This should cellar longer. Maybe another 5 yrs before I try again. Decanted over 3 hrs. Tight in first hour. It needs a lot air now. Many layers and complex fruit. It lingers. Meaty after taste. Dark fruit. Earthy. I liked it very much and look forward to the next one. — 12 days ago
Vinoso. Bello. Finissimo e maturo. Fresco e piacevolmente acido — 24 days ago
Splash decanted directly prior to service, the 2018 Morey Saint Denis pours a deep ruby with a transparent core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose the wine is youthful with powerful notes of ripe and tart red fruits: red cherries, red brambles, red flowers, some herbs and a healthy dollop of warm spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and luxurious. A fairly flashy wine and, to my palate, the oak is showing prominently right now. Not out of balance, but close. The alcohol is up there…but it is pretty well disguised. Not wimpy, that’s for sure. While this is certainly full of energy and character right now, I think this wine would enjoy some time in the cellar to show even better. Drink from 2028 through 2043. — 25 days ago
Annual birthday WWC hosting. As normal, 1 sparkler, 3 whites, 4 reds, 1 dessert, all presented blind.
Fun to open birth year wines around your birthday, especially when you can do a Bordeaux and Napa side by side. While not a great vintage, this held up well after a few hours and presented as expected. Clean and zero Brett. Great color! Deep ruby with hardly any bricking. Leather, cassis, vanilla pipe tobacco on the nose. Sporting a good bit of dusty red and black fruits (mostly tart raspberries and blackberries), there was a little savory truffle note mixed with an herbal and mocha finish. Still quite grippy. Pretty. — a month ago
NOSE: rodent (second time tonight!), barnyard, hay (redundant, but “barnyard” in my world means animals and their accompanying mess, hay is for the animals), wet rocks. Fruit is dry and receded and near-theoretical.
TASTE: elegant indeed. Medium weight, tannins nicely smoothed with age, dried herbs (old lady perfume), dried blackberry. 92. — 18 days ago
It’s always a resounding ‘YES’ for JL Chave!!
That includes this luscious and concentrated Syrah from Saint-Joseph AOC in the Northern Rhône of France.
Domaine Jean-Louis Chave is a benchmark and icon of the Rhône Valley – a family-run operation since 1481 – with an entire range of deliciousness through the Domaine Jean-Louis Chave and JL Chave Selection portfolios.
This wine is deep ruby, trending on purple. It has pronounced aromas and flavors of boysenberry, blueberry, black cherry, cassis, pomegranate, also violet, bacon, sanguine, saddle leather, pipe tobacco, clove, cigar, damp earth, and black peppercorn. Alcohol is high (14.5% ABV) with medium (+) fine-grained and well-integrated tannins, medium (+) acidity, a medium (+) body, and a long, elegant finish.
It has a rustic and savory character with robust dark fruit notes; it’s layered, complex, structured, and age-worthy, benefitting from decanting. Still, it’s tasting wonderfully now.
Cheers to JL Chave and treasures of the Rhône!! — a month ago
Drinking so well. A great wine and a first for me. It’s got so much freshness and energy is the headline. Nose is cassis, vanilla, tobacco, spice and some hints of black fruits. Also a background of awesome minerality. A plump nose which belies what comes on the palate. It’s rich but just teeming with energy and so much black and red fruit that is super crunchy and luscious. Gorgeous clarity to the minerality and a freshness I haven’t tasted in Bordeaux maybe ever. I really like the vibe of this wine. The finish keeps pumping. Very very impressive. It’s also so sappy on the finish and just outrageously complex. — 13 days ago
Fruity, full-bodied, a bit of pepper. I’d drink it again. — 8 days ago
Beautiful. A bit of everything. Freshness, depth, fruit and minerality. Long and pleasant finish.
94 + — 24 days ago
Pure and précise. Time will reward. — 24 days ago
Vino Joe
This rating is just my taste. Not a reflection of the quality of the wine. I generally don’t care for the St Emilion region. The wine is just too austere for me. It’s 22% cab franc. It had a slight puckering dried out character without balance to me. Definitely can tell it’s a well made wine. Perhaps with a strong food pairing this would be a better experience for me but it was a wine I didn’t enjoy drinking. — 14 days ago