Shay A

9.1

*Color isn’t quite as dark as the picture shows*

Followed over a few days. Consistent profile.

From 375ml

Advanced caramel color with a tinge of orange. Thankfully, aromatics are as expected with orange marmalade, caramel and toffee. Viscous and weighty profile with low acidity. Faint notes of honey roasted nuts on the palate, but it’s mostly an orange marmalade, caramel and apricot dominated profile. Finish shows good length for what is considered an off-vintage, with the apricot and some bourbon vanilla. Good on its own. Drink now. — a day ago

Shay A

9.3

Opened as a side by side with a 2010 Domaine de Chevalier. This Repris is 50 cab/20 merlot/ 20CF/ 10 Malbec (versus the cab heavy and petit Verdot blend of the DC).

Whereas the 2010 Chevalier has the roasted Bordeaux funk (which I enjoy), this trends more of the brambly/fig profile. Very much in the deep red and black fruit style, this is deeply colored in the glass with roasted plum, fig, cassis, and black-cherry mocha aromatics. The juicy-ness of the Malbec hits immediate on the palate with blackberries and licorice, followed by the weight of the CF/merlot/Cab. Ripe dark red and black fruits, plum, dark cocoa, kiss of green/herbs. Big structure (oak frames it, but isn’t obtrusive) and finish at this stage. Holding strong, but in a good window. Quick 30min decant and follow for a few hours. — 17 days ago

Shay A

9.3

My first Prevost La Closerie “&”. After enjoying many bottles of the regular La Closerie the last few years, I’ve had this as a bottle to try for a while. A portion of the wine comes from Prevost's Béguines vineyard (as does the entirety of the “regular” Closerie), and the rest comes from other sites in the village of Gueux.

LC21 (‘21 vintage); 100% Pinot meunièr, 2.5g/l dosage; disgorged Sept ‘23

Enjoyed side by side with the LC20 La Closerie. Although different vintages and slightly different fruit, you can see the similarities easily. Both have the typical Prevost deep champagne color and jump from the glass with ginger, spiced pear and caramel apple. The mid-palate continues similarities with the nutty and espresso profile but this takes a turn away from a noticeable oxidized profile to a more typical fruit-forward meunièr profile (brighter citrus, not as heavy). The finish isn’t as lengthy, however, after a few hours of being open, this drank nearly identical to the regular La Closerie (the oxidized notes came out and the finish bulked up in richness). No natty-vibes here.

Enjoyable side by side by arguably the master of Pinot meunièr. — a month ago

Shay A

9.2

Pleasantly surprised. ‘97s have been fairly consistent as they’ve aged (not sure they’ve reached the hype of expectations, but some have), and this being a low-barrier to entry purchase from a reputable producer made it an easy choice to acquire.

Followed over a few hours from bottle and it held strong.

Faded color with the red core starting to dull. Quick whiff of some VA, but it dissipated quickly. Aromatics of old pipe tobacco, fig and brambly red fruits. Old school Napa on the palate (13.8 ABV) with a more lively profile…red and black fruits with cedar, more tobacco and some dark cacao (which turned to a confectionary chocolate Tootsie Roll taste at the finish). Acidity is hanging in there but definitely in the drink-now zone. — 7 days ago

Shay A

9.3

I’ve enjoyed Henri Giraud’s champagnes for a while, and was able to visit last Nov. This ratafia champenois was quite fun and worthy of a few bottles being brought home. From a solera of 1990-2016 vintages.

Followed over a few months (love that the wine comes with its own dedicated stopper to help preserve).

First whiff reminds me of some Cognacs I’ve had with a combo of sweet concentrated fruit (raisins) and heat, before showing a honeyed profile. There’s no nutty Sauternes like profile, but the palate is texturally similar without being cloying. Orange marmalade and golden raspberries dominate the flavors. Little bright herbal-flair, but this still shows some Cognac type flavors without the ABV punch. The oxidation is balanced and not detracting. Really enjoyable. — 23 days ago

Shay A

9.3

Every time I have a wine from Pierre Gonon, I know it’s going to hit every note I’m looking for. These wines are absolutely delicious and are exactly what I love to drink.

First time with a slightly older bottle of Iles Feray and I’d say this is in the perfect zone. Very much in the vein of the StJo with the dark florals and herbal aromatics (just stemmy enough to show it’s there, but not as much as the StJo). Peppered raspberries and blackberries, green stems on the mid-palate. Great texture/weight. Granite and iron show early on. Tannin structure is in the middle ground…holds everything together but isn’t a beast. Not as layered as the StJo, but still so enjoyable to drink when wanting a beautiful, pure expression of Syrah.

Followed over a few days and stayed consistent. I’d buy a bunch of this if prices for these wines weren’t as high as they’ve been the last few years. — a month ago

Shay A

9.2

First time checking in on the 244. I enjoyed the 242, thought the 243 was a step down, and this seems to be in-between.

41% chardonnay/33% pinot noir/26% pinot meunier; 15% fermented in oak and 85% in stainless steel; 36% reserve perpetual and 10% reserve wines of the 2012 - 2018 vintage from oak; 7 g/l dosage

Followed out of bottle over the course of a few hours. Right out of the gate, this is intense and borders on brisk. Very mineral (sea salt) and bright (lemon). Razor sharp acidity (the reserve wine hardly shows, though I do feel if it wasn’t incorporated this may rip enamel off). Waves and waves of lemon, lemon cream, lemon tart pastry with a slight note of honey, pear and plenty of chalk/limestone shining at the finish. The texture comes in to play the longer it’s open; vibrant mousse.

Ultimately, this is an undeniably well made and classical style champagne at an attractive price point if you enjoy the big-house champagne profile. Room for a bit of upside here if you’re willing to hold a while as this seems to have serious structure.

91-93 — 2 months ago

Shay A

9.1

Lovely cremant de Bourgogne. Traditionally, most of the cremants I enjoy are Alsatian, but this edges them all out. If there is a middle ground between Cremant and grower champagne, this is extremely close to grower champagne.

100% Pinot noir; dosage normally 4-5 g/l

My only regret about this wine was not having it with a full meal, as it seems supremely appropriate to have with food. Many cremants (IMO) start out with good intentions, but can’t hold up, normally because the mid-palate richness can’t imitate champagne. This Paul Nicolle challenges that previous mindset…clean, crisp, and commanding. Lemon, mineral/oyster shell, honeysuckle aromatics with typical BdN power on the palate. The mineral profile stays strong, with a frame of light lemon scone, and red berry fruit. Nice finish. At around $30, this is a no brainer. — 16 days ago

Shay A

9.1

Christmas Day wine 🎄🎅🏼🍷

Acquired this for two reasons: Flora Springs was my “a-ha” wine 10yrs ago which started my wine journey, and secondly because it’s my sister-in-law’s birth year.

Enjoyed on Christmas Day (with said sister-in-law) and family (the family who introduced me to wine + Flora Springs). Kept the bottle standing for a few days. In the glass, there was bricking but the color was much more vibrant than expected. Aromatically, it showed mushroom and fig, but a good bit of muddled red and black berry fruit, some mint as well. Alive, elegant and bright on the palate with good tannin structure (held strong the two hours it was open). Small hint of tobacco at the finish, but the berry fruit stayed persistent keeping the flavors balanced. Undeniably older Napa (13%) and in great shape. — 25 days ago

Shay A

9.2

As a lover of Solera/perpetual reserve wines, this intrigued me…as far as I know, this is the first Solera champagne I’ve had where the perpetual reserve is coming from the red wine (Pinot noir), not the base wine.

50 chard/ 35 Pinot noir/ 15 Pinot meunièr; 7g/l dosage

Faint copper hue in the glass (not a deep vinous style rosé). Initial reaction is this reminds me a bit of Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Rosé (which I love), but just a touch less layered. Very “big-house” in style. Plenty of toasted croissant, strawberries, and even some sweet spices. More red fruit on the palate but there’s also some apricot. With air, oxidized apple type notes show. The finish has a strawberry shortbread vibe alongside a classical mineral/chalk profile. I’m sure this would still be tasty if you cut the dosage in half, but it works for this wine (and the texture/broad feel on the palate from the dosage show nicely). — a month ago