Jae Cho

9.2

Swan song of the fellowship of friends. Liked it. Napa from the 70s and 80s. — 3 months ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

See 3 previous Delectable notes. This was my last bottle of the best new world Vermentino I’ve had. Green apple, medium acid. Grand Champion of the Toowoomba Wine Show in 2021 when I was a Judge. Quite delicious - more full bodied than any Italian Vermentino I’ve had. The palate is quite unctuous with mandarin and quince. Even though the winery is in Queensland on the Granite Belt, the fruit comes from the Mildura (NW Victoria) warm region. — 5 months ago

Martinez

9.1

Incredibly beautiful, perfumed nose, lots of floral notes (rose petals). Clean, pure, precise, very refined. One of the best Gewurztraminers I’ve ever had, from vineyards around Niedermorschwihr on granite soils (apparently, Gewurztraminer does great on granite…) — a year ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

One of my favorites wines. Perfume of smoke, gritty smoked meats, lavender, herbs and granite. Just an insane nose. 9.6. The herbs are a knockout. This is the best aromas I’ve ever had from this bottling. Palate is so rich., bright and deep. Such luscious and bright fruit. Bursting with blackberries and red currants. Lovely incisive depth here. Long and velvety. Has structure to burn and a long life ahead of it. Very primary but awesome today. — 2 years ago

Shay A

9.3

Every time I have a wine from Pierre Gonon, I know it’s going to hit every note I’m looking for. These wines are absolutely delicious and are exactly what I love to drink.

First time with a slightly older bottle of Iles Feray and I’d say this is in the perfect zone. Very much in the vein of the StJo with the dark florals and herbal aromatics (just stemmy enough to show it’s there, but not as much as the StJo). Peppered raspberries and blackberries, green stems on the mid-palate. Great texture/weight. Granite and iron show early on. Tannin structure is in the middle ground…holds everything together but isn’t a beast. Not as layered as the StJo, but still so enjoyable to drink when wanting a beautiful, pure expression of Syrah.

Followed over a few days and stayed consistent. I’d buy a bunch of this if prices for these wines weren’t as high as they’ve been the last few years. — 18 days ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Oh…how I adore Elisabetta’s wines and getting to drink Granato with some age is a huge treat! Popped and poured; enjoyed over a two hour time period and it evolved very nicely in that time. The 2010 Granato pours a deep ruby with near opaque core. Medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of cassis, fresh sage, mild funk, granite rock and a soft expression of warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with good structure still. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and there is a drying sensation of almost licking a rock. As mentioned earlier, this opened up beautifully after about 30min and continued to shine. Admittedly, I don’t have a lot of data points on decade+ Teroldego so it’s hard to say for sure how long this could last however, when I consider that this is still developing and doesn’t show much in terms of secondary characteristics, I would say this still has a long life ahead. Drink now with a short decant or through 2030; possibly longer. — a year ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.3

Wow. Dusty, sweet, such pure deep red ripe fruit. Cooked cranberries, granite, spice, lots of energy. Palate is thrilling, palate isn’t quite as complex. A pretty sweetness on the finish but this is so fresh and tart at the same sime. Mature but nowhere near fading.

Finally a cult Cali cab I can get behind! — 3 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

From the oldest vines in Clos de la Roilette, the “Cuvée Tardive” is a special example of Fleurie. Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Consistent throughout, though it seemed to be a touch more balanced on Day 2. The 2022 “Cuvée Tardive” pours a deep ruby, with a slightly purple tinge and a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of black cherry, pomegranate, black plum, red carnations, lavender pastilles, licorice, incense, and granite. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose, the finishes medium+. Ripe and yet remains so fresh! Drink now through 2037. — 3 months ago

Patti Gamboni

9.1

1998 vintage. Wow. — 10 months ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Soaring, elegant nose of peach flesh, guava, pineapple and persimmon. So focused and shows off the exotic fruit so vividly. All on a bed of pungent granite. So clean, elevated and pure. Awesome. Nothing like White Hermitage. Palate is super mineral and fresh but obviously young and needs air/years to get more together. Amazing fruit presence that mirrors what is on the nose and also long and grand. Gorgeous focus and an almost tannic impression on the finish. Grippy and fruit and mineral saturate on the finish. Terrific and excited what air will bring. Air brings this from a 9.4 to 9.5. So focused now and the nose just emanates from the glass. World class wine. Top notch finesse. — 2 years ago