August 2020 Issue
We were mightily impressed by the 2017 Shared Notes offerings at this time last year, and the two from 2018 only reinforce our belief that the winery ranks with the finest producers of distinctive Sauvignon Blancs around. —Stephen M. Eliot
2018 Les pierres qui décident – 94 points
While both are stunning, decidedly serious wines, the “Les pierres qui décident” bottling, by the smallest margin, gets our vote as the pick of a lovely pair this time around for its subtle, ever-unfolding complexity and exemplary balance. Never forceful but amazingly persistent with elements of flint, fresh limes and green melons overlain by a wispy suggestion of fresh grass, it is a vibrant wine of great fruity stamina that is structured to age beautifully for five to ten years. Ardent Sauvignon Blanc devotees are advised to make the acquaintance of Shared Notes whatever extra search that finding a few bottles entails.
2018 Les lecons des maîtres – 93 points
Drawing inspiration from the Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blends of Bordeaux and showing an extra bit of the richness by dint of its Semillon component, but, again, a somewhat tightly drawn young wine that is bristling with energy and, like its mate, seems years away from reaching its best, this deeply draughted offering evokes assorted stone fruits along with notes of citrus and fresh pears with a minerally trim to its extremely long-lasting finish. It, too, will age effortlessly for upwards of a decade and perhaps more, yet it is already so downright involving that pulling its cork in the near term is hard to condemn.
