Nose: The nose is fragrant with pears, green apples, white fruits, minerals, and some dough notes.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity. The acidity is crisp with the feel lacking somewhat on the mid-palate. The tones are on the lighter side with pears, green apples, minerals, and some dough notes.
Overall: This is a nice and balanced Champagne. It lacks some of the depth and verve of better vintages, but it is still enjoyable.
Nose: The nose is fresh and lifted with lemon peels, green apples, pears, white fruits, and mineral notes. There is excellent depth with the nose showing a lot of aromatics.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity. The acidity is refreshing, but with a youthful punch to it. The feel has excellent depth and refinement with lemon peels, green apples, white fruits, and mineral tones.
Overall: This is an excellent, young Chablis premier cru. It shows a pristine and focused style with good freshness. This is drinking well right now in its youth, but it feels like it can benefit from 3-5+ years.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Nose: The nose shows off a riper intensity, but it isn't overdone with licorice, mesquite, black cherries, black raspberries, and some liqueur tones.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium acidity and medium+ tannins. The structure is in more of a supporting role and there is good density to the feel with licorice, black cherries, mesquite, black raspberries, and garrigue notes.
Overall: This is a very good Chateauneuf Du Pape. It shows off a riper and more intense side, but it isn't overdone. There is balance and a black fruited profile with this feeling like it is open to drink now and for the better part of the next deacade.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret
Nose: The nose is aromatic and red fruited with red fruits, cherries, strawberries, licorice, and berries. There is excellent depth and balance with good intensity to the nose.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium acidity and medium tannins. The structure is more supporting with the tannins being fine grained. The feel is polished with red fruits, cherries, licorice, and berries.
Overall: This is an outstanding Cotes du Rhone. It shows a more upfront side, but with excellent balance and depth. This is perfect for drinking now and doesn't need any more age.
Nose: The nose is showing a good bit of extraction along with liqueur tones, black cherries, licorice, spices, and alcohol notes. The heat is distracting and there is a bit of a stewed quality as well.
Taste: Full bodied with medium- acidity and medium tannins. The structure is nominally there and the feel is showing a good bit of extraction along with liqueur, black cherries, licorice, and alcohol.
Overall: This is out of balance and too hot. It's hard to tell if something decent would be there otherwise, but it was difficult to handle the extraction and alcohol.
Nose: The nose is balanced and aromatic with black cherries, tobacco, black fruits, and black pepper. There is good depth with it showing less of a rustic and more of a peppery style of Cornas.
Taste: Full bodied with medium+ acidity and high tannins. The structure is youthful, but not overpowering with the tannins having a chewiness to them. The feel is robust with black cherries, tobacco, black fruits, leather, and black pepper notes.
Overall: This was an excellent Cornas. It is young, but there is excellent balance and structure for this to develop more over the next 5+ years.
Nose: The nose is well balanced and aromatic with red cherries, spice tones, roasted herbs, black fruits, and some violets. There is good depth with this having a somewhat feminine side.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity and medium tannins. The acidity is crisp with the feel showing some nuance and freshness with red cherries, roasted herbs, black fruits, and violets.
Overall: This is a real success for the vintage. It shows off elegance and class with excellent depth. I would love to try this in a better vintage where I could see this really excelling.
Nose: The nose is straight forward and balanced with licorice, spice tones, red cherries, raspberries, and tar. It is lacking some depth and complexity, but the nose still has a red-fruited and upper register take.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity and high tannins. The structure, while youthful, is balanced and not too obtrusive. The feel has a freshness to it with red cherries, raspberries, tar, licorice, and some herbs.
Overall: This is a pretty and upfront young Barbaresco. It does lack some depth on the nose and palate, but, it is a friendly and enjoyable Barbaresco to drink over the short to mid-term.
Nose: The nose is fragrant and feminine with strawberries, red cherries, fresh picked red berries, spice notes, and tar.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity and medium+ tannins. The acidity is refreshing and the tannins show a silkiness. The feel continues the femininity of the nose with strawberries, red cherries, tar, and a touch of earth notes.
Overall: This is a pretty and balanced Nebbiolo. This is perfect for those wanting to get into Nebbiolo as it shows off fresh red fruits and an a lot of elegance.
Nose: The nose is wide open and aromatic with licorice, roasted herbs, strawberries, red cherries, violets, tobacco, juniper berries, and leather notes. This is well balanced and shows off excellent depth and layering.
Taste: Medium bodied with high tannins and high acidity. The tannins are starting to pull back, but still have a chewiness to them. The feel is well balanced and lithe with licorice, red cherries, strawberries, tobacco, and roasted herbs.
Overall: This feels like it's starting to enter its maturity. The nose is refined and perfumed with the structure starting to pull back. It's drinking beautifully now and has a good ways to go.
Nose: The nose is elegant, perfumed, and demure with licorice, red cherries, strawberries, red fruits, rose petals, and some tar tones.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity and high tannins. The tannins are a little stiff, but that is more due to youth. The feel is refined and elegant with licorice, strawberries, red cherries, rose petals, and tar.
Overall: This is quite young right now, but it is ever so pretty. This will need a good 5+ years to sort itself out, but there is certainly room to improve and it could really thrill when that happens.
Nose: The nose is perfumed and balanced with licorice, spice tones, red cherries, earth tones, tar, leather, and raspberries with a touch of oak. This is showing off good depth and with a more robust style.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium+ acidity and high tannins. The tannins are still a bit chewy and showing some youth even now. The feel is more powerful with licorice, red cherries, raspberries, tar, leather, and earth notes.
Overall: This still feel like it has a ways to go. I can see this really opening up with a good bit of air and showing even more than it was at the tasting.
Nose: The nose is ethereal and deep with potpourri, licorice, roasted herbs, red cherries, rose petals, wild flowers, strawberries, raspberries, tar, and some earth. The nose is uplifting and really draws you in with its red fruits and florals.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity and high tannins. The structure is extremely youthful with the tannins being chewy. The feel itself is silky and elegant with licorice, roasted herbs, red cherries, rose petals, strawberries, tar, and raspberries.
Overall: This is a fantastic, young Barolo. I generally expect greatness from Rocche dell'Annunziata and that is showing it here in spades. It's still extremely young, but it is well worth having some bottles to age as there is something great brewing underneath there.
Nose: The nose was quite aromatic and fresh with pears, red apples, white fruits, white florals, bread, and berries.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity. The acidity is refreshing while the feel is well balanced with red apples, white fruits, white florals, and bread tones.
Overall: This is an excellent NV Brut. This shows a real fresh quality to it that very attractive.
Nose: The nose is well balanced with red apples, roses, pears, baked bread, minerals, and berry notes. There is excellent depth with a savoriness to it.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity. The acidity is crisp with the feel showing a savory side along with red apples, roses, baked breads, berries, and pears.
Overall: This is an excellent Champagne. It's well balanced with good depth and shows a savory side that is very attractive.
Nose: The nose is fresh and aromatic with red and green apples, brioche, roasted nuts, almonds, pears, and white peaches. There is excellent depth and balance with an elegance to it as well.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity. The acidity is racy with the feel having a regal quality along with red and green apples, brioche, crushed rocks, almonds, and pears.
Overall: This is a lovely blanc de blancs. It is fresh and elegant with a freshness to it that keeps it light.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
Nose: The nose is highly perfumed and balanced with earth tones, dark red cherries, violets, raspberries, leather tones, spices, and wild flowers. There is a ton of depth and class that just draws you in and makes one ponder.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity and medium+ tannins. The tannins are fine grained while the feel is polished and silky with earth tones, dark red cherries, violets, raspberries, spice notes, and wild flowers.
Overall: This is drinking perfectly and is drop dead gorgeous. While I wouldn't fully call it mature, it is beautifully balanced and perfectly shows off the pedigree and quality that one would expect from this vineyard.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Nose: The nose is deep and layered with meyer lemons, red apples, warm oils, roasted nuts, creams, vanilla beans, and some reductive notes.
Taste: Full bodied with high acidity. The acidity is racy and youthful with the feel showing a lot of depth and density. The structure shows off a lot of youth along with meyer lemons, red apples, warm oils, roasted nuts, and cream tones.
Overall: This is extremely young, but it can be a real stunning Corton-Charlemagne. It has a ton right now and would need some air to show, but it would benefit from 3-5+ years of aging to really show itself.
2011 Marc Hébrart Champagne Premier Cru Special Club 88 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
Nose: The nose is fragrant with pears, green apples, white fruits, minerals, and some dough notes.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity. The acidity is crisp with the feel lacking somewhat on the mid-palate. The tones are on the lighter side with pears, green apples, minerals, and some dough notes.
Overall: This is a nice and balanced Champagne. It lacks some of the depth and verve of better vintages, but it is still enjoyable.
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2014 Domaine des Malandes Chablis 1er Cru Vau de Vey 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
Nose: The nose is fresh and lifted with lemon peels, green apples, pears, white fruits, and mineral notes. There is excellent depth with the nose showing a lot of aromatics.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity. The acidity is refreshing, but with a youthful punch to it. The feel has excellent depth and refinement with lemon peels, green apples, white fruits, and mineral tones.
Overall: This is an excellent, young Chablis premier cru. It shows a pristine and focused style with good freshness. This is drinking well right now in its youth, but it feels like it can benefit from 3-5+ years.
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2012 Domaine la Barroche Châteauneuf-du-Pape Signature 90 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Nose: The nose shows off a riper intensity, but it isn't overdone with licorice, mesquite, black cherries, black raspberries, and some liqueur tones.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium acidity and medium+ tannins. The structure is in more of a supporting role and there is good density to the feel with licorice, black cherries, mesquite, black raspberries, and garrigue notes.
Overall: This is a very good Chateauneuf Du Pape. It shows off a riper and more intense side, but it isn't overdone. There is balance and a black fruited profile with this feeling like it is open to drink now and for the better part of the next deacade.
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2014 Domaine de Mourchon Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret Grande Réserve 91 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône Villages Séguret
Nose: The nose is aromatic and red fruited with red fruits, cherries, strawberries, licorice, and berries. There is excellent depth and balance with good intensity to the nose.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium acidity and medium tannins. The structure is more supporting with the tannins being fine grained. The feel is polished with red fruits, cherries, licorice, and berries.
Overall: This is an outstanding Cotes du Rhone. It shows a more upfront side, but with excellent balance and depth. This is perfect for drinking now and doesn't need any more age.
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2014 Domaine les Goubert Gigondas Cuvée Florence 78 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Gigondas
Nose: The nose is showing a good bit of extraction along with liqueur tones, black cherries, licorice, spices, and alcohol notes. The heat is distracting and there is a bit of a stewed quality as well.
Taste: Full bodied with medium- acidity and medium tannins. The structure is nominally there and the feel is showing a good bit of extraction along with liqueur, black cherries, licorice, and alcohol.
Overall: This is out of balance and too hot. It's hard to tell if something decent would be there otherwise, but it was difficult to handle the extraction and alcohol.
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2014 Domaine du Tunnel (Stéphane Robert) Cornas 91 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
Nose: The nose is balanced and aromatic with black cherries, tobacco, black fruits, and black pepper. There is good depth with it showing less of a rustic and more of a peppery style of Cornas.
Taste: Full bodied with medium+ acidity and high tannins. The structure is youthful, but not overpowering with the tannins having a chewiness to them. The feel is robust with black cherries, tobacco, black fruits, leather, and black pepper notes.
Overall: This was an excellent Cornas. It is young, but there is excellent balance and structure for this to develop more over the next 5+ years.
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2014 Elvio Cogno Barbera d'Alba Pre-Phylloxera 90 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Alba, Barbera d'Alba
Nose: The nose is well balanced and aromatic with red cherries, spice tones, roasted herbs, black fruits, and some violets. There is good depth with this having a somewhat feminine side.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity and medium tannins. The acidity is crisp with the feel showing some nuance and freshness with red cherries, roasted herbs, black fruits, and violets.
Overall: This is a real success for the vintage. It shows off elegance and class with excellent depth. I would love to try this in a better vintage where I could see this really excelling.
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2011 Cantina del Pino Barbaresco 89 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Nose: The nose is straight forward and balanced with licorice, spice tones, red cherries, raspberries, and tar. It is lacking some depth and complexity, but the nose still has a red-fruited and upper register take.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity and high tannins. The structure, while youthful, is balanced and not too obtrusive. The feel has a freshness to it with red cherries, raspberries, tar, licorice, and some herbs.
Overall: This is a pretty and upfront young Barbaresco. It does lack some depth on the nose and palate, but, it is a friendly and enjoyable Barbaresco to drink over the short to mid-term.
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2013 AR.PE.PE. Rosso di Valtellina 89 Points
Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Rosso di Valtellina
Nose: The nose is fragrant and feminine with strawberries, red cherries, fresh picked red berries, spice notes, and tar.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity and medium+ tannins. The acidity is refreshing and the tannins show a silkiness. The feel continues the femininity of the nose with strawberries, red cherries, tar, and a touch of earth notes.
Overall: This is a pretty and balanced Nebbiolo. This is perfect for those wanting to get into Nebbiolo as it shows off fresh red fruits and an a lot of elegance.
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1998 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo 92 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Nose: The nose is wide open and aromatic with licorice, roasted herbs, strawberries, red cherries, violets, tobacco, juniper berries, and leather notes. This is well balanced and shows off excellent depth and layering.
Taste: Medium bodied with high tannins and high acidity. The tannins are starting to pull back, but still have a chewiness to them. The feel is well balanced and lithe with licorice, red cherries, strawberries, tobacco, and roasted herbs.
Overall: This feels like it's starting to enter its maturity. The nose is refined and perfumed with the structure starting to pull back. It's drinking beautifully now and has a good ways to go.
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2012 Sottimano Barbaresco Cottá 92 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Nose: The nose is elegant, perfumed, and demure with licorice, red cherries, strawberries, red fruits, rose petals, and some tar tones.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity and high tannins. The tannins are a little stiff, but that is more due to youth. The feel is refined and elegant with licorice, strawberries, red cherries, rose petals, and tar.
Overall: This is quite young right now, but it is ever so pretty. This will need a good 5+ years to sort itself out, but there is certainly room to improve and it could really thrill when that happens.
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1998 Sottimano Barbaresco Cottá 92 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Nose: The nose is perfumed and balanced with licorice, spice tones, red cherries, earth tones, tar, leather, and raspberries with a touch of oak. This is showing off good depth and with a more robust style.
Taste: Medium/full bodied with medium+ acidity and high tannins. The tannins are still a bit chewy and showing some youth even now. The feel is more powerful with licorice, red cherries, raspberries, tar, leather, and earth notes.
Overall: This still feel like it has a ways to go. I can see this really opening up with a good bit of air and showing even more than it was at the tasting.
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2011 Andrea Oberto Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Nose: The nose is ethereal and deep with potpourri, licorice, roasted herbs, red cherries, rose petals, wild flowers, strawberries, raspberries, tar, and some earth. The nose is uplifting and really draws you in with its red fruits and florals.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity and high tannins. The structure is extremely youthful with the tannins being chewy. The feel itself is silky and elegant with licorice, roasted herbs, red cherries, rose petals, strawberries, tar, and raspberries.
Overall: This is a fantastic, young Barolo. I generally expect greatness from Rocche dell'Annunziata and that is showing it here in spades. It's still extremely young, but it is well worth having some bottles to age as there is something great brewing underneath there.
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NV J.M. Labruyère Champagne Grand Cru Prologue 91 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Nose: The nose was quite aromatic and fresh with pears, red apples, white fruits, white florals, bread, and berries.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity. The acidity is refreshing while the feel is well balanced with red apples, white fruits, white florals, and bread tones.
Overall: This is an excellent NV Brut. This shows a real fresh quality to it that very attractive.
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NV J.M. Labruyère Champagne Grand Cru Anthologie 91 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Nose: The nose is well balanced with red apples, roses, pears, baked bread, minerals, and berry notes. There is excellent depth with a savoriness to it.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity. The acidity is crisp with the feel showing a savory side along with red apples, roses, baked breads, berries, and pears.
Overall: This is an excellent Champagne. It's well balanced with good depth and shows a savory side that is very attractive.
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NV J.M. Labruyère Champagne Grand Cru Page Blanche Blanc de Blancs 92 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Nose: The nose is fresh and aromatic with red and green apples, brioche, roasted nuts, almonds, pears, and white peaches. There is excellent depth and balance with an elegance to it as well.
Taste: Medium bodied with high acidity. The acidity is racy with the feel having a regal quality along with red and green apples, brioche, crushed rocks, almonds, and pears.
Overall: This is a lovely blanc de blancs. It is fresh and elegant with a freshness to it that keeps it light.
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1999 Louis Jadot Romanée St. Vivant 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
Nose: The nose is highly perfumed and balanced with earth tones, dark red cherries, violets, raspberries, leather tones, spices, and wild flowers. There is a ton of depth and class that just draws you in and makes one ponder.
Taste: Medium bodied with medium+ acidity and medium+ tannins. The tannins are fine grained while the feel is polished and silky with earth tones, dark red cherries, violets, raspberries, spice notes, and wild flowers.
Overall: This is drinking perfectly and is drop dead gorgeous. While I wouldn't fully call it mature, it is beautifully balanced and perfectly shows off the pedigree and quality that one would expect from this vineyard.
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2014 Henri Boillot Corton-Charlemagne 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Nose: The nose is deep and layered with meyer lemons, red apples, warm oils, roasted nuts, creams, vanilla beans, and some reductive notes.
Taste: Full bodied with high acidity. The acidity is racy and youthful with the feel showing a lot of depth and density. The structure shows off a lot of youth along with meyer lemons, red apples, warm oils, roasted nuts, and cream tones.
Overall: This is extremely young, but it can be a real stunning Corton-Charlemagne. It has a ton right now and would need some air to show, but it would benefit from 3-5+ years of aging to really show itself.
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