Wine List

Rating

100

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2015 - 2043

Reviewed by

Jeb Dunnuck

Issue Date

30th Dec 2014

Source

216, The Wine Advocate

Easily the finest vintage of this cuvee to date, the 2013 Ermitage le Meal Blanc doesn’t give an inch to the more heralded Cuvee de L’Orée or l’Ermite. Pure perfection in a glass, with awesome caramelized citrus, pineapple, crushed rock, toasted bread and buttered peach, it’s full-bodied, massive and concentrated on the palate, with incredible purity, richness and length. As with the other top whites here, it needs a year or two in the cellar and will have 2-3 decades of longevity.

Rating

(92 - 94)+

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2020 - 2035

Reviewed by

 Joe Czerwinski

Issue Date

31st Aug 2018

Source

238, The Wine Advocate

Based on a prospective blend tasted blind, Charvin's 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape looks promising. A blend of 82% Grenache, 5% each Mourvèdre and Syrah and 4% each Counoise and Vaccarèse, it offers lovely aromas of roses, tea leaves and raspberries that lead into a full-bodied wine. It's creamy on the mid-palate, then shows some stemmy notes and increased astringency on the long, minty finish. If it comes together after bottling the way the 2015 did, it should perform at or above the high end of my score range.

Rating

98

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2012 - 2032

Reviewed by

Jeb Dunnuck

Issue Date

28th Feb 2017

Source

229, The Wine Advocate

The largest scaled and most concentrated in the lineup is easily the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape La Reserve, which is 70% Grenache and 30% Mourvèdre that was raised all in demi-muids. Just a flat out sensational bottle of wine, it offers tons of black currants, licorice, roasted meats and toasted spice aromas and flavors in a full-bodied, seamless, perfectly balanced style that’s drunk well since release. It’s great today, but has another decade or more of longevity.

Rating

98

Release Price

$150

Drink Date

2018 - 2035

Reviewed by

 Joe Czerwinski

Issue Date

31st Aug 2018

Source

238, The Wine Advocate

Bottled just four weeks prior to my visit, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape Deus Ex Machina was showing no ill effects of the process. A blend of 60% Grenache with 40% Mourvèdre, it reveals intriguing notes of crushed stone, pencil shavings, black olives, tar and licorice on the nose. It's so massive and concentrated that it's almost painful to taste yet is seductive at the same time for its rich, velvety texture and incredible length. Somehow it manages all this but appears nimble and light at the same time, easily hiding what must be considerable alcohol.

Rating

95

Release Price

$135

Drink Date

2018 - 2030

Reviewed by

 Joe Czerwinski

Issue Date

31st Aug 2018

Source

238, The Wine Advocate

From a single exposed hilltop parcel, the 2016 Chateauneuf du Pape La Combe des Fous is a blend of 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 10% each Cinsault and Vaccarèse. As the Syrah was aged in wood, there's a hint of campfire smoke here, plus layers of rich, voluptuous plummy fruit. Full-bodied and velvety in texture, this is more concentrated than even the Vieilles Vignes bottling, but it's not that much better in terms of overall quality or longevity.

ating

(94 - 96)+

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2008 - 2023

Reviewed by

 Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

30th Oct 2008

Source

179, The Wine Advocate

An extraordinary expression of old vine Grenache grown in sandy soils is the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape Les Grenaches de Pierre. The two wines it most closely resembles are Rayas and the Barroche Pure, another 100% Grenache from the identical vineyard - Grand Pierre. Its deep ruby color reveals less saturation than the other two cuvees, and the nose offers up extraordinary scents of kirsch liqueur, sandy, loamy soil, pepper, and raspberries. Smelling like either a great vintage of Chateau Lafleur or Chateau Rayas, this is a fabulous wine. Kudos to Philippe Cambie for capturing the terroir and elusive quality of old vine Grenache that seemingly hits heights in Chateauneuf du Pape unequaled anywhere else in the world. Very full-bodied and broad with silky tannins, and ethereal to taste, this is a monumental example of Grenache to drink over the next 15+ years.. 

Rating

95

Release Price

$117

Drink Date

2013 - 2028

Reviewed by

Jeb Dunnuck

Issue Date

31st Oct 2013

Source

209, The Wine Advocate

Showing similar aromatics, with copious toast, licorice, wood spice, black raspberry and crushed flowers, the Grand Veneur 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Vieilles Vignes possesses awesome depth and richness, full-bodied power and a blockbuster finish. A blend of 40% Grenache, 40% Mourvedre and 20% Syrah (from 5-to-100+-year-old vines) that spent 16 month in 60% small barrels, it is a brilliant 2011 that will have 15+ years of longevity. Hats off to the Jaume brothers for this superb effort. Covering 30 acres in Chateauneuf du Pape (over 100 acres in Cotes du Rhone, Lirac, Vacqueyras and Gigondas), Domaine Grand Veneur is run by the incredibly talented Sebastien and Christophe Jaume. The style here, if looked at as a whole, is more traditional than not, with plenty of tank and stainless steel, yet their Chateauneuf du Papes are distinctly modern and spent plenty of time in small barrels. However, they never lose their Southern Rhone typicity, have gorgeous purity and also possess balanced, age-worthy profiles. These are some of the most exciting wines coming out of the region and they should not be missed! Note: the estate bottlings are released under the Domaine Grand Veneur label, and the negociant wines are released under the Alain Jaume et Fils label. The 2012 whites from the Jaume brothers are incredibly strong.

The 2016 Hermitage Ex Voto Blanc is brilliant, offering classic, powerful notes of Asian spices, toasted bread, acacia flowers, and crushed rocks as well as tons of quince and stone fruit notes. This beauty is full-bodied, multi-dimensional, and already impossible to resist. It’s going to evolve for 20-25 years or more.” JD

Robert Parker''s Wine Advocate 26/06/2000 Opaque plum/garnet-colored, with a fabulously sweet, youthful bouquet of licorice, incense, smoked meats, pepper, and blackberry/cassis fruit, the full-bodied 1978 La Chapelle is extremely young with astonishing vigor, velvety tannin, and a full-bodied, multi-dimensional, layered personality. The finish lasts for over 60 seconds. Remarkably fresh and not yet fully mature, the super-concentrated 1978 should continue to age well for another three decades. Anticipated maturity: now-2030 Opaque plum/garnet colouredm with a fabulously sweet, youthful bouquet of licquorice, incense, smoked meats, pepper, and blackberry/cassis fruit, the full bodied 1978 La Chapelle is extremely young with astonishing vigour, velvety tannins, and a full-bodied, multi-dimensional, layered personality. The finish lasts for over 60 seconds. Remarkably fresh and not yet fully mature, the super-concentrated 1978 should continue to age well for another 25 years. Anticipated maturity: Now-2030. (100)

Lastly, and a legendary wine in the making, the 2015 Hermitage La Chapelle is reminiscent of the 1990 with its full-bodied, opulently, sexy, yet concentrated style. Offering sensational notes of blackcurrants, smoked herbs, beef blood, and chocolate, it’s a huge yet elegant wine that has masses of sweet tannin, incredible purity and finesse, and a killer finish. It’s the finest wine from this estate in close to 30 years. Hats off to Caroline Fray and Jacques Desvernois!

Score: 100 Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, January 2018

Bright purple. Explosive, smoke- and spice-accented blueberry, cherry cola, incense and smoky mineral aromas show outstanding delineation and pick up a hint of olive with aeration. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering deeply concentrated dark berry liqueur, fruitcake and floral pastille flavors, along with a suggestion of star anise. The remarkably long, penetrating finish features strong minerally cut, an echo of sweet blue fruit and harmonious tannins that come in late and fold effortlessly into the deeply concentrated fruit. At this stage, this is a contender for the wine of the vintage, at least by estimation.

Score: 98 Josh Raynolds, vinous.com, April 2018

The 2015 Hermitage La Chapelle is one of the estate’s finest recent efforts. It’s packed with firm tannins and will need to be lost in the cellar for a decade, but it will reward those with patience. Richly concentrated and full-bodied, it hits all the expected notes—cassis, black olive, smoke, crushed stone, pencil shavings and espresso—then finishes long, with an aristocratic sense of reserve and austerity. Winemaker Jacques Devernois compares it to a woman’s black dress, meaning it speaks of elegance and class.

Score: 98 Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate (234), December 2017

Rating

87

Release Price

$42

Drink Date

2003 - 2010

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

30th Jun 2003

Source

147, The Wine Advocate

The medium ruby-colored 2000 Cote Rotie does not possess a great deal of power or richness, but it offers an elegant, superficial yet pleasant, herb-tinged raspberry and cherry character with hints of vanilla and white flowers in the background. Enjoy this delicate Cote Rotie during its first 5-7 years of life. The son of the late Robert Jasmin continues to demonstrate a fine touch with his elegant, finesse-styled Cote Roties, which emerge from three hillside vineyards above the village of Ampuis.  

Opaque purple. Deeply pitched aromas of cherry pit, blackberry, licorice and woodsmoke. Broad, palate-coating dark fruit flavors show liqueur-like depth and power, with by slow-building minerality providing lift. Very rich but surprisingly lithe, with strong finishing thrust and harmonious tannins that add grip. This impressively powerful, well-balanced wine should age slowly.

-- Josh Raynolds 94+ Josh Raynolds Mar 2012

Rating

99+

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2016 - 2046

Reviewed by

Jeb Dunnuck

Issue Date

28th Aug 2014

Source

214, The Wine Advocate

A wine that might rival the 2001 when all is said and done, the 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee de La Reine des Bois is an incredible effort that does everything right. Possessing a voluptuous, decadent and super-rich profile, it stays graceful and perfectly balanced, with beautiful freshness, a stacked mid-palate and a blockbuster finish. Opening up in the glass, with copious blackberry, cassis, graphite, violets and spring flower-like nuances, it needs another 2-3 years of bottle age, and will have upward of three decades of overall longevity.   

93 points

75% grenache and 25% mourvedre): Glass-staining purple. Heady, spice-accented aromas of dark fruit liqueur, cola, licorice and candied violet. Broad-shouldered and deeply concentrated, offering sweet cassis and blueberry flavors that show a distinctly ripe character. Tannins build with air and carry through an impressively long, smoky finish that strongly echoes the blueberry and licorice notes. This masculine, brawny wine has shaped up very nicely since last year but it will never impress with finesse.

-- Josh Raynolds

[1 magnum 2008; 2 bottles 2007; 2 bottles 2006; 2 bottles 2004]

Rating

90

Release Price

$30 - 32

Drink Date

NA

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

28th Feb 1997

Source

109, The Wine Advocate

Taittinger's 1990 Brut may be the finest vintage Champagne I have tasted at this level for Taittinger (keep in mind that their luxury cuvee, Comtes de Champagnes, is not yet released). It seems obvious that the quality of the 1990 Champagne vintage is going to be remarkable, and the world-wide demand will be unprecedented. The message - buy them now!

Rating

96

Release Price

$175

Drink Date

2008 - 2010

Reviewed by

Antonio Galloni

Issue Date

22nd Dec 2008

Source

180, The Wine Advocate

The estate’s 1996 Clos Saint-Hilaire emerges from a one hectare plot that was planted with 100% Pinot Noir in 1964. This golden-hued wine flows from the glass with extraordinary elegance. Delicate notes of biscuit, honey, acacia and roasted nuts are woven into a mousse of sublime refinement. Notes of white pepper, honey, pear and minerals appear on a finish that frames the wine with superb harmony. In 1998 the fermentations were extremely slow, and this wine saw no malolactic fermentation. This is an exceptionally fine, seamless Champagne that is a must-have wine for those lucky enough to find it . Anticipated maturity: 2008-2010. Billecart-Salmon, based in Mareuil-sur-Ay, makes wines in a style that is all about timeless elegance. These Champagnes are characterized by their supreme balance. All of the 2008 vins claires I tasted showed remarkable harmony and transparency of site. Much of the aromatic complexity of the wines can be attributed to a preference towards cold temperatures in fermentation, which keeps the wines fresh. The domaine uses Burgundian oak barrels for a portion of the wines. The exact amount of batonnage and malolactic fermentation depend on the vintage. Prior to being bottled the wines are blended in a large steel tank to insure consistency, something the estate takes very seriously. In general the non-vintage wines receive 7-9 grams of dosage, while the vintage wines have 5-7 grams, depending on the year. Among current releases, I found the 1998s to be brilliant, while the 2000s, from a much more challenging growing season, come across as less refined. The estate does not disclose disgorgement dates, but a code on the foil wrapping can be traced back to a date. 

The 1996 Krug Vintage is explosive on the palate, as layers of aromas and flavors meld together in a stunning display of elegance and power. This pure, sensual beauty is utterly rapturous. The relatively generous style of this wine makes it hard to resist today, but it will age for decades. This is a brilliant wine in every way.

Score: 98Antonio Galloni, eRobertParker.com, January 2009

I love when Bollinger leaves the Pinot Noir in the driving seat like this. The sweet flirty vintage that I so often criticise is here turned into an advantage. The classic hazelnuttyness becomes Sicilian pistachio. The dark cocoa notes become heavenly milk chocolate. Despite this obvious nirvana of pleasure there is a seriousness and sleeping animalistic power. A very great vintage Bollinger indeed!

Score: 95 Richard Juhlin, Champagne Club, February 2015

A truly wonderful wine from the start. As usual, they succeed particularly well in warm, acid-weak vintages, when the neighbors' wines often appears flat and publicly simplistic. Despite the fact that the acid is not particularly accentuated here either, the vineyards aromatic citrus fresh touch, manage to leave a fresh uplifting side to the creamy fat smoothness. The finish is certainly chalky and elegant, but it raises to heavenly heights with a 76-like butterscotch soft, warm, sweet flavored embracing pillow. Magnum is still undeveloped and crispy.

Score: 94 - 97

Richard Juhlin, Champagne Club 01 February 2015

Antonio Galloni

96

The 2006 Clos des Goisses is stellar, but it is also going to need quite a bit of time to come into its own. Powerful and ample in the best of the Goisses style, the 2006 hits the palate with serious intensity. Orchard fruits, lemon oil, white flowers and almonds are some of the many notes that open up in the glass, but, as is often the case with young Goisses, it is the wine's gravitas that is front and center. Even with all of its overtness, though, the 2006 retains striking, crystalline purity. I imagine the 2006 will reward Champagne lovers with many decades of truly exceptional drinking. The only thing the 2006 needs is time. The question is: How much?

– vinous.com, August 2016

Philipponnat's 2007 Brut Clos de Goisses is soft, delicate and polished. One of the most understated, young Goisses I can remember tasting, the 2007 is a rare vintage that will drink well with pretty much no cellaring, which, as Goisses fans know, is highly unusual. Expressive in its aromatics and equally welcoming on the palate, the 2007 speaks to grace above all else. In 2007, bright Chardonnay-inflected notes are most apparent today, while the Pinot Noir is felt mostly in the wine's weight and overall texture. Even so, 2007 is a vintage that favors finesse over power. Dosage is 4.5 grams/liter. Disgorged: June 2016.

Score: 94 Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, December 2016

BOTTLES & MAGNUMS “….I have no hesitation in claiming that 2008 is the greatest Dom Pérignon vintage ever produced.” Tom Stevenson

The 2008 Dom Pérignon is fabulous, but quite remarkably, it was even more open when I tasted it a year ago. Bright, focused and crystalline in its precision, the 2008 is going to need a number of years before it is at its best. Lemon peel, white flowers, mint and white pepper give the 2008 its chiseled, bright profile. Several recent bottles have all been magnificent. What I admire most about the 2008 is the way it shows all the focus, translucence and energy that is such a signature of the year, and yet it is also remarkably deep and vertical. In other words, the 2008 is a Champagne that plays in three dimensions.

Score: 98

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com Maturity: 2020-205801 July 2018

Dom Pérignon Vintage 2010 was a bold wager, the fruit of an unwavering commitment to expressing nature, coupled with the freedom that makes audacious endeavours possible. Dom Pérignon Vintage 2010 is a wager that has been won thanks to inspiration, and to the mastery, that comes from experience.
 
The passage of time has revealed the grandeur of this vintage of which Dom Pérignon is among the very few to bear witness.
 
With low temperatures, the beginning of 2010 offered a contrast to the rest of the decade. Summer was hot and rainfall rare. Everything changed in mid-August, when two months’ worth of rain fell in just two days. The heat and water caused generous ripening but required drastic sorting of the grapes. The sugariness of tropical fruit yields to a more measured freshness. The wine makes its full, ample presence felt. Its character unfolds, generous and firm - before tautening around vibrant, spicy notes. This energy extends to reveal a salty finish.
 
Dom Pérignon Vintage 2010 is the fruit of intuition and mastery, a mastery nurtured by experience, passed on and reproduced.
 
“I remember we had to battle our natural reflexes as winemakers and admit that part of the harvest – representing a full year of our labours – simply had to be sacrificed in order to save the best parcels, and try to make a Dom Pérignon vintage.”    - Vincent Chaperon, Chef de Cave
 
 
Following press tastings we have received strong praise for the vintage 2010.
 
“Gorgeous, amply toasty and smoky nose. Still holding back. The fruit is impeccably crisp and appetising but still the palate carries the best surprises. There is such volume and generosity but look at the acidity rolling in complementing the exciting textural dynamics. It comes with a superbly saline and perfectly pristine finish, leaving the moth satisfyingly refreshed, yet yearning for more. There is an appetising fluffiness to the mousse and the wine takes its 5g/l dosage effortlessly. This is undoubtedly is a Dom Pérignon that will keep on giving. 95 points with potential for 97.” – Essi Avellan

One of my favorite wines from Penfolds, the 1986 (a blend of 87% Shiraz and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon) is one of the most powerful Granges produced (14+% alcohol). At age 23, it reminds me of the way it tasted around 9 years of age. Inky/purple to the rim with an extraordinary perfume of sweet licorice, crushed pepper, blackberry liqueur, camphor, and barbecue spices, this sensationally full-bodied, concentrated, layered 1986 is still an infant in terms of its ultimate potential. It is remarkable how this wine has aged, and it’s hard to believe how certain wine geeks will subscribe to the aging ability of the Grange, but don’t believe the same is true for other old vine Shiraz wines from the Barossa and McLaren Vale. It just doesn’t make any sense. The 1986 is one of the greatest Granges for my palate, and it appears to still have 25-30 years of upside. (98+ points)

Score: 98

Robert Parker, Wine Advocate Maturity: 2009-2039

Rating

99

Release Price

$100

Drink Date

1998 - 2038

Reviewed by

Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

26th Jun 1998

Source

117, The Wine Advocate

An Austrian winemaker named Rolf Binder, who is also the winemaker for Veritas, has produced this intriguing wine. It takes winemaking to the extreme, yet manages to pull it off without producing a total freak.. How do you describe a wine such as this? Yields were a minuscule one ton of fruit per acre from 60-year old vines, production was 100 cases, and the wine's alcohol content is a mammoth 16.5%. This wine, which lasted four days in the bottle before I decided to pass the balance through my bowels, displays an opaque black/purple color, and exotic, coffee, chocolate, Asian spice, roast duck, and blackberry and prune liqueur-like aromas. To say the wine is unctuously-textured is an understatement. This wine looks like 10-W-40 motor oil. Very thick and dry, yet remarkably balanced, with fabulous purity, and a finish that goes on for nearly a minute, this spectacular Shiraz will become more civilized with each year of aging. It is the type of wine some Pomerol estates produced in such vintages as 1947, 1949, and 1950, but would not dare to fashion today because modern oenologists refuse to let the grapes become this ripe. A winemaking tour de force, The Malcolm Shiraz should age effortlessly for 40 or more years.