Lovely rich and yeasty nose. Broad and dense with plenty of line. A touch of smoke. Lots here, approachable now, but this will be a real wow in five to ten years. ****(*)
Older bottle, probably late 70s to early 80s with bling gold-flecked foil. Old gold. Curious nose initially, very funky mushrooms and lactic, though it does brighten up. Mint Aero on the attack. Finishes quite well after a mid-palate dip, and shows some spide on the vinous finish. ****
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
Pale. A slightly subdued but classic PYCM nose. Very nicely mineral and chiselled. Fine. Long and minerally. Just starting to open up and round at the edges with a touch of oatmeal. Really quite swish. ****
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Mid garnet. Nicely complex nose, fireside spice, worn leather, just a touch of woodiness but not in a corked way. Sweet-fruited, a touch of caramel and some sous-bois. The slight woodiness carries through to the palate but it's all remarkably together. Remarkably sweet core. This feels genuinely old ripe Pinot. ****
Pristine condition, but waiter lost the cork in the bottle and rather than just pouring, decided to decant the wine. Completely buggered as a result by finely suspended sediment. What a waste.
Cork slipping, so pushed in to bottle and poured. Bright and fresh. Classic red fruit, a touch of orange peel and some fireside spice. Bright and refreshing, copes well with the robust food, but equally good in its own. Pretty consistent across multiple bottles. ****
Nicely plush mid to dark red fruit. Quite plush. Still a tannic spine in the background though it is softening. A density to the fruit. Decent, but needs larger glasses for scent to beguile. ****
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Quite dark and rich. Dark fruited. Lots here, but it's no shrinking violet. Big boned Chambolle. Full, but not overdone though, but it feels more Mortet than Chambolle. ****
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Quite gassy. Fresh, bright red fruit. some zip, but this is in the long distance runner, lean and slightly lean mould. Lacks a little joie de vivre. It is pretty, but it's flirting with being insubstantial and a tiny bit shrill. Again, I think this is suffering slightly for lack of a proper glass and space to express itself. ***1/2
Served blind. Slightly herby, cab-franc feel to it. Lots of alcohol. Served a bit too warm and benefits from an ice cube to cool and dilute slightly. Retains the cab franc character. It's full and quite ripe. There is some interest here, but it's not really my thing. Insufficient complexity at this stage, and quite hard work. ***, but your money may vary.
Pale gold. Classic kerosine nose. Moderately sweet attack, and then so light and effortless. Ethereal and floaty. There's almost nothing there, and yet there's so much there. It floats in and out. Dreamy. Just lacks a bit of drive and persistence for top flight. ****
1997 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling Spätlese 91 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Mid straw. Proper petrol and line nose. Good body at the front and a lovely, light, floaty finish. Long. Very decent and very drinkable. ****
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2002 Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Cuvée Rare 95 Points
France, Champagne
Lovely rich and yeasty nose. Broad and dense with plenty of line. A touch of smoke. Lots here, approachable now, but this will be a real wow in five to ten years. ****(*)
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NV G. H. Mumm & Cie Champagne Cordon Rouge Brut 91 Points
France, Champagne
Older bottle, probably late 70s to early 80s with bling gold-flecked foil. Old gold. Curious nose initially, very funky mushrooms and lactic, though it does brighten up. Mint Aero on the attack. Finishes quite well after a mid-palate dip, and shows some spide on the vinous finish. ****
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2013 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Meix Chavaux 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
Fine, richer than the PYCM but with a touch if lime and a nicely delineated and mineral mid-palate. Elegant with a sense of luxe. ****
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2010 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
Pale. A slightly subdued but classic PYCM nose. Very nicely mineral and chiselled. Fine. Long and minerally. Just starting to open up and round at the edges with a touch of oatmeal. Really quite swish. ****
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1945 Thomas Bassot Ruchottes-Chambertin 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Mid garnet. Nicely complex nose, fireside spice, worn leather, just a touch of woodiness but not in a corked way. Sweet-fruited, a touch of caramel and some sous-bois. The slight woodiness carries through to the palate but it's all remarkably together. Remarkably sweet core. This feels genuinely old ripe Pinot. ****
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1973 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial Flawed
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Pristine condition, but waiter lost the cork in the bottle and rather than just pouring, decided to decant the wine. Completely buggered as a result by finely suspended sediment. What a waste.
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1973 Bodegas Bilbainas Rioja Viña Pomal Crianza 93 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Cork slipping, so pushed in to bottle and poured. Bright and fresh. Classic red fruit, a touch of orange peel and some fireside spice. Bright and refreshing, copes well with the robust food, but equally good in its own. Pretty consistent across multiple bottles. ****
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1999 Joseph Drouhin Volnay 1er Cru Les Chevrets 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Nicely plush mid to dark red fruit. Quite plush. Still a tannic spine in the background though it is softening. A density to the fruit. Decent, but needs larger glasses for scent to beguile. ****
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2001 Domaine Denis Mortet Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Aux Beaux Bruns 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Quite dark and rich. Dark fruited. Lots here, but it's no shrinking violet. Big boned Chambolle. Full, but not overdone though, but it feels more Mortet than Chambolle. ****
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2001 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cherbaudes Vieille Vigne 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Quite gassy. Fresh, bright red fruit. some zip, but this is in the long distance runner, lean and slightly lean mould. Lacks a little joie de vivre. It is pretty, but it's flirting with being insubstantial and a tiny bit shrill. Again, I think this is suffering slightly for lack of a proper glass and space to express itself. ***1/2
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2005 Hans Herzog / Hans Family Estate Spirit of Marlborough 88 Points
New Zealand, South Island, Marlborough
Served blind. Slightly herby, cab-franc feel to it. Lots of alcohol. Served a bit too warm and benefits from an ice cube to cool and dilute slightly. Retains the cab franc character. It's full and quite ripe. There is some interest here, but it's not really my thing. Insufficient complexity at this stage, and quite hard work. ***, but your money may vary.
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1983 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 93 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Pale gold. Classic kerosine nose. Moderately sweet attack, and then so light and effortless. Ethereal and floaty. There's almost nothing there, and yet there's so much there. It floats in and out. Dreamy. Just lacks a bit of drive and persistence for top flight. ****
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NV Equipo Navazos La Bota de Amontillado 61 "Bota NO" 94 Points
Spain, Andalucía, Manzanilla de Sanlúcar de Barrameda
As previously. So intense and tangy, this has depth and richness but also line and freshness. Real verve. Super. ****1/2
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