A touch coiled at first, but this really opens up with air, and becomes much more complex as it warms up a little without ever losing any of its focus or vibrancy. Layers of ripe pears, apples, doughy and brioche notes, and a chalky minerality beneath, with plenty of acidity and lively effervescence balancing the richness perfectly. It's a big wine, but still retains great elegance and finishes long. Rather primary now, but this should be amazing with time.
My last bottle, and showing absolutely superbly. Opened and slow-ox'ed several hours ahead of serving, and this is just fantastic - a stunning fragrance that's like smelling a rock quarry with other hay, floral, herbal and faintly smoky and zesty accents, and a palate presence that's incredibly light, focused and graceful, with an equally vivid stony mineral expression on the palate. Finishes long and savoury, and I wish I had more. This is phenomenal right now.
Not quite as impressive as it was a few years ago - it seems a touch coiled and gives the impression it's holding a bit in reserve. Still, there's plenty of bright nectarine and citrus fruit to enjoy here, accented by sweet floral and stony mineral notes, all conveyed on a powerful, dry frame with good acidity balancing the richness, and none of the finishing heat that I've found in a few '06s.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
I enjoyed this a lot, but didn't love it and found myself gravitating towards the Rhones on the tables more than this - perhaps a good sign for my wallet. Still, this is very pretty with lots of ripe red fruited flavours at the core, augmented by floral, spicy, and savoury earthy elements that slowly emerge on the nose and palate with more air. It's a powerful wine, fuller bodied than I expected, but still very well balanced with bright acids and fine grained tannins giving it plenty of structure. More impressive than charming, but I'm glad for the chance to finally try a Richebourg - thanks Adrian!
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Wow, this is stunning. So graceful and polished with an array of bright red fruits, olive tapenade, savoury earthy and leathery notes, and sweeter floral and herbal elements, all coming together seamlessly on a very elegant, medium weight frame. Air brings out more savoury complexity, and the tannin here is incredibly fine grained and elegant, making it all too easy to drink. What a fantastic wine. I wish more CDP tasted like this and the 04 Pignan. Thanks Tim.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Classic Rayas fragrance from the moment the cork was popped. Incredibly perfumed, bright red fruits, white pepper, and sweet floral elements augmented by more savoury earthy notes that emerge with air. As usual, there's the typical Rayas sense of finesse and grace on the palate, a lightness of touch and a long finish that's all bright red berries. Fantastic.
Much more delicate and finessed than any of the younger Gonons I've had, which come across a touch brawny and rustic in contrast to this. The nose and palate are an array of black olives, red berried fruit, a touch of stemmy funk, and more savoury meaty and leathery elements, and there's bright acidity beneath and a lightness of touch that makes each glass disappear too quickly. Great wine.
Pretty much what I usually expect from Delas - good raw material underneath with plenty of bright red fruit at the core and nice acidity, but ruined by far too much oak that just overwhelms the fruit. With air the woodiness only gets worse, and it gets increasingly unpleasant. Can't someone just give his parcel of Bessards to Bernard Faurie?
Still comes across rather youthful, with lots of primary red and black fruit, and only faint touches of more savoury earthy and meaty notes emerging with more air. This showed much better with some pork to match the grainy tannin here, but kept giving the impression that it needs a lot more time.
Really liked this. A fascinating contrast between ripe, slightly sweet apples and peachy fruit up front, and more savoury chalky and faintly nutty notes on the back end. There's a touch of sweetness here that hints at a little dosage, but there's no shortage of acidity to balance it, and it's a fantastic wine.
Doesn't show quite the complexity of the HGS-era Scheurebes, but this is damn good nonetheless. Packed with ripe passionfruit, nectarine, and pink grapefruit flavours with honeyed accents and a bright acid spine beneath keeping it very well balanced. Lovely wine, very fun to drink, with a glass disappearing rather quickly.
2002 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 93 Points
France, Champagne
A touch coiled at first, but this really opens up with air, and becomes much more complex as it warms up a little without ever losing any of its focus or vibrancy. Layers of ripe pears, apples, doughy and brioche notes, and a chalky minerality beneath, with plenty of acidity and lively effervescence balancing the richness perfectly. It's a big wine, but still retains great elegance and finishes long. Rather primary now, but this should be amazing with time.
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1999 Nikolaihof Riesling Steiner Hund 95 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
My last bottle, and showing absolutely superbly. Opened and slow-ox'ed several hours ahead of serving, and this is just fantastic - a stunning fragrance that's like smelling a rock quarry with other hay, floral, herbal and faintly smoky and zesty accents, and a palate presence that's incredibly light, focused and graceful, with an equally vivid stony mineral expression on the palate. Finishes long and savoury, and I wish I had more. This is phenomenal right now.
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2006 Alzinger Riesling Smaragd Loibenberg 91 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Not quite as impressive as it was a few years ago - it seems a touch coiled and gives the impression it's holding a bit in reserve. Still, there's plenty of bright nectarine and citrus fruit to enjoy here, accented by sweet floral and stony mineral notes, all conveyed on a powerful, dry frame with good acidity balancing the richness, and none of the finishing heat that I've found in a few '06s.
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1997 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Richebourg 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
I enjoyed this a lot, but didn't love it and found myself gravitating towards the Rhones on the tables more than this - perhaps a good sign for my wallet. Still, this is very pretty with lots of ripe red fruited flavours at the core, augmented by floral, spicy, and savoury earthy elements that slowly emerge on the nose and palate with more air. It's a powerful wine, fuller bodied than I expected, but still very well balanced with bright acids and fine grained tannins giving it plenty of structure. More impressive than charming, but I'm glad for the chance to finally try a Richebourg - thanks Adrian!
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2000 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins 95 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Wow, this is stunning. So graceful and polished with an array of bright red fruits, olive tapenade, savoury earthy and leathery notes, and sweeter floral and herbal elements, all coming together seamlessly on a very elegant, medium weight frame. Air brings out more savoury complexity, and the tannin here is incredibly fine grained and elegant, making it all too easy to drink. What a fantastic wine. I wish more CDP tasted like this and the 04 Pignan. Thanks Tim.
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2004 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Pignan Reserve 93 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Classic Rayas fragrance from the moment the cork was popped. Incredibly perfumed, bright red fruits, white pepper, and sweet floral elements augmented by more savoury earthy notes that emerge with air. As usual, there's the typical Rayas sense of finesse and grace on the palate, a lightness of touch and a long finish that's all bright red berries. Fantastic.
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1989 Pierre Gonon St. Joseph Les Oliviers 95 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph
Much more delicate and finessed than any of the younger Gonons I've had, which come across a touch brawny and rustic in contrast to this. The nose and palate are an array of black olives, red berried fruit, a touch of stemmy funk, and more savoury meaty and leathery elements, and there's bright acidity beneath and a lightness of touch that makes each glass disappear too quickly. Great wine.
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2004 Delas Frères Hermitage Les Bessards 75 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Pretty much what I usually expect from Delas - good raw material underneath with plenty of bright red fruit at the core and nice acidity, but ruined by far too much oak that just overwhelms the fruit. With air the woodiness only gets worse, and it gets increasingly unpleasant. Can't someone just give his parcel of Bessards to Bernard Faurie?
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2004 Alain Voge Cornas Les Vieilles Vignes 91 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
Still comes across rather youthful, with lots of primary red and black fruit, and only faint touches of more savoury earthy and meaty notes emerging with more air. This showed much better with some pork to match the grainy tannin here, but kept giving the impression that it needs a lot more time.
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2008 J-M Seleque Champagne Premier Cru Partition 90 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
Really liked this. A fascinating contrast between ripe, slightly sweet apples and peachy fruit up front, and more savoury chalky and faintly nutty notes on the back end. There's a touch of sweetness here that hints at a little dosage, but there's no shortage of acidity to balance it, and it's a fantastic wine.
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2010 Müller-Catoir Haardter Mandelring Scheurebe Auslese 92 Points
Germany, Pfalz
Doesn't show quite the complexity of the HGS-era Scheurebes, but this is damn good nonetheless. Packed with ripe passionfruit, nectarine, and pink grapefruit flavours with honeyed accents and a bright acid spine beneath keeping it very well balanced. Lovely wine, very fun to drink, with a glass disappearing rather quickly.
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