Daniel M

9.2

Remembering Jean Pierre Marty, former wine director of Talbot who passed earlier this year. Jean Pierre was my father's best buddy from university.
The nose is made of tar, a bit of cocoa and coffee, black currant, a bit of green bell pepper (?) and bit of heat too. The palate is great! Superb acid drive, very subtle, silky mouthfeel, black currant, cocoa notes too, before a massive mid palate in form of a sphere that initiates some disturbance in the mouthfeel with a layer of grain, powering up a long finish of black currant, cocoa, that silky mouthfeel with a grain and a nice bitter touch that shows up in the end. Great testimony of a great wine and a great wine maker. — 2 years ago

Daniel M

9.2

Jakab - Tokaji Furmint És Harslevelu 2018

The first nose is made of ripe pear, then beeswax, white flowers and a buttery thing in the background. Quite inviting and complex. The palate is well designed with a strong acid drive and a very tight front. There is a bit of pear and lemon all around. It becomes very wide out of a sudden to form a sphere in mid palate, with almost a tannic touch on the sides. Pear all along and a very long fruity finish, with that almost tannic touch and a tiny bit of bitterness in the end. That buttery thing which could be felt on the nose is present all along too, and more specifically in the end. Wow this is unexpected. This is high level! — 4 years ago

Janet Otter

9.8

Vol en aromatisch — 4 years ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.3

Rich crimson with clear-pink-oranging rim. It's turning the corner. Deep muddled red fruits on the nose. On tasting, I find a nutty green light olive (I wish I could better describe this note as I get it a lot and it's a muddled thing with olives and a wood or nut). Over the 1.5 hour decant, this note has subsided a bit. Nice full bodied sphere in the mouth, with medium plus tannins that linger--with the nuttiness that is perhaps pecan. Enough sting and dryness to suggest that this bottle should be rested in the deep dark corners of your mind.

93+ points — 5 years ago

Bob McDonald

9.0

Savoury cherries and some cocoa notes on nose. Well balanced. I really like Great Southern Shiraz (WA). Preferable to Margaret River Shiraz in the West Australian sphere. Tasted again on 23 rd March 2018. Lovely earthy savoury cherry nose and palate. Supple tannins. Traveling well at 11 years. — 7 years ago

Sharron Smith

9.5

Lovely California wine. Very tasty. Definitely one I will buy again. — 8 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.7

The top wine at Rebourgeon and this may be the best wine he’s ever made. Stunningly, deep, fresh, complex nose of cherry flower, spice cake, pulverized stones, licorice, mid to late season cherry and spice. Unreal complexity. But this 9.6 nose is still holding back. That’s what elite vineyards do. The nose is so harmonious. Wow, that is super elite. Just so elegant. One of the most elegant wines I’ve ever had from William if not the most elegant. This is only giving 15% of itself but that 15% is stunning. A sphere on the palate. So balanced, so much synergy. Stoney, floral, fruity and endless depth. Going deep in the ocean. You can sniff this nose as hard as possible and it still gives off unlimited depth. Outrageous nose. 9.7 ish. Palate is also a 9.7 but has so much room to improve. Unreal sweet fruit and wonderful slippery character. Tannins, acid and fruit all in perfect harmony. Just a stunning bottle of Rugiens and the best bottle of wine young William has made so far. — 3 years ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.3

Second time with this wine, but oddly enough 6 months ago I had the 2015, and this is the 2013-- same retail store.

Deep purple, opened with funk and meat on the nose which blew off in 15 minutes. A brilliant blend of 7 grapes, interwoven into sphere of cedar, tobacco, cherry, cinnamon, and a hint of vanilla. Beautifully balanced. I really love this wine.

93+ points — 3 years ago

Daniel M

9.0

There's a creamy thing on the nose along with blackberry and cherry. A bit of heat too. The palate is well designed. It's spherical in mid palate and the finish is that sphere expending toward the end for a fairly long amount of time. Strong acid drive, nice blackberry notes all along, a nice matter with a bit of a thickness on the sides, a soft, creamy mouthfeel and a nice bitterness in the end. It's not great but it very gulpable. More of that! — 4 years ago

Steve Biondi

9.3

Between my wife's fresh tomato sauce and veal meatballs with Incredible spinach the wine just brought in in abundance of complexity intones unequaled in the sphere of my influence — 5 years ago

Kyle Doucet-Walter

9.3

An incredible example of when skin contact can add to a wine instead of becoming its only real pull. First had that orange wine reduction that so many have upon opening. Very shy underneath it all, almost certain we finished the bottle before it showed it’s true colours on the nose, all because of that palate... Immense structure, tension, energy all in unison; like a sphere of terroir expressing fruit. Unlike any other skin contact wine I’ve tasted to date. Unreal. — 6 years ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.3

This is some real deal shit. Blue-black berries nose with slight licorice and leather. A perfect sphere in my mouth--hits everything equally. The zin comes out subtly. Really amazing.
93 points — 8 years ago

Jim Westby

9.5

Whisky on an ice sphere on a summer evening. — 9 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Wow. This smoked in 17 and I knew it was going to smoke in 19 for this little known gem of a 1er Cru. Haunting nose of sweet mid season cherry fruit, sous bois, wet earth, desiccated leaves, flowers (violets?), citrus zest and so many other nuances. Just a zany great nose. It’s screaming “I am Volnay” in my nose. Yes my nose. Palate is OMG heaven. Silken, sweet and seductive. Awesome mid season cherry fruit and perfect balance. Haunting finesse and a sphere like roundness and then such freshness that keeps it alive and dancing on your tongue. Such lacey, sweet and delicate tannins. Truly special. Unreal purity. 2019 is the real deal. This is liquid cashmere. It is so finely knit. Will be back in an hour as it opens up. 9.5 for now. — 3 years ago

Jae Cho

9.2

A sphere... more like a thunderbolt! — 3 years ago

Daniel M

9.0

Licorice, tar, blackberries, cherry and a bit of almond on the nose. This is great! The palate is very lovely with some strong acid backbone, a nice tangy cherry all along, a good width with a lovely matter on the sides. It's not thick, it's rather light but very playful and fruity. Some tannins kick in in mid palate which give a bit of a drying effect in a mid palate sphere. It's quite round in there! The finish is all fruits, a bit of bitterness and thee tannins drying up a notch. Very lovely and joyful wine. — 4 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

This is brilliant. Huge expressive nose. So clean and full of mid season cherries, spice, flowers, mineral, licorice, high end bubble gum. So dope. Palate has stunning sweetness and purity. Oh man what a sphere. Stunning ripe tannins. Beautiful purity and so delicate. What a Pommard. Showing stupid elegance. True wow. Terrific inner mouth aromas. Ripe and juicy tannins and such complexity. A lot of material. Awesome. — 4 years ago

M. Christopher Roebuck

9.3

Bright medium. Red fruit on the nose, big raspberry with black licorice on the nose. Spearmint hides underneath. On the the palate it's a perfect sphere. No residual sugar, well balanced. Not much in terms of tannins else this would be a home run. Dynamite wine, drink it now.

93+ points — 6 years ago

Dayna

9.4

Balance between depth, mineral notes, balsamic and coppice, freshness, broad dark berry sphere, maturity of blackberries and raspberries, upbringing in French oak barrels thanks to that creaminess, structure. Aniseed and toasted, sweet liquorice root touch.
In the mouth, unexpected, alive entry, fresh and juicy one step and a long finish and dry in the memories of aging. — 7 years ago

Emily Kresie-Harrington

9.2

2005 vintage. Starts out surprisingly on the red fruit category on the palate, with smoke, cigar box, black rocks, red dirt, little bit of sanguine iron. Tannins become increasingly drying and firmer as it sits and the fruits morph into more of the black sphere. Long finish. Very pleased with how this has held up! — 8 years ago