Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

The new vintage! Yay! Just a stunning nose that is at once confectionary, opulent and chiseled. Just insane. It has that aromatic roundness that very very few wines get. Like an orb of Cassaneas. Lime zest, sea salt, green apple skins. Unreal clarity. What a palate. Concentrated and deep but showing a bit of shock (arrived 5 days ago) and seems a bit clipped on the mid and finish. But man the length tells me this will expand like a peacock’s tail. Unreal density and concentration but is light as a feather. So juicy and acid is very good but it’s no 22 or 21. Think 19 or 17. Nose is so saline. Man the energy and almost tannic grip on the palate is brilliant as it fleshes out. This will be tracked tonight. Wow with a few hours of air this is like a better 18 Cassaneas and that’s the best one ever. This now has an icing on cake texture and outstanding purity, depth, texture and freshness. 9.6. Wow. On Day 2 this is even more elegant and is so close to a 9.7. What a wine! — 10 months ago

Tom Casagrande

9.2

A nice Bordeaux and a bunch of mesquite-grilled lamb chops. This Cantemerle is quite dense and youthful. Color shows almost no sign of age. With air, nose slowly unfurls to show lots of graphite, menthol, tight cassis fruit, underbrush, and crushed rock. Medium bodied, the flavors are tight too, and there is nice concentration, but it’s mostly promise for the future. Tannins are nicely managed and there is good acidity. 9.2+ — 3 years ago

Gor

9.6

Incredible wine. Purity of expression meets elegance and complexity. Expressive nose of violets, black pepper, lavender, black raspberries, banana bread. Awesome concentration in mid palate. Perfect cab franc. — 4 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Classic Cabernet descriptors of Cedar, Tobacco, Red and black fruits and a herbal note. Lovely on the palate, drinking at its peak with excellent balance - smooth, fluid, resolved tannins. One could easily pick this as a Left Bank Bordeaux in a blind tasting. Shows more French restraint than the full blown Napa style for me. Medium + weight palate with balance and concentration. Probably my favourite Napa Valley Cabernet though admittedly I have not tried some of the big guns like Harlan. Post script: A blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Petit Verdot. No Merlot was used in the blend for 2004. — 4 years ago

Jim Nelson

9.3

Rare and perfect mix of concentration and acidity. Translates to: Muscularity that’s as light as a feather! Feels like it could last many decades.. — 8 years ago

with Camille

Hao Feng

9.0

Not fully opened, but having great concentration and density — 9 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.6

1986 vintage. Chrismaka lunch at the house. Served after 3.5hr decant (which was probably a few hours short of what I would do next time round). Medium garnet hue - the only true sign of age I found in the wine. Strong pencil sharpening, creme cassis and smoke. Cedar. Very youthful. A lot of fruit. Amazingly youthful. Complex. On the palate, medium plus acidity and tannins - ripe. Medium alcohol. Medium plus concentration of flavour. Balanced. Very long finish. Depth and balance. This is so young still. Don't open for another 10+ years. Drink 2026-2056+. Wonderful potential, but still a baby. Is there a wine on the planet built for the long term better than Las Cases? NB: this is superior to the 1982 I had a month ago. — 9 years ago

Anthony Cammarata Jr.

9.3

This old Napa wine was superb. The longer the decanting the more flavorful it became. Spicy at first sip with bursts of flavor from dark berries, leathery tannins, currant, earth and strong blackberry. Gains intensity and shows its depth and concentration on the finish, which is long and detailed. — a year ago

with Daniel

Andrew Cullimore

9.3

Green reflexes . Quite open and easy at first yellow fruits , lemon confit , touch of roasted nuts . After a while a bit more chalky . Quite round on the palate, good concentration , mineral on the end . Doesn’t have the razor like intensity or length of the 2012 , nor the minerality . However very enjoyable now and for the next 20 years — 3 years ago

Gor

9.4

Dark cherries, ripe blueberries, herbs, musk, hint of sandalwood. Beautiful concentration and purity of fruit on the palate unfurling with ripe strawberry compote and some herbs. Long finish. Great stuff as usual - punching well above weight if only slightly new world in style given the weight today. — 3 years ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.7

Always and forever one of my absolute favorite wines. 07 Reynard from the master showed just as well as the bottle I had in February. It’s deep, powerful and has a searing intensity. It’s layered with dark fruit, campfire smoke, olive tapenade, violets and a crushed rock minerality. There is superb concentration along with a firm tannic structure that is beginning to soften. It’s exceptionally well balanced and detailed with a palate saturating texture and a harmonious finish that goes on and on. An outstanding Reynard. — 4 years ago

Mark S.

9.0

2016, but 3 hours decanting created enough concentration and smoothness. Black currant flavor. Good match with beef! @4800, Lawrys, 210329 — 5 years ago

Shay A

9.5

WNH event number two. Rhône varietal wines with TX BBQ...a match made in Heaven!

Enjoyed this towards the end of lunch as it seemed to be on he heavier side. If I tasted blind, I may have gone with WA state Syrah...there was a richness to this that translates to bacon, ripe black and blue fruit. Less red fruit and spice but more fig, bayleaf and blackberry. Not herbal or funky (olive like) but the concentration and power here is impressive. Youthful. Will be dreamy stuff in the next few years! Well done @Bill Bender . — 7 years ago

with Mike, David and 4 others

Lewis Chester

9.6

2010 vintage. Tasting at Magill Estate with Peter Gago. The star of the show. Blockbuster that has everything. Complex and balanced nose of a great Grange. Black fruited, some leather and spice. Savoury. On the palate, great concentration while not being too big. Medium plus body and alcohol. Medium acidity. Long finish. Exceptional. I enjoyed it now. But best to wait for another decade and enjoy for a further 20 years plus. — 9 years ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.5

Not sure there are better 13 whites than Raveneau. Lafon also comes to mind. It’s an early drinking vintage (by Raveneau standards) while you wait for 12 and 14. Also, no Chapelot this year so it’s blended in here. A multi hour advance decant has it rocking, stunningly aromatic, soaring with layers of créme fraîche, baking spice, crushed stones and a whisper of botrytis influenced saffron. The palate shows immense power, concentration and depth of waxy yellow fruit chiseled with Chablisen minerality. Brilliant tension and racy lemony acids provide a seamless balance to its power and richness. MDT always hits 🫰🏻 — 2 years ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.5

1990 vintage. Finally...tasted a bottle that confirmed both the excellence of this particular vintage and this particular producer. Was 0 for 10 prior to this with a few 9.0's, 9.1's and a 9.2 being the highest score. Still much more sleek than the '86, '88 or '89 vintages and currently pretty close stylistically to the linear '96 vintage. Soft yet intriguing nose. Light-medium body. Better than good concentration mid-palate and through a 30-second finish. Some of that beguiling cocoa powder and blueberry feminity confirming a beautiful effort. 4.22.23 — 3 years ago

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9.3

The “regular” 2020 Riesling Scharzhofberger Kabinett (bearing A.P. #3) leads with quince and peach accented by mint, cress, ginger and lemon, setting up an overall impression of coolness, but also of brightness, with stimulating cut and pungency analogous to that of the corresponding Braune Kupp. In the background is a greenhouse-like amalgam of flowers and foliage. The phenolic concentration here belies a vintage with relatively generous yields even as the efficacious acidity and levity defy preconceptions concerning a year marked by summer heat and drought. The multifaceted finish, transparent to wet stone underpinnings, is tongue-tinglingly vibrant. Here is a Riesling Kabinett to really grab and hold your attention even as it delivers consummate refreshment and a bit of thought-provoking intrigue to accompany its entertainment value. (David Schildknecht, Vinous, May 2022)
— 4 years ago

Vanessa

9.2

Honoring my marvelous father with a meal and wine he would have appreciated with gusto.  We wish he was here to share it with us, but are deeply grateful that his spiritual presence remains so strong in our hearts today and every day.  💕

This blend is predominantly (78%) Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Merlot.  🍷 It hails from the Haut-Médoc region on the “left bank” of Bordeaux, 🇫🇷 more specifically, the Pauillac AOC.  Pauillac is a highly-regarded commune, with favorable growing conditions, known for producing some outstanding quality wines.  👌👌 This wine is no exception. 😆

🏰 Château Grad-Puy-Lacoste is a cru classé, ranked among, and a neighbor to, the region’s top estates.  It’s incredible to think the first vines planted on this property date back to the 1500s, making it one of the oldest properties in the region.

We decanted this wine for several hours, which helped it soften and release its layered aromatics.  

👁 The color is deep garnet with notable tearing.

👃 On the nose it has medium(+) intensity and concentration of developing aromas.  The aromas include ripe black fruit such as cassis, black cherry, blackberry, and plum, as well as other non-fruit notes like black licorice, pencil shavings, and violet. It has secondary notes of clove, nutmeg, allspice, cedar, also tertiary notes of wet earth, tobacco, leather, meat, fig, and mushroom.

👄 This wine is dry and its flavors on the palate are consistent with the nose.
This wine has balance, complexity, a strong structure, with firm, grippy tannins, and a long elegant finish.  👏👏

Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste, vintage 2011, ABV 13.5%.  — 5 years ago

with Deked1

Lewis Chester

9.4

2008 vintage. At Au Fils du Zinc in Chablis. Just pop and pour - no decanting. Bright pale cherry hue. On the nose, typical crushed raspberry with earthy farmyard meaty notes. Enticing. On the palate, like walking up stairs - different levels of flavour and intensity as it rolls through the tongue. Medicinal and herbal but in a balanced and interesting way - a crescendo of concentration on the back of the palate. Medium minus acidity and medium body. Slightly warm alcohol and a huge finish. Another wow wine from a wow trip. Young? Drinking very well despite its youth. Might develop a little more from here. Drink now until 2025+. — 8 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.5

1997 vintage. Pale golden hue. On the nose, lemon (fresh), slightly yeasty, honey suckle and vanilla leaf. Fresh and surprisingly youthful. On the palate, high and fresh acidity, medium minus body, medium alcohol and medium concentration. Great length. Amazing balance and freshness despite age and vintage. Could last for a decade plus. Very impressive. — 9 years ago