Kate Chamberlain

9.0

French Laundry welcome champagne — 4 years ago

Matt Perlman

9.2

Still young and crackling with intensity after a little air exposure. Nose is herbal with fresh ripe peaches and creamsicle, palate is texturally supple with tangy tangerine, yellow pit fruit, apricot, pineapple, finish is stony and nicely bitter. I think it’s not too far away from peak given how quickly it opened up but could evolve a while longer. Going to forget about the next bottle for a few years — 5 years ago

Alex Lallos

Owner No Limit Fine Wines, Private Wine Consultant

9.5

2008. Bomb.com... rich and elegant with nuance of fresh oak. It’s young and beastly but damn so fresh. I want to wait but tempted to drink my whole stash right now. Lovely!
*** don’t forget to sign up for my daily emails at Alex@nolimitfinewines.com for up to date offers on rare and limited wines at the best price USA*** — 5 years ago

Giles

10

What a wonderful wine. Smooth tannins delicate fruit and I thought a slight vanilla hint. Beautiful, beautiful wine. Will not forget it. — 6 years ago

Arnold Gentz

10

A really crisp champagne from a small(ish) independent house. Almost like a milky tone. — 7 years ago

Monique Cataford

9.2

Sushi night ! St Valentin avec Jean et Johanne Tellement bon! — 7 years ago

E & K G

9.2

The right combo of great vintage and producer... better than a lot of premier crus I’ve had. Elegance and power packed into one big punch. I have another bottle that I plan to forget about for a while. — 8 years ago

Adam Tope

9.2

Very nice. Fruity. — 8 years ago

Scott Rowe

9.4

Xmas Champagne/Sparkling tasting. — 9 years ago

ESF

9.1

Need more Gamay in my life: dark ruby, transparent with gorgeous nose of red fruits: raspberry, strawberry, rhubarb & cherry. Intense w/accents of exotic spice & schist. Decent heft & juicy acidity - balanced & graceful leading to solid finish. — 4 years ago

Sailesh Jani

9.7

Quality and light, fragrant and easy to drink — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

I have mentally thought about doing this post for quite awhile. Opening this 2003 Verdignan brought on the appropriate moment. I am a believer in paying respects and it’s the basis of this post.

We learn to drink certain wines from the regions we live near or from the people we learn & enjoy wine with as we walk the road to understanding what we really enjoy. I started as an exclusive CA Chardonnay drinker for many years before moving on to nearly every varietal and regions offer. Next was Napa Cabernets which, led me to my true love, red Bordeaux. It was a bit of curve getting there but, once I had them with proper aging, I was hooked for life.

While my curiosity got me to Bordeaux wines, there one person that helped shape my Bordeaux palate and I agreed with more than anyone else’s, including every well known wine critics at that time and even today after spending 10 weeks learning from several Master Sommeliers on my way to passing the Court of Master Sommeliers exam and becoming a Sommelier myself. This person is Clyde Beffa Jr., Owner of K&L Wine Merchants.

Clyde has been traveling to Bordeaux for over 40 years and sometimes multiple times in a year. His palate and experience are second to none. Especially, when it comes to Bordeaux.

I owe him a lot. He taught me the importance of letting good Bordeaux’s age 20 years plus. What were the jewel value producers. Brought in Bordeaux wines direct from the Chateaus that had 10 years of bottle age and older. Bordeaux’s that critics did not like young but, he knew something special had taken place over time as he was tasting them much later in their lives and often. I bought and drank a lot of these wines. They also kept temptation at bay in me reaching for my too young and more expensive wines.

He is very kind and kind enough to allow me to travel with him & key staffers to the 2014 En Premier to taste what was a very difficult 2013 Bordeaux vintage. You can go to En Premier and then there is going with Clyde. You have all the key appointments, Chateau accommodations/dinners and taste somewhere around 1500 plus wines in 6 days. He is loved by the Bordelais and for good reason.

So, I dedicate this post to him. He is the one who told me to buy this little known 2003 Verdignan at the same “Affordable Bordeaux Tasting” I mentioned in my Chateau de Candale post on Friday. As of Friday, that was the wine of the tasting. Well…until I coravined this slowly over the weekend. This 2003 was under $25 and it is one of the very best Bordeaux’s I had in some time. As well, perhaps the best QPR in my over 20 years collecting wine. Clyde knew that day just how good it would become. He said, forget about this for 20 years. So, I am a little early here.

Clyde has recommended more great Bordeaux’s to me that most people don’t hear about, let alone try. He told me to buy the poorly reviewed 91 Pichon Lalande when he brought more into the store seven years ago Chateau direct. It was a very difficult vintage with spring frost, hail storm and a difficult growing season. He described as “Heaven in a Bottle” and It most certainly the case. To this day, Pichon Lalande is my favorite steak wine and the 91 is still my favorite vintage. I purchased a 3L from him recently that he brought in direct from the Chateau for my 60th next year. Can’t wait to open that with our good friends and celebrate.

As for the Verignan, the nose reveals; dark brooding & slightly bake fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, black plum, some poached strawberries & haunting blue fruits. Black tea, forest floor with leaves, anise, limestone, moist clay, dry crushed rocks, dry stones, beautiful, mid intensity dark spice, dry tobacco, graphite, mixed dark berry cola, understated, well layered baking spices; clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanilla, dry herbs, mint with candied; dark, red, blue and purple florals.

The body is full, rich, lush, satiny with plenty of well rounded, soften tannins. The tension, structure, length and balance are excellent and will continue to improve. This will last another 15 years and beyond with proper storage. This is a very classic Bordeaux well balance in fruit and earth. It is sheer elegance on the palate. It’s why I love Bordeaux more than Napa and I love Napa Valley Cabernet. Dark brooding & slightly bake, ripe fruits of; blackberries, black raspberries, dark cherries, black plum, boysenberries, some poached strawberries & haunting blue fruits. Black tea, dark chocolate bar, touch of mocha powder, light caramel notes, Expresso notes, forest floor with leaves, anise, limestone, moist clay, dry crushed rocks, dry stones, beautiful, mid intensity dark Asian & Indian spices with just right amount of palate heat, dry tobacco, graphite, dry twigs with a little sap, mixed dark berry cola, understated, well layered baking spices; clove, nutmeg, cinnamon & vanilla, dry herbs/sage, mint with candied; dark, red, blue and purple florals. The acidity is round and nearly perfect. The long finish is, classic, elegant, well balance fruit and earthy Bordeaux that persists softly on the palate for minutes with just the right amount of spice.
This is a heady wine that you really think about as you slowly sip and it affects your whole body. Can’t wait to have another in five years.

Photos of; Chateau Vergignan in Medoc near St. Estephe, their vineyard that reveals where Bordeaux gets its earthiness, Owner Jean Miaihle who acquired the property in 1972 and a wide shot of their vines. — 5 years ago

Clay Dawson

9.8

Maybe the best vintage I've every had from one of my favorite vineyards. The nose is huge, flavor super complex with deep, lasting finish. Valley floor/st. Helena at its very best. Dark fruit finish stays with you. I'll never forget. — 8 years ago

Tom Casagrande

9.0

When I lived in Houston in the aughts, I drank a few fragrant Cotes Du Rhônes from this estate, so I was eager to try their Giggie, even though I’ve grown tired of Southern Rhônes as the climate has warmed and Phillipe Cambie seemingly put a spell over the majority of producers. Well, this is a bit better than the typical blocky, heavy wines that seem increasingly prevalent there. It’s densely colored (of course), but the nose has a bit more elegance and nuance than the typical Gigondas estate these days, showing fresh dark berry fruit, really interesting almost chaparral-like garrigue/earth notes, warm stones, and meadowy wildflowers. In the mouth it’s dense, but a little lighter than the new norm thank goodness, with nice savory flavors and decent acids. Tannins are soft. It won’t make me forget Giggies from the early ‘80s, but it’s nice. — 4 years ago

Tom Garland

9.3

2017 WS wine of the year. Purchased 6 bottles on release at a decent price...forget the retail price now though!!

One hour decant(min sediment). A forbidding dark crimson color. Served on the cool side. On the nose: smokey vanilla, dark cherry, baking spice, and a slight spearment menthol at the end. Taste: Hello!..not shy....cherry liqueur, cedar, graphite. A medium body, soft tannins, with a prune/vanilla dry medium plus finish. Tried a year ago, and working better for me now with some age. — 5 years ago

with Brenda

Aaron Tan

9.4

@Dominik SonaYou're the best! Walks off into the cellar, comes out carrying a massive bottle in a sleeve that could barely cover the label. I just love how ridiculous magnum riesling bottles look! I mean, we could see that it's a Koehler-Ruprecht for sure and the table shot straight to a warm vintage on the first sip (warm finish). Didn't take long for Franzi to identify the vintage and the rest of the pieces fell together subsequently (the body = spatlese, forget identifying the "R"). Guess making wines at the winery itself helps 😂

What to say about this wine? It's pretty intense, but the acidity and minerals kept it in check. Finely strung with pitch-perfect tension. This is the kind of wine that needs very little to push it over the edge into the hedonistic territory. Begs for time (like other 09's), as it's true elegance only revealed itself with air (bring on the crushed rocks and chamomile!). The nose is deep, with exotic fruit aromas, flint, toasted almond, florals, and that classic KR funk. Immense palate with lots of lychee and grapefruit, plus superb minerality with air. Creamy and long finish. Yes, the wine finishes a little warm and could be touch more focus, but it's a real class act for 09'! Power without weight, if you ask me. — 6 years ago

Peter van den Besselaar

9.0

Vintage 2014 / I never forget my visit to the ‘Bure Alto’ vineyard, because I was impressed how high the vines were tied and grown. It’s an amazing site. This wine has a compelling smell: warm, spices, coffee, mocca and even chocolate. Smooth drinking with deer goulash and stewed bell pepper. #valpolicella #ripasso — 7 years ago

Annie Hu

9.1

I like. Enough said. — 8 years ago

Kurt Soller

9.1

Drank this at a crazy lunch at Guy Savoy in Paris and will never forget it. Such a fleshy fruity memorable bottle. — 8 years ago

Petr Jonak

8.9

Forget-Brimont, Ludes, 13/04/2013 — 9 years ago

with Ondrej