HDH holiday tasting
Chicago, IL
Tasted Thursday, December 3, 2015 by acyso with 624 views
Introduction
HDH invited us to the office/warehouse in the south side for a lovely evening of great wine, conversation, and company. I was very lucky to get to try some wines that I'd otherwise never get the chance to try.
2004 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 88 Points
France, Champagne
I'm not too sure that this will become a convincing Ruinart for me. This bottle came across as quite light, with lots of acidity and minerality, but at the same time, suffering from a bit of bitterness on the back end and finish.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1998 Dom Pérignon Champagne P2 90 Points
France, Champagne
This shows quite a bit of sappiness and yeastiness on the nose. You expect it to be mildly oxidative, rich, and opulent on the palate, but it's actually a lot racier than that. The texture here is quite thick and creamy, and there's a nice mushroom tone as well. On the other hand, there isn't as much stuffing and concentration as I remembered, perhaps not the best showing of this wine?
Read 1 Comment / Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2004 Dom Pérignon Champagne Rosé 93 Points
France, Champagne
My first taste of this wine was unimpressive. It ticked all the boxes, but that was it. When I revisited it (since I thought this was very different from my first taste of the wine a few months back and wanted to be sure of my assessment), this did become more expressive, showing some light florals and cranberry, as well as some steely acids. I think I'd like a slight touch more richness, but who am I kidding, I'd never kick a Dom rose out of bed.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2000 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 90 Points
France, Champagne
Krug is always a winner in my book. The nose on this is quite big and yeasty, with the typical Krug gravity. The palate though didn't show as bold as I would have expected. There was a little bit of nuttiness and good acidity here, but this can't have been the best showing of this wine.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands-Echezeaux 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru
From magnum. I really liked the nose on this. A good bit of earth and spice, as well as some sweet fruit. The palate seemed a bit advanced, especially for a 1999 from magnum. This had a lot of sappy fruit and a real ripeness to it that I didn't really enjoy. There was acidity to cut through the fat, and the tannins still aren't fully resolved, but all in all, there wasn't much freshness on the palate.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1966 Château Léoville Poyferré 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
This was a surprisingly light bottle of wine, but did it show like a star. Perhaps a few years past its prime, but this was not in any severe state of decline. There was a lovely bell pepper note toned with pencil shavings and leather, as well as tart red fruit that was surprising to find on such an old wine. You could find all the same things on the palate, but the acidity at this point has started to stick out a little bit. Drink sooner than later.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2003 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 85 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Slight barnyard and lots of red fruit on the nose. I guess this was one of the clean bottles. Sappy and thick, but quite acidic on the palate, with lots of sweet red fruit in a liqueur-like richness. It was all good up until the finish, where you get a massive kick of heat from the alcohol. Totally bizarre. If that had been dialled down, you could chalk this up as another wine to bring me back into the Chateauneuf fold.
Post a Comment / 3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
1995 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard 93 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
I maintain that Dominus is one of the greatest Napa estates. Although this bottle strikes me as on the riper and blacker side of the Dominus wines, this bottle still has great restraint, and shows lots of black fruit, coupled with coarse dusty tannins. The power here is driven by the concentrated fruit extract, but handled very gracefully thanks to the fresh acidity. There was an interesting black pepper note on this that I found slightly out of place.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2006 BOND Pluribus 80 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Overoaked. Too much vanilla and blueberry and yet, by some miracle of nature, this somehow manages to be green and overripe at the same time. And then you feel the alcohol. Easy pass.
Read 3 Comments / Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2005 Château Gruaud Larose Sarget de Gruaud Larose 85 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Maybe it's my imagination, but there's still just a bit of that Cordier funk in this wine. Yeah, it's probably my imagination. Earthy and animale with tart red fruit influence, the palate is actually surprisingly light. In fact, it's too light to handle the tannins and moderate oak treatment, resulting in something that's not entirely on balance.
Read 1 Comment / Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2005 Château Calon-Ségur 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Quite a dark Calon Segur, this wasn't exactly the most willing to come out and play. There's a clear graphite note on the nose and palate, but there wasn't really much else I could pick out. Quite austere, and thanks to a slight bit of acidity, this was somewhat enjoyable nonetheless. I'm confident this has the capacity for a decade or two more, and will provide a relatively large-scaled performance (in Calon Segur terms, that is).
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2005 Château Cos d'Estournel 83 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
A very unconvincing showing today. Completely closed. Huge and massive, with absolutely nothing pleasurable on the palate. Give it 20 years and pray that the emperor is clothed.
Read 12 Comments / Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2010 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino 70 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
From magnum. You gotta be kidding me. This is the stuff that all the "critics" have been trying to sling? The vaunted 2010: the Brunello vintage of the year/decade/century/millenium. Beyond the pleasant red fruit, what else is there? Spicy oak? Yeah, I love me some spicy oak.
Read 4 Comments / Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2011 Hyde De Villaine Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard 70 Points
USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros
Why was this sweeter than a 2009 JJ Prum Spatlese? "If you were a dessert, what kind of dessert would you be?" "Oh, um, I dunno, I guess I'd be a stick of butter mixed with a pound of sugar." While this might sound like a good thing, it is not, when the label says "chardonnay".
Read 4 Comments / Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2005 Bodega Numanthia Toro Numanthia 85 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Toro
Very oaky, but somehow the insane amounts of fruit are able to absorb all that oak, and you don't end up picking splinters out after tasting it. There's a nice little bit of acidity to this, so this doesn't become one of those hot masses of fruit. I'm also impressed that the heat here wasn't extreme, though I likely wouldn't be drinking too much of this at one sitting.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2009 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese 93 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
White fruits all the way here. There's a really exotic hint of spiciness (lychees and lemongrass) on the nose, and the ripeness of the vintage plays very well with the Pruem style. Surprisingly open and approachable now (as we all know the reputation, which more and more seems to me as part of "received knowledge" rather than based on actual experience -- young Pruem has been getting more and more accessible). Not the highest acid you will find on a riesling, but impeccably balanced with the sweet fruit and spice.
Post a Comment / 3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2013 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Les Hauts de Smith Blanc 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
I'm pretty sure this is better than the SHL Blanc (which I've never had). And you know why that is? They don't blast the poor juice with massive amounts of oak. There's a clear note of grassy sauvignon blanc on the nose, but you know, that is what it is. The palate is racy, light, and really electric, with great acidity and freshness. Green, for sure, but not in a bad way. In the way sauvignon blanc ought to be made and drunk.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2009 Maison Leroy Bourgogne 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Bourgogne
A very convincing example of what Bourgogne rouge can be. I've always worried about this vintage, but perhaps it is a vintage which brings out the best in the lesser wines. This was light and crisp, with no signs of overripeness, and tons of juicy tart red fruit. Easy to drink and very enjoyable.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1997 Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona Brunello di Montalcino 85 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
From the other vaunted Brunello vintage of the year/decade/century/millenium, this was certainly much better than the 2010 Altesino. This had a bit of overripeness to it. The midpalate and finish seemed to hollow out, and then you got a bit of heat on the back end.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1970 Château Haut-Brion 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
What a spectacular bottle of Haut Brion. Elegant, with a very potent nose that had lots of stone and rich secondary qualities: a touch of leather, dried dates, and maybe even a slight hint of coffee. The palate is very complex, but it seems we opened this bottle a few years too late, as it seems to be on its last legs. But that's not at all to say that this bottle was dead -- there was plenty of life -- sweet fruit, leather, and a nice touch of minerality. Fantastic Bordeaux.
Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue