Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Drinking right at its apex. Beautiful mature nose: sweet Pinot fruit, sous-bois, a little mushroom, old oak fully absorbed, and very expressive minerals. But the palate is the story. Velvety, sweet-fruited, seamless and polished, with gorgeous tannin quality and all the oak now integrated into the wine instead of sitting on top of it. Mature, elegant, luxurious, but still alive and precise. A rare 11-year-old Franconian Pinot caught perfectly. — 2 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.8

Just insane. 9.8, maybe 9.9. — 5 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.8

Brand new for 2024. What a nose. Earthy, perfumed beyond anything, with some funk, but it’s so good. Elegant, gorgeous, powerful, pure, juicy, with unreal tannins and outrageous density. Stunning. — 5 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

100-year-old vines. Huge perfume, sick florals, a touch of funk, spice, earth, pomegranate and stone. Unreal fruit, complex, wow. Sweet fruit and, again, the tannins. 9.6
— 5 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Absolute freak show. Nose is pure grand Chablis: seashells, saline, crushed stone, a little fat, then this insane confectionary stony thing, like somehow he made candy out of rocks. Inner-mouth confectionary aromas, crazy acidity, mouthwatering seashell minerality, opulence from 2023 but total clarity and poise. The finish is huge and electric. Too young, but genius wine. — 3 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Jürgen von der Mark’s first sparkler and astonishing. Extra Brut Blanc de Noir, 2 g/l dosage, no severity. Nose of brioche, phyllo dough, pastry shell, minerals, then lime zest, sea air and unseasoned raspberry. The mousse is the star: absurdly fine, $75 Champagne level. Juicy, sapid, pure, with acid, fruit and bubbles placed perfectly. Long, fanning finish that keeps getting more complete. So fucking well-made. 9.5, almost 9.6. — 5 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Unreal. Cherry pit, concentration, big wine, darker fruit and amazing purity. Again, the tannins. — 5 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Really blossomed with air and a light chill. Dizzying Nebbiolo perfume: tar, roses, spice, dried flowers, deep dark cherry and melting road tar. The palate has serious concentration and grip, but stays nimble, sapid and elegant, with beautiful tannins right on the edge. Long, clinging finish. A great, honest Barbaresco, though a little warmth keeps it from the very top. — 4 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.9

This is flirting with perfection. Just opened and clearly still not fully unfurled, but already an absolute freak show. The nose is a full scene in nature: peach skin, apricot, tangelo, blood orange, Mosel slate, pine forest, a little blueberry, then with air this wild confectionary layer comes in, like a carnival in the forest. Now there is sea-air minerality too, and the whole aromatic field is getting more complete by the minute. The palate is the real astonishment. It has the texture of great white Burgundy, almost Leflaive-like in its glide and polish, but with no oak, no fat, nothing covering the signal. Just purity. Insane purity. The acidity is architectural, giving the wine line, lift, shape, precision and total command. Juicy, sapid, almost tannic on the finish, unbelievably elegant and harmonious. As it opens, the structure starts to dominate, but everything stays cohesive, integrated, and alive. The finish is a mineral blizzard, endless, fanning out for minutes, and still nowhere near where it will be tomorrow. Steinmetz wines are friendly on opening, then they just keep gaining depth, but this is already profound. One of the great dry Mosel Rieslings I have tasted. — 5 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Big oak in 400-liter barrels, but killer. Oak perfume, juicy and complex, deep, deep, deep, with lovely tannins. — 5 days ago