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Never a Dull Vintage in the Northern Rhône (Dec 2022)

Opaque ruby. Vibrant blackberry, cherry, incense, Moroccan spice, potpourri and smoky mineral qualities on the expansive, seductively perfumed nose. Offers vibrant black and blue fruit, spicecake, olive and floral pastille flavors that show bright detail and energetic mineral lift. The floral and spice notes recur strongly on the youthfully gripping finish, which features mounting tannins…

Memories Elide: Vieux Château Certan 1923-2020 (Jul 2024)

The 2002 Vieux Château Certan, picked between September 20 and October 2, has never really been my favorite vintage from this period. Maybe I was a little mean in the past? It offers attractive brambly red fruit, damp loam, and a touch of wild mint. It is rustic and conservative in style yet charming. The…

A Century of…Fives (Jun 2025)

The 1995 Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande is now 30 years old. It has a fully mature bouquet of leather and loamy red berry fruit, with more Merlot clearly evident (40% of the blend). Touches of wild mint develop with time. The palate is medium-bodied with a fleshy opening, and again, the Merlot sways this Pauillac….

2015 Barolo…The Bigger Picture (Feb 2019)

The 2015 Barolo La Serra is wonderfully silky, aromatic and refined, with all of the lift that is such a signature of this high-altitude La Morra site. Flowers, sweet red cherry, spice, tobacco and cedar are wonderfully delineated. Even more importantly, the aggressive tannins that once often penalized this wine are pretty much absent, a…

Alsace & Luxembourg: 2017s and Late-Released 2016s (Jan 2019)

Vivid straw-green. Chamomile, white flowers, orange peel, mango and guava on the nose and in the mouth; the strong tropical fruit presence and freshness hint at the presence of lemony botrytis. Dense, juicy and multilayered, featuring flavors similar to the aromas and a gentle texture. Closes rich, long and vibrant, with a hint of grilled…

Back to Burgfest: 2017 Whites – Blind (Aug 2021)

The 2017 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru has a well-defined, quite precise bouquet of white peach and yellow flowers, plus a hint of French patisserie. The palate has a citric entry, good weight and a fine bead of acidity, though just as it starts to get going, it seems to run out of ideas, leaving the finish…