As stated in my previous post, I was in Paris in January with Avi Davidowitz from Kosher Wine Unfiltered. The number of boxes in our room was not nearly as insane as two years ago. That was a tower of boxes. Still, we had a lot of wines to taste and some good wines to talk about.

Two years ago, we had some 80 wines, this past tasting we were at 58 wines. There were a couple of wines I think were bad bottles, so I will not post them, so I guess it comes to some 56 or so bottles.

This post will close out the blog’s 2024 year, and then we can get to the wines of the year and such! Then we can get to the KFWE post! Yeah, lots ahead!

As I have stated before. I want to taste all of these blind. Let me make this simple: unless we can find someone to pay to help us manage the tastings, taste blind, and gather all the metadata and the forms and sheets, it is just INSANE! We really need to get a helper who understands English enough and can handle sheets and the such in Paris and wherever else we taste wines. Until then, we will have to give up on tasting blind.

The wines were tasted in classic region/style order, whites, reds from Burgundy, Rhone-like areas, Bordeaux/Blend wines, and I think that is it. The comments are listed by the producer.

Taieb Wines

There were 23 Taieb wines. We received the usual Jean-Philippe Marchand wines. This year, there are eight wines. There are two whites, the Meursault and the new Puligny Montrachet, and then we have the return of the same reds. Sadly, I could not taste the Pommard or the Aloxe Corton. The two white wines are wines that feel bottle-shocked and also have more oak than I expected. They may come around in a few years. We opened them Tuesday night, and they never came around. They kind of lost some of their oak after 7 days, but honestly, well before that, wine should either be there or not. The red Burgundies we received were terrific and show the continued success of Jean-Philippe Marchand wines.

To close out the story, Mr. Taieb asked for the warehouse to send us the eight Burgundies, but instead, we received two other wines. Such is life!

Taieb Wines. Yoni and his family continue to make well-priced wines and garner QPR WINNER scores. This tasting was no exception, with five WINNER wines from the 24 wines tasted and many wines with a GREAT QPR score. I have posted often about Taieb wines, and if you want to read the entire background, read the first post I made here.

The 2023 Baron David and the 2023 Chateau Tournebrise were solid wines that are available now in Paris and ones I would pick up for a nice Shabbat! Two great wines from Taieb. The 2023 Elysee Palace Merlot is dirt cheap and a solid Mevu option. Finally, the 2023 Moise Taieb, La Petite Metairie Chinon, is a classic Cabernet Franc and shows nicely.

Honest Grapes Wines

Nathan from Honest Grapes was very kind in helping arrange a shipment of Domaine de Montille. These wines were pulled from the barrel, much like the wines I tasted last year in London. The white wines shined in this new 2023 Domaine de Montille Burgundy tasting. The red wines were fine, but one was either shocked or maybe just a bad bottle. Like all barrel tastings, I can put a score on the wine but understand that this may well not be the final score.

On an aside, you may see two wines that were associated with Honest Grapes, 2022 Chateau Teyssier and 2023 Le Nardian Grand Vin de Bordeaux. They may well still be wines Honest Grapes sells in London, but they are now also available in France. Those two wines can be found under the assorted wines.

Mercier Wines

Once again, Mercier delivers excellent wines at a higher price range. The 2022 vintage did take a slight bite at the 2022 Château de Fieuzal Grand Cru Classé de Graves, Pessac-Leognan. It is the return of this wine, which was last made Kosher in 2005. So, 17 years later, the wine is fine, but it lacks the acidity I crave.

Once again, the 2022 Château Olivier Grand Cru Classe, Pessac-Léognan, on the other hand was a HOMERUN! That wine has everything I want, acidity, pop, body, structure, and minerality. It is quite an impressive wine and a baby! This wine will not be ready to play for a long time.

Once again, the 2022 Chateau Fayat, Pomerol, is sensational. It is priced higher than the 2022 Montviel, higher than the 2018 Echo de Roses Camille, but lower than Gay. To me, it is a QPR WINNER.

The 2022 Chateau Haut-Marbuzet, Saint-Estephe, has the added Cabernet that really helps make the wine pop! It may well be the most balanced wine we had at this tasting overall. Quite impressive indeed! Merlot in hot vintages is more challenging to get perfect than with some Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon. The Marbuzet has Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and a good amount of Merlot.

Then there were three white wines that stood out, two that were dry, and one sweet. Until now, Mercier had been making Sauternes from the Chateau Rayne Vigneau. The latest vintage of Sauternes from the main label was 2018. However, in 2022 and 2023, Pierre Miodownick and Mercier made two dry wines and one second label Sauternes. Both of these dry wines took forever to open. Avi was not even around anymore when the dry white Grand Vin finally opened up.

The 2023 Chateau de Rayne Vigneau Grand Vin Blanc Sec, is not going to be cheap, but it is a beautiful wine. The 2023 Les Sec de Rayne Vigneau, is going to be cheaper, but I am not sure what the prices will be like in the USA. In France it is a QPR WINNER. Finally, the 2022 Chateau Rayne Vigneau Madame de Rayne, Sauternes, is lovely and a solid option for those that want quality Sauternes.

Overall, this tasting may have been Mercier’s best showing, that Avi and I have tasted, so far. Bravo!

Bokobsa Wines

I keep trying to get their wines to taste. So far, I have not been very successful. If you read my previous posts, you will see that they have good wines and great prices, especially in Paris. However, getting to taste them is proving very complicated.

We got three wines to taste, and the Cissac Lamothe is back! The 2022 vintage is solid. The 2022 Bokobsa Gigondas is solid, a bit too ripe for me, but many will love this. Finally, the 2023 Dominique Piron Chiroubles is a solid Gamay for a good price.

Shlomo Corcos (Guter Wein) Wines

I have had enough wine in my life to say that there are very few things that shock me anymore in wine. That may be a blessing and a curse, but that is fine. However, tasting the 2022 Chateau Grand Corbin, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe, shocked me. I have yet to taste a wine that shows that distinct a flavor of roasted lamb. I enjoyed this wine with a freshly baked milk pizza, and I felt dirty. That is a great wine. The other wine is the 2022 Chateau Cantemerle, Haut-Medoc. Both wines are lovely, show good pop, and are made well. I have no idea if/when these wines will be in the USA, so keep your eyes open and tell me if they land in some store in NYC/NJ!

Assorted Wines

The remaining wines came from Ari Cohen, a wine Avi brought, or from stuff I bought from MVC (MesVinsCacher.com). MVC is a great place to go and see the current releases and to buy some older releases. All the wines are held in good storage, and like all old wines, you may hit or you may miss.

Ari has started a business called Bakus Wine. He gave us a few wines to taste. First was the 2023 Hans Wirsching Iphofer Riesling, Iphofen. It is a solid Mevushal Riesling. It shows like a Riesling, and at least in Paris, the price is a WINNER. He also sells three Cascina Perrone wines. We have already posted the notes for the Barbera d’Asti and the Nebbiolo. The 2020 Cascina Perrone Barolo continues to show the fine makeup of this wine line and is a good WINNER, with a long life ahead of it.

Then, I bought one wine for the tasting from (winess.com). David Sabban is a great guy, and he either has the wines in his lovely store in Paris in the 17th Arrondissement or can get them from his warehouse. He helped us with a bottle of 2023 Le Nardian Grand Vin de Bordeaux, Lugaignac. This wine shocked me, as it came in at 15% ABV for a white Bordeaux. That is CRAZY! The 2021 and 2022 Le Nardian came in at 12.5%! So, yeah, while I have no interest in buying this wine again, it is a decent wine. I just cannot get behind a 15% ABV white wine.

Ben Sitruk, owner of WineSymphony.fr, hooked us up with a few wines. The first was the 2022 Chateau Vieux Taillefer, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru. It seems that now the winery is making their wines kosher on their own or maybe through some other hands, I do not know. This is solid but lacks the pop I need and is ripe. Still, it is balanced and will appeal to many people. The next wine he helped us with is the 2022 Chateau Teyssier, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru. It is a solid wine, but it is NOTHING like the 2019 or the 2020. Those two wines scream acidity and pop, while this one has the 2022 curse.

Finally, we bought some older wines from MVC, such as the 2017 and 2018 Dampt Freres Chablis, Premier Cru. The 2017 is a STUNNING wine and has evolved to even higher heights than I dreamed. But it is DRINK NOW! Pop them NOW! There is no tomorrow. Please take note of my DW (Drinking Windows) on those wines – right on point, thank you! LOL! Even a broken clock is correct two times a day!

Where can you buy these wines?

• The Taieb wines will find their way to the USA through a menagerie of importers. Those include Liquid Kosher, Kosher Wine, and Victor Wines, which I continue to be baffled at where these wines actually sell outside of Florida!
• I am not sure who will bring in the two Corcos Wines; maybe Tabernacle?
• The Mercier wines will find their way here once the previous vintages are sold. The open question is the 2022 Chateau Haut-Marbuzet. The 2021 did not sell well with Royal, and I fear no one will bring it in, time will tell. If that is the case, it will be a REAL shame.
• Honest Grapes 2023 Burgundies are available with Honest Grapes, and beyond that, I am not sure.
• The only Bokobsa wine that I think will find its way to the USA is the 2022 Chateau Lamothe-Cissac, but maybe the Gigondas will as well, time will tell.
• The rest is unclear. I am not sure who will import them.
  • 2023 Hans Wirsching Iphofer Riesling, Iphofen (M)—is a great price in Paris. Add in importing and all that, and I doubt it has a market.
  • 2022 Chateau Vieux Taillefer, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – I have no idea who will import this
  • 2022 Chateau Teyssier, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – Same here the 2020 is still around in the USA.
  • 2023 Le Nardian Grand Vin de Bordeaux—2021 is not selling at all, and there are tons of 2022. I have no idea who will pick this up.
  • 2020 Cascina Perrone Barolo – I think this is a Bakus special.

Thoughts on this tasting

OK, so overall, this tasting was solid! This was better than previous tastings because the 2021 vintage is mostly played out, unlike other hotel wine tastings. Still, Kosher plonk exists in spades in all regions of the world! The USA may have the largest availability to them, but Paris is not far behind! The high-level 2022 Bordeaux did come out and shine! There were other lovely wines on top of that, so I call this a win!

Regarding other wines from France that people will ask me about, the answer is we tried. We sent out emails and got initial responses, and then all follow-up emails went into the Spam Bucket. Sometimes, I wonder if French people hate us Americans!

Before I forget – Avi took all the pictures from this trip, so if you dislike them, blame him. If you love them, disregard the previous sentence! Thanks, buddy!!

Finally, 90% of the the deliveries were to the hotel this time, my man Ari Cohen, AKA El-Presidente of Bakus Wines, was AWOL ONCE AGAIN on this trip! I think the more I go to Paris the less I get to see him – maybe I am finally becoming a Parisian! Thanks as always! Thanks for all the help, as always, buddy!

The wine notes are below in the order they tasted, per the producer. The explanation of my “scores” can be found here, and the explanation for QPR scores can be found here:

Taieb Wines

2023 Jean-Philippe Marchand Meursault, Meursault – Score: 91 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is closed at the start, with guava, mango, apple, pear, sweet oak, coconut, and salinity dominating. With time, the oak calms, and the fruit comes out even more with slate, oak, and vanilla.
The mouth of this full-bodied wine is a beast filled with yet more oak, apple, pear, guava, and mango dominate; it is plush, ripe, and almost candied. The sweet oak is intense and toasty as well. The wine feels out of kilter at the start. The acidity is on point, as is the fruit, but the wine is just too big to balance out cleanly. With time, the fruit comes out, the oak recedes, and the mouth becomes ripe and plush, with incredible acidity, saline, flint, minerality, ripe guava and melon, and loads of straw and hay.
The finish is long, toasty, oaky, creamy, and ripe! Drink from 2028 until 2033. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Jean-Philippe Marchand Puligny Montrachet, Puligny Montrachet – Score: 91 (QPR: EVEN)
At the start, this wine’s nose is dense oak, apple, pear, and intense smoke. With time, the wine finally emerges, with flint, yellow pear, lemon, yellow plum, and white peach wrapped in a cacoon of minerality. The mouth of this full-bodied wine starts off hiding with apple, pear, smoke, overpowering sweet oak, and enough acidity, backed by floral notes and saline. With time, the fruit emerges and shows good acidity, with pear, peach, apple, yellow plum, lemon/lime wrapped in a mouth coating, and plush sweet tannin, slate, and sweet oak.
The finish is long, smoky, earthy, and tart, with lemon/lime, vanilla, and sweet oak lingering long. Drink from 2028 until 2035. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Jean-Philippe Marchand Bourgogne, Hautes-Cotes de Nuits, Hautes-Cotes de Nuits – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is ripe with crazy oak, which comes across as sweet and throws things off. With time, the oak calms and shows a nice cherry/oak profile with roasted herb, smoke, bramble, and waxy, which is very nice. With time, the mouth of this medium-bodied wine comes around. It has a nice cranberry, cherry, and smoke combo, balanced by lovely acidity and coffee/chocolate, with some nice rosehip and floral notes and a nice mouthfeel. The finish is long, tart, refreshing, showing more smoke, tart sour cherry, coffee, and toast on the long linger. Nice! Drink from 2027 until 2035. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2023 Jean-Philippe Marchand Bourgogne, Hautes-Cotes de Beaune, Hautes-Cotes de Beaune – Score: 93 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is nice, with lovely paraffin, smoke, sweet oak, ripe cherry, coffee, Roasted herb, and burnt/toast notes. Nice! The mouth of this wine has slight bubbles that blow off and a lovely mouthfeel. It shows raspberry, cranberry, sour cherry, and lots of floral notes, including jasmine, rose, and dark cherry. It also has rich salinity, beautiful acidity, mouth-draping tannin, and almost meaty notes. Nice! The pop and focus is impressive, along with its refreshing approach. The finish is long, dirty, earthy, mushroom, floral, and smoky; this is coming together, and it is nice. The saline, smoke, floral notes, and acidity linger long. Drink from 2027 until 2034. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 2024)

2023 Jean-Philippe Marchand Nuits-Saint-George, Aux Herbues, Nuits-Saint-George – Score: 93 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine was closed to start, but with time, it opened, and nice floral notes poked out; with coffee and smoke, cherry is now in the front, with sweet oak, green notes, roasted herbs, and bramble. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is ripe, with sour cherry, very dirty, earth, loam, floral notes, rosehip, mushroom, wet loam, tart and refreshing acidity, pomegranate, and rhubarb. It’s really nice. The tannin, earth, smoke, and ripe fruit really bring this together with the oak and acidity. Nice! The finish is nice, tart, smoky, and refreshing, with the mushroom and loam working well. The fruit, mushroom, dirt, smoke, and floral notes really interplay well. Bravo! Drink from 2028 until 2033. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Jean-Philippe Marchand Gevrey-Chambertin, Gevrey-Chambertin – Score: 94 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is lovely, ripe, not candied, on target, with good oak, smoke, a lovely perfume of raspberry and cherry, coffee, nice waxy notes, loads of oak, rose and white flower, mushroom, and wet loam. Lovely! The mouth of this full-bodied wine is lovely, layered, complex, and concentrated with rich saline; the acidity is off the charts. Smoke, floral notes of rosehip, and mouth-draping tannin wrap the cherry, raspberry, pomegranate, and rhubarb—lovely! The complexity and expressiveness of the mouth are impressive, balanced, and without overtaking. The acidity is impressive. The finish is long, dirty, earthy, smoky, and ripe but well-controlled. It has a plush mouthfeel that is precise and pointed, backed by more flowers, fruit, acidity, tannin, and lovely graphite/rock. Bravo! Drink from 2028 until 2037. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2022 La dame de Baladoz, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is ripe, and almost sweet, with dense smoke, sweet oak, vanilla, black and red fruit, dirty and earthy. The nose is ripe and almost candied. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is tannic and ripe, with blackberry, plum, and raspberry. It shows enough minerality, a bit too many floral notes, and intense mouth-drying tannin. The finish is long, dense, and fruity, with a ripeness that is a bit off-kilter, and floral, with more tannin. Drink by 2032. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Moise Taieb, La Petite Metairie Chinon, Vieilles Vignes, Loire Valley – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is classic, stinky, earthy, herbal, and smoky, with nice red fruit, loam, and lots of rosehip and violet. The perfume is really impressive, a nice simple wine, but that Cab Franc perfume pulls you in. Great pop! The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is quite nice and simple, with good acidity, nice mouthfeel, cherry, raspberry, earth, and basic smoke. Drink now. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12%)

2023 Moise Taieb, La Petite Metairie Bourgueil, Bourgueil, Loire Valley – Score: 86 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine shows more floral notes than the Chinon, with ripe red fruit, earth, smoke, and more roses. The mouth of this wine lacks the acidity I need; the fruit and mouth are out of balance; it is simple, fruit-forward, ripe raspberry, and smoke; the tannin and acidity are there but not enough to bring it all together. Drink now (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12%)

2023 Moise Taieb Cote de Brouilly, Reserve du Fondateur, Beaujolais – Score: 84 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is ripe, funky, dirty, floral, and, yes, fruity. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is an acid bomb, with ripe raspberry and plum, but the acid cannot help, sadly. The mouthfeel is an attack and the finish is a bit short. Overall a nice enough wine. Drink now. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2023 Elysee Palace Merlot, Pays d’Oc (M) – Score: 88 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is simple, with green notes, showing plum, raspberry, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is simple but has nice acidity and good fruit, with cranberry, plum, and dirt. The tannin is there but is more of a helper, still a solid simple wine that does its job. Drink now. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2023 Les Remparts de Bel Air, Bordeaux (M) – Score: 76 (QPR: NA)
The nose of this wine is funk and flowers with red fruit, rosehip, yellow flowers, and dirt. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine shows too much RS, unbalanced, with ripe plum and raspberry, clawing potpourri, with good acidity, but it’s not the acid’s issue. The fruit is too much. Drink now. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2023 Baron David, Bordeaux (M) – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is ripe but balanced with violets, yellow flowers, ripe blueberry, raspberry, plum, earth, and nice smoke. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is nice, showing good acidity, great tannin, nice earth, and a bit too much fruit for me, but overall, it is a wine that will show well to many, fruit-forward and accessible to all that want a nice balanced fruity red wine. After a few hours, the wine opens up, calms the fruit down, and opens the tannin floodgates, and the wine is fun. Nice! Drink by 2026. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2023 Domaine de Grava, Bordeaux – Score: 89 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is proper, showing good fruit, smoke, earth, salinity, balance, and a bit of a pop, very good work! The mouth of this medium-bodied wine has good acidity, with ripe red fruit, sweet herbs, sweet oak, and loam. The finish of this wine is long, herbal, and smoky, with ripe fruit and tannin lingering. Drink by 2026. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14.5%)

2023 Château La Naude, Bordeaux Superieur (M) – Score: 81 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is simple, with floral notes of roses, candied violets, and red fruit. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is candied with RS, with a perfume of rose, raspberry, smoke, and potpourri. The wine has acidity, but the RS and fruit overpower it. Drink now. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14.5%)

2023 Chateau de L’Anglais, Castillon Côtes de Bordeaux – Score: 77 (QPR: NA)
The nose of this wine is candied and ripe, with floral notes, red fruit, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine has lots of acidity, with ripe raspberry and tinny and green notes. Drink now. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2023 Château Meilhan, Medoc – Score: 88 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine does not have any floral notes. It is filled with raspberry, cherry, smoke, loam, and some minerality. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine has good acidity, with cherry and raspberry flavors. The fruit feels a bit candied, but the acidity and minerality work out the issues. The finish is long, with some tannin, minerality, and nice acidity. Drink now. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13.5%)

2023 Les Hauts de Mole, Puisseguin Saint-Emilion – Score: 77 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is ripe, with candied floral notes and some RS. There is a theme here. I have no idea how this happened, but there are many wines with candied flowers, red fruit, smoke, and minerality is optional. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is another potpourri in the glass, candied and perfumed, the acidity tries but cannot keep up. The fruit is raspberry, cherry, smoke, and dirt. Drink now. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2023 Chateau Tournebrise, LaLande de Pomerol – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is ripe, dirty, and smoky, with blue and red fruit, waxy notes, smoked meat, earth, loam, and roasted herbs. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine has good acidity, with raspberry, cherry, and some smoke. At the start, this wine was off-kilter; thankfully, after some time, the wine came around, showing more focus, ribbons of mineral, graphite, smoke, and good earth. Fun stuff. Fruity, balanced, and earthy at the same time. The finish is long, tart/juicy, and ripe, with tobacco and graphite. Drink from 2026 until 2029. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2023 Chateau Tour de Bellegarde, Bordeaux Superieur (M) – Score: 82 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is candied potpourri, candied asparagus, and powered fruit punch, a very fruity wine profile. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine has a lot of RS, the floral notes overpower the wine with nice mouth-draping tannin structure, plum, raspberry, and sweet spices. Drink now. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14.5%)

2023 Joseph Mellot Pouilly Fume, Le Chant des Vignes, Pouilly Fume – Score: 87 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine was muted, at the start, with gooseberry, smoke, and some herbs. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine has good acidity, nice flint, bitter notes, with gooseberry, lemon/lime, tension, and nice smoke. Drink now. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Joseph Mellot Sancerre, La Graviere, Sancerre – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is clean and professional. It has good gooseberry, a nice honeysuckle, a bit of funk, and flint. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, on point, with great acidity and lovely tension, with nice gooseberry, smoke, flint, lemongrass, and lime; nice! Drink now. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2024 Elysee Palace Chardonnay, Pays d’Oc (M) – Score: 85 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine shows clean lines, apple, pear, and some minerality. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine lacks the acidity needed to make this wine pop. It has some acidity, with more apple, pear, and some citrus. Drink now. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

Honest Grapes Wines

2023 Domaine de Montille Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chalumeaux, Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru – Score: 92+ (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is clean and waxy, with lanolin and citron notes, a bit of orange, and lemongrass. It is very floral with honeysuckle, smoke, and slate. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is nice, with great acidity, precise with punch, focused, showing more citrus than apple/pear, tart and refreshing, showing salinity, minerality, straw, and tart tangerine. The finish is long, tart, and refreshing. The oak is well integrated and balanced, showing some nice tannin, working hand in hand with the fruit and oak. Bravo! Drink until 2030. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Domaine de Montille Monthelie, 1er Cru Les Duresses, Blanc, Monthelie – Score: 92 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is nicely balanced with sweet oak, funk, fresh baked ripe Fuji apple pie, baked goods, sweet spices, yellow flowers, honeysuckle, yellow plum, and sweet Asian Pear. Nice! The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is lovely, clean, and almost oily and waxy. It has sweet Apple and Asian Pear notes, intense floral notes, yellow flowers, lovely acidity, great focus, and nicely refreshing. The baked goods follow through in the mouth with nutmeg and cloves. The finish is long, tart, juicy, and refreshing, with salinity, slate, and smoke. Lovely! Drink until 2034. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Domaine de Montille Bourgogne, Bourgogne – Score: NA (QPR: NA)
The nose of this wine is strange, it could be the shipping, I am pasing on notes for this wine. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2023 Domaine de Montille Beaune, 1er Cru, Les Perrieres, Beaune, 1er Cru – Score: 89 (QPR: POOR)
The nose of this wine is okay with cherry, raspberry, rhubarb, earth, floral notes of rose, smoked meat, and rich soil. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is on point but simple, very linear, with more oak, cherry, and raspberry. It has great acidity, with some minerality, sweet oak, and the tannin and acidity are the best parts of this wine. Drink by 2029. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2023 Domaine de Montille Nuits Saint Georges, 1er Cru Aux Thorey, Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru – Score: 88 (QPR: POOR)
This wine starts closed, but with time, it opens to show cherry, oak, smoke, and toast; nice enough, but I was hoping for more. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine needs more acidity; the fruit is there, and the wine could use some pop. Once again, the wine has more oak than it needs, there is tension, and there is some cherry, raspberry, and cranberry, with menthol and smoke. The finish is long and simple, round, and oaky. Drink by 2028. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Domaine de Montille Volnay, 1er Cru Les Brouillards, Volnay Les Brouillards, 1er Cru – Score: 86 (QPR: POOR)
The nose of this wine is closed to start. With time, it opens to show some cherry and herbs, with milk chocolate and more oak. I was hoping for more life and pop. The mouth of this wine is missing the acidity I need, the cherry and raspberry are okay, but this wine is needs so much more. DDrink by 2030. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Domaine de Montille Pommard 1er Cru, Les Grands Epenots, Pommard 1er Cru, Les Grands Epenots – Score: 89 (QPR: POOR)
The nose of this wine was closed. When it opened, it showed better fruit—nice red and balanced fruit—with pop, sweet oak, smoke, earth, roasted herb, and dense coffee. The mouth of this full-bodied is nice, tart, and juicy, showing lots of oak, mouth-draping tannin, with some cherry, raspberry, and lovely acidity. The finish is long and tannic, with more roasted herbs and tart fruit lingering long. Drink until 2029. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

Mercier Wines

2022 Château de Fieuzal Grand Cru Classé de Graves, Pessac-Leognan – Score: 92+ (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine shows sweet oak, milk chocolate, loam, rich dirt, minerality, and black fruit. This wine was closed for two days. When it came out to play, it scared everyone off the playground.
This wine is a beast, with more milk chocolate, ripe sweet black fruit, loam, and dense smoke.
Once open, the mouth of this full-bodied wine is dense, layered, and extracted. It has intense minerality, insufficient acidity, blackberry and dark plum, rich mouth-drying tannin, and loads of sweet oak impact. Overall, what I need is more acidity to manage the amount of fruit in this wine.
The finish is super long and lingering, with milk chocolate, loam, dirt, chocolate-covered tobacco leaves, smoke, and some graphite that feels a bit too fat. The wine is so massive and so closed at the start; I just wish it had more acidity. Drink from 2033 until 2040. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13.5%)

2022 Château Olivier Grand Cru Classe, Pessac-Léognan – Score: 94 (QPR: WINNER (France))
The nose of this wine is big and bold and bruising with loam, earth, milk chocolate, elegant, with nice pop, roasted herb, gravel, tar, iron shavings, bramble, green notes, and lovely minerality.
The mouth of this full-bodied is closed to start, once open, this wine is a beast. The mouth shows deep extraction, lovely acidity, lovely minerality, saline, and savory, the pop and minerality pull you in as the wine is refreshing rather than clawing.
The mouth works so well because of the dark and red fruit; it is balanced in every way, showing the minerality, blackberry, tart raspberry, and cherry notes that are wrapped in mouth-draping and elegant tannin.
The finish is long, tannic, and acidic, backed by dense minerality, graphite, gravel, and rich loam. Bravo! Drink from 2033 until 2040. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14.5%)

2022 Chateau Fayat, Pomerol – Score: 94 (QPR: WINNER)
This is the third time I have had this wine, and it is already evolving. The nose of this wine is black and dense and lovely. Ripe but controlled, it shows green notes, roasted herb, minerality, and great pop, with tar, umami, and almost soy sauce—lovely! The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is lovely, dense, layered, extracted, elegant, and lovely. It has blackberry, plum, cranberry, raspberry, rich dirt, loam, screaming acidity, dense mouth-coating tannin, rich smoke, and a mouthfeel with great tension and attack.  The finish is long, dense, and ripe but perfectly controlled, with saline, graphite, green olives, savory, and lovely smoke. Bravo! Drink from 2030 until 2038. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2022 Chateau Haut-Marbuzet, Saint-Estephe – Score: 94+ (QPR: WINNER (France))
The nose of this wine starts with a pop, followed by clean lines. It shows dirty, earthy, smoky notes, some bright sweetness, like blueberry, black fruit, and sweet oak, and some floral notes on the back. Nice. This is a very unique approach. With time, the nose changes to just mushroom, black fruit, intense minerality, savory notes, umami, and green olives. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, layered, and extracted, with intense minerality. This may be the most mineral-driven wine I have had so far, with rich mouth-drying tannin, blackberry, plum, raspberry, and floral notes, rich graphite, scraping minerality, and lovely spice. This is a dense, layered, extracted, and intense wine with minerality, smoke, and rich fruit. The finish is long, dense, and rich, with cacao, pencil shavings, and joy! The wine lingers forever, with dense minerality, smoke, dark and blue fruit, mouth-draping tannin, and graphite. Wow! Drink from 2032 until 2040. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14.5%)

2022 Les Jardins de Soutard, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru – Score: 88 (QPR: POOR)
The nose of this wine is ripe with loads of dark fruit, graphite, oak, and rich loam. The issue I have is the ripeness overpowers the wine. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is too fruity and lacks the acidity to bring this whole thing together. The wine has some acid, too much tannin, and too much fruit, showing blackberry and raspberry, along with too much oak. This wine is unbalanced. The finish is long, while lacking the complexity to pull me in. Drink by 2030 (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2022 Alphonse Mellot Sancerre, La Moussiere, Sancerre – Score: 90 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is nice with good salinity, less than I would like, peach, grapefruit, gooseberry, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is showing nicely, with good fruit, salinity, flint, nice grip, and sweet fruit showing throughout. The finish is long with more minerality and smoke. Drink now. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Les Sec de Rayne Vigneau, Bordeaux – Score: 91+ (QPR: WINNER (France))
The nose of this wine is dry and clean, showing gooseberry, flint, some smoke, lemongrass, citrus, and herbs. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is correct, it starts a bit slow but opens nicely to great acidity, good pop, gooseberry, grapefruit, lemon/lime, honeysuckle, and flint. The finish is good and smoky. Drink now. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13.5%)

2023 Chateau de Rayne Vigneau Grand Vin Blanc Sec, Bordeaux – Score: 93 (QPR: GOOD)
This wine is super closed—even after two days, it is barely willing to talk to us. The nose of this wine finally starts to open, showing bright fruit, peach, apple, and pear, with good funk, nice citrus, minerality, slate, flint, very nice honeysuckle, honeydew melon, and lavender. Nice!
The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is tannic, with great acidity once it finally opens, intense sweet oak, a fat and oily white with peach, apple, apricot, and orange. It shows tart lemon and nectarines, almost plush, yellow plum, with intense minerality, rich saline, smoke, and lemongrass. Bravo! This wine is layered, complex, concentrated, refreshing, and so enjoyable, but it is an extreme baby and takes forever to open!
The finish is long, complex, and plush, with oak, sweet tannin, smoke, more saline, slate, and a lot of oak. This wine may come together at the end. Drink from 2027 until 2031. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13.5%)

2022 Chateau Rayne Vigneau Madame de Rayne, Sauternes – Score: 93 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this sweet wine is ripe and candied, with loads of funk, sweet jasmine, guava, mango, sweet and juicy pineapple, honeyed melon, and honeysuckle. Nice! The mouth of this full-bodied wine is layered and somewhat complex, with good guava, great acidity, mango, apricot, honeyed melon, honeydew, and dripping honey-coated walnuts. It has a dense/weighty and rich mouthfeel, almost plush. The finish is long, sweet, ripe, and candied, with lovely funk, smoke, and bitter notes that linger long. Bravo! Drink until 2045. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14.5%)

Bokobsa Wines

2022 Chateau Lamothe-Cissac, Haut-Medoc – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is dirty and earthy, with loam, mushroom, red fruit, bramble, menthol, gravel, mushroom, and forest floor. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is nice. It is dirty, earthy, smoky wine with a nice mouth-draping tannin structure. It has blackberry, plum, raspberry, clay earth, and smoke. The mouth is weighty and tannic. I need more acidity, but it may yet come out. The finish is long, dirty, and nice with dark chocolate, mocha, sweet tobacco, sweet oak, and a nice plush mouthfeel from its tannin structure, graphite, and smoke. Nice! Drink from 2030 until 2035. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13.5%)

2022 Bokobsa Gigondas, Les Pierres Blanches, Gigondas – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is anise, milk chocolate, blue and black fruit, sweet spices, cloves, and loads of smoke. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is screaming with great acidity, sweet spices, nutmeg, anise, baking spices, cinnamon, black pepper, blackberry, plum, and raspberry. The fruit attack is aggressive, along with the acidity, but that will calm with time. The finish is long, dirty, smoky, and ripe, with milk chocolate, roasted herbs, and tobacco. Drink by 2027. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14.5%)

2023 Dominique Piron Chiroubles, Chiroubles – Score: 88 (QPR: GREAT)
The wine was closed at the start, but with time, it opened to show nice blue and red fruit, dirty, smoky, earthy, meaty, and fruity. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice. It has good acidity, nice mouth-draping tannin, and good blueberry, smoke, raspberry, and plum flavors. The tannin and acidity work together well to lift this wine. The finish is the issue; it is a bit short, but the acidity is so lovely that the wine will be enjoyable to those who like Gamay. Drink from 2026 until 2028. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

Shlomo Corcos (Guter Wein) Wines

2022 Chateau Cantemerle, Haut-Medoc – Score: 92 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is correct, showing notes of black and red fruit, nice minerality, ink, wax, rich minerality, GOOD pop, and roasted herbs. The nose is dirty, earthy, and smoky, with menthol, basil, and more roasted herbs, with milk chocolate and rich smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is dirty, earthy, and a bit ripe, with blackberry, plum, hints of blueberry, sweet oak, milk chocolate, roasted herb, graphite, and mouth-draining tannin. Overall, it’s a nice approach for 2022. Still, the good acidity, mouthfeel, plushness, and complexity come around. The finish is long and tannic, with good acidity, nice tar, and more smoke, milk, chocolate, and sweet herbs. Drink by 2035. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13.5%)

2022 Chateau Grand Corbin, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe – Score: 93+ (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is closed, showing rich dirt, intense wax, loam, and smoke. The mouth of this wine is richly savory, with intense wax, roasted lamb meat, intense mouth-drying tannin, gamey meat notes, dark blackberry, raspberry, brooding and bruising with smoke, loam, intense minerality, and very good acidity. This is a poster child for pop, crazy acidity, intense minerality, mouth-draping tannin, and crazy lamb chops. Wow! This is a massive wine made possible by the 2022 vintage, showing big bruising fruit, lovely minerality, gamey notes, and loads of potential. Drink from 2030 until 2038. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14.5%)

Assorted Wines

2023 Hans Wirsching Iphofer Riesling, Iphofen (M) – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine has honeysuckle, lemon, lime, honeyed notes, melon, and lemongrass. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is mostly dry and nice, with great acidity, lovely lemon/lime, honey melon, good fruit focus, some nice tension, and good salinity. The finish of this wine is lovely. It is not overly complex, but minerality pulls you in, and the fruit and acidity do the rest. Nice! Drink until 2028. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2022 Chateau Vieux Taillefer, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – Score: 92+ (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is ripe and candied red fruit, with too much floral, rose, some mineral, and not enough pop. The wine started very slowly, overripe and overly tannic, without a fruit body. With time, it finally opened, showing a rich tannin structure, minerality, clay, sweet and ripe raspberry, ripe blackberry, cherry, graphite, and sweet oak. The finish is long, tannic, and ripe, with nice minerality, milk chocolate, smoke, and roasted meat. Nice. Drink from 2028 until 2035. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14.5%)

2022 Chateau Teyssier, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – Score: 92 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is controlled and has some pop. It has green and herbal notes, smoke, black and red fruit, clean lines, loads of earth, loam, and menthol. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is lovely, controlled but ripe, with dense tannin, nice minerality, rich mouth-drying tannin, and rich graphite. This is a tannic wine without the body and fruit to make it work. The raspberry and black plum exist, but the tannin overpowers, and the acidity is a bit lacking. With yet even more time, finally, this wine comes around. The acidity is on point, as is the fruit to balance the body. The same fruit is there; it is just the focus and acidity that were missing. This is a big wine with black and loads of plush tannin. The finish is long, ripe, plush, with tannin, graphite, smoke, and milk chocolate candy. This is a wine that I want to like, it is on point, but it is just too fat and round – even with the acidity to work for me, many will love this wine.. Drink from 2028 until 2034. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 15%)

2022 Le Chene de Margot, Blaye-Cotes de Bordeaux (M) – Score: 80 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is peachy with good gooseberry, lime, Meyer Lemon, and flint. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is flat as a pancake, with not much there other than some lemon and lime and gooseberry. Drink now. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12%)

2022 Chateau de Cor Bugeaud Cuvee Prestige, Blaye-Cotes de Bordeaux (M) – Score: 82 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is ripe, candied, and not bright. Showing candied gooseberry and some floral notes, with a side of lemonade. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine has enough acidity, but has nothing else offer, with a hint of lemon and that is it. Drink now. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12%)

2023 Le Nardian Grand Vin de Bordeaux, Lugaignac, Bordeaux – Score: 91+ (QPR: EVEN)
THIS WINE MUST BE CONSUMED AT Cellar Temp (AKA 60 degrees Fahrenheit, NOT Fridge temp) The nose of this wine is old-world, showing nice funk, like in 2021. It feels like a Burgundian white with all that oak, ripe yet well balanced, with yellow plum, smoke, peach apricot, straw, incredible funk, pineapple, ginger, lovely jasmine, intense minerality—just a true joy, lovely! The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is beautiful, layered, and tart, with intense acidity, intense mineral, graphite, sweet oak, peach, apricot, yellow plum, white pepper, and lovely funk all wrapped in nice tannin, and smoke. This wine would be easier to enjoy without having to be at the EXACT temp, but such is life! This is not a hot wine but it is the heaviest yet of the 21, 22, and now 23 vintages that were made kosher. The finish is long, oaky, and funky, with ginger and more sweet oak. The intense acidity lifts the wine’s oaky and oily structure. The citrus, complexity, funk, and weight are truly impressive. My only issue here, now that the acidity really came out, is that this ABV is really hard for me to love. Drink until 2030. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 15%)

2017 Dampt Freres Chablis, Premier Cru, Cote de Lechet, Chablis, Premier Cru – Score: 93 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine has evolved a lot from my first notes. This wine is pop-and-go ready. It is proof that we can have true lovely Chablis that ages and gets to the next level. Bravo! The nose of this wine is oaked, and oak takes center stage. There is dense French oak, mushroom, smoke, earth, loam, flint, apple, and then some more funk. Bravo! This wine is in tertiary mode and will probably be here for another year or two max. Get on it! The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is lovely; layers upon layers come at you, with a non-stop attack of minerals, fruit, earth, rich spices, and more minerals. The fruit is almost all gone, with a bit of peach hanging around still, with intense acidity, great tension, and lovely smoke. The mushroom, loam, and sweet spices wrap each other and make this wine a true pleasure. The finish is so long, with incredible minerality, showing flint, rock, shist, and lovely straw, with lovely sweet oak, peach, and mushroom. AT PEAK COME AND GET IT! Bravo!! Drink now! (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2022 Cantine Leuci Brunese, Primitivo, DOP Manduria, Manduria – Score: 79 (QPR: POOR)
The nose is candied, ripe, and on the edge. I find Zinfandel increasingly unapproachable; the fruit and sweetness are over the top. It shows candied black and blue fruit, smoke, and dirt. The mouth of this full-bodied wine has RS, candy fruit, over the top for me, a wine that some will like but not for me. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14.5%)

2020 Cascina Perrone Barolo, Barolo – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is ripe but not candied, with some control; the oak, though it is out of control at this time, has notes of bacon and smoked meat, with good pop. The nose shows great tart cherry, raspberry, and currant, with loam, minerals, and good smoke. Showing a nice pop in the nose. At the start, this wine was closed, and the tannin was locked away. Finally, it opened, and the tannin structure, along with the bracing acidity, cherry, raspberry, smoke, roasted meat, and tannin, is knitting well together now and have a long way to go. Nice! The finish is long, tart, smoky, and dirty. Drink by 2029. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2022 Domaine La Martinelle Cotes du Rhone Villages Visan Syrah, Cotes du Rhone Villages Visan, AOP – Score: 83 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is ripe, not candied, with good black and white pepper, spices, smoke, roasted animal, black & blue, and tar. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, candied blackberry and boysenberry, with intense black pepper, searing tannin, and okay acidity but no finish. Drink by 2028. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2022 Bodega Marco Abella Daleah Shomer, Priorat – Score: 86 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is ripe, showing candied fruit, black and blue fruit, smoke, and earth. The milk chocolate dominates, along with minerals and dirt. The mouth of this full-bodied wine shows blueberry, plum, candied raspberry, nice tannin, and acidity, but nothing lingers, and the wine falls apart a bit after the mouth ends. Drink until 2026 (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14.5%)

2023 Bodegas Faustino VII Faustino VII, Spain – Score: 70 (QPR: NA)
This wine is useless; I wanted to like it, but sadly, it is useless. The nose is terrifying; I cannot bring myself to taste it. (tasted January 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13.5%)