You know what, for gamay, this is pretty good. Nice crispness with red fruit and a pleasant freshness. There's a little bit of spritz on the finish. A touch sweet, but mostly simple.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
This is a pretty good 2006 white Burgundy, without any overripeness or rot. Not too reductive. There's a ripeness to the wine, which is a hallmark of the domaine, but it's counterbalanced by some serious acidity.
Good freshness still, with a nice acidic zip. But that's pretty much all here -- it's a simple wine with not too much by way of concentration or flavour. This definitely has a lot less cut and steeliness than the chardonnays.
Super weird wine, but surprisingly ok. Hefty in its fruit profile, this is intense and aromatic, but somehow there's still a little bit of acidity here. Not too green, probably due to the ripeness. Atypical in all respects I can think of, but still alright.
#07-91, 11% abv. Presumably, this is the ancestor of the GG wine. Or something like that. It's aged incredibly well. The nose and palate are very clearly riesling, and there's the sort of fruit profile that you expect from a wine like this. But despite that intense fruitiness, this is absolutely bone dry. Yes, I wish this had a bit of sweetness, but this is pretty good all the same. I wonder if modern day GGs will age into this...
Disgorged May 2016, 4 g/L dosage. Outstanding for the vintage. Heightened citrus notes here, with good minerality and a rich mousse. A bit of creaminess, and no offensive green notes at all. A really brilliant bottle, really.
Nutty and saline on the nose. Pretty much a heavily oxidized wine (modern white Burgundy, anyone?), with lots of crushed nuts and salinity on the palate. There are nice flavours here, but I really just can't get past the oxidation.
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire
A touch of honey on the nose. There has to be some residual sugar in this. It's riper in profile, with a roundness from the sweetness that balances out the acidity here. Not super complex, but enjoyable all the same.
Typical of the reason I don't like Austrian wines. Waxy, heavy, thick, and hot. Unpleasant nose that has a bit of Sharpie marker. Some passable acidity cuts this, but that's about it.
A chablis that seems to be built more from its acidity than minerality. The acidity is extremely high and there are notes of tart citrus, but there's a generosity to the fruit and a plushness here that helps balance it out.
#05-15, 8.5% abv. A surprising turnaround from the last time I had this. Perhaps it's the comparison against a lot of non-riesling wines. In any case, this isn't too sweet, but there is a very dense minerality that really does evoke the Saar on the midpalate.
From magnum. A really potent amount of fruit on the nose and palate. There's some really nice sweetness on the palate, that rounds out the chalkiness. The mousse here is a little creamy.
A good, if slightly simple white Burgundy. A bit of white pineapple on the nose. The palate has some citrus notes, and is mostly acid-driven. Not too complex, but great now and probably for the short haul.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Very serious red Burgundy. Crisp red fruit on the nose, with a restrained ripeness that is counterbalanced nicely by the earthiness. The palate is quite similar; it's fresh and ripe, but with acidity that cuts through the fruit like a sharp knife. There are some nascent earth notes on the palate too, but this is still mostly primary. I think the 2009s are coming around nicely; I've found them more and more enjoyable these days.
The nose is super aromatic, with aromas that remind me of those white peach gummi candies that you can get from a Japanese grocery. The palate definitely shows some serious acidity and lots more of those weird skin-contact flavours. Really peachy and sour. As far as orange wine is concerned, this is pretty good, but certainly not my general cup of tea.
"Served" double blind by a Master Sommelier, no less. Thought there was a service component to passing the exams. So much for that. Stuck my nose in it, and immediately recoiled. Disgustingly sweet. Goopy, cloying, and trashy. I could probably keep the pejoratives going, but I'm already bored. Utter shit.
There was a slight bit of trepidation on my part because this wine is done with a bit of new oak, but the nineteen intervening years and the ripe vintage certainly helped to integrate it. There's incredible black fruit here, with a richness that is captivating. In terms of the typical syrah elements, we can indeed find a bit of saline and olives here.
From jeroboam (#grandcru #alldayeveryday). Quite young still, likely a function of the vintage and the size of the bottle. Really earthy, with some coiled black fruit. Not the most expressive or complex, but drinking well.
Eh, it is what it is. A fairly restrained California pinot, this still doesn't hide what it is, with its hint of cola and overripe pinot flavours. Some heat on the finish. Not the most pleasant but certainly not offensive. I couldn't drink a glass of this though.
A nice crunchy red Burgundy that shows quite true to the vintage with its fleshiness. Not much earthiness here. The palate's tannins are a bit angular, so a year or two might help that settle down. Decent entry-level red Burgundy.
Pretty much consistent with my taste of this at Rieslingfeier a fortnight ago. Lots of dried longans and some breadiness on the nose and palate. There's a pronounced smokiness and tons of acidity as well. More interesting than good.
#14-13, 13% abv. Pretty heavy-hitting for a riesling, truth be told. Broad and big, with lots of ripe fruit and really heightened acidity. I think the ripeness here suits the dry riesling style much better than in the Mosel. The fruit here helps balance the acid really nicely. (Mind you, all that said, the sweet wines are still far better.)
2015 Domaine Prieuré Roch Bourgogne-Grand-Ordinaire 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Bourgogne-Grand-Ordinaire
You know what, for gamay, this is pretty good. Nice crispness with red fruit and a pleasant freshness. There's a little bit of spritz on the finish. A touch sweet, but mostly simple.
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2006 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Maltroie 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
This is a pretty good 2006 white Burgundy, without any overripeness or rot. Not too reductive. There's a ripeness to the wine, which is a hallmark of the domaine, but it's counterbalanced by some serious acidity.
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2013 Domaine Roulot Bourgogne-Aligoté 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Bourgogne-Aligoté
Good freshness still, with a nice acidic zip. But that's pretty much all here -- it's a simple wine with not too much by way of concentration or flavour. This definitely has a lot less cut and steeliness than the chardonnays.
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2003 F.X. Pichler Sauvignon Blanc Smaragd 90 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Super weird wine, but surprisingly ok. Hefty in its fruit profile, this is intense and aromatic, but somehow there's still a little bit of acidity here. Not too green, probably due to the ripeness. Atypical in all respects I can think of, but still alright.
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1990 Dönnhoff Schloßböckelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Spätlese trocken 93 Points
Germany, Nahe
#07-91, 11% abv. Presumably, this is the ancestor of the GG wine. Or something like that. It's aged incredibly well. The nose and palate are very clearly riesling, and there's the sort of fruit profile that you expect from a wine like this. But despite that intense fruitiness, this is absolutely bone dry. Yes, I wish this had a bit of sweetness, but this is pretty good all the same. I wonder if modern day GGs will age into this...
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2011 Chartogne-Taillet Champagne Extra Brut Orizeaux 93 Points
France, Champagne
Disgorged May 2016, 4 g/L dosage. Outstanding for the vintage. Heightened citrus notes here, with good minerality and a rich mousse. A bit of creaminess, and no offensive green notes at all. A really brilliant bottle, really.
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2010 Jean-François Ganevat Terrasses de Chalandigna
France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
Nutty and saline on the nose. Pretty much a heavily oxidized wine (modern white Burgundy, anyone?), with lots of crushed nuts and salinity on the palate. There are nice flavours here, but I really just can't get past the oxidation.
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2008 François Chidaine Montlouis-sur-Loire Clos Habert 90 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Montlouis-sur-Loire
A touch of honey on the nose. There has to be some residual sugar in this. It's riper in profile, with a roundness from the sweetness that balances out the acidity here. Not super complex, but enjoyable all the same.
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2011 Franz Hirtzberger Grüner Veltliner Smaragd Kirchweg 80 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
Typical of the reason I don't like Austrian wines. Waxy, heavy, thick, and hot. Unpleasant nose that has a bit of Sharpie marker. Some passable acidity cuts this, but that's about it.
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2014 Athénaïs Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
A chablis that seems to be built more from its acidity than minerality. The acidity is extremely high and there are notes of tart citrus, but there's a generosity to the fruit and a plushness here that helps balance it out.
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2014 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese 95 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
#05-15, 8.5% abv. A surprising turnaround from the last time I had this. Perhaps it's the comparison against a lot of non-riesling wines. In any case, this isn't too sweet, but there is a very dense minerality that really does evoke the Saar on the midpalate.
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2006 Pierre Gimonnet & Fils Champagne Vieilles Vignes de Chardonnay 90 Points
France, Champagne
From magnum. A really potent amount of fruit on the nose and palate. There's some really nice sweetness on the palate, that rounds out the chalkiness. The mousse here is a little creamy.
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2014 Frédéric Cossard Rully 1er Cru en Vauvry 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Rully 1er Cru
A good, if slightly simple white Burgundy. A bit of white pineapple on the nose. The palate has some citrus notes, and is mostly acid-driven. Not too complex, but great now and probably for the short haul.
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2009 Thibault Liger-Belair Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Very serious red Burgundy. Crisp red fruit on the nose, with a restrained ripeness that is counterbalanced nicely by the earthiness. The palate is quite similar; it's fresh and ripe, but with acidity that cuts through the fruit like a sharp knife. There are some nascent earth notes on the palate too, but this is still mostly primary. I think the 2009s are coming around nicely; I've found them more and more enjoyable these days.
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2015 Lucy Margaux / Domaine Lucci Blanc de Blanc Pétillant Naturel 70 Points
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide Hills
Yeasty and wild, more kombucha than wine. It's even got a scoby in the bottle! Nope.
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2015 Azienda Agricola Serragghia (Gabrio Bini) Zibibbo Bianco 88 Points
Italy, Sicily, Terre Siciliane
The nose is super aromatic, with aromas that remind me of those white peach gummi candies that you can get from a Japanese grocery. The palate definitely shows some serious acidity and lots more of those weird skin-contact flavours. Really peachy and sour. As far as orange wine is concerned, this is pretty good, but certainly not my general cup of tea.
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2010 Orin Swift The Prisoner 60 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
"Served" double blind by a Master Sommelier, no less. Thought there was a service component to passing the exams. So much for that. Stuck my nose in it, and immediately recoiled. Disgustingly sweet. Goopy, cloying, and trashy. I could probably keep the pejoratives going, but I'm already bored. Utter shit.
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1999 Pierre Gaillard Côte-Rôtie Rose Pourpre 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
There was a slight bit of trepidation on my part because this wine is done with a bit of new oak, but the nineteen intervening years and the ripe vintage certainly helped to integrate it. There's incredible black fruit here, with a richness that is captivating. In terms of the typical syrah elements, we can indeed find a bit of saline and olives here.
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2005 Nicolas Potel Beaune 1er Cru Clos du Roi 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
From jeroboam (#grandcru #alldayeveryday). Quite young still, likely a function of the vintage and the size of the bottle. Really earthy, with some coiled black fruit. Not the most expressive or complex, but drinking well.
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2007 Keller Estate Pinot Noir El Coro 85 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Eh, it is what it is. A fairly restrained California pinot, this still doesn't hide what it is, with its hint of cola and overripe pinot flavours. Some heat on the finish. Not the most pleasant but certainly not offensive. I couldn't drink a glass of this though.
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2015 Julien Cruchandeau Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Les Valançons 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits
A nice crunchy red Burgundy that shows quite true to the vintage with its fleshiness. Not much earthiness here. The palate's tannins are a bit angular, so a year or two might help that settle down. Decent entry-level red Burgundy.
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1984 Peter Lauer Saar Riesling Brut Reserve 88 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Pretty much consistent with my taste of this at Rieslingfeier a fortnight ago. Lots of dried longans and some breadiness on the nose and palate. There's a pronounced smokiness and tons of acidity as well. More interesting than good.
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2012 Eugen Müller Forster Kirchenstück Riesling Spätlese trocken 88 Points
Germany, Pfalz
#14-13, 13% abv. Pretty heavy-hitting for a riesling, truth be told. Broad and big, with lots of ripe fruit and really heightened acidity. I think the ripeness here suits the dry riesling style much better than in the Mosel. The fruit here helps balance the acid really nicely. (Mind you, all that said, the sweet wines are still far better.)
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