Tasted double blind. Served too warm so tough to fairly assess. Rich and opulent start on both nose and palate. Very good spice. Modest nuance today, this is still fruit driven and should improve with more cellar time.
Open a couple of hours before tasting. Impressive Villages level. Lots of red fruit with modest spice aromas. Red cherry and ripe raspberry flavors with earth hints. Very good balance and finesse start-to-finish.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Served double blind to tasting group. Great spice start, most tasters thought this from Vosne. All black fruit aromas and flavors, still fresh. Lots of power and density, with a meatiness that is very Gevrey, also structure nicely balanced and subtle for a 1995. Still holding up great, I'd expect this will drink great for another decade+.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Tasted double blind. Very elegant red and black fruit aromas with subtle spice hints that didn't take me to Vosne to start. In fact, I don't think any tasters thought it from Vosne. Soft and rich with very good balance, length and persistence.
Tasted double blind. Tough wine for everybody to assess. I didn't think it Chardonnay at first, given what i thought a fat, overripe start, even through nicely supplemented with mint and butterscotch. Short, fat, simple on palate. I believe I heard this is approx $20, so a fairly good value, but certainly needs to be consumed young.
Tasted double blind. Very forward aromas, actually quite advanced. Not distinctly Barolo to anybody today, this mostly showed mature, ultra ripe fruit with just modest nuance. Best to drink up, given both the character of the vintage and modern style.
Tasted double blind. Lots of raisin, fig character with a clear sweet edge immediately made me think this Amarone/Venato. Lush, sweet and rich with moderate length but lots of charm. Real success in a very tough vintage.
Tasted double blind. Massive black fruit and spice, I immediately thought this 2007 CDP based on aromas, then clearly thought New World once tasted. Huge fruit and spice start-to-finish with a distinct hint of the chemical element I often get from Alban, but this had been open several hours so the common sense of sulfur had dissipated. Very good density, well done in its style, even if not my preferred style. Others liked this much more today.
Tasted double blind. Everybody immediately identified this as from Bordeaux. Dense black fruit aromas with tobacco, leather, earth hints. Leaner on palate, seemingly slightly shut down for now. Just starting to evolve. Needs another decade+.
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
Tasted double blind. Lots of advanced, ripe fruit aromas and flavors. Good textures and subtlety, but clearly playing the back nine. I couldn't tell if this was also from Bordeaux.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Tasted double blind. All red fruit with trace earthy hints, lots of spice and floral notes. A great weightlessness and perfumed character on the palate, again showcasing strawberry and raspberry. Long and incredibly well textured. The very rare time I have been able to almost exactly identify a wine blind. I immediately thought Amoureuses, just thought it from Mugnier, not Drouhin. Glad I have two magnums of this stashed away in the cellar.
Tasted double blind, this wine was a real head scratcher. Large scaled with firm spice and plenty of very fresh black fruit. It barely showed any Côte-Rôtie character or any Guigal character or any of the floral Viognier influence i would expect. No question this was a fascinating, charming wine, but I had enormous trouble identifying what it might be. At first I was convinced it was a very good, young Sine Qua Non!
Tasted double blind. Spice driven start with moderate power, mostly quite young blackberry and plum. Elegant and drinking well young, even if not classically ageworthy.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Served double blind to the tasting group. Another 2007 drinking very well now. Open approx 4 hours before serving, not decanted. Red fruit aromas with modest spice. Very good textures and depth, this picked up weight towards finish.
Very fun way to end the afternoon. Great caramel aromas with both remaining stone fruit and earthy aromas and flavors. Great sweet character just on the Moelluex borderline now, providing lots of charm and finesse, Moderate length.
2002 Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Blanc 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
Tasted double blind. Served too warm so tough to fairly assess. Rich and opulent start on both nose and palate. Very good spice. Modest nuance today, this is still fruit driven and should improve with more cellar time.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2010 Benjamin Leroux Volnay 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay
Lots of fresh fruit and great spice, a bit of pronounced oak that needs another year to integrate. Lots of everything for its level, very charming.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2009 Maison Champy Vosne-Romanée 86 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Good red cherry, modest spice aromas and flavors. Forward and slightly more simple than I might have expected today. Best in the next few years.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2005 Domaine Taupenot-Merme Morey St. Denis 89 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis
Open a couple of hours before tasting. Impressive Villages level. Lots of red fruit with modest spice aromas. Red cherry and ripe raspberry flavors with earth hints. Very good balance and finesse start-to-finish.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1995 Domaine Denis Bachelet Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Served double blind to tasting group. Great spice start, most tasters thought this from Vosne. All black fruit aromas and flavors, still fresh. Lots of power and density, with a meatiness that is very Gevrey, also structure nicely balanced and subtle for a 1995. Still holding up great, I'd expect this will drink great for another decade+.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1997 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brûlées 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Tasted double blind. Very elegant red and black fruit aromas with subtle spice hints that didn't take me to Vosne to start. In fact, I don't think any tasters thought it from Vosne. Soft and rich with very good balance, length and persistence.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2011 Renato Ratti Monferrato I Cedri di Villa Pattono 86 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Monferrato
Tasted double blind. Tough wine for everybody to assess. I didn't think it Chardonnay at first, given what i thought a fat, overripe start, even through nicely supplemented with mint and butterscotch. Short, fat, simple on palate. I believe I heard this is approx $20, so a fairly good value, but certainly needs to be consumed young.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1997 Vietti Barolo Brunate 87 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Tasted double blind. Very forward aromas, actually quite advanced. Not distinctly Barolo to anybody today, this mostly showed mature, ultra ripe fruit with just modest nuance. Best to drink up, given both the character of the vintage and modern style.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2002 Giuseppe Quintarelli Rosso del Bepi Veneto IGT 92 Points
Italy, Veneto, Veneto IGT
Tasted double blind. Lots of raisin, fig character with a clear sweet edge immediately made me think this Amarone/Venato. Lush, sweet and rich with moderate length but lots of charm. Real success in a very tough vintage.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2005 Alban Vineyards Syrah Lorraine 89 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley
Tasted double blind. Massive black fruit and spice, I immediately thought this 2007 CDP based on aromas, then clearly thought New World once tasted. Huge fruit and spice start-to-finish with a distinct hint of the chemical element I often get from Alban, but this had been open several hours so the common sense of sulfur had dissipated. Very good density, well done in its style, even if not my preferred style. Others liked this much more today.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1996 Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Tasted double blind. Everybody immediately identified this as from Bordeaux. Dense black fruit aromas with tobacco, leather, earth hints. Leaner on palate, seemingly slightly shut down for now. Just starting to evolve. Needs another decade+.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
1996 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon 89 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
Tasted double blind. Lots of advanced, ripe fruit aromas and flavors. Good textures and subtlety, but clearly playing the back nine. I couldn't tell if this was also from Bordeaux.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2002 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Tasted double blind. All red fruit with trace earthy hints, lots of spice and floral notes. A great weightlessness and perfumed character on the palate, again showcasing strawberry and raspberry. Long and incredibly well textured. The very rare time I have been able to almost exactly identify a wine blind. I immediately thought Amoureuses, just thought it from Mugnier, not Drouhin. Glad I have two magnums of this stashed away in the cellar.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2005 Maybach Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Materium
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
Tasted double blind. Huge, massive, top heavy. A wine other people seemed to like a lot.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1996 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Turque
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Tasted double blind, this wine was a real head scratcher. Large scaled with firm spice and plenty of very fresh black fruit. It barely showed any Côte-Rôtie character or any Guigal character or any of the floral Viognier influence i would expect. No question this was a fascinating, charming wine, but I had enormous trouble identifying what it might be. At first I was convinced it was a very good, young Sine Qua Non!
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2001 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Tasted double blind. Spice driven start with moderate power, mostly quite young blackberry and plum. Elegant and drinking well young, even if not classically ageworthy.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2007 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Murgers 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Served double blind to the tasting group. Another 2007 drinking very well now. Open approx 4 hours before serving, not decanted. Red fruit aromas with modest spice. Very good textures and depth, this picked up weight towards finish.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1947 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux Le Haut-Lieu 93 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Very fun way to end the afternoon. Great caramel aromas with both remaining stone fruit and earthy aromas and flavors. Great sweet character just on the Moelluex borderline now, providing lots of charm and finesse, Moderate length.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue