David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

Bruce Phillips and his wife were pouring their 2021. Talked w/ him at length. Very nice couple.

The 2021 showed well young with room for improving with 10-25 years in bottle and beyond. It showed some evolution, wasn’t all primary. Elegant, very well balanced with excellent structure and finish. Drink 2033-45 properly stored.

The general Napa consensus on 2022 vintage will be a story of did you pick before or after the 6 days of extreme heat during the harvest window. One producer told me his would add 5% of 2023 to some of his 2022’s, which is allowed. He mentioned that he was going to add 15%. But, I think he just misspoke? Get ready for an amazing 2023 vintage from Napa. It was a cooler, not hot-hot, which was a near perfect growing season for long slow even ripening. Some say a vintage of a lifetime and others would only say exceptional.

The Saturday-Sunday Pavilion tasting at Pebble Beach Food & Wine is an excellent four hours to taste a lot wine, taste curated dishes from chefs from all over the country and meet the people behind the bottle. These short ribs were one of the top two or three things I tasted at the Pavilion Saturday. — 19 days ago

Alan Weinberg

9.6

what can I say about a champagne I find near perfect and ageless every time?
So amazing and classy. — 5 months ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

More advanced than other 97’s I’ve had. Still grit with flowers. Always get a touch of Cognac from the mid 90’s BV Tapestry’s. Less on the 97. Beautiful, ripe, foral fruits with spice, barrel toast with evolution & integration. Incredible structure, balance. Violets for days. Still has 5-8 years.

This bottle on auction are more advanced than my bottles or others bought at auction. This is just around it’s precipice where other bottles I’ve had required more time. Another 8 years. This is more within 3 years. I would add that a 1997 94 points rating greatly over shadows a young(ish) vintage of the same. Just gets better and better with each sip.

1997 the vintage of our modern times. This wine was about $25 on release, give or take. Today, it drinks like a $100 plus bottle of Napa Cabernet. — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.5

First, the Gentaz and now, Verset?! Be still my beating heart! Noël Verset is a freaking legend. His first vintage was during the period of peace between the first and second world war which means, for most of his career, Cornas was a tough place to make a living making wine. It wasn’t until the 1990’s that things began to turn around and by that time, Noël was in his 70’s. Talk about perseverance. By the time he made this 1996 vintage, he had already started selling off some of his vineyards and by 2006, he was done making wine altogether. 

And this 1996? It is lighter in color than the other wines in the Cornas line-up; almost a pale garnet with a transparent core. The nose is just crazy. I just wanted to smell it for the rest of the night. Wild mixed berries, dried purple flowers, garrigue, tobacco, and coffee. This was a Cornas of elegance and thinner on the palate relative to the Allemand and Clape. Long finish. Divine with venison, umami bomb, potato and pearl onion. Drinking very well now and could hold for longer but why? — a month ago

Ira Schwartz

9.2

Had very tough competition on the table but I knew many of my guests had never tried. A powerful wine balanced by its acidity. A great floral nose that becomes stone and orchard fruits in the mouth .
A baby and like many other bottles on the table , super balanced. Served it blind and all participants enjoyed but laughed at the current market price — 8 months ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Thought it would be fun to check in on the 2017 "Classico" while I patiently wait for my 2017 Riservas to arrive (long story). Popped and poured; enjoyed over several hours out of Burgundy glasses. In the glass, the wine is deep ruby color with a transparent core. Medium+ viscosity with no obvious staining of the tears. On the nose, ripe cherrys with tar, herbs and organic earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium++ tannins and medium+ acid. The fruit set is confirmed and despite the firm structure, comes across almost round and chewy. She thicc. Long finish. The 2017's are drinking well right now and noticeably better than my last note. Have confidence these will drink well through 2032. — a year ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.4

Love these wines! Always so incredible to have such a balance of racy energy with a simultaneous oxidative complexity. — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

The “V.S. Caterina” is a single vineyard located in the southern most portion of the Lazzarito MGA, in Serralunga d’Alba. This is considered a monopole of sorts since Guido Porro is the sole producer from this vineyard. Geographically speaking, the holdings are ideal with great southwestern exposure, located close to the village of Lazzarito and right next to Vietti’s holdings.

Popped and poured; enjoyed over a period that lasted a couple of hours. The 2015 pours a bright, reflective ruby color with some hits of garnet towards the rim and a transparent core. Medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears and no signs of sediment. On the nose, ripe cherries, strawberries, loads of roses, dried green herbs, and gravely earth. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long and savory. Superb balance. I didn’t buy many 2015’s from Barolo or Barbaresco because I didn’t really like them on release and they didn’t seem to have structure to carry the day. And while the latter may yet be true for extended aging, the 2015’s have been strutting their stuff over the last year, showing off all their solar glory. Drink now and over the next 7 years with ease. — 5 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; no formal notes as it was enjoyed quickly due to the setting and our celebratory mood. What I do recall is that this is a very fine Champagne however, it comes across a touch rounder than most 2008's at this level. The acid is sneaky however and I suspect time will reward those with patience. — a year ago

Jay Kline

9.3

One of the few producers that I purchase each and every vintage. I find that Laurence Feraud’s wines are consistently some of the more interesting and enjoyable wines made in all of Chateauneuf du Pape; particularly when value comes into play. This bottle is my first experience with her 2018 vintage and the first bottle of a small tranche that I swooped up upon release. Popped and poured; consumed over 5 hours. The color is deep ruby with a near opaque core; glossy and gorgeous to behold. Medium+ viscosity. On the nose, this is classic Pegaü with loads of dark cherry and bramble fruit, a veritable hillside full of garrigue, lavender, black pepper, and something that reminds me of old books. On that palate, the fruit is equally generous, brambles and cherries, exotic spices, Herbs de Provence and a somewhat sanguine-like character to it. Substantial structure, though it seems to be a notch lower than the previous three vintages at this point in its young life. The tannins are very sneaky. Almost imperceptible for the first hour and yet, by hour four, they were very much making themselves known (in the Medium+ range). Acid is also Medium+ indicating these have an exciting life ahead. The finish lasts for well over a minute. All in all, another lovely Pegaü that will likely live in the shadow of some of the more heralded vintages in the last ten years however, that doesn’t mean this isn’t a stunner. Absolutely lovely stuff and I very much look forward to enjoying these well into the 2030’s. — 3 years ago