As stated in my previous post, I was in Paris in Late May, with Avi Davidowitz from Kosher Wine Unfiltered. This trip was not about numbers, but rather about sheer logistics. The number of boxes across the number of hotels was more than I wished for! Of course, this was totally self-inflicted, as Avi was coming in for business the week before, and I was juggling too much at home. In the end, it was a far more relaxing trip, as the sheer number of wines was more in the 40s than the usual 60 or 80 wines. A lot of that can be blamed on the number of 2024 or new 2023 wines on the market – there are just ZERO new wines out there. There are loads of old 2022 and 2023 roses in the stores in Paris, and the same can be said for older whites and reds. Wines are not moving, and as such, there was less new stuff to taste.

Two years ago, we had some 80 wines; this May, we were at 40+ wines. There were a few wines that Avi missed, and a few I wished he was able to see evolve, but that is the game as we know it!

The wines were tasted in classic region/style order: Rosés, whites, Wines from Spain and Italy, a single Burgundy, Bordeaux/Blend wines, and I think that is it.

Rose Wines

We had a total of 10 Roses, and there was just one 2024 Rose in the stores. The rest of the wines came from a combination of Mercier Wines, Capcanes Winery, Terra di Seta Winery, and Taieb wines. The hands-down best Rose I had so far this year is locked away in Paris, and that is the 2024 Château Sainte Roseline Lampe de Méduse – Cru Classé Rosé. This is the first time I have tasted this wine, and it was clean, controlled, and refreshing. That is a wine to BUY lots of for the summer.

I have often posted about Taieb wines, and if you want to read the whole background, read the first post I made here.

The 2024 Cave D’Esclans Whispering Angel and the 2024 Château Sainte Roseline Lampe de Méduse – Cru Classé Rosé are the two Rose WINNERS from the tasting. The 2024 Elvi Wines Vina Encina Rosado was a solid wine, along with the N.V. Summer Ice Rose.

White Wines

We tasted through a lot of white wines. One of them I brought from the USA for Avi to taste was the 2023 Alex Rubin Arinto. That is a wine that I posted about earlier and one that Avi loved as much as I did. The 2023 Chevalier De Marmorieres Blanc was a shocking WINNER find along with the always enjoyable Herenza White. I have no idea why the Herenza White doesn’t move well in the USA; I have no idea! Folks buy a few and try.

On a slight rant, I will start with the positives, thankfully, we have more kosher white wine available now than ever before, PERIOD! However, what is clear is that the kosher-buying public has made Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay their next Cabernet Sauvignon! I am happy you are all starting to enjoy white wines – finally! But good Lord, there are OTHER white wines out there! As stated, I am firmly on the ABC train, outside of a few Cali and France. Sauvignon Blanc is a wonderful grape and please ignore EVERYTHING that Avi says to the contrary, it is not his fault, he has issues with good wine!

Now, all I see is that white wines that are not Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc linger on physical or virtual shelves. Thankfully, most of you get Riesling, almost. But that is it! You guys killed the only good Albarino from Ramon Cardova because you all refused to buy it! The Herenza is the same, and this wine is 30 to 40 percent Sauvignon Blanc! OK, I’ll give up and stop my rant here! TRY OTHER white wines – please!

The rest of them are wines that you can try and see if you like.

Italian and Spanish Wines

Overall, the red wines were split between Italy/Spain and Burgundy/Bordeaux. However, the hands-down leader in QPR (Quality to Price Ratio) WINNER scores was Spain and Italy. Spain and Italy had 12 wines, and 7 of them won the QPR score of WINNER.

I must be honest here, I drove everyone crazy! Moises at ElviWines, Jurgen at Capcanes Wine Cellars, and Daniele at Terra di Seta. All of them were very kind to send us samples. The cool thing is, we got to taste Terra di Seta wines long before they appear on the USA shores, or at least before they are released for sale. The same can be said for Elvi Wines; we tasted yet unreleased wines here in the USA. Finally, the Capcanes wines may be released, but either way, they are solid. Our sincere thanks to all of them for taking the time and sharing their excellent work with us!

The seven QPR WINNERS were the

• 2022 Elvi Wines Adar
• 2022 Elvi Wines Herenza, Crianza
• 2023 Capcanes Peeraj Ha’abib
• 2021 Terra di Seta Chianti Classico, Riserva
• 2021 Terra Di Seta Guiduccio
• 2022 Elvi Wines El26
• 2019 Terra di Seta Chianti Classico, Assai, Gran Selezione (which Avi did not taste).

The 2022 EL26 was another stunning Grenache-based red wine, and I cannot say it enough, Elvi is crushing it over and over and over again! The Adar is a lovely Mevushal option that is not sold here in the USA, though it sells nicely in Israel. The 2022 Elvi Herenza Crianza is equally impressive.

Terra di Seta has once again released some lovely new wines, but they will not be available in the USA for a bit. The 2021 Terra di Seta Chianti Classico, Riserva is beautiful, along with the 2021 Terra Di Seta Guiduccio, which shows more refined than the 2020 Guido. Finally, the wine that Avi did not taste, the 2019 Terra di Seta Chianti Classico, Assai, Gran Selezione, is mind-blowing! Pure mushroom and soy sauce heaven.

A single Burgundy and Bordeaux Wines

As is familiar with our hotel wines, they open slowly and they are very hard to get a grip on until we are almost on a plane home. I have no idea why this is the case; it feels like it is the curse of the hotel, but we have stayed in different hotels, and the theme remains the same. Also, this phenomenon happens ONLY with Bordeaux wines. The rest of the red wines we taste and the whites open as we expect. The 2020 and 2021 Chateau Olivier Blanc are wines that took 6 days to come around. The 2023 Chateau de Rayne Vigneau Grand Vin Blanc Sec took 6 days to open! I have no idea, no explanation. I am not a chemist, and I am not going to speculate. What I will state is FACT! Wines we taste in the hotel room, for reasons unexplained, just take a LONG time to come around.

So, it was NO surprise when the main wines we were looking forward to tasting went silent for three days. The 2022 Château Angelus Carillon de l’Angélus was closed for four or more days. The 2022 Relais de La Dominique was literally red water for three days. The 2022 Chateau Haut Condissas Prestige was an open book from the start. The 2022 Château Tour Baladoz was closed for two or more days. The 2022 Chateau Haut Brisson may have been the WORST of the bunch – changing over four days from red water to a lovely wine. The 2022 Chateau du Courneau was there and available from the start! The 2022 Vieux Chateau Chambeau Reserve was as open as the time I had it in San Jose. I bought it to make sure that Avi tasted it.

The TRUE SHOCKER was the 2022 Chateau Rocher Gardat! Yes, you have a good memory. We tasted this wine back in 2024. However, my memory isn’t as good, so when I am walking around Paris, I buy what I see. Turns out it was indeed a wine we had tasted and given time to come around, and it never did. HOWEVER, this time, the wine was a shocking WINNER! It showed incredible acidity, pop, and fruit structure, and for the price, GOOD LORD, that is a clear WINNER for Bokobsa! The joy of a feeble mind when in Paris!

In case you were wondering there were four QPR WINNER wines. I will leave it up to you to guess, or you can look below. One of them should be STUPID obvious, the other two, not so much, but hey, that is the joy of wine!

The rest of the wines were average and available, but not exciting.

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! The Elvi wines are already available in the USA. The Capcanes Cellar wines are already here. The Terra di Seta wines are now available in the USA, but their release will be delayed until the current stock is depleted. Then you have the Mercier Wines, none of which are here, I think. The 2022 Chateau Haut Brisson, 2023 Chateau Angelus Tempo d’Angelus, and the 2022 Château Angelus Carillon de l’Angélus are either available in the USA or on their way; I’m not sure. I saw a bottle on social media, but we can’t be sure if it’s actually here or was brought in by hand.

The 2022 Vieux Chateau Chambeau Reserve is readily available in the USA,

The Mercier wines will find their way here once the previous vintages are sold. As for the rest of the wines, I have no idea!

As always, the 2022 Pavillon de Leoville Poyferre is the Non-Mevushal version of the wine, and is only available in France, the UK, and Israel. We bought it because we couldn’t get a tasting of it – sadly, it didn’t show any better than its Mevushal version.

I have no idea what is going on with all the 2022 Rollan de By wines. These were all made by Taieb, but for some reason, they are not being imported into the USA, and they are hard to find in France, as well. The Condissas is a clear WINNER, but that only helps if you can find it!

Thoughts on this tasting

OK, so overall, this tasting was great! This was better than previous tastings because the 2022 vintage has shown far better than I originally imagined, unlike other hotel wine tastings. Of the 40+ wines that we tasted, 31 of them garnered scores that would be acceptable to most people. That is a great showing! 31 of 40+ wines! Good stuff! 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!

Regarding other wines from France that people will ask me about, the answer is that we tried. We sent out emails and received initial responses, but all subsequent follow-up emails were directed to the Spam Bucket. Sometimes, I wonder if French people hate us Americans! Anyway, the winning lineup is impressive and holds wines that you should be buying. I sure will! There are a couple of wines that were not in that picture, but the scores will make clear they deserved to be there. The issue was that one wine was not delivered until after Avi left, and the others improved after that time as well. So, like I said, these wines take time to come around.

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!! Thankfully, this time we got all the wine pictures!

Finally, 100% of the deliveries were to the hotel this time. I have essentially stopped bothering my man Ari Cohen, AKA El-Presidente of Bakus Wines. He has essentially become totally AWOL on our trips. I think the more I go to Paris, the less I get to see him – maybe I am finally becoming a Parisian! Thanks for all the help, as always, buddy!

The wine notes follow below in the order that they were tasted. The explanation of my “scores” can be found here and the explanation for QPR scores can be found here:

2023 Jean-Philippe Marchand Aloxe Corton, Sous Chaillots, Aloxe Corton – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is solid, with pomegranate, dried cranberry, plum, cherry, rich smoke, roasted herbs, minerality, and red floral notes. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is lovely; it is ripe, not candied, more like a Pommard or Volnay, with incredible acidity, nice balance, along with layers of ripe and juicy pomegranate, dried cranberry, tart and juicy Bing cherry, all wrapped in mouth-draping tannin, rich smoke, and lovely roasted herbs. The acidity, juicy fruit, and smoke take center stage. Bravo! The finish is long, ripe, balanced with smoke, ripe, tart, and juicy fruit, with floral notes, and bitter mint flavor. Bravo! Drink by 2030, maybe longer; it feels missing in the tannin. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2024 Elvi Wines Vina Encina Tinto, La Mancha (M) – Score: 82 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is a bit too ripe and shows more like a Beaujolais than a Tempranillo. Showing candied lifesaver and blue fruit. The mouth of this light-bodied wine is ripe, candied, without the acidity it needs, but it has fruit that is candied and is a bit green as well. Drink by 2025. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2022 Elvi Wines Adar, Ribera del Jucar (M) – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is ripe, but more controlled than previous vintages, with nice minerality, smoke, soy sauce, and roasted meat aromas. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is ripe, and the acidity is great, with notes of soy sauce, sweet oak, blackberry, plum, nice graphite, soft tannin, and roasted herb. The finish is long, ripe, and candied, yet balanced with acidity, featuring notes of charcoal, sweet vanilla, roasted meat, and soy sauce. Drink by 2027. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2022 Elvi Wines Herenza, Crianza, Rioja – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is nice, showing good acidity, pop, tart fruit, loads of smoke, intense sweet dill, hickory, ripe fruit, nice coffee, and umami. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is lovely. There is nice sweet oak, but the wine is balanced, with great acidity and smoke. At first, it is closed, but with time, it reveals blackberry, plum, and dark cherry flavors, along with a smooth mouthfeel, fine tannin, and lingering smoke. The finish is long, ripe, and balanced, with more sweet oak, intense sweet dill, lovely vanilla, and deep loam. Nice!! Drink by 2028. I think this vintage will not last as long. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2023 Capcanes Peraj Ha’abib, Montsant – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
This is a return to what I liked about Peraj Ha’abib in the past: smoky, dirty, earthy, charcoal, and tar-driven wine, with nice red and blue fruit. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine, with ripe blackberry, plum, juicy boysenberry, smoke, tar, charcoal, intense tannin, and layers of fruit that come at you, and yet you are almost refreshed – an intense experience that has the bracing acidity to pull it all off. The finish is long, spicy, with smoke, cloves, vanilla, cinnamon, and more tar and charcoal. Bravo! Drink until 2030. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 15%)

2023 Terra di Seta Chianti Classico, Chianti Classico – Score: 88 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is fruity, with more fruit than I expect, with time that moves aside and the earth, smoke, dirt, and loam emerge, along with dark cherry, roasted herb, and smoke. Sadly, this becomes green and thin and tinny, too simple. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, the fruit is on point with dark cherry, raspberry, smoke, earth, and not much else. The finish is long, with good minerality, great acidity, smoke, and dense loam. Drink by 2027. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14.5%)

2021 Terra di Seta Chianti Classico, Riserva, Chianti Classico – Score: 93 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is impressive. It starts with intense, rich loam, bright pop, and umami, along with dark, brooding fruit, smoke, soy sauce, and lovely tar, all of which are impressive. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is massive, with intense acidity, layers of extracted fruit, blackberry, plum, dark cherry, smoke, intense loam, and soy sauce, all wrapped in massive mouth-drying tannin, mushroom, smoke, and forest floor. Wow! Lovely! The finish is long, dirty, smoky, and lovely with more tannin, dark fruit, and great acidity lingering long. Bravo! Drink from 2028 until 2036. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 15%)

2021 Terra di Seta Chianti Classico, Assai, Gran Selezione, Chianti Classico – Score: 90 (QPR: EVEN)
This vintage is not as elegant as the 2018. At first, I thought this was a few steps behind, but with time, it has shown to be a slight step behind. The wine shows ripe fruit, roasted meat, soy sauce, red and black fruit, tar, smoke, violet, and some loam. The mouth on this full-bodied wine is ripe and concentrated, but not well controlled, with ripe plum, dark blackberry, dark strawberry, candied raspberry compote, shockingly ripe blueberry, baking spices, all wrapped in dense sweet oak, sweet tannin, smoke, and green notes. The finish is long, dense, dark, rich, layered, and concentrated, featuring notes of espresso coffee, more blueberry, mineral, graphite, and star anise. Drink from 2027 until 2033. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 15%)

2021 Terra Di Seta Guiduccio, Toscana – Score: 93 (QPR: WINNER)
This wine is a blend of 50% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 25% Merlot. This wine is pure dirt and earth, very fruity, dark, and brooding, better than the 2020. The Sangiovese is present, but what stands out is the Cab/Merlot blend; it fills the mouth and adds a punch of acidity, loam, and deep focus, making it very nice! This is a special wine. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is characterized by great acidity, maybe a bit too much, with intensely ripe and fruit-forward flavors. It showcases plum, dark cherry, smoke, and oak, complemented by dense and mouth-coating tannins, rich smoke, and toast with notes of dirt, licorice, and tar. With time, the fruit calms and the Bordeaux fruit shines with lovely oak, sweet plum, earth, blackberry, and dark cherry, very nice! The finish is very ripe, dirty, oaky, and intense, with notes of leather, tar, and ripe black fruit. Interesting. Drink from 2028 until 2035. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14.5%)

2022 Elvi Wines El26, Priorat – Score: 94+ (QPR: WINNER)
This wine is a blend of 90% Grenache & 10% Carignan The nose of this wine shows the same incredible balance and pop like the 2021 vintage, with some mushroom, funk, rich minerality, loam, rock, slate, and limestone; this wine is pure minerality, with massive pop, tart, and rich, and the nose pulls you in and never lets you leave. This is almost ethereal, truly the Pinot of Priorat! This wine threads the needle like nothing I have seen, at a level that they do. Very impressive. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is incredibly complex, featuring notes of less ripe fruit than in 2021, layered complexity, tartness, juiciness, smokiness, earthiness, and a rich minerality. The front is characterized by a remarkable pop, expression, and tension, with flavors of blackberry, plum, boysenberry, dark cherry, smoke, roasted meat, mushroom, and abundant earth. Wow! The fruit is more precise and tart, and control is even more evident. The finish is long, ripe, dirty, smoky, with lovely vanilla, sweet dill, strawberry, and graphite! Drink until 2034. WOW! (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 15%)

2022 L’enclos de Zeide Cuvee Boisee, Bordeaux Superieur – Score: 81 (QPR: POOR)
This wine is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon & 40% Merlot. The nose of this wine is simple, with green notes, jalapeno, smoke, red fruit, and dirt. The mouth of this wine is simple, a bit of red fruit, some tannin, and that is it. Drink now. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Chateau Puygueraud, Francs – Côtes de Bordeaux – Score: 88 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is ripe, candied, and unbalanced, with a lot of fruit, no pop, notes of raisin, dried fruit, cranberry, and dried plum, as well as dense smoke. After three days, the wine finally comes around to show lovely ripe fruit, control, red and black fruit; all the dried fruit is gone. Nice! The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is lacking acidity, with an intense attack of ripe, dried raisin, dried plum, cranberry, smoke, and not much tannin. The overall profile is characterized by massive fruit, some acidity, and the fruit is overripe and stewed. With time, the wine takes a turn for the better, showing good control, nice acidity, good blackberry, plum, and intense drying tannin. The finish is long, dark, dirty, with mineral and smoke. Drink by 2027. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14.5%)

2022 Chateau Haut Condissas Prestige, Medoc, Bordeaux – Score: 93 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine feels like one of the most balanced and on-point nose aromas from the 2022 Bordeaux vintage.. The nose of this wine showcases the joy of 2022, with a good fruit structure, great pop, rich fruit, green notes, roasted herbs, dirt, earth, smokiness, and lovely tar that brings it all together with such brightness that it’s really fun! The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is epic, with acidity perfectly balanced against the fruit, featuring notes of blackberry, plum, raspberry, and cherry, all wrapped in herbs and sweet tannin that drapes and elevates the entire experience, complemented by garrigue, smoke, and roasted basil. The finish is forever, and keeps coming back, a very special expression of the 2022 vintage. Bravo! Drink from 2034 until 2040. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13.5%)

2022 Pavillon de Leoville Poyferre, Saint-Julien – Score: 90 (QPR: GOOD)
This wine is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon & 50% Merlot. The nose of this wine is ripe and candied, with a notable 14% ABV, possibly higher. This is the non-Mevushal version, and while it has a bit more control, it shows the ripeness of the 2022 vintage. The nose presents ripe and candied plums, along with notes of black and red fruit, and some minerality, ultimately lacking the pop and brightness to bring it all together. The fruit is too pronounced for my taste. Overall, outside of the oak, this is very similar to the Mevushal version. The mouth of this full-bodied wine lacks the acidity it needs. It feels ripe and pushed. It exhibits plushness, complemented by nice tannin, blackberry, plum, and raspberry notes, without the annoying oak notes of the Mevushal version. Overall, the wine is quite nice; what it lacks is acidity. The fruit and the structure are on point. The finish is long and ripe, but the tannin and minerality help mitigate this. Still, the lack of acidity hurts it. Drink from 2029 until 2035. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2023 Château Roc de Boissac, Puisseguin Saint-Emilion – Score: 90 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine pops, a bit simple, but with time, it opens to reveal massive fruit, good pop, with prunes, dark chocolate, earth, loam, and tar also present. This is not a classic Puisseguin Saint-Emilion, far fruitier than expected but solid. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine boasts excellent acidity, which almost balances the intense and candied notes of raspberry, cherry, strawberry, black plum, and roasted herbs. It is all wrapped in sweet oak, dark chocolate, rich loam, dirt, and graphite, with a mouth-drying tannin. The finish is long, tart, ripe, and tannic, with fruit, nice graphite, and tar lingering for a long time. Drink by 2027. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2022 Château Tour Baladoz, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classe – Score: 92 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is nice; it takes time to develop, but once open, it shows some pop, with lots of fruit, both black and red. It also exhibits nice salinity, minerality, and notes of roasted herbs, mint, and oregano, along with a hint of sweet dill and sweet oak. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine features nice acidity, complemented by good raspberry, blackberry, and plum notes, along with mouth-draping tannin, nice minerality, and a well-structured fruit profile. The finish is long, with loads of roasted herb, smoke, garrigue, and more attacking tannin. Drink by 2031. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13.5%)

2022 Chateau Haut Brisson, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – Score: 93 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is pleasant, although not quite the pop I was hoping for, yet still very nice, with notes of tar, smoke, iron shavings, graphite, though it is ripe, almost pushed with red and black fruit, and garrigue. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is lovely, with blackberry, plum, and raspberry notes, balanced by great acidity, garrigue, lovely minerality, and graphite, all wrapped in dense, mouth-draping tannin. The finish is long, dark, brooding, tannic, and closed, with garrigue, iron shavings, and lovely loam. After many days, the wine finally opened, and it shows beautifully, the ripeness is in control, and the fruit profile is balanced by the intense mineral, loam, and acidity. The tannin and minerality match the fruit, making this a lovely wine. Drink from 2035 until 2042. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14.5%)

2022 Vieux Chateau Chambeau Reserve, Lussac Saint-Emilion (M) – Score: 92+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine pops, showcasing the brightness that follows in the mouth. It has lovely notes of dirt, loam, tar, and black and red fruit, all while maintaining a solid balance. The nose also has lovely floral and fruity notes. This is a great example of balance between ripe fruit and nice control. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine has great control, with great acidity and solid tannin, with an attack of blackberry, dark cherry, raspberry, and rich minerality. The tactile mouthfeel is on point; you feel the fruit, the acidity, followed by the scraping minerality. This is not a complex wine, but rather a well-balanced, fruity one. Nice! The finish is long, tannic, balanced, fruity, and mineral-driven. Nice! Drink until 2032. (tasted March and May 2025) (in San Jose, CA, and Paris, France) (ABV = 13.5%)

2023 Chateau Angelus Tempo d’Angelus, Bordeaux – Score: 85 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this light-red colored wine is initially tinny, but opens up to reveal more roasted herb, smoke, raspberry notes, and an elegant jalapeno finish. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is too simple at this point; it is closed with too many green notes, garrigue, smoke, and some red fruit. The wine appears light-bodied, but in the mouth, it shows more power, although the closed nature of the wine is hard to see past. The finish is green, tannin madness, smoke, and that is it. Drink by 2028. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13.5%)

2022 Château Angelus Carillon de l’Angélus, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – Score: 93 (QPR: GREAT)
This wine has had a long journey, very much like the 2020 vintage. To be fair, it was so closed it is insane. However, when we first opened it, the wine was lovely, and then a few hours later, it transitioned into a hard, fruit-bomb, milk chocolate funk, almost like a Napa Cab – fruit-driven funk.
Finally, after many days, like the 2020 vintage, Avi called it, the wine emerged from its cocoon, and now it is ready to play. The nose of this wine now shows lovely funk, pop, minerality, smoke, dirt, earth, wet loam, and graphite that leap from the glass. The minerality amplifies the dark fruit, both black and red, with notes of tar, rock, and forest floor. Nice!
The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is lovely, now that it is opening up; the fruit has emerged, but so has the acidity, along with smoke, dirt, loam, sweet oak, sweet dill, blackberry, dark plum, cassis, mouth-drying tannin, and nice minerality. This is close to what I expected at the beginning, but the sweet oak, milk chocolate, and sweet dill still throw me.
The finish is long, ripe, almost candied, with milk chocolate and sweet tobacco notes, reminiscent of a Napa at the end. However, the saving grace is the intense minerality and great acidity. Drink from 2031 until 2036. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2022 Chateau du Courneau, Marguax – Score: 90 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is subdued; it lacks pop, but it is packed with fruit, including red, green, and black varieties, as well as smoke and some earthy notes, and that is about it. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is nice; it has just enough acidity, with blackberry, plum, milk chocolate, smoke, and lovely mouth-draping tannin that helps elevate the wine. The green notes do bother me, but the rest of the wine is nice. The finish is long, herbal, smoky, dirty, and tannic. The tannin, graphite, and ripe fruit linger long. Drink by 2032. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2024 Elvi Wines Vina Encina Blanco, La Mancha (M) – Score: 81 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is tropical, with notes of mango, papaya, and saline. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is a salt bomb with lovely, over-corrected acidity, lemon juice, and lime. Drink now. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2024 Elvi Wines Herenza, White, Alella – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is pleasant, with good intensity and bright notes of grapefruit, peach, funk, and white flowers, all of which are very nice. The mouth of the medium-bodied wine is on point again, with great acidity, lovely funk, notes of peach, apricot, grapefruit, lemon/lime, rich salinity, and smoke, along with a nice mouthfeel. The finish is long, salty, and funky. Drink until 2026. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2024 Capcanes Peraj Petita Blanc, Montsant – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is floral with white flower notes, jasmine, and lemon/lime. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice with good acidity, simple with lemon, lime, and bitter pith. The finish is short, with more lemon and bitter pith. Drink now. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2023 Chevalier De Marmorieres Blanc, Vin de France – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is perfect, simple, to the point, and very enjoyable. The nose is bright, with good pop, refreshing, and evoking notes of lemon, peach, grapefruit, and white melon.
The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is on point with good acidity, lovely funk, good tension, smoke, and nice mouthfeel. A complete wine that is nice and refreshing. The finish is long and refreshing with slate and smoke. Nice! Drink now. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

N.V. R de Romy, Pays d’Oc (M) – Score: 78 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is simple, with cooked apple and pear notes, along with burnt caramel. Drink now. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13.5%)

2023 La Chablisienne Chablis, Cuvee Casher, Chablis (M) – Score: 80 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is so simple that it feels empty, with apple, acid, and salt. The mouth of this light-bodied wine is simple, with nice apple, smoke, and saline. The issue is that there is very little else. Drink now. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2024 Elvi Wines Vina Encina Rosado, La Mancha (M) – Score: 90.5 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is well-balanced, with notes of strawberry, raspberry, peach, and saline. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine has clearly been acidified to compensate for whatever the vintage lacked, along with more strawberry, smoke, and saline notes. It is a bit simple, but it is a very enjoyable quaff. Nice, drink now. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2024 Capacanes Peraj Petita Rosat, Montsant – Score: 84 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine features nice strawberry, cotton candy, bubble gum, sweet notes, lemon/lime, and a hint of saline. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine exhibits more of the acidification characteristic of the 2024 whites and rosés, along with notes of strawberry, loads of acidity, and hints of peach. Drink now. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13.5%)

2024 Terra di Seta Meshi Rosato, Toscana – Score: 76 (QPR: NA)
The nose of this wine is empty with red fruit, citrus, and saline. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine starts with highly corrected acidification, followed by saline, and some red fruit. But it feels empty, and there is no finish. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

N.V. Elysee Palace Rose, Gris du Sud, Pays d’Oc (M) – Score: 70 (QPR: NA)
Cooked mess, next! (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

N.V. Eclat de Diamant Rose, Gris du Sud, Pays d’Oc (M) – Score: 83 (QPR: POOR)
The nose of this wine is the best part, with strawberry, slate, and lime. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is where things go wrong, it shows cooked strawberry, slate, and good acidity, but no finish. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

N.V. Summer Ice Rose, Pays d’Oc (M) – Score: 88 (QPR: GREAT)
This is a classic off-dry Rose that features bright fruit, acidity, and notes of cotton candy and sugar to make an enjoyable beach wine. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine has good acidity, sugar, strawberry, cotton candy, and peach. Enjoy now. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2024 Cave D’Esclans Whispering Angel, Cotes de Provence – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
This is on point – hitting all the notes I want. Nice! The nose of this wine exhibits characteristic Grenache notes, including strawberry, flint, smoke, and citrus, with additional floral and smoky aromas. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is fun, with good acidity, smoke, flint, strawberry, and nice salinity. This is a clean, well-priced, and refreshing rose. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2024 Château Sainte Roseline Lampe de Méduse – Cru Classé Rosé, Côtes de Provence – Score: 91+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is all the things I want in a rose: funk, flint, smoke, fruit, strawberry, raspberry, and citrus. All wrapped in good fresh aromas. Nice! The mouth of this medium-bodied is nice, almost plush, refreshing with great acidity, smoke, flint, strawberry, tart citrus, nice funk, and nice floral notes. The wine is clean, funky, smoky, and flinty. Nice! Drink now. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2024 Château Sainte Roseline Prestige Rose, Cotes de Provence – Score: 90 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is pleasant, with notes of flint and funk, although there is no clear expression of rose. However, it does show hints of strawberry, flint, and white flowers. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, it has enough acidity, it has enough strawberry, but the lack of excitement, expression, and the pith make it a good rose, but not exciting. Drink now. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2021 Elvi Wines Herenza Crianza, Collection, Rioja (M) – Score: 88 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is nice, with American oak, dark cherry, rich vanilla, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, though it lacks the acidity I need. The fruit shows dark cherry, smoke, and sweet notes that really throw me, almost like brown sugar. The finish is long, but the ripeness and sweetness linger. Drink by 2026. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14%)

2022 Chateau Lafitte, Cotes de Bordeaux (M) – Score: 87 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is average, exhibiting notes of green, ripe black, and blue fruit, along with pleasant smoke and ripe fruit, but it lacks balance, with jammy fruit. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is ripe and brooding, with almost no acidity, featuring herbal notes, candied boysenberry, dark raspberry, blackberry, chunky tannin, and some minerality. The finish is okay, with notes of green, herbal, and jammy flavors. Drink by 2027. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2022 Relais de La Dominique, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – Score: 94 (QPR: WINNER(France), Great)
The nose of this wine is ripe, very Napa Valley-like, almost pushed, with blackberry liqueur, crème de cassis, tar, smoke, sweet oak, and milk chocolate. The saving grace is the minerality and roasted herbs. The heat in the nose is a turnoff. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, with good acidity that helps balance it. Still, the mass of fruit is a bit overwhelming, showcasing more of the fruit from the nose, including cassis liqueur, candied blackberry, and plum liqueur, along with intense mouth-drying tannin and nice minerality. The heat at the end is too fierce, and the overall mouthfeel is too heavy and unbalanced. The finish is long, ripe, candied, and smoky, with lovely notes of graphite, loam, and intense milk chocolate.
After a long time, the wine finally opened. It has evolved. The nose, after time, now shows ripe fruit, with some pop, classic fish sauce notes, umami, smoke, and minerality. It is unique. The mouth of this full-bodied wine now has the acidity to bear the weight and fruit, with lovely fruit focus, including blackberry, cassis, smoke, and dark cherry. However, what takes center stage is the umami, reminiscent of fish sauce, minerality, and the forest floor, along with intense loam. This is a very unique and exceptional wine, the pop, refreshing attack, while being also fruity, and then throw in the fish sauce, and this is fun! The attack of acidity, umami, fruit, minerality, and balance is not common.
The finish is long, dark, and brooding, yet balanced with notes of loam, graphite, fish sauce, and roasted meat. This is fun! Get some! Drink from 2030 until 2036. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 15.5%)

2020 Chateau Les Carregades, Medoc – Score: 88 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is not tinny, but the notes are simple, red and green aromas, some dirt, smoke, and that is about it.
The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is simple; it has good acidity, almost no complexity, just a straight line of cherry, raspberry, dirt, soft tannin, and smoke. The finish is nice, but there’s nothing else to it. Drink now! (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2022 Chateau Rocher Gardat, Montagne-Saint-Emilion – Score: 93.5 (QPR: WINNER (France))
This is the second time we’ve tasted this wine, and it is lovely! This wine is a blend of 90% Merlot & 10% Cabernet Franc.
The nose of this wine is nice, with clean lines, featuring notes of wax, dirt, earth, smoke, and minerals, alongside red and black fruit, tar, and iron shavings – this is a fun wine! The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is truly impressive; it boasts great acidity, a nice pop, fruit focus, and a plush mouthfeel, featuring blackberry, raspberry, and dark cherry notes, all balanced, refreshing, yet assertive, with minerality, smoke, and earthy notes, wrapped in mouth-draping and elegant tannin.
The finish is long, dark, and balanced, mineral-driven, with tannin, smoke, fruit, and scraping graphite lingering long. This is an excellent expression of Saint Emilion. Bravo!! Drink from 2029 until 2035. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14.5%)

2019 Terra di Seta Chianti Classico, Assai, Gran Selezione, Chianti Classico – Score: 94 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine feels the most controlled I have ever tasted from the Assai line.
The nose of this wine is lovely, balanced, with ripe fruit, smoke, roasted animal, umami, and mushroom. Violet, floral notes, decadent toast, and vanilla. It is impressive. The nose is elegant, controlled, and packed with umami.
The mouth of this wine is incredible; it is perfectly balanced, ripe, but the level of control asserted here feels like Daniele corralled a Rhino in the corner. The level of control on such a beastly yet corralled mouthfeel is insane – Bravo! The mouth of this perfectly threaded needle of a full-bodied wine is impressive, with extraction, concentration, and, yes, elegance that is truly remarkable. An assault of umami, saline, tension, blackberry, raspberry, tart cherry, rich minerality, and mouth-draping tannin makes this wine a true showstopper, BRAVO!!! It was tough to spit this wine, it is so refreshing while being a beast!
The finish is so long, tannic, tense, and extracted, while being refreshing, with smoked meat, tobacco, rich mushroom, and rich graphite. Bravo! This is a WINNER! Drink now until 2033. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 14.5%)

2024 Koenig Riesling, Alsace (M) – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is okay; it feels ripe, almost candied, though I think it is dry with a minute amount of RS, showing honeysuckle, grapefruit, lemon/lime, floral notes, honeyed melon, and pineapple.
The mouth of this wine opens slowly, but it is a winner, with notes of honeysuckle, Meyer lemon, nice acidity, good tension, a good bite, though it remains round, with nice fruit, lychee, hints of petrol, and nice work.
The finish is long, tart, fruity, and round, with some minerality, enough flint to make things work. Drink by 2027. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 12.5%)

2022 Viña Memorias Alkunya, Utiel-Requena – Score: 90 (QPR: GREAT (France))
I had zero expectations when tasting this wine, and I found it nice. The nose of this wine is on point for Macabeo, showing nice notes of lavender, apple, and pear, with dry notes, hints of hay, smoke, and citrus. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice; it has good acidity, it is dry, with floral notes, nice apple, quince, pear, orange, and dry lemon. The mouth is a bit too simple, but on point. The finish is long, tart, almost showing tension, with drying apple, quince, and some flint lingering. Nice! Drink now! (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Vina Memorias Alenar 767 Blanco, Vendimia – Score: 87 (QPR: EVEN)
The wine has nice stuff, but overall, it is too simple to interest me. The nose is essentially quince, apple, and not much else. The mouth of this wine has good acidity, but the fruit is so light and non-existent that it feels empty. The quince and apple try, but there is no stuffing. Drink up. (tasted May 2025) (in Paris, France) (ABV = 11.5%)