Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese 2012
"The very classy nose offers up a mix of pear, tangerine, apple pie spice tones, slate, orange blossoms and bee pollen. On the palate the wine is deep, medium-full and suave, with lovely focus and nascent complexity, lovely mid-palate depth, bright acids and very good length and grip on the finish. A very pretty wine that will drink well with only a few years of bottle age, but will have no problems aging long and gracefully as well."
93 John Gilman, View From the Cellar
Schäfer-Fröhlich Bockenauer Felseneck Riesling Spätlese 2010
". . . offers up a beautifully filigreed and pure bouquet of pink grapefruit, tangerine, slate, bee pollen and a lovely topnote of apple blossoms. On the palate the wine is medium-full, pure and rock solid at the core, with bright acids, beautiful interplay of soil, fruit and floral tones, bright acids and superb length and grip on the focused and flawlessly balanced finish. A stellar bottle of Spätlese."
94 John Gilman, View From the Cellar
Albert Boxler Pinot Gris Sommerberg 2007
". . . redolent of diverse pit fruits along with smoke, musk, and carnal suggestions of veal sweetbreads (which might make an appropriately indulgent accompaniment!). As in the case of the corresponding generic bottling, this displays surprising amounts of alkaline and saline mineral character as well as citrus (principally pink grapefruit) zest pungency, which are welcome in helping offset the effects of more than 30 grams of residual sugar. Polished, refined, and with impressive finishing cling . . ."
92 David Schildknecht, The Wine Advocate
François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 1999
“Raveneau’s 1999 Chablis Montée de Tonnerre is in a marvelous spot right now. Petrol, smoke, slate, apricot pit and wild flowers are some of the many notes that grace the palate in an utterly vivid, vibrant Chablis endowed with magnificent purity and pedigree. At fifteen years of age, the 1999 Montée de Tonnerre still has a lot to say. What a beautiful wine!”
94 Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Dubreuil-Fontaine Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Vergelesses 2013
"A slightly more deeply pitched nose of red and dark currant aromas is liberally laced with earth and sauvage nuances. The delicious and sleek middle weight flavors possess better complexity . . ."
Allen Meadows, Burghound.com
Hudelot-Noëllat Clos de Vougeot 2010
"A very mild floral hint adds elegance to the ripe red berry fruit and distinctly earth-inflected nose. There is excellent richness to the impressively scaled and overtly powerful flavors that possess fine balance and focus on the lingering finish. Lovely juice . . .”
92-94 Allen Meadows, Burghound.com
Hudelot-Noëllat Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Murgers 2010
"A spicy and relatively elegant nose features notes of red and blue pinot fruit and while there are warm earth nuances, they are more of a background element than usual. The seductively textured, round and well-concentrated medium-bodied flavors also possess excellent complexity and a bit more refinement as well on the balanced and lingering finish."
90-93 Allen Meadows, Burghound.com
Hudelot-Noëllat Chambolle-Musigny 2010
"The deep, pure and refined nose offers up scents of cherries, red plums, roses, cocoa and a lovely base of chalky soil tones. On the palate the wine is fullish, focused and beautifully transparent, with a lovely core of red fruit, tangy acids, moderate tannins and really fine length and grip. A fine, fine bottle of villages."
89+ John Gilman, View From the Cellar
Cobb Pinot Noir Coastlands Vineyard 2009
"Ruby-red. Explosively perfumed bouquet evokes candied red fruits, allspice, star anise and potpourri, with a bright mineral quality building with air. Lively and focused on the palate, offering sappy raspberry and cherry flavors and a silky, seamless texture. The floral quality comes on strong on the delineated, very persistent finish."
93 Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Bouchard Père & Fils (Domaine) Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Cailles 2009
". . . fresh and lively on the nose with raspberry, wild strawberry and a slight nutty/smoky element that lends complexity . . . . the tannins are very fine and supple. Lovely fleshy finish . . . . I like the focus and its svelte personality . . .”
90-92 Neal Martin, Wine Journal
Gérard Raphet Clos de Vougeot Vieilles Vignes 2008
"From a tiny 0.20 ha parcel of 100 year old vines. This is also elegant, pure and broadly aromatic with hints of earth, underbrush and a touch of the sauvage adding nuance to the red currant and violet notes that introduce rich and rather serious medium-bodied flavors that possess good power and punch on the palate coating and solidly persistent finish. As it often is, this is the best in show chez Raphet in 2008."
90-93 Allen Meadows, Burghound.com
Lucie & Auguste Lignier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Baudes 2005
"Lignier’s 2005 Chambolle-Musigny Les Baudes exudes a red fruit, licorice, vanilla and sweet floral-scented perfume. The brightness, purity and sheer pizzaz of fresh fruit on the palate makes this an exception from the more somber, darkly-hued typicity of the vintage. An almost savage tart, pure berry impression confirms the proximity of this site to Bonnes-Mares. Speaking of ‘savage,’ that’s how this wine clings with its bright fruit, salty-chalky minerality and bitter herbs. Think of this as Bonnes-Mares quality at half the price . . ."
92-94 David Schildknecht, The Wine Advocate
Bertheau Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 2000
“Domaine Bertheau in Chambolle-Musigny can be summed up by two words – typicity and focus . . . . A very hands-off winemaker, François Bertheau allows the wines to express themselves–there is very little manipulation, very little racking, very little new wood (only 10% in total), and each wine is left to evolve slowly in barrel. These are classic Chambolles, emphasizing finesse, elegance, high-toned aromatics and silky textures. They typically drink well immediately upon release and remain balanced with aging . . . these wines age beautifully.”
KermitLynch.com
DSG Vineyards Rioja Tinto Phinca Lali 2010
". . . a single vineyard wine. The percentage of grapes is approximately 85% Tempranillo and the 15% Graciano and Viura. As quantities are very small, they can afford to destem the grapes by hand and ferment in two open 500-liter barrels where the grapes are foot trodden until fermentation finishes. Malolactic fermentation was carried out during the following spring and the wine completed its upbringing over two years in barrel. The nose and the wine’s profile are very similar to the Phinca Abejera with strong balsamic notes of Mediterranean herbs, nutmeg, potpourri and eucalyptus (again the Graciano?) and a compact palate where the Tempranillo takes over and adds all its meat to the verticality of the Graciano. This creates a superb blend with power and freshness, pungent acidity and great persistence. A great, unusual wine of strong personality. Bravo!"
94 Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
René Rostaing Côte-Rôtie La Landonne 2009
"This has depth and ripeness, but stays defined, with an almost searing iron spine cutting through the core of plum, blackberry and currant fruit. The long finish lets bay leaf, tobacco and chestnut notes fill in."
95 James Molesworth, Wine Spectator
Le Mas de L'Écriture Terrasses du Larzac L'Émotion Occitane 2006
"Equal parts Carignan, Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah. Still with the quirky old-style 'bugs or aliens?' label - artwork done by Charles Stratos, an internationally acclaimed contemporary artist from Provence . . . . the Carignan is from old vines. Generous warm fruit on the nose. Very juicy, rich dark fruit and dancing with life. Spice and liquorice. Rounded and so fresh."
Tamlyn Currin, JancisRobinson.com
Frog's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 1992
"Our cabernet sauvignon grapes come from a select group of vineyards characterized by medium vigor and gently sloping upland soils: richly integrated flavors and overlaying aromas of bramble and black currant.This 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon is further defined by traditional techniques that emphasize long, extended, natural yeast fermentations which build depth and character into the wines without forcing them to impress. Intensely flavored with notes of cherry, blackberry and herbs: a wine that is beautiful balanced and ultimately drinkable both young and old."
Frog’s Leap
Gaja Barbaresco 1975
"At the end of the day, though, the only thing that counts is what is in the glass, and the simple truth is that these wines are utterly mind-blowing . . . . Gaja began working full-time at his family’s winery in 1969, and was followed a year later in 1970 by oenologist Guido Rivella. By the time 1989 came around Gaja and Rivella had been working together for nearly 20 years . . . . Gaja was so far ahead of his time that there are plenty of producers in Piedmont (and Italy) that still haven’t caught up to the groundbreaking wines he made 20 years ago . . . . Although Gaja’s wines are often flashy upon release, these bottles attest rather eloquently to the glacial aging that is the hallmark of the house style.”
Antonio Galloni, The Wine Advocate
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