Jay Kline

9.2

This bottle of 2010 Roberto Voerzio “Brunate” was generously provided by a friend who wanted to share this with me after service along with a few others from Tasting Group. Opened, splash decanted and consumed over three hours; served side-by-side with the 2010 Pecchenino “Le Coste”. The Voerzio “Brunate” was a relative hermit. Even after three hours in the decanter, it remained a bit of a wallflower while the Pecchenino was a whirling dervish on the dance floor. The classic structure of 2010 and the austerity of “Brunate” made for an impenetrable fortress, keeping the fruit under lock and key…and behind a moat and a drawbridge and stone walls with soldiers and trebuchets for that matter. Despite all of that, one does get the sense there is a deep core of high quality fruit recessed underneath the surface. It’s dark and mysterious…and simply hard to access at this moment in time. For what it’s worth, Voerzio’s holdings in “Brunate” come from the western portion of the MGA, on the La Morra side, right next to Oddero’s holdings. Frankly, this is going to need a long, long time in the cellar before it shows really well. If i had any in my cellar, I wouldn’t touch again until 2030. — 3 years ago

Aaron Tan

8.9

Again, not a wine that passed the drinkability test for me, but there are things that I liked about it, and some that I didn't. Right off the bat, it was way too heavy for me, both on the nose and palate. Heaps of oak aromas covering some sweet black fruits. The palate also came off as being quite sweet, almost syrupy, but here's where the balancing act comes in - just the right amount of acidity to keep it juicy. It's like biting into a very sweet, ripe, juicy plum with a peppering of cinnamon and vanilla. I enjoyed the tannins most, fine and directional, starting at the tip of the tongue, then swinging under before traveling down the inner walls of the gum. What a cool structure! And then there's the underlying minerality with air, which was pleasantly surprising. The finish took a turn for the worse - medium, rich, and oaky, yet bitter with hints of scorched earth character which I dislike. Also quite warm. Generally, more finessed than the 2011 Troplong Mondot, but less stacked and more stumbling blocks. Has potential. — 4 years ago

Aravind A

9.0

Still way too young. OTOH, lovely nose: pure rose, brambles, blood orange, pomegranate, but then some va detracts a bit. On the palate: great acidity, more blood orange, tar, but the tannin just takes over and obscures everything..dried leather and walls of tannin...needs ages...will check in again tomorrow. — 5 years ago

Kamran Kermani

9.8

Very Casual and a little herbacious. Absolute delish — 5 years ago

Sarah Milsow-Guenther

9.3

Made up for our corked bottle of Grenache Blanc. Fantastic GSCM blend. Love that they added in a little Counoise. Good on its own or with food. — 6 years ago

Sarah Milsow-Guenther

9.0

Nice creamy Chard. Some acidity but not overpowering. Little more sweetness than acidity on this one. Nice. — 6 years ago

Kristin the Wine Girl

8.9

The photo here sums up my thoughts on this PLASTIC bottle of wine. My boyfriend’s bare chest is perfectly captured within the walls of my glass while he covers the tender spots. Drop this bottle like it’s hot and it still won’t break - the pool perfect red that actually still tastes good. Not the best, but for summer festivities, winenot? — 6 years ago

Joe Dunn

9.0

Black fruit. Cola. Sharpie. Maybe a bit of pool toy. Almost sprite aromatics. Called walls walla Malbec. Pizza and Paul. — 3 years ago

Lee Pitofsky

9.6

Located just outside the walls of the illustrious Clos St. Jacques, Rousseau’s old-vine 2009 Cazetiers is fabulous tonight showing serious power, intensity and concentration, yet remaining impeccably balanced and detailed. It’s super expressive and aromatic with deep layers of ripe black fruit, tea leaves, violets and exotic spice. The palate is pure silk with balanced acids, vibrant energy and a mineral laced finale that keeps on going. Just ~10 cases of Cazetiers are imported to the US per vintage. Special wines… — 3 years ago

Martinez

9.0

Field blend of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Beurot, Muscat and Pinot Noir from the Engelgarten, a vineyard with poor, gravelly soils located just outside the walls of Bergheim (about 10 miles north of Colmar, in the Haut Rhin). Pure, expressive nose with notes of citrus, rubber and minerals. Intense, dry, textured. Slightly ripe. Long, saline finish. — 4 years ago

Jason Keefer

9.3

Great complexity and structure, juicy as can be, clean, herbaceous. Can’t wait to see how this develops. Thanks Washington! — 5 years ago

with Natasha

Ron R

9.2

Ok peeps, many people have asked for more deets regarding our little cellar...
1.8m x 0.6m x 2.25m. The floor is Portuguese black slate (1cm thick). Floor, walls and ceiling are insulated with high-density foam, which has a low thermal conductivity. Chiller is housed remotely. Ducting pulls clean air from outside, and dumps exhaust air outside. Basically, everything is custom - my design, and a great contractor realized our dream. @Mo Salem was instrumental with renovating our home, and the germ of the idea came from him.
This wine big and bold. Visually show its age. Cinnamon, cloves and pepper define the nose and palate. The oak monster is evident on the mid palate. Great tannins and complimentary acidity. This will sail on for another 5 years, but best consumed now. — 5 years ago

with James, Benny and 1 other

Beachin Wino

9.0

This wine gets me very excited about what’s happening with red wine in Virginia. This vintage is even better than the last. It is a well executed red blend (50%CabFranc, 30%Merlot, 20% Petit Verdot) that offers beautiful balance and structure. Fruit forward with aromas of blackberry, caramel and dark chocolate. Paired well with blue cheese! Would also pair beautifully with grilled meats.
This winery is so quaint and charming. Worth a visit. There was a book signing the day we were there. The walls are filled with art for sale. It is also used as a wedding venue. — 6 years ago

with Fred

Jonathan Bensick

9.0

Carried all the way back from the walls of Soave. Quite the bargain (at least in Italy) — 7 years ago

Will Stanley

9.2

The 2019 Chateau Laroque, the first bottle I’ve tried from my orders from the vintage, showed quite differently on the three times I tried it over two days. The overwhelming impression, though, is of an austere, young St. Emilion with great potential.

Tasting best on the second night with no decant from a bottle stoppered with vacuvin, it takes quite some coaxing to reveal aromas of fresh blackcurrant, cherry paste and tobacco. There’s a lot of graphite, too, but little else - it feels really coiled up, with great walls of defense. The palate is much more forthcoming, especially on the second night, immediately gushing with cassis, blueberry and fig, and a very tannic mouthfeel. FYI, on the first evening I decanted the wine for 4+ hours, and it didn’t show as well.

I’m curious: in your experiences with young BDX, do you decant or pop ’n pour?

Either way, this is a potentially great wine that’s hard to score right now - and I won’t touch again for another four years at least. — 3 years ago

Jan de Weerd

9.2

Had the wine at a picknick on the top of of the medieval walls of Sienna. Paired with local Tuscan salami and sheep cheese. Great depth carried by that distinct Montepulciano dark dry prune/cherry notes mixed with earth. — 3 years ago

with Tammy

Will Stanley

9.1

Once again an absolute winner of a wine, this bottom-line Syrah from Yves Cuilleron hits all the right notes and represents terrific value at around £13/btl.

I’ve enjoyed this wine before, but Matt Walls of Decanter, whose column on sub-£20 Rhône wines I recently read, describes its predominant flavours quite accurately as ‘blood, blackberry, blood orange; tangy, balsamic’. I’d add to this a hint of white chocolate, cranberry and Worcestershire sauce. This wine lacks the intensity of fruit that makes much of the northern Rhône so special, but it’s nonetheless a terrific bottling that is a great bastion both for Yves Cuilleron and the Collines Rhodaniennes. — 5 years ago

Stas Medvedev

9.7

🏅Rating 97+/100 (4,75⭐)

Clos du Mesnil is a 1.84-hectare vineyard in Grand Cru village of Le Mesnil-sur-Oger surrounded by the walls. Its location and microclimate define a distinct terroir for Chardonnay which is renowned in Champagne as much as Montrachet in Burgundy.

This precious CdM'82 I shared with my champagne fellows on the eve of COVID-19 crisis. Memories that CdM definitely imprints in our minds and deep emotions which stay forever.

Perfectly aged multilayered wine with a complex tertiary bouquet to die for. Roasted nuts, honey, chalkiness and underlying pronounced acidity. So joyful!

Solo in Remi Krug terms, but the power of its voice equals to the orchestra. — 5 years ago

Bruce Leboff

9.2

Memories of our visit to the winery and cellars - with the temperature and humidity regulated by the mild on the walls. a nice Tempranillo blend. Crushed berries on the nose, with slight floral notes. Well balanced with a nice long finish. — 6 years ago

with Steven, Allan and 1 other

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

If you see my posts, you know all too well that I am addicted to Rosé Champange. Also, I love to pair food & wine.

Everyone has a passion and or gift(s). One of the other things I do well is make the best fruit tart I’ve had anywhere. I’m not bragging, just relaying something that has played out through my experiences. I make it twice a summer season and have been waiting to pair with the Ruinart Rosé this season. I simply knew these two would be perfect together and it didn’t disappoint. Even over the Billecart Rosé which, on its own, I enjoy more over the Ruinart Rosé.

The fruits in each marry perfectly. The crust of the tart picked up and extenuated the dough/baguette crust in the Champagne. There is a perfectly even tug of war between the dessert and the Champagne which, is the primary essential building block of any good food & wine pairing. The wine and dish should not dominate one over the other. The flavors of each should complement each other in some fashion and there are normally many paths to choose from in getting there. This happened perfectly tonight with this Cuvée and my tart.

The Ruinart shows rich, deep and ripe fruits. Black cherry, strawberries, citrus blend, raspberries, soft, delicate chalkiness, mid intensity volcanic minerals, bread dough/Baguette crust, excellent acidity and beautifully, delicious, rich, elegant polished finish that persists minutes. 9.2 on its own and 9.4 with the fruit tart.

Photos of; the House of Ruinart, famous painting of Ruinart’s founder-Dom Thierry Ruinart, my fruit tart and the walk down to their chalky caves. So chalky, its seeped through the bricks they laid to support the ceiling and walls. — 6 years ago