Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

The 2012 J. Lassalle Special Club is made from 60% Pinot Noir & 40% Chardonnay. The vines average 50 yrs old. Hails from Chigny-Les-Roses. Winemakers Chantal Decelle-Lassalle and Angéline Templier farm using the practice of Lutte Raisonnée, which means they fall just short of organic. Sustainable but use minimal chemicals. Rain during and at the end of the season when Mother Nature doesn’t dry the grape clusters, chemicals are often necessary to prevent mold. This isn’t Sauternes!

Texturally, it is quite nice. Beautiful fine mousse and micro oxygenation. Lively but not aggressive acidity.

Green & golden apples, pear, pineapple, lime/lemon with zest, orange citrus blend, green melon & kiwi. White spice, bread dough, nougat, limestone bits, thick chalky powder, graham cracker crust, melted caramel, vanillin, saline, sea fossils, understated herbaceous notes, fruit blossoms, spring flowers with an elegant, smartly polished, well balanced, nicely structured-crafted finish that lasts 90 seconds & lands on volcanics & spice on the long set.

You could make case for 94 here. Perhaps fully with a few more yrs of bottle age.

Pairs well with the Jasper Hill Farms Limited Edition of their Champagne washed Harbison soft white. — 6 months ago

Byron C Mayes

8.9

Dark garnet. Inviting nose and medium full palate of black currant, black cherry, and a hint of patent leather mid palate to finish. Solid, medium plus acidity. Medium tannins. And that finish is fairly long, even cutting through pasta with tomato sauce. An excellent entree into Bolgheri: Cabernet-led but still squarely in the Italian mold. Drink now through 2030 with classic Cabernet or Italian fare. — 3 years ago

"Odedi"

9.3

#AgedWineTuesday

Dark ruby in color with a wide ruby rim.

Strong nose of black currants, cherries, sweet raspberries, tobacco, peppercorn, chocolates, graphite, dark coffee, vinaigrette, vanilla, oak, light mold, black tea, bitter herbs and spices.

Full bodied and smooth with medium acidity and nice legs.

Dry on the palate with black currants, bell pepper, cherries, oak, vanilla, cloves, spices, smoke, graphite, tobacco leaf, bitter herbs, black tea, coffee, river rocks and black pepper.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy cranberries..

This is a great GSM blend from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Showing great complexity and mouthfeel.

This 9 year old needs 2 hours to open up properly, and wasn't good right out of the bottle. I had this vintage six years ago, and boy did it change. Drinking very nicely now. Delicious actually.

Good by itself or with food. I paired it with a Charcuterie board of meats, cheeses, pickled vegetables and fresh grapes.

A blend of 40% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 30% Mourvedre.

14.5% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$50 (current vintage). — 5 years ago

DCH

9.1

From what I’ve found Pommard is consistently on the robust end of Côte de Beaune Pinot Nior. This wine fits that mold. Big, round, complete for a Pinot. Balanced and delicious. Not greatly complex. — 8 months ago

David Kline

9.4

Rich style from a vintage made for whites! Champagne beurre Blanc, grilled pineapple, lemon panna cotta, brioche soaked in olive oil, magnolia, honeysuckle, yuzu, mirin, and noshi pear give it a Japanese aspect; ginkgo follows mold. Creamy mouthfeel kept honest by nice acid and lime padding with pith the pile lining. Lemon oil, lemon panna cotta and beurre blanc soaked brioche complete the picture from a stellar wine!



#maisonchampy #meursault #appellationmeursaultcontrolée #whiteburgundy #whiteburg #bourgogneblanc — 3 years ago

with Courtney

Daniel Bloom

9.5

Oh my! Where do you begin?
N: Go down to the pier and get yourself a bag of salted, buttered, nuts. Saline butterscotch, with mold(good)around the edges.Oranges and flowers, Almonds.
P: Saline, Iodine, brown butter, viscous on the tongue with a long sharp acidic, citrus finish. Marvelous. There’s tobacco and wood when you hold it in your mouth and take in air.
Double fortified to 17°, winter, heavy flor.
Ya! — 5 years ago

Ellen Clifford

9.0

Ohhhhh blendy blend. I mean this is mostly Viognier but that saucy Roussanne kicks in with its sense of at least a modicum of balance that is well-employed. Down with this Viognier-strong blend. It says: random herbs, sprinkles of cinnamon bark shards and canned tangerine all...in a gelatine mold? I’m not sure (having not eaten gelatin since before vegetarian days) but something sorta unctuous but fresh, ripe but..also new. I’ll just chill here happily with the bottle. But I should probably go to bed. — 7 years ago

Norman

9.1

Izumibashi Black Dragonfly “Kurotonbo” Kimoto Junmai. This is Kimoto style sake which if I understand correctly refers to how they prepare the Koji mold. Color has a slight yellow tint, less than straw-like. I get almost nothing on the nose. The weight is slightly heavier than water and I’m guessing +2 but I don’t have this calibrated yet. Slight bitterness on the palate as it warms, was what I would call sweet initially. Finish lingers for a long time. Will be interesting to hear the pro comments. Not sure on the rice. — 2 years ago

John Willison

9.0

Mold red berry fruit, raspberry, unripe cherry, earthy tones, subtle licorice root. — 6 years ago

James P Grover

9.2

I was a little worried when I pulled the cork on this one. It didn’t look like it had sealed well. But there was no mold or taint. It was more oxidized than I would have expected for the age. So this was more like dried black currants and raisins, with residues of blackberries and blueberries that once we’re probably in the forefront. There’s also black pepper and cocoa. At first, tannins and acidity were harsh, but with some air this has thrown a lot of sediment and it’s mellowed and integrated. I’m very pleased with it. — 7 years ago