Jay Kline

9.2

Presented double-blind. In the glass, the wine is a deep ruby, bordering purple color with medium viscosity and a transparent core with a slightly watery rim. Some rather significant staining of the tears. On the nose, dark fruits dominate with some purple flowers and the slightest hint of baking space. On the palate, some rather significant tannin which I would place at medium+. Acid is also medium+. The wines comes across quite primary and I find myself rather conflicted. Based on the evidence, I’m leaning towards Norther Rhone…from a new-age producer in Saint Joseph…but it’s missing the rotundone and deli meats that I would normally associate with Syrah. Never the less, I stuck with my gut and called Saint Joseph 2018. I didn’t even consider Moulin-à-Vent but it makes so much more sense! I would love to try this wine after 2027. Those who are patient will be rewarded handsomely. — 4 years ago

Andrew Holod

National Sales Grapes of Spain

9.2

One of the more compelling and complex WA reds I've had. Still deeply colored, intense nose of chocolate covered cherries, but with a reserved character, rather than over-the-top confected. Very well balanced and missing the sometimes, too fleshy/higher Ph I find disturbing in WA reds. — 5 years ago

Raj Harb

9.1

Delicious fruit but missing the length and complexity of his better bottlings — 7 years ago

Christopher McGauran

9.0

This is smoother than the skin rolls on my newborn son. It makes me feel like a “sophisto” at the corova milk bar. All we are missing is a little of the old “Ludwig Van” — 7 years ago

Adam Kincaid

9.2

If this bottle was single I’d be the desperate guy at the bar trying to take her home. Man, what a surprise! You think girl next door normal but one day you get suddenly blind sided and don’t know what you’ve been missing this whole time.

I normally hate garnacha but my god, this is a complex, moody, dark and difficult wine. Plays hard to get, if you know what I mean. Tobacco, earth, but lots of fruit and floral notes. This bottle is driving me wild. — 8 years ago

Clayton R Strong

9.2

Cote Rotie, tries and true - missing the fruit element on this one. Just wasent quite worth the price tag in my opinion. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

I bought my first vintage from this producer & terroir beginning with the 2010 vintage and what a vintage to start. I bought four bottles for right around $50 or a little less. They were so amazing, I drank through them in no time at all. For those of you that read my posts, that’s not normally what I do. I like to drink one & age the rest. Since then, I have looked & looked for more. I’d finally given up hopes of finding more until recently I struck gold. I should have bought all nine bottles but a calmer head prevailed. It’s definitely changed since having it fresh. On the nose, the fruits are slightly macerated. Heather honey, beeswax, golden & green apple, pineapple upside down cake, slight orange citrus blend, mango, glazed nuts, soft, delicate, chalky minerals, a touch of jasmine & yellow lilies. The body is much rounder & thicker than when it was young. Waxy. So, beautifully layered across the palate. Much of the palate matches the nose. Heather honey, beeswax, golden & green apple, apricots, peach, pineapple upside down cake, slight orange citrus blend, mango, slight molasses character & glazed nuts with citrus blossoms, yellow lilies & jasmine. The minerals are much more grippy & bold as they cut across and set on the palate. The acidity round & phat. The texture is amazing as is the length, balance & beautiful, rich, long finish that lasts two-minutes plus. So glad I found more of this wine! Hubert Lamy seriously over deliver the terroir & the price point by a country mile. If you are not buying this wine on pre-arrival, you are missing great wine and excellent value. Can’t say enough good things about it. Especially, the 2010. I expect the 15 to hold similar quality. Photos of; Olivier Lamy, Olivier working in this vineyard, barrel room and their Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Vineyard. Producer notes and history...There have been Lamy’ s growing vines in St-Aubin since 1640, today it is run by Olivier Lamy. Olivier is a new breed of Burgundian grower keen to progress. He trained Méo-Camuzet & made a number of vintages before taking over in 1996 from his father Hubert. Hubert Lamy used to sell fruit to négociants, but that stopped in 1997. He grubbed up and sold off peripheral vines, keeping only the best and oldest sites. Currently he is experimenting with different planting densities in a quest to capture even greater expression of terroir. The Domaine produces both reds and whites and now has 16.5 hectares of vineyards, mostly in St-Aubin but also own a few parcels in Chassagne-Montrachet and a tiny plot in the Grand Cru Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. Yields are kept low and recent innovations have been introduced with selection tables in the cuverie to ensure that only the healthiest and ripest grapes are used. His more recent move to reduce the amount of new oak with the introduction of demi-muids 300-600 liter barrels have also helped to improve the wines. Vinification is traditional and the wines are matured with only 20-30% new oak for 12 months before minimal filtration and then bottling. The quality is very high and is often superior to many wines from much more prominent villages that sell at twice the price or more. — 8 years ago

Dan

8.9

Lots of tart red fruit, slight meat and savory. Nice lemon notes, lighter toast and yeast, moderate cream. Elegant bubbles. Altogether pretty good balance. Perhaps just missing one thing. — 4 years ago

Keith Crump

9.0

Nothing missing a great Central Otago Pinot — 5 years ago

Ed Chin

9.0

Missing the richness you’d expect. — 7 years ago

Janell

9.2

welcome to captiva 🌴 island! surprisingly good random pick on the way to the “villa” ... the only thing missing was the corkscrew...relieved that housekeeping brought one up!! — 7 years ago

Michael B

8.9

Will preface this review with saying that I had a healthy tasting but didn’t share a bottle, or eat any food with it. It’s composition is predominant Cabernet. Without looking at the price tag, it’s a great wine. Smells of freshly picked berries. It’s colour is almost black. Very velvety, royal dark fruit that is balanced extremely well with medium tannins. It’s silky smooth. But it lacks a certain “forte” characteristic that I look for wines (if you haven’t noticed yet). If this was a somewhat more affordable wine to buy on special occasions, I would nearly be in love. For the price (2012, $500 euro), and my own personal tastes, I truly think you can save yourself a handful of money and enjoy your best personal favourite wine and not have any fear that you are somehow missing out. Because of the reasons mentioned above, my rating is good, but not breaking 9/10 — 8 years ago

Aravind A

9.0

Popped yesterday, notes from 24 hrs open. I used to buy and drink Cayuse wines. but I've soured on these wines in the last 4 years or so...last time I popped a horsepower wine with friends, the joke by the end of the night was: friends don't let friends drink Horsepower. Tasting this alone, I can see what I liked, but a lot of what I didn't like also. Aromatically compelling: strawberry compote, loads of olive brine, pickled cabbage, medicinal.herbs, charcoal, and a fair amount of bretty funk. On the palate: just kind of flat. Ok acidity (better than I remember), some bitter burnt notes, but just missing something; seems a touch thin and weedy and attenuated tannin on the thin finish. Love the fact this is 13.0% ABV, but there is a very long list of Syrahs I would drink over this one...esp given the pricetag.

P.S. I've had all the debates about ageability of these wines, granted the lack of acidity, and vintage variation. These wines are novelty wines, yielding a rather esoteric interpretation of the varietal character of syrah. They were fun for a while, but I don't want novelty anymore: I want depth of character. — 5 years ago

Mike Saviage

9.3

Dark tawny. Burgundian nose. Notes of raspberries, earth, black cherries, smoked meats, some spice. Smooth and silky in the mouth. Tannins resolved. Good wine, missing the weight of a bigger vintage. — 5 years ago

Dylan Thomas

9.8

Lines of man — 7 years ago

Brandon Boesch

9.1

2007 blind tasting. Group and my 6th. Closed on the nose, cherries and currants and bright mid palate, but then quick finish. It was nice, but just missing something special. — 8 years ago

with Alexandra

James Cahill

9.2

Pulled a LP after seeing David Lentine’s note on the ‘07. This ‘06 is drinking much better than the recent cellartracker notes but like the ‘07’s that I have drank, this is missing “that extra gear” that would put it into Division I. This is a D II athlete charging a D I scholarship price point. — 8 years ago

Ed Lehrman

9.4

Complete integration and still has lovely fruit. Like meeting an old college friend after many decades and not missing a beat. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

After a week of; bronchitis, sinus infection and an ear infection that perforated my eardrum, missing the UGC Bordeaux tasting, it’s good to be myself with the return of my palate and love for Billecart Salmon Rosé. 375ml. Ahhhh! — 8 years ago

Kevin Cahoon

9.1

Bright apple, blood orange, toasted hazelnut and subtle mineral notes make up the slightly shy nose. Palate has richness with yellow fruit and hazelnut but is missing a touch of acidity. Finish had richness of fruit but lacks precision. This bottle is just a touch underwhelming. — 8 years ago