Shay A

9.5

94-95

A grower champagne I always enjoy, but I’ve not had their special club offering with this much age before. I’ve been missing out! A stunner!

54% Cramant, 31% Chouilly (both Grand Crus), with 15% Cuis (Premier Cru); all old vines. Disgorged July 2012; 6g/l dosage

This may be an example of hitting lightening in a bottle, but this caught me (and others I was with) totally off-guard at how youthful it was…and more importantly, how unbelievably good it was. Channeling an oxidative flair at this point in its evolution, this scratched the itch for creamy, powerful, golden champagne. Autolysis on full display (in the best way) with lemon scone, honey roasted cashews, spiced pears aromatically. Honeyed graham crackers, lemon cream, Biscotti cookie, kiss of ginger and plenty of chalky limestone grit toward the finish (but the sweet autolysis lengthens it out beautifully). For me, this tasted like this was the exact right day to catch this wine at peak.

I wish I had a case of these. — 4 days ago

Shay A

9.3

@Delectable Wine : This is the Kobayashi Sans Soufre Syrah. I didn’t see it in the database.

Two and a half years since my last bottle. As I posted about Balthazar’s Sans Soufre recently, I really aim to catch these in their youthful-uber fresh stage before the roll of the dice goes the wrong way. Love Travis and Mario, and their Kobayashi wines!

Pop and poured straight to decanter and followed over the course of three hours.

My first bottle was one of the most aromatic Syrahs I’ve ever had (nearly filled the room with purple florals, potpourri, blackberries) but was not very giving on the palate (not shut down, just a powerhouse of deep Syrah)…this experience was opposite. Aromatics here were nice and tame with a little leather and herbs (maybe the SS evolution), fresh blackberries, but undeniably a Syrah in its purest form. Beautifully integrated on the palate (but still young) with charcoal, peppered red fruits, grilled blackberries, mocha…interplay of savory notes and fruits. The mid-palate is the current star with great depth and the finish is structured with tannin to support gamey meats (love this with Bonnell’s elk skillet dish).

I’ve always said I think Kobayashi Syrahs are the new world equivalent of Cornas (rustic, sometimes feral, need time but ultimately awarded with purity). Always fun to enjoy a proper SS bottle. — a month ago

Shay A

9.6

95-96

One of the wines I served for my annual WWC hosting. All wines served blind.

95 syrah/ 5 viognier; 30% whole cluster

Opening a young 2020 is not my style for red wines, but as the inaugural release from one of my favorite wineries, I wanted to see how it showed in a blind lineup of syrahs. I've recently started opening some 2016 and 2017 Andremilys and the hallmark of this Slide Hill Estate is the intense high-tone (bordering on EA) aromatics. You could smell the wine from the next placemat over! This wine is all intensity but it is packaged in a sleek and sexy profile...blueberry compote, mocha, smoked meat, herbs/black pepper upfront before it's a tidal wave of blue and black fruits, bacon, sweet smoke, crunchy herbs (thanks to the whole clusters) with polished tannins at the finish which goes on and on. It's a skyscraper of a wine on the mid-palate with its depth but somehow doesn't come across as overly hot or out of balance. Andremily wines, IMO, while share obvious similarities to SQN have found a way to polish the edges and dial the profile in. This is going nowhere in the near future and will be so fun to follow, but it's quite the experience to try one on the young side if you enjoy their style of wine. — a month ago

Shay A

9.4

93-94

One of the few domestic Pinot producers I really enjoy. Close proximity to the coast and whole cluster use normally gets me intrigued, especially when you see ABVs in the 12-13 range.

Pop and poured for a quarterly wine dinner. Theme was domestic Pinot and Sauvignon Blanc (I also opened a 2023 Mowe SB…lights out good). 13.6ABV. Winner of the night was a 2000 Marcassin.

Translucent red/purple in the glass. Gorgeous and fragrant…lovely floral notes on the nose (potpourri spice, violets). The palate sports crunchy red and black berry fruits, herbs/green and spice from the whole cluster use…some mint and black tea too. Bright and nervy acidity with nice mid-palate depth (can be tough to do at lower ABVs). Followed over two days and held strong. Lovely.

Compared to the ‘17 Doc’s Swan & Calera, this showed a touch more weight and power with a little less complexity at the finish. Very much enjoyed both for different reasons. — 4 days ago

Shay A

9.4

I’ve been on the lookout for Mayer wines here in the US and happened to find a bottle in a retail shop while out of state visiting some family. I’m shocked much makes it to the states with roughly 160 cases of this wine produced.

100% whole cluster; 13.5%ABV

My immediate thought after popping and pouring was that if Cayuse made a Pinot, it would smell like this. So much stemmy/herbal/savory aromatics with peppered rhubarb and red berries. Translucent ruby in the glass (closer to darker-style rosé’s in color). The funk continues on the palate (in a delicious way) with more stemmy and savory spice, cranberries, and black tea. The stems give this nice tannin structure while the acidity here is vibrant…keeps you going back for another sip. I followed over two days and it stayed pretty consistent.

This is 100% up my alley and a wine I’d love to acquire more of. Very curious how these age (because it seems like they would hold wonderfully). — a month ago

Shay A

9.3

Love FBalthazar’s Chaillot Cornas but never had his SS offering. I’d rather catch most SS wines in their youth to not roll the dice and get them super fresh.

Splash decanted; followed over two days.

Deep purple in the glass with hallmark Cornas aromatics…smoked meat, charcoal, dark potpourri/florals, cassis, blackberries. On the palate, the typical Cornas rusticity is more elegant, with peppered black fruits, sweet smoke, mocha, savory spices. It undoubtedly has a very “pure” profile, showing Syrah without any sort of mask. Good acid and tannin. Day two showed the mid-palate lose steam a bit, which isn’t a big surprise. Lovely bottle. If I could guarantee its evolution, this seemed like it would cruise another 7-10yrs, but who knows with SS! — a month ago

Shay A

9.5

94-95

This was one of the wines I served for my annual WWC hosting. All wines served blind.

93 syrah/ 7 viognier

The third syrah in my lineup was a wine I've enjoyed a few times over the last five years. Bangin' vintage and in a style I enjoy (syrah and vio). Purple-black in the glass, it offers up killer aromatics of rich, dark fruit, some baking spice, and smoked meat. Even with nearly four hours, this was a monster in structure with tannin that paired beautifully with an herb crusted lamb rack. Powerful on the palate with smoked berries, bacon, espresso, vanilla and a savory finish. Still on the upswing with lots of wonderful Cote-Rotie fireworks in store. Wish I had another! — a month ago

Shay A

9.6

My last bottle of six purchased back in 2022. I visited the winery in 2023 and was able to taste this from barrel…that was also when they informed me that this cuvée would no longer be made in 750, only en mag. Unsurprisingly, the price (more than) doubled and I was pushed out of the market. Such a bummer because not only is this an outstanding champagne, it is (IMO) the closest you can get to Selosse.

Equal parts Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Pinot meunier; Disgorged December 2019; base 2015 vintage; 6g/l dosage. Opened alongside a Charles Heidsieck “Champagne Charlie”.

Drawn from a perpetual reserve dating back to the mid ‘80s, everything about this cuvée is lees-y, rich, powerful and haunting (in the best way). Aromatically, there is a whiff of fino sherry that exists nowhere else in Champagne aside from the Selosse lineup. More akin to Selosse’s Initial, the sherry aromatic is there to enhance (not dominate) and is mostly a thin vein throughout the wine. There is truffle honey, spiced pear, caramel dipped apple all in a balanced profile that is both aged and fresh at the same time. Honey and orange roasted cashews too at the finish where a kiss of tangy sherry reappears. Immaculate. I desperately wish these were still available in 750s. — a month ago

Shay A

A treat to always open a birth year bottle around your birthday! Shared the table with some heavy hitters ( @Bill Bender
and @Joe Lucca ) and also their heavy hitter bottles!

Based on the first two hours, this showed like a 95-96pt wine. We were shocked how youthful, fresh and fruit-forward it presented. Awesome cork. Deep red/black in the glass with a small amount of bricking around the rim. Aromatics of classic old Napa…dried red and black fruits, graphite, leather. The real surprise was the profile on the palate…youthful! Fresh red and black fruits, old pipe tobacco, green herbs, graphite, coffee beans, wrapped in a beautifully elegant, lifted profile (12.5ABV), vibrant acidity and typical Diamond Creek tannin at the finish. After hour two, this started going downhill and lost most its fruit and showed more chewing tobacco.

Compared to the ‘88 Red Rock Terrace I opened 2-3yrs ago, this was in a different league. Darker and more fresh versus more clay and light bodied. — a month ago

Shay A

9.3

92-93

This was one of the wines I served for my annual WWC hosting. All wines served blind.

Zero experience with this cuvee from Chapoutier. Not sure if this was in a dumb phase but I was expecting a little bit more. Score reflects potential (at almost 12yrs, I'm sure this is still on the upswing) but it didn't present many syrah characteristics. It did, however, present very Hermitage-like (more leather, aged Bordeaux, slightly bretty). Deep purple in the glass with saddle leather, kiss of brett, black currant, charcoal and dark florals aromatically. It has a nice mid-weight on the palate and gives a nod to old world syrah with some savory and herbal notes without oak poking out, but it seemed more like a wine that was just "there" as opposed to showing a lot of character. By the time the last glass was finished, it had close to four hours of air (and 2014s don't need a lot of air to strut) so maybe it was simply in a slightly shut down phase. — a month ago