| | Saturday Lunch, Beach, and Dinner - 2017 Agrapart Champagne Grand Cru Minéral Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (8/5/2023)
Complex array of fruit with crunchy, minerally textures. I think this would be even better with a touch greater dosage, which what I find to be a near tart finish. (90 pts.)
- 2012 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut - France, Champagne (8/5/2023)
Lemon notes with plenty of apple. Good weight and balance, just lacking the depth of Cristal in its finest vintages. (92 pts.)
- 2019 Maison Morey-Coffinet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru (8/5/2023)
Lots here, but on the ripe / tropical side even for 2019, slightly more than I prefer, even with fairly good structure. Others liked more.
- N.V. Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée - France, Champagne (8/5/2023)
Purchased in 2009, this is most likely 156eme, with a plurality of the 2000 vintage. Obviously mature, while still very effervescent and brightly textured. The mature fruit has brought wonderful complexity and depth while still retaining enough freshness for even greater nuance. A great performance. (93 pts.)
- 2010 Sylvain Cathiard Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Murgers - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru (8/5/2023)
Corked (FLAWED)
- 2020 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru (8/5/2023)
Small glass from a bottle opened the prior day. Lots of very firm, very backward red fruit with lots of substance, just not showing much accessible pleasure yet. Very good potential from 2030 (maybe 2035). Thanks for sharing, Mike!
- 1998 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (8/5/2023)
I haven't tasted this wine since shortly after release, and I like it more now vs then. Medium with , fun fruit, nicely bright for its age from a ripe vintage. Drinking very well right now. (89 pts.)
- 2000 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape (8/5/2023)
Popped-and-poured for lunch, then revisited with dinner. Nice early in the day, then really exciting 6 hours later. The same mature black fruit with rich, meaty spice came through both times tasted, but there were a couple of big differences. Oddly enough, the wine seemed to freshen up and clean up some bretty notes with more air. Go figure! (94 pts.)
- 2018 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Château - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin (8/5/2023)
From magnum, tasted several times over Saturday and Sunday. Ripe and powerful, this is classically Gevrey fruited and meaty. But also very firm in the style of many 2018s at this point in time, so patience is really required. This didn't open up on the second day, either. (88 pts.)
- 1989 Château Ausone - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (8/5/2023)
Many 1989s took a long time to fully harmonize, but this came as across as still slightly awkward. Lots here, but clear and pronounced tannins are not in sync with the fairly robust fruit. First time I recall tasting this wine, but another taster said a recent previous bottle was substantially better. (89 pts.)
- 1990 Château Angélus - France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru (8/5/2023)
Ripe and powerful, fully mature, completely engaging. Rich and so fun now, no further upside. (93 pts.)
- 2002 Domaine Anne Gros Clos Vougeot Le Grand Maupertui - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru (8/5/2023)
Opened in the afternoon, revisited at dinner. Rich and spicy to start, but seemingly a touch too oaky and "modern." More classic style and depth emerged several hours later, with the new oak spice recast as classically Vosne with more depth and bright red fruit. Very good. (93 pts.)
- 2002 Domaine Anne Gros Richebourg - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru (8/5/2023)
Seamless and wonderfully long with an unmistakably Vosne character of red berry and cherry throughout with buckets of Asian five spice. Amazing harmony and depth. I haven't tasted this wine in at least a decade and am thrilled with how it is evolving. No rush to drink up. (95 pts.)
- 2010 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brûlées - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru (8/5/2023)
Tasted double blind. Spice and concentration immediately made me think this Vosne 1er Cru from a very balanced vintage, and then I was thinking this destemmed fruit when another great taster called this as Méo-Camuzet. Complex and savory spice with so much red fruit, this comes across as fully harmonious and elegant, with a charming start and bigger finish. Probably some further upside, and will drink wonderfully for a decade+ as it evolves. (95 pts.)
- 2002 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cuvée Duvault-Blochet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru (8/5/2023)
I haven't tasted this wine in over a decade and tonight's bottle was (by far) the best it has ever been for me. Fresh and mature red berries and cherries come in and out of focus over the course of several hours with both sweet and savory spice. Good enough weight, great length. Really fantastic bottle, even with fully soaked-through cork. (96 pts.)
Sunday Afternoon and Dinner - 2018 Marie Courtin Champagne Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut [amphora] - France, Champagne (8/6/2023)
I haven't often been a big Marie Courtin fan, but today's bottle was a great success. Big and bold and yes, slightly more Extra Brut than I'd consider ideal, but so much depth and fresh fruit with enough ripeness and flesh. Very good now. (91 pts.)
- 2014 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru (8/6/2023)
Broad cross-section of apple aromas and flavors, both ripe and lean, nicely supported by lemon notes on finish. Big and powerful, with a long, firm finish. So good now, with further upside. (94 pts.)
- 2020 Domaine Morey-Coffinet Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru (8/6/2023)
Not even close to ready. Coiled fruit and structure that seems a bit ripe to start, then a touch bitter on the finish, but clearly holding back today. I wish I revisited this a few hours later. Not a lot of pleasure today, but I think lots of potential.
- 2016 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Cras - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru (8/6/2023)
Perfumed nose with so much spice and dense, ripe black and red berries. Possibly still slightly showing its new oak, but a real glorious aromatic entrance. Flavors follow through, even with some less intensity or complexity. Maybe some further upside. (94 pts.)
- 2007 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru (8/6/2023)
Bright red fruit well spiced and certainly well balanced. Maybe not quite Grand Cru density for me, but that is what to expect from many wines form 2007. (92 pts.)
- 1999 Mongeard-Mugneret Grands-Echezeaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru (8/6/2023)
Very spiced character dominates with black and red cherry. Very alluring, yet maybe not the most complex Grand Cru from this great vintage. Still, certainly good now. (92 pts.)
- 2017 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru (8/6/2023)
Popped-and-poured. Something was off here vs my previous experience with this from 2022 as well as general expectations. Lots of new oak spice and bright red and black cherry with good (enough) weight and density. Soft finish. Served double blind, and all I got right was that this was from Burgundy... I thought this Vosne 2014 Vosne!
Asian Spice says this did not get better on Day Two.
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