Rich pear, yellow fruit. Tropical coconut, cotton, pineapple. Light smoke, cotton and yellow flowers. The palate shows nice viscosity with a honey vanilla play on the finish. There is a nice chalky (agreed) minerality that adds finesse, focus and balance. So much butter and oak on the nose though - gotta like that style to enjoy this juice to its fullest. Big screaming Cali Chard.
Subdued dark fruit. black with hints of spice and road tar. Harsh mid palate. Big tannins. Some acid on the back end. Not my favorite. Moneys spent better elsewhere.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Ruby color. Ripe strawberry. A little darker fruit. Bubble gum, light smoke, spice, anise. Big acid on the palate. Almost blood orange aromatics and flavors coming to life. Pretty rose and geranium on the back end of the nose. Very tight finish. This bottle showed well considering it had been open more than a week AND was frozen in transit.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Stinky baby diaper on the nose. Spice driven earthy wine sporting shrooms and a tart transition in the the mid palate - but it was enjoyable. Earthy, and the aroma of freshly polished baseball glove was dominant. Gay and green and red pepper with light smoke finish out the wine.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Drinking very well now. A contemplative wine. Medium light bricking. Browning at the rim. Some aged ripe raspberry, spice, cinnamon. There's a nice dryness with minty, leather, cigar on thenose. Tannins are still present sporting some grip. Lots of life. Great. A nice wine. Drink up.
Soy saucy, figgy, maple pancake syrup. A little burnt caramel coated fruit. Light licorice, tar. Rusty nail, iron. A pretty wine. Smells like it just rained. Nice grip on the palate. Dried herbs and alight green vegetation note. Elegant and really well polished and resolved. Funky cola action at the end. Really liked this bottling.
Inaugural release of this Mondavi cooperative bottling. Paler rustic ruby color. Ripe fruit on the nose with some age. Leather some oxidation. Shroomy, light tar and earth. Ripe fruit but under Bordeaux like textures. Aged well.
Clean, floral aromas. Purple flowers, soy, spicy and unctuous. Supple, soft vanilla with hints of rock and Asian spice. A big palate and not too ripe. A little green. I thought this was right bank - wrong.
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
Sweet pretty light on its feet. Plush ripe fruit. Flowers, black and purple. Big fleshy, plums, chocolate, cola, figs, caramel and saline. Not over ripe. Elegant with touches of liqueur.
Super stinky. Floral, fungus flowers, dark cocoa. Black vegetation, root vegetables, reductive stewed fruit. Rusty, figs, black olive and coal. A big palate. Tannic backbone with lots of layers. A blockbuster brooding bottling. Unique and different styling. Well made and super young. Lots of promise.
Black massive weighty wine. Blackberry, black rock, coal, tar, smoked meat and alcohol - really nice layering of fruit, spice and earth. Bitter dark mocha. Brooding super bloody, black, meaty. Super pruney and reductive plums. So big but in line. Still could use some time in the cellar. Typical Alban Syrah.
Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Friuli Colli Orientali
This was such a cool wine! A red from Friuli - awesome. Super ripe cherries, strawberry, pomegranate, flashy, sexy but with nice restraint and focus. Jolly Rancher - candied finesse with polish. Cotton candy. A plush billowy wine with a fresh cotton linen quality that brings out the earth and minerality. Great finish. Creamy and rich with great acidity and sweet tannins. Loved this wine. WOTD. Thanks Jeff. I may never come across this guy again.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Really surprising wine on the reveal! Super pungent funk, cinnamon, clove and sulfur. Floral savory truffles, white truffle, molasses, caramel and brioche. Gorgeous spicy but delicious wine. Candied and uber ripe New World styling. Showing well. Lovely and for $40! Super heady. Highly recommended.
Old Bordeaux nose. Super rich with lots of oxidation showing. Nice nose. Green streak with some stewed fruit. Some red vegetation. Leather, cigar, horse saddle. Decent finish.
2005 Aubert Chardonnay Quarry Vineyard 93 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County
Rich pear, yellow fruit. Tropical coconut, cotton, pineapple. Light smoke, cotton and yellow flowers.
The palate shows nice viscosity with a honey vanilla play on the finish. There is a nice chalky (agreed) minerality that adds finesse, focus and balance.
So much butter and oak on the nose though - gotta like that style to enjoy this juice to its fullest. Big screaming Cali Chard.
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1997 Tili Assisi Rosso Reserve 84 Points
Italy, Umbria, Assisi
Showing age in the color. A little ok anise and cinnamon. Rusty and old. Thin, austere. High acid. Pass.
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2006 Baracchi Ardito Toscana IGT 86 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Subdued dark fruit. black with hints of spice and road tar. Harsh mid palate. Big tannins. Some acid on the back end. Not my favorite. Moneys spent better elsewhere.
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2005 Domaine Francois Lamarche Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Ruby color. Ripe strawberry. A little darker fruit. Bubble gum, light smoke, spice, anise. Big acid on the palate. Almost blood orange aromatics and flavors coming to life.
Pretty rose and geranium on the back end of the nose. Very tight finish. This bottle showed well considering it had been open more than a week AND was frozen in transit.
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2005 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cherbaudes Vieille Vigne 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Stinky baby diaper on the nose. Spice driven earthy wine sporting shrooms and a tart transition in the the mid palate - but it was enjoyable.
Earthy, and the aroma of freshly polished baseball glove was dominant. Gay and green and red pepper with light smoke finish out the wine.
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1999 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau 93 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Drinking very well now. A contemplative wine. Medium light bricking. Browning at the rim.
Some aged ripe raspberry, spice, cinnamon. There's a nice dryness with minty, leather, cigar on thenose.
Tannins are still present sporting some grip.
Lots of life. Great. A nice wine. Drink up.
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1999 Marcarini Barolo La Serra 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Soy saucy, figgy, maple pancake syrup. A little burnt caramel coated fruit. Light licorice, tar. Rusty nail, iron. A pretty wine.
Smells like it just rained. Nice grip on the palate. Dried herbs and alight green vegetation note. Elegant and really well polished and resolved.
Funky cola action at the end. Really liked this bottling.
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1995 Seña 90 Points
Chile, Aconcagua Valley
Inaugural release of this Mondavi cooperative bottling.
Paler rustic ruby color. Ripe fruit on the nose with some age.
Leather some oxidation. Shroomy, light tar and earth.
Ripe fruit but under Bordeaux like textures. Aged well.
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2004 Château La Mission Haut-Brion La Chapelle de La Mission Haut-Brion 88 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Clean, floral aromas. Purple flowers, soy, spicy and unctuous. Supple, soft vanilla with hints of rock and Asian spice.
A big palate and not too ripe. A little green. I thought this was right bank - wrong.
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2002 Sherwin Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Spring Mountain District 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
Sweet pretty light on its feet. Plush ripe fruit. Flowers, black and purple. Big fleshy, plums, chocolate, cola, figs, caramel and saline.
Not over ripe. Elegant with touches of liqueur.
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2002 d'Arenberg The Ironstone Pressings 90 Points
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, McLaren Vale
Crazy menthol, peppermint. Big Red brand gum - meaty summer sausage and wood. Leather and fresh rubber.
Rocky cracked peppercorns.
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2005 Descendientes de José Palacios Bierzo Villa de Corullon 92 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Bierzo
Super stinky. Floral, fungus flowers, dark cocoa. Black vegetation, root vegetables, reductive stewed fruit. Rusty, figs, black olive and coal.
A big palate. Tannic backbone with lots of layers. A blockbuster brooding bottling. Unique and different styling. Well made and super young. Lots of promise.
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2004 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard 94 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley
Black massive weighty wine. Blackberry, black rock, coal, tar, smoked meat and alcohol - really nice layering of fruit, spice and earth.
Bitter dark mocha. Brooding super bloody, black, meaty. Super pruney and reductive plums. So big but in line. Still could use some time in the cellar. Typical Alban Syrah.
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2007 Miani Friuli Colli Orientali Rosso 95 Points
Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Friuli Colli Orientali
This was such a cool wine! A red from Friuli - awesome.
Super ripe cherries, strawberry, pomegranate, flashy, sexy but with nice restraint and focus.
Jolly Rancher - candied finesse with polish. Cotton candy. A plush billowy wine with a fresh cotton linen quality that brings out the earth and minerality.
Great finish. Creamy and rich with great acidity and sweet tannins. Loved this wine. WOTD. Thanks Jeff. I may never come across this guy again.
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1998 Louis Jadot Bonnes Mares 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Caramel. Sweet nutty nose. Ripe berries, maple, molasses. Floral with nice sweet rose petals, leather and fresh sea breeze.
Drinking well. Great wine.
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2006 Clos Saint Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 93 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Really surprising wine on the reveal! Super pungent funk, cinnamon, clove and sulfur. Floral savory truffles, white truffle, molasses, caramel and brioche.
Gorgeous spicy but delicious wine. Candied and uber ripe New World styling.
Showing well. Lovely and for $40! Super heady. Highly recommended.
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1981 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Old Bordeaux nose. Super rich with lots of oxidation showing. Nice nose. Green streak with some stewed fruit. Some red vegetation.
Leather, cigar, horse saddle. Decent finish.
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2008 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir 92 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Uber ripe and plush.
Super toasty, ultra ripe. Fresh opulent mouth feel. Super creamy rich and spicy. Really loved this. Another surprise upon reveal.
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2007 Fisher Vineyards Chardonnay Mountain Estate 91 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County
Big huge ripe fruit. Butter, lemon and fat. Massive nuttiness. Not too over the top or extracted, just really delicious.
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