Jay Kline

9.2

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of a couple hours. The 2015 pours a ruby color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with no staining of the tears. In typical Francois Bertheau fashion, this was initially quite shy on the nose but with about 30min of air in the glass, the wine is developing with notes of ripe and tart red fruits: strawberry, cranberry, red flowers, chanterelles, forest floor and a 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 medium+. Never one to shout above a crowd to announce its presence, instead, the wines of Pierre e Francois Bertheau allow their quiet confidence to make the statement; an increasingly rare characteristic. An elegant, ethereal beauty. Drink now with some patience and time for deliberation and enjoyment, through 2035. — 7 days ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Opened prior to dinner and enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 2011 pours a bright gold color with medium+ viscosity. On the nose, the wine is developing with gorgeous notes of ripe and tart orchard fruit: bruised Golden Delicious apple, lemon drop, marmalade, white flowers, a whiff of clove, Marcona almonds, lanolin and minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with high acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and the texture is wooly. Weeeeeee!!! A special bottle that’s drinking so well at the moment. Drink now with patience through 2036. — 7 days ago

Jay Kline

9.0

Popped and poured; enjoyed alongside the 2021 “Golden Hour” and over the course of a few hours. The 2022 “Twilight” pours a deep ruby color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of ripe red fruits: strawberries, raspberries, Marionberries, kirsch, red flowers, some mushrooms, some mocha, vanilla and fine baking 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 silky. Glossy. This smells and tastes like money. Well made and unmistakably Pinot Noir but whoa, she’s a confident one. Drink now and enjoy the abundance of ripe fruit…but I guess you could drink through 2032 if you needed. — 7 days ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Opened a few hours prior to service enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 1998 Asili pours a garnet color with a slightly orange rim and a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is vinous with lovely notes of ripe and slightly desiccated fruits: Morello cherry, raspberry, pomegranate, dried roses, leather, some tar, dried green herbs, some anise and dry gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. What a great showing for the ‘98 Asili annata! Drink now with a gentle introduction to air and through 2038. Bottle No. 2476/10,413 — 7 days ago

Jay Kline

9.4

Opened prior to dinner and enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 2005 Blanc pours a deep straw color with medium+ viscosity. On the nose, the wine is developing with powerful notes of ripe and tart orchard fruit: grapefruit, Meyer lemon, verbena, crème brûlée, honeysuckle, some pyrazines, a touch grassy, and warm wet rocky earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose where the fruit comes across a touch more round (vintage playing role) but the acid is definitely giving more than adequate lift. The finish is long. The texture is viscous. Drink now through 2035. — 7 days ago

Jay Kline

9.4

This is Renato Molino’s classico/annata which sources fruit from Rocche dell’Annunziata and prime holdings in Villero.

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. Lovely on Day 1; better on Day 2. The 2018 annata pours a garnet color with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with gorgeous notes of Morello cherry, kirsch liqueur, red roses, talcum powder, dried green herbs, red rope licorice, a mix of exotic spices, a whiff of old varnished wood (yes, there’s a touch of VA), and dried gravelly earth. On the palate, the wine is bone dry with high tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose and there’s also a Dr. Pepper Cherry thing that’s really intriguing. The finish is long, juicy and delicious and there’s beautiful texture too! This is up there with the best 2018 annata/classico I’ve had to-date. Impressive stuff. Drink now through 2053. — 7 days ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. Sourced from a single vineyard in Grezzana, the 2016 Case Vecie pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of ripe and dried red, black and blue fruits: Bing cherry, Craisins, pomegranate, Fig Newtons, red flowers, fine cocoa, espresso, gentle warm spices and a mix of organic and inorganic earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. The alcohol is high. However, it’s remarkably balanced considering its extraordinary ABV, 16.5%!! That being said, you would hardly know it…until it got you turnt! For real though, I don’t drink a lot of Amarone…but this is damned good. Drink now through 2041. — 7 days ago

Jay Kline

9.5

Poured into a decanter about 30min prior to service and enjoyed over the course of a few hours. The 2005 “Les Poyeux” pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with gorgeous notes of ripe and tart red and black fruits: currants, blackberries, dark cherry, tons of violets, horse blanket, tobacco, some pyrazines, some leather, fine warm spices, and ferrous minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and overwhelmingly sanguine. It’s incredible how much character can be packed into a 12.5% ABV wine. A stunning bottle. Drink now through 2045. — 7 days ago

Jay Kline

9.4

The Grand Cuvée 170ème is based on the 2014 vintage (which comprises about 55% of the final blend) with the remainder being reserve vintages going back to 1998. Popped and poured; enjoyed two bottles from the same source back to back with consistent results (because it was so damned good and YOLO). The 170ème pours a straw color with persistent mousse. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of tart and ripe orchard fruit with some autolytic and charming oxidative notes: green apple, citrus, lemon curd, toasted brioche, hazelnuts and chalky minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with high acid (but balanced by the fruit and non-fruit). Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and the texture is creamy. There such a deft balance of acid and richness that Krug arguably does better than anyone; at least consistently. Always a banger. Drink now through 2039. Disgorged Summer of 2021. — 7 days ago

Jay Kline

9.0

Popped and poured; enjoyed alongside the 2022 “Twilight” and over the course of a few hours. The 2021 “Golden Hour” pours a bright ruby color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of ripe red fruits: strawberries, raspberries, freshly cut red flowers, some mushrooms, green herbs, forest floor 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 medium+. It doesn’t have the sheer power of the 2022 “Twilight” but it’s showing a little more complexity and restraint (relatively speaking). Drink now through 2032. — 7 days ago