#08-16, 13% abv. I have no idea what this vineyard is. In fact, my handwritten note had this vineyard as "Daarsberg". Yes, that's how illegible the label is. In any case, this is basically riesling in peach form. There's so much white peach flavour here. Rounded and fruity, but not sweet at all. I like the balance here -- this is not too acidic, as some GGs end up being. A bit of a softer GG, I found this quite enjoyable.
While the nose isn't super reductive, there's definitely a bit of flintiness and white fruit here that takes me to the best producers of white Burgundy. To me, the palate was a bit on the terse side, showing much more acid than anything else right now. I suspect that with a bit of age, this would round out nicely. There's also a slight bit of sour white fruit on the palate that's quite interesting as well. Mineral and crisp now, this needs time to uncoil.
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
I can't quite tell if this was supposed to be sweet or not. It's just a bit bulbous and weighty, and there's almost a butteriness or waxiness to this that is certainly confusing for me in a riesling. This needs a nice dose of acid.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
I've never had a bottle of Roulot's negotiant project, but this wine is solid. It's definitely not at the level of a domaine 1er cru, but there's still plenty to love here. It does carry the house style, with a really nice dose of tart white fruit, minerals, and acid, while the nose has just a slight hint of reduction. This definitely has the stuffing you'd expect for both the level and the vintage; it's just that the domaine wines are just that much better. If anything is the story here, it's the minerality, which makes this wine so crisp.
Heavy and weighty, this is not the style of riesling I like at all. It reminds me a lot of why I started out with such a dislike of Austrian rieslings. Peaches and apricots on the palate, this also seems to have a bit of botrytis on the palate which doesn't work at all here. It's just more heaviness slopped on top. Needs some acidity to cut through all of this.
There's some nice animale, spice, and olive on the nose, so this was promising enough. The palate does leave a lot to be desired -- it's mostly just acid left at this point. While this is still clearly discernibly syrah, that's all that's left. A pile of acid with the taste of old wine, this got worse with air too.
From magnum. Still alive and kicking, to be sure. Some of us were wondering whether this was corked or not, and some whiffs of the wine were clean, while others had a bit of wet cardboard. In any case, this was surprisingly fresh, with a nice touch of brown spice and red fruit. This wasn't too dirty or earthy, but it also wasn't particularly powerful on the palate either. More interesting than good, but certainly a rarity to try.
There's definitely a bit of that Clapean rusticity here on this wine, along with some really nice briny olive notes that you really want. The fruit feels really primary, with a slight almost purple tinge. The meat and smoke here are a bit less prevalent. The palate is outstanding: tight and coiled, for sure, but there's already tons of power here. The black fruit lends a touch of sweetness, and extra complexity is mustered from the touch of barnyard and salinity.
I think I was alone in putting this as one of my favourite wines of the evening. There's something very Verset and feral on the nose of this wine -- it's the wild animale note that's somehow still very pretty and elegant and perfumed with red fruit. The palate isn't as good as the nose, but is still very convincing: there's much of the same animale as on the nose, as well as some very nice red fruit. The palate doesn't have the persistence that I'd expect for it to be a truly outstanding wine. There's still a bit of (American?) oak present on this as well, but it is integrated well with the rest of the wine.
A bit of brown chemical oddness on the nose that is borne out on the palate as well. Ladybugs? It's certainly not a green wine, but it's not ripe and the alcohol is disjointed; I could get behind that, if I weren't so bothered by that odd tone on the palate.
The nose on this shows a fair bit of crunchy red fruit, with much of the same crystalline quality as in 2008 red Burgundy, but there's a bit more ripeness and sweetness on the nose as well. The palate is pretty much in line with the nose, and there's a bit of a chewy tannic note alongside the tart red fruit here. Fairly dense, this just feels too coiled up right now for proper enjoyment.
The nose and palate were both thin and decrepit upon opening this wine, but with air, it actually filled out quite a bit. Heaps of pyrazines and green here, with a bit of a weedy, thin texture on the palate that had a touch of earthiness and loads of acidity. No more fruit; this is pretty much turning into a husk. Drink up.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
This is the Bruno Clair CSJ, if the label didn't give it away already. This was a bottle that was exactly in the mold of what I envisioned it to be; it's lighter in body, but certainly not lacking in concentration or complexity. The nose shows a beautiful mix of crisp red and black fruit, as well as just the right amount of earthiness (for me). No funk or dirt here. The palate is pretty much the same as the nose, and while there's a bit of chewiness still from the tannin, this is definitely ready to go, with its nice balance of primary and secondary characteristics. Sitting in prime drinking territory, at least for me, this has upside, but as I am wont to do, I'd rather catch this on the upswing.
The more 96s I taste, the less enthralled I am with the vintage. The nose here has a nice touch of earth that's balanced by some tart red fruit: promising enough. But the palate is just too acidic and doesn't have enough stuffing to carry it through, leaving this mostly a structural husk without any meat on the bones. The palate shows a bit more mushroom than the nose; and the (in)famous Laurent oak definitely isn't prominent here.
L.11. This is a wine that reminds me of those volcanic Italian wines, like those from Etna or Sardinia or Sicily. I guess geographically and geologically, Corsica isn't far off. The nose on this has a bit of a sweet red cherry liqueur note to it, as well as a nice dose of dustiness. There's a touch of spice that I like here as well. The palate, again, has a bit of red fruit, as well as some coarse, more rustic tannins that give this wine some good heft.
#26-90, 9% abv. This is real and proper riesling; there's no doubt about it. It certainly helps that this bottle was super fresh and in great condition. The nose on this has a touch of gasoline, but more importantly, fresh (if a little tart) yellow fruits, and a moderate dose of fresh green herbs. The palate isn't too sweet -- this is definitely an acid-driven wine -- but there is certainly enough residual sugar here to balance it out. This is light but complex, with so many layers of stuffing here. This has a very nice dose of minerality as well; it's pretty much what you would expect from a great aged Spätlese.
2014 Peter Jakob Kühn Oestricher Doosberg Riesling Großes Gewächs 90 Points
Germany, Rheingau
#08-16, 13% abv. I have no idea what this vineyard is. In fact, my handwritten note had this vineyard as "Daarsberg". Yes, that's how illegible the label is. In any case, this is basically riesling in peach form. There's so much white peach flavour here. Rounded and fruity, but not sweet at all. I like the balance here -- this is not too acidic, as some GGs end up being. A bit of a softer GG, I found this quite enjoyable.
Read 1 Comment / Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2015 Kumeu River Chardonnay Hunting Hill 88 Points
New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Kumeu
While the nose isn't super reductive, there's definitely a bit of flintiness and white fruit here that takes me to the best producers of white Burgundy. To me, the palate was a bit on the terse side, showing much more acid than anything else right now. I suspect that with a bit of age, this would round out nicely. There's also a slight bit of sour white fruit on the palate that's quite interesting as well. Mineral and crisp now, this needs time to uncoil.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2006 Smith-Madrone Riesling 80 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
I can't quite tell if this was supposed to be sweet or not. It's just a bit bulbous and weighty, and there's almost a butteriness or waxiness to this that is certainly confusing for me in a riesling. This needs a nice dose of acid.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2010 Jean-Marc Roulot Meursault 1er Cru 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
I've never had a bottle of Roulot's negotiant project, but this wine is solid. It's definitely not at the level of a domaine 1er cru, but there's still plenty to love here. It does carry the house style, with a really nice dose of tart white fruit, minerals, and acid, while the nose has just a slight hint of reduction. This definitely has the stuffing you'd expect for both the level and the vintage; it's just that the domaine wines are just that much better. If anything is the story here, it's the minerality, which makes this wine so crisp.
Read 3 Comments / Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2005 Weingut Knoll Riesling Smaragd Loibenberg 83 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Heavy and weighty, this is not the style of riesling I like at all. It reminds me a lot of why I started out with such a dislike of Austrian rieslings. Peaches and apricots on the palate, this also seems to have a bit of botrytis on the palate which doesn't work at all here. It's just more heaviness slopped on top. Needs some acidity to cut through all of this.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1997 Mathilde et Yves Gangloff Côte-Rôtie 83 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
There's some nice animale, spice, and olive on the nose, so this was promising enough. The palate does leave a lot to be desired -- it's mostly just acid left at this point. While this is still clearly discernibly syrah, that's all that's left. A pile of acid with the taste of old wine, this got worse with air too.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1971 Hospices de Beaune Beaune Cuvée Rousseau Deslandes Morin Père & Fils 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune
From magnum. Still alive and kicking, to be sure. Some of us were wondering whether this was corked or not, and some whiffs of the wine were clean, while others had a bit of wet cardboard. In any case, this was surprisingly fresh, with a nice touch of brown spice and red fruit. This wasn't too dirty or earthy, but it also wasn't particularly powerful on the palate either. More interesting than good, but certainly a rarity to try.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1995 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
There's definitely a bit of that Clapean rusticity here on this wine, along with some really nice briny olive notes that you really want. The fruit feels really primary, with a slight almost purple tinge. The meat and smoke here are a bit less prevalent. The palate is outstanding: tight and coiled, for sure, but there's already tons of power here. The black fruit lends a touch of sweetness, and extra complexity is mustered from the touch of barnyard and salinity.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
1995 Yarra Yering Shiraz Underhill 93 Points
Australia, Victoria, Port Phillip, Yarra Valley
I think I was alone in putting this as one of my favourite wines of the evening. There's something very Verset and feral on the nose of this wine -- it's the wild animale note that's somehow still very pretty and elegant and perfumed with red fruit. The palate isn't as good as the nose, but is still very convincing: there's much of the same animale as on the nose, as well as some very nice red fruit. The palate doesn't have the persistence that I'd expect for it to be a truly outstanding wine. There's still a bit of (American?) oak present on this as well, but it is integrated well with the rest of the wine.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2011 Domaine Marquis d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Champans 80 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
A bit of brown chemical oddness on the nose that is borne out on the palate as well. Ladybugs? It's certainly not a green wine, but it's not ripe and the alcohol is disjointed; I could get behind that, if I weren't so bothered by that odd tone on the palate.
Read 1 Comment / Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2006 Felton Road Pinot Noir Block 5 88 Points
New Zealand, South Island, Otago, Central Otago
The nose on this shows a fair bit of crunchy red fruit, with much of the same crystalline quality as in 2008 red Burgundy, but there's a bit more ripeness and sweetness on the nose as well. The palate is pretty much in line with the nose, and there's a bit of a chewy tannic note alongside the tart red fruit here. Fairly dense, this just feels too coiled up right now for proper enjoyment.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1990 Le Logis de la Bouchardiere Chinon Les Cornuelles Vieilles Vignes 88 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon
The nose and palate were both thin and decrepit upon opening this wine, but with air, it actually filled out quite a bit. Heaps of pyrazines and green here, with a bit of a weedy, thin texture on the palate that had a touch of earthiness and loads of acidity. No more fruit; this is pretty much turning into a husk. Drink up.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1998 Domaine Bartet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
This is the Bruno Clair CSJ, if the label didn't give it away already. This was a bottle that was exactly in the mold of what I envisioned it to be; it's lighter in body, but certainly not lacking in concentration or complexity. The nose shows a beautiful mix of crisp red and black fruit, as well as just the right amount of earthiness (for me). No funk or dirt here. The palate is pretty much the same as the nose, and while there's a bit of chewiness still from the tannin, this is definitely ready to go, with its nice balance of primary and secondary characteristics. Sitting in prime drinking territory, at least for me, this has upside, but as I am wont to do, I'd rather catch this on the upswing.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1996 Dominique Laurent Beaune 1er Cru Cuvée 85 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
The more 96s I taste, the less enthralled I am with the vintage. The nose here has a nice touch of earth that's balanced by some tart red fruit: promising enough. But the palate is just too acidic and doesn't have enough stuffing to carry it through, leaving this mostly a structural husk without any meat on the bones. The palate shows a bit more mushroom than the nose; and the (in)famous Laurent oak definitely isn't prominent here.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
NV Domaine Comte Abbatucci Cuvée Collection "Ministre Imperial" 88 Points
France, Corsica, Vin de France
L.11. This is a wine that reminds me of those volcanic Italian wines, like those from Etna or Sardinia or Sicily. I guess geographically and geologically, Corsica isn't far off. The nose on this has a bit of a sweet red cherry liqueur note to it, as well as a nice dose of dustiness. There's a touch of spice that I like here as well. The palate, again, has a bit of red fruit, as well as some coarse, more rustic tannins that give this wine some good heft.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1998 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese Flawed
Germany, Nahe
#09-99, 9% abv. Shot.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1989 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese 95 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
#26-90, 9% abv. This is real and proper riesling; there's no doubt about it. It certainly helps that this bottle was super fresh and in great condition. The nose on this has a touch of gasoline, but more importantly, fresh (if a little tart) yellow fruits, and a moderate dose of fresh green herbs. The palate isn't too sweet -- this is definitely an acid-driven wine -- but there is certainly enough residual sugar here to balance it out. This is light but complex, with so many layers of stuffing here. This has a very nice dose of minerality as well; it's pretty much what you would expect from a great aged Spätlese.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue