L0114, disgorged September 9, 2016. The nose on this shows a little bit too much white grape and just sheer youthfulness. The palate is fairly nice, with a nice sweetness to it, as well as some more exuberantly youthful fruit. This is a well-made champagne, to be sure, but I wonder if it might be better if it weren't made so quickly -- this seems a little bit more like a petillant than a full-on champagne.
Tasted single blind next to the Original Vines. This was my favourite of the two wines today. A fairly non-descript and unoffensive nose and palate, with some nice green crispness and acidity here. It's not too complex, but there are a few light layers of fruit here. Certainly less complex than the OV, but this was also more enjoyable. Whether that remains the case in the future is up for discussion. Correctly identified as the Dundee Hills, since this was nowhere as dense and potent as the OV.
Tasted single blind next to the Dundee Hills. Correctly identified as the OV for its potency and power. This was rapidly changing throughout the evening, but it didn't really enthrall me at all. The nose shows a bit of waxy fruit, and it got more and more tropical as the evening went on. There's clearly something that seems Alsatian-inspired here. Waxy fruit and low acids, but good density. Thicker and richer in texture, this wasn't quite as enjoyable as the racier Dundee Hills tonight.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Tasted double blind next to the Rue de Chaux. This was clearly the lighter and more red fruited of the pair, to the point that it had me thinking Chambolle (I pretty much called it Burgundy right away -- I said 2013 though, based on how crunchy everything was). Very pretty, light, and elegant, I would never have put this in Nuits (it was literally the last village I guessed). The tannins aren't too tight here -- this is surprisingly approachable.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Tasted double blind next to the Pruliers. I liked the Pruliers a little more for its bright red fruit. In contrast, this was a much more brooding wine, with a darker, more powerful character, as well as a touch of earthy minerality that had us thinking Gevrey. It was pretty clear that the two wines were made by the same hand, as the oak treatments (very light) and crunchy mineral textures were similar.
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Served double blind, next to the 2010. Despite rarely ever drinking Tuscan wine, this wine just screamed Tuscany to me. Maybe it was the nice touch of brown herbs? In any case, there was plenty to like here: the restrained plummy notes, a touch of sweetness, and nicely integrated tannins. This is drinking remarkably well for such a young wine, and was showing very differently than the 2010.
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Served double blind next to the 2008. This bottle had an intense reductive stink, which I found very difficult to get past. This was also less approachable overall, showing a more clamped-down structure, with the tannins a sheer vise right now. This is not in a happy spot, and needs lots of time to integrate. I had originally thought that this and the 2008 were wines of the same producer, but the weird reductive profile made me think that this was a different winemaking regimen.
Served double blind next to the 2012 Altesino BdM. This, too, somehow screamed Tuscany to me right away. There's a fair bit of high-toned volatility on the nose of this. The fruit profile is fairly generous, but the back end is marred by some unripe tannic bitterness. This tasted a lot older to me than it was (I was thinking that this came from a colder vintage about a decade ago).
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Served double blind next to a 2012 Selvapiana Bucerchiale. I thought that these two wines had a fairly similar oak treatment, though it may be that I was mixing up the oak tannins on this with some more unripe grape tannins in the Chianti. There's a bit of vanilla/black cherry going on here, which is for me a trigger warning for modernist wines. Granted, it isn't over the top, but I certainly didn't enjoy it. But for all of this, I did immediately think of Tuscany (despite my never drinking any). The profile seemed to match the stereotypes in my mind, with a bit of dried brown herbs and a light plum note.
Served double blind. So immediately obvious this was Northern Rhone. The question was from where? I went immediately to Cornas based on a more meaty profile, with some black fruit, and because there seemed to be less emphasis on the brine and pepper elements in this wine (even though they're there). This seemed a little glossy to me, if still a very well-made Cornas, and I correctly guessed Paris as the producer.
NV Georges Laval Champagne Premier Cru Brut Nature Cumières 88 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
L0114, disgorged September 9, 2016. The nose on this shows a little bit too much white grape and just sheer youthfulness. The palate is fairly nice, with a nice sweetness to it, as well as some more exuberantly youthful fruit. This is a well-made champagne, to be sure, but I wonder if it might be better if it weren't made so quickly -- this seems a little bit more like a petillant than a full-on champagne.
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2014 The Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Gris Dundee Hills 88 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Tasted single blind next to the Original Vines. This was my favourite of the two wines today. A fairly non-descript and unoffensive nose and palate, with some nice green crispness and acidity here. It's not too complex, but there are a few light layers of fruit here. Certainly less complex than the OV, but this was also more enjoyable. Whether that remains the case in the future is up for discussion. Correctly identified as the Dundee Hills, since this was nowhere as dense and potent as the OV.
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2014 The Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Gris Original Vines 85 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Tasted single blind next to the Dundee Hills. Correctly identified as the OV for its potency and power. This was rapidly changing throughout the evening, but it didn't really enthrall me at all. The nose shows a bit of waxy fruit, and it got more and more tropical as the evening went on. There's clearly something that seems Alsatian-inspired here. Waxy fruit and low acids, but good density. Thicker and richer in texture, this wasn't quite as enjoyable as the racier Dundee Hills tonight.
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2010 Jérôme Chezeaux Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Tasted double blind next to the Rue de Chaux. This was clearly the lighter and more red fruited of the pair, to the point that it had me thinking Chambolle (I pretty much called it Burgundy right away -- I said 2013 though, based on how crunchy everything was). Very pretty, light, and elegant, I would never have put this in Nuits (it was literally the last village I guessed). The tannins aren't too tight here -- this is surprisingly approachable.
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2010 Jérôme Chezeaux Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Rue de Chaux 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Tasted double blind next to the Pruliers. I liked the Pruliers a little more for its bright red fruit. In contrast, this was a much more brooding wine, with a darker, more powerful character, as well as a touch of earthy minerality that had us thinking Gevrey. It was pretty clear that the two wines were made by the same hand, as the oak treatments (very light) and crunchy mineral textures were similar.
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2008 Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino 90 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Served double blind, next to the 2010. Despite rarely ever drinking Tuscan wine, this wine just screamed Tuscany to me. Maybe it was the nice touch of brown herbs? In any case, there was plenty to like here: the restrained plummy notes, a touch of sweetness, and nicely integrated tannins. This is drinking remarkably well for such a young wine, and was showing very differently than the 2010.
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2010 Le Ragnaie Brunello di Montalcino 85 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Served double blind next to the 2008. This bottle had an intense reductive stink, which I found very difficult to get past. This was also less approachable overall, showing a more clamped-down structure, with the tannins a sheer vise right now. This is not in a happy spot, and needs lots of time to integrate. I had originally thought that this and the 2008 were wines of the same producer, but the weird reductive profile made me think that this was a different winemaking regimen.
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2012 Fattoria Selvapiana Chianti Rùfina Riserva Bucerchiale 88 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Rùfina
Served double blind next to the 2012 Altesino BdM. This, too, somehow screamed Tuscany to me right away. There's a fair bit of high-toned volatility on the nose of this. The fruit profile is fairly generous, but the back end is marred by some unripe tannic bitterness. This tasted a lot older to me than it was (I was thinking that this came from a colder vintage about a decade ago).
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2012 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Our 40th Harvest 88 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Served double blind next to a 2012 Selvapiana Bucerchiale. I thought that these two wines had a fairly similar oak treatment, though it may be that I was mixing up the oak tannins on this with some more unripe grape tannins in the Chianti. There's a bit of vanilla/black cherry going on here, which is for me a trigger warning for modernist wines. Granted, it isn't over the top, but I certainly didn't enjoy it. But for all of this, I did immediately think of Tuscany (despite my never drinking any). The profile seemed to match the stereotypes in my mind, with a bit of dried brown herbs and a light plum note.
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2014 Alain Verset Cornas Flawed
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
Served double blind. Corked.
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2014 Domaine Vincent Paris Cornas La Geynale 90 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
Served double blind. So immediately obvious this was Northern Rhone. The question was from where? I went immediately to Cornas based on a more meaty profile, with some black fruit, and because there seemed to be less emphasis on the brine and pepper elements in this wine (even though they're there). This seemed a little glossy to me, if still a very well-made Cornas, and I correctly guessed Paris as the producer.
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