Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Nose starts out tight. Then blossoms into deep berry fruit, game, smoked meats, florals, smoke, leather, so complex. So classic. Palate is super serious and super young but has wonderful balance, freshness and depth. I just popped this and it is perfect to follow along for the rest of the day. Really great energy and freshness and expanding mid palate of berry fruit is developing. Awesome texture and concentration while having a substantial refined yet there tannic backbone. Why Burgaud ages so well. Long finish. I’ll update as it airs.

Now after 5-6 hours of air this is really coming into its own. So olivey and floral. Stunning blueberry. Game. Meat. Just gorgeous. Palate is full of fruit, freshness and finesse. Gorgeous sappiness and terrific acidity. A baby but what a wine. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

BSR don’t come to the African bush without it. Just like American Express, don’t leave home without it. Missed it!

All my previous notes apply.

Photos of, the nearly 20 Lions we found on our afternoon game drive. Three Males (one of them featured with the big yawn) four Lionesses and 12 or 13 Cubs, the completion of seeing the “Big Five” experience with this Buffalo on our morning game drive and most of the Lion pride laying in the sand awaiting the evening hunt.

9.3 on the BSR and a perfect 10 on our game drives.

@Severn Goodwin This ones for you! 🤣 Cheers! — 7 years ago

Nick Woodhams

8.9

Richer and riper than expected. Dark fruits, black and blue. Lots of new French oak, game and a touch of spice. Finessed but I’m looking for more acid. — 8 years ago

Robert Stefan Wood

9.7

Really good I was shocked — 8 years ago

Emma Forster

9.0

Delightfully untamed, savage, aroma of well-hung game (which you know you like). This baby stinks but give it a few swirls in your glass and it’ll start to sing sunshine like it’s chateauneuf neighbors. — 8 years ago

Peter Sultan

9.3

I had 2 or 3 bottles of this in last few years & was consistently underwhelmed, was a disjointed, ugly duckling. Well, the ugly phase is over. Gorgeous deep black currant color w red rim. Resolute & length, medium weight. Game, currants, & cooked herbs (sage?). Uber enjoyable w beef stew & potato pie. Threw off alot of sediment- should have decanted, but luckily was a good pour — 8 years ago

with Owen

Matthew Beninati

9.5

Listen. This is the kind of wine you expect a backwoods man to drink to accompany the wild game he just killed. The nose is underbrush, funk, mushrooms, and slightly rotting blackberries that just fell to the floor of the forrest....slight menthol quality as well. Mouthfeel is full, with black berry barnyard funk. At first, it had a spicy, hot finish... but after an hour, that steadily left the building. This is a delight of a wine. Complex and a pleasure all around. $14.... are u kidding?? — 6 years ago

Kristen Grimes

9.0

Very fruity nose, raspberries, medium body, fruit forward with lingering baking spices and pepper tannins. Works perfectly with our BBQ ribs before the GoT finale!!! — 6 years ago

James Forsyth

9.7

Rich, cream, game, violets. Softened tannins. Bacon fat on the finish. One hell of a wine. — 7 years ago

Alan Doughty

9.0

Savory dark berry fruit with notes of game and herb. More dense thsn expected. — 8 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.4

I thought long and hard about what I wanted to say about this wine. But...here goes. This has to be one of the worst QPR wines I've ever had, but I'm also taking into account how young this wine is. I have to remember that I'm rating the WINE here, but the price tag and hype just can't help but to get in the way. Drank over 6 days. Poured initially from Coravin and let sit for about an hour. I will tell you that I was excited initially, as the nose of this wine overpowered the grass fed beef burgers that were just cooked about 2 feet away from where the wine was being poured. DENSE blackberry and vanilla rolling out of the glass. The entry of this wine is silky, but also has that gritty Napa youthfulness. POWER. Fruit forward monster, ripe blackberry, graphite, mineral and spice rich middle with cherry blossom and finish with a very deep, dark core of blackberry, black pepper spice. The finish is where chocolate covered blackberries and minty notes come out, but the wine was still rather tannic. Developed a bit more after I uncorked it at the end of the week. I blind tasted my wife on this one who guessed that it was a '13 William Harrison cab (vineyard is only 2 miles away as the crow flies, maybe, although Hall's is elevated 750 feet). That cab is $50. This one still has a **LOT** of integrating to do which I am taking into consideration which is why the other bottle is locked up tight, and this one just might not have been on its A-game. — 8 years ago

Matt

9.2

Been enjoying this over 3 days and watching it evolve. Went from pure and cool black fruit with lacy herbal and mineral notes to savory, expressing notes of game, beef, and lavender. Captures the charm of the vintage and the freshness of these higher elevation vineyards. Excited to try more wines from this relative newcomer to Gigondas. — 8 years ago

Nniccolò Contenta

9.5

Awesome vintage and at a great point in its evolution. Long animalistic syrah, game, cigarette ash, rabbit fur, background of black pepper, smooth rounded tannin. Great bouquet jumping out, light on palate — 6 years ago

Ron Siegel

9.3

Bordeaux like style that is still youthful showing red cherry & plum fruits with notes of earth, bell pepper, game, tobacco leaf & floral spices — 6 years ago

Kapyrick Wine

9.0

V16. Pretty good. Soft vanilla nose. Creamy apple and honey kissed apricot fruit. Clean finish. Nice weight and balance. Certainly on par with GOT! — 7 years ago

Ira Schwartz

9.4

Beautiful fragrant nose composed of pepper, green olives , game and very dark fruit. A wonderful transition of those aromas to the palate. Very pure and fresh . — 7 years ago

Brandon Boesch

9.6

This is just stunning. Gorgeous wine with amazing nose of cherries, flowers, herbs. Mouthfeel is fresh cherries, stone, some funk, and a touch herbs/game. Gorgeous almost Pinot like at times. One of my favorite Beaujolais ever. — 8 years ago

Elizabeth Rice

9.0

Perfect way to end a Friday afternoon at work. Sipping a fresh aromatic delicious Magnum of a white wine blend with fantastic work colleagues. We played the varietal guessing game which no one got right. — 8 years ago

Shawn R

9.4

Maggie was once a student under Manfred Krankl, this bottle was her second vintage. Shows a restrained nose even after 3 hours after the decant. Hints of wild game and blackberry compote on the nose. Sweet tannins that integrate well and provide backbone. Layers of cassis, plum and wild flowers set up a stellar finish that sails for over a minute. — 8 years ago

Justin Hart

9.1

A little lighter than other vintages (thanks to Mother Nature), both in the nose and the palette. But if you are a fan if the more delicate Rhone characteristics, you may enjoy this thoroughly. Delicately spicy, hints of red plum and game. Nice! — 9 years ago

with Cherish