Jay Kline

9.2

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a couple of hours. The 2017 “Hamel Family Ranch” pours a deep garnet color with an opaque core; medium+ viscosity with significant staining of the tears, and perhaps some light signs of sediment. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of tart and ripe bramble fruit, black plum, tobacco, cigar box, and fine baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tan and medium+ acid. The texture is plush. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. A winsome wine. Drink now through 2032+? — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Popped and poured; no formal notes. Enjoyed alongside the 2019. Tonight, the 2015 showed slightly bigger, deeper fruit. Still developing with a higher proportion of black fruit relative to the black and red mix of brambles in the 2019. Structure for many more years of enjoyment. Balanced and just so winsome in the Rafanelli way. Just entering its second plenitude but I expect this to be enjoyable through 2035. — a year 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. — 4 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

More like a Spatlese Feinherb. Gorgeous nose. Spice and mineral. So floral. Gorgeous. Winsome. Smells like a dry wine. Palate is dense with some epic acidity that thunders on the mineral tinged finish. This is epic but needs 5 years. What a finish and what acidity. — 6 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.5

The 2005 Vieux Château Certan was picked from September 12 after cool nights had led to a slow accretion of concentration. "There was a lot of drought in 2005," Alexandre Thienpont recalls, "and it was a season a bit like 1982." This has a winsome bouquet, more powerful than the preceding 2004, as you would expect, laden with predominantly red fruit laced with anise and wilted rose petals. Impressive delineation and focus. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannins, fresh and sapid in style, more open than the bottle tasted four years earlier. It veers towards a more savory finish. Subtle, ferrous, almost meaty notes lend complexity and typicité. Persistent on the aftertaste, this is a VCC that is just getting going. Tasted at the VCC vertical in Etikhove, Belgium. (Neal Martin, Vinous, July 2024)
— 4 months ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Served blind alongside what was eventually revealed to be a 1997 Freemark Abbey. This was the easiest of the pairings to get our heads collectively around as we felt confident this was Bordeaux and the other was from Napa. Unfortunately, I no longer have my notes for that wine but this was particularly memorable because I had held back a glass of the 1970 Montrose and had a lovely time tasting the two of those wines side-by-side. It was remarkable how much they had in common with one another. In fact, the only real difference between the two was that the 2000 just had more of its structure in tact. Other than that, the Montrose DNA was undeniable with loads of all the darkest, blackest fruits: currants and blackberries with coffee, tobacco, and graphite. At nearly 23 years young, the structure remains positively monumental. Despite all of that, it was ever so winsome. The finish was long with wonderful acid and lovely, ferrous minerals. Drink now with patience and over the next handful of decades. — a year ago

David Kline

8.9

Fluffy fluffy. Floating above the clouds here with cold, winsome, comforting lacing. Cedar-y and vanilla nose with orange citrus and a touch of brioche. Waves a little wood about, with caramel apple subservient to its vanilla wafer and toffee toast, while these too offer restraint. Maple extract cookies in lemon tea, and an overall pear tartlet aspect that brings it arboreally north to its latitude. The tiniest drops of heather honey. At the risk of repeating myself; these are well balanced beers! — 5 years ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over three days. Best on Day 3 but slayed from Day 1. The 2021 “P’tit Max” sources fruit from Guy Breton’s oldest vines in Les Charmes; some nearing a century old. It can often be one of the harder expressions from the Gang of Four to find. The wine pours a pale ruby color with a slightly hazy, transparent core and a watery rim. Medium viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, so fresh! Almost like a spring rain shower. The fruit is so beautiful: strawberry, watermelon, kiwi, red flowers mixed with some anise and wet asphalt. On the palate, winsome structure with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and I want to spread it over toast. This is drinking so well in its youth but this undoubtedly has a long life ahead. If anyone has multiples, I would recommend enjoying one now and cellaring other bottles to be enjoyed over the next 15+ years. — a year ago

Ellen Clifford

9.0

Rich and winsome, keeping things light. It doesn’t knock you over so much as gives you a love tap of oak-y vanilla and lees-borne cream. All balanced with spritely minerality. Quite lovely, tastes great now and I think a couple years age will help everything knit together. — 3 years ago

Tom Garland

9.0

Double decant and pour. A winsome murky medium red color. On the nose: tart cherries, floral, ground cinnamon, eucalyptus. Taste: mild under ripe strawberry, spice, a little plum, herbs, and some earth. A savory wine, tannins still have a very slight kick, with a medium smooth finish. Drink em if you got em. — 5 years ago

with Brenda