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9.0

Young peaches and pears are complemented by notes of wet slate and yellow flowers as the 2019 Vintage Tunina unfolds in the glass. It balances savory mineral tension with a pretty inner sweetness, coming across round in feel yet motivated by brisk acidity. Hints of candied lime and green apple linger through the zesty finale, pinching at the cheeks with citrusy concentration. Cellaring might reveal further depths, yet the 2019 is already enjoyable on its zesty fruit-forward character. That said, I don’t find the seriousness or aging potential that you would expect here. The Vintage Tunina is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Ribolla Gialla, Malvasia Istriana and Picolit. (Eric Guido, Vinous, April 2022)
— 4 years ago

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9.2

Good luck pulling your attention away from the 2017 Catarratto Praruar. All it takes is one tilt of the golden-amber-colored nectar in your glass, and its exotic bouquet of sugar-dusted ginger, dried nectarines, crushed green apple, geranium and mint creates a unique yet captivating display. This is powerful and deeply textural, with a pretty inner sweetness balanced by brisk acids and tart orchard fruits, complemented by savory brown spice and a mind-bending addition of cocoa toward the close. For all of its density, the Praruar turns squeaky-clean through the finale, yet still full of lively energy, resonating on floral-tinged peaches and pears. Frankly, this is probably the most interesting interpretation of Catarratto that I’ve ever experienced; but be aware that it is unabashedly an orange-style wine, which won’t appeal to all palates. (Eric Guido, Vinous, June 2021)
— 5 years ago

Eric Guido

9.4

I'm floored.. Seriously... Dark and brooding with masses of dried black cherry and cedar up front, yet beneath it, notes of exotic spice, tobacco, dried flowers, crushed raspberry, and undergrowth gained volume and depth with time in the glass, until they permeated the senses entirely. On the palate, soft, silky textures, which seem to hover on the senses, offset by a tart acid core, yet also complemented by enveloping bittersweet cherry, quinine, spice, and inner earth tones. The finish is incredibly long with saturating dried cherry fruit, sweet inner florals, hints of gruff tannin--yet juicy and fresh, with a note of hard red candies and licorice which seemed to literally last for minutes on the mid-palate. — 6 years ago

Iain Newton

8.9

Very nice indeed. — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.5

Mid to deep Ruby in colour with a tawny rim developing. Cassis and black currant with some woody and sage notes. On the palate sweet black fruits, plummy notes, some savouriness and oak spice. Good vitality and freshness for a 14 year old Cabernet Shiraz. Really enjoyed this - up there in quality with another great Cabernet Shiraz in Penfolds Bin 389. This wine will cruise through another 10 years with its inner strength I feel. — 6 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Sick, dramatic nose, wintergreen, herbals you the wazoo, spice, flowers, pink grapefruit, almost a greenhouse effect on the nose, sickness. Some faint Riesling stoniness. Smells like a JR Tolkien scene. Insane inner mouth aromas. So dense, so chewy, so mineral, so dry. Lovely dry extract and purity. But also gentle and so so so mineral. I don’t think there is any fruit. And that’s a good thing. Long, meandering, finish with sick purity, and length. Chewy. So complex. Ethereal. — 6 years ago

Antonio Galloni

Founder, Vinous

9.5

Powerful, linear in feel and highly expressive. Love the tension, energy and persistence here. Time brings out the wine's perfume and inner sweetness, but the 96 is a Burgundy built on structure. — 9 years ago

markus gould

9.0

on spot bubbly.
apple peel tea, perfectly integrated dosage. u can drink it even warm - doesn't loose it's inner balance. — 10 years ago

Christine Havens

9.5

What can be said about d'Yquem can only be expressed in poetry, even in a modest vintage like 1998. It is an inner sanctum, a fragrant garden, a poignant release that is both profound and glorious. Descriptors cannot do it justice, sensual and honey-drenched layers of apricots, vanilla bean, creme brûlée and almond pastry. Viscous and glycerol-laden in the mouth, offset by dazzling acidity, dried fruit—quince, more apricots. A silken, pure, honey-spun web of delight. I'm rambling, but d'Yquem does that. — 11 years ago

Matt Austin

Owner/Winemaker, Grosgrain Vineyards, Walla Walla, WA

9.0

My first Slovenian wine. Shows the potential of the region. Tastes like a non-sparkling champagne. Interesting stuff. — 11 years ago

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9.0

Sweet smoke and roses give way to cedar spice box and bright cherries as the 2013 Rosso di Montalcino opens up in the glass. This is silky, plush and enveloping with sweet berries and hints of balsamic spice. While resolved, the 2013 remains widely energetic with a very pretty inner sweetness, tapering off long to notes of raspberry and licorice. (Eric Guido, Vinous, January 2022)
— 4 years ago

Matthew Cohen

9.8

Wow. Just perfect. Amazing off the bat.

Nose: slate made form yellow flowers. As this opens more serious.

Palate: simply perfect. That balance you get only in great wines. The density you only get in grand cru wines. Terrific brightness. Multi spectral inner mouth aromatics. Infinite almost. Sorry. Balance is perfect. If this had a bit more florality on the internal aromatics it would be a 10. It’s that good.

As I enter my senescence I am trying to be tactful Otherwise I would say you are an idiot if you not drinking grosses gewachs. This was like $50. Worth $200. At least.

Bought from fass selections — 5 years ago

Zoran Korencan

9.3

👍22.01.2021 rojstni dan Pika, v Črni vasi — 5 years ago

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9.3

The 2017 Pinot Bianco Vorberg Riserva is subtly sweet and perfumed in the glass, as a note of peaches-in-cream fades to yellow apple, raw almond, lemony citrus, stone dust and white flowers. It’s soothing on the palate with its silky textures, yet contrasting tension builds through gentle acids and minerals, creating a ripe yet also savory and almost-salty expression. The finish is long, resonating on ripe orchard fruits with inner florals and a hint of lime zest. (Eric Guido, Vinous, November 2020) — 6 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Have not had since end of December 2018. Amazing nose. Honeysuckle, god level airiness and minerals. Brown sugar. Huge apricot. So precise. So clear. So precise. So layered. Like a Riesling drop. Lemon. It’s superbly complex. New nuances every minute. Honeycomb. Elite. Wow. This is so electric. Amazing purity, depth and finesse. Such elegance. Honeyed but so lithe and fresh. Drop dead. Juicy. So clean. Fruit is apricot and peach. But best ones you’ve ever had. Energy and minerality for days. Concentrated and sappy. Beautiful minerals and inner mouth florals. Superbly impressive structure and sap. A baby but finally coming out of it’s shell. Thrilling wine. — 6 years ago

Pooja Miskin

9.3

Very light but tasty Pinot. Peppery. — 6 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.4

From the excellent 1986 vintage. Still dense in colour - a deep Ruby. Cedar cigar box dusty some tobacco, mint, a touch of menthol and remnants of black currant. Medium weight with inner strength. The proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove. In total balance finishing with soft pliant tannins. Always with these old wines there is the trade off between losing the exuberance of youthful fruit versus the complexity and softening tannins brought by extended cellaring and hoping you pop it at the best time. I have one of these wines left which I hope to share with my son, Hugh (born 1987) and his girlfriend if they can get home from New York for Christmas this year. — 6 years ago

Eric Guido

9.4

Moments like this make me feel very lucky. The '88 Ruchottes-Chambertin from Roumier is pure class found through perfect maturity. Dried flowers, dusty soil, undergrowth and spice wafted up from the glass along with savory cherry. On the palate it was wonderfully soft with vibrant acidity setting the stage for pure red fruit, hints of mushroom and inner floral tones. It finished with a slight tug of tannin and acid, which only added to an already gripping experience. Gorgeous. — 9 years ago

Eric Guido

9.4

The nose was dark with woodsy floral tones offset by red berry, leather, hints of clove and star anise. It was soft with silky textures on the palate. Youthful but not tannic with perfectly balanced acidity enlivening flavors of tart cherry, spice, and minerals. The finish showed it's youthful structure with dried red fruits, inner floral tones and hints of cedar. This is beautiful and just entering what is sure to be a long drinking window. — 11 years ago

Christine Havens

9.2

I'm on location at #IPNC this year, and have been invited to attend a private tasting at Domaine Serene with winemaker, Erik Kramer. The 2012 Evenstad is, like all of their wines, a study in refinement and purity, with a deep inner perfume of rose petals, dust, forest floor and spice underpinned by alpine strawberries and red forest berries. Pitch-perfect acidity and just the right amount of toast to frame it—spicier notes re-emerge on the finish, with a touch of white pepper adding lift and complexity. — 11 years ago

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9.2

The 2015 is the current release of the zesty and potent Montefalco Rosso San Valentino. It’s composed of 70% Sangiovese, 15% Sagrantino and 15% Montepulciano, all from 50-year-old vines within the San Valentino vineyard. Also worth mentioning is that this doesn’t spend any time in wood; instead, maturation takes place over three years in stainless steel tank. That said, the intense mix of wild berry, cherry, clove, sweet mineral, violet and dusty rose that forms the bouquet is all terroir, varietal and vintage. It makes its presence known with tart red fruits, sour citrus and spice, as nervous acids force the mouth to water, adding further sweetness and thrust. The expression suddenly turns feminine and perfumed, with a mix of gorgeous inner florals resonating above a tug of subtle tannin. The 2015 is a seductive, eyes-rolling-to-the-back-of-your-head expression of San Valentino. (Eric Guido, Vinous, August 2021)
— 5 years ago

Delectable Wine

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9.2

The 2020 Rosato (Sangiovese) displays sweet melon and spring flowers offset by a twang of zesty citrus and flint. It’s silky-smooth, with a pleasant inner sweetness as notes of young strawberry and cherry cascade across the palate, all of which taper off wonderfully fresh. $17.00 (Eric Guido, Vinous, May 2021) — 5 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.3

What a nose. Massive fruit. Big, ripe, dark and red cherries. So intense. A lipstick like intensity. Glorious spices. Gorgeous minerality and a sense of deepness. Tree bark, menthol and an inner earth character. The juxtaposition between ripe fruit and minerality is astonishing. Palate is so ripe but allied with just classic and incredible freshness. Big, but ripe and silky tannins and lovely, dense cherry fruit. So balanced and ultra clean and pure. The decadence of this wine allied with the racy minerality is a highlight for me. With air there is a savory and meaty element to the nose that adds complexity. So juicy and textured. The minerals really wash one’s palate on the finish. This has substantial structure which hints to me it needs 3-4 years. It’s in no way not inaccessible now but will be much better in 3 years. — 6 years ago

Wendy H

9.2

You know. I don’t say this very often. But this wine makes everything better. It’s tart, acid is balanced, everything you want it to be. I drank it with ranch potato chips and I highly recommend this pairing. — 6 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.3

One of the finest sites in all of SLB. Always needs age. What a nose. Just dizzying. 2018 is so good in the so called “B” villages. Nose is deep. It’s floral. Dark red roses and violets. Late season cherry fruit and also black cherries. Almost kirsch in it’s intensity. What a palate. A monster. Nuanced, clear and detailed. So deep, so fresh, so concentrated. Amazing purity and sappy red and black cherries. Powerful and also elegant. Sappy. Such nice acid and freshness has an electricity to it despite its ripeness. Wow. Exhilarating is the best word. Terrific inner mouth aromas and sweet, ripe velvety and substantial tannins. The mineral drive throughout this wine is amazing right now but some of that will meld into fruit as this ages. This needs 5 years and then oh boy. — 6 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Such an underrated Pommard 1er Cru next to the underrated Les Poutures which Buffet also makes. Superb nose of cherry flower, watermelon, earth, licorice and mineral, some dark roses as well. Wafting and just so so good. Wow what an inner mouth burst, complex, juicy and so mineral with wonderful purity and stoney Pommard tannins. Firm, yet elegant and also dense. So so juicy and mouth filling. Concentrated and sappy with terrific sweet fruit. It’s Pommard so it needs time to open up. I’ll be back. So long and juicy. — 6 years ago

with Matthew

Delectable Wine

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9.8

Vietti's 2014 Barolo Rocche di Castiglione is shaping up to be a modern-day classic. Piercing, intense and austere in the best sense of the word, the Rocche is a wine of laser-like focus that will leave Barolo lovers weak in the knees. Candied cherry, pomegranate, kirsch, rose petal and violet overtones give the 2014 its inner sweetness and captivating perfume. In a word: stunning. Don't miss it. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, February 2018) — 7 years ago

Rashed Chowdhury

9.2

Think of a few concentric circles... In the middle are fruit flavors, immediately outside from the inner circle is more dominant tar and leather flavors, and then layers and layers of very strong tannins in the outer circles... The tannin has length, lasting for a long time in your mouth, leaving you amazed for 10 minutes, then the craving for more begins... I wonder about the winemaker's thoughts and perspectives on this wine after making this wine! — 10 years ago

Eric Guido

9.5

Tremendous intensity on the nose with minerals, crushed stone, lime, pear, and savory herbs. On the palate, searing minerals and acidity dominate with stone fruit and inner floral tones. There's a saturating minerality with ripe stone fruits that soothe the senses. It finished pure, fresh and mineral laden. — 11 years ago

Noah Carlson

9.0

Noah had this 11 years ago