Robert Swart

9.0

Had at Siempre Algo. White cherry, red currant, and pink grapefruit pith on a precise, fine-bubbled mousse; long lees aging brings toasted brioche and almond cream without weight. The Verzy chalk runs the finish — clean, almost saline, persistent mineral line. Biodynamic, low-dosage, grower Champagne in textbook form. — 4 days ago

Robert Swart

9.2

Single-vineyard Ambonnay Pinot Noir, AB-stamped cork provenance. White cherry, citrus pith, brioche, and that signature chalky minerality from old vines on deep chalk. Extra-brut dosage, no malolactic — piercing acidity and cut, more serious than a typical aperitif. Showed exactly as a top grower Champagne should. — 4 days ago

Robert Swart

9.1

Green apple, white peach, lemon curd, brioche, toasted almond, oyster shell. Dry, crisp, elegant. — 17 days ago

Robert Swart

8.9

Color: deep ruby-purple, opaque core
• Nose: black cherry, blackberry, plum, with notes of graphite, sweet tobacco, dried herbs (the Cab Franc speaking), maybe a touch of violet
• Palate: ripe dark fruit up front, mid-palate is plush and round (Merlot), finishes with fine tannin and a savory/herbal lift (Cab Franc) - Vallozzi's Greensburg — a month ago

Robert Swart

9.2

51-year-old Mosel BA from the red-slate "Spice Garden" — and it held. Honeyed botrytis, dried apricot, beeswax, a flicker of petrol, and still that racy Mosel acidity cutting through the sweetness. The geology (volcanic red slate and ironstone) gives an exotic spiciness that younger BAs from flatter sites can't match. — 4 days ago

Robert Swart

9.0

Had at Balvenara’s. — 10 days ago

Robert Swart

9.0

Brioche, baked apple, lemon zest, almond cream, honeycomb. Dry, crisp, layered. More texture than the Cuvée. — 17 days ago

Robert Swart

9.0

45 years on, and still singing. Our friends’ wedding anniversary year. Classic tertiary Saint-Julien: cedar, forest floor, dried cherry, tobacco, pencil shavings — fruit fully resolved into savory complexity. Silky, perfumed, no rough edges. Need time to breathe for nose to be appealing. — 4 days ago

Robert Swart

8.9

Traditional Sangiovese from a warm vintage — ripe but structured. Sour cherry, dried herbs, leather, balsamic, fine-grained tannin, bright acidity holding it all together. Entering its window now; the fruit has integrated and the tertiary notes are emerging. Built to drink through 2030+ but already showing well. — 4 days ago

Robert Swart

9.4

Dried fig, prune, black cherry, orange peel, cedar, clove, violet, dark chocolate, walnut. Smoky note — cured tobacco, not char. Silky tannin, integrated spirit, long warm finish. — 17 days ago