Romain Fitoussi

9.3

SyrahSession#2Wine#6
Deep garnet dress. Ample, leather animal, spicy, black fruits. Overqualified Crozes wish can play the comparison with a Cornas or some big Saint-Joseph wines. Gourmet wine. 2014 is balanced at will and will withstand several more years of aging.

Robe Grenat profond. Amples, animal cuir, épicé, fruits noirs. Crozes sur-qualifié pouvant jouer la comparaison avec un Cornas voir une Cote-Rotie. Vin gastronomique. 2014 est équilibré à souhait et supportera encore plusieurs années de garde. — 4 years ago

Romain Fitoussi

9.2

Very vegetal and fine expression of gamay. Nose mixing cherry, raspberry and herbaceous notes, infused, hay, vetiver. With 4 years of aging 2017 has magnificently evolved on notes of dried flower petals (rose, peony), truffle and humus, the mouth also displays liquorice and root notes. A precise wine, of great delicacy, with very fine tannins. To ventilate a good hour before tasting so as not to miss it. For this price range, it's a very beautiful wine.

Expression très végétale et fine du gamay. Nez mêlant cerise, framboise et notes herbacées, infusées, foin, vétiver. Avec 4 ans de garde 2017 a magnifiquement évolué sur des notes de pétales de fleurs séchées (Rose, pivoine), truffe et humus, la bouche déploie également des notes réglissées et racines. Un vin précis, d’une grande délicatesse, au tanins très fins. A aérer une bonne heure avant dégustation pour ne pas passer à côté. Pour cette gamme de prix c’est un très beau vin. — 5 years ago

Sylvain Rhainds

9.3

2004
Encore un bebe mais j ai beaucoup aimé. Cest LLC...fait pour la longue garde! — 5 years ago

Sylvain Rhainds

9.2

2017
Bâti pour la garde. Grand vin en devenir — 6 years ago

Ellen Clifford

9.2

I cannot get enough word play. Especially as it pertains to wine, French Stuff, and outer space. Although I’d like Uranus jokes over UFO ones. That joke wrote itself only because I also adore alliteration. Ahem. Anyway this homage to Chateauneuf de Pape’s refusal to allow UFOs in its terroir (I don’t let them in mine either, honestly) is ever so transparent in what is in it, ever so zing pow wow, but shhhhhh chillout sweet babygirl that I am now a Bonny Doon convert. I wish I could say I was more than a half glass in writing this but you can blame to wordplay/slight tawdry-ness/silliness on...me. And the following tasting notes don’t do anything to actually explain this wine. Less than the prior paragraph anyway. But know it is more than the sum of its parts. But! If you want tech:
Appearance: pale pink. Nose of red fruits of all types, Whole Foods bulk section and a new fountain perhaps in a cheeky avant- garde art garden. Tongue: dry, medium acid, medium alcohol (whoops it’s 13.5!) body is silky and neatly suede-y. You’ll taste bright underripe strawberries, overripe raspberries, maybe an iris or so and something mineral and also green let’s call it pussywillows just to keep me thematically on track. Finish is medium plus with a hint of candied fruit punch. — 7 years ago

Lisa Hart

9.6

Could just sit and smell this all night, but then I'd be sober. Damn. Special juice. — 8 years ago

Deborah Heath

9.1

NB: @delectable, this is the rare variety carignan blanc. Pls edit => white wine.

At his cave in Pézenas, Languedoc, Daniel le Conte des Floris shared 3 vintages of his Lune Blanche, 100% #carignanblanc , the rare grape he's been instrumental in resuscitating. This is a vin de garde that demands aging. The 2015 showed its acidity but otherwise had its defenses up. The 2013 revealed some lovely chenin-like notes on the nose; still taut on the palate. The 2010 was a revelation: integrating nose and palate, evoking both chenin and certain white burgundies, with a hint of petrol on the nose like a fine old riesling. Daniel trained in Burgundy, and it shows in both this rare Languedoc white and in his lovely restrained reds. — 9 years ago

Nicolas Duchesneau

9.3

Je pourrais décrire cette bouteille comme une main de fer dans gant de velour, à la 1ere lampée le vin semble sévère mais il s’ouvre en bouche avec des touches de fumée, poivrée, herbacé, cassis c’est quand me complexe, velouté, belle acidité qui garde tout en place. In a great place right now! — 4 years ago

Romain Fitoussi

9.2

Burgundian classicism combined with the "natural wine" spirit is what this bottle evokes, and more generally Sarnin-Berrux wines. Here we have a Pinot Noir with volume, material, freshness, fine oaky notes very discreet but very well mixed with the primary notes. The texture in the mouth is superb. Superb bottle. I'll be curious to taste with 10 years of aging!

Le classicisme bourguignon associé à l’esprit « vin nature » voilà un peu ce qu’évoque cette bouteille, et plus généralement les vins Sarnin-Berrux. On a ici un Pinot Noir avec du volume, de la matière, de la fraîcheur, de fines notes boisées très discrètes mais très bien mêlées aux notes primaires. La texture en bouche est superbe. Superbe bouteille. Je serai curieux de goûter avec 10 ans de garde tiens ! — 5 years ago

Romain Fitoussi

8.9

Cabernet-Franc in front with its tangy notes of raspberry, green pepper, fern, Merlot is also present with plum, chocolate, vanilla touches. 5 years old and still young and lively, marked acidity. Wine "on the fruit". Cut for the guard.

Cabernet-Franc avec ses notes acidulées de framboise, poivron vert, fougère, le Merlot est aussi bien présent avec ses touches de prune, vanille, chocolat. 5 ans et encore jeune et vif, acidité marquée. Vin « sur le fruit ». Taillé pour la garde. — 6 years ago

Alexis Castillo-Quezada

9.2

Luscious ,dense and balanced with an expresive bouquet confirming on the palate the black fruits ,mocha and forest character .Awesome vin de garde 🍷🍷 — 7 years ago

Sylvain Rhainds

9.3

2005. Fait pour la longue garde. Super vin. Va bonifier avec le temps — 8 years ago

Maciej Kurka

9.1

Great Chenas. Definitely vin de garde. Like — 8 years ago

Cédric P.

9.0

Bu 1 bouteille le 20 juillet. Vin concentré mais avec de beaux tannins. Potentiel de garde d'au moins 5 ans de plus. — 8 years ago

Romain Fitoussi

8.9

Third tasting in a year and a half. With three years of aging, wine finally finds its balance. It need good ventilation of at least two hours. After that we have a beautiful nose, quite "natural" with very marked floral and fruity notes. The mouth is silky, not or little filtered. Alain Graillot style is well recognized with great purity. The body and finish are beautifully chiselled, layering the tasting of many aromatic nuances. Author's wine to discover absolutely for syrah lovers.

Troisième dégustation en un an et demi. Avec trois ans de garde le vin trouve enfin son équilibre. Il faut une bonne aération d’au moins deux heures. Après ça on a un nez magnifique, assez « nature » avec des notes florales et fruités très marquées. La bouche est soyeuse, pas ou peu filtrée. On reconnaît bien le style Alain Graillot avec beaucoup de pureté. Le corps et la finale sont magnifiquement ciselées , étageant la dégustation de nombreuses nuances aromatiques. Vin d’auteur à découvrir absolument pour les amateurs de syrah. — 5 years ago

Romain Fitoussi

9.0

A fine, well-structured, classy-style wine that matures in oak barrels, pleasantly blended with the fruit and the terroir. Very beautiful Cahors.

Beau vin de garde charpenté style classieux avec son élevage en fût de chêne, agréablement mêlé au fruit et terroir. Très beau Cahors. — 5 years ago

Lina Khy

9.0

Corse, bien boisé, charnu. Un très bon vin de garde car même après 9 ans il est encore puissant. Carafe 1h avant de boire. — 6 years ago

with Robin

Paul Petit

9.3

Magnifique nez. Parfaitement salé. Notes d'amande, fruit sec. Rond en bouche. Un beau retour. Un vin de garde. Assemblage, Vin de 2 producteurs. — 7 years ago

Benoit Duhamel

9.3

Servi à l’aveugle. Le vin est plutôt jeune, on percoit encore l’élevage. Au nez, j’y vois des agrumes et des fleurs blanches. En bouche la texture est dense, riche et a aussi des notes épicées. Le vin est assez boisé par contre. J’avance Puligny assez jeune… mais non. Le vin est excellent mais il a une acidité
moyenne qui me fait douter sur une très longue garde. — 8 years ago

Mason Balistreri

Sommelier, International Wine Guild; Balistreri Vineyard; Sales, Joy Wine and Spirits

9.2

Syrah seemingly in the zeitgeist right now so I picked up this 2011 Coulet. Wow - it's so different than the Cote Rotie I just had. I know syrah can run the gamut but this is radically different. Biodynamic, low so2, neutral oak & concrete. Not really Vin de Garde; Not really Vin de Soif...

So what then? Certainly intense. Plum & liqueur-like raspberry notes that are both in-your-face "sexy" & "scary" at the same time. Even more prevalent than the fruit are the aromas of menthol, acetate, & iron. Nearly akin to robitussin - & I mean that in the best way possible. It's weirdly delicious & syrah freaks will get it.

Unfortunately, the regular consumer might find it to be too much. The slight volatility is both good & bad. It dials up the fruit's sweetness, giving the wine body & texture. But also amps up the medicinal quality. This is not a wine to guzzle & ignore. Admirably, not subtle.

Coincidentally this wine reminds me Pax - who is getting a lot of attention right now & rightfully so. I have't tried the new 100 point Hillside bottle yet (though I have one ready), but I've always been a huge fan of his wines for a long time. My favorite site he works with is Griffins Lair & I believe I've tasted every vintage of it going back to 2002. Those original vintages are bigger & riper (which I still love & fuck you hipsters for not), but even back then Pax never used superfluous new oak, sulfites, yeasts etc.. Yes, they were broad shouldered wines but they were pure & unmasked - like this Cornas. Some of the early 2000s Griffins Lair had a slight volitility that came across as kirsch sweetness. It's an interesting balance that punctuates the varietal character perfectly - & it demands your attention while doing it.

This Cornas is not some delicate wine that somms gush over; nor is it a slick, parkerized wine without sense of place. It's something else. A wine for the true syrah aficianado. The audience is small but those who can appreciate it, will appreciate it. If you like weirdness, intensity, complexity & the flavors to scream at you from the glass, this is your wine.

#cornas #syrah #coulet #biodynamic #pax #coterotie #rhone #northernrhone #rhonevalley — 8 years ago