Popped and poured. Nose of green apples, citrus, spice, with hints of mineral, yeast. On the palate, good balance, but the flavours are somewhat simplistic, showing green apple and lemon. A little thin in the mouth, with the finish leaving a bit to be desired.
Popped and poured, light golden yellow in colour. Nose of creme brûlée, lemon zest, mineral, ginger, dough, yeast, hazelnut, with a hints of truffle and mushroom. Very lively tropical flavours on the palate with strong acidity, tartness and moderate finish. Exceptional balance, with significant bubbles remaining.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Popped and poured. Lovely nose of lemon peel, graphite, gun powder, crushed stones, oak with hints of delicate flowers, peach. Incredibly balanced on the palate, with medium acidity. Very round texture in the mouth with a lengthy finish.
Popped and poured. Nose of tart red cherries, spice, dusty stones, sea water, dried herbs. On the palate, tons of structure still; very tart, a bit of tannic grip, with sour cherries. Moderate length to the finish.
Popped and poured from magnum. Nose of dark red fruits, red berries, menthol, spice, vanilla, tea leaves, florals, stones and a stemmy characteristic. Mirrored on the palate, tart cherries, raspberries and tea. Strong tannic structure, significant acidity. Somewhat of a clipped finish.
Decanted for sediment only. Extremely intense nose of cigar box, green pepper, mint, celery, earth, with just hints of blackcurrant, cassis in the background. On the palate, more of that earth, spent pipe tobacco. Nice mouthfeel; fully integrated tannin, acidic backbone remains. Far too much tertiary flavours going on here that overpower the fruit for me. There were not any flaws that I could pick out of this bottle. Certainly not corked or heat damaged.
Decanted for sediment and served immediately. Ruby in colour, with hints of orange along the rim of the glass. Upon opening, the nose was a little weedy and I was expecting the worst. Luckily, that bit of funk blew off to reveal a nose of cassis, cherries, truffle, raw meat, earth, dried herbs, with hints of coffee grinds, mint and eucalyptus. Quite savoury. On the palate, plums, cherries, earth; a touch simplistic, with a bit of the infamous tannic grip of 1986 remaining. Medium length to the finish. Overall, lacked the complexity and overall pleasure to merit a higher score. A pleasant surprise.
Popped and poured. On the nose, dark blue fruits, blueberry, blackberries, licorice, white pepper, campfire, smoked meats, minerals and olive tapenade. On the palate, more dark fruits, huge white pepper, fully integrated tannins, with lifting acidity. I can't remember who said it but "this is everything I love about Northern Rhone". I certainly agree with that. Beautiful wine.
From magnum, decanted for 30-45 minutes. Dark purple in colour. Nose of dark blue and black fruits, citrus, mineral; a touch simplistic. On the palate, more of the same. Reasonable balance, tannic structure and racing acidity. The Chapoutier Cote Rotie was a tough act to follow, but this was a respectable wine. Some childish bickering ensued over the scoring of this wine, which proved to be quite entertaining. 89-90.
Popped and poured. Nose of lychee, rose petals, tropical fruits, citrus and heavy alcohol. On the palate, hot, disjointed, and short finish. This was really showing it's alcohol.
Popped and poured from 375mL. This was the absolute end of the night, and I was falling asleep at the table. Nose of poached pears, honeysuckle, beeswax. On the palate, strong acidity, sweet, but not cloying, with a touch of bitterness from the botrytis. Could do with a more powerful nose, and from what I recall was showing a bit of alcohol on the finish.
NV Bollinger Champagne Special Cuvée Brut 88 Points
France, Champagne
Popped and poured. Nose of green apples, citrus, spice, with hints of mineral, yeast. On the palate, good balance, but the flavours are somewhat simplistic, showing green apple and lemon. A little thin in the mouth, with the finish leaving a bit to be desired.
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1990 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon 93 Points
France, Champagne
Popped and poured, light golden yellow in colour. Nose of creme brûlée, lemon zest, mineral, ginger, dough, yeast, hazelnut, with a hints of truffle and mushroom. Very lively tropical flavours on the palate with strong acidity, tartness and moderate finish. Exceptional balance, with significant bubbles remaining.
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2007 Olivier Leflaive Corton-Charlemagne 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Popped and poured. Lovely nose of lemon peel, graphite, gun powder, crushed stones, oak with hints of delicate flowers, peach. Incredibly balanced on the palate, with medium acidity. Very round texture in the mouth with a lengthy finish.
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2002 Louis Jadot Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Couchereaux Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
Popped and poured. Nose of tart red cherries, spice, dusty stones, sea water, dried herbs. On the palate, tons of structure still; very tart, a bit of tannic grip, with sour cherries. Moderate length to the finish.
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2001 Paolo Scavino Barolo Carobric 89 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Popped and poured from magnum. Nose of dark red fruits, red berries, menthol, spice, vanilla, tea leaves, florals, stones and a stemmy characteristic. Mirrored on the palate, tart cherries, raspberries and tea. Strong tannic structure, significant acidity. Somewhat of a clipped finish.
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1992 Dominus Estate Napanook Vineyard 90 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Decanted for sediment only. Extremely intense nose of cigar box, green pepper, mint, celery, earth, with just hints of blackcurrant, cassis in the background. On the palate, more of that earth, spent pipe tobacco. Nice mouthfeel; fully integrated tannin, acidic backbone remains. Far too much tertiary flavours going on here that overpower the fruit for me. There were not any flaws that I could pick out of this bottle. Certainly not corked or heat damaged.
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1986 Château Léoville Poyferré 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Decanted for sediment and served immediately. Ruby in colour, with hints of orange along the rim of the glass. Upon opening, the nose was a little weedy and I was expecting the worst. Luckily, that bit of funk blew off to reveal a nose of cassis, cherries, truffle, raw meat, earth, dried herbs, with hints of coffee grinds, mint and eucalyptus. Quite savoury. On the palate, plums, cherries, earth; a touch simplistic, with a bit of the infamous tannic grip of 1986 remaining. Medium length to the finish. Overall, lacked the complexity and overall pleasure to merit a higher score. A pleasant surprise.
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1995 M. Chapoutier Côte-Rôtie La Mordorée 95 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Popped and poured. On the nose, dark blue fruits, blueberry, blackberries, licorice, white pepper, campfire, smoked meats, minerals and olive tapenade. On the palate, more dark fruits, huge white pepper, fully integrated tannins, with lifting acidity. I can't remember who said it but "this is everything I love about Northern Rhone". I certainly agree with that. Beautiful wine.
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2004 Delas Frères Hermitage Marquise de la Tourette 89 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
From magnum, decanted for 30-45 minutes. Dark purple in colour. Nose of dark blue and black fruits, citrus, mineral; a touch simplistic. On the palate, more of the same. Reasonable balance, tannic structure and racing acidity. The Chapoutier Cote Rotie was a tough act to follow, but this was a respectable wine. Some childish bickering ensued over the scoring of this wine, which proved to be quite entertaining. 89-90.
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2005 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Herrenweg de Turckheim 87 Points
France, Alsace
Popped and poured. Nose of lychee, rose petals, tropical fruits, citrus and heavy alcohol. On the palate, hot, disjointed, and short finish. This was really showing it's alcohol.
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2007 Château Liot 89 Points
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Popped and poured from 375mL. This was the absolute end of the night, and I was falling asleep at the table. Nose of poached pears, honeysuckle, beeswax. On the palate, strong acidity, sweet, but not cloying, with a touch of bitterness from the botrytis. Could do with a more powerful nose, and from what I recall was showing a bit of alcohol on the finish.
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