Portland...a new friend visits

A long night that started off with drinking some fun wines with amazing sushi...it was honestly hard to keep track of everything this evening...thank you Doug and Matt for making this happen!

• 2002 Domaine des Baumard Savennières 90 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières

  Consumed at a BYO Sushi place locally...far more complex and enjoyable than the last bottle.

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• NV Domaine des Baumard Crémant de Loire Carte Turquoise 88 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Crémant de Loire

  Clear pale onion skin in color and a wonderful presence in the mouth with a fast fine bead. Slightly sweet...with great acidity and a nice clean finish. I'd gladly buy this again!

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• NV Ulysse Collin Champagne Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut Les Pierrières 91 Points

  France, Champagne

  A really enjoyable bottle of Champagne that was a wonderful accompaniment to the start of our Sushi dinner. The nose did not seem as if it was as far along as the palate...it would be great to revisit this in another 2-3 years.

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• 2007 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc La Crau 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Slightly golden yellow with a beautiful nose of lemon, tropical fruits, wax, and a hint of oak. The pallate was medium bodied and offered vibrant notes of lemon and tropical fruits. Complex and elegant...looking forward to checking in on this again later!

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• 2005 Domaine Marc Kreydenweiss Riesling Wiebelsberg La Dame 90 Points

  France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru

  Paired with sushi and this was about the 5th bottle of the night for me. The nose was quite reserved; yet, elegant still giving me thoughts that it really is just too early for this wine right now. On the palate the flavors really did seem to explode as the midpalate took hold and flavors of lemon, lime, and green apple unfolded on the palate along a medium long finish. I would really love to see this again in 3-5 years.

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• 2000 Domaine du Versant Doré Condrieu 86 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu

  Color: Golden Yellow
  
  Smell: Wax, honey, and floral tones
  
  Taste: Peach, Apricot, and tangerine
  
  Overall: A very nice wine...that shows more youth than I would have expected in an aged Condrieu. While probably on the down slope...this was still very good.

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• 2005 Michel Colin-Deléger et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru En Remilly 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Color: Light golden yellow
  
  Smell: Floral, faint vanilla, pear, and flint
  
  Taste: Lemon, apple, creme brule, and a hint of banana.
  
  Overall: Complex and intriguing in both the scents and the palate. With a deft balance of fruit and acidity this is a wine that everyone in the room appeared to love.

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• 2005 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes-Dessus 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru

  Color: light golden yellow
  
  Smell: saline, minerals, and a hint of banana
  
  Taste: Lime, green apple, kiwi, and a hint of fresh bread
  
  Overall: Lithe and focused this wine is still a little tight. I think this still needs another year or two in the bottle to start showing all it has to offer.

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• 1997 Domaine Luneau-Papin Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie "L" d’Or 90 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie

  Color: Pale onion skin
  
  Smell: Ocean spray, star fruit, Asian pear, and green apple
  
  Taste: Star fruit, apple, pear, honey, and ginger.
  
  Overall: a stunning wine that was quite a learning experience. I will definately have to seek out some more of these wines.

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• 2005 Nicolas Joly Savennières Les Clos Sacrés (Les Vieux Clos) 89 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Savennières

  Color: Light golden yellow
  
  Smell: Baked apple, baking spices, coustard, and pie crust
  
  Taste: Lemon starburst candy, apple pie, and a hint of anise
  
  Overall: A very interesting bottle of wine. I'm still not entirely sure what I think of it...but I am still thinking about it. So for me that's a huge plus. I can't think of anything specific that I would pair this wine with...however, I will be looking forward to trying more wines from this producer.

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• 2004 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  Color: Pale ruby with a rusty tinge at the rim.
  
  Smell: Funk, mushrooms, cherry, earth, leather, and manure.
  
  Taste: Strawberry, Cherry, porchini, and a hint of cedar.
  
  Overall: A wonderful Pinot Noir that shows itself as much older than it actually is. However, it was really enjoyable for me. It would be interesting to see what happens to this wine over time.

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• 2004 Méo-Camuzet Frère et Sœurs Marsannay 70 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Marsannay

  Color: Ruby
  
  Smell: asparagus, brussle sprouts, green snap peas, and faint tart red fruits
  
  Taste: Cherry and cranberry with significant tannin and acidity that left this wine feeling all out of whack.
  
  Overall: Not what I think of when I think Burgundy...very off putting and far too green for my liking.

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• 2005 Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon

  Color: Violet/Ruby
  
  Smell: Earth, bright red fruits, and light floral tones
  
  Taste: Cherries, strawberries, and plum.
  
  Overall: A very nice Beaujolais that is just beginning it's life...while enjoyable now I believe that this has potential to improve significantly with time. There are ample tannins, firm acidity, and vibrant fruit that leave me thinking this might be best around 2012-2020.

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• 2001 Domaine Heresztyn/Heresztyn-Mazzini Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  Color: Brickish red
  
  Smell: roses, earth, and mushrooms
  
  Taste: red fruits
  
  Overall: A nice Pinot Noir with good acidity and fruit balance...however, this did not scream of Gevrey-Chambertin to me. I should add that I really enjoyed this wine...but as far as having a sense of place for me it was missing the funk and distinctive notes that I have come to expect from wines in G-C.

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• 2004 Domaine du Gros 'Noré Bandol 83 Points

  France, Provence, Bandol

  Color: Deep Violet and opaque at the core.
  
  Smell: roasted coffee, dark fruits, and hints of anise
  
  Taste: Baked dark and red fruits, over-blown flavors of coffee and cola with a bit of cacao nib
  
  Overall: A style of wine that just makes me shake my head. I know there are people out there that enjoy these wines...but it was lacking the balance that I would like to see. The fruit seemed cooked...

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• 2000 Château Lagrezette Cahors Le Pigeonnier 92 Points

  France, Southwest France, Cahors

  Color: Opaque violet with just a hint of violet at the edge.
  
  Smell: Dark fruits, cassis, blueberry, marrion berry, and a hint of granite.
  
  Taste: Blackberry, blueberry, spice, and plum.
  
  Overall: A revelation for me from Cahors. I've had limited experience from this region...but this really was a stunning wine. It reminded me of one of the few Malbec based wines I've enjoyed. However, this was still far, far too soon to show all it has in reserve. If I were to have this in my cellar I wouldn't even think about checking in on this again until sometime around 2012-2015 and I can imagine that this wine could last well past two decades given the balance and structure.

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• 2003 Domaine Pierre Guillemot Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Serpentières 86 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru

  Color: brickish red
  
  Smell: bell pepper, manure, and earth
  
  Taste: Melange of red fruits
  
  Overall: a simple and easy drinking Burgundy. Not bad...but not great either.

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• 2007 Domaine les Pallières Gigondas Les Racines Flawed

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas

  This was a bottle ordered from Bassin's MacArthur Beverages. It showed signs of stewed fruit and significant heat damage. According to the individual who ordered this from them they are less than friendly about the concern of the customer.

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• 2007 Château de Beaucastel Côtes du Rhône Coudoulet de Beaucastel 86 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

  Color: violet
  
  Smell: cherry, violets, coffee, toffee, and hints of cedar
  
  Taste: Kirsh and plum
  
  Overall: an interesting wine to come from a producer with such history. I would be interested to see what happens to this wine in another 5 years...but right now I'll not be buying any of it.

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• 2007 Hospices de Beaune Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée Arthur Girard, Perfecta3 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru

  Color: Pale Ruby
  
  Smell: Cherry, cranberry, strawberry, and hints of straw
  
  Taste: A melange of red fruits that was difficult to decipher where one stopped and another started.
  
  Overall: With a nice balance of vibrant fruit and brisk acidity this light bodied beauty could actually improve with a little more time in the cellar.

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• 1996 François Cazin (Le Petit Chambord) Cour-Cheverny Vendanges Manuelles Cuvée Renaissance 91 Points

  France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Cour-Cheverny

  Color: golden yellow
  
  Smell: honey, botrytis, and poached pears
  
  Taste: honey, nectarine, apricot, and a hint of citrus.
  
  Overall: A very young tasting wine that was quite a treat. I would not have thought this to be more than 5-7 years old. A wonderful end to the night...

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All in all it was a great time. Note to self...maybe don't drink then start a marathon blind tasting after dinner...