In Vino Veritas Session 3

MIT
Tasted Monday, January 28, 2013 by Benj with 498 views

Introduction

The importance of geography.

Flight 1 (12 Notes)

  • 2005 Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot Saint-Romain La Perière Blanc 86 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Romain

    V. nice nose - spritzy tart apple & lime leaf, gentle but clear oaking, slight pineapple / sweet tropical note. A touch of butter. On the palate, a strong, bitter acid streak runs straight down the middle of this wine - this actually serves to keep it clean and fresh, but it's a little too acrid. A shame, because surrounding that aggressive spear is a warm, gently smouldering buttery smooth mouthfeel and a decent (fairly woody) finish. 13%, $37.

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  • 2005 Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Les Fairendes 90 Points

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

    Much darker, richer than the St-Romain (as expected), but the oak is less prominent and better-integrated here. Caramel, warm spicy fruit. Feeling the age - just a touch oxidized, but not unpleasantly so. Quite viscous but finishes very clean. Excellent balance of acidity and warm oak. Underwhelming for the price. $87

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  • 2005 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre 89 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

    Not showing well tonight. Slightly urinous nose, slightly spicy fruit. Less fragrant than I had hoped. A touch hot and a little flabby. Oily, delicious, lemon pith (a little bitter) and baked buttery apple. Feels a little tired, but finishes long and warm. Not at all oxidized, nor does this feel like it has any other flaw - perhaps just a little old? Or perhaps just not my kind of wine. 13%, $125.

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  • 2010 Acacia Chardonnay Carneros 85 Points

    USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros

    Candied peaches, honeydew and papaya on the nose - very very fruity. Quite a lot of butter on the palate, fairly alcoholic (despite not coming through on the nose), almost overwhelming the fruit. More peach candy, and the slightly bitter flavor of perfume. 14.4%, $25.

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  • 2007 Markko Chardonnay Select Reserve 87 Points

    USA, Ohio, Lake Erie

    Disappointed by this effort, especially considering how amazing their Riesling is. V. oaky nose - buttered poached pear, a touch winey. Quite vibrant on the palate - a fair amount of acid, a little alcohol (surprising, considering this is only 11.5%), plenty of oak (2 years in French, 1/3 new). Intense and tasty, but lacking character - I can get this for $15 in California. 96 cases. 11.5%, $36.

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  • 2011 Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay 90 Points

    South Africa, Cape South Coast, Walker Bay, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley

    Yesssss. A gentle beauty. Soft, balanced nose. Excellent acid on the palate - very much on the lemony and tart apple end of the Chardonnay spectrum. Refreshing and delicious, as wine should be. Super food wine, and an excellent example of how well Chardonnay can perform when it isn't overwhelmed by too much oak. 13%, $29.

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  • 1979 Château La Lagune 90 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

    Remarkably youthful nose - plenty of blackcurrant, brambly blackberry, blueberry and forests of cedar. Still quite a bit of tannin, but smoothed out over an hour. Lovely acidity, brambly woody fruit. Almost no oxidization evident on the palate. A touch bitter, and the finish could be longer. Objectively far from perfect, but my kind of imperfect. Delicious, if a touch austere. $100.

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  • 2005 Tenuta dell'Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia 92 Points

    Italy, Tuscany, Bolgheri, Bolgheri Superiore

    Boom! Gorgeous nose - pure brambles, cedar and a touch of pine. Very rich on the palate - some green bitterness and iodine just about temper the bold, intense fruit. Handles its alcohol like a champ. *Very* long. Needs time. 14.5%, $180.

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  • 2001 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Trailside Vineyard 88 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford

    Blackcurrant but not too much, slightly medicinal, touch of eucalyptus. Not at all overoaked - just warm, pure fruit. Smells a touch sweet - quite fruity. However, quite hot on the palate, a little disappointing. Might need more time - tannic, good acid. 88 with room for improvement. Approx. 3500 cases. 14.4%, $85.

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  • 2003 John's Blend Cabernet Sauvignon Individual Selection 96 Points

    Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Langhorne Creek

    Wow. Beautiful nose - definite eucalyptus notes, strawberry Jolly Rancher - more red fruit than many Cabs. *EXTREMELY* juicy and fruity, plenty of oak. Warm, rich sweet fruit. Absolutely stunningly delicious, unbelievably beautiful, drinking perfectly. Handles its alcohol like it was nothing and sends shivers down my spine. What a wine. 14.5%, $50.

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  • 2004 Meinert Synchronicity 89 Points

    South Africa, Coastal Region, Stellenbosch, Devon Valley

    Sweet fruit, banana (or am I just projecting with the Pinotage?), currants both fresh and dried. A little hot but generally quite well balanced. Nicely juicy, good fruit-oak mix. Tannins quite calm - at or near peak. V. good. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Pinotage. 14% alcohol, $40.

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  • 2007 Bodega Catena Zapata Cabernet Sauvignon Catena Alta

    Argentina, Mendoza

    Pure deep dark purple in color. Tight nose, slightly candied berries and a kirsch note. A little winey. Needs time. 14%, $50.

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Closing

One of my favorite wines of all time - John's Blend blew me away. And fulfilled my dream of tasting Ornellaia - what a beast! However, many expensive bottles were underwhelming.

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