Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Tight and a touch cold at first, then it really opens. Lemon oil, sea air, salinity, sweet oak, wet earth and that unmistakable white Burgundy mineral perfume. Palate is generous in the 2023 way, round and concentrated, but with excellent acidity, purity and grip. The oak sweetens and integrates as the terroir takes over. Long sea-spray mineral finish that keeps building. Delicious, serious, site-driven Saint-Aubin. — 20 hours ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.3

Very cool-toned Pfalz Pinot from a great site. Nose of cranberry bog, mid-season cherry, sour cherry, raspberry and beautiful minerality. Palate is all tangy cranberry, sour cherry, freshness, structure and acidity, with velvety tannins that still have bite. Almost Swiss in its restraint. Closed down a bit after air, but serious, pure and site-driven. — 3 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Absolute freak show. Nose is pure grand Chablis: seashells, saline, crushed stone, a little fat, then this insane confectionary stony thing, like somehow he made candy out of rocks. Inner-mouth confectionary aromas, crazy acidity, mouthwatering seashell minerality, opulence from 2023 but total clarity and poise. The finish is huge and electric. Too young, but genius wine. — 7 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Jürgen von der Mark’s first sparkler and astonishing. Extra Brut Blanc de Noir, 2 g/l dosage, no severity. Nose of brioche, phyllo dough, pastry shell, minerals, then lime zest, sea air and unseasoned raspberry. The mousse is the star: absurdly fine, $75 Champagne level. Juicy, sapid, pure, with acid, fruit and bubbles placed perfectly. Long, fanning finish that keeps getting more complete. So fucking well-made. 9.5, almost 9.6. — 9 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.7

60% Pinot Noir, 40% Frühburgunder, and the Frühburgunder is roaring tonight. Bottle 255/300. Soppy macerated mid-to-late-season cherries, violets, wild mint, wet moss, red sandstone spice and deep Centgrafenberg mineral perfume. Palate is ridiculous: silky, creamy, ripe, rich, seductive and hedonistic, but still fresh and perfectly balanced. Sweet fruit melts across the mouth, then the finish goes architectural, long, layered and delineated. A German Pinot cathedral. — 2 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Killer Rheingau GG. Citrus oil, peach stone, rainwater purity and deep mountain minerality, like it was carved from the side of a mountain. Palate has density with elegance, fleshy but so fresh, with almost tannic structure and gorgeous balance. As it warms, the texture turns glossy and icing-like without losing precision. Young, serious, complex, twenty-year wine. — 4 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Really blossomed with air and a light chill. Dizzying Nebbiolo perfume: tar, roses, spice, dried flowers, deep dark cherry and melting road tar. The palate has serious concentration and grip, but stays nimble, sapid and elegant, with beautiful tannins right on the edge. Long, clinging finish. A great, honest Barbaresco, though a little warmth keeps it from the very top. — 7 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Green capsule. Exactly what I wanted. Gorgeous Mosel nose of apple pie, apple phyllo dough, slate and pure Graacher lift. Palate is juicy and concentrated, with outrageous acidity and the sweetness acting textural, just a kiss, not sugary. Terrific grip, purity and mineral drive, with a lingering, juicy, dissipating finish. 2022 Mosel is in a great place.

Day two is stunning. Classic Mosel transport: rain on slate, lime Smarties, lime Sweet Tarts, cotton candy and pure vineyard air. Palate is explosive and perfectly pure, with rainwater clarity, sweet lime, Meyer lemon, huge dry extract and outrageous sapidity. Long, clinging, slate-soaked finish. Green capsule is Molitor’s sweet spot. — 2 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Drinking right at its apex. Beautiful mature nose: sweet Pinot fruit, sous-bois, a little mushroom, old oak fully absorbed, and very expressive minerals. But the palate is the story. Velvety, sweet-fruited, seamless and polished, with gorgeous tannin quality and all the oak now integrated into the wine instead of sitting on top of it. Mature, elegant, luxurious, but still alive and precise. A rare 11-year-old Franconian Pinot caught perfectly. — 5 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.9

This is flirting with perfection. Just opened and clearly still not fully unfurled, but already an absolute freak show. The nose is a full scene in nature: peach skin, apricot, tangelo, blood orange, Mosel slate, pine forest, a little blueberry, then with air this wild confectionary layer comes in, like a carnival in the forest. Now there is sea-air minerality too, and the whole aromatic field is getting more complete by the minute. The palate is the real astonishment. It has the texture of great white Burgundy, almost Leflaive-like in its glide and polish, but with no oak, no fat, nothing covering the signal. Just purity. Insane purity. The acidity is architectural, giving the wine line, lift, shape, precision and total command. Juicy, sapid, almost tannic on the finish, unbelievably elegant and harmonious. As it opens, the structure starts to dominate, but everything stays cohesive, integrated, and alive. The finish is a mineral blizzard, endless, fanning out for minutes, and still nowhere near where it will be tomorrow. Steinmetz wines are friendly on opening, then they just keep gaining depth, but this is already profound. One of the great dry Mosel Rieslings I have tasted. — 9 days ago