| | - 1996 Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne Grand Cru Cramant - France, Champagne, Côte des Blancs, Champagne
Pale yellow colour. Aromas of candied citrus peel, ginger, apple, and biscuit/brioche. Medium-bodied, great mouthfeel, with replays from nose that are joined by white dried figs. Lovely acidity. Long, long finish, 60+ seconds, with ginger, nut, and caramel notes. Absolutely stunning! This wine is young, and should develop nicely with cellaring. (95 pts.)
- 1979 Château d'Yquem - France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
Amber colour. Aromas of honey, apricot, spice, and orange rind. Full-bodied, perfect balance of sweetness and acidity with the palate showing replays from the nose. Long finish, 50-60s, with white flowers and more honey, apricot, and spices. (93 pts.)
- 2001 Pio Cesare Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Dark garnet/ruby colour. Aromas of cherry, leather, flowers, and tar. Medium-full bodied, plenty of tannins, but hints of fruit replays peeking out. Moderate-long finish, ~40s, with dark fruit. Obviously very young, and in need of cellaring. I'll think about checking in on this wine in 4-5 years at the earliest. 93+. (93 pts.)
- 2001 Cavallotto Barolo Bricco Boschis - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Dark ruby colour. Aromas of black cherry, black plums, and tar. Medium-full bodied, with dark fruit. Moderate-long finish, 35-40s. More approachable than the 2001 Pio Cesare Barolo poured alongside, but it's similarly showing mostly fine structure at this point. Another wine to leave in the cellar for another 4-5 years before checking back. 93+. (93 pts.)
- 2001 Paolo Scavino Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Dark ruby colour. Aromas of cinnamon, black cherry, cocoa, and licorice. Medium-full bodied, showing awesome structure and fine tannins. More cinnamon and dark fruit on the palate. Long finish, ~50s, with dark fruit. Fantastic wine, period, let alone for a "base" bottling. Looking forward to following the evolution of this wine. 94+ (94 pts.)
- 2001 Azelia Barolo - Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Dark ruby colour. Similar style to the 2001 Scavino Barolo poured alongside, but shows nice hints of mint, licorice, black plums, black cherry, tar, and earth. Medium-full bodied, nice acidity and fine tannin. Black plums, cherry, earth, and black licorice on the palate. Long finish, 40-45s, with dark fruit. (92 pts.)
- 2000 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Herrenweg de Turckheim Vendange Tardive - France, Alsace, Turckheim, Alsace AOC
Medium-dark gold colour. Aromas of apples, poached pears, and apricots. A little funk initially on the nose, but that blew off with 10-15 minutes of air. Full-bodied, lush, with spice, lemon, ginger, and apricot notes. Long finish, ~40s, with dried apricots and white fruit. This wine wasn't sweet enough to go with a poached forelle pear frangipane tart (which wasn't very sweet to begin with). Best served on its own, or with a bit of cheese at the end of a meal. (92 pts.)
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