juicy, clean, graceful, with fine mousse, kumquat, bitter almond, and an ESB-like bitterness that makes it serious rather than easy. Not mass-market bubbles, but extremely impressive. — 2 months ago

Kamall

9.2

Drinking very well. Young and smoother with a touch more fruit than most St Joseph wines, but wonderful, authentic character. Absolutely delicious. — 4 years ago

Tianirra N

9.2

Extra old. Very good. — 5 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.1

Awesome nose. Clean and feral with blueberry and blackberry. Red velvet cake. Superb granite imprint. High toned, layered and very deep. Super juicy and clean with lovely juicy berry fruit. Velvety tannins and great freshness from good acid and terrific mineral energy. Excellent. — 6 years ago

J. Kim

9.0

Dark purple fruit, it has the authentic Bordeaux bass structure and bright acidities of 2014. Graphite and tobacco notes dominant. — 7 years ago

Lily Thalheimer

9.5

From Ballon 2 Rouge in St-Rémy de Provence. Feels like a dark rosé — 7 years ago

with Rob

J. Kim

9.1

Authentic aroma, body and color, high acidity and minerality. Pure and wide aromatic range. — 8 years ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.5

Vintage 2012 | incredibly good: deep dark colour, complex smell with lots of layers. Chocolate, cedar, laurel, ripe cherries, a hint of a funky barnyard, licorice. Sultry taste with lots of character. Good bitters and stil tannins. Greek wines from authentic grapes are so underestimated! In this case with a French influence, as Michel Rolland is consultant. Imo at this age St Emilion Gr cru classé quality. Paired with spaghetti oyster mushrooms, morels, red pepper and flambéed with cognac, cognac creamsauce. — a year ago

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

9.5

One of my favorites from Premiere Napa Valley 2020. #pnv20 #pnv2020 #napa only 5 cases produced. Highlights

A vibrant blend of two clones of Cabernet Sauvignon and a bit of Merlot, revealing silky tannins, complexity and elegance
The heritage Pellet Vineyard dates to 1863 and is among the earliest in St. Helena
100% estate, 100% French oak (Darnajou and Cadus), 100% passion; produced by hand, vineyard to bottle
A very lucky find indeed—the best of the best from the Pellet Vineyard, a true labor of love

Pellet Estate’s 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon “Trouvaille” is 100 percent estate fruit from the historic Pellet Vineyard and is a blend of Clone 4 and Clone 337 Cabernet Sauvignon, with a bit of Merlot. It is a wine with grip – vibrant and complex, yet shows elegance, balance, all while packed with flavors of dark fruit, hints of chocolate and spice, showing silky tannins with a seductive mouthfeel. This wine represents the absolute authentic expression of the Pellet Vineyard and is classically made by iconic vintner Tom Rinaldi. Quite frankly, as Tom and Eric think, “It’s a lucky find indeed.”


Wine Facts

Wine is unfiltered
Single vineyard wine
Sustainably produced
Wine is 100% estate grown and bottled — 5 years ago

with Ron

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Nose starts out subdued but super pretty and pure. Mashed flowers, granite, game, smoked meats, clean blueberry and blackberry fruit. Gorgeous earthy notes. So authentic, deep and old school. The nose has such a sense of deepness, uniqueness and authenticity. Leather, old baseball glove leather vibe. Palate is deep, juicy with awesome acidity and freshness and a deep gaminess. Juicy black and red fruits with such purity and finesse. Really really elegant wine. Concentrated and deep. So so pure. Good structure and grip all in a compact package. This is so fine, this is so refined and one of the best old school St. Joseph no one knows about. Terrific inner mouth aromas. So pure. Gains weight and power with air but never lets go of that refinement. Superb. Almost 9.5. We will see.

Update. 9.5. Nose is cerebral, earthy and floral. Palate has so much energy and freshness. Brilliant. — 6 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

The olive is the figeac to the echo’s cheval Blanc. Lovely nose. Reminds me of St. Estephe. Black olive, forest floor, spice, cherry fruit, plum, mineral and earth. Just so authentic and what one wants. Palate is juicy and ripe and always with the wonderful structure that enables these wines to age so well. It’s silky yet substantial with terrific purity and a wonderful core of fruit. Really ripe and silky tannins and just brilliant texture. So dense and velvety, with brilliant freshness and just that hint of rusticity which is what defines the character of the Clos de L’Olive. A great wine and one of my favorite Chinons. — 7 years ago

J. Kim

9.2

Very fresh, very pure, very authentic. — 7 years ago

J. Kim

9.2

Authentic perfume. Dynamic and transparent. — 8 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

2020 vintage. Decent nose. Medium-heavy body. Authentic. Workmanlike. Lived in. Would walk in these shoes again. Beyond solid Saint-Joseph that keeps the lights on and piques a few palates. 01.22.25. — a year ago

Stuart Pollack

9.2

Perfect with unbelievably spicy but authentic Northern Thai mint chicken from the best Thai in our neighborhood. Definitely put the fire out from my food, with its sweet and clean flavor. Perfectly balanced sweet Auslese Riesling. A great choice for your next Vindaloo, Szechuan, or Thai meal. — 4 years ago

Severn G

9.4

Opened 24H in advance with one glass poured to allow for increased air volume in the bottle. I prefer the flavor development of the Saint Peray sparkling wines on the second day open. Just a stunning example of Alt Champagne; Marsanne & Roussanne blend make a spectacular sparkling wine!

Please see prior notes. A tart, saline finish today, second to none! — 5 years ago

Matthew C. Keegan

9.0

Authentic champagne on St. Patrick’s Day. What a pleasure! — 6 years ago

Diego Perez

9.2

Full bouquet aromas (chocolate, coffee) nice wine from Bordeaux! This is what you expect when you want to drink an authentic french wine! — 7 years ago

Jakub Kalinowski

9.0

Very fresh & quite herby, with great purity of fruit (plums, blueberries) but also some nice earthy and tobacco & vegetal notes. Polished tannins and nice balance with freshness and a wide huff of menthol adding lightness to the ripeness. This is quite modern but also authentic and very drinkable. A nice wine. — 7 years ago

K J

9.5

Hotel du tourrel. St Rémy. — 8 years ago