Recent content by Kevin Harvey

Great to hear that you guys enjoyed it. I have always hoped that Rhys would be "by wine geeks, for wine geeks". On the oak, we have been using about 25% new though we did switch cooperage for a few years starting in about 2008. Recently, we have decided to switch back to a cooper that we think...

Yes. In 2004 there was a huge heatwave at Harvest and it was necessary for some of the Alesia ferments. It is a technique of last resort for us.

Hello everyone! I am flattered to see so much debate about Rhys and would like to address some very legitimate questions in this thread: The extension to the Home Vineyard is on an adjacent hillside (with similar soil) that is about 200 ft away from the original Home Vyd. According to our...

Thanks for the note Marty. I have really enjoyed this wine as well but experienced some bottle variation. For any interested geeks out there, we checked out the chemistry of this wine and were quite surprised to learn that the pH was 3.99 (very high).

I agree that the premise is really bad (ie Buying wine and adding oak). That said, I would characterize the wines as traditionally fermented, sometimes exceptional fruit that is vastly over-oaked. If you have a high oak tolerance these wines are a great deal since many of his sources are...

I was very disappointed in the '05 de Montille reds. I found them quite oaky and "New world" in the narrow and pejorative sense.

Claude, That sounds like fun. I would be interested to hear your description of the general characteristics of the two. For me, Pezerolles is a very elegant and mineral wine. FWIW on Rossignol, I found no wood at all and I am quite sensitive to this in Volnay but I can imagine someone feeling...

Claude, I find large enough differences between vineyards in the communes that the generalities just seem overly general. Overall, I would say that more Volnays taste Pommardish to me than the other way around. Of course, there are no Pommard equivalents to Clos des Ducs, better Caillerets etc...

This Volnay makes me wonder if Pommard is currently the the most under-estimated Village in Burgundy. '05 Rossignol Volnay Chevrets- Roses, iron, game and other complex non-fruit things on the nose. Plump and somewhat meaty black fruit on the palate with good refinement. The "sauvage" meatiness...

A friend asked me to try this. That is what friends do. '05 Ponsot Chambolle Musigny Charmes 1er- Complex nose of ripe red and black fruit and wet stones. The fruit here is quite ripe but well within my ripeness limits. This is quite pure and deliciously broad and generous with lower acidity...

FWIW, I would call '01 vs '02 a draw in red Burgs. I love the Cote de Beaune and in this region '02 is clearly better though not at the level of '99 or '05. In the Cote de Nuits, the '02s have a bit more stuffing than the '01s but some '02s are too ripe. Meanwhile the '01s are gorgeous...

Babykilling I know...but the flesh is weak. '05 Lafarge Beaune Greves- Gorgeously detailed nose of crushed vitamins and minerals that is faintly floral. Intense, sappy and delicious fruit that is wrapped around a steely structural spine. This has crystalline purity and precision. It's amazing...

As alluded to above, Matt Kramer is the best thing in the WS but he is not representative of the publication's general editorial bent. Matt is a great champion of terroir (old World and New) while the primary WS reviewer of CA wine looks upon elements like minerals and earthiness negatively.

I need to admit that I find Les Cras every bit as compelling as the now over-rated, over-priced Amoureuses. There I said it. '01 Barthod Chambolle Musigny Les Cras- Captivating floral nose of crushed limestone, fresh roses and cherries. This is a middleweight with a lot of precision and...

I don't think the low VA would impact the "barrel sample-ness" much, but the 30ppm might slow tannin resolution a little bit. Overall, a wine with those parameters should age normally since VA doesn't help a wine age quicker.