Tom Garland

9.3

Winemaker Dinner with Julien Fayard

WINES
2023 Just Pink by Julien Fayard
2022 Julien Fayard McGah Family sav blanc
2022 Julien Fayard Ritchie vineyard chard
2022 Julien Fayard Platt vineyard pinot
2019 Purlieu Missouri Hopper vineyard cab
2018 Covert estate Coombsville cab
2014 Purlieu Martinez vineyard cab

FOOD
local striped bass mousseline
Grilled oysters and prawns
Braised rabbit conchiglioni
Veal cheeks
Venison loin chop
Chocolate cake — 3 months ago

with Brenda

Stuart Pollack

9.6

Beautiful fresh fruit. This wine is so fresh and the fruit is so perfect Grenache. Perfect with Chinese food. — a year ago

Jake Hajer

9.8

This is Crazy 8 vineyard. A 3 acre vineyard in Yountville near the Silverado trail. This may be one of the best current vintage Napa cabs I’ve ever had. It’s a monster reminiscent of stags leap fruit- dark motor oil. Blackberries. Plush yet resolved. Rich, smooth, distinctive. In a line up of highly regarded Beckstoffer vineyard cabs, this blew them away. At $260, this is a steal. Incrediblely impressive — a year ago

Akash Kapoor

9.5

Very smooth and fruit forward wine — 5 years ago

Brandon T

9.3

A new world Grenache with some old world funk. I dig it. — 5 years ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.3

Winery $60.00, but most retailers had it for $30.00🤷🏼‍♂️ fruit forward but not as bad as caymus or Austin hope
Notes from retail,,

Recoltant is the younger brother to Le Pich and Purlieu, and the wine is produced by Julien Fayard, who is absolutely at the top of his game.

Recoltant is a collaboration of declassified barrels of premium Cabernet that didn’t quite fit into Le Pich or Purlieu. The final blend was stitched together from several celebrated regions throughout Napa Valley, and Julian made the wine with the same standards of excellence that he practices in all of his projects. — 6 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

The nose reveals ripe, dark currants. Blackberries, black raspberries, boysenberries, black plum, plum and baked strawberries. Nice soft dark, spice, steeped black fruit tea, limestone, anise, light eucalyptus/mint, slight dark fruit liqueur notes, vanilla, cinnamon, clove with blue/purple flowers.

The body is full. The tannins are big but, soft, rounded, tarry and sticky. All three vintages drink easily young, yet will cellar 10-15 plus years. Ripe, dark currants. Blackberries, black raspberries, boysenberries, black plum, plum and baked strawberries. Nice soft dark, spice, steeped black fruit tea, limestone, anise, light eucalyptus/mint, slight dark fruit liqueur notes, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, dry top soil, dry crushed rocks, soft leather notes, saddle-wood limestone minerals, with blue/purple flowers. The acidity is round and nicely executed. The finish is big, well balanced, lush, elegant and last minutes.

Photos of, Teucer vineyard in Coombsville, Winemaker Julien Fayard, new tasting bar on the southern border of Napa and winemaking facility. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

@Delectable This is the Covert 337/191.

Julien Fayard makes the Covert. He worked with Philippe Melka for yrs before going out on his own. Julien also makes the Nicholson Jones wines.

I went to taste’s the Nicolson Jones wines but they set up the Coverts for me. My host said they upgraded me.

The Covert wines are spendy. North of $250 at the winery. This is my first experience having them.

Having said that, most of the 23 Napa reds show amazingly beautiful fruit. This had that. These are really soft and nicely layered but they just didn’t stand up-out at their price point. For me, just not compelling. — 6 months ago

Jake Hajer

9.4

Made by Julien Fayard for the Siefert family. Incredibly earthy and mineral. — a year ago

Jake Hajer

9.3

Firetree has one vineyard, Chardonnay. -which is behind Hyde in carneos. From that, they make two Chardonnays. Bunny hills and this, Fidem- which is faith in Latin and in reference to those two favorite vineyard blocks, F and E. Julien Fayard makes the Chardonnays. This is an incredible Chardonnay. Multi mineral. — a year ago

"Odedi"

9.3

Covert Estate Coombsville Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Napa Valley, California

It is time for my #FridayCabernetfix.

Dark purple/ Inky in color with a short purple rim.

Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs.

Dry and very fruity on the palate with nice complexity.

Showing blackberries, plums, cooked cherries, spices, cedar, licorice, chocolates, vanilla, coffee, black pepper, bitter herbs and light tar.

Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

What a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley this is.
Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. Soft and elegant.

A little young right now, but already enjoyable, even by itself. Will continue to age nicely in the next 10 to 15 years.

Good right out of the bottle, and better with airtime. A gorgeous wine made by Julien Fayard.

Good by itself or with food, and will pair nicely with a nice piece of steak.

A blend of two Cabernet Sauvignon clones from Coombsville. Aged in new French oak barrels for over 18 months. A small production of less than 4,000 bottles made.

14.9% alcohol by volume.

93 points.

$200. — 2 years ago

Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.0

Bought for $40.00, normally $125.00 and still $125.00 winery direct. They’ve gone the way of a paper label & shorter cork. But for 1/3 the price I’ll take the miner changes. Medium body compared to older vintages. If I paid release I would be disappointed but for $40.00 its definitely worthwhile K&L notes, Beau Vigne's heralded, rising star winemaker Julien Fayard, originally from France, has worked in esteemed cellars such as Lafite-Rothschild and Smith-Haut-Lafitte on his way to becoming Philippe Melka's Director of Winemaking for many iconic wineries across Napa Valley. The 2018 "Cult" Cab is Beau Vigne's estate fruit from a high elevation vineyard 1,400 feet up on Atlas Peak and another closer to the Silverado Trail.

Composed of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Cult is a blend of both of the estate vineyards: Stags Ridge and Soda Canyon, with 15% blended from Rutherford and Oakville. It was aged in 100% new oak. — 6 years ago

Tobin Trevarthen

9.1

A lovely Julian Fayard produces wine. Cab, Petit Verdot and Syrah. Smooth and silky. Rose and lavender pedals to the nose. Red Fruit with boysenberry and caramel flavor popping through on the finish. — 7 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

Julien Fayard makes the Covert. He worked with Philippe Melka for yrs before going out on his own. Julien also makes the Nicholson Jones wines.

I went to taste’s the Nicolson Jones wines but they set up the coverts for me. My host said they upgraded me.

The Covert wines are spendy. North of $250 at the winery. This is my first experience having them.

Having said that, most of the 23 Napa reds show amazingly beautiful fruit. This had that. These are really soft and nicely layered but they just didn’t stand up-out at their price point. For me, just not compelling. — 6 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.4

Julien Fayard makes the Covert. He worked with Philippe Melka for yrs before going out on his own. Julien also makes the Nicholson Jones wines.

I went to taste’s the Nicolson Jones wines but they set up the coverts for me. My host said they upgraded me.

The Covert wines are spendy. North of $225 at the winery. This is my first experience having them.

Having said that, most of the 23 Napa reds show amazingly beautiful fruit. This had that. These are really soft and nicely layered but they just didn’t stand up-out at their price point. For me, just not compelling.

This was slightly better & showed a bit more but rounding up to 94. Definitely, shows the herbal sage on the nose. — 6 months ago

Jake Hajer

9.4

‘17 in ‘25 out of magnum. Killer. Aged perfectly. Mineral. — a year ago

Mark Mannebach

9.3

Smoooth Ted fruit and coffee, charcoal tones — 4 years ago

Brandon T

9.3

McGah, not Green. Always get banana peel on this with an oily finish. Very good but pricey - likely won’t be picking this up again. — 5 years ago

Brandon T

9.4

Been a year since I had this, and boy was it singing. Ample peaches and assorted tropical fruits with a saline/glycerine note on the end. Beautiful SB that I highly recommend. — 6 years ago

Greg Ballington

Co-Founder of Millennial Drinkers Wine Blog

9.0

Dark ruby red. Dark spices on the nose with black currants, graphite, spices and black raspberries. Medium tannins (6/10) and medium plus bodied. A little savory on the palate with dark berries, mulberries, bark and minerality. Medium plus finish. Drink till 2025.


Thanks Drew, David and Allison for the spectacular service at RARE, cannot wait for our next visit. This bottling is the second label for Purlieu Wines made by Julien Fayard.

$$ - Purchased at RARE Steakhouse in Washington, DC for $135.00. Retail price is around $57.00. #restaurantweek #raresteakhouse #purlieuwines #cabernetsauvignon #redwine #washingtondc — 7 years ago

with Sean and India