Lyle Fass 
Rémy Nodin
Le Mazel Crozes-Hermitage AOC Syrah 2016
Exactly in the zone. Gorgeous nose of lavender, wild mint, Herbes de Provence, grilled meat, bacon, blood, granite and blackberry fruit. This has become fully mature but not old, with that perfect mid-term aging window where the fruit is still alive and the savory Rhône complexity has arrived. Palate is juicy, sappy and energetic, with dark fruit, meat, smoke, granite and real structure. Tannins gained a little grip with air, but the fruit kept winning. Beautifully Crozes, but if blinded, many would guess elite Saint-Joseph. Drinking at apogee, and honestly could still go longer. 9.4, flirting hard with 9.5.
Day two. Nose is mintier, wilder, more sauvage. Still juicy, clean, drinkable, and delicious, with a long finish and real fruit remaining, but it has lost a little clarity and precision from day one. Not collapsed at all, just slightly less vivid. Still absolutely something I’d drink happily. — 2 days ago
Martin Müllen
Trarbacher Hühnerberg Kabinett* Trocken Mosel Riesling 2023
Brilliant bottle. At fridge temp the palate already showed the goods, but as it warmed up the nose became ridiculous: light vineyard peach, citrus, white florals, herbs, slate, and that unmistakable Hühnerberg apricot-citrus lift. Palate is juicy, mouthwatering, salty, herbal, and beautifully structured, with real concentration at Kabinett weight. The finish has this fine artisanal salt quality, long, precise, mineral, and totally addictive. Not the severe Spätlese Trocken version, not the insane upper-cuvée version, just Kabinett Trocken at its most aromatic, pretty, and complete. 9.5. Could improve on day two. — 7 days ago
Peter Lauer
Schonfels Faß 11 GG Riesling 2024
Really fascinating nose here. Herbal like crazy but also unusually tropical. Guava, papaya but also apricot and some vineyard peach. Surprising how fruit forward this nose is. Palate is more what I was expecting. Insane architecture and so pure. All angles and barely there flesh. Nose is shifting into less tropical and more herbal and stoney. Terrific density and structure but still so nimble. Awesome purity and balance. Really great. Needs to open but it’s all there. Stunning.
With air, this has gone fully into place. The nose is now an herbal assault with unmistakable Saar slate roaring through it, while the tropical fruit has integrated and only peeks out from the corners. Great 2024 acid, great structure, so fine, so nimble, all tensile energy and mineral precision. This is exactly the kind of Lauer vintage that works: 2008, 2010, 2021, now 2024. — 2 days ago
Winzerhof Thörle
Hölle Spätburgunder 2022
Just a stunning bottle. Deep, dark, coiled and incredibly pure, with that unmistakable Hölle combination of fruit intensity, mineral darkness and quiet inner violence. Black cherry, sour cherry, wild raspberry, crushed rock, violets, smoke, earth, iron and spice, but the real story is the texture. This has that dense 2022 core, but it never feels heavy or overblown. It is compact, serious, layered and beautifully proportioned, with tremendous midpalate depth and a finish that keeps expanding instead of simply fading.
What I love here is the tension between ripeness and restraint. There is real fruit, real concentration, real flesh, but the wine is controlled by structure, minerality and site. The tannins are fine but present, the acidity gives it lift, and the whole thing feels like it is moving inward and outward at the same time. Young, obviously, but already compelling. Needs air and will be better with years, but this is a major 2022 German Pinot Noir. Serious, dark, elegant, and absolutely loaded with future.
Day three. Still completely alive, not a thing lost. Creamy, juicy, ripe, sweet-fruited, with the tannins finally calmed down and perfectly integrated. The whole wine has snapped into harmony. I knew it had the guts to go the distance. Fantastic. 9.7 on days 1/2 and 9.8 on day 3. — 3 days ago
K.H. Schneider
Auslese Marbach Riesling 2017
Beautiful now with nine years of age, and a perfect reminder that Auslese does not need to be ancient to be profound. Nose shows white cherry, wild mint, a tiny petrol edge, mushroom, honey and pure Nahe terroir expression. Palate is luscious and honeyed, with that icing-on-cake texture, but still mouthwatering and balanced. 2017 is not a ripping acid vintage, so the richness gets to show, but there is enough freshness to keep everything alive. The finish has the savory foie gras terrine quality that great Auslese should have. Gorgeous bottle, drinking beautifully now. — 2 days ago
Marie Demets
Cœur de Saignée Brut Champagne Rosé
What a color. Deep sanguine ruby rosé, and the wine delivers on the promise. Gorgeous nose of blood orange, spice, dried earth, red fruit skin and a little Campari fizz energy. Palate is vinous but beautifully balanced, with bitter citrus, chewy Pinot fruit, great purity and finesse. Long finish turns limey, chalky and stony. Serious saignée Champagne. Beautiful.
Day two. Wow. Wild nose, herbal and vividly raspberry, but not jammy raspberry, more early-to-mid-season raspberry, bright, tart, alive. Much more finish today. Delicious, sappy, with a long finish, good sapidity, and a nose that feels unusually expressive of place for Champagne. Serious structure, juicy as hell, and clearly built for five to seven years of aging. Dangerously close to 9.5 on day two. — 3 days ago
Domaine François Buffet
Volnay Pinot Noir 2023
Such an amazing village wine. Stunning wet earth and sappy mid-season cherries. Just so much aromatic lift and intensity. Unreal on the pop and pour. Gorgeous, tiny berried and very intense sweet fruit. Pure and balanced. Fresh and energetic. Velvety tannins and just terrific balance. So balanced I said it twice. Unbelievably delicious. — 8 days ago
Gut Hermannsberg
7 Terroirs Nahe Riesling 2024
Preposterous value. Nose is white cherry, peach, mineral and cantaloupe. Huge concentration and depth with unreal nimbleness and super juicy and of course a blizzard of minerals. So pure, so fresh, like rainwater. Astonishing. As this aerates the nose is so much more finely mineral. Really a stunning Gutswein. @Delectable Wine this is called 7 Terroirs. Thanks! — 12 days ago
Lyle Fass
Founder Fass Selections
The nose has civilized with air, still wildly Nebbiolo, but now the chestnut, mint, tar, dried roses, spice, and a fascinating honeyed element are all starting to braid together. The palate has insane energy, with the fruit-tannin exchange finally happening instead of the tannins simply taking hostages in the back of the mouth. Beautiful fruit, serious structure, huge Alto Piemonte personality. Nebbiolo remains the most punk rock grape on earth. Amazing wine. — 2 days ago