Will Stanley

9.4

Jacky Blot sadly passed away recently, and oversaw in his time two Loire domaines that produce Chenin and Cabernet Franc respectively. I tried last year one of his whites, which blew me away, and enjoyed a similar experience with the 2018 ‘Mi-Pente’, a single vineyard Cab Franc from Bourgueil. This being my first wine from Bourgueil and one of a tiny few Cab Francs that I’ve tried from the Loire as a whole, I would have no idea where to place this in a blind tasting. But my word, what a spectacular wine!

It’s so enticing on the nose - initially quite bretty, but then broadening out to reveal aromas of fresh cherry, cranberry and blackcurrant, along with a savoury edge comprising cedar, tobacco, lavender and tomato leaf. The palate is at once fresh but powerful, structured and elegant; savoury with flecks of sweet cherry chocolate. This is an engrossing wine, utterly drinkable with great ageing potential. I am totally smitten, and look forward to trying more wines from this domaine in the future.

94+ — 5 months ago

Dan

8.9

Very rich but has all characteristics of old world Syrah. Really drinking well now but probably has some time too. — 2 years ago

Shay A

9.2

I’m between a 91-92 (same as I was for the Brut Reserve). After going through 6 of these and 6 brut reserve over the last year, I feel confident in the longevity of these Blanc de Blanc champagnes.

For a Blanc de Blanc, this shows plenty of yeasty/toasty notes with fleshy characteristics. Sea salted flaky honey buttered biscuits with lemon scone and honeysuckle aromatics. While the palate is similar, the finish is so drastically different than the rest of this champagne…almost too tart. Palate profile is rich with yellow fruits, kiss of nougat, and some classical limestone. The finish is just crazy underripe and again, tart. Razor sharp acidity. I think this is a champagne that benefits from time, whereas the Brut reserve is perfectly fine to consume now. — 3 years ago

Eduardo Maristany

9.5

Great every single time — 8 months ago

Andrew Holod

National Sales Grapes of Spain

9.0

Cab based blend. From Eastside Napa in the vaca foothills. Much drier than the Mayacamas to the west.
Amazing acidity here. this wine feels a little auyere, as if it will really improve with a bit of time in bottle. This feels Bordeaux inspired and should be great at the table, though I think I prefer the Oakville Merlot to the Cab. — 2 years ago

Jay Kline

9.2

This was presented to me double-blind at Tasting Group. The wine appeared deep ruby with a nearly opaque core. There’s slight staining of the tears and the viscosity appears medium+. On the nose the wine is intense. It’s slightly funky with an almost cheese rind sort of thing going on. There’s a combination of red and dark fruits with some purple flowers, dried tobacco leaf, something that sort of resembled pyrazines and a little bit of baking spices which suggests there’s some French barrique being used. On the palate, the wine is bone dry and fiercely tannic. Acid is medium ++. It’s definitely on the darker fruit side with some black berries and blue berries, black pepper and baking spices which all but confirms French barrique at this point. Long finish. I’m scratching my head with this one. It’s wild. Clean and fresh…but wild.

I could see this in a few places: Moulin-à-Vent is one possibility considering all the darker fruit and firm structure. However, I find some real Italian sensibilities to this wine. Despite the monumental structure, I cannot place this in northern Italy. Given the presence of French barrique, I could see this being a Cabernet Sauvignon-based Super Tuscan with a little Syrah and Sangiovese for good measure. So that was my call: 2015 Super Tuscan.

Wow…what a lovely surprise. I mistook the Rotundone for pyrazines (a recurring issue for me) which had me thinking Bordeaux varieties instead of Syrah. And to be fair, we don’t see a lot of Côte Rôtie at Tasting Group. This was my first time tasting the 2016 “La Chavaroche” and while it was a real treat (big thanks to the generous member of the group), it was also a reminder as to why I cellar my bottles of “La Chavaroche” for so long. This is a wee babe and frankly, pretty tough for me to love right now. That being said, the quality and character is unquestionable. I say give it until 2030+ and these will light up your right prefrontal cortex like a supernova.
— 3 years ago

Adam Beasley

9.3

Drinks like a cross between Bandol, Morgon, and Zinfandel. Really fantastic. — 4 years ago

Jay Kline

9.4

It was Father’s Day and I had decided on grilled rack of lamb for dinner so I selected this bottle of 2011 Chateau Musar rouge from our cellar. According to Musar’s records, the 2011 vintage was one of the most challenging since the early 1990’s. It was ultimately a late-maturing vintage with harvest taking place on October 13th, the latest since the 1983 vintage!

I decanted this bottle about eight hours prior to dinner. It should be noted that immediately upon opening, the bouquet was strikingly gorgeous with powerful aromatics that were obvious from several feet away and this trait carried through until dinner time.

In the glass, the wine presents a deep garnet color. Slightly turbid with a near opaque core. On the nose, black plums, blackberries, cassis, tobacco, organic earth, exotic spices, leather, spiced meat, and pomegranate. I detect a touch of VA as well. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the nose with an added bit of red rope licorice. Lovely, long, savory…amazing. This was a brilliant compliment to the lamb (which was served with beets and goat cheese and fattoush) and everything I wanted in a Musar tonight. Drinking well now with a hefty decant and I expect well cellared examples to drink well past 2035. — a year ago

Tom Garland

9.6

1.5 hour decant (lots of chunky sediment). A stupendous dark ruby red color with some bricking. On the nose: Beautiful aromatics burst from the glass with dark cherry, boiled meat, sandalwood, worn leather, toasty oak. Taste: smooth, creamy, silky, intense wine with cassis, currants, tobacco, glycerin, earth, and a spiced licorice long finish. In a great place with time to go. YUM!!! — 3 years ago

Shay A

9.2

Though the brutal TX heat is back, it means plenty of time for grilling, and this was a fun red blend to pair with burgers.

A fun field blend where everything but the kitchen sink seems to be in here…mostly zin, with 6-7 lesser known varietals. A bit funky upon opening (pop and pour), this opened to reveal a brambly, tobacco leaf, weightless yet jammy profile. Soft and supple mixed fruits aromatically (mostly red and black fruits), with some added woody notes (more earthy than oak driven). The mid palate here reminds you this is zin to its core with plenty of black cherry compote and then the vibrant acidity driven finish sports some black pepper and spicy rhubarb. Mostly integrated at this point, I think this is at its apex. — 4 years ago