Jeff's place, and this is from magnum. What a way to start the party. I didn't catch the disgorgement/lot on this, but it feels riper and more intense than the bottle I had recently. Intensely piercing, bright orchard fruit flavours augmented by mineral and yeasty notes with incredible focus and energy on the palate. A wine I kept coming back to several times through the evening, and each time it seemed to wake up my palate. Stunning Champagne.
From jeroboam! The flavours are almost identical to the 2008, but this feels a bit rounder and more generous on the palate, though also a touch softer without the same level of acidity apparent. The balance though is still fantastic, and this would be a very easy wine to keep coming back to - if the Filaine weren't right next to it, or if Jeff hadn't been opening so many other gems.
Loved this. Riper, more intense and upfront fruit than in the other Champagnes - it certainly shows the ripeness of the '09 vintage with lots of bright citrus, apple, and pear notes augmented by a a doughy and pastry-like sweetness on the nose, but there's also fantastic acidity that keeps this perfectly balanced.
Very pretty; light on its feet, focused, and with such vibrancy and freshness to the bright citrus and green apple flavours here. Beneath the fruit is a gentle chalky minerality and more savoury yeasty and crackery flavours, and the whole package is very elegant. Lovely wine.
Pleasant, but this just didn't hold up after the Filaine and Marguet wines. In contrast this felt a bit simple and one-dimensional, showing tart citrus and pear fruit with yeasty and minerally accents, but none of the depth or finesse of the other Champagnes that were poured.
Others disagreed, but I wasn't a huge fan of this - found it overly ripe and showing a lot of botrytis, even though it came across very dry. The aromatics show a lot of honeyed and spicy notes along with apricot and peachy fruit, but the fruit flavours here also feel somewhat dried, and it doesn't show any of that smoky/savoury complexity I expect from Rangen.
A buzzsaw on the palate that has an almost crystalline mouthfeel, very lively, juicy citrus and green apple flavours, and an incredible amount of acidity keeping it amazingly fresh and vibrant. It's bone dry but it never feels austere, as the fruit's still quite generous here and the balance is fantastic with a long, minerally finish.
Liked but didn't love this - this came across a bit ripe and tropical on the nose, showing very ripe grapefruit and peachy flavours with the herbal and mineral notes dialed back quite a bit. It feels a touch soft as well, and I'm hoping it's just an awkward phase right now, as this was rather disappointing for a F. Cotat.
Textbook Chablis, packed with tart citrus fruits, slightly sweeter lemon curd notes, and a vivid stony/crystalline minerality beneath. There's impressive intensity on the palate, but also a lot of acidity to keep it very focused and light.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
A wow for the nose alone. Such an incredible scent - an array of bright floral notes (honeysuckle?), hazelnuts, honeyed and lemon cream notes, and beneath is a core of orchard fruit that still feels remarkably fresh. The texture on the palate is amazing - broad, round, and glossy, what I'd term heavy in a lot of other wines, except it also has the acidity to carry it. I could have kept smelling this all evening if it didn't taste so amazing.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin
Beautiful wine, just what I want from Gevrey. Red fruits, earth, touches of maturing leathery notes and herbs, all coming together very seamlessly on a lightweight frame.
Very pretty aromatics with lots of bright red fruit, earth, and higher toned floral, herbal, and spicy notes, though this feels just a touch thin on the palate. There's some sweet red fruit and more savoury earth there, but it finishes a touch short and doesn't quite show the depth that the nose suggests.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Very pretty - just what I'd expect from Chambolle with lots of bright red fruited and floral notes, a gentle savoury earthy undercurrent, but barely any sign of development yet. It's a very elegant wine with a finessed, delicate palate presence, but still seems very primary right now.
This, however, was much fresher and more interesting than the '54. Certainly showing its age with some black tea and faintly oxidative notes, but there was also some mature red and dark fruit, and a more savoury tarry character beneath. This bottle did seem to be on the downslope, but I'm glad for a chance to try it.
Eh. Rather tired, and starting to fade into the point where it just tastes like nondescript, old red wine, with a touch of tarry savouriness on the nose being the only thing that makes this distinguishable as a Barolo.
And strangely enough, this feels much fresher and more lively than the '74, and actually shows plenty of old Barolo character with those aged tarry, leathery, and dried floral notes augmenting the core of gentle red fruited flavours. Very nice.
The last bottle of this I tried (from the same source) was very much in "meh" territory, but this one's another matter. Totally seamless and at peak; the fruit still has energy to it, and the aromatics show an array of floral, herbal, spicy, leathery, and other savoury and earthy flavours that are impossible to catalogue. The fragrance is stunning and on the palate it still feels very vibrant and bright, with the acidity giving it such freshness and lift. Wonderful wine.
Not a whole lot of fruit left here, but still very interesting to sit down and explore - the fruit's rather faded, and now it's all about mature leathery, earthy, and faintly tarry notes, though still showing a fair bit of depth and savoury complexity on the palate.
Producer over vintage, producer over vintage, producer over vintage. This is not "good for a '68" or "good for the vintage", this is just downright fantastic wine. The core of red berried fruit here still feels quite fresh and lively, and it's framed by an array of floral, spicy, leathery, and smoky/tarry notes that come together into an aroma that's hard to move away from. The palate still has remarkable intensity of flavour despite feeling very light on its feet, and this feels at peak. Absolutely stunning wine, and probably my favorite of the evening.
Liked but didn't love this. The red and dark fruited flavours here still seem quite youthful, and are framed by powerful minty/herbal notes and that slightly oaky "Draper perfume", though there isn't a great deal of complexity or depth here - very good, but a bit below my expectations for old Ridge.
Fully mature and totally seamless with red fruits, cedar, vanilla, leather, and other tertiary savoury notes coming together very seamlessly on a medium weight frame. The structure here is fully resolved, and this is drinking beautifully.
Beautiful wine, albeit still very youthful with years ahead of it. There's a core of very fresh dark berried fruit here, framed by savoury cedar, graphite, tobacco leaf, and those classic Graves smoky and gravelly elements. It's still quite fruit forward on the palate with plenty of tannin beneath, but I'm glad I have a few of these in the cellar for the long haul.
Totally classic Pauillac here - the fruit's still quite rich and youthful, but it's accented by intense graphite and cedar wood aromas, with a more savoury earthiness emerging on the finish. It's still quite tannic and structured on the palate - this is almost painfully young, but already showing impressive depth.
NV Alexandre Filaine Champagne Cuvée Spéciale 94 Points
France, Champagne
Jeff's place, and this is from magnum. What a way to start the party. I didn't catch the disgorgement/lot on this, but it feels riper and more intense than the bottle I had recently. Intensely piercing, bright orchard fruit flavours augmented by mineral and yeasty notes with incredible focus and energy on the palate. A wine I kept coming back to several times through the evening, and each time it seemed to wake up my palate. Stunning Champagne.
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2007 Georges Laval Champagne Premier Cru Brut Nature Cumières 91 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
From jeroboam! The flavours are almost identical to the 2008, but this feels a bit rounder and more generous on the palate, though also a touch softer without the same level of acidity apparent. The balance though is still fantastic, and this would be a very easy wine to keep coming back to - if the Filaine weren't right next to it, or if Jeff hadn't been opening so many other gems.
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2009 Marguet Champagne Grand Cru Reserve Amboniacus 92 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Loved this. Riper, more intense and upfront fruit than in the other Champagnes - it certainly shows the ripeness of the '09 vintage with lots of bright citrus, apple, and pear notes augmented by a a doughy and pastry-like sweetness on the nose, but there's also fantastic acidity that keeps this perfectly balanced.
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2008 Georges Laval Champagne Premier Cru Brut Nature Cumières 91 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
Very pretty; light on its feet, focused, and with such vibrancy and freshness to the bright citrus and green apple flavours here. Beneath the fruit is a gentle chalky minerality and more savoury yeasty and crackery flavours, and the whole package is very elegant. Lovely wine.
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NV Agrapart Champagne Grand Cru Terroirs Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 88 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Pleasant, but this just didn't hold up after the Filaine and Marguet wines. In contrast this felt a bit simple and one-dimensional, showing tart citrus and pear fruit with yeasty and minerally accents, but none of the depth or finesse of the other Champagnes that were poured.
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2000 Schoffit Riesling Rangen de Thann Clos St.-Théobald 82 Points
France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru
Others disagreed, but I wasn't a huge fan of this - found it overly ripe and showing a lot of botrytis, even though it came across very dry. The aromatics show a lot of honeyed and spicy notes along with apricot and peachy fruit, but the fruit flavours here also feel somewhat dried, and it doesn't show any of that smoky/savoury complexity I expect from Rangen.
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2010 Weingut Keller Riesling RR 91 Points
Germany, Rheinhessen
A buzzsaw on the palate that has an almost crystalline mouthfeel, very lively, juicy citrus and green apple flavours, and an incredible amount of acidity keeping it amazingly fresh and vibrant. It's bone dry but it never feels austere, as the fruit's still quite generous here and the balance is fantastic with a long, minerally finish.
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2009 Domaine François Cotat Sancerre La Grande Côte 87 Points
France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre
Liked but didn't love this - this came across a bit ripe and tropical on the nose, showing very ripe grapefruit and peachy flavours with the herbal and mineral notes dialed back quite a bit. It feels a touch soft as well, and I'm hoping it's just an awkward phase right now, as this was rather disappointing for a F. Cotat.
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2010 Dauvissat-Camus Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
Textbook Chablis, packed with tart citrus fruits, slightly sweeter lemon curd notes, and a vivid stony/crystalline minerality beneath. There's impressive intensity on the palate, but also a lot of acidity to keep it very focused and light.
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1992 Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
A wow for the nose alone. Such an incredible scent - an array of bright floral notes (honeysuckle?), hazelnuts, honeyed and lemon cream notes, and beneath is a core of orchard fruit that still feels remarkably fresh. The texture on the palate is amazing - broad, round, and glossy, what I'd term heavy in a lot of other wines, except it also has the acidity to carry it. I could have kept smelling this all evening if it didn't taste so amazing.
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2006 Domaine Denis Bachelet Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin
Beautiful wine, just what I want from Gevrey. Red fruits, earth, touches of maturing leathery notes and herbs, all coming together very seamlessly on a lightweight frame.
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2001 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Vosne-Romanée 89 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Very pretty aromatics with lots of bright red fruit, earth, and higher toned floral, herbal, and spicy notes, though this feels just a touch thin on the palate. There's some sweet red fruit and more savoury earth there, but it finishes a touch short and doesn't quite show the depth that the nose suggests.
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2002 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Baudes 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Very pretty - just what I'd expect from Chambolle with lots of bright red fruited and floral notes, a gentle savoury earthy undercurrent, but barely any sign of development yet. It's a very elegant wine with a finessed, delicate palate presence, but still seems very primary right now.
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1954 Antonio Vallana e Figlio Spanna Traversagna
Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Colline Novaresi
Thought this was a bit tired and showed a lot of oxidative/maderized notes, though a few others liked it more.
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1967 Antonio Vallana e Figlio Spanna Traversagna 88 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Colline Novaresi
This, however, was much fresher and more interesting than the '54. Certainly showing its age with some black tea and faintly oxidative notes, but there was also some mature red and dark fruit, and a more savoury tarry character beneath. This bottle did seem to be on the downslope, but I'm glad for a chance to try it.
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1974 Fratelli Barale Barolo
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Eh. Rather tired, and starting to fade into the point where it just tastes like nondescript, old red wine, with a touch of tarry savouriness on the nose being the only thing that makes this distinguishable as a Barolo.
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1961 Fratelli Barale Barolo 89 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
And strangely enough, this feels much fresher and more lively than the '74, and actually shows plenty of old Barolo character with those aged tarry, leathery, and dried floral notes augmenting the core of gentle red fruited flavours. Very nice.
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1970 Comm. G.B. Burlotto Barolo 94 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
The last bottle of this I tried (from the same source) was very much in "meh" territory, but this one's another matter. Totally seamless and at peak; the fruit still has energy to it, and the aromatics show an array of floral, herbal, spicy, leathery, and other savoury and earthy flavours that are impossible to catalogue. The fragrance is stunning and on the palate it still feels very vibrant and bright, with the acidity giving it such freshness and lift. Wonderful wine.
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1971 Marcarini Barolo Brunate 88 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Not a whole lot of fruit left here, but still very interesting to sit down and explore - the fruit's rather faded, and now it's all about mature leathery, earthy, and faintly tarry notes, though still showing a fair bit of depth and savoury complexity on the palate.
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1968 Cappellano Barolo 94 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Producer over vintage, producer over vintage, producer over vintage. This is not "good for a '68" or "good for the vintage", this is just downright fantastic wine. The core of red berried fruit here still feels quite fresh and lively, and it's framed by an array of floral, spicy, leathery, and smoky/tarry notes that come together into an aroma that's hard to move away from. The palate still has remarkable intensity of flavour despite feeling very light on its feet, and this feels at peak. Absolutely stunning wine, and probably my favorite of the evening.
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1985 Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon S.L.V. Flawed
USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District
Corked. Bah.
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1982 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon York Creek 88 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Napa County
Liked but didn't love this. The red and dark fruited flavours here still seem quite youthful, and are framed by powerful minty/herbal notes and that slightly oaky "Draper perfume", though there isn't a great deal of complexity or depth here - very good, but a bit below my expectations for old Ridge.
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1970 Charles Krug Winery (Peter Mondavi Family) Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage Selection 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Fully mature and totally seamless with red fruits, cedar, vanilla, leather, and other tertiary savoury notes coming together very seamlessly on a medium weight frame. The structure here is fully resolved, and this is drinking beautifully.
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2001 Château Haut-Bailly 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Beautiful wine, albeit still very youthful with years ahead of it. There's a core of very fresh dark berried fruit here, framed by savoury cedar, graphite, tobacco leaf, and those classic Graves smoky and gravelly elements. It's still quite fruit forward on the palate with plenty of tannin beneath, but I'm glad I have a few of these in the cellar for the long haul.
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2002 Château Lynch-Bages 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Totally classic Pauillac here - the fruit's still quite rich and youthful, but it's accented by intense graphite and cedar wood aromas, with a more savoury earthiness emerging on the finish. It's still quite tannic and structured on the palate - this is almost painfully young, but already showing impressive depth.
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