DAL 9000

9.2

Deep inky color. Bouquet of dry dusty mild cherries. Initial taste of mild dry not quite sweet cherries. In the middle, a quick evaporation of dark fruit. Finishes with a dry dusty dark cherry tannins. — 13 days ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured. The 2021 “Cuvée Réservée” pours a deep ruby color with a deep but transparent core; medium+ viscosity and moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of ripe red and black brambles, spiced meat, black pepper, some purple flowers and stony minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannin and medium acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. This comes across lighter and more Burgundian than the last handful of vintages; almost giving me some 2014 vibes (which is a vintage in the last decade that I adore). It’s really good and shows a bit more elegance that I quite like. Looking forward to tracking this vintage as time goes on. Drink now with some patience and should be cracking through 2041 with ease. — a month ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Brought to Tasting Group. The 2021 Estate Grown pours a pale ruby color with a transparent core; medium viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is youthful with notes of strawberry Jolly Ranchers, cranberries, raspberries, some VA, a light kiss of baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium(+?) acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long. This is an elegant wine with notable texture and in some serious need for time in the cellar. Fun to try now but this will be better after 2026 and should be full stride by 2031. Expect a long life. Only 200 cases produced. — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.3

Popped and poured; enjoyed over two days. Best on Day 1 as it started to lose balance on Day 2. As such, these notes describe Day 1. The 2014 “Etichetta Bianca” pours a pale, slightly hazy garnet color with a translucent core. Medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of bright, funky red fruits: cherries, raspberries, strawberries, with red flowers, leather, mushroom and a pleasant whiff of barnyard. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish long and full of zippy, tangy fruit. This is hitting right and showing remarkable character. Drink now. — 4 months ago

Jay Kline

9.2

Poured into a Boa decanter several hours prior to dinner. The 2022 Zinfandel pours a ruby color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is youthful with notes of bright brambles: blackberries and raspberries, cherry (some candied, think Cherry Blow Pop), pipe tobacco, black pepper, dry organic earth and gentle baking spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose with some notes of mocha added to the mix. The finish is long and delightful. Fun to try in its youth however I expect these will show even better after a few years in the cellar. Best after 2027 and through 2042. — 5 days ago

David Shaw

8.9

New vintage, 46/44/10 blend of Viognier, Pinot Gris and Muscat. Honey golden yellow, very good clarity. Slight sulfite on nose. Dry, flavors interpolate between the Pinot Gris and Viognier. Didn’t pick up much of the Muscat. Moderate skin astringency on the finish (bear in mind this is an orange wine). Floral, linalool and passion fruit flavors. Give the tannins a little time to soften. Dry as the Gobi Desert, so pair it with something tasty. Cheese? Fries? Something… — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Brought to Au Courant from our cellar to celebrate our daughter’s 15th birthday. As far as I can tell, 2009 was the first commercially available vintage of Thibault’s foray into Moulin-a-Vent so this was fun to try since I’ve been a big fan of his work there.

Poured into a decanter about an hour prior to service. The 2009 VV pours a deep ruby/purple with a near opaque core; medium viscosity and some light staining of the tears. There were some signs of sediment but most had been decanted off. On the nose, the wine is…well…pretty wild with notes of horse blanket and there’s just a touch of varnish in there too. For me, it’s teetering on the edge of, “is this charming or is this overbearing”? However, since there was more there than just a cow pasture and I don’t get any gerbil cage, I’ll leave this in the “charming” camp but I digress…back to the notes from the nose. The wine is developing, with dark crunchy berries, dark cherries, sandalwood...some pepper, some leather and light notes of potting soil. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannins and medium+ acid. The first glass showed a touch of effervescence like there could have been a slight refermentation in the bottle. Confirming the notes from the nose though it seems cleaner on the palate with some granite minerals on the finish. Interesting, it’s almost like this was semi-carbonic but as far as I know, Thibault has been making these wines using the same methods as he does his GC wines in Nuits-Saint-Georges so I don’t know. And this is why I like this wine. It’s making me think...and it’s been enjoyable throughout the meal, working particularly well with our strip steak. Yum! A really fun wine for those that enjoy something a little more rustic. That being said, I know it wouldn’t have pleased everyone. There is plenty of gas left in the tank and while this drinks very well now, I would expect that this will continue to drink well through 2029 with ease. — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Popped and poured; enjoyed over two days. Best on Day 2. The 2022 Carignane “Contra Costa County” pours a deep magenta with a near opaque core and an electric looking rim; medium viscosity with moderate staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is developing with a combination of tart and ripe black plums, black berries, licorice, soft baking spices, stony earth and minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium and bright; energetic with lovely minerals. Lovely stuff. Drink now through 2032. — 21 days ago

Jay Kline

9.3

An ardent traditionalist, Laurent Charvin makes one of the more interesting wines in the CdP AOC. There is no super-cuvée; their best fruit goes into their standard (and only) bottling.

Opened several hours prior to service. The 2015 pours a deep garnet color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with light staining of the tears. On the nose, developing with an intriguing combination of fresh and desiccated brambles, Cedar forest, Christmas fruit cake, black pepper, and well-oiled baseball glove and a mix dried green herbs. On the palate, the wine is bone dry, medium+ tannins and medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is long, rich and juicy with surprising structure. Delicious. Drink now and through 2030+ — a month ago

Jay Kline

9.1

Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of two days. It was very good on Day 2 but I think it was more interesting on Day 1 after about 90min of air. The 2015 Donjon pours a deep ruby color with a near opaque core; medium+ viscosity with no staining of the tears. On the nose, developing with notes of dark brambles fruits, some bruised strawberry, some garrigue, some stony minerals and spices. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium(+?) tannins and medium acidity. Confirming the notes from the nose with a touch of cracked black pepper there too. The finish is medium. To my palate, this has entered that awkward, quiet stage that some CdP’s enter between year 5-10. It’s trying to show some secondary character but it’s just not willing to use its voice. A lot of the ingredients are there though. Drink now with some patience and grace otherwise I wouldn’t try again until after 2025. FWIW, it was a lovely pairing with cassoulet. — 3 months ago