HDH auction tasting at Tru

Chicago, IL
Tasted Friday, December 12, 2014 - Saturday, December 13, 2014 by acyso with 720 views

Flight 1 (8 Notes)

  • NV Laurent-Perrier Champagne Grand Siècle Brut 93 Points

    France, Champagne

    (12/12/2014)

    This is quite a stunner. Powerful baked apple and pastry notes, as well as a slight hint of marzipan. The palate is similarly powerful with consistent profile. There's a certain sinewy, but polished, rounded quality to this as well. Very good.

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  • 2003 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 90 Points

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    (12/12/2014)

    This has a very aromatic and entrancing nose with tons of spice, apricot, and flowers. The palate is surprisingly lithe, with just enough acidity to keep things interesting. As is typical for a Rhone white to me, this finishes quite bitter. Nonetheless, this was a real revelation... I'm not used to Rhone whites I can actually enjoy.

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  • 2012 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru

    (12/12/2014)

    Very pale colour. Lots of flint and smoke on the nose -- not showing any fruit at all right now. The palate is quite austere as well, showing the same stone qualities, as well as a good dose of tart lemon. There is a bit of oak on show, but it isn't annoying or loud at all.

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  • 1976 Weingut Prinz von Hessen Winkeler Dachsberg Scheurebe Auslese 90 Points

    Germany, Rheingau

    (12/12/2014)

    #17-77, 10% abv. What an eclectic bottle of wine. Hallucinogenic nose with peaches, passion fruit, lychee, and spice. The palate still has the same amount of fruit, and there's still a bit of sweetness. Lots to like and lots of life still. A heap of fun.

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  • 2007 Coche-Dury Bourgogne 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

    (12/12/2014)

    Well, this is embarrassing. The green and slightly rustic notes on it made me think this was a well-made Italian cabernet. As in, really, really well made. But you know what they say, the last time I confused Bordeaux and Burgundy was lunchtime. Which, in the case of this note, is totally true. This is quite peppery and doesn't display much of the red fruit charm of 2007. A bit austere, with very broad tannins still, which is perhaps surprising given the character of the vintage. I guess you could call this Clifford the Big Red Burgundy.

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  • 1999 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Cicala 90 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    (12/12/2014)

    The cicada. Served blind, this was pretty much immediately identifiable as Barolo in the modern vein, thanks to the spicy sweetness at the end of the palate. Very perfumed and floral, this is really a real charmer. The palate though does come off a bit thin and leaves a bit to be desired. The tannins still have a long way to go. This should probably be aged for another decade.

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  • 2003 Domaine Dujac Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Aux Combottes 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

    (12/12/2014)

    Served blind, I thought this was a Vosne based on the amount of black spice on the nose -- it was either Vosne or Dujac. This is more stems than fruit, to be honest, but doesn't really show very much heat. There wasn't quite enough fruit for me. Surprisingly restrained and not over the top at all, though the tannins are really, really astringent and there's a bit of bitterness on the finish.

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  • 1999 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru

    (12/12/2014)

    Very dark and purple. Slightly bretty nose, just a bit on the edge of too much for me. The palate is super dark and rich, with a good dose of earth, iron, and black fruit. Tannins are still a bit chewy, this could definitely use a bit more time to resolve itself. This is without a doubt a very, very big bottle of Burgundy.

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Flight 2 (19 Notes)

  • 2002 Pierre Moncuit Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut Millésimé 90 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    (12/13/2014)

    Very aggressive bubbles -- though that just might be a function of my being the first person at the auction and the bottle having just been popped. Lots of aromas of stone fruit and bread dough. The palate is quite restrained, showing a lot of nutty character, as well as some baked fruit. Definitely on the fresh side of things.

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  • NV Jacques Selosse V.O. Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 93 Points

    France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru

    (12/13/2014)

    Disgorged December 9, 2012. Evidence and provenance points to a recent release. Initially this was very, very volatile with lots of chemical aromas -- nail polish remover came to mind. With air, this stuff all blew off, showing the classic oxidative nutty aromas that are typical of Selosse wines. The nose strongly evokes crushed seashells, hazelnuts, bread. The palate is quite acidic and chalky as is typical. Intense and concentrated, this is significantly better when flat and warm -- decanting is a must! I saved the last half glass in the bottle for the next day, just to see what this would become. There are now intense oxidative saline and nutty tones -- yes, this is like sherry. The palate has that same saline and nutty quality, but still holds a sliver of citrus freshness. The chalky mineral characteristics seem to have taken a bit of a backseat. I'd be hard-pressed to say that this is better on the second day, but it certainly isn't less interesting than on the first.

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  • 2004 Aubert Chardonnay Reuling Vineyard 70 Points

    USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

    (12/13/2014)

    I like my chardonnay to taste like chardonnay, not oak.

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  • 2010 Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling 'Rotlay' 95 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    (12/13/2014)

    #27-11, 8.5% abv. Big time petrol on the nose with moderate stone fruit, melons, and lychees. The palate is incredibly sweet -- dessert level, to be sure. Lots of honeyed notes, along with tons of floral flavours. There's a lovely vein of green acidity that keeps the narrative flowing. Amazing stuff.

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  • 2006 Domaine Ramonet Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru

    (12/13/2014)

    A bit aggressive on the creme-brulee nose. There's also a hint of saline and lime peel. The palate is very restrained but slightly bitter. I'm not totally sold on this bottle. There's a definite egg custard component that I get from Ramonet, but this is really austere and not showing much else right now.

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  • 1996 Château Palmer Flawed

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

    (12/13/2014)

    Completely spot-on nose, with the classic Margaux perfume. A good dose of pencil shavings, figs, and cough syrup. The palate is, sadly, a bit tired and dried up, showing mostly acid and not much else.

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  • 1964 Bodegas Bilbainas Rioja Reserva Vendemia Especial 93 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    (12/13/2014)

    How does this have so much fruit still? A bit of leather, a lot of fruit, and a slight hint of animale. The palate has incredible verve still, with a bit of a fruit jerky flavour. I don't know how these are still alive, but they're totally kicking around and causing a big fuss. My cellar needs more of this stuff.

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  • 1984 Dominus Estate 90 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (12/13/2014)

    This is a really, really green and herbaceous Dominus. Tons of stems and green character, with a light background smattering of sweet black fruit. Tannins are quite soft now, but there is yet distance for this to go. Quite nice, despite its being very astringent.

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  • 1973 Bodegas Olarra Rioja 88 Points

    Spain, La Rioja, Rioja

    (12/13/2014)

    A bit drying out on the nose and palate. There are some aromas of fruit leather and cow leather as well. There's still lots of life in this bottle too, but it does pale in comparison to the 64 that we drank alongside, which had a much bigger fruit component. Still, this is a perfect wine just to drink, and asks me the big question of why I don't own more old Rioja again

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  • 1998 M. Chapoutier Hermitage La Sizeranne 83 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

    (12/13/2014)

    This has a lot of high-toned aromas with some tomato paste, nail-polish remover, and black fruit. The palate is a bit empty for me, and doesn't deliver the promise of the nose. A bit hot and hollow, this really isn't my cup of tea (read: glass of wine). Very, very big, of course.

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  • 1996 Joseph Phelps Insignia 83 Points

    USA, California, Napa Valley

    (12/13/2014)

    A lot of pencil shaving character on the nose, but there's some confected fruit flavours that remind me of 2003 France. Very, very big and ripe, but the palate doesn't have much to show for it. Simultaneously heavy and empty on the palate, this is just a boring bottle of wine.

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  • 1975 Château Phélan Ségur 88 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

    (12/13/2014)

    A bit opaque, with a classic dirty Bordeaux nose that features more barnyard. Some notes of stewed fruit and leather, this is exactly what you'd expect from a bottle like this.

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  • 1996 Château Léoville Las Cases

    France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

    (12/13/2014)

    From half-bottle. A big dumb brute, let it sleep for 20 years.

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  • 2007 Dönnhoff Norheimer Dellchen Riesling Spätlese Auction 93 Points

    Germany, Nahe

    (12/13/2014)

    #20-08, 9% abv. Lovely classic aromas of peach and minerals on the nose -- almost kaleidoscopic. The palate has tons of fresh fruit and mineral, with just a bit of smoke too. So long...

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  • 1997 Weingut Max Ferd. Richter Veldenzer Elisenberg Riesling Spätlese 88 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    (12/13/2014)

    This has a bit of a lactic component to it which strikes me as really, really weird. Quite acidic and not much fruit, this is a really lean and restrained with some lychee and tart fruit notes. Not particularly interesting, but not bad either.

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  • 2001 Weingut Reinhold Haart Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel Auction 98 Points

    Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

    (12/13/2014)

    #13-02, 7.5% abv. An absolute monument of a wine, this is huge (and not just in Japan). A very vibrant nose of lychee and honey, one could just sit for hours sniffing the glass. Once it hits the palate though, it's going to knock your head off. This is just a monolith. Stone, mineral, stone fruit, honey, flowers, and completely insane concentration (no one could drink more than an ounce at a time). Loooooooooooong. Incredibly delicious now, but there is definitely stuffing in this bottle for the next 30 years.

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  • 2002 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet

    (12/13/2014)

    The nose had a bit of creamed corn and citrus, and I thought it'd be alright. On the palate though, the stewed and browned apples are a dead giveaway. Its glory days are past.

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  • 1959 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 890 Flawed

    Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja

    (12/13/2014)

    Slightly corked. Still lots of fruit and stuffing underneath that layer of wet cardboard though. Leather, earth, and fruit on the palate, this has plenty of interest despite the wet blanket of cardboard that gets in the way.

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  • 2001 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques Vieille Vigne 85 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

    (12/13/2014)

    A very savory nose, with smoked meat and mushroom elements. The palate is quite fruit forward, with lots of red fruit elements on the attack. Feels like there were a lot of stems here. I'm really not enamored of this wine though: the palate is quite empty, and the finish is quite bitter... not sure if that's a result of the oak treatment, but this really isn't a convincing bottle.

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