Our next organized tasting was at IDS, which really needs no introduction from me. They are responsible for some of the very best kosher wines ever produced. They are a permanent stop whenever I am in France. Unfortunately, the problem is that David (of the Kosher Wine Musings blog) tastes in France at least twice each year while I usually come only once.  IDS’s release schedule has been more in sync with David’s May trip each year and so by the time November rolls around he has often tasted through many things that I have not – and as this tasting is for us both and not wanting to burn valuable time, if David has already tasted, I usually just skip and hope to taste at some other point. But this time, Ben Uzan of IDS rolled out the red carpet and we played a little catch up – and so even though David had tasted through many of these wines, we tasted everything recent that I had not yet tasted. We even tasted a number of wines that I had tasted already at previous tastings at IDS – so there were about 30 wines we tasted through this time. Truly epic. This tasting includes all of the 2021 Aegerter releases – closing out the 2021 Burgundy vintage for me (outside of the 2021 De Montilles, which are still a couple of weeks away from release from what I understand). What it did not include is any of the IDS 2021 “big” Bordeaux wines, as none of these had yet been delivered.  So outside of Burgundy and a couple of whites, the majority of wines were 2020s with a couple of prior vintages thrown into the mix. Some really interesting stuff here including a vertical of the Trianon (which show nice consistency in profile throughout the three vintages tasted) , three different 2020 La Tour de By wines, and some other odds and ends –  I say that cavalierly – but this tasting includes some truly outstanding whites, one of the best 2020 reds (top three) and the best 2019 red (yup, even better than the 2019 PC) – making it simply one of the best kosher reds ever released.  But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s get started.

Roses and Whites

2022 Château Sainte Marguerite, Cuvee Fantastique Rosé, Cru Classe, Cotes de Provence – 13% abv – While we are passed rosé season – and the 2023 rosés are about to be released, if there is a rosé that it is worth tasting late and that can survive for a year or two, it is this one. The wine is made up of 50% Grenache, 40% Cinsault and 10% Rolle (Vermentino). On the nose, you get classic red fruit of raspberry and strawberry, followed by some stone fruit and a hint of smoke. In the mouth, everything is so crisp and refreshing with the nectarine up front, followed by strawberry with a nice hit of saline and excellent minerality. One of the best rosés of 2022 for sure. 92

2022 Château Sainte Marguerite, Cuvee Fantastique Blanc, Cru Classe, Cotes de Provence – 13.5% abv – This wine is made up of 100% Rolle or as its more commonly known – Vermentino. On the nose, you get pear, crème fraiche and some intense mineral. In the mouth, you have pear, stone fruit, more mineral, some floral notes and some really excellent acidity. The finish is SUPER long here – the acidity sort of leads you into it. The oak is felt here in addition to some sweeter fruit and a hit of flint. The finish really just goes on and on. Right now, the oak sort of sits on the outside of the finish and will likely integrate over the next couple of years. Great stuff. 92

2018 Clos des Lunes, Lune D’Argent, Bordeaux – 13% abv – This is a wine I have written about before. It is a blend of 70% Semillon and 30% Sauvignon Blanc.  Some nice funk has developed here in the nose in addition to the upfront gooseberry, lemon, and slate, which is then followed by some nice floral notes. In the mouth are some really interesting and nice vegetal notes that turn to more standard grassy green and then more like dried grass with nice tar, citrus, and good mineral. This wine is still showing very nicely and is worth picking up if you can get your hands on it, as it should hold for at least another year or two. 92.5

2021 Gustave Lorentz, Riesling, Grand Cru Altenberg De Bergheim, Alsace – 12.5% abv – Often, the Riesling we see from Alsace (at least those that are exported to Israel and the US) are not exactly the highest quality.  Here we are presented with a real top shelf Alsatian Riesling, which should be able to hold its own. On the nose, we have a ton of paraffin, which envelops some green melon, citrus, and nice mineral. The mouth is totally mineral-driven with slate followed by tons of citrus – lemon and grapefruit and some pith. The finish is VERY long with more mineral, melon, citrus, and now fresh herbs. This is a wonderful wine and presents like an upper-level dry Mosel Riesling. I am hopeful that this bottle will be able to age for a number of years (and the score may go up). 93+

2021 Domaine Aegerter, Pouilly Fuisse, Premier Cru, Vers Cras – 13% abv – On the nose, we have extreme flint almost like a burnt match, with beautiful fruit – notes of pear and apple primarily.  In the mouth, WOW what a beautiful Chardonnay – everything you would expect – pear, apple, a bit of fresh apricot, a touch of lemon all wrapped up in crazy mineral and flint. Excellent! 93+

2021 Domaine Vacheron, Sancerre, Grands Champs – 13% abv – The nose here SCREAMS Sancerre. Beautifully floral with orange blossom at the front, followed by ripe, luscious citrus and a bit of gooseberry – and another darker scent I couldn’t immediately place, which David informed me was oolong tea (I have since gone out and acquainted myself with that smell). In the mouth, you have truly one of the finest expressions of pure Sauvignon Blanc – wonderful citrus with orange, mandarin orange, and clementine, followed by nectarine and green melon, all the while with those floral notes in the background and some really great mineral and acid here that balances out the rich fruit. This is a special wine. 93+

2020 Domaine de Chevalier, Blanc, Grand Cru Classe de Graves, Pessac-Leognan – 13.5% abv – This wine is a classic blend of 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 25% Semillon. The nose here is special. First the funk literally wafts off the nose followed by nice toast, apple, and white plum. It is enticing and fun!. In the mouth, this wine is next level –CRAZY elegant and complex. First and foremost (and also middle and last) is mineral. When we speak about a mineral-driven wine, this is it with beautiful funky flintiness and even a bit of lead in there You also have nectarine, peach, mineral, complex winter baking spice like nutmeg and cloves, more mineral, and the expected citrus coming in at the very end.  The finish is long and complex with nice mineral, apple, orange, tons of flowers, and acidity that balances it all out. This is a monster wine that will likely go the distance. 94

2021 Tokaj-Hetszolo, Sarga Muskotaly, Domaine Imperial Premier Cru Classé since 1772, Tokaji – 12.5% abv – Only a slight change since my previous tasting a year ago. On the nose, crazy tropics, guava, pineapple, and gooseberry. In the mouth you do get some nice acidity, same tropics as on the nose. Very nice, especially for a muscat-based wine. It’s on the border of semi-sweet – not a dessert wine – but something elevated to go with your Chinese – with enough complexity to keep it interesting. 90

2021 Gustave Lorentz, Gewurztraminer, Grand Cru Altenberg De Bergheim, Alsace – 13.5% abv – I had actually tasted this wine a day before I left for France, and so I declined them opening another bottle at the tasting itself as David had already tasted as well. My notes are as follows: This is as classic a near-dry expression of Gewurtz as you can find. I always look for two elements – grapefruit and melon. For some, what I describe as melon in Gewurtz presents as lychee – for me, unless the whole of the wine sways toward tropical, it feels more like ripe Israeli green melon. This wine has that in a near dry package. It also has a hint of smoke on the nose. In the mouth, in addition to the grapefruit and melon, you get some very nice mineral and again some wisps of smoke. This really is Gewurtz at its best. Now, do I think this wine is a wine that’ll go decades? No and so it’s a little hard to justify the price (at least here in Israel), but it’s a very nice Gewurtz indeed – one of the best I have tasted in a long time. 91

Reds

2021 Domaine Aegerter, Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits, Les Petites Corvees – 12.5% abv – Very floral on the nose with some delicate smokey cedar, cherry, and some herb. In the mouth, you get more of the same with the flowers again up front, cherry, earth, and some smoke. The acid is really nice here and balances it all out. Very nice. 91

2021 Domaine Aegerter, Beaune Premier Cru, Les Reversees – 13% abv – Beaune Premier Crus – On this wine, the nose is better than the mouth. There is a dirtiness on the nose that is enticing, really wonderful. I can keep my beak in there all day long. With some ripe black fruit. In the mouth, the wine is dense but without those dirty clay notes. You get cherry, oak, and smoke with some nice mineral. It’s a very nice wine – even without that dirtiness that is teased on the nose. 92

2021 Domaine Aegerter, Nuits-Saint-Georges – 13% abv – Nuits Saint Georges – This is remarkably crisp on the nose – with flinty mineral up front followed by some nice dark red fruit.  In the mouth, you do get nice complexity with more mineral and flint smoke, nice dark red cherry, ripe plum, and nice dense earth. The finish is really excellent and is full of mushroom and earth with toasted herb and dried tobacco. The problem is that while you feel like the wine has a lot going on and is complex, it is slightly lacking in depth of flavor.  It’s a lovely wine though.  91

2021 Domaine Aegerter, Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru, Les Vallerots – 13% abv – Saint Georges Premier Crus – Any of the “depth” problems I mentioned on the above wine are simply not present here at all. In fact, if I had to describe the wine, it’s like previous wine on steroids. You have basically the same nose with flinty mineral up front, followed by some nice dark red and even black fruit and some mushroom. In the mouth again – much of the same basic profile, but you can even add to the complexity of what we mentioned before as there are also clear notes of soy sauce as well as rhubarb and even a little bit of root beer thrown into the mix on the mouth. This wine is truly excellent, though a touch behind the truly exceptional 2019. 93

2021 Domaine Aegerter, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru, Fonteny – 13.5% abv – Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Crus – Wow, what a difference a year makes. This wine is beautiful and a clear improvement over the 2020. On the nose, we have again some really nice mineral with black fruit, earth, and mushroom. In the mouth, this wine fires on all cylinders. The wine is very clean with tons of black and red fruit – black plum, raspberry, dark cherry, mushroom, and tons of mineral. The finish here shines with mushroom, earth, and some floral notes. Another excellent wine. 93

2021 Château Sainte Marguerite, Cuvee Fantastique, Cru Classe, Cotes de Provence – 13.5% abv – This wine is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah. The nose is nice with mostly red and some blue fruit and a hint of smoke. In the mouth, we have the same – though it’s slightly ripe with blueberry, raspberry, and a bit of cherry, with some nice smoke. I do wish it had a bit more acidity. As the mouth shows a bit ripe for me, I think a touch more acid would have helped here. The finish is nice with some lead, more black fruit, coffee and nice earth. 89

2020 Château Tour du Bosquay, Cuvée Réserve, Bordeaux Superieur – 14% abv – This is now the third consecutive trip that I have been served this wine – and it has not changed at all. It is 100% Merlot. Bright nose of red tart fruit and bramble.  In the mouth, raspberry, and juicy red plum. The acid here is the focus, as it tames the fruit and almost cleans the palate for the finish – which is impressive, with some nice earthiness, more red fruit, and some crunchy green notes. The wine is not overly complex, but it is really nice. 91

2021 Château Tour du Barail, Bordeaux Superieur – 13.5% abv – My notes have not changed from my previous tasting.  90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon – Vanilla, red fruit, cloves, violet, and mint. Very nice acidity, good tannin. Very closed – missing a little on the fruit end but nice saline, good mineral, and tar. The finish was more red fruit and a bit of earth with some baking spice. Overall a relatively nice small wine that bucks the general 2021 vintage trends.  90

2020 Château Larrivaux, Haut-Medoc – 13% abv – This wine is a classic example of a small wine from the 2020 vintage. The nose is nice with good red fruit, herb, and some smoke. In the mouth, you get herbs and raspberry with some intense smoke. The wine is very approachable and perhaps a bit light on body, but it’s far from bad – just a nice simple wine. 90.5

2020 Château La Tour de By, Medoc – 14% abv – La Tour de By 2020 – This wine is made up of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon & 40% Merlot. Great structure, great fruit focus – very closed – which is surprising for the 2020, but with some swirling, it begins to open. On the nose, you get really dark intense notes of earth, smoke, cracked black pepper, blackberry, and some nice woody notes. In the mouth, we get great red and black fruit – raspberry, black plum, blackberry, followed by some herb, smoke, and real nice earth. The acid really balances out the wine and the tannin here is assertive but not overly so. The finish is long and full of mushrooms, blackberry, earth, a little tobacco, some smoke, and warm spice. This is a really nice wine. 92

2020 Château Leydet-Valentin, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – 14% abv – The nose here is a bit ripe with black fruit, smoke, and herb. The mouth here follows the nose, and you get some really ripe almost candied blackberry and sweet herb, with some good smoke, mineral, and earth. The problem is that it actually feels a little watery – especially considering the fruit profile – and therefore unbalanced – not necessarily bad, but a relatively simple wine with nothing to write home about. 89

2020 Château Trianon, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – 14.5% abv – This wine presents pretty much in line with the rest of the well-made wines from the 2020 vintage – ripe but controlled – and VERY approachable from the start. On the nose, you get earth, mushrooms, herb, black fruit, tar, and some smoke. In the mouth, things get more interesting with black plum, blackberry, smoke, tar saline mineral and, of course, earth. This is a powerhouse. There is just enough acidity to balance out the fruit. If there is one place this wine suffers, it’s the finish, which is medium length with some nice roasted herbs, chocolate, smoke, and black licorice.  Length of finish is the only “weak” point here, otherwise it would be on par or better than the 2018. 91

2019 Château Trianon, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – 14% abv – Now this wine is special. You can tell by the nose, which is redolent of black and blue fruit, rich earth, mineral, herb, smoke, and tar.  It comes at you in waves just wafting out of the glass.  The mouth here is tasty and deep with blackberry, blueberry, excellent herb, good mineral, saline, tar, earth, with a rich mouthfeel that is totally balanced out by the acid and supported by an excellent tannic core. The finish here is long and intense with great mineral, herb, dark chocolate, and tones of licorice notes – with the mouth-coating tannin only accentuating the length. I actually had to catch my breath after drinking this one. Truly wonderful. 94

2018 Château Trianon, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – 14% abv – Made up of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, this wine is impressive. A really nice filthy nose with deep notes of violet and ripe but controlled focused fruit. In the mouth, the wine starts off really closed and takes some time to open but when it does, it takes off. Great black and blue fruit that is really deep again and layered. You have nice mineral and then some smoke with some nice earth and forest floor. The wine is really wonderful. Those are my previous notes from a couple of years ago and I think they are pretty accurate, though I will say that this showing was not the best for this wine. I also tasted it again last year privately – where it was in line with previous tasting. To hedge bets, I’ll give use the score from this tasting but leave the notes as they are. While my previous score was a 93, this tasting gets a 91.5

2020 Château La Tour de By, Cuvee Heritage, Marc Pages, Medoc – 14% abv – This is the second La Tour de By produced in 2020 – this time a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot. The nose here is nice with ripe red fruit, rich earth, smoke, iron, and herb. In the mouth, the herb really comes out with wonderful extracted bright red fruit, mostly raspberry, some barely ripe plum, mushroom, earth, and lead. While it is rich and extracted, you have wonderful acid to balance things out. The tannin is assertive but silky. The finish is long, earthy, and mineral driven – and closes the wine the way it started with some excellent toasted herb. The wine is ultimately very approachable and fires on all cylinders – my favorite of the three La Tour de By wines we tasted. 93+

2020 Château de Valois, Pomerol – 14% abv – The nose here is primarily black and a little blue fruit with earth. In the mouth, the wine is ripe and fruity – but it works for me with blackberry blueberry, black licorice, black plum, and a bit of smoke. The acid is sufficient here, but not over the top and the tannin is satisfyingly mouth-coating. The finishb is very nice here with some nice earthy mushroom and herbs a bit more smoke. A nice simple wine. 90.5

2020 Château La Tour de By, Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon, Medoc – 14% abv – The last of the three La Tour de By wines – this one is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon – and presents as such. Nose here is classic with graphite, herbs, anise, and a bit of mint and other fresh herb wrapped up in a nice earthy package. In the mouth, the wine is darker than I would have guessed with blackberry, smoke, more anise, lead, a bit of tar and smoke. On the finish, the herb comes out, followed by more mineral and more smoke. Overall, this is a very nice wine, but the Cuvee Heritage is slightly better IMHO. 92

2018 Virginie de Valendraud, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – 15% abv – This is another wine that I have tasted previously. After tasting through a number of wines from the 2018 vintage, you sort of know what to expect. As it happens though, while this wine follows the same pattern of being really ripe on the nose, in the mouth, while ripe, you get more of a sense of control than with many others – but let’s take it one step at a time. The nose here is almost perfumed with crazy violet followed by plush dark fruit and even a little mushroom. In the mouth, there is a ton of ripe black fruit up front but not overdone or pushed. You also get some very nice green notes and some nice umami and mushroom too. The finish is excellent with black licorice, ripe dark, nice herb, fresh pipe tobacco, and earth. There is excellent acidity and tannin here to balance out all of the ripe fruit. In the years that have passed, it has shed a bit of its baby fat, but it does have a ways to go – luckily, I think it will get there.  91.5

2020 Château Labegorce, Margaux – 14% abv – 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot – No perceptible change from my last tasting. On the nose, dark red and black fruit, sweet cedar, roasted meat. Intoxicating. You can smell the depth.  In the mouth, incredible concentration and extraction – waves of ripe raspberry, incredible mineral, threads of graphite, black pepper, and earth. Nice structure here, with nice balancing acidity and good tannin. Really complex and intense. 93+

2020 Château Lafon Rochet, Grand Cru Classe en 1855, Saint Estephe – 13% abv – 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot – This wine has changed a bit from the last tasting – but only in that it was perceptibly more approachable on opening than the last time – which is no surprise for the 2020 vintage – though it is an open question IMHO on how these wines will perform in the long term. Having said that, this wine is SUPER enjoyable.  Focused red and green fruit on the nose with scraping mineral. Beautifully savory in the mouth – with red fruit, umami, moist earth, pencil shavings, and baker’s chocolate. Just incredible elegance. Medium plus acidity with mouth-coating tannin. Excellent long finish with toasted rosemary, tobacco, red fruit, and earth.  94

2019 Château Marquis d’Alesme Becker, Grand Cru Classe en 1855, Margaux – 14% abv – This wine is a blend of 44% Merlot, 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 13% Cabernet Franc. What a nose! It explodes with tons of fruit across the spectrum with intense earthiness, good mineral, and a little toasted wood. The wine is sooo closed and tannic – such a switch from the 2020’s we have just tasted. Once it opens, in the mouth this wine is a treat with blackberry, blueberry, and a little raspberry, some nice saline, lead, mineral and some deep smoke, and the tannin releases a bit. The finish is long and rich with ripe blackberry, smoke, herb, chocolate, and espresso. This wine is a true pleasure. 94+

2020 Domaine de Chevalier, Grand Cru Classe de Graves, Pessac-Leognan – 13.5% abv – Switching between 2019’s and 2020’s is SUCH a trip; the differences in the vintage are so clear. This wine is nuts in how approachable it is – especially considering just how GOOD it is. This wine is made up of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, & 5% Petit Verdot. On the nose, you get black and ripe red fruit, mineral, and smoke. In the mouth, you get hit up front with the acid and tannin, which prepares you for the rich fruit that follows – with mostly blackberry and black plum with tones of mineral and graphite and smoke and this rich almost jammy raspberry note. Again, this is also perfectly balanced by the acid that really envelops the wine. The finish is long and moves into earthy mineral heaven, followed by more of that rich dense blackberry and jammy raspberry, with nice herb and tobacco. Really the only thing scary about the wine is just how approachable it is considering its youth, complexity, and quality. If you are looking for an absolute blockbuster wine that you can open now, this is it. Will it stay that way? Who knows – the 2020 vintage is truly bizarre – but this is the wine to stock up on especially if you have a habit of opening bottles early. 95+

2019 Château Smith Haut Lafitte, Grand Cru Classe de Graves, Pessac-Legonan – 15% abv – Spoiler alert – this wine is in the top three kosher reds ever produced. Let’s get that out of the way. You can figure out the other two on my list while we go through the notes here. This wine was also SUPER closed. But I knew the wine’s rep and I just poured my glass as early as I could and then waited with it while everyone packed and eventually cleared out. I only started writing notes when it became clear they needed the room for the next set of meetings. This wine demands respect! The wine is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot. First, the nose – again just soooo full of aromas with red, blue, and black fruit, nice herb, smoke, and earth. But the mouth is where this wine knocks you out. It is just SO full, rich, and dense in the mouth. With blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, toasted wood and herb with a bit of smoke, lead, mineral all wrapped up in rich earth. There is plenty of acid and mouth-coating tannin here to keep this wine going for the long haul. The finish builds on the mouth with toasted herb, tobacco smoke, a little tar and, of course, more earth.  As noted previously – this is one of the best wines I have ever had. I am pretty sure IDS itself is sold out. There might be some in America and via Ralph at M & M. This is a wine for, the ages – and for those who care about having the best, this is it. 97

This tasting was a last-minute addition and canceled out some touring we had planned. I couldn’t be HAPPIER that that happened. This really was one for the record books. I really need to thank Ben Uzan for this one. He and the folks at IDS really were wonderful!  And with the caliber of wines we went through, David couldn’t really complain either making this a win all around. May all your tastings be as excellent this one!

Next up – our tasting with Christophe Bardeau of Domaine Roses Camille.