France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double blind tasting, brief note. Ripe black berry and cherry, but good freshness and energy balances the rich fruit nicely. Very dense with a slightly horsey, earthy character emerging already to provide a charm I really enjoy. Give this time in the cellar. Excellent potential.
Double blind tasting, brief note. Easily identified as Bordeaux, but very closed and inaccessible. No pleasure from this wine today, even finishing with a shrill character.
Double blind tasting, brief note. This had been decanted for 3-4 hours before serving. Black berries and cherry with slightly sweet spice in a fashion that made me think (and most other taters) this to be a great young Burgundy. Textural engaging. Sensational potential.
Double blind tasting, brief note. Good fruit, slightly sweet. nicely supported with spice. Moderate nuance and texture, this is good now and unlikely to get more interesting.
Double blind tasting, served alongside the 1994. This came across as less-than-pristine, somewhat dirty, perhaps bretty. I'd consider this a flawed bottle/ wine but others actually enjoyed it.
Double blind tasting, brief note. Rich, ripe, mature plum and black cherry. Well supported with mushroom and very good savory spice. Overall good balance. Nice now, but the concentration and balance to hold nicely going forward.
Double blind tasting, brief note. Nobody thought this Nebbiolo! Bordeaux-like spice with slightly sweet fruit. Completely resolved, this was drinking smoothly and nicely in a modern style that was more pleasurable than interesting.
Double blind tasting, brief note. Nicely mature, but I thought it considerably younger than 50+ yo. Charming spice, good density and elegant overall. In great shape for what it is.
Double blind tasting, brief note. Jammy on nose and palate, but with savory spice that takes offsets the sweetness. Good density throughout, good power on finish. Probably better in a year or two, then good for the medium-term.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Served double blind to the tasting group. I tasted this 3 or 4 times over the course of two hours. Mature red cherry throughout with equal amount of reduced mushroom and savory spice. Moderate concentration, better textures. Better than I recall from another bottle from the same case from 2-3 years ago, but I doubt there is further upside from here.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
Double blind tasting, brief note. Seemed older than 1987, but that's the nature of an "off" vintage wine. Mushroom, advanced red fruit, delicate spice. Charming when first popped and poured, but faded quickly in glass.
Double blind tasting, brief note. Popped and poured. Lots of black and red plum with cigarbox notes. Great concentration. Very good balance and textures. Great now, this should age gracefully for another decade+.
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Double blind tasting, brief note. Sweet, large-scaled fruit, rounded textures. Very accessible now, on the basis of really great fruit. Very good length, spice on finish. I was surprised how accessible this wine was today, and I expect it will certainly be even more balanced and pleasurable in the future (and/or with more air).
Crisp and vibrant. Subtly floral with good lemon, green apple and toasted brioche. Good mineral textures. Not as long or powerful as this wine in vintages I've preferred, most notably '96 or 02.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
This had been open several hours by the time i tasted, served at room temperature. Lots of intense orchard fruit throughout with great density and concentration. Better in a few years from now, so while very tasty today, this has greater overall potential in 5+ years.
2010 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 93 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Double blind tasting, brief note. Ripe black berry and cherry, but good freshness and energy balances the rich fruit nicely. Very dense with a slightly horsey, earthy character emerging already to provide a charm I really enjoy. Give this time in the cellar. Excellent potential.
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1987 Joseph Phelps Insignia 90 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Small (non-blind) tasted, brief note. Mature fruit, earth, mushroom, dried herb and some mint. Nice right now, but probably better a few years back.
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1996 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate Flawed
USA, California, Napa Valley
Tasted double blind. Came across as very tired, most certainly an off bottle. Heat damage?
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1996 Château Clerc Milon 89 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Double blind tasting, brief note. Very firm throughout, with good black fruit I expect will soften with more time. Good spice, cigarbox support.
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1995 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Double blind tasting, brief note. Easily identified as Bordeaux, but very closed and inaccessible. No pleasure from this wine today, even finishing with a shrill character.
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2012 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 96 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Double blind tasting, brief note. This had been decanted for 3-4 hours before serving. Black berries and cherry with slightly sweet spice in a fashion that made me think (and most other taters) this to be a great young Burgundy. Textural engaging. Sensational potential.
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1995 Lewis Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 89 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Double blind tasting, brief note. Good fruit, slightly sweet. nicely supported with spice. Moderate nuance and texture, this is good now and unlikely to get more interesting.
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1997 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Bancroft Ranch
USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
Double blind tasting, served alongside the 1994. This came across as less-than-pristine, somewhat dirty, perhaps bretty. I'd consider this a flawed bottle/ wine but others actually enjoyed it.
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1994 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Bancroft Ranch 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
Double blind tasting, brief note. Rich, ripe, mature plum and black cherry. Well supported with mushroom and very good savory spice. Overall good balance. Nice now, but the concentration and balance to hold nicely going forward.
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1999 Fratelli Revello Barolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Double blind tasting, brief note. Nobody thought this Nebbiolo! Bordeaux-like spice with slightly sweet fruit. Completely resolved, this was drinking smoothly and nicely in a modern style that was more pleasurable than interesting.
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1990 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou Flawed
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
Clearly corked, but with good underlying black fruit. I couldn't believe a few people didn't agree.
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1961 Clos René
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Double blind tasting, brief note. Nicely mature, but I thought it considerably younger than 50+ yo. Charming spice, good density and elegant overall. In great shape for what it is.
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2008 Herb Lamb Cabernet Sauvignon HL 91 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Double blind tasting, brief note. Jammy on nose and palate, but with savory spice that takes offsets the sweetness. Good density throughout, good power on finish. Probably better in a year or two, then good for the medium-term.
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2012 Lucien Le Moine Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Petits Monts 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. Red cherry and berry, more elegant than rich. Moderate spice, but classically Vosne-styled. Decanted for 2-3 hours.
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2000 Nicolas Potel Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Served double blind to the tasting group. I tasted this 3 or 4 times over the course of two hours. Mature red cherry throughout with equal amount of reduced mushroom and savory spice. Moderate concentration, better textures. Better than I recall from another bottle from the same case from 2-3 years ago, but I doubt there is further upside from here.
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1987 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Cuvée Vieilles Vignes
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
Double blind tasting, brief note. Seemed older than 1987, but that's the nature of an "off" vintage wine. Mushroom, advanced red fruit, delicate spice. Charming when first popped and poured, but faded quickly in glass.
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1996 Harlan Estate 94 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Double blind tasting, brief note. Popped and poured. Lots of black and red plum with cigarbox notes. Great concentration. Very good balance and textures. Great now, this should age gracefully for another decade+.
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2000 Château Pavie Decesse
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Double blind tasting, brief note. Sweet, large-scaled fruit, rounded textures. Very accessible now, on the basis of really great fruit. Very good length, spice on finish. I was surprised how accessible this wine was today, and I expect it will certainly be even more balanced and pleasurable in the future (and/or with more air).
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1998 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 91 Points
France, Champagne
Crisp and vibrant. Subtly floral with good lemon, green apple and toasted brioche. Good mineral textures. Not as long or powerful as this wine in vintages I've preferred, most notably '96 or 02.
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2010 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
This had been open several hours by the time i tasted, served at room temperature. Lots of intense orchard fruit throughout with great density and concentration. Better in a few years from now, so while very tasty today, this has greater overall potential in 5+ years.
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