Only produced in top vintages (this is the first since 2012), the 2015 Cornas Vieilles Fontaines comes from 80-year-old vines within the La Fontaine lieu-dit. It's a tough wine to evaluate at this stage, as it's quite... Read More
This 525-case blend of 90% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon shows notes of white chocolate, mocha, black cherry, and new barrique smells. It is well-made, still somewhat oaky, with medium to full-bodied... Read More
The second release from Andremily's Jim Binns, the No 2 is an utterly profound blend of 85% Syrah, 11% Mourvèdre and 4% Viognier that saw a touch of whole cluster fermentation and 23 months in 62% new French oak barrels. Its... Read More
A great Angelus and one of the two or three best vintages made under the talented young Hubert de Bouard, this wine still has a youthful, saturated ruby/purple color and a sweet nose of melted licorice intermixed with creme de... Read More
One of the top wines of the vintage, the 2004 Angelus (a 7,500-case blend of 62% Merlot and 38% Cabernet Franc with a natural alcohol of 13.5%) is a classic, tannic, structured wine exhibiting a saturated dense purple color as... Read More
The 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Eisele Vineyard (a 1,750-case blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot, and 3% Merlot) boasts explosive aromas of incense, creme de cassis, minerals, and flowers. It is medium... Read More
A nose of black raspberries interwoven with floral notes of blackcurrants and spice jump from the glass of this dense ruby/plum/purple wine. This famous vineyard at the northern end of Napa Valley, which in this era was owned... Read More
The 2013 Pinot Noir UV-SL, primarily made from Calera and Vosne-Romanée clonal material, boasts a dense ruby/purple color as well as a big, sweet nose of blackcurrants, black cherries, forest floor and beet root. The complex aromatics... Read More
Two bottles were badly corked, which is certainly a scary situation for a wine where only 1,000 or so cases were produced. However, a third bottle was magical and just short of perfection. Its saturated purple color was followed... Read More
One of the vintage's most compelling wines (what's new about that?), Alain Vauthier's beloved 2004 Ausone has closed down considerably since I tasted it out of barrel, but it remains among the most concentrated wines... Read More