| | Night One Dinner on our first night was perhaps a little excessive but we had excitedly had them stand up a number of bottles for us to check in on and ended up deciding to open all of them, and saved about half of the Drouhin Amoureuses. - 1996 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Les Forêts - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru (9/23/2022)
This pours medium gold in the glass. The nose is immediately expressive showing tarte tatin, caramel, shrubby herbs, dried lemon peel, oyster liquor, karosene, and light touches of honey. The palate shows dried lemon peel on entry with a notable saline component. The acid is medium, leaving me wanting just a little more to give this a tad more cut. The finish lingers nicely replaying bitter leafy elements against saline, lemon peel and a kiss of honey. All in all this is quite nice, and in very good shape, if lacking some of the aromatic fireworks you might expect from a top producer in a good vintage. (93 pts.)
- 1983 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (9/23/2022)
Pours extraordinarily light in the glass with heavy bricking and a cloudy character. Sadly this bottle was dead. Heavy sherry notes. (FLAWED)
- 1988 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (9/23/2022)
This pours light ruby in the glass with light bricking. The nose is of roasted plum, tobacco, black olive, baked cherry, burned herbs, and very ripe strawberry. The palate replays the roasted fruit profile on display here with medium minus dusty tannin and medium minus acid. The finish is somewhat clipped with an iron note turning up. Decent but I do have to admit it's just a bit of a disappointment considering the life changing experiences I've had with Rayas. If tasted blind I would call this Chateauneuf-du-Pape from a good producer in a warm year, but I'm not sure this takes me straight to Rayas. (93 pts.)
- 1998 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (9/23/2022)
This pours medium ruby. Perfect color for the age, region, and producer. The nose is insane. Massively lifted. From the glass blasts smoked meat, pepper, toasted ground corainder seed, dried blueberry, creosote, black olive, spiced bacon, cumin seed, and granite. Seriously profound stuff. The palate is actually fairly youthful with medium tannin and medium acid. Very enjoyable if still a tad strucutred. The finish closes on massive dried blueberry and granite. This is seriously impressive stuff that would send any Northern Rhone lover's head spinning. (98 pts.)
- 1993 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru (9/23/2022)
This pours very light garnet in the glass with moderate bricking. The nose is of dried cherries, dried cranberries, twigs, iron/rust, dry hay, dry soil, and moss. Not super expressive but still enjoyable. The palate enters on dried cherry with surprisingly present medium tannin and medium acid. The finish is a tad clipped replaying some of the dry soil and iron elements. A nice and enjoyable maturing bottle of Burgundy, but lacking some excitement compared to expectations. (92 pts.)
- 2008 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru (9/23/2022)
Followed over 24 hours which it really needed to show its best. This pours light ruby in the glass with flecks of pink and purple. The nose is expressive from the first pour showing high complexity though as expected it's quite young. Aromas are of sassafras, strawberry, red currant, red cherry, light roast espresso, bay leaf, hints of dried grapefruit peel, dusty rose, mustard seed, and cold smoke. The palate has a lovely silky texture with medium minus dusty tannin and medium acid along a lovely finish replaying much of the sassafras of the nose. This is a little tough to score today because it would be nice to see a little more development for the true complexity to unfurl. But provisionally I think this will likely be a classic and achieve greatness in 20 years. (95 pts.)
Night Two The second night was overall a little better, with mroe consistently good to great bottles. - 2014 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Chapelot - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru (9/24/2022)
This pours light gold in the glass. The nose begins a little tight and gradually unfurls with some air time but is never massively expressive. Aromas are of beeswax, preserved lemon, dry soil, thyme and light oyster notes. The palate is really where this shines with the broad waxy fruit you might associate with Raveneau, turning to medium acid and a lovely savoury oyster liquor tinged finish. All in all this was a lovely bottle that is drinking well but doesn't quite have the profound aromatics you'd want from a top producer like Raveneau in a top vintage. (93 pts.)
- 2011 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru (9/24/2022)
This pours medium straw in the glass with flecks of green and ivory. The nose is extremely aromatic and complex and very clasically Chablis. Aromas blast cold cream, mineral, oyster shell, lemon, mint, shrubby herbs, intense white flowers, dry hay, and light whisps of honey. The palate is equally as amazing as the nose entering on the rich custardy lactic notes but quickly turning lightly waxy fruit then intense minerality, closing on puckering oyster shell. The balance here is immaculate and the texture silky and perfect. Still early in it's development considering it's 10+ years on but it's absolutely wide open and thoroughly enjoyable. Absolutely reference point stuff and an amazing Raveneau experience, finally. (95 pts.)
- 2012 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny - France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny (9/24/2022)
This pours light ruby in the glass. The nose is immediately expressive and complex, showing an extremely classical, gorgeous, and immaculate Loire Cab Franc profile. The nose is of green tobacco leaf, fresh black currant, charcoal, gravel, ripe black raspberry, shrubby herbs, burlap, cigar ash, and leather. Awesome nose. The palate is elegant and pure silk entering on the gorgeous black currants turning to medium minus tannin and medium acid with lovely purity and caressing texture. The finish is long recalling much of the nose. Just amazing and a fabulous first Clos Rougeard experience. (95 pts.)
- 2008 Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas (9/24/2022)
This pours a youthful deep purple in the glass. The nose is tight and restrained, grudgingly showing blueberry, tar, shoe polish, cow hide, black pepper, and a whisp of nutty oak. The palate is quite lovey featuring medium dusty tannin, medium acid and a long finish showing loads of fresh macerated blueberry skin. All in all I had hoped for a little more from this bottle. This was quite youthful and to me seemed shut down but showing good potential. The dregs left in the bottle, on the next day smelled more aromatic and open showing a little more secondary olive and stone character. So if drinking now I think this needs serious air. All in all I'm happy to have tasted this legendary producer, but have to admit this experience was a bit disappointing. Especially considering the price, the QPR was quite poor tonight. (93 pts.)
Night Three By night three our friends had left and we dined solo, opting for only one single bottle to offer up some liver relief. - 2015 Domaine des Tours Vaucluse - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Vaucluse (9/25/2022)
This pours light ruby in the glass with flecks of orange, also vaguely cloudy. The aromatics just burst on this from the moment you pop the cork; lemon drop, marmalade, cinnamon, cocoa powder, cardamom, bay leaf, red cherry, pomegranate, and dried orange peel. The palate enters on luscious red fruit turning to wonderful blood orange and a lightly spiced finish. Tannin is medium minus, acid is medium plus, citrus tinged and fabulously sweet. The finish lingers impressively on the red fruit, citrus and sweet spruce of the nose. Great wine. (93 pts.)
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