Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

Most of the wines I open tell me a story w/ each sip. Most tied to my late wife Sofia. My memories of this producer precedes her.

This is a producer that flashed early in my wine journey. Generally, one you have moved on from today. That’s until, their 2013 is offered at $39 recently. A grand vintage. For me, I wanted to see the wineries progression and experience earlier memories that flood back w/ each sip. It has done that.

I have a Napa history infatuation. This one is kinda of a pleasure-pain thing. While I enjoyed this producer many years ago, the 2020 Glass Fires destroyed 90% of their vineyards, almost all their structures & their 19 & 20 vintages. I can’t express enough what a gut punch that is for its owners & staff. It is an insurance nightmare and let’s not forget that after all the time it takes to re-plant vines, it takes at least 7 years before you get useable fruit to make wine. So…a ten yr plus setback w/ nearly no revenue stream.

The wine tonight w/o a ribeye, showed excellent fruits that the 13 growing season brought. But what followed was a lean mid plate and finish. With the steak, not so.

The palate shows M+ velvety, dry tannins. Ripe, rich, lush, ruby fruits of: blackberries, black plum, baked plum, dark cherries, black raspberries, raspberries, poached & fresh strawberries & an understated array of purple fruits. Moist, grey, volcanic clays, moist tobacco w/ ash, used leather, graphite, dry, crushed rocks/limestone-sandstone, dry brush, dark cola, black licorice to anise, dry herbs-bay leaf, sage, dark, mid spice with some palate heat, sweet tarriness, dark, fresh, candied & withering red roses, lavender & dry violets, excellent acidity with a well balanced-knitted, nicely structured & tensioned, elegant finish that lasts minutes and long sets on dry earth & spice.

This is nice on its own but so much better with a ribeye. 92 on its own with a hour decant. 92-93+ with an hour decant plus a juicy, well seasoned MR ribeye. — 4 months ago

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9.2

The 2004 Léoville Las Cases has a noticeable mintiness on the nose that actually complements the red fruit, though it deviates away from what you might call Saint-Julien typicité. After ten minutes, it coheres with ash and black tea aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with a rounded texture on the entry. The 2004 shows fine acidity and is lightly spiced with cracked black pepper towards the finish. A little conservative, but it acquits itself well considering the vintage. (Neal Martin, Vinous, June 2024)
— 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Selected off the list at Boiler Room. Giacomo Fenocchio’s holdings in the Bussia MGA reside within the sub zones of Bussia Sottana (of which they enjoy some of the best parcels) and that of Munie. Opened about 30 minutes before service; no decant and no formal notes. The 2014 “Bussia” from G. Fenocchio starts off a little shy, but it gains weight and significant aromatic character with time in the glass. Bright cherries, slightly on the more tart side with tar over roses. The body seems a little demure early on but it eventually fleshes out and becomes almost chewy! The structure I want and expect from Barolo is there too with lovely acid and stiff tannins. The finish is long and savory. Last sip was the best. This was quite a lovely example of 2014 and a fine accompaniment to bone-in pork chops and Morgan Ranch beef cheeks. Drink now with some patience and over the next ten or so years. — 3 years ago

Ely Cohn

9.2

A very un-Burgundian Pinot. Interesting and challenging and ultimately harmonious. Spicy, dark, brooding. Unapologetically assertive. Abrupt at first, but gives quite a bit with ten minutes of oxygen. Begins to harmonize more and more.

Compartments of sweet black cherries, baseball mitt, cedar, and limestone form to a point of a fortified dark syrupy cherry juice. At 14.5% it isn't as bright, candied, or cola-ed as you'd expect.

It's dark, spicy, and wholesome. — 5 years ago

Kyle Gross

9.3

Smells fantastic! You can smell the soil with spicy tones. Nice light red rust colour. Strawberries and pepper. — 6 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Brought to my parents place for a socially distant, outdoor dinner on their driveway. Holly and I celebrated 15 years of marriage last week so we thought this might be fun to share. Popped and poured with the cork intact and little sign of any seepage. In the glass, this was a light garnet color but showing a good amount of sediment. On the nose, there was an initial impression of stewed cherries but that disappeared rather quickly and freshened up within about ten minutes of air. It evolved into ripe red fruits, dry leaf tobacco, tar, and mushrooms. On the palate, it was cherries, tar, dried herbs and earthy characteristics. While the attack was sweet, the finish was long with firm drying tannin; very satisfying with good acid. This is drinking very well right now. — 6 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Poured into a decanter about an hour prior to service; enjoyed over the course of 90 minutes. The 2015 “Caravina”pours a deep garnet with an opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of mostly ripe, dark fruits: cassis, blackberries, tobacco, poblano pepper, a mix of red and purple flowers and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+.

At ten years young, the 2015 is showing brilliantly; squarely in its prime. Drink now through 2035. — 8 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of three days and consistent throughout. The 2008 Cuvèe Syrah pours a deep, hazy ruby/purple color with a near translucent core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with heady notes of ripe black and red fruits: mixed brambles, garrigue, lavender, black pepper, salmiakki, olive brine, spiced and cured meat, and dry stony earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish lasts for ten minutes (no cap); savory and spicy. This is my second time getting to enjoy this truly special wine and both experiences were consistent. Drink now with a 30min decant and enjoy through 2033. — a year ago

David Shaw

9.1

Purple red, medium pigment extraction. Fresh grape flavors initially, like eating table grapes. After ten minutes, red fruit aromas and black currant and cherry flavors, well balanced, slightly bitter seed tannins on finish. Clean, medium bodied red wine, fresh and fruity. — 3 years ago

Katie

9.1

This wine surprised us with every passing minute. Let it open up for ten minutes and then watch it displays layers of ever changing flavor — 4 years ago

with Alex

Will Stanley

9.6

A wine that more than lives up to its reputation, this estate Cabernet from Kanonkop in South Africa is a tremendous flag-bearer for the quality of Bordeaux blends (or, as in this case, single varietals) in the Cape - and particularly in that iconic region Stellenbosch.

An exuberant nose that leaps from the glass and features cassis, fig, cinnamon, some garam masala and cigar box, with more than a gentle tug of graphite. A touch of tomato vine completes what is a very harmonious aroma - and quite an austere one at that. It was ten minutes before I took a sip.

The palate is even more giving, after a two hour decant, with incredibly concentrated flavours of red cherry, blackcurrant and plum, and a lovely undercurrent of dark chocolate and vanilla. This is seriously accomplished stuff, with more than enough backbone to age, and a very long finish. I would love to try this in ten years - even five - but only bought the one bottle so that’s a pipe dream. If this was the Médoc, you’d be thrilled. Truly, an astonishingly good wine.

96+ — 5 years ago

Evan Endicott

9.2

Started off a little tight but after just ten minutes or so in the glass -- whoa -- big smoked meat / Earth flavors take over the front of the palate, followed by concentrated dark fruits, violets and a beautiful finish. Big tannins here but with a little bit of age on it, it delivers a super voluptuous pour. — 6 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Being a 2013 Barolo, I expected this to be largely unapproachable and, at least initially, my a suspicions were validated. However, after about 30 minutes of swirling and coming up to temperature, it’s reticence faded away and instead, blossomed into a very attractive, youthful wonder. The nose was quite winsome with black licorice, roses, tar and dark fruits. One of those wines where the bouquet alone is enough to celebrate. On the palate, it was no quite as expressive and very primary with tart dark and red fruits and spices. The structure is intimidating at this stage. Long, mouth drying finish. I would suggest tucking these away for at least another five to ten years to get the most out of it. DIAM cork which I found somewhat surprising. — 6 years ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

8.9

I was a little concerned upon uncorking - tight and some new oak. Woke right up in the glass after ten minutes or so. Lithe wild cherry, forest floor, drinks the same on a medium frame, plentiful acidity with soft clingy tannins at the end. #chianticlassicoriserva — a year ago

Robert Ahlstrom

9.5

Nice minerals, citrus, opens up over five-ten minutes in the glass, bubbles are not overpowering. — a year ago

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9.1

The 2020 Meursault Les Charmes 1er Cru has a reductive bouquet that initially obscures some of the terroir expression. That reduction seems to bed in when I return to the glass after ten minutes. The palate is rich and viscous at the entry, and the acidity thankfully maintains tension. The finish feels pure but a bit predictable. Potentially, a lovely mouthful of Meursault, depending on how that reduction pans out, yet intuition is that it doesn't have the class of the best wines in the appellation. Tasted blind at the annual Burgfest tasting. (Neal Martin, Vinous, July 2024)
— 2 years ago

Veronica S

9.5

Incredible. Deep ruby with a little light on the edge to show its age. Cassis, black currant and blackberry, hint of smoke, cigar, slate and earth. Gripping tannins at first. Aerate for five minutes to smooth it out. Medium body and finish. Big but easy to drink. This can go for another ten years. Oh man. What an amazing treat. Thanks David. — 2 years ago

with David

Will Stanley

9.6

Truly benchmark Rioja, La Rioja Alta’s ‘904’ Gran Reserva from the 2010 vintage - as fabled in Rioja as it is in Bordeaux - is a disarmingly gorgeous wine with superb ageing potential. I first tried this wine over two years ago, and found it a little closed at the time and was underwhelmed by the palate. The nose was terrific though, and that holds true today - it’s simply breathtaking, the sort of wine you spend ten minutes sniffing before taking your first sip. Today’s palate, however, is well and truly open for business. What a veritable explosion of flavour; a kaleidoscopic array of the best of both traditional and modern Rioja, all of it fresh, none of it tired, with a pure and ethereal presence of black and blue fruits, flowers, vanilla bean, clove, clementine and macerated cherry. When wine folk talk of a long finish, this wine gets a nod - it leaves an imprint on one’s palate that lasts minutes. I’m quite amazed by the improvement that two years has afforded this wine, both bottles bought at the same time and stored side-by-side in my cellar. At last, this has begun to show its potential and I cannot wait to see how it develops in the coming 20, 30, 40 years.

In the meantime, do not sleep on the 2010 Viña Ardanza, a wine that I have enjoyed many a time in the last two years, and one that would be included in my all-time list of value fine wines, were anyone to ask!

96+ — 4 years ago

Lauren Willis

9.5

🍷✔✔ just lovely. Bought from the cellar door — 6 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

100% Syrah from vines that’s are 10-65 years old and managed manually for the most part. Fermented in concrete and aged for two years in barrels of various sizes but mostly larger (225L-600L). Popped and poured. This bottle took about ten minutes to open but when it did, ohhhhh baby! On the nose it was a mix of blue fruits, dark cherry, and a high end yoga studio...you know, the ones with incense of sandalwood, gardenia and bergamot...basically everything but the patchouli. On the palate, things got even more interesting with firm blue fruits, tart dark cherries, lightly spiced meats and minerals. The finish lasts for five minutes. In fact, there is crazy effect after a couple of minutes that reminds me of Acmella oleracea (Sichuan buttons or buzz buttons). Absolutely wild! Never had a wine do that. No doubt, this is a Saint-Joseph of the highest level. Definitely a producer to keep an eye out for. — 6 years ago