Vanessa

9.1

Rosé for Mother’s Day!

Here’s to all of the moms out there 💕💕 We’re grateful for you, you help make the world go ‘round 🌎

This is a beautiful rosé made from Syrah; I love how fragrant this wine is, offering fresh strawberry and raspberry notes also a flinty, smoky influence.

We were introduced to this amazing winery while in Sonoma recently and we’re not looking back! We love their wines and story. Check out my prior notes for more detail.

@cejavineyards Bella Flor, Sonoma County, 2019, ABV 12.8%. — a day ago

with Deked1

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.7

Holy hell this is great. I mean wow. Leather galore. Gorgeous, stunning, pure. So granitic and mineral. So expansive. Cocoa. Mint. Olive. So wafting and expansive. Palate is rich, ripe and dense with stunning purity, red berry fruit, a gamey, stoney character and lots of freshness. Awesome acids. Really elegant as well. Terrific inner mouth aromas. Really complex and finishes very stoney. So so long. Will only open more. I won’t get to evolve with it as I’m dropping off at a friend’s place for him to enjoy with dinner with some friends he needs to impress. Wow, this is long! Sickness. — 6 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.2

Big, ebbullient and deep nose. Black berry, black cherry, granite, some herbs as well. Very pretty and very refined for a Chevaliere. Palate is dense, juicy and explosive with awesome tiny berry red fruited intensity and a lovely granite cleanse on the finish and then a lovely hit of olive. Juicy and really nice tannins. This needs more finesse to be a Cote Rotie but it is close! Terrific power and concentration. Lovely wine. — 5 days ago

Shay A

9.4

I’m between a 94 and 95 here. I think this is slightly better than the 2010 I opened two years ago in that this showed more classical funk and savory notes.

I gave this an hour of slow ox and then decanted another 2+hrs. At pop and pour, not very expressive. Even after the hour of being open in the bottle it made such a difference and then absolutely exploded in the decanter. Floral, violets, potpourri, herbal spice, stemmy underripe black fruits all on the nose. Gained a touch of Syrah funk the longer it was open but stayed more between the fruit and stem inclusion side instead of going full on iron/smoked meat. So much up front fruit on the palate before a wall of mineral hits and takes everything down the mid palate on a wild ride. Peppercorn crusted black cherries, dark red and black berries, underripe red plum and really nice acidity to give it a nervy type profile. Alongside the 2014 Horsepower Tribe Syrah, this was more a caged animal yet still retained a wild factor. Then again, most wines are tame compared to Horsepower (just give them time...I’ve experienced how incredible they can be with age)! — 10 days ago

Frank Kuo

9.6

Color of many shades of purple, with gray hue on the rim. Nice legs. Nose of wet mushroom, violet, strawberry, savory spice, raspberry, strength of alcohol, and a bit leather. Nose is fragrant. Taste follows the nose, silky and warm, lot of raspberry, a bit peppery, flowering note, and slightly sweet. Taste is clean, in harmony, and well balanced. Aftertaste is medium long and savory. A beauty. — 4 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.8

Sigh. Life does not suck when this is open. Unreal nose. The most mineral wine in the Rhone. Wow. Berry, smoked meats, granite, so vibrant and expressive. Leather, red berry, black berry, even a hint of cassis. Some barnyard to add complexity. Oh man this smells so so good. This will need 4-5 hours of air but man is this palate ridiculous. Amazing balance, opulence and finished with huge granitic crunch. Velvety and aristocratic tannins. The delicacy and royal breeding of this wine is so evident. Unreal, the best 09 Rhone I’ve ever had. It’s not close. Nails the vintage but stays so true to the style. This has the most incredible tiny berry fruit. The balance is perfect. On a tightrope. Extraordinary. A wine that oozes class and refinement. Sweet and ripe fruit but it finished with the most elegant granite you can imagine. Such a long finish. So so long. Just starting to drink but needs more time. Maybe 3 more years? But will be hard to wait. Now the nose is getting airy and spacious. Aristocratic. What a palate. The elegance is ridiculous. This is so perfect. All in its place. And that finish. Just sick. It’s a 9.8 because I know it will get better with air/age and need to leave myself some room. — 13 days ago

Jason Soloway

9.1

I’m having a hard time evaluating this wine as it was closed upon opening. An hour splash decant filled the room with violet, pepper, iron and earth, but the palate was muted. The next day showed more, but didn’t feel like the wine was ready to reveal its secrets. All the elements of good quality Cote Rotie are present, and perhaps with a little more time, will blossom. — a day ago

Romain Fitoussi

9.0

Crunchy Croze « on the fruit ». Open nose, soft and fresh mouth with a nice volume typical of fairly natural wines. Beautiful, soft shades support the primary explosive notes of black, purple, iris, peppery and smoked fruits. Immediate pleasure, very greedy. Very nice wine to share as early as the aperitif.

Croze croquant sur le fruit. Nez ouvert, bouche souple et fraîche avec un beau volume typique des vins assez natures. De belles nuances réglissées, soutiennent les notes explosives primaires de fruits noirs, violette, iris, poivrées et fumées. Plaisir immédiat, très gourmand. Vin très sympa à partager dès l’apéro. — 7 days ago

Pooneet K

9.2

Excellent value - delicious wine. Perfect pairing with burgers, which was my mother-in-law’s request for Mother’s Day. Deep and dark, with great black fruit and some brininess / minerality. Juicy with great acid. Tannins are quite well integrated for just 4 years of age (though still very much there). Really enjoyable. Decanted 2h. — a day ago

Ian Hamel

9.6

2021/2/27 with delivery from Joel Robuchon. Many of the greatest aged red wines (with many of the greatest meals) that I’ve had have been Chave Hermitage, and here was another. The great Syrahs of the Northern Rhône become so magical with age - it enhances them as much or more than any other wine - and this is as good as they come. Astonishing aromas of roasted game, olives, black berries and spices, deep and rich yet translucent and fresh on the palate. — 7 days ago