Wine List

Tasting note: There is a bit more wood on the fresh and open sauvage-infused nose of both red and dark currant, earth and game hints. There is excellent volume to the very smooth and polished mid-palate of the broad-shouldered flavors that possess plenty of dry extract before culminating in a mineral-inflected, powerful and long finish. This moderately firm effort is supported by tannins that are ripe if borderline rustic. A classic Mazis.

96+

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2018 - 2040

Reviewed by

Monica Larner

Issue Date

28th Jun 2013

Source

207, The Wine Advocate

Gaia Gaja uses the word “salty” to describe this next wine, and I see her point. The 2010 Sori Tildin shows a dry, firmly structured quality that enhances those extraordinary, breezy overtones of lead pencil and brimstone that so fittingly frame the Nebbiolo grape. The lingering end-notes of rose petal, ginger and cedar are striking. You immediately feel the tannic structure and power of the wine. The jump is very sharp next to the Costa Russi, and that’s why this is one of Gaja’s best cellar-agers. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2040.  

Rating

96

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2015 - 2035

Reviewed by

Jeb Dunnuck

Issue Date

14th Sep 2015

Source

Special Report (Sep 2015), The Wine Advocate

Leading off the reds in the retrospective, the 2012 Chateauneuf du Pape hit a whopping 15.7% natural alcohol, yet doesn't show a trace of heat in its gorgeous bouquet of kirsch liqueur, blackberries, Asian spice, cured meats and garrigue. This is followed by a thick, concentrated, seamless 2012 that has the vintage's purity and rounded nature, plenty of sweet tannin, and a killer finish. Already hard to resist, it will cruise for another 15-20 years.

Rating

88

Release Price

NA

Drink Date

2014 - 2019

Reviewed by

 Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Issue Date

28th Aug 2014

Source

214, The Wine Advocate

This evolved 2003 exhibits lots of smoky barbecue spices intermixed with notes of cedarwood, underbrush, damp forest, plums and figs. Medium-bodied, fully mature and relatively complex, it requires consumption over the next 4-5 years.

Tasting note: The brooding nose is compositionally similar to that of the Charmes-Chambertin but the earth component is more pronounced. The big-bodied and imposingly-scaled flavors exhibit plenty of punch and muscle on the mouth coating, mocha-infused, youthfully austere and strikingly persistent finish thanks to the copious amounts of dry extract. Despite the impressive size and weight this is not a rustic wine though it's certainly going to require patience.

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.

A stunner, sporting tropical mango and papaya notes that glide along beautifully, while heather honey, pineapple chutney and toasted coconut flavors fill in through the finish. Delivers an amazing mouthfeel that is both creamy and intense, with a pretty inner floral brightness that contrasts with the fruit. Best from 2020 through 2045. 6,665 cases made.

Score: 98 James Molesworth, WineSpectator.com, February 2017

The 2014 d'Yquem has a complex bouquet with buttered toast, almond, honey and peach skin aromas. It opens with greater zeal than its peers, there is more immediacy here. The palate is very well balanced with crisp acidity, a finely tuned and satisfying Sauternes with style and grace, evincing great tension and mineral drive towards the finish. Superb. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. 2020 - 2055

Score: 97 Neal Martin, vinous.com, March 2018

Very subtle Yquem on the nose with dried pineapple, lemons, green apples and hints of botrytis. The palate grabs you by the arms and shows you superb concentration of spices, dried fruit, phenolics and incredible energy. Nothing is like this from Sauternes this vintage! Drink whenever you like. Spellbinding.

Score: 98 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, February 2017

A crazy combination of botrytis, dried fruits and freshness. It's not the sweetest Yquem but it has an extraordinary depth of fruit and freshness. It goes on for minutes. Spicy and intense. A stunning young wine. A brightness and fabulous depth of fruit.

Score: 97/98 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, March 2015

The 2014 d'Yquem is a wine of restraint above all else. Candied lemon, orange peel, apricot jam, graphite and almond are some of the many threads in a rich fabric that envelops all the senses. A wine of contrasts, the 2014 is at times delicate, while in other moments it is more powerful. Although striking, the 2014 falls just short of being profound. In exchange, readers will find an Yquem that will give up its charms on the earlier side.

Score: 95 Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, February 2017

Bright gold with a green note. Intense freshness on the nose. Fabulous nose of richness and freshness. The residual sugar is not high but the balance is great. Lime and pears and great richness and almost like a fruit juice, it's so refreshing yet dense and sweet. 13.35%
Drink 2020-2050

Score: 19 Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2015

The greatest sweet wine of Bordeaux and without doubt one of the world's most famous wines. There is no denying outstanding quality is consistently maintained here but pricing in some recent vintages has been too high. The 2013 was not sold en primeur and the 2012 vintage was not produced. This vintage will also not be released en Primeur but held back until 2016.

  Farr Vintners, March 2015

Floral fragrant the nose is quite light with tangerine freshness the palate richer sweet fruit apricot and candied peel. The honeyed sweetness on the mid palate is balanced by freshness at the back stylish and fragrant this is not a heavyweight but has elegance and charm. 2016-35

Score: 93/97 Derek Smedley MW, April 2015

In a very good to excellent year for Sauternes, this was the outstanding wine, as it often is. Picked in four selections between September 5th and October 30th, it had 100% botrytis infection. Exotic, honeyed yet gloriously refreshing, with notes of lemon tart and nutmeg spice, it lingers tantalisingly on the palate.

Score: 97 Tim Atkin MW, timatkin.com, April 2015

Score: 97 Decanter Magazine, April 2015

The thickest, most unctuous, full-bodied and sexy white of the vintage is the 2014 Ermitage de l’Orée. Coming all from the sedimentary soils of the Les Murets and aged mostly in demi-muids (only 15% new), it offers a sensational perfume of caramelized peaches, campfire, honeysuckle and white flowers that literally come soaring from the glass. Possessing uncommon density, a stacked mid-palate, loads of sweet fruit and a blockbuster finish, this hedonistic effort can be drunk with incredibly pleasure today, or cellared for a decade or more. It will have three or more decades of overall longevity.

Score: 98+ Jeb Dunnuck, Wine Advocate (222), December 2015

Rating

97

Release Price

$420

Drink Date

2021 - 2041

Reviewed by

Jeb Dunnuck

Issue Date

30th Dec 2016

Source

228, The Wine Advocate

The inky black/purple-colored 2014 Ermitage l’Ermite is more firm, backward and mineral driven than the sexier Pavillon, offering fabulous notes of scorched earth, wood smoke, crushed violets, and both blackcurrant and crème de cassis. An utterly profound effort, it defines the more charming nature of the vintage, displaying building tannin and one seriously long finish. Forget bottles for 5-7 years and enjoy over the following two decades.

Not enough can be said about the quality that consistently comes from this estate. From the top to the bottom of the range, you can’t go wrong. And while the prices at the top are frightfully expensive (they’re out of my zip code), there are incredible values from St Péray, St Joseph, Cornas and Crozes Hermitage that should be snatched up by readers. Looking at the 2014s reviewed here, these shine for their elegance and purity, and are certainly some of the most concentrated wines in the vintage. Readers shouldn’t forget that while 2014 was a complicated vintage for the reds, the whites are gorgeous. As to the 2015s, these massive and concentrated wines are going to demand patience, but at the top end, I suspect will be as good as wine gets.