Another winner from Grongnet. I definitely need to track down some of these wines. There's really bright, fresh citrus and pear fruit at the core, but this is really all about the savoury biscuit, doughy, chalky, and faintly oxidative nutty and creamy notes that add a lot of complexity. It feels remarkably light on the palate with powerful acidity beneath, and a glass of this disappears remarkably quickly.
Ledru never fails to wow. Absolutely awesome Champagne, packed with fresh apple and red fruited flavours, more savoury biscuit and yeasty notes, and a vivid chalky and stony mineral undercurrent. This is one of the few zero dosage Champagnes that never comes close to feeling austere - instead there's a real joie de vivre to it, and a sheer drinkability that makes the bottle disappear very quickly.
Very lightly corked. Still some gentle red fruit and creamy notes apparent, but spoiled by a faint wet cardboard note. (Didn't catch the disgorgement date on this, but apparently this was based on the 2010 vintage.)
Thought this was good but not especially interesting. Lots of ripe grapefruit and pear flavours tinged by stony, herbal, and faintly woody notes - it doesn't really show a strong varietal character and comes across more Chablis-like, though there isn't a great deal of complexity here and it feels a bit monolithic.
I'm normally not a fan of the Chapoutier style, but this was really nice. No overt oak - there's a faint woody element in the background, but it doesn't distract from the olive and dark fruited flavours at the core, with nice savoury leathery and earthy accents around it. Seems to be drinking at peak now with the tannins fully resolved, and while it's not especially complex, it's very easy to drink.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
A really fantastic bottle, and probably my red of the night in a great lineup. This has everything I'd want in a CdP - lots of bright red fruit, Provencal herbs, peppery hints, and more savoury earthy, leathery, and meaty notes with a very faint hint of bretty funk in the background. Powerful on the palate yet lifted by bright acidity, and drinking spectacularly well now.
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
I'd like Zinfandel a lot more if more versions tasted like this. Very complex, with an array of fresh and dried red fruited flavours, cedar, old wood, and higher toned spicy notes all coming together into a lovely fragrance. It feels remarkably silky and light on its feet with the tannin fully integrated, bright acids giving it lift and keeping it very fresh, and leftovers hold up surprisingly well the next day.
Singular wine. Such a remarkable and unique array of flavours - all sorts of wild smoky, tarry, earthy, and other savoury notes, and beneath the fruit flavours feel slightly pruney and figgy, though still showing lots of freshness. Really fascinating wine that had me coming back to it several times amidst a really great lineup.
Remarkable wine - this could be a dead ringer for a red Burgundy. Packed with really bright, fresh red berried fruit with lifted floral and herbal notes, and a savoury earthiness emerging with more air. Remarkably light on its feet with a palate presence that seems Pinot-like, and very elegant and silky despite showing a lot of fine grained tannin on the back end.
One of the better showings I've had from a '76 lately. Quite a few have been tired, but this bottle was still very fresh with lots of dark berries and blackcurrant flavours, cedar, graphite, some old wood and dried tobacco leaf notes, fully mature but not in any way tired.
Consistent with my previous experience. Lots of really fresh, vibrant red fruited Pinot flavours accented by floral and mineral notes, with a lightness and finesse that makes it far too easy to drink. Delightful wine, but it's a shame this is under plastic cork - otherwise I'd love to see how some of these might age.
Remarkably deep yellow in colour, suggesting something far more mature than how it tastes. There's a strong botrytis note here, with intense honeyed and spicy elements on the nose, but also an array of bright fruit ranging from tart citrus and green apples to riper pineapple and peach flavours, with those classic Saar herbal/minty notes emerging with more air. It still feels very fresh and youthful though, with really intense, powerful acidity beneath that balances the sweetness very well, and leaves the teeth rattling afterwards.
AP #14. This is on another level compared to any of the other regular Fritz Haag wines I've had. It's basically a ripe, botrytis-free Auslese, packed with an array of orchard fruits, vivid slate and stony mineral flavours beneath, and all sorts of other sweeter floral, creamy, and vanilla accents that keep emerging with more air. There's amazing acidity beneath that keeps it feeling incredibly light and racy, and an absurdly long finish. Still incredibly youthful - but this is already amazing.
NV Grongnet Champagne Carpe Diem Extra brut 93 Points
France, Champagne
Another winner from Grongnet. I definitely need to track down some of these wines. There's really bright, fresh citrus and pear fruit at the core, but this is really all about the savoury biscuit, doughy, chalky, and faintly oxidative nutty and creamy notes that add a lot of complexity. It feels remarkably light on the palate with powerful acidity beneath, and a glass of this disappears remarkably quickly.
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2008 Marie-Noëlle Ledru Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée du Goulté Blanc de Noirs Brut 93 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Ledru never fails to wow. Absolutely awesome Champagne, packed with fresh apple and red fruited flavours, more savoury biscuit and yeasty notes, and a vivid chalky and stony mineral undercurrent. This is one of the few zero dosage Champagnes that never comes close to feeling austere - instead there's a real joie de vivre to it, and a sheer drinkability that makes the bottle disappear very quickly.
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NV Georges Laval Champagne Premier Cru Rose Brut Nature Cumières Flawed
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
Very lightly corked. Still some gentle red fruit and creamy notes apparent, but spoiled by a faint wet cardboard note. (Didn't catch the disgorgement date on this, but apparently this was based on the 2010 vintage.)
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2013 von Winning Sauvignon Blanc I 87 Points
Germany, Pfalz
Thought this was good but not especially interesting. Lots of ripe grapefruit and pear flavours tinged by stony, herbal, and faintly woody notes - it doesn't really show a strong varietal character and comes across more Chablis-like, though there isn't a great deal of complexity here and it feels a bit monolithic.
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1990 M. Chapoutier Hermitage La Sizeranne 90 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
I'm normally not a fan of the Chapoutier style, but this was really nice. No overt oak - there's a faint woody element in the background, but it doesn't distract from the olive and dark fruited flavours at the core, with nice savoury leathery and earthy accents around it. Seems to be drinking at peak now with the tannins fully resolved, and while it's not especially complex, it's very easy to drink.
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1990 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée 95 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
A really fantastic bottle, and probably my red of the night in a great lineup. This has everything I'd want in a CdP - lots of bright red fruit, Provencal herbs, peppery hints, and more savoury earthy, leathery, and meaty notes with a very faint hint of bretty funk in the background. Powerful on the palate yet lifted by bright acidity, and drinking spectacularly well now.
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1984 Ridge Zinfandel York Creek 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
I'd like Zinfandel a lot more if more versions tasted like this. Very complex, with an array of fresh and dried red fruited flavours, cedar, old wood, and higher toned spicy notes all coming together into a lovely fragrance. It feels remarkably silky and light on its feet with the tannin fully integrated, bright acids giving it lift and keeping it very fresh, and leftovers hold up surprisingly well the next day.
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1974 D. J. Silva Visconde de Salreu Colares 92 Points
Portugal, Lisboa, Colares
Singular wine. Such a remarkable and unique array of flavours - all sorts of wild smoky, tarry, earthy, and other savoury notes, and beneath the fruit flavours feel slightly pruney and figgy, though still showing lots of freshness. Really fascinating wine that had me coming back to it several times amidst a really great lineup.
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2005 Adega Regional de Colares Colares Arenæ 92 Points
Portugal, Lisboa, Colares
Remarkable wine - this could be a dead ringer for a red Burgundy. Packed with really bright, fresh red berried fruit with lifted floral and herbal notes, and a savoury earthiness emerging with more air. Remarkably light on its feet with a palate presence that seems Pinot-like, and very elegant and silky despite showing a lot of fine grained tannin on the back end.
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1976 Château Cos d'Estournel 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
One of the better showings I've had from a '76 lately. Quite a few have been tired, but this bottle was still very fresh with lots of dark berries and blackcurrant flavours, cedar, graphite, some old wood and dried tobacco leaf notes, fully mature but not in any way tired.
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2013 Henri Jouan Coteaux Bourguignons Cuvée Thomas 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Coteaux Bourguignons
Consistent with my previous experience. Lots of really fresh, vibrant red fruited Pinot flavours accented by floral and mineral notes, with a lightness and finesse that makes it far too easy to drink. Delightful wine, but it's a shame this is under plastic cork - otherwise I'd love to see how some of these might age.
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1995 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese 93 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Remarkably deep yellow in colour, suggesting something far more mature than how it tastes. There's a strong botrytis note here, with intense honeyed and spicy elements on the nose, but also an array of bright fruit ranging from tart citrus and green apples to riper pineapple and peach flavours, with those classic Saar herbal/minty notes emerging with more air. It still feels very fresh and youthful though, with really intense, powerful acidity beneath that balances the sweetness very well, and leaves the teeth rattling afterwards.
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2001 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese Auction 97 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
AP #14. This is on another level compared to any of the other regular Fritz Haag wines I've had. It's basically a ripe, botrytis-free Auslese, packed with an array of orchard fruits, vivid slate and stony mineral flavours beneath, and all sorts of other sweeter floral, creamy, and vanilla accents that keep emerging with more air. There's amazing acidity beneath that keeps it feeling incredibly light and racy, and an absurdly long finish. Still incredibly youthful - but this is already amazing.
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