Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

This is a specialty here and wow this is really something. Such a glorious and nuanced nose of spice, tree bark, glorious dark black cherries, spicey oak and wonderful violets. It’s super clean, nuanced and multilayered. Great. Palate is fresh, energetic and has superb purity and freshness. Tangy red cherries on the palate, a bit of oak and as always this needs mega air but it’s all there as it always is. Huge structure on this. Elegant and so bright. Awesome length. Needs 5 years.

Day 2 update : 9.4 to 9.6 overnight. Palate is so fresh and energetic. Unreal freshness and purity. Beautiful sweet, silky and cherry fruit. Long, tangy and fresh. Haunting and deep. Wow. Amazing on day 2. — 4 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Saffron from botrytis. So complex. Pink peppercorns. Smells almost dry. Insane minerality. Wow. We are in BA territory. So rich and unctuous. Fruit density without the viscosity of a BA. Honey. Honeydew melon. Sick inner mouth aromas. Very sweet now and will come Into better balance. Huge acids. Decadence defined. Szechuan peppercorns run throughout. Unreal. — 4 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Wow. Most expansive nose yet on the Weltner 18’s. Cucumber, vegetables, herbal, apricot, huge minerals, lanolin, bouillon, lime zest, soupy, unreal clarity, transporting, what density and chewiness, complex and so so mineral, again no fruit, spicey, it’s so dry and that is sucks all the saliva out of your mouth. Not punishing. So so long. It’s complex, concentrated and ultra dry. So long. — 6 years ago

Tom Ellis

9.7

No tasting notes necessary. Almost unreal flavor, textures capable of restructuring your brain cells. This wine almost ruined me by raising the bar impossibly high for everything else that followed. Now regretting I sold my double magnum of '70 in 1997. "Dark chocolate-covered berries, fresh moss, leathery clay bound in a sensory rush that lingers all evening". This is what separates the classics from so many wines; One thinks of it and can taste it for the rest of your life. — 7 years ago

Amir Hammad

9.7

Very fresh and vibrant for a 20yr old champagne. Pale yellow color. Ripe green apple, lemon peel, brioche on the nose. Chalky, mineral driven tart apple cider on the palate. Very well integrated. Thanks @Rebelle for the unreal cellar raid.

— 8 years ago

Adam Greenberg

10

2008, unreal — 9 years ago

Matthew Christ

9.3

Just unreal. Flat out awesome. — 10 years ago

with Lyle

Brett Pallesen

9.8

Unreal. Everything Bourdeaux ever wanted to be. — 11 years ago

Michael Madrigale

Sommelier/Wine Director Bar Boulud, Epicerie Boulud, Boulud Sud

9.6

Coche '11s are unreal. — 12 years ago

CS

Sales Amy Atwood Imports

10

L'Anglore Tavel! Lizard wine! Pfifferling!!!! I want cases and cases of this. It's like tasting fluorescent, it's like smelling love. Unreal stuff this. — 12 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Stunning nose. Chestnut, ripe cherry, super floral, grilled nuts, spices and herbs. Dense roses. Like a pile of them. Really compelling spice. Just penetrating. An amazing nose with just endless depth and purity. Palate is a massive yet lithe. Unreal silky texture and so pure with explosive cherry fruit and velvety, sweet and abundant tannins. Like the Vezza Ravera this will need the whole day to work itself out. But it’s all there. It seems in 17 the better Barolos are initially very tannic then they velvetize over many hours. Awesome freshness and depth. I’ll be back.

After many hours the nose is a spice explosion. Super complex. Palate is much more supple and tannins getting more velvety. 9.5 now. From 9.4. Balance is superb and backend is slamming. — 4 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Classic Hühnerberg with slate, spice, gorgeous spice, citrus up the wazoo. Tangerine, tangelo, kumquat, swimming pool, urinal cake, hint of rubber, lavender, flowers so so sick and so so complex. Fruit cocktail. But also a hint of savory. Palate is elegant, concentrated, sleek, mineral, straight as an arrow with unreal complexity, finish seems peppery, juicy, mineral explosion and citrus pithy explosion as well and ripeness that hints at sweetness but is still bone dry. Watermelon fruit. Finished salty, mineral and apricot pith. So so complex. So so long. Stunning. As usual. — 6 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.3

Unreal wine. Gorgeous nose. Honey, tangelo, confectionery aromas, perfumed and elegant, palate is elegant, mineral and honeyed, sappy and elegant. Complex. Really fine. Intensely flavored but also so fine. Long finish. — 6 years ago

with Nicolas

Brian Armenio

9.3

La Rioja Alta wines are world class and put Tempranillo in a class all its own. Bellota and Gran Reserva make for an unreal dining experience during the holidays in San Francisco. — 8 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.3

Florent took a massive leap in 2014 and this wine is unreal. Big nose of cherries, some sweet oak, earth, minerals, spices, mint, licorice and even citrus. Unreal aromas. Wow. Palate is elegant, structured and with such wonderful earthy sweet fruit. Incredible finesse. Like a Volnay. Stunningly crunchy fruit. Super deep and concentrated.The finish is lifted by great acidity and pumps out fruit and mineral for a minute. Like all of Florent's red wines this is a bit raw upon opening but will come around I know with 4-6 hours of air. It's all there just needs time to come together. Thrilling wine. — 8 years ago

Bobby Gilbane

9.4

Barrel tasting at Realm. Unreal. Sourcing the cab franc from To Kalon and Pritchard Hill makes for a hell of wine... — 9 years ago

with Molly

PS Michaels

10

2011. A big wine. Perfect with Turkish food. Unreal. — 10 years ago

Tommy Herbst

10

Wow. Unreal, what a treat. Looks like it'd be sweet, but super melo with almost a port hint to it. — 11 years ago

Chris Cook

10

Paired with a great filet and al fresco. Unreal! — 11 years ago

Vincent Bottreau

10

#unreal : volatile, caramel, confiture de figue, crème brûlée cc @AGerbelle — 12 years ago

Jaime kowan

9.8

Unreal... This cats total production is 12 barrels . A Castilla y Leon appelation not Ribera Del Duero . Non issue it's totally delicious . Dark purple. Sweet tannins and a never ending train of dark ripe berry fruit, — 12 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. — 4 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.8

Carolin sent me cask samples of the 19 GG’s and wow. This is insane. A nose so pretty and so pure one needs new words to describe it but I will try with my mere old words. A beautiful perfume that is transcendent. In every way. An amazing caramel nougat. Airy, gorgeous, perfumed and insanely clear minerality. Just sick. Some smoke. Wood shavings. Not oak, but woodshop. Some clearly defined citrus. Wet stones and earth. It reeks and I mean reeks of terroir. The palate has a very serious and very major core. Insane citrus that is driving me crazy. So pure. So ephemeral. So clean. The nose or the palate. What is better? I can’t stop asking myself. It’s even. The core of fruit, minerals and saltiness is unreal. This has elite elegance to it. It’s backwards but beautiful. Not many wines are like that. It has PERFECT balance. I’m between 9.8 and 9.9 now. The level of complexity and texture might push it over the edge. But then the salt kicks in. And the lingering of the finish. Fuuuuuuuuuuckkkkkkkk. — 5 years ago

Mike Hartz

9.6

Unreal Super Tuscan — 7 years ago

Kellin

9.3

Thanksgiving treat... UNREAL — 8 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.6

Unreal.

First Jamet, and am definitely a fan. This and MS Ogier are probably my two favourite Cote Rotie producers right now. Need more!

Texture, perfume, and balance - those are the key here, despite it's youth. On the nose, dark fruits (blackberry etc), flowers, meat, smoke, and oaky spice. Touch of barnyard rusticity. Juicy on the palate, sour cherries, black pepper, bunchy goodness. Youthful tannins and persistent finish. So damn tasty. Gonna wait a while for this to open up!

Update: Looking more floral and spicy after some time. A touch of VA complexity building. Feel like it'll have a lot to offer as it ages. — 9 years ago

with Michelle

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.7

Heavenly nose. Complex like you would not believe. Red confectionary fruit. Earthy, granite, cotton candy hint almost. This is stunning. Elegant and so finesse driven. Insane freshness. Red fruits and super mineral infused and so fucking clean. What acid. Really tannic. Needs 3-4 hours or 10-15 years. It's all there.

After 2-3 hours of air this has gotten extraordinarily unreal. Sweet fruit. Crunchy like a Roumier. Stunning clarity and precision. This is seeing. — 10 years ago

Justin Mahoney

9.6

Unreal.... — 10 years ago

Matthew Rose

9.6

First vintage at d'Ampuis? Unreal beauty of a wine. — 12 years ago

Collin-Peter Casey

Northern California Sales Manager Weygandt-Metzler Importing

10

Unreal. Perfect Pinot Noir. — 12 years ago