Plum Market Luxury Fall Tasting
Chicago, IL
Tasted Thursday, October 26, 2017 by acyso with 716 views
Introduction
Wines listed roughly in the order they were tasted.
Chicago, IL
Tasted Thursday, October 26, 2017 by acyso with 716 views
Wines listed roughly in the order they were tasted.
2004 Ruinart Champagne Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blancs 90 Points
France, Champagne
A moderately rich champagne, with a fair amount of density. Slightly creamy to go with the fruit; sweet on the palate, but finishes a little bitter.
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2006 Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut La Grande Dame 90 Points
France, Champagne
A really full-bodied champagne, with great balance to rein in some sweet fruit. There's nice white-toned acidity here on the palate to lend this freshness and lift.
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NV Krug Champagne Brut Grande Cuvée Edition 163eme 90 Points
France, Champagne
This comes off a little rough, but certainly tastes broader and closer to the Krug house style than the super zippy 164eme. This doesn't have as much of a broad-shouldered richness as I would expect, but there's really nice freshness and brilliance to this all the same.
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NV Pol Roger Champagne Brut Réserve 88 Points
France, Champagne
This shows some nice fruit elements, but pronounced breadiness both on the nose and palate. A bit richer and fatter, but enough acidic cut to balance it.
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2015 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
Kind of disappointing, really. Some minerality and a bit ripe on the palate, but this is lacking the sort of acidic drive you'd expect from a chablis. Seems a little dilute as well.
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2015 Flowers Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 85 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Fairly good for a Californian pinot (it's not jammy, so it already beats most other Californian pinots on that front). Shows some high-toned, crunchy red fruit, in a really, really forward (and slightly candied style). The palate is a bit emaciated in comparison to the expectation that the fruit gives. Fairly bitter as well, but I couldn't really tell if it came from some really coarse tannins or oak treatment.
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2012 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon 85 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
A fairly odd showing, I wasn't too thrilled with this wine at all. Some good classic cabernet characteristics (read: green pepper), but marred by bitterness on the palate. Not over the top, this shows good restraint in that it's not sweet or overly fruity.
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2012 Speri Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Monte Sant'Urbano 85 Points
Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico
Not a particularly exciting example of amarone, though it does tick most of the boxes. If anything, I'm a little surprised in that this shows a lot less fruit than I would expect. Coarse tannins that are slightly bitter.
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NV Bérêche et Fils Champagne Reflet d'Antan 88 Points
France, Champagne
Unknown disgorgement or lot number. I've had this wine a few times now, and I'm still not really convinced by it. Nice richness and density here, but for a solera, I really would expect more power and a little more oxidative tones (or am I just projecting Selosse onto every solera champagne?).
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2015 Domaine Leflaive Mâcon-Verzé 85 Points
France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Verzé
A touch of reduction on the nose, though nowhere as reduced as the Rully 1er that I had a few months ago. A touch of lemon on the palate, but mostly a dilute example of lower-end chardonnay.
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2014 Hyde De Villaine Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard 80 Points
USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros
This wine's sole purpose is to make Wilson Daniels more money by forcing you to buy a pallet of this with your DRC mixed case. But in all fairness, this was a better example than some other vintages, in that it at least had a slight modicum of acidity. It's still a sad excuse for chardonnay, with a sugary palate that is really out of place with the grape. The butterscotch here is not a good look for chardonnay.
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2014 COS Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico 88 Points
Italy, Sicily, Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico
I really liked this wine for what it is -- it's a super pleasant, charming, light Italian red, with crunchy fruit, a touch of volcanic reduction, and a nice vein of acidity to tie it all together. Easy and pleasant.
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2012 Ernesto Catena Malbec Siesta en el Tahuantinsuyu 85 Points
Argentina, Mendoza
As far as these malbecs are concerned, there's a nice earthiness here that sort of trumps all the other characteristics of this wine. It's tannic and dense, not particularly enjoyable to drink, and not showing much fruit either.
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2010 Bodegas Pintia Toro Pintia 88 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Toro
This is a really big wine, but made with a nice restraint, and a good helping of earthiness. Super dark, with a substantial amount of tannin, but no high-toned volatility or other sorts of big-wine flaws. In fact, it's probably one of the more interesting toros that I've had (though I don't drink this stuff regularly at all).
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2014 Guy Breton Morgon Vieilles Vignes 85 Points
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon
It's gamay. That's already a big strike against it. There's a really nice density here, and this doesn't come off as one of those ditzy gamays, but there's no hiding the fact that despite the nice black fruit and touch of tannic bitterness that the wine has a dilute midpalate and lacks concentration.
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2015 Jean-Paul Thevenet Morgon Vieilles Vignes 85 Points
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon
As far as gamay goes, this is a fairly good example. Dark fruited, with a fair bit of power, but again, the dilution from this very evil and very disloyal grape plant called gamay (not my words, but a Duke of Burgundy's) shows up in the midpalate and sort of kills the fun.
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2014 Catherine et Pierre Breton Bourgueil Clos Sénéchal 88 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Bourgueil
Very nice Loire cabernet that hits all of the checkboxes soundly. A bit more ashy then I prefer, but good green notes counterbalanced by ripe fruit here. Fairly fruity for a Loire wine, I think that that characteristic certainly makes it a bit more enjoyable right now, though it will also give this wine the ability to age.
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NV J. Lassalle Champagne Premier Cru Préférence Brut 90 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
A fairly creamy champagne, with what must be a relatively higher dosage, given its extreme roundness and touch of sweetness. The lemon here shows like its in a meringue pie, but the necessary acidic cut is indeed here.
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2015 Domaine Pierre Guillemot Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Narbantons 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru
On top of the slight bit of barnyard on the nose, there's a smokiness here that is actually quite enticing. The fruit is red-toned like 2008, but ripe and not crispy. The palate shows a little bit of rustic tannins, but otherwise, a very nice ripe fruit profile (relatively speaking, for Burgundy) that balances the earthiness. Fun to drink now, but will probably age nicely.
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2013 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau 88 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
For a young CdP, this has a nice animale kick to it, even though it doesn't come across as too funky. A nice bit of spicy red fruit is mixed in as well; this is quite tasty in that that fruit isn't obnoxiously in your face.
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2014 Roland Lavantureux Chablis Vieilles Vignes 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis
This is a really solid entry-level chablis, with its nice blend of tropical fruit, minerality, and fresh 2014 acids. Not complex or concentrated, but a very nice reflection of place and vintage.
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2014 Domaine Nicolas-Jay Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 85 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Meo's Oregon project is nowhere as successful as Meo's Burgundy project. This is a bit ripe and confected on the nose and palate, and there's a coarseness to this wine that feels out of place with pinot. Seems oaky. Sure, it's their first vintage, so some teething pains are to be expected.
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2016 Domaine Hippolyte Reverdy Sancerre 88 Points
France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre
This wine reminds me a little of young Willi Schaefer with its bright pineapple aromas and a slight bit of Thai herbs. There's a perception of sweetness on the palate, probably from the sheer exuberant fruit. Pretty tasty, if simple, stuff.
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2010 Emidio Pepe Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 85 Points
Italy, Abruzzi, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Still don't quite understand what the fuss is about these wines. More interesting than good, this has a somewhat dilute profile, with an interesting mix of herbs and dust, and a fruit profile that is probably on vacation. Super tannic.
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2011 Benanti Etna Bianco Superiore Pietramarina 85 Points
Italy, Sicily, Etna Bianco Superiore
A nice workhorse white wine, with a good bit of volcanic reduction here. A nice crispness here, but a bit thin on the midpalate and finish.
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2015 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Le Mont 95 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
My wine of the tasting. This is a brilliant sweet Huet that shows so well right now already. Pineapples, stone fruit, apples, just a crazy mix of tasty fruit. A palate that is sweet and rich, with just the right heft so that it's neither goopy nor thin. Impressive acidity that lassos everything together. This is easily another Huet gem in the making.
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2015 Alvaro Palacios Priorat Finca Dofí 83 Points
Spain, Catalunya, Priorat
Certainly a wine that isn't made remotely close to any style that I like -- super ripe and fruity, with a high-toned, slightly volatile nose. Oaky and big, but to be fair, this is still held together (really, by the tannins more than anything) and not ridiculously over the top. You'll just never see me reaching for a bottle of this.
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2013 Villa Creek High Road James Berry Vineyard 70 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
How can this supposedly dry red wine be perceived to be sweeter than a Vouvray 1er trie? Tough, tannic, and sickly sweet. A structureless mess.
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2015 Bedrock Wine Co. Petite Sirah Drummond's Cuvee 83 Points
USA, California
Dark and earthy on the nose and palate, this is a really large-scaled wine. Fortunately, it is not particularly sweet like a lot of the other offenders were tonight, but this just seems big for its own sake -- I've never figured out what there is to enjoy about petite sirah, and this bottle doesn't help.
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2013 Paradigm Cabernet Sauvignon 80 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Oakville
This is good in that it's not super jammy or oak, but that's about all that I can say about it. A lot of tannins right now, this is lacking any cabernet character, and I'm doubtful any nice green pepper tones will ever emerge from this. Another in a long line of uninteresting and mostly fungible Napa cabernets.
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2013 Robert Foley Claret 60 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Amorphous, structureless wine made for drinking yesterday that will decay in the bottle rather than age.
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2005 R. López de Heredia Rioja Reserva Viña Tondonia 90 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
A really classic Rioja wine, with just a moderate amount of American oak. Fruit that is restrained and balanced with just a smidgen of animal funkiness. Earthy and meaty, this is delicious young Rioja.
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2012 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde 88 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
The nose here is much, much better than the palate, showing all those classic syrah characteristics -- the olive, the black pepper, and a bit of smoke. The palate is nice, but comes off a bit thin, with the fruit character not quite as fleshy as the nose would suggest. No overt oak use here, which is always a plus in my book.
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2014 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 90 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
This was a really nice bottle of CdP, without any funk or weirdness, but instead a good amount of restraint for the red fruit, and a really nice white pepper character. Good now, but I get the feeling that aging this will cause some really odd funky flavours and aromas to develop.
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2014 Pahlmeyer Proprietary Red 70 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
More juice than wine, this has no discernible acidity. There's a hope that by throwing a ton of extraction here that this will have something to age on, but it's more likely that this will just fall apart into a decaying mess.
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NV Pierre Péters Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Cuvée de Réserve 88 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
This bottle showed a little bit of white grape juice today (probably a really recent release of this wine). A nice touch of chalkiness and good acidity too. Not complex, this is a good workhorse champagne.
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NV Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Extra Brut Orizeaux 93 Points
France, Champagne
2012 edition, I'm told. Super fresh and electric, this has the right amount of fleshiness to balance out those hipster new-wave zero-dosage elements. There's a sweet lemon note here as well, and the palate has a nice richness to complement it. An outstanding wine from one of the masters of new-wave champagne.
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2013 Joseph Drouhin Chassagne-Montrachet 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet
A moderate bit of sulphur/reduction on the nose. The palate is crisp, with lemony acidity. A bit more on the austere side, this doesn't have too much fruit. The minerality here is more prominent than I'd expect in a Chassagne, and there's an almost slateyness to this.
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2015 Ceritas Pinot Noir Hacienda Secoya Vineyard 85 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
This has a really bizarre spicy note to it, almost like white pepper, than makes me think more of Rhone grapes than pinot noir. A bit light on the palate, but for a change, this seems to hold its underripeness well (yes, I think these wines would be better if they were picked half a degree higher).
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2012 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia 88 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG
Classic Tuscan nose with a nice bit of dried herbs, earth, and red fruit. The nose has a bit of volatility as well, and I found a bit of Sharpie marker. The palate is much better, with a restrained fruit profile and moderate tannins. A touch of earth adds complexity.
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2012 Paolo Scavino Barolo 88 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
From magnum. The nose here is quite classic, veering towards a bit of herbal medicine and red cherry. The palate is polished, but not over the top. A good amount of red fruit and bright acidity, as well as tannins that are coarse, but not overbearing. A good, early drinking Barolo.
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2014 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon Estate 90 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
This tastes much more like cabernet than any of the Napa wines we had tonight. A touch of American oak, but really lightly so. There's some real green herbaceousness to this, as cabernet ought to have. Not too tannic, nor too earthy, nor too extracted, this is nice for drinking now, and as a way to protect yourself from picking at the Monte Bello.
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2015 Shafer TD-9 70 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
The nose here is alright, with some black fruit aromas, as well as a hint of earth. The palate is where this fails, with its overextracted sweetness and lack of any structure. Piling tannins onto a sickly sweet wine doesn't work.
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2015 Clos I Terrasses Priorat Laurel 83 Points
Spain, Catalunya, Priorat
Apparently this will be where any declassified Clos Erasmus juice will end up. This has some inky dark fruit, as well as a really dense tannic structure that isn't easy to work through right now. There's a nice bit of earth here to balance out all the extraction. Maybe better with time, but not enjoyable at all now.
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2015 Turley Zinfandel Cedarman 60 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain
Gross. Sweet grape juice with tons of alcohol. Coarse tannins and a goopy, syrupy amount of fruit.
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2015 Prager Riesling Federspiel Steinriegl 88 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Crisp and fresh, with a lovely amount of green herbs and white fruit on the nose. The palate is light, with a pronounced mineral tone and a moderate touch of greenness. Not complex, but simple and easygoing. None of that nasty waxiness in so many other dry rieslings, nor is the acidity out of balance here. Just a lovely, accessible example.
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