Jay Kline

9.4

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a couple hours. Clément Perseval’s 1er Cru Rosé pours a light rose gold color with a persistent mousse. On the nose, the wine is developing with fresh notes of raspberry and strawberry with lemon curd, white flowers, a whiff of fresh brioche and laden with minerals. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long with minerals for dayzzz. This is far and away the most un-Rosé, Rosé I have ever had. Usually, I find them to be rounder than their non-Rosé counterparts and this is not that. The acid and minerals are insane. Almost like a particle beam in a wide spray across the palate. Fantastic. Drink now through 2034/35. Based on the 2019/2020 vintage. Disgorged in November of 2025. Thanks @Lyle Fass for the assist! — a month ago

Jay Kline

9.2

This bottle of the 1990 Riserva was opened and Audouzed about two hours prior to service and enjoyed over the course of a couple hours. The wine pours a pale garnet color with a translucent core; medium viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of ripe and desiccated red fruits, old cherry Blow Pop, truffle, dried red flowers, some leather and dusty earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and savory. This bottle was grumpy at the beginning but is needed a pile of air. Drink now through 2030. Thanks for the assist @Lyle Fass — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

It’s been a couple years since I last enjoyed the 1996 and based off this experience, it’s continuing to age gracefully.

Double decanted the night before. The wine pours a garnet color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with notes of cassis, kirsch, purple flowers, tobacco, dried herbs, green pepper, old wood and gravelly earthy. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose, the finish is long and sanguine. So much soul, it could make Marvin Gaye blush. Drink now with patience (and a long decant) through 2041. Thanks for the assist @Lyle Fass — 5 months ago

Austin Hohnke

9.2

Deep, young, tannic, and intense. Fruit is shy.
Alcohol is prominent with this one. Maybe age and air can assist with that, but definitely coming in hot. — 9 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Opened about an hour before service and poured into a decanter; enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 2014 Sozet pours a deep garnet with a purple tinge and a translucent core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of tart, ripe and desiccated dark and red fruits: mashed mixed brambles and blueberries, cherry compote, Tootsie Roll©️, mocha, lavender, black pepper, a whiff of beef jerky, dried green herbs, old wood and rocky granitic earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. An utterly fascinating Cornas; remarkable in its unique character. It’s feral but in a different way than I’m used to. One of those wines you don’t know what to think of in the moment and then days pass and you’re still thinking about it. Hard to say if the structure is adequate for long term cellaring. Drink now through 2034? Thanks for the assist @Lyle Fass — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.2

The Godefroy lieu-dit sits below the Brouilly hill, to the east. The vines here are very old; some over a century!

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Fairly consistent throughout. The 2022 “Godefroy” pours a deep ruby/purple color; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with perfumed notes of ripe strawberries, Rainier cherry, red plum, forest floor, and red flowers. There’s also a slight funky note, a sort of mushroom thing that I really liked. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+; almost chewy. Compared to the “La Chapelle” from earlier in the week, Godefroy is rounder; a bit more fun, flirty and funky whereas “La Chapelle” is darker fruited, more chiseled; stony and sexy. Drinking well now and through 2037+. Thanks for the assist @Lyle Fass — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2021 pours a bright garnet color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with fabulous notes of wild raspberries, Morello cherry, freshly cut roses, cedar chest, orange zest, alpine herbs and rocky earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+. This is really beautiful stuff. The nose alone positively slays. Drink now through 2041. Thanks for the assist @Lyle Fass — a month ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Poured into a decanter about an hour prior to service; enjoyed over the course of a few hours. On the nose, the wine is developing with fabulous notes of ripe and tart, mixed brambles, blueberries, figs, lavender, a touch of animale, black pepper, rocky earth and fine, warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium(?) tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. This seemed to get younger the longer it was exposed to air. The Benjamin Button of wine, lol. Might even rate it higher down the road. Lovely with kofta on a Thursday. Drink now through 2045+. Thanks for the assist @Lyle Fass — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Opened about three hours prior to service. The 2020 pours a deep purple with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of funky brambles, purple flowers, black pepper, bacon fat, dried green herbs, exotic spices, and rocky earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose with the addition of olive brine. The finish is long, ferrous and savory. Really great stuff. Drink now through 2040+. Thanks for the assist @Lyle Fass — 4 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 2021 “Del Comune de La Morra” pours a brilliant garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing and redolent with bright, fresh red fruits: framboise, Morello cherry, freshly paved asphalt, trampled rose petals, a kiss of VA, and dry gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. A wine you just want to smell for an eternity. Brilliant. This enjoys a lot of air and I expect will have a very long life. Drink now with patience through 2061. Thanks @Lyle Fass for the assist! — 6 months ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Popped and poured; enjoyed over two days. Maybe slightly better on Day 2 under a muzzle. The “Le Pucelles” pours a straw color with a persistent mousse. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of ripe and tart fruit: green apple, wild strawberry, raspberry, Meyer lemon, and minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry and the acid is high. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. Looking back at my previous notes for this wine from the same disgorgement, the fruit set has shifted a little but I’m no less impressed. The quality of the fruit is tremendous and the minerals dazzle. A dense Champagne and yet it never feels heavy. The cut and precision is undeniable. Drink now through 2036. Disgorged in October of 2022. Thank you @Lyle Fass for the assist! — a year ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.4

1994 vintage. Nice fill with a slightly shrunken and fully saturated cork. Durand helped plenty in the opening assist. Not decanted and tasted after 1.25 hours open. Hadn’t tasted since the early 2000’s. Definitely dropped all the baby fat. Toffee, coffee and chocolate covered cherries in the nose. Light medium body (thought it would be a touch bigger). Still plenty of focus but slightly less grip than desired. Can it match biggie shizz like Montelena, Dunn, Diamond Creek, BV GDL Reserve, Mondavi Reserve, Araujo, Peter Michael Les Pavots, Mayacamas, etc? No. Is it really really nice? Absolutely. Can hold another 5-6 years at this juncture before boarding the downhill bell curve train. 11.8.24. — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course three days. The aromatics were most impressive on Day 1 but the palate found better balance on Day 3. Regardless, an impressive showing throughout. The 2018 “Oléa”, which I understand to be what’s basically a barrel-select of Patrick’s standard Côte-Rôtie, pours a deep ruby/purple color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with significant staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with fascinating notes of brambles, lavender, blueberry pie, tarragon, grilled lamb, blood, and granitic earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long with a lovely, silky texture. Drink now with patience and through 2038. Thanks to @Lyle Fass for the assist! — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The 2023 Volnay pours a deep ruby color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is youthful with notes of forest strawberry, raspberry, Bing cherry, red flowers, sous bois and mixed spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and the texture is almost chewy. This is a very pretty, but also quite powerful and certainly fleshy Volnay that I expect this will show a lot more with some time in the cellar. Drink now to enjoy its youth and through 2038. Thanks for the assist @Lyle Fass — a month ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

This is exactly what I want in a Ripasso. The freshness and purity of ripe Corvina and other grapes, with a little assist from the Amarone pomace to add a little dried fruit complexity and richness and structure. Ripassos can so easily be simple and cloying and too big or sweet. This avoids all those pitfalls. Such a good pasta wine. — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Gorgeous on both days. The 2019 Grumello “Rocco de Piro”pours a brilliant, ruby color with a transparent core and a slightly watery rim; medium viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with gorgeous notes of cool, fresh raspberries, roses with babies breath, Alpine herbs, cedar chest, and rocky earth. On the palate the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and the texture is silky. Such a beautiful and elegant expression of Chiavennasca. Drink now through 2034. Thanks for the assist @Lyle Fass — 5 months ago

Sarah Nally

9.0

Fantastic easy wine — 6 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a couple hours. The 2019 “Primanebbia” pours garnet color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with an insane nose of wild forest strawberries, raspberries, roses, curaçao, fresh sage, old wood and gentle mix of cool and warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. Probably the greatest Langhe Nebbiolo I’ve had to-date. Drink now through 2039. Thanks for the assist @Lyle Fass — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.5

The Fossati MGA is bifurcated administratively with the commune of Barolo (to the south) and La Morra (to the north). Cesare Bussolo’s holdings are in the latter. In fact, his vines run like a thin ribbon right through the middle of one of Roberto Voerzio’s plots.

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of three hours. The 2020 pours a very pretty garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with soaring notes of ripe red fruit: Morello cherry, raspberry, strawberries, roses, curaçao, licorice, talcum powder, a touch of tar, some dried herbs, dry earth and gentle warm spices. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and savory. This is a beautiful wine and I was really grateful to share one of my bottles with a good friend at Via Farina’s new location at Regency Landing. Drink now with patience and through 2060.

I would like to add that I have only become aware of Cesare Bussolo’s work over the last few years and believe it or not, it was his 2018 Fossati (from a tricky vintage no less) that caught my attention. He is quickly becoming one of my favorite producers in La Morra. He makes a very small amount of wine (relatively speaking) but I have really enjoyed the process of not only discovering Cesare’s wines (his Barbera’s are not to be overlooked!) but also sharing them with friends. Thanks @Lyle Fass for the assist! — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Apropos, the vines for “La Chapelle” are adjacent to the chapel perched at the very top of the Mont Brouilly where it is quite dry and the soil is very poor. The vineyard is also remarkably steep making manual harvest essential.

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of three days. Fairly consistent throughout but I felt it was most enjoyable on Day 2 and 3. The 2022 “La Chapelle” pours a deep ruby/purple color; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is youthful and fresh with beautiful notes of tart blackberries, red plum, wet stone, a combination of red and purple flowers, licorice, dried green herbs, some wood varnish. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and has a stiff spine of minerals. This is a cerebral wine compared to “Godefroy” (which is almost quaffable in comparison). Drinking well now to enjoy its freshness but will undoubtedly drink well through 2037+. Thanks for the assist @Lyle Fass — 2 years ago