Delectable Wine

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9.6

Limpid yellow. Vibrant, gently oak-spiced aromas of fresh citrus and orchard fruits, along with suggestions of anise and smoky minerals. Stains the palate with concentrated yet lively Meyer lemon, Anjou pear and bitter quinine flavors that are sweetened by a subtle vanilla note. Shows superb clarity and minerally thrust on the strikingly long, focused finish, which leaves a suggestion of honeysuckle behind. (Josh Raynolds, Vinous, July 2021)
— 5 years ago

Conrad Green

9.1

Dark plum and brooding fruit on the nose. Nice clarity and depth and quite fresh. Modernist in style but coming around now. Quite long. — 6 years ago

with Bex

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9.8

The 2010 Lafleur is showing a lot of Cabernet Franc on the nose. It is supremely well defined with incredibly clarity and terroir expression. You could almost mistake it for a Left Bank. Figeac? The palate is precise and detailed, touches of burnt toast and white pepper sprinkled over the persistent and structured finish that does not miss a step. Brilliant. Tasted blind at Farr Vintners 10-Year On Bordeaux horizontal. (Neal Martin, Vinous, April 2020)
— 6 years ago

David Shaw

9.2

Bought at winery. Purple-red, light to moderately extracted pigment, very good clarity. Black currant, leather and spearmint notes in nose. Blackberry and cola-ish flavors with menthol-spearmint on finish. Light seed and skin tannins, corresponding bitterness and astringency. Cool climate flavor with great depth of flavors. Yummy-licious almost captures it. Paired exceedingly well with a baseball playoff game on TV and a wild mushroom pizza from a well-known Seattle pizzeria. — 7 years ago

Vanessa

9.0

Golden hue. Strong clarity. Soft citrus, cantaloupe, cedar, almond, and wet slate on the nose. Melon on the palate. Balanced with acidity and a nice overall structure. — 7 years ago

with Deked1

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9.5

The 2014 Barolo Monvigliero is quite refined and gracious, although it is also surprisingly dark, dense and concentrated by this wine's standards. A shy, reticent wine, the 2014 is going to need time in bottle to flesh out, especially in the midpalate. I have seen this with other vintages, and expect that it will be the case here as well. The precision, clarity and silkiness that are so typical of Monvigliero start to emerge as the wine opens up in the glass. Readers should plan on being patient. If that is not possible, try to taste the 2014 as soon as possible, because these wines have a tendency to shut down hard post-bottling. As always, Monvigliero is fermented with 100% whole clusters. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, February 2018) — 7 years ago

Conrad Green

8.9

Mature slightly cheesy nose. A honeyed middle with nice balance. Lacks a little of the tension and clarity you’d hope for. — 8 years ago

with Naoko and Larry

Conrad Green

9.6

Brighter and more clarity than the 85. Lean and focused. Prettier, good sharpness. Really focused and balanced. — 9 years ago

with Matt and Paul

Conrad Green

9.5

Gorgeous intensity, clarity and balance. I know it's too young but it's delicious — 11 years ago

Diedra West

9.3

Diedra had this 12 years ago

David Shaw

8.9

Yellow, brilliant clarity. Tropical fruit - guava - and a touch of sulfite in the nose. Orchard fruit - pear, lemon and pineapple in mouth. Largely dry. Slightly lactic and citric finish, maybe some wood. — 5 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Huge spice, huge citrus, sweet grapefult, tangelo, ripe, perfumed, bigger, chewy, texturally stunning, so juicy, long. Pure. Zippy. Dry and energy, very pure, very intense. Young but so pure.

After 8 hours this is crazy. Unreal spice, super pure apricot, so airy and perfumed. Unreal clarity. Palate is so fine and elegant with tangy citrus fruit, clarity like nothing else and a long finish. Stunning. — 6 years ago

Conrad Green

9.4

A slightly stinky front. Then real deep clarity of raspberry fruit. There’s a gentle luscious center of hauntingly pure aged fruit (dried roses, soft cherry?) leading into the end palate. Really lucid. Delicious. — 6 years ago

with BOT, Matt and 1 other

David Shaw

9.0

Pale salmon pink with a tinge of orange, excellent clarity. White pepper and floral notes in nose, strawberry and citrus flavors, light to moderate skin astringency and minerality on finish, white pepper and slightly creamy aftertaste. — 7 years ago

David Shaw

9.0

Yet another vintage - 2017. Pale yellow white, excellent clarity. Floral, piney and vanilla notes in nose. Melon-cantaloupe, pineapple and stone fruit flavors, wow. Slight-to-moderate skin astringency on front of tongue in finish with citric-orange-grapefruit rind and pineapple flavors and tartness in the aftertaste. Dryish, good acidity, rounded mouthfeel. A refreshing fruity Riesling so typically well done here, though I’m hopeful the astringency moderates with a bit more aeration. After one hour, astringency moderated, and lactic character in finish emerges. Wait an hour on this one if you can. — 7 years ago

David Shaw

9.0

Pale golden yellow, very good clarity. Sulfite initially in nose. Floral, lemon and stone fruit flavors, mild skin astringency with lemon and grapefruit in finish. Still tasting well, good acidity, good pairing with food. Lactic and citric acid and lees contact make a great pairing with food. — 8 years ago

Casey Curbow

Sales Associate Windsor Wine Merchants

9.4

Drinks well above it’s pricepoint. Such purposeful clarity and depth with control and elegance. — 9 years ago

Conrad Green

9.3

A dark fruit very fresh nose that's great. Lovely clarity of fruit on the palate. Riper, more fruit forward but at best medium bodied. Real presence. — 10 years ago

with Tony, Jean-Francois and 2 others

Richard Lewis

9.7

Just looked "clarity" up in the dictionary and this wine was listed. Thanks a lot, Merriam-Webster, self-referential isn't helpful! — 11 years ago

with Lynne

Tom Kobylarz

9.4

These are the real deal, better than what I read about them from the geek set. Powerful and elegant at the same time, tremendous depth and clarity.
#lafetenyc — 12 years ago

David Shaw

9.1

Purple-red, moderately extracted pigment, good clarity with minor residue (it is unfiltered). Hints of butter, wood and cola in nose. Bright acidity, a touch of soy-umami in the flavors. Slightly gritty aftertaste on initial pour (it’s unfiltered!) Still assessing as it opens up... Cola flavor emerges after ten minutes, barrel tar aroma after thirty. — 6 years ago

David Shaw

9.0

219 cases produced. Light yellow, excellent clarity. Aromas of pineapple and guava. Lemon, pomelo pulp and tropical fruit flavors. Dry, almost syrupy mouthfeel, crisp lemon peel finish. Not quite as elegant as the 2016, but a lot to like here. Turning into one of my two favorite white varietals for wine as I drink more examples of these from Isenhower and, occasionally, others in the Pacific Northwest. More Roussanne please. — 6 years ago

Conrad Green

9.2

Lovely and balanced. Sweet with nice clarity and acidity — 6 years ago

with Bex

David Shaw

9.0

A benchmark version for this varietal, and haven’t had it for awhile... A slightly golden yellow, excellent clarity. Floral, grass, perfume, ripe peach notes in nose. Peach and lemon flavors, slight skin astringency on finish, rounded mouthfeel, good acidity with dried apricot in aftertaste. Really good value — 6 years ago

David Shaw

8.9

Golden yellow, excellent clarity. Floral and spice notes in nose. Apple (malic), spice and grapefruit rind flavors, mild skin astringency, spice, grapefruit peel and mineral on finish and aftertaste. Nice, brilliantly dry. On point for varietal. — 7 years ago

David Shaw

9.0

Second tasting, my last bottle of vintage, 8 months since previous tasting. Purple-red, moderately extracted, very good clarity. Initially butter, black currant and eucalyptus notes in nose. Tart; needs time to open. Strawberry and blueberry flavors with length. Strawberry aftertaste with moderate chocolatey bitterness. Moderate skin astringency emerges after 45 minutes alongside pomegranate-like acidity (and maybe flavor). Milder Brett expression here, not much of a defect now, arguably. After 90 minutes, the tannins and tartness are sufficiently tamed to enjoy this wine. Decant longer though if you can. I can’t think of any other wines in the Pacific Northwest quite like this one, which makes it a special experience. — 7 years ago

Greg Koslosky

9.6

Surprisingly approachable with wonderful depth clarity and focus . Better with time but already great ! — 8 years ago

Marshall Parrish

10

One of the best Chardonnays out there. A pristine and lifted nose. pears, limes, white peach and fig. The palate has concentration with clarity and purity. immense length — 9 years ago

with Randy, Nick and 1 other

Conrad Green

9.0

Very pretty. Flinty, limpid, clear. Great clarity of fruit. Very good — 10 years ago

Jeroen Koenen

9.5

Vintage 03
Surprisingly (to me), this has sufficient freshness and clarity! Wonderful. — 11 years ago