France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Tasted double blind. Firm, lean and very tight. Dense black cherry with plenty of oak. Give a few more years and this will be a good value 2000 Bordeaux.
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Tasted double blind. This was larger scaled than its 2000 counterpart in the next glass, but somewhat off center today. Give this at least 5 years to achieve better balance, but will most likely also evolve into a good value Bordeaux from a top notch vintage.
Tasted double blind. Fat and ripe, this clearly demonstrates lots of 2003 character, staying short of being too soft or flabby. Easy to enjoy now, just slightly short and simple.
Tasted double blind. Very fat and ripe, a little extreme for my preferences. Very simple, simple, showing some heat. Enough firmness that it avoids seeming flabby.
Very interesting cross-section of fruit. Some tropical fruit aromas along with very ripe apple and pear. Similar on palate followed by some citrus hints. Very well spiced with nutmeg and allspice. Long finish, still needs to integrate a little better with more cellar time.
Tasted double blind. Musty aromatic start, this kept improving for the 15-20 minutes in glass. Moderate level of fruit with lots of leather, black pepper and good acidity. Lots of upside potential.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
tasted double blind. Firm and structured black Pinot fruit with some braised meat spice. Came across as backward that surprised me to see this from 1998. Seemed somewhat Gevrey to me when tasted blind.
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Tasted double blind. Red and black cherry with leather and earth. Forward and accessible, very charming and balanced for current consumption with good acidity, good textures.
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
Tasted double blind. Very Bordeaux-like. Black plum, lead pencil, cassis hints. Lean and well structured' well balanced; direct and precise on finish. In its peak drinking window, but this should easily perform well at this level for another decade.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Tasted double blind. Fresh black cherry and boysenberry, very accessible and charming. Big Vosne-styled spice with lots of minerality and focus. Very elegant and clean. An impressive Murgers.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
My contribution served double blind to the tasting group. Decanted 75 minutes before serving. Good mostly red fruit with some licorice and clove. Lots of acidity and tannins still prominent, this is just starting to evolve. Should continue to show well for at least another decade.
Tasted double blind. Nice floral start, showing rose petals, baking spice and red fruit. Same red cherry on palate, forward and slightly advanced for 2000 Barolo. Good young drinking Barolo.
Tasted double blind. Black currant and plum, open with some forest floor notes. Well structured, built to last, but close to fully resolved. Drinking well now, good potential to hold at this level for another 15 years.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
Tasted double blind. Lots of SO2 that made it impossible to assess in the time available at the tasting table. Good sweet underlying fruit, good textures.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Tasted double blind. Great ripe black fruit, intense sweet spice aromas. Very alluring start, less exciting to me on palate, showing a little too much sweet fruit cocktail. Others liked this more than I did today.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Library release bottle. forward fruit but also lean and texturally exciting. Mostly black cherry, some boysenberry. Great now, but clearly expanding more more air.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
Popped and poured so tough to fairly assess. Incredibly powerful black cherry and blackberry, incredible concentration, great fresh herbs and pepper, just rather dense, chewy and backward today. Better to decant for a few hours or hold in the cellar for another decade+. Matt revisited the wine a few hours later and said it really bloomed and picked up weight.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
This was inevitably opened after popping-and-pouring its 2002 counterpart. Lean and powerful with lots of red cherry and black cherry, accompanied by fresh herbs and some baking spice. Great depth, great length. Sensational elegant structural components are in balance, this just needs some time and/or air.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Popped, decanted and poured. Floral, perfumed and enticing aromatic start. Lots of fresh red fruit on nose and palate. Starts slightly lush (unusual for a 2001), but lean, well-textured and nuanced from middle to long finish. Much better than another bottle opened with Jeremy Seysses at dinner in Chicago earlier this year.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Slightly musty start when immediately opened and poured. Lots of red cherry, strawberry and raspberry aromas came through with a little more air with sensational baking spice. Identical on palate with some forest floor hints in background. Better if decanted.
1994 Château Cos d'Estournel 85 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Tasted double bind. OK black fruit that comes across as just moderately interesting. Firmly structured, almost harsh on the very end.
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2000 Château Grand Corbin-Despagne
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Tasted double blind. Firm, lean and very tight. Dense black cherry with plenty of oak. Give a few more years and this will be a good value 2000 Bordeaux.
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2005 Château Grand Corbin-Despagne
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Tasted double blind. This was larger scaled than its 2000 counterpart in the next glass, but somewhat off center today. Give this at least 5 years to achieve better balance, but will most likely also evolve into a good value Bordeaux from a top notch vintage.
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2003 Château Lynch-Moussas 87 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Tasted double blind. Fat and ripe, this clearly demonstrates lots of 2003 character, staying short of being too soft or flabby. Easy to enjoy now, just slightly short and simple.
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2003 Chimney Rock Elevage 85 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District
Tasted double blind. Very fat and ripe, a little extreme for my preferences. Very simple, simple, showing some heat. Enough firmness that it avoids seeming flabby.
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2010 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bourgogne Blanc 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc
Very interesting cross-section of fruit. Some tropical fruit aromas along with very ripe apple and pear. Similar on palate followed by some citrus hints. Very well spiced with nutmeg and allspice. Long finish, still needs to integrate a little better with more cellar time.
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2002 Harlan Estate The Maiden
USA, California, Napa Valley
Huge and massive, not my style of wine. I would easily believe this was 17% alcohol. Others liked this.
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1994 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Imperial Gran Reserva 92 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Tasted double blind. Musty aromatic start, this kept improving for the 15-20 minutes in glass. Moderate level of fruit with lots of leather, black pepper and good acidity. Lots of upside potential.
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1998 Faiveley Corton-Clos des Cortons Faiveley 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
tasted double blind. Firm and structured black Pinot fruit with some braised meat spice. Came across as backward that surprised me to see this from 1998. Seemed somewhat Gevrey to me when tasted blind.
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1998 Pertimali (Livio Sassetti) Brunello di Montalcino 91 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Tasted double blind. Red and black cherry with leather and earth. Forward and accessible, very charming and balanced for current consumption with good acidity, good textures.
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2010 Domaine de Cristia Châteauneuf-du-Pape 89 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Tasted double blind. Very modern, very lush with lots of oak influenced spice. Others liked this a lot but it wasn't my preferred style Chateauneuf.
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1992 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon 93 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
Tasted double blind. Very Bordeaux-like. Black plum, lead pencil, cassis hints. Lean and well structured' well balanced; direct and precise on finish. In its peak drinking window, but this should easily perform well at this level for another decade.
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2000 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Murgers 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Tasted double blind. Fresh black cherry and boysenberry, very accessible and charming. Big Vosne-styled spice with lots of minerality and focus. Very elegant and clean. An impressive Murgers.
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1996 Domaine Bartet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
My contribution served double blind to the tasting group. Decanted 75 minutes before serving. Good mostly red fruit with some licorice and clove. Lots of acidity and tannins still prominent, this is just starting to evolve. Should continue to show well for at least another decade.
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2007 Le Clos du Caillou Châteauneuf-du-Pape Les Safres 86 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Tasted double blind. Ultra ripe, seemingly quite modern. We mostly thought this New World. Others liked this far more than I did today.
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2000 Giovanni Manzone Barolo San Stefano di Perno 90 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Tasted double blind. Nice floral start, showing rose petals, baking spice and red fruit. Same red cherry on palate, forward and slightly advanced for 2000 Barolo. Good young drinking Barolo.
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2005 Arnot-Roberts Cabernet Sauvignon Bugay Vineyard 89 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County
Tasted double blind. Big, plump and ripe throughout. Powerful blackberry and plum. Able to maintain good balance, but just a bit hollow and short.
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1996 Château Léoville Poyferré 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Tasted double blind. Black currant and plum, open with some forest floor notes. Well structured, built to last, but close to fully resolved. Drinking well now, good potential to hold at this level for another 15 years.
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2010 Cayuse Syrah En Cerise Vineyard
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
Tasted double blind. Huge pepper, overall very sweet and somewhat unbalanced to me. Others liked this a lot. I thought it about an "80 point" wine.
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2006 Domaine Perrot-Minot Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
Tasted double blind. Lots of SO2 that made it impossible to assess in the time available at the tasting table. Good sweet underlying fruit, good textures.
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2009 Le Clos du Caillou Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve le Clos du Caillou 90 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Tasted double blind. Great ripe black fruit, intense sweet spice aromas. Very alluring start, less exciting to me on palate, showing a little too much sweet fruit cocktail. Others liked this more than I did today.
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2002 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Library release bottle. forward fruit but also lean and texturally exciting. Mostly black cherry, some boysenberry. Great now, but clearly expanding more more air.
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2002 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
Popped and poured so tough to fairly assess. Incredibly powerful black cherry and blackberry, incredible concentration, great fresh herbs and pepper, just rather dense, chewy and backward today. Better to decant for a few hours or hold in the cellar for another decade+. Matt revisited the wine a few hours later and said it really bloomed and picked up weight.
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2009 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
This was inevitably opened after popping-and-pouring its 2002 counterpart. Lean and powerful with lots of red cherry and black cherry, accompanied by fresh herbs and some baking spice. Great depth, great length. Sensational elegant structural components are in balance, this just needs some time and/or air.
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2001 Domaine Dujac Charmes-Chambertin 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Popped, decanted and poured. Floral, perfumed and enticing aromatic start. Lots of fresh red fruit on nose and palate. Starts slightly lush (unusual for a 2001), but lean, well-textured and nuanced from middle to long finish. Much better than another bottle opened with Jeremy Seysses at dinner in Chicago earlier this year.
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2000 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Slightly musty start when immediately opened and poured. Lots of red cherry, strawberry and raspberry aromas came through with a little more air with sensational baking spice. Identical on palate with some forest floor hints in background. Better if decanted.
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