Around the World in 80 Wines

Attended solo

• 2008 Bouchard Père et Fils Puligny-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
  Nice tart yellow apple character. Not really exciting. Boring and not worth the coin. (86 pts.)
• 2008 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
  Round and ripe fruit. Tropical guava, kiwi, melon with hints of vanilla. (88 pts.)
• 2008 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
  A nice wine with some unique minerality and focused acidity. Not worth the price tag though. (90 pts.)
• 2008 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Marconnets - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
  More spice and peppered rustic berries. Nice drying finish. (88 pts.)
• 2008 Bouchard Père et Fils Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets Ancienne Cuvée Carnot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
  Big funky strawberry, green bell pepper and light spice. (92 pts.)

• 2009 Weingut Berger Grüner Veltliner - Austria, Niederösterreich, Kremstal
  A little bit thin and unimpressive. Some nice mineral play, but not sparking my interest. Austere finish. Cool bottle though - A 1L with a bottle cap! (84 pts.)
• 2007 Weingut Knoll Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Ried Kreutles Loibner - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
  Tart and high acid. (86 pts.)
• 2009 Schloss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner Reserve Steinsetz - Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal
  Marmalade, white pepper and some bright yellow and orange flowers. (88 pts.)
• 2009 Schloss Gobelsburg Riesling Gobelsburger - Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal
  Mineral driven. Dark gray slate. Nice acidity on the back end. (88 pts.)
• 2007 Weingut Knoll Riesling Federspiel Loibner - Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
  A touch of creamyness. White and yellow fruit. Medium bodied and balanced finish. (89 pts.)
• 2009 Selbach Riesling Incline - Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
  Nice medium bodied showcasing stone fruit. Just a touch of residual sugar sweetness - but by no means a sweet wine. A great buy for under ten bucks. (86 pts.)
• 2009 Hexamer Meddersheimer Rheingrafenberg Riesling Quarzit - Germany, Nahe
  Nice medium bodied with a slightly juicy Martinelli apple cider quality. (86 pts.)
• 2009 Weingut Josef Leitz Rüdesheimer Magdalenenkreuz Riesling Spätlese - Germany, Rheingau
  A fragrant wine. Moderate slate, honey, a bit sappy. Touches of light baking spice. (87 pts.)

• 2009 Bodegas Muga Rioja Blanco - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
  Citrus fruit. A touch of vanillia. Nice acid. (86 pts.)
• 2007 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Rioja Colección Privada - Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
  Really nice wine. Plush and velvety. Nice grip on the back end. Really young but showing excellent fruit, depth and balance. (92 pts.)
• 2008 Bodegas Ateca Calatayud Atteca Old Vines - Spain, Aragón, Calatayud
  Austere and disjointed. A little lean with muted fruit. Boring. (85 pts.)
• 2007 Bodegas Ateca Calatayud Atteca Armas Old Vines - Spain, Aragón, Calatayud
  Still super young. Blue fruit. Really big tannin structure. Needs some serious time. Decent. (87 pts.)
• 2008 Bodegas Avancia Valdeorras Avanthia - Spain, Galicia, Valdeorras
  Lots of funk. Really layered, balanced and well focused. Intriguing nose and the palate is tasty and shows character.
  Complex dark and milk chocolate essence. Really floral accents on the nose and palate. Excellent pure and persistent finish. (92 pts.)
• 2007 Raymond Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Selection - USA, California, Napa Valley
  Gripping and slightly bitter and tannic red fruit. (86 pts.)
• 2007 Pride Mountain Vineyards Merlot - USA, California, North Coast, Napa / Sonoma
  Didn't love this bottling. A little rustic fruit. Some heat. Just not great. A bit out of balance. Still good enough to merit this score, but not worth the price. (87 pts.)

• 2007 Cloudy Bay Chardonnay - New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
  Solid Chardonnay. Balance of New and Old world styling. Nice oak with a bit of peach fuzz.
  Some spice. Quite nice. Easy drinking but not boring. (88 pts.)
• 2007 Cloudy Bay Pinot Noir - New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
  Solid. Funky, earthy with some nice texture on the palate. Some nice forest floor. Good acidity. (90 pts.)
• N.V. Trevisol Frizzante Colli Trevigiani IGT - Italy, Veneto, Colli Trevigiani IGT
  Crisp honey aromas. Balanced finish. (88 pts.)
• 2008 Martina Prieto Verdejo Rueda - Spain, Castilla y León, Rueda
  A fantastic wine at this price. Really cool as a whole. Complex even for a wine double the price.
  Green vegetation - green olives, herbs and bell peppers. Nice finish. Silky mouth feel. Highly recommended. (90 pts.)
• 2009 Domaine Jean Ginglinger Riesling - France, Alsace
  Really enjoyable. Fresh green apples, honey with a solid balanced finish. (90 pts.)
• 2008 Domaine Jean Ginglinger Pinot Blanc Cuvée George - France, Alsace
  Really liked this wine. A bit of funk and earth. More complex than the price tag would lead one to believe. Highly recommended. (91 pts.)

• 2009 M. Chapoutier Côtes du Roussillon Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Blanc - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon
  (88 pts.)
• 2008 Chartron et Trébuchet Puligny-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
  A really nice wine. Balanced. Nice mouth feel. Yellow fruit and touches of baking spice. Excellent finish. (92 pts.)
• 2008 Domaine Vincent Sauvestre Pinot Noir Bourgogne - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne
  Really bad. Thin, lean. Muted wet fruit. Boring andjust a completely awkward finish. (78 pts.)
• 2008 M. Chapoutier Côtes du Roussillon Villages Les Vignes de Bila-Haut - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon Villages
  (87 pts.)
• 2008 M. Chapoutier Côtes du Roussillon Villages Domaine de Bila-Haut L'Esquerda - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Roussillon, Côtes du Roussillon Villages
  Nice, earth and funky. Unique terroir. Balanced finish. (90 pts.)
• 2007 Château Gigognan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vigne du Régent - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  Not at all telling of a Chateauneuf. Lots of smoked meat and light anise. Some black olive and stewed fruit play as well.
  Approachable. Some bloody guts aromatically as well. Cool wine. (89 pts.)