Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.0

@Delectable Wine this is called “Versant Lascroux” Malbec. Thanks!

Very grapey, classic Malbec nose with dark berry fruit, a little spice, black pepper and just enough funk to keep it interesting. The palate is juicy, silky and easy to drink, with good fruit, real grip and nicely refined tannins. Classically structured, dry and well made, with solid freshness and balance. Not the most complete or deeply layered wine, but a very good, straightforward Cahors and a nice drop. — 17 hours ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

9.5, almost 9.6. Gorgeous, beautifully knit Riesling. The nose is all pulverized rock dust, tangerine oil, citrus, salt and this airy confectionary minerality that keeps expanding with air. The palate is dense, chewy and mouth-watering, with fantastic freshness, beautiful delineation and electric inner-mouth minerality. Juicy, sappy and wonderfully complete, with that rounded 2023 texture wrapped around serious structure and a long, citrusy, rocky finish. Really impressive. — 9 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.0

9.1, flirting with 9.2. Beautiful, high-toned Malbec nose with dark berry fruit, chalk dust, wild mint, leather, spice and desiccated bark, plus a little animal, barnyard funk that adds complexity rather than detracts. The palate initially felt slightly out of sorts, but improved quickly with air, becoming juicy, ripe and energetic, with loads of macerated dark-berry skin character and terrific fruit intensity. Fresh, vivid and full of personality, though there is still a slightly awkward edge of heat and acidity keeping it below the Prestige for now.

Overnight it went to 9.0. Good not great. — 13 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.3

9.3 for now, with upside. Beautiful, classical Southern Rhône aromatics of white pepper, lavender, cassis, herbs de Provence and lots of floral lift. The palate is juicy, crunchy and very pure, with that lovely Grenache airiness and just enough Syrah depth through the middle. The tannins are especially fine, silky and elegant, with terrific stoniness and a clear galet character underneath the fruit. Really well made, fresh and balanced, with just a faint flicker of heat on the finish. Not as strong as the bottles I tasted this summer, but still an excellent showing and clearly capable of more with air. — 17 hours ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

9.6. Stunning Hermitage. The nose is completely unhinged, with granite, blackberry, mint, dried leather, bark, crushed flowers, tar and this wild smashed-confectionery-rock quality that keeps getting more complex with air. The palate is silky, deep and increasingly velvety, with beautiful sweet 2023 fruit, tremendous purity, high-class tannins and real authority. Powerful without weight, brooding but elegant, with an amazingly long finish. Still young and coming together, but already a great wine. — 13 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Took around two hours to really open, but once it did this became gorgeous. The nose blossoms with deep cherry fruit, roses, chestnut and layers of spice, especially cardamom, clove and cinnamon, with that unmistakably old-school Alpine Nebbiolo character underneath. The palate is incredibly juicy and beautifully balanced, with concentrated cherry fruit, excellent freshness and a very elegant, silky texture. Serious depth without heaviness, lovely purity and a long, increasingly expressive finish. Stunning Valgella, and flirting with 9.5 as it continues to unfurl. Stunning tiny berry fruit intensity and terrific length. High class tannins with a skoche of rusticity. — 16 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Gorgeous, deeply expressive Pinot Noir. The nose is dark and perfumed, with black cherry, mid-season cherry, crystallized fruit, a little herbaceousness and just enough feral funk to add complexity. The palate is silky but almost solid in its concentration, with beautiful sweet fruit, terrific freshness, ample mid-palate richness and superb balance. Fine, silky tannins, tiny-berry intensity and a finish that cuts sharply through the richness. Elegant, juicy, complex and clearly still opening. — 8 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Absolutely delicious. The nose has that Puligny-Montrachet-meets-Chablis salinity, with airy minerality, spice and a little sweet wood as it opens. The palate is rich and juicy but everything is just enough, with terrific freshness, snap, sap and beautiful balance. There is a little sweetness to the fruit and texture, but it stays lifted by that unmistakable Swiss Alpine minerality and florality. Deep, precise, energetic and drinking beautifully with a little age. Great wine. — 11 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Unbelievably consistent wine. Classic Northern Rhône nose of blackberry, blackberry liqueur, granite, olive, meat and a little leather. The palate is silky, juicy and beautifully proportioned, with terrific freshness, purity and just enough richness around the edges. Clean, succulent, energetic and completely true to Saint-Joseph. Hard to believe how much wine is here for the money. Cannot wait to taste the 2025. — 15 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Beautiful, classically styled Meursault. The nose opens with spicy oak, butter, green apple skin and a deep mineral streak, with the wood adding a lovely sweet, savory framing rather than dominating. The palate is silky, pure and impressively concentrated, with excellent texture, plenty of minerality and that naturally plump, slightly opulent Les Grands Charrons character. The acidity is very good, though I would love just a touch more cut, and the wine remains rich, balanced and elegant throughout. Long, refined and extremely well made, with plenty of room to open further with air. — 16 days ago