Garnet to rim; deep rose, cherry, currant, herbs, roasted a bit, Slavonian oak; soft tannin, full, cedar; well put together, could not recognize this as the same wine had several months back- no blue fruit; was closest thinking it was Tuscan Sangio.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
Pale crimson core with pink rim, see through; strawberry, slight sulfur, Nerello?, sour cherry, perfumed, some oak, young, sweet soft red fruit; light body, mineral, limestone- Burg., fresh, crunchy, tart strawberry, some tannin in back; called '08 Vosne; probably needed more air than we gave it, elegant for Corton; 90+.
Very dark core with almost brick rim; unmistakably Bordeaux on the nose, green pepper, iron, blood, red currant, cigar, pencil shavings, St. Estephe, secondary- must have some age; tannin but softer due to age, nice fullness on palate, rich and deep, cherry, currant, some slight weedy green pepper but in the background; very good; seemed to be drinking a little too well for 2005, surprised how young; this could have easily outperformed the majority of classified growths tonight.
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Dark core with crimson rim; dark cherry, currant, alluring rose, deep nose though not yet complex, sour plum, bitter cocoa; tannin is very strong, cedar, cherry, red currant, dusty, wood tannin?, many thought this was kind of harsh; I liked the nobility but the wine like many vintages I've opened has boatloads of very rough hewn tannin.
Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Dark core, some clarity, very crimson rim; graham cracker, raspberry, very medicinal cherry, fig, almost CdP-like on nose; alcohol is strong, tannin hits the front of the mouth (not Grenache), some sweetness, raspberry, cherry flavored Robitussin (Amarone), lots of fig on the finish, big yet still elegant; like the cherrywood barrels; give this at least 5 more years; nailed it; delicious 92+.
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Dense core, burnt orange rim; woodsy nose, red currant, eucalyptus, mushroom, loam, mint, underripe, sandy; red fruit, tart, orange oil, age, coffee; at apogee, may stay there for several more years but I don't expect this to improve, should turn into soy like an Italian would.
Black core with garnet rim; blueberry, fresh blackberry, spice, sweet, young, very fresh nose; youthful on palate, sweet fruit, plum, primary, soft tannin, a bit shallow; a really well stored example owned since release, amazingly this bottle needed another 10 years the way it drank tonight, very new and New World like in tonight's tasting, NR.
From 375 mL; see through pale crimson, lots of sediment, rose rim; raisin, fig, red fruit, plum, ripe, aged, alcohol; vanilla, guava pastry (2 descriptors that are new for me in my limited Vintage Port tasting experience), sappy, high alcohol, slight nutty, figgy, good balance between alcohol sweetness and fruit; tasty though a little hard to navigate the chunks of sediment in my glass.
2008 Azienda Agricola Pietro Beconcini Vigna alle Nicchie Toscana IGT 90 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Garnet to rim; deep rose, cherry, currant, herbs, roasted a bit, Slavonian oak; soft tannin, full, cedar; well put together, could not recognize this as the same wine had several months back- no blue fruit; was closest thinking it was Tuscan Sangio.
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2008 P. Dubreuil-Fontaine Père & Fils Corton-Clos du Roi 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
Pale crimson core with pink rim, see through; strawberry, slight sulfur, Nerello?, sour cherry, perfumed, some oak, young, sweet soft red fruit; light body, mineral, limestone- Burg., fresh, crunchy, tart strawberry, some tannin in back; called '08 Vosne; probably needed more air than we gave it, elegant for Corton; 90+.
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2005 Château Sociando-Mallet 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
Very dark core with almost brick rim; unmistakably Bordeaux on the nose, green pepper, iron, blood, red currant, cigar, pencil shavings, St. Estephe, secondary- must have some age; tannin but softer due to age, nice fullness on palate, rich and deep, cherry, currant, some slight weedy green pepper but in the background; very good; seemed to be drinking a little too well for 2005, surprised how young; this could have easily outperformed the majority of classified growths tonight.
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2004 Château Troplong Mondot 89 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Dark core with crimson rim; dark cherry, currant, alluring rose, deep nose though not yet complex, sour plum, bitter cocoa; tannin is very strong, cedar, cherry, red currant, dusty, wood tannin?, many thought this was kind of harsh; I liked the nobility but the wine like many vintages I've opened has boatloads of very rough hewn tannin.
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2007 Masi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Serègo Alighieri Vaio Armaron 92 Points
Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Dark core, some clarity, very crimson rim; graham cracker, raspberry, very medicinal cherry, fig, almost CdP-like on nose; alcohol is strong, tannin hits the front of the mouth (not Grenache), some sweetness, raspberry, cherry flavored Robitussin (Amarone), lots of fig on the finish, big yet still elegant; like the cherrywood barrels; give this at least 5 more years; nailed it; delicious 92+.
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2000 Château Pipeau 88 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Dense core, burnt orange rim; woodsy nose, red currant, eucalyptus, mushroom, loam, mint, underripe, sandy; red fruit, tart, orange oil, age, coffee; at apogee, may stay there for several more years but I don't expect this to improve, should turn into soy like an Italian would.
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2004 Achával-Ferrer Quimera
Argentina, Mendoza, Lujan de Cuyo
Black core with garnet rim; blueberry, fresh blackberry, spice, sweet, young, very fresh nose; youthful on palate, sweet fruit, plum, primary, soft tannin, a bit shallow; a really well stored example owned since release, amazingly this bottle needed another 10 years the way it drank tonight, very new and New World like in tonight's tasting, NR.
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1991 Dow Porto Vintage 90 Points
Portugal, Douro, Porto
From 375 mL; see through pale crimson, lots of sediment, rose rim; raisin, fig, red fruit, plum, ripe, aged, alcohol; vanilla, guava pastry (2 descriptors that are new for me in my limited Vintage Port tasting experience), sappy, high alcohol, slight nutty, figgy, good balance between alcohol sweetness and fruit; tasty though a little hard to navigate the chunks of sediment in my glass.
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