Matti Jokelainen

8.9

For me this ticks all the boxes for good quality GV. It's fresh, pure, varietally accurste with the nice peppery bite on the end. This has slight sweetness from the fruit that might not fit the purist view but for.me it just makes this more food friendly. Good stuff! — 6 years ago

Daniel M

9.0

The nose is exotic fruits and lemon plus the chalky, crushed oyster usual stuff in chablis. From the nose you can tell it's Chablis premier cru and you know you are in for a ride. The palate is a model of balance with a nice and strong acid backbone showing off against a bright exotic fruit (pineapple and mango). A real presence in mouth with some width a soft touch on the sides. The mineral, chalky thing is there in the mouthfeel too that screams chablis all around. The finish is rather quick with lemon and pineapple and a chalky thread that makes of a fresh, delicious after taste. Good stuff, delivering right what it should be — 7 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.9

Picking Abtserde in 2017 was an absolute pain. It was affected the worst by hail. Took us an entire day to sort and pick just one row, granted they were long rows. And not to mention the wasps... Devil spawns... these creatures. Thank God 2018 didn't see this problem.

Anyway, rant aside... This wine blew my mind... Again. Maybe I'm biased... But it's just so pure... So fucking pure... Mineral hedonistic crystalline precision! If that even makes sense. Explosive pleasure! In short, heavenly 🤤

NB: I rated this 9.9 just to differentiate it from the sheer cacophony of flavour in the G-Max. In comparison, the 17' Absterde's a little closed atm. But still... Great stuff. Really great stuff. — 8 years ago

Mason Balistreri

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

9.5

I had to open one last bottle of Colares before I left Portugal. These are very rare wines made of the ramisco grape, grown on the sandy soil without trellising. Dried cherry fruit on the nose with a hint of cinnamon. At a decade old, you would never guess. The level of tannin and acidity is at a level here that makes Barolo look like baby stuff. #portugalwine #colares — 8 years ago

Rick K

9.4

Fun stuff. Changes every five minutes. Wasn't a leaker, but the label makes it look like that infamous Moscow hotel bed allegedly violated at the behest of he who shall not be named. Settling into a brambly, tart cherry, kirschy thing. Thankfully no ammonia... — 9 years ago

erto l

8.9

peaches dirt. hint of sugar on nose and not a drop of RS on the tongue. geek level stuff. legend has it that "accordo a due vini" means the agreement of donkey and vine. since the donkey's name is dorthy it all makes sense!
more air more better. room temp, please. — 9 years ago

with George

Alexander Brock

9.0

A fantastic chalky mineral backbone gives way to aromas of brioche, honey, vanilla, hints of dark fruits and citrus peel. As you sip your way through the fine bubbles, these lovely aromas transform into flavors much the same. Excellent champagne for the money that offers complex flavors and irresistible, racy acidity that makes you want to grab another bottle of this great stuff. — 9 years ago

Ely Cohn

9.2

Clemens Busch makes about the best entry level Riesling I could ask for. All his wines are biodynamic and organic and he designates the soil type by color of the foil top - grey slate here. It’s golden unfiltered, extraordinarily dry and high acid at only 10.5% ABV. There are ripe tropical fruits like guava and pineapple that find their way into salty lemon smoke and dill. Insane stuff. — 6 years ago

Daniel M

9.2

Champion's league final wine.
Strawberry, green pepper, black pepper and some mineral stuff like pencil lead. The palate is wonderful. Strong acid backbone, strawberry all along, a strong grip on the sides, firm tanins, a long peppery, fruity finish and some bitterness in the end. This is glorious. So much craft put into making sure that every part I have described is well articulated and makes sense. Like reading a good crime story — 7 years ago

Isaac Pirolo

9.6

Proof that, indeed, there is truth in wine.

While Heidi Barrett makes her only Chardonnay and Spring Mountain Cabernet for Fantesca, my understanding is she will not make Pinot Noir. That responsibility falls on Fantesca’s Associate Winemaker Tony Arcudi, who also makes wine under his eponymous label in addition to consulting for Kapcsandy.

Fantesca’s 2014 King Richard’s Reserve is sourced from a selection of prime vineyards in Russian River Valley including Bacigalupi, Ulises Valdez, and Martinelli. Reminiscent of my experiences with Williams Selyem Pinot Noir. A rich, yet beautiful expression of Pinot Noir that juxtaposes lush raspberry and black cherry against a backdrop of herbs, flowers, and forest floor. The balance between opulence and restraint is where the beauty lies. — 7 years ago

Bill Bender

9.6

Opened and decanted last Wednesday night and it was very clenched and unyielding. Disappointed, I re-corked and then audozed for a couple hours before Thursday night dinner. What a difference a day and some air makes! This is just mind blowing stuff from @Fraser McKinley when it’s given the proper treatment. Impossibly concentrated dark fruits, a creamy textured core, creosote, blood, iodine and mahogany mix and mesh and tantalize the palate. Get some of his stuff. When you do give it ample time and if you can’t do that give it the air it needs. You will reap the benefits. — 9 years ago

Erik Nordman

9.2

Drinking some awesome red Burgundy and watching the world (Montana, to be more specific) go by. Nice stuff; potentially starting to enter a slightly awkward, muted phase but very good nonetheless, it has that ethereal elegance that makes good red Burgundy so special. Pours a pale to medium (-) intensity ruby hue. Nose of sour red cherries, wild raspberries, dirty, freshly harvested rhubarb, roses, a mossy, humid forest floor character, some delightfully funky mushroom and savory olive notes, and just a touch of clove character from partial new oak. Palate is soft and elegant, showing more sour cherry, wild raspberry, dirty rhubarb, roses, damp forest soil, and clove, with that funky mushroom and olive character still present but definitely not as evident as it is on the nose as well as an additional subtle licorice root note. Acid is medium (+), body is medium (-) with great, silky texture and hyper fine-grained tannins of medium (-) intensity. Would be interested to stash one of these away for a few more years to see if it would unfurl a little bit more. — 9 years ago

with Cassie

Erik Nordman

9.1

I think this is my first Oregon Chardonnay, and it definitely makes me want to seek out some more because this is very nice. Showing some development; I'd drink now if you've got one because I think from this point on it's going to start getting tired rather than much better but this was very pleasing nonetheless. Stylistically, this one is drinking somewhere between the leaner styles of oaked California stuff and Côte de Beaune white Burgs. Pours gold of moderate concentration of color. Nose has moderate concentration of aroma, and consists of salted lemon, chalky, crushed oyster shell minerality, baked yellow apple, hard aged cheese rind, baking spices, white chocolate, and a touch of hazelnut and savory truffled character. Palate is more focused and linear than the nose might suggest with more emphasis on the citrus and saline mineral characteristics. Nice complexity. Brisk high acidity, body is medium/borderline medium (-); the only issue i have with this wine is that I wish it had a bit more weight and concentration in the mouth. Really enjoyable stuff. Very alive, aromas keep shifting as the wine gets more exposure to air and warms up. After a while the nose developed a kind of cinnamon buttered toast character that was super nostalgic for me, reminded me of childhood. — 9 years ago

Paul K

9.3

Dust, floral, and cherries on the nose. Milk chocolate covered cherries with just a hint of forest floor. This is awesome right now. There is a hint of tertiary stuff going on. It blows off, but adds to the experience if that makes sense. Tannins start up front and make a pucker throughout. We’re loving this! Grab a few bottles if you can. I’m going to. Let it breath for an hour tho. — 7 years ago

Alex Lallos

Owner No Limit Fine Wines, Private Wine Consultant

9.4

I adore this wine in every way. It takes a while to open up but when it does wowie!!!!. It’s hard to believe that this is a ‘second wine’ or sorts to chateau gracia (albeit it does come from a completely separate parcel and is not a barrel selection)... loaded with dark fruits, leather, coffee (fresh ground), and earth. Limestone backbone provides freshness for days. Fresh but massively built on the palate. Silky and soft up front with some grip towards the back. This is just starting to hit its stride and I suspect it will evolve nicely for at least another 15 years. Side note: I tasted this wine in 2011 in Bordeaux at their micro chateau. The owner was charming and his wines are sublime. This place could not be more minimalist. The guy makes a minuscule amount of wine but he is turning out the best stuff imaginable. — 7 years ago

Steve Goore

8.9

There’s 2% Gewerztraminer here and it adds a drop of sweetness that makes the wine even more accessible. Good stuff on a hot summer day. — 8 years ago

Casey Curbow

Sales Associate Windsor Wine Merchants

9.3

Next level stuff that makes you question what you’ve done with your life. — 8 years ago

with Gerald

Alan Weinberg

9.4

almost wine of the night, super wine that makes me reevaluate Clos Vougeot, excellent stuff. — 9 years ago

Shay A

9.6

Last Friday was our normal 4th Friday happy hour at the storage facility, but since this month had 5 Fridays, why not keep the party going?!

One of the best white wines I've had to date. For those of you who have contributed to the 8.7 overall score on Delectable, shame on you. This is mind blowing stuff. Herbal and grassy like on the nose, but the palate is so freaking rich and pure. @Benjamin Keator mentioned he got some cotton candy on it and I could most definitely see that. Lush on the palate. My wife's exact words were "why do we not have this?" 😕💸 — 9 years ago

with Mark

Aaron Tan

9.1

Rich and mature. Hmmm. Makes me second guess the sponti talk on Mosel rieslings - I reckon it's probably to do with SO2. Quite a bit younger than the german rieslings in our little study the other day, but so much more advanced. Or maybe it's the sugar that helps with longevity in the german stuff.

Waxy, honeyed, floral, petrol notes, with the green apple and pear fruit playing second fiddle. Hint of aldehydes. Mineral and weighty. It was delicious! — 9 years ago