Jay Kline

9.1

Tasted double-blind. The nose showed white flowers; sort of a mix of magnolia, jasmine and citrus blossom. The palate came across off-dry with some potential residual sugar. Pastilles and honeysuckle. I thought this was well balanced and seemed to have higher acid. My call was a Chenin Blanc; a Vouvray, demi-sec from a recent vintage. Obviously, I was way off. I’m told the relatively higher ABV in these wines, plus the fact that they are made in stainless steel, give the perception of higher acid. Anyway, it’s nice to drink Viognier that tastes like this. Now I wish I had a dozen oysters! — 5 years ago

Josh Morgenthau

9.3

Love. Pears, white peaches and some florals, medium body, well-proportioned acid, rounded out with a hint of bitterness. A ghost perception of sweetness, not sure if from a small dosage or just the brilliance of riesling.

A wonderful new expression of the grape for me... will be seeking several bottles of this out for aging. — 6 years ago

Shengli Hu

9.1

Passion fruit - fresh and stewed. Canned apricot, tangerine, orange peel. Lemon curd. Ginger candy. Medium+ acidity and finish. Aged beautifully, pairing it with Maracuia chocolate probably elevated my perception... — 6 years ago

Lyn Farmer

9.2

Surprisingly medium lemon yellow color where a pale greenish lemon would be the norm. Rich and intense nose of white flowers, Apple, lime and a bit of honeyed peach and petrol in the background. More off-dry than medium sweet in perception thanks to the vibrant acidity. This is a lovely example of maturing Mosel riesling — 7 years ago

Tatyana Ryabokoneva

9.0

Ideal perception of prosecco. Fruits for girls who had good taste — 8 years ago

Steve Anderson

9.3

Beautiful, room-filling nose. Very clear light ruby red, a bit of spice and nice texture. Great pairing with the salmon. Only knock was a slight perception of sweetness, but that worked with the food. Mrs. A's favorite of the evening. — 9 years ago

with Albert

Chris Chiapparelli

9.5

You think that you know a wine, like PdC. Then you try something like this and it changes your whole perception of the genre. Serious juice. — 9 years ago

Tony T Chang

9.8

Never been a big fan of Syrah. Always been too sour and simple for my taste even as a daily drinker. But boy did this one change my opinion of Syrah! Drinking in 2020 this 2002 vintage is definitely aged enough, perfectly. Upon opening of bottle the color is a nice beet color. First drink really blew my mind. A bit sweet but very very refreshing? Don’t know how to describe the feeling I can only say refreshing. Lots of lighter berries such as strawberry but I also tasted undertones and aftertaste@of Japanese soda candy! My mouth also felt tingly like a mint but of course no mint flavor. Some dark oaks but very very subtle. The nose was very faint. On the second day of drinking the berrys overtook the Japanese soda candy and the nose became more pronounced. Thoroughly enjoyed this wine and changed my perception of Syrah. Will be looking to try out more Syrah in the future. — 5 years ago

with Peter

MICHAEL COOPER DipWSET

Owner TomeVinos wine shops, WSET Level 3, Blogger www.spanishwinesandmore.com, blog.tomevinos.com

9.1

This is a perfect example of how your state of mind or the position of the moon can change your perception of a wine. Until tonight this wine has never “wowed” me but right now I’m digging it. Medium gold colour. Ripe pineapple, gasoline and diesel, pine resin, thyme honey, and butterscotch. On the palate it has an incredible balance between sweet ripe fruit and tart acidity. #lateharvest #tokaji — 6 years ago

Matt

9.2

Substantial texture and weigh albeit very tight and wound up. Dark, meaty, filled with spices, tobacco, tar, and mixed black fruits. There’s a considerable amount of brett but it integrates into the wines richness and earthy minerality. Struck by the length of tannin perception and mineral core that envelopes the wine across the palate. Definitely a more masculine expression than LBT. — 6 years ago

Ryan Vento

9.2

Wine club gathering with dear friends. Two whites and two reds, all tasted blind.

This was the Merlot I had so many years ago that changed my perception on what could be done with the varietal. Love this stuff. It can hang with many of the big boys and exhibits nice finesse and depth with loads of espresso, ripe red fruits, and tar/balsamic. — 7 years ago

with Krystal

Brian Norton

9.4

Loved this! Not a campfire wine, per se, but definitely great for a garden party with a fire pit. Which I imagine is much more in line with the Frasier aesthetic you're all trying to cultivate. — 9 years ago

Stacy Woods

9.1

2014 - Brilliant, reflective, dark straw with a copper hue and a thin water white rim. Intensely aromatic, floral dominant, rose blossom, hibiscus, honeysuckle, subtle stone fruit and citrus, apricot, orange peel, and cantaloupe, a fleeting wisp of cigarette smoke. A dry wine but the mouth-filling perfume leaves a perception of sweetness. Medium plus alcohol lends a lingering warmth and viscosity to the palate. Medium plus acid and a touch of bitterness gives balance to the juicy ripe fruit aromas in the mouth. Fruit and floral aromas confirmed in the mouth with an additional hint of marmalade, and spicy ginger — 9 years ago

Andrew S

9.3

Interesting and fun wine. Nose of red fruits, mint/menthol, and touch of cedar. Palate adds prunes, dried berries and a nice acidity. Tannins are completely resolved, and approach bare perception. Given the riper fruit notes, the lighter abv (13.5), make for a fascinating glass. Would like to taste this next to Monte Bello. — 5 years ago

Rhonely Boy

9.1

Fantastic Zin, varietally correct, balanced and not overblown in any respect, read a newspaper through it clarity (Saignée/racked/filtered, unsure), nice fruit with good acidity balanced by sugar content (without being overblown). Label states 15.5% abv, but believe this is to cover a wide range(14.5-16.5) Im gonna says its 14.8ish, fruity body (cherry, red raspberry)exceeds perception of alc. oak is most appropriate. Drink and enjoy now. More please. — 6 years ago

Alex Lallos

Owner No Limit Fine Wines, Private Wine Consultant

9.3

Wtf? This is amazing. Almost marsanne like.. super dark yellow gold that actually becomes lighter with air (Wierd but maybe it’s just my perception because the fruit goes from rich to lean with air as well) with aromas of dried almond, quince, apricot and wet hay. It needs time to open up and while it may be a ‘fat’ for my taste, there is a never ending mineral component to keep it fresh in intriguing. A benchmark wine for sure! Drink now through next decade — 6 years ago

Ceccherini Cristiano

8.9

Past its best, but there is more than one thing I like in this wine
Firstly the tactile perception in your mouth, the wine invades your oral cavity
And secondly it is still fresh and a mineral tone after few hours came out too
(it reminded me of a Montrachet Marquise de Laguiche 1986 for the power)
Yes the fruit had gone oxidised a bit but I save this wine for the picture — 7 years ago

with Claudio, Mauro and 3 others

Stephen Jackshaw

9.2

I found this enjoyable but drank it after the Realm so that likely changed my perception. The table thought it was good but needed more time. Plush fruit, and integrated oak. — 8 years ago

Rob Moose

9.3

This concludes my grand Cru Piuze a day journey. I ordered the journey according to my perception of the hierarchy. Clos was definitely the most backward, fiercely mineral and powerful. Kind of a tossup between Valmur and Preuses as to greatest current pleasure, and Clos got kinda beat up by Uncle Boon's in the studio. I do have high hopes for this bottling being able to actually age but who can say. — 9 years ago

Tom Kobylarz

8.9

Flight 5 - A Sweet Ending
The last flight of the evening was a flight of 3 Sauternes, including the great Chateau d'Yquem. Rabaud-Promis and Raymond-Lafon were the only ones showing unfortunately as the d'Yquem was corked enough that we knew it and thus wasn't judged. Both the RL and RP were a blend of 80-20 Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, the traditional Sauternes blend. The difference besides the vintage was the oak maturation. RL gets 3 years in new oak while the RP sees only 12-14 months in new oak.
The Raymond-Lafon 1996 showed the 3 full years of new oak and a full on sweet and dry attack of honey, candied peach, and marmalade all accented by the telltale pungency of the fungus botrytis cinerea. Custard and creamy notes delivered here as well amping up the flavor and body perception, with a clean and dry finish.

The RP showed an elegant and lighter attack because of the lighter vintage and less oak used in the maturation process. More notes of juicy stony fruits and sweet citrus showed here. This was a nice contrast to the RL.

Botrytis cinerea, aka "Noble Rot", gives the Sauternes wines a musky, but pure and sweet texture. The fungus evaporates the water in a healthy grape, thus naturally concentrating the juice and flavor in the grape. — 9 years ago