Pre-Holiday Dinner @ Home

Served with cheeses.

• NV Champagne Suenen Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 90 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

  A lovely, precise Champagne with a pinpoint beads, fresh, lifted, elegant palate and chalky finish. A nice choice for a light bodied, elegant aperetif.

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Roasted cauliflower and Asiago cheese soup.

• 2008 Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets 92 Points

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

  A bit fatter than I remember from my last bottle, but still well balanced. Peaches and apples with the oak apparent in a "clove" hint. Finishes clean with a stony, salty finish.

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• 2012 Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay 89 Points

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

  Perhaps a mistake to pour this with a quality white Burg, as it got a bit lost. Fruity, creamy and palate-filling, with adequate acids. Just lacking a bit of depth tonight.

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Grilled spiced chicken.

• 2000 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain 84 Points

  France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru

  Deep bronze in color, thick and viscous. Quite sweet and a bit lacking in acids. There is however, a bitterness in the finish that keeps this from getting too flabby... but this is heavy and a bit undefined and perhaps better with cheese than by itself.

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• 2002 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese 94 Points

  Germany, Nahe

  A wonderful combination of zesty citrus, cherry, slate and lime rind. This dances effortlessly on the palate. Still a long road ahead for this wine.

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• 1999 Franz Hirtzberger Riesling Smaragd Hochrain 94 Points

  Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau

  Uncanny how this can possess so much power yet be so weightless. A smack of citrus with a rocky saline wash in the finish. Lip pursingly good.

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• 2003 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese *** 88 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  A wine that one drinks for a cornucopia of exotic fruit flavors. Marmalade in texture, with honey, apricot, peach and (I think a first for me in Riesling) coconut. However, the acidity is a bit soft. A wonderful experience and a peek into what the 2003 vintage can produce, but alas not a thought provoking wine. No development over 5 days in the frig.

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Braised short ribs.

• 2001 The Standish Wine Company Shiraz The Standish 84 Points

  Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley

  Ripe sweet fruit with intriguing spices, however the sweetness was a bit too much for me.

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• 2003 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard 84 Points

  USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley

  Rich and concentrated, but very ripe and sweet, with the fruit verging on prunes.

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• 1969 Fratelli Berteletti Bramaterra Castello di Lozzolo 88 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Bramaterra

  After a flawed (maderized) bottle, it is good to know that this wine is still alive. Quite mature with dried leaves, earth and leather, but there is some fruit in there as well. Wonderful acids that keeps this refreshing and food friendly. Even on day two, although the fruit had dried up and it was all about secondary aged flavors, it was still drinkable with food -- thanks to that Nebiolo structure.

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• 1961 Fontanafredda Barolo 93 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  This was drinking quite nicely. Dried roses, violets and leather. The structure was smooth and silky. Light bodied, filigree and delicious.

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• 1988 Château La Mission Haut-Brion 95 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

  Beautiful, delicately-aged Graves. Gravel, earth, leafy and loamy with a well-reolved, fine-grained tannic spine. Drinking great.

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• 1988 Michel & Stéphane Ogier Côte-Rôtie 95 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Savory, smokey, herbal and gamey. A lovely, complex, ethereal wine with great presence and persistance.

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• 1983 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde Flawed

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  TCA rears its ugly head.

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Served with homemade Christmas cookies.

• 1977 Gould Campbell Porto Vintage 90 Points

  Portugal, Douro, Porto

  This showed signs of seepage, and the cork was quite crumbly. The wine was sound however. As always, this was dark, youthful, deep and full of life. The tannins are accessible, but this can continue to age for a couple more decades. Plums, raisins, spice and (my only complaint) a bit of a medicinal quality to it. My second bottle with that detracting medicinal note.

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• 1994 Alois Kracher Scheurebe Beerenauslese Zwischen den Seen 85 Points

  Austria, Burgenland, Neusiedlersee

  An interesting wine, with thick honey, peach compote and floral notes. Palate coating and persistent, but very soft, with almost no acidity left.

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