Year-in, year-out, the best Beaujolais Nouveau I've come across on the market. Sure there's some sweet cherry fruit, but no sugar cane, banana Runts fakeness a la Duboef. Pure cherry and licorice flavors, on a soft frame with fresh acid. Goes down easy, and this is one of the biggest crowd-pleasers to have around for family during the holidays.
France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Saint-Chinian
This wine continues to impress. It's Southern Rhone-like it its dark fruit and grippy tannins, but there's some dirty, earthy and rustic qualities that scream Languedoc. This would be perfect with rack of lamb or something like that.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
What a beautiful Burgundy. The nose is intoxicating and intense, one aroma blends into the next: savory meat and broth, leather, violets, pure cherry fruit, distinct earthiness. On the palate, everything is beautiful and in place, with the fine tannins, fresh acid and purity of flavors. The earthiness to this wine is amazing. Seems like it has a while ahead of it, but it tastes heavenly right now.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
A Beautiful young Corton. Powerful aromas of black cherry, minerals, loam. Laser-like focus on the palate, with grippy tannins and bursting acid. Plums and cherry flavors are compact, but delightful. So young, but this will get so much prettier over the course of its very long life.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
This is a generous, hedonistic Chateaneuf, with lots of black fruit, sweet tannins. I like the black cherry, molasses and fig flavors, but it's lacking the focus and freshness of some of the other 2010s I tasted alongside it. Still, very nice wine that seems destined for near-term consumption. A good value at $30.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
A near-perfect 2010 Chateauneuf, made from 100% grenache. Wow, the structure and depth of this wine is astonishing. Aromas of cedar, tobacco, anise, black cherries, black pepper and hints of toast. The aromas combine to form a tight fist that will take years to unpack. Very young, with firm tannins and tightly-compacted fruit, but enough acid to make this pleasant to drink. I love the complex fig, tar, herb garden and earth flavors in this wine. An incredibly long finish. I would absolutely love to try this again in 15 years, it's got at least that much time ahead of it. I know Robert Parker and Tanzer swooned over this, but they're on to something here. Superb.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
I've tasted some great 2010 CdPs, but this is way up there. Co-owned by American importer Peter Weygandt and Domaine de Cristia owner Baptiste Grangeon, this is en elite-level wine made from grenache grown in the sandy soils near Rayas. Much more concentration than Rayas, but still retains this lovely mineral and freshness. Aromas of fig, cocoa dust, roasted chestnut, cigar shop and herb-tinged blackberries. Wow. The fruit is like nectar on the palate, but that 2010 acid shines through and keeps this bound together. Very deep and sexy flavors here, all sorts of black fruit, mixed with some red berries, and packed with earthy and mineral flavors. I loved the 2009, but this is even better, with more focus and aging potential. Amazing stuff, and it's only going to improve. Bury this wine for a decade and see what happens.
Drank during the Miguel Cotto v. Austin Trout fight. Nose: cedar, strawberry, cassis, tobacco, smoke. Very expressive, and the decanter brought out all sorts of subtleties. Palate: blackberries, roasted plums, coconut oak, molasses, cocoa powder, earth, loam, violets, tobacco. Amazing complexity. Hints of rhubarb and white pepper came out with time. So complex and seamless. A good five years ahead of it at least, likely 10. Too bad Cotto lost, but this wine was a knockout. Why the hell don't I have more of this?
2012 Pierre-Marie Chermette Beaujolais Nouveau Primeur 85 Points
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Beaujolais Nouveau
Year-in, year-out, the best Beaujolais Nouveau I've come across on the market. Sure there's some sweet cherry fruit, but no sugar cane, banana Runts fakeness a la Duboef. Pure cherry and licorice flavors, on a soft frame with fresh acid. Goes down easy, and this is one of the biggest crowd-pleasers to have around for family during the holidays.
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2009 Domaine Canet-Valette Saint-Chinian Une et Mille Nuits 90 Points
France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Saint-Chinian
This wine continues to impress. It's Southern Rhone-like it its dark fruit and grippy tannins, but there's some dirty, earthy and rustic qualities that scream Languedoc. This would be perfect with rack of lamb or something like that.
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1995 Bernard Dugat-Py Mazis-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 96 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
What a beautiful Burgundy. The nose is intoxicating and intense, one aroma blends into the next: savory meat and broth, leather, violets, pure cherry fruit, distinct earthiness. On the palate, everything is beautiful and in place, with the fine tannins, fresh acid and purity of flavors. The earthiness to this wine is amazing. Seems like it has a while ahead of it, but it tastes heavenly right now.
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2010 Faiveley Corton-Clos des Cortons Faiveley 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
A Beautiful young Corton. Powerful aromas of black cherry, minerals, loam. Laser-like focus on the palate, with grippy tannins and bursting acid. Plums and cherry flavors are compact, but delightful. So young, but this will get so much prettier over the course of its very long life.
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2009 La Ferme du Mont Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vendanges d'Octobre 88 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
This is a generous, hedonistic Chateaneuf, with lots of black fruit, sweet tannins. I like the black cherry, molasses and fig flavors, but it's lacking the focus and freshness of some of the other 2010s I tasted alongside it. Still, very nice wine that seems destined for near-term consumption. A good value at $30.
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2010 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Chaupin 96 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
A near-perfect 2010 Chateauneuf, made from 100% grenache. Wow, the structure and depth of this wine is astonishing. Aromas of cedar, tobacco, anise, black cherries, black pepper and hints of toast. The aromas combine to form a tight fist that will take years to unpack. Very young, with firm tannins and tightly-compacted fruit, but enough acid to make this pleasant to drink. I love the complex fig, tar, herb garden and earth flavors in this wine. An incredibly long finish. I would absolutely love to try this again in 15 years, it's got at least that much time ahead of it. I know Robert Parker and Tanzer swooned over this, but they're on to something here. Superb.
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2010 Chapelle St. Theodoric Châteauneuf-du-Pape Le Grand Pin 97 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
I've tasted some great 2010 CdPs, but this is way up there. Co-owned by American importer Peter Weygandt and Domaine de Cristia owner Baptiste Grangeon, this is en elite-level wine made from grenache grown in the sandy soils near Rayas. Much more concentration than Rayas, but still retains this lovely mineral and freshness. Aromas of fig, cocoa dust, roasted chestnut, cigar shop and herb-tinged blackberries. Wow. The fruit is like nectar on the palate, but that 2010 acid shines through and keeps this bound together. Very deep and sexy flavors here, all sorts of black fruit, mixed with some red berries, and packed with earthy and mineral flavors. I loved the 2009, but this is even better, with more focus and aging potential. Amazing stuff, and it's only going to improve. Bury this wine for a decade and see what happens.
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2002 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 93 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Drank during the Miguel Cotto v. Austin Trout fight. Nose: cedar, strawberry, cassis, tobacco, smoke. Very expressive, and the decanter brought out all sorts of subtleties. Palate: blackberries, roasted plums, coconut oak, molasses, cocoa powder, earth, loam, violets, tobacco. Amazing complexity. Hints of rhubarb and white pepper came out with time. So complex and seamless. A good five years ahead of it at least, likely 10. Too bad Cotto lost, but this wine was a knockout. Why the hell don't I have more of this?
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2010 Porcupine Ridge Syrah 75 Points
South Africa, Coastal Region
Lots of vanilla and oak dominate this wine, with very soft tannins. Lacking in much besides blackberries and vanilla-oak.
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