Lee Pitofsky

9.5

While 05-16 may not be my favorite era of Leflaive (08 & 14 excluded), tonight 2013 is excellent, exceeding expectations and still markedly youthful. It’s rich, mineral and incisive with fantastic depth and layers, wafting waves of yellow orchard fruit, lilies, toasted sesame and lemon zest. The palate is deep and full bodied with piercing citrusy acids and a long mineral and saline finish. When Leflaive hits it hits 🤩 — 2 years ago

Charlie Tapp

9.5

Yeast, honey, walnuts and orchard fruit. — 4 years ago

Blake Walker

9.3

100% Pinot Meunière. Disgorged 11/2020. Extra Brut 3 g/l. Aromatic orchard fruit, red and golden apples. Craving more! — 4 years ago

Chris

9.2

Lovely Riesling from Alsace with apple and other fruits from the orchard, crisp and dry. Beautiful day here. — 5 years ago

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9.3

The 2017 Chablis Montmains 1er Cru is clean, racy and super precise. Chalk, white flowers, mint and white pepper all confer brightness to this energetic, brisk taut Chablis. In the glass, the Montmains is so attractive and translucent. Orchard fruit and sweet floral notes linger on the close. Readers who want to see the elegance of 2017 will find plenty of that here. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, January 2020)
— 6 years ago

Tobin Trevarthen

9.5

The original year. Still delivering. Soft subtle tannins packed with Cab Franc tootsie roll goodness. — 7 years ago

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9.3

(raised in stainless steel tanks and made with no malo) Limpid straw-yellow. Assertive, mineral-accented orchard fruit, melon and fennel aromas are sharpened by hints of ginger and lemon zest. Intense pear skin, Meyer lemon and violet pastille flavors show a suave blend of richness and delicacy thanks to a spine of juicy acidity. Closes minerally, taut and impressively long, leaving a powerful floral note behind. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, February 2018) — 7 years ago

Aravind A

9.3

Stunning orchard fruit mixed with solid salinity and density. Absolutely amazing acidity keeps things lively. Starting to show a touch of secondary: nutty notes and a hint of lanolin. — 3 years ago

David Shaw

9.2

Last bottle of the 2020 vintage, 130 cases made. Orange with a hint of pink, excellent clarity. Floral and stone fruit aromas, subtle. Lactic, citrus and subdued orchard fruit flavor. Some skin astringency on finish but less than you would expect after a 72 cold soak before fermentation in used wood. An orange wine with finesse, or at least a light touch. Refreshing — 3 years ago

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9.2

Light chartreuse. Expressive, mineral-accented citrus and orchard fruit aromas are complemented by subtle floral and herb notes. Penetrating Meyer lemon, pear, honeysuckle and ginger flavors take a turn to deeper peach and melon with air. Conveys depth but comes off lithe, finishing with sharp definition and resonating floral and mineral flourishes. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, June 2021)
— 4 years ago

TJ Maxwell

9.1

Golden color. Delicate white flower, apple, and other orchard fruit aromatics. Nicely textured, and crisp, fresh, citrus, apple, almond flavors. Drinking great tonight — 6 years ago

James Webb

9.2

Beautiful orchard fruit with some limestone minerality - poised and structured. Finish was somewhat soft. Such nice oak. — 6 years ago

Marko Palyniak

9.0

Delicious passion fruit on the nose and palate. Clean and crisp. Very nice. — 7 years ago

Brendan Baker

9.1

Bright citrus and orchard fruit, mineral, med + acid, crisp ✨ — 3 years ago

Winton Sweum

9.5

Straw with green hints; orchard fruit and mineral from a somewhat quiet nose; the mouth is lush, silky and saline, this is intense and delicious. Some spiciness came with time. Expecting still more to follow from this excellent bottle. — 4 years ago

Esther Garcia

9.8

Hazelnuts, orchard fruits.
Spices, complex. — 4 years ago

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9.0

This captivating Pecorino shows a bouquet of candied ginger with dusty florals, wild herbs, incense and crushed green apple. Silky and rich, yet balanced by stimulating acids and mineral-tinged orchard fruits, it tapers off spicy with a hint of sour melon that keeps the palate wanting more. $22.00 (Eric Guido, Vinous, April 2021) — 5 years ago

Mohit Rastogi

9.3

Her nice rounded full palate cab. Drank well — 6 years ago

Jason McLaren

9.3

Solid and smooth. Good fruit — 7 years ago

with Carrie and Jeremy

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9.7

The 1990 Cristal is remarkable. Polished, nuanced and light on its feet, the 1990 is all class. Citrus, orchard fruit and floral notes are wonderfully lifted throughout. A slight reductive note adds character on the finely knit finish. I can’t think of a better way to start this tasting. Simply put, the 1990 is a total rock star. Moreover, it is much more delicate than most wines from this ripe vintage. Amazingly, the 1990 tastes like it is still not ready! “Nineteen ninety was my second vintage here,” says Chef de Caves Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon. “It was ideal. The fruit was just perfect. We blocked the malolactic fermentation completely and only fermented 6-7% of our lots in oak, as opposed to the more typical 20%, in order to preserve as much freshness as possible. The wine was made by my predecessor, Michel Pansu, but I was learning. This was the first year I started working with oxygen by reducing sulfites in vinification to pre-oxidize the Chardonnay musts, as I do know, which allows me to get rid of all the unstable, oxidative compounds. With Pinot, on the other hand, you need a little bit of sulfur at crush or you lose the brilliant fruit. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, December 2018) — 7 years ago