Wine List

I had this wine both in Seoul, Korea in February, and from my cellar in December, 2008, and it was remarkable how identical the wines smelled and tasted. It offers an extraordinary aromatic display of spring flowers, camphor, sweet red and black fruits, a hint of licorice, and no evidence of its 100% new oak cask aging. Round and generous with low acidity, but an opulent, full-bodied richness that is fresh with laser-like precision, this stunning wine is just beginning to reach its plateau of full maturity, where it should remain for another three decades. A sensational effort, it is one of the legendary wines made at Chateau Margaux.

One can’t say enough about the amazing job that Alain Vauthier and his daughter have done at this historic property on the decomposed limestone slopes of St.-Emilion. Not surprisingly, the 2012 Ausone is one of the candidates for the wine of the vintage. Inky purple in color, with notes of crushed rocks, spring flowers and blueberry and black raspberry, the wine grows on the palate, offering up amazing concentration. There is no heaviness or cloying characteristics. Pure, rich, full-bodied and, although accessible, it is capable of lasting 30 or more years. This will be one of the profound 2012s, following what Haut Brion and Mission Haut Brion did in Pessac-Léognan. Drink it 2022-2050+. 96+ points – Robert Parker (Wine Advocate #218, April 2015)

OBERT PARKER: 93

The 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape Tradition was cropped at 23 hectoliters per hectare (overall it was a small crop in 2010), and is a blend of mostly Grenache and 20% Syrah, with 80% aged in old wood foudres and 20% in small barrels. The alcohol level came in at 15.5%. Classic black raspberry, black cherry, garrigue, and lavender notes hit the palate with considerable authority. The Syrah component provides a slightly deeper purple hue to the color than is apparent in some other vintages. The extra level of concentration due to the tiny yields has resulted in a full-bodied, rich wine with super purity. It is already accessible, and should keep for 10-15 years. ||This branch of the Usseglio family left their home in Italy following the Great Depression in 1929 to make a new start producing wine in southern France. This estate has been on “fire” qualitatively since 1998. The cellars of brothers Jean-Pierre and Thierry Usseglio, who own approximately 60 acres of vines, are located adjacent to the ruins of a pope’s palace on the northeastern side of the village. In top vintages, such as 2010, 2009 and 2007, three Chateauneuf du Pape cuvees are produced. These include a traditional cuvee, the old vine, tank- and foudre-aged Mon Aieul and the more modern-styled Reserve des Deux Freres. Lirac is on the acquisition list of many Chateauneuf du Pape proprietors for a number of reasons: (1) they live close by; (2)the terroir is not dissimilar from that of Chateauneuf du Pape; and (3) the land is relatively cheap. The 2010 Chateauneuf du Papes are superb. Wine Advocate.October, 2012

JEB DUNNUCK: 96-99

Scheduled to be bottled early in 2015, the 2011 Cote Rotie La Mouline is more perfumed, exuberant and approachable than the 2010. It exhibits a crazy bouquet of spice-box, vanilla bean, spring flowers and sweet kirsch, cassis and black raspberry. Full-bodied, seamless and elegant, with sweet tannin, it will be hard to resist in its youth and have 2+ decades of prime drinking.||The father/son team of Marcel and Philippe Guigal continue to keep their estate at the top of the hierarchy in the Rhône Valley. All the way from their inexpensive Côtes du Rhône to their top-end Côte Rôties and Hermtiage, the attention to detail and focus on quality is unmatched. Readers should also check out the recent Rhone Retrospective article I wrote that covered the Saint Joseph Vignes des Hospices, Côte Rôtie Brune et Blonde, Côte Rôtie Chateau d'Ampuis and Côte Rôtie La Mouline cuvees going back for over a decade. I said it there, and I'll say it again here, this estate is producing some of the most incredible and singular wines in the world. eRobertParker.com.December, 2014

Rating

94

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2017 - 2035

Reviewed by

Monica Larner

Issue Date

29th Jun 2015

Source

219, The Wine Advocate

The 2011 Langhe Nebbiolo Conteisa is an irresistible wine with enormous depth, beauty and penetration. It sweeps over the palate in opulent waves with dark fruit, spice, leather and grilled herbs. It also shows a distinct balsam personality with cola and dried violets that give the wine a beautiful sense of aromatic lift and buoyancy. Langhe Conteisa is made with Nebbiolo (and a tiny part Barbera) from the Cerequio vineyard in La Morra. The 2011 vintage is slightly broader than past vintages, but this wine promises a long drinking evolution regardless.

The 2006 Barbaresco Crichët Pajé is one of the most open, accessible vintages of this wine I can remember tasting. But it's still Roagna, which means the wine is powerful and structured, but less so than is typically the case. Iron, smoke, incense, tobacco, autumn leaves and a host of ferrous, savory notes are some of the signatures. As is sometimes the case here, extended time in barrel has dried out the fruit a bit. This is a style that personally gives me less pleasure, although, as the saying goes, your mileage may vary.

-- Antonio Galloni

Rating

95

Release Price

$90

Drink Date

2015 - 2022

Reviewed by

 Luis Gutiérrez

Issue Date

30th Oct 2015

Source

221, The Wine Advocate

2012 has to be one of the best recent vintages of Alión. This 2012 Alión is pure Tempranillo from vineyards averaging 25 to 30 years of age, harvested at the end of September and matured for 14 months in new French oak barrels. The nose is much more elegant than the Pintia from Toro (I tasted them together), still very fresh and primary but with a special brightness of fruit, shiny cherries, raspberries, something effervescent, open and somehow exuberant. The palate is quite round, much more polished, with some notes of dark chocolate, some subtle volatility, elegant, fresh and long. It has the balance and stuffing to develop nicely in bottle. Superb balance, Ribera character, clean, modern classic. 280,000 bottles were produced.

Rating

91

Release Price

$50

Drink Date

2001 - 2016

Reviewed by

 Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

23rd Apr 2001

Source

134, The Wine Advocate

The dense purple-colored 1998 boasts a beautifully rich, complex perfume of blackberries, plums, lead pencil, cherries, mocha, and caramel. Powerful and rich, with a multilayered texture, and an opulent, viscous finish revealing enough sweet tannin for definition, this is a terrific, full-bodied, seamless effort from one of the world's greatest winemakers. Anticipated maturity: now-2016.

Tasting note: This is also unusually expressive while exhibiting very subtle hints of exotic orange pekoe tea on the beautifully fresh nose of dried fruits that include apricot, white peach and acacia blossom. There is an opulent and caressing mouth feel to the very rich and seductively textured medium-bodied flavors that coat the palate with dry extract before terminating in a delicious, mineral-driven and impressively long finish. This is rich to the point of succulence and while it will certainly age well this will be approachable much earlier than usual.

Rating

96

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2014 - 2045

Reviewed by

Neal Martin

Issue Date

30th Apr 2014

Source

212, The Wine Advocate

The Quinta Do Noval Nacional 1997 has a fragrant bouquet that boasts more delineation than the Vintage Noval, although it demonstrates approximately the same degree of vigour. There is a fine mineral component on the nose with macerated dark cherries, hoisin, cigar box and dried fig that seem to multiply exponentially with vigor. The palate is elegant on the entry with supple rounded tannins, well-judged acidity and purity, building gently in the mouth from its understated entry towards its peacock tail of mulberry, clove and raisin towards the finish. This is a step up from the 1994 Nacional, though if you want to split hairs, it does not possess the mind-boggling complexity of later vintages. However, it does purr with class. Drink now-2045.

Tasting note: Here the surprisingly expressive nose is even more complex with broad-ranging aromas of various floral and white fleshed fruit scents that also display top notes of spice, all of which is again framed in discreet oak hints. This is a big Bâtard where the broad-shouldered flavors brim with palate soaking dry extract that does a fine job of effectively buffering the very firm acid spine that keeps everything in balance on the opulently textured and hugely long finish. Moreover this is strikingly complex, indeed it rivals the Montrachet for being the most complex wine in the range.
 

Rating

(94 - 96)

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2009 - 2039

Reviewed by

 Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

29th Apr 2009

Source

182, The Wine Advocate

The 2007 Ermitage Cuvee de l’Oree reveals a light gold color as well as a rich nose of flowers intermixed with honeyed oranges, apricots, quince, and currants. Deep, full-bodied, and multidimensional, it should drink nicely for 30+ years.   

Rating

99+

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

NA

Reviewed by

 Joe Czerwinski

Issue Date

29th Dec 2017

Source

234, The Wine Advocate

When in the course of a tasting session one is confronted by a wine that stands above the others, I find it impossible to give more than a single perfect score. So the 2015 Ermitage le Meal gets a "consolation prize" 99+ rating. Full-bodied and intense, loaded with blackberry fruit that pushes the limits of ripeness and richness, this incredible wine retains such fine details as hints of crushed stone, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. Unless it shuts down, it should be drinkable by 2025 and give pleasure for many years to come.

Rating

92

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2015 - 2028

Reviewed by

 Monica Larner

Issue Date

31st Oct 2014

Source

215, The Wine Advocate

The 2012 Bolgheri Le Serre Nuove is a voluptuous and generous wine that bursts forth with wild-cherry aromas, blackberry, crème de cassis, oak spice and smoke. The blend of grapes this year is 52% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc and 12% Petit Verdot. It awards pleasure and smoothness, thanks to its plump tannins and ripe fruit overtones. Le Serre Nuove shows the acidity and structure for ten years or more of cellar aging.