Last week, I found myself in the JFK/Queens area for the first time in my life for longer than a few hours. I was there for the wonderful Bar Mitzvah of my Nephew, and it was a great time to meet up with my family and friends. Most of the time, JFK is a way in or a way OUT of NYC. This time, it was the gateway for my entire trip, and I would not be surprised if that continues in some proportion going forward.

Anyway, while I was there, I took it upon myself to buy my own wines because the timing was too tight and I could not get to NJ and get back. I was in NY for essentially three days, and I worked two of them. So, yeah, it was fun and hectic, and YES, the best part was Shabbat and the Bar Mitzvah, but I made sure to taste some wines.

Wine Tasting

Zev Steinberg was kind enough to pick up the phone and call me – we seem to have issues when typing over WhatsApp – a story for another time! After a short conversation, I worked the phones, WhatsApp, and many other communication tools, and thankfully, I was able to corral the wines I thought were possible. The shocker would be a bit later in the evening!

My job was to get all the new wines that Royal had brought in from France and from South Africa. So, I got:

• 2025 ESSA Altira
• 2024 Baron de Mamour Chenin Blanc
• 2024 Baron de Mamour Pouilly-Fume
• 2024 Baron de Mamour Pinot Noir
• 2022 Marchesi Fumeanelli Terso Vento Bianco
• 2021 Cascina Minot Langhe Nebbiolo
• 2023 Le Comte de Malartic Blanc
• 2023 Chateau Malartic Blanc

I tried to get the Gazin Blanc, but it slipped through my fingers. In the end, I was able to get what I could from Midwood Wine Merchants. I am not promoting things here for the sake of a dollar. It was very challenging to obtain the Baron de Mamour wines, which had just been released, along with the rest of the Malartic white wines (there are three), and the two Italian wines. My tight schedule and insane timing meant I had to PUSH people/stores to try to get the wines from Royal, and thankfully, the Midwood guys came through! Midwood also sent me a bottle of 2023 Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon, Aera, North Coast.

Zev brought the 2023 Chateau Gazin Rocquencourt Blanc, and ALL the Arnaud Burgundies, more on that in a bit, and a VERY special wine – the 2021 L’interdit de Valandraud! Just a crazy wine indeed! Very unique, and while many think it is a 100% Cabernet Franc wine, in reality, it is a blend. It shares the distinction of being my highest-scoring 2021 Bordeaux wine, along with the 2021 Chateau Marquis d’Alesme Becker and the 2021 Chateau La Gaffeliere.

Finally, MS brought a lovely bottle of the 2019 Domaine Roses Louise, Pomerol. Then Zev brought out a bottle of the 2020 Echo de Roses Camille, Pomerol! It was quite the evening!

Arnaud Baillot Burgundies

Arnaud Baillot has been making wines since 2017, when he bought his first vineyard. That soon expanded when he bought even more plots, and slowly he expanded to many more regions with Burgundy. He is one of those up-and-coming, rising stars within the region, and it is great that we are getting more Kosher Burgundy options.

In the first Kosher vintage from Arnaud Baillot, Royal made five red Burgundies: Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes-de-Beaune, Monthelie, Savigny-les-Beaune, Beaune Premier Cru, and Volnay. What was very interesting was the opportunity to taste a red Monthelie; we have already tasted a kosher White Monthelie. The Savigny-les-Beaune is also new in Kosher. The other sub-regions have existing and successful iterations of those grapes.

I really need to shout out Zev and Royal for making these wines available to us! Thanks!

Tasting

I have kept names out of this post, other than Zev, because he works in the business, and that is fair game. The others are regular folks like me. That being said, the host for the event was terrific – and I thank him for the wonderful home, atmosphere, and good nature. Anyone who hosts me for a tasting understands that things need to be orderly and professional, to whatever extent it can be. This host went beyond, and I really appreciate that! That being said, good lord was it a long tasting, but it was a TON OF FUN!

Well, with that, I will let the wine notes talk for themselves. We did retaste the wines twice, but it is not the same as tasting the wine over a day. For example, the Chateau Malartic Blanc really came into its own after a few hours. In some ways, other wines moved in the wrong direction after a few hours as well. All of this is compiled, and the final scores reflect the final state of the wines we tasted.

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

2025 ESSA Altira, Elgin – Score: 91 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is lovely, bright, effusive, with white peach, grapefruit, saline, smoke, and lovely brightness. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is lovely; the acidity is off the charts, the complexity is not as pronounced as in previous vintages, and the notes of peach, grapefruit, and melon are on point, with lovely tension and a deeply refreshing finish. The finish is long, tart, refreshing, and fruity, with lovely saline and a lovely bite. Drink by 2027. (tasted August 2025) (in New York, NY) (ABV = 13.5%)

2024 Baron de Mamour Chenin Blanc, IGP Val de Loire (M) – Score: 91+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is classic with Chenin notes of smoke, grass, straw, hay, and yellow peach, very nice, but a bit simple. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine has excellent acidity, great attack, good fruit, nice hay, smoke, and lovely gooseberry, grapefruit, honeysuckle, and honeyed peach – lovely! The finish is long, dry, with ripe fruit, smoke, and hay, lovely! Drink by 2027. (tasted August 2025) (in New York, NY) (ABV = 11.5%)

2024 Baron de Mamour Pouilly-Fume, Pouilly-Fume (M) – Score: 92+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is lovely, classic Pouilly Fume, crazy good, with rich smoke, flint, intense minerality, ripe fruit, intense citrus notes, good nectarines, honeysuckle, orange, and funk. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is smoky, tart, and acidic, with incredible honeysuckle, grapefruit, orange, nectarines, great smoke, funk, and crazy acidity. Bravo! The finish is long, tart, smoky, with intense minerality, flint, and rock. Bravo! Drink by 2028. (tasted August 2025) (in New York, NY) (ABV = 13%)

2022 Marchesi Fumeanelli Terso Vento Bianco, Veneto IGT – Score: 91 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is oaky, smoky, fruity, but not much else. It is professionally made and nice, but it lacks what grabs you, with honeysuckle and stone fruit. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is oaky; it needs air, but eventually it reveals the acidity and honeyed fruit, including notes of peach, grapefruit, and a substantial oak presence. The finish is long, oaky, smoky, and fruity. Drink by 2028. (tasted August 2025) (in New York, NY) (ABV = 14%)

2023 Le Comte de Malartic Blanc, Pessac-Leognan (M) – Score: 91+ (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is pleasant; it lacks the pop, but it features nice oak, funk, fruit, stone fruit, honeysuckle, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice; it has good acidity, it feels a bit flabby, with nice gooseberry, honeysuckle, flint, smoke, grapefruit, and rock. The finish is long, tart, smoky, and flinty. Nice! Drink by 2030. (tasted August 2025) (in New York, NY) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Chateau Gazin Rocquencourt Blanc, Pessac-Leognan (M) – Score: 93 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is beautiful, smoky, with clean, beautiful, sweet oak. showing great pop, bright, with a lovely fruit attack, nectarines, orange, honeysuckle, gooseberry, really impressive. The mouth of this medium-bodied is lovely with great pop, great acidity, incredible salinity, lovely gooseberry, nectarines, grapefruit, sweet oak, smoke, all wrapped in nice tannin, and a pop that goes on and on. The finish is long, tart, smoky, flinty, and salty, with rock, loads of funk, just lovely! Bravo! Drink from 2027 until 2035. (tasted August 2025) (in New York, NY) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Chateau Malartic Lagraviere Blanc, Grand Vin, Pessac-Leognan – Score: 94 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is incredible, more elegant than the Gazin but equally beautiful. The issue is the level of oak, gooseberry, peach, along with smoke, funk, and rich salinity. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is lovely, with notes of oak, smoke, and rich salinity, as well as intense smoke and a touch of oak that may be a bit too prominent. It also features lovely gooseberry and peach aromas, along with rich funk. The finish is long, flinty, oaky, and tart, but the oak right now is overpowering; with time, it will calm and show elegance. At this time, it is a bit hard to love. Drink from 2031 until 2035. (tasted August 2025) (in New York, NY) (ABV = 13%)

2024 Baron de Mamour Pinot Noir, Vin de France (M) – Score: 76 (QPR: NA)
This wine is best kept in the bottle. It is a hot, ripe, fleshy wine I cannot get behind. Next! (tasted August 2025) (in New York, NY) (ABV = 14%)

2023 Arnaud Baillot Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes-de-Beaune, Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes-de-Beaune – Score: 81 (QPR: POOR)
This wine shows classic notes of VA and has a fair amount of barnyard. The nose otherwise is correct, with dark cherry, smoke, violet, rosehip, and loam. The issue is that the mouth has VA (Volatile Acidity), and maybe some other flaw. To me, the wine is good, but I cannot get past it. Drink now.
It is possible that this bottle was flawed – I hope to taste another one of these soon!
(tasted August 2025) (in New York, NY) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Arnaud Baillot Monthelie, Monthelie – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is lovely, classic, with dark cherry, black currants, smoke, earth, and rich salinity, with dirt, rosehip, violet, and rich smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is lovely, with great acidity, smoke, dark cherry, black currants, and loam, with great fruit focus and smoke. Nice! The finish is long, dirty, smoky, earthy, with saline and rock, nice! Drink by 2031. (tasted August 2025) (in New York, NY) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Arnaud Baillot Savigny-les-Beaune, Savigny-les-Beaune – Score: 92+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is rich, with milk chocolate, sweet oak, a bit too much to start, and dirt, dark cherry, and lovely roasted meat. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, layered, and almost extracted, with milk chocolate, rich sweet oak, nice salinity, dark plum, dark cherry, black currants, and intense tannin structure that scrapes at your mouth, all wrapped in acidity and elegance. The finish is long, tannic, structured, smoky, dirty, and earthy. Bravo! Drink from 2031 until 2035. (tasted August 2025) (in New York, NY) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Arnaud Baillot Beaune Premier Cru-Teurons, Beaune Premier Cru – Score: 92 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is incredible, with lovely floral notes of rosehip, a hint of soy sauce, rich oak, and smoke, all leading to a beautiful, ethereal attack and a great pop, yet remaining equally ripe and fresh. The mouth of the medium-plus-bodied wine is ripe, with loads of acidity, a nice attack of fruit, including black cherry, plum, and rhubarb, along with enough tannin, loam, and dirt, and great floral notes. The finish is long, tart, and tannic, with notes of rhubarb and a pleasant smokiness. Drink from 2028 until 2031. (tasted August 2025) (in New York, NY) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Arnaud Baillot Volnay, Volnay – Score: 93+ (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is lovely, showing nice fruit, great control, great pop, smoke, soy sauce, rich mushroom, salinity, dark cherry, plum, and lovely rosehip. A complete wine – lovely! The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is lovely, dark, brooding, yet elegant and controlled, with a sexy style. It features ripe black fruit, including blackberry, black currant, and dark cherry, along with notes of smoke, rich loam, soy sauce, and mushroom. The flavors are wrapped in lovely tannin and complemented by lovely acidity. The finish is long, tannic, smoky, with mushroom, soy sauce, and dirt. Bravo! Drink from 2028 until 2023. (tasted August 2025) (in New York, NY) (ABV = 13%)

2023 Herzog Cabernet Sauvignon, Aera, North Coast, CA (M) – Score: 90 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is perfumed with rich oak, smoke, potpourri, violet, blackberry, plum, and dirt. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is ripe, oaky, with sweet oak, intense and astringent tannin, and nice acidity, lovely smoke, blackberry, plum, and black currant. The finish is long, tannic, ripe, oaky, and smoky. Drink until 2027. (tasted August 2025) (in New York, NY) (ABV = 14.5%)

2021 Cascina Minot Langhe Nebbiolo, Langhe – Score: 92 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is lovely, dark, not brooding, controlled, smoky, showing great pop, earthy, and soy sauce. floral notes, and violet. Nice! The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is layered, extracted, with intense acidity, lovely pop, mouth-draping tannin, dried violets, lots of stuff, and funk. Impressive. The finish is long, dirty, smoky, floral, and tannic, nice! Drink by 2028. (tasted August 2025) (in New York, NY) (ABV = 14%)

2020 Echo de Roses Camille, Pomerol – Score: 93+ (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is ripe, with intense milk chocolate, blackberry, plum, smoke, earth, loam, rich dark cherry, and hints soy sauce. The mouth of this full-bodied wine is a bit too ripe for me, a bit too extracted, still, this will come around soon; it is too young at this point, with incredible acidity, mouth-draping tannin, sweet oak, blackberry, plum, cassis, lots of tannin, loads of smoke, earth, soy sauce, and charcoal. The finish is long, dark, brooding, ripe, not candied, with more fruit, smoke, graphite, charcoal, and loam. Bravo! Drink from 2030 until 2038. (tasted August 2025) (in New York, NY) (ABV = 14%)

2019 Domaine Roses Louise, Pomerol – Score: 94+ (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is lovely with great control, showing more control than the 2018, with blackberry, great pop, smoke, earth, soy sauce, mushroom, ripe cherry, intense charcoal, and loads of toast, just lovely. The mouth of the full-bodied wine is ripe, layered, richly concentrated, an umami bomb, with notes of blackberry, smoke, plum, and boysenberry, balanced by excellent acidity, complemented by mouth-draping tannin, and an elegant, sexy finish, making it incredible. The finish is long, smoky, dirty, earthy, and rich, powered by notes of charcoal, mushroom, and smoke. Bravo! Drink from 2034 until 2040. (tasted August 2025) (in New York, NY) (ABV = 14.5%)

2021 L’interdit de Valandraud, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – Score: 94 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is incredible, smoky, dirty, earthy, fruity, and sexy like no one’s business, with black plum, dark cherry, blackberry, mushroom, rich toast, smoke, charcoal, and soy sauce. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is elegant, lovely, with mouth-draping tannin, showcasing blackberry, plum, cassis, dark cherry, soy sauce, as well as notes of charcoal, dense smoke, dried flowers, and rich salinity. Impressive. The most remarkable part of this wine is the elegance. The finish is long, tannic, packed with umami, and rich in salinity, with lovely mouth-draping tannin and smoke. Incredible. Drink from 2029 until 2036. (tasted August 2025) (in New York, NY) (ABV = 14%)