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Staff Favorites - John Majeski
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Reviews
2017 Voyager Estate "Girt by Sea" Cabernet Merlot Margaret River Western Australia
Review Date: 09-27-2023
A little history... I remember the date of August 25th, 2012 when the indomitable Voyager 1 space probe crossed the outer limits of our solar system and entered the vast, fluid interstellar medium, becoming the farthest human-made object ever sent into space. First launched on September 5th, 1977, it still continues to chirp and tweet and transmit data 46 years later! Now, another spectacular little Voyager has made its way to our shores, traveling all the way from the Margaret River district in Western Australia, piercing the atmosphere in your glass with a stellar splashdown of luscious fruit, vanilla spice, sweet leaf tobacco and rich chocolate, ballasted by velvety tannins and pleasant acidity. All for an 'out of this world' price point! To quote a famous spacebot, "Resistance is Futile!"
2022 Domaine de Fondrèche Ventoux Rosé
Review Date: 09-25-2023
Conspicuous for its tendency to vanish from our shelves during the dog days of summer, the Fondrèche Ventoux Rosé, made from a blend of 50% Cinsault, 30% Syrah, and 20% Grenache, is a pristine, pale evocation of fleshy orchard fruits, macerated and aged on the lees for a bit more weight and depth of flavor, without losing any of its impeccable spark and charm. Want some advice? Buy a case, it’s that delicious.
2020 Domaine de Fondrèche "Divergente" Ventoux Rouge
Review Date: 09-25-2023
Approaching the apogee of bottlings from this remarkable Ventoux property, the "Divergente" is crafted from 100% Syrah planted in 1955! This wine reveals both amplitude and breadth in its pliant, seductively polished black fruits and mesmerizing aromas of smoked meat, wildflowers, thyme and black olive, embellished by silky tannins and a lingering spicy finish. Savory and utterly emblematic of this choice property, it can be laid down for several years if desired.
2020 Domaine de Fondrèche "Ile Etait une Fois" Ventoux Rouge
Review Date: 09-25-2023
Looking forward and beyond, Sebastien Vincenti produces a few limited wines that pay tribute to the natural exposure and ancient alluvial soils of the plateau. The "Ile Etait une Fois" which in homage to ancient fables and tales means “Once Upon a Time,” elaborates upon the theme of opulence and effusive power while still achieving a sense of balance and freshness so emblematic of this great estate. Structured and beautifully layered fruit flavors, most notably from venerable Grenache vines dating from 1936, lend this wine a minerality and sinewy elegance that unravels and evolves in the glass.
2020 Domaine de Fondrèche Ventoux Rouge
Review Date: 09-25-2023
This is the estate’s benchmark red, with fruit grown on the complex limestone alluvial soils. It is fermented and aged in foudres and containers—including an ovoid concrete egg that resembles a Wallace and Grommet spaceship. An array of ripe red and black fruits with a hint of garrigue and minerality are underlined by acidity to balance the attractive forward elements in this fruitful wine. Crafted from 45-year-old Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre vines. Perfect with a Wednesday night burger smothered in swiss cheese and onions.
2022 Domaine de Fondrèche Ventoux Blanc
Review Date: 09-25-2023
This luscious white Rhone was sourced from parcels planted in lighter, sandier soils and vinified entirely without sulfites. Pleasantly balanced in its aromatic yellow pear, apricot, and melon flavors with a touch of salinity that gives the wine a vibrant freshness. A blend of one-third each Grenache Blanc, Clairette, and Roussanne, with 10% Rolle (Vermentino) to enhance the acidity.
2018 Clos la-Gaffelière, St-Émilion
Review Date: 05-14-2023
This second wine of La Gaffelière is a ‘second’ in name only, as it was first conceived in 1985 and has been produced in its own vat room and cellars to ensure the same high standards as the first wine, delivering measureless pleasure and purity in its bright berry fruit aromas and exuberant core of sweet spice, ripe black cherries, red currants and floral notes intermingled with stylish tannins and decent acidity. Although it will enjoy more time in the cellar, it is hardly shy
and really hits the glass with all the right stuff. A juicy plate of sliders might do the trick! Enjoy!
2009 Potensac, Médoc
Review Date: 05-14-2023
Potensac has been a large property in the Delon family (of Leoville-Las-Cases renown) for over two hundred years. The 2009 vintage ranks as one of the finest since 1982, largely because of the high sugar content and pristine quality of the fruit. A superb blend of 48% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 14% Cabernet Franc, by now all the elements in this wine— the buoyant, sweet black cherry and cassis fruit, the cedary pencil shavings and tobacco spice, the chocolate notes, and smooth tannins, fall into place guaranteeing a long measure of grace. Enjoy!
2018 Segur De Cabanac, St-Estephe
Review Date: 05-14-2023
This estate was carefully cobbled together by famed proprietor Guy Delon from a dozen parcels formerly in the local cooperative. Made from 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, and aged in barrels for 20 months, this wine is a fairly classic rendition of St-Estèphe, characterized by dark, suave fruits, a hint of pipe tobacco and firm, structured tannins.
2019 Lilian Ladouys, St-Estèphe
Review Date: 05-14-2023
Château Lilian Ladouys, with its historic chateau and imposing turrets a crow’s cry from famed Château Cos d’Estournel, dates from 1564 and has undergone a colorfully fragmented history, entirely disappearing from the map during the travails of the First World War. Eventually reconstructed in 1985 from dozens of parcels, it was placed on the market in 2008 and both the vineyards and winemaking facilities were thoroughly renovated by the new owner. Organically cultivated from 59% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc, the 2019 Lilian Ladouys lept 14 months in 30% new oak and upon awakening in bottle has proven to be a tremendous value, displaying effortless charm with nuanced aromas and delicious flavors of ripe black and red fruits, wild herbs, and a graphite edge. All framed by supple tannins and a swath of acidity.
2019 Gaudin, Pauillac
Review Date: 05-14-2023
Positioned on an excellent hilltop site with signature Pauillac gravels, the 2019 Gaudin is composed of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot and 5% Carménère, Petit Verdot and Malbec. The raw materials are here to realize an impressive, age worthy wine, with a generous black fruit profile suffused with spicy oak and brooding tannins that should eventually soften, sending the fruit to the foreground.
2016 Barde-Haut, St-Emilion
Review Date: 05-14-2023
Not to be outdone, the 2016 Barde-Haut St-Emilion is composed of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, reflecting the power and finesse of the clay-rich over limestone soils of the lustrous St-Emilion plateau. Opulent, richly-textured and complex, as the finest wines of the vintage have proven to be, this possesses an abundance of pure fruits, cassis and violets, bolstered by ripe, velvety tannins and a cruising finish of lovely acidity. Pair with grilled, herb-crusted ribeyes for a truly memorable meal.
2016 Canon Chaigneau, Lalande de Pomerol
Review Date: 01-11-2023
Another Right Bank wine that showcased the robust fruits and harmonious balance from a favorite recent vintage. Granted, 2016 may not be 2009 but it comes close in its brazen finesse and aplomb, with even modestly priced wines strutting their copious stuffing... easy to recommend for those seeking a sweet spot in their Bordeaux budget.
2018 Crabitey, Graves
Review Date: 07-31-2022
The historic name of this chateau sounds like a ruthless character out of a Dickens novel, but after finally tasting it the other day I can firmly attest that, name aside, it exceeded whatever great expectations I had for it. The original 18th century property was given in 1868 to an order of Franciscan nuns, who quite recently turned the winery and management over to the de Butler family. The vineyards are ideally situated over a deep bed of pure gravel, guaranteeing excellent drainage for the roots, and the wines are textbook Graves, with luscious, aromatic black fruits enwreathed in sinewy tannins. Enjoyable now, but guaranteed to age gracefully for another decade or more. An excellent Bordeaux for a very attractive price!
Montechiara Prosecco
Review Date: 11-10-2019
Prosecco is the Italian sparkler universally admired for its appeal as both aperitif and cocktail 'fizzer upper,' but Glera, the primary grape variety from which it is made, may have actually originated in Croatia or Slovenia. One legend reported by Ian D'Agata (Native Wine Grapes of Italy) has Glera as the source grape for 'pucinum', the famous wine adored by the Empress Livia Drusilla, wife of Emperor Octavian Augustus. Ok, enough long-winded history, the best way to enjoy Prosecco is not with your head buried in a dense though excellent wine book, but with wonderful friends and loved ones during the holidays or any day that calls for a festive, crisply delicious citrus, pear and apple inflected sparkler!
Top Value!
Price:
$10.99
Launois "Veuve Clemence" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne
Review Date: 09-22-2019
"I serve Champagne to my real friends and real pain to my sham friends." Attributed to Irish-born artist Francis Bacon who, when he wasn't nocturnally torturing the canvas with his brush, held court at the Colony Room Club, a louche drinking establishment fashionable for writers like William Burroughs, royalty (Princess Margaret), and later rock stars (David Bowie). But my own preference of course is 'Champagne for all, friend or foe!', for what better way to generate goodwill than the sound of popping corks? And what better choice than this coveted Grand Cru from Launois, a stylishly dry rendition that rested a full four years on the lees before its release, promising notes of lemon curd, apples, chalk, wildflowers and brioche, brilliant and pure and seductive enough to charm your own coterie of sophisticates, aesthetes and artists.
Price:
$44.99
2004 Malescasse, Haut-Médoc
Review Date: 01-10-2018
Malescasse sits high atop a crest of land in the Haut-Medoc commune of Lamarque, and its vineyards are blessed with excellent, top grade gravel soils that define so many great properties in Bordeaux. Time has patiently conspired to create a lovely bottle of wine, brimming with luxurious black fruits, violets, tobacco leaf and mellow, complementary tannins. No wonder it has been one of our most popular wines with those who cherish well-priced Bordeaux for the last year!
Top Value!
Price:
$24.99
Jean-Jacques Lamoureux "Réserve" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 03-04-2017
In trying to get my head around the physics behind all those tiny bubbles in a bottle of Champagne l discovered a wonderfully fascinating little book called Uncorked, by Gérard Liger-Belair. Apparently gravity drives the velocity of the bubbles in a flute of Champagne, so the best spot in the solar system to achieve the absolute tiniest bubbles would be on… you guessed it— Jupiter, with about 100 times the gravity of our own sparkling blue orb. Pack your bags, but before you go flying off into space, try a bottle or two of this incredible direct import. Created from superb Pinot Noir cultivated in the renowned Le Riceys terroir near Aube, the “Reserve” harbors a panoply of rich flavors ranging from citrus fruits to fleshy pears, apples, nectarines and beyond, embodying an elegant, creamy mousse and miniscule, dare I suggest, ‘out of this world’ bubbles. Now prepare for takeoff!
Top Value!
Price:
$29.99
Baron-Fuenté "Esprit" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 11-29-2016
A prime illustration of what can be achieved in a Champagne with long aging on the lees, in this case seven full years, all to elaborate and define the essence of brioche, hazelnuts and toast that are characteristic of such extended contact. Even more remarkable is the generously modest price for this patient waiting game, a sparkler that expresses ‘’esprit to the core’, with resplendent notes of crisp lemon, bosc pear, cherry and chiffon cream, a sophisticated Champagne created for any and all occasions that involve fine food, the spirit of celebration, friendship and joy.
Antech Brut Nature Blanquette de Limoux
Review Date: 05-26-2015
Zero is my favorite number, or rather ‘un-number’ when it comes to most sparkling wines, as I prefer the naked, pure, crystalline fruit unadorned by added dosage, and the sheer raciness and zing of this stainless fermented bubbly from Limoux answers the call with laser flavors of green apple, lemon and white pear. Bring on a platter of fresh raw oysters or mussels mariniere and watch the shells pile up. Gotta love it!
Top Value!
Price:
$14.99
Ariston Aspasie "Réserve" Brut Champagne
Review Date: 08-02-2013
Vines have been cultivated on this tiny property in the hamlet of Brouillet for five generations, and it has remained a customer and staff favorite here for several years. Yeasty, full and complex, the Carte Blanche exhibits a fine intensely-focused bead with lively notes of tart apples, dried hazelnuts, vanilla and toast, all in all a remarkably well-built Brut that will compare well to cuvées at double the price. It is perfect for entertaining.
Top Value!
Price:
$34.99
2010 Lewis Cellars "Reserve" Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Review Date: 07-31-2013
'Exhibiting a delicate, caressive nature imbued with nuances of freshly picked spring flow...' oops, wrong wine. Let's start over. Randy Lewis approaches winemaking with the same all-consuming focus and intense energy that he displayed on the racing circuit, a formula that has won him many accolades and serious attention from both critics and devoted lovers of his wines. And the 2010 Reserve Cabernet doesn't hold anything back: a sensual, profoundly hedonistic wine, loaded with saturated black plums,cassis, sweet,spicy oak and licorice, with a bit of road tar, mint and cigar leaf thrown in for good measure. Powerful, voluptuous, dense and delicious, this extroverted wine will rock you, guaranteed.
Dudognon "Reserve" Grand Champagne Cognac (750ml)
Review Date: 11-30-2010
A voter santé! Raymond Dudognon first distilled his own cognac in 1946, following the venerable traditions laid down by his great grandfather in 1776. The heart of the Charente region, located about 100 miles northeast of Bordeaux, is called Grande Champagne, and consists of deep chalk-rich soils, perfect for creating fragrant, long-lived cognacs. Made from 100% natural Ugni Blanc, this singular spirit is blended and distilled in the traditional alambic Charentais pot and eventually aged in 350 liter barrels. The Dudognon homage to tradition stresses minimal intervention, using only pure water as an additive to create a stunning cognac that charms and caresses the palate, displaying a weightlessness and delicacy of fruit found less commonly in cognacs at twice the price. Highly recommended!
Sorelle Bronca Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Extra Dry
Review Date: 07-11-2009
This delightful Prosecco is a strong contender for best in class among its growing legions of fans, delivering dependably delicious flavors of sliced apples, citrus blossoms and almonds in a pure and sparkling persona. Showcasing both freshness and mineral vibrancy, it should complement most summer fare from salads to appetizers, and would be the perfect match for a basket of lightly-fried calamari.