2012 base, disgorged October 20, 2016, 4 g/L dosage. Despite the low dosage here, I'm quite impressed by the roundness and sweetness of this wine. It's a reasonably full and rounded champagne, with a good amount of fruit on the nose and palate. I love the fullness here, and the acidity isn't so bracing and racy that this cuts through everything.
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. This tends towards the crunchy side, with red fruit that is very light and fresh. Red cherries, a touch of cranberry, all good things to start out. The acidity is racy and light, but this feels just a tad tart. The finish comes off a little astringently too, which isn't too pleasant. There's a nice mineral cut here, but all in all, this feels just a touch simple.
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. In contrast to Grivot, this seemed a little more in line with what I expected, with a touch more brown spice (though perhaps that might have been the oak poking through a little bit). Riper, fuller, and more expressive, with the finish showing a generous amount of tannin. Clearly an extracted and fleshier wine. Oddly enough, at various points of time, this showed an intense reductive stench that ebbed and flowed.
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. A relatively new producer to the US, care of a generous newcomer to the group. This is a powerful and big wine, with lots of brown spice. Sappy and dense, with a palate that also comes across as a richer, fuller wine. Lovely intensity without heaviness in this wine, and the oak, while showing a little more toast, still is applied judiciously here.
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. Light and delicious, with an elegance that I find absolutely entrancing. Perhaps not your prototypical Vosne-Romanée, given that its spice seems to be a touch attenuated, but this is absolutely drinkable, with its elegance and easy-going nature. It's probably not a wine made for the longest haul, but the youthful accessibility here is lovely.
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. Not the most appealing nose, with some reduced burnt rubber and oddly enough, some orange peel. Behind that are some pleasant light red fruit notes, with a touch of strawberry. The palate ends with some bitterness. On the palate, this seemed to be a little weaker and not as filled out as many of the other wines.
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. Lots of oak on the nose and palate, to the point of bitterness. Clearly not my cup of tea, but there's decent fruit to be found here, if you can get through the oak. The finish is hot and alcoholic. Not good.
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. One of the best wines of the lineup today. Some Asian five-spice powder and an intense red fruit note on the nose here. Clean, crisp, and absolutely entrancing. The palate is fleshy and easy, with a lot of ripe fruit and expressiveness on display here. On the other hand, the acidity and minerality here present enough to counterbalance that fruit. A very complete and enjoyable wine right now.
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. A decent wine, if a bit non-descript. The palate mostly checks all the right boxes, but this also seems just a little bit closed down right now. Good fruit, a touch of spice, no overt oak, but alas, nothing here that really excites me either.
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. High-toned, with a bit of volatility and those chemical solvent notes that evoke Sharpie markers. The palate is certainly nicer than the nose, but at the end of the day, the palate has a nice touch of red fruit and not much else. I joked that this was a ringer in that this was a Bourgogne AC. Too simple for the level.
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. Seems intensely purple on the nose. Lots and lots of fruit, both on the nose and palate. Doesn't come across as particularly complex, and the palate seems relatively simple. There seems to be a light touch of oak here as well (or is that the Vosne spice?). Not entirely convincing.
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. A weird tomato note on the nose in combination with a bit of reduction. There's nice sweetness and fruit on the palate, but despite that, the finish doesn't feel quite complete and you get a bit of tartness from the acidity. Lots of tannin in this somewhat gangly, angular showing.
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. Raw oak on the nose -- lots of it -- but fortunately it is held in check and nicely counterbalanced by the relatively high amount of stuffing here. There's enough intensity and fruit on the palate that handles the oak properly. Somehow, despite all of this, there's a lightness here (perhaps from the focus on red fruit and the bright acidity) that gives this wine lift. Very nice, if a touch modern.
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. Super light in colour -- this is like a dark rose. Beautiful, just beautiful. So much pretty red fruit, with hints of red cherry, and most dominantly, strawberry juice. The palate is racy and mineral, with a juiciness and freshness that the other wines at the table couldn't deliver today. Powerful, elegant, and complex. I love the freshness and crunchy fruit here. Delicious and exciting.
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. Reduced and muted on the nose, though it's almost certain this is a big wine. Muted on the palate as well, only showing some acid and alcohol. There was some debate as to whether this was corked -- the consensus originally was no, but after a few hours (and the reveal and the following shock), some wet dishrag started to show up.
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. The clear runt of the litter. Nailpolish and chemically nose. Weak and watery, with astringency and acidity. Huge pass.
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. This has a very similar profile to the Clair. It's a bright, red-fruited, and elegant wine, but the fruit veers a little further towards being candied. The palate is quite similar, but the tannins are coarse. It's a less refined wine than the Clair, but still very good.
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. There's nothing exciting here, but this is still a very nice and approachable bottle of wine. On the denser and richer side of things, with a good amount of fruit concentration and a great dose of spice. On the other hand, this does come off a little simple on the palate.
#05-17, 7.5% abv. What a change from the barrel sample. I will say I wasn't thrilled with the Himmelreich samples that I tasted at Rieslingfeier this year, but this wine is definitely the estate doing some great work. (Mind you, I think that the Domprobst wines are almost always better than the Himmelreich wines here.) The nose is quintessential Schaefer, with its touch of herbs, its intense Haribo pineapple gummi bear quality, and an intense mineral tone that carries through to the palate. Sweet, but balanced, with a crystalline purity here that doesn't feel modernist and polished (like Schloss Lieser). Moderately complex, with those herbal and mineral notes providing most of the complexity. Just mouthwatering and delicious.
NV Champagne Suenen Champagne Grand Cru Brut Rosé 90 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
2012 base, disgorged October 20, 2016, 4 g/L dosage. Despite the low dosage here, I'm quite impressed by the roundness and sweetness of this wine. It's a reasonably full and rounded champagne, with a good amount of fruit on the nose and palate. I love the fullness here, and the acidity isn't so bracing and racy that this cuts through everything.
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2015 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. This tends towards the crunchy side, with red fruit that is very light and fresh. Red cherries, a touch of cranberry, all good things to start out. The acidity is racy and light, but this feels just a tad tart. The finish comes off a little astringently too, which isn't too pleasant. There's a nice mineral cut here, but all in all, this feels just a touch simple.
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2015 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. In contrast to Grivot, this seemed a little more in line with what I expected, with a touch more brown spice (though perhaps that might have been the oak poking through a little bit). Riper, fuller, and more expressive, with the finish showing a generous amount of tannin. Clearly an extracted and fleshier wine. Oddly enough, at various points of time, this showed an intense reductive stench that ebbed and flowed.
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2015 Domaine Machard de Gramont Vosne-Romanée 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. A relatively new producer to the US, care of a generous newcomer to the group. This is a powerful and big wine, with lots of brown spice. Sappy and dense, with a palate that also comes across as a richer, fuller wine. Lovely intensity without heaviness in this wine, and the oak, while showing a little more toast, still is applied judiciously here.
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2015 Louis Jadot Vosne-Romanée 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. Light and delicious, with an elegance that I find absolutely entrancing. Perhaps not your prototypical Vosne-Romanée, given that its spice seems to be a touch attenuated, but this is absolutely drinkable, with its elegance and easy-going nature. It's probably not a wine made for the longest haul, but the youthful accessibility here is lovely.
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2015 Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet Vosne-Romanée 85 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. Not the most appealing nose, with some reduced burnt rubber and oddly enough, some orange peel. Behind that are some pleasant light red fruit notes, with a touch of strawberry. The palate ends with some bitterness. On the palate, this seemed to be a little weaker and not as filled out as many of the other wines.
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2015 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanée 85 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. Lots of oak on the nose and palate, to the point of bitterness. Clearly not my cup of tea, but there's decent fruit to be found here, if you can get through the oak. The finish is hot and alcoholic. Not good.
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2015 Jean-Marc Millot Vosne-Romanée 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. One of the best wines of the lineup today. Some Asian five-spice powder and an intense red fruit note on the nose here. Clean, crisp, and absolutely entrancing. The palate is fleshy and easy, with a lot of ripe fruit and expressiveness on display here. On the other hand, the acidity and minerality here present enough to counterbalance that fruit. A very complete and enjoyable wine right now.
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2015 Faiveley Vosne-Romanée 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. A decent wine, if a bit non-descript. The palate mostly checks all the right boxes, but this also seems just a little bit closed down right now. Good fruit, a touch of spice, no overt oak, but alas, nothing here that really excites me either.
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2015 Benjamin Leroux Vosne-Romanée 85 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. High-toned, with a bit of volatility and those chemical solvent notes that evoke Sharpie markers. The palate is certainly nicer than the nose, but at the end of the day, the palate has a nice touch of red fruit and not much else. I joked that this was a ringer in that this was a Bourgogne AC. Too simple for the level.
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2015 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Vosne-Romanée 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. Seems intensely purple on the nose. Lots and lots of fruit, both on the nose and palate. Doesn't come across as particularly complex, and the palate seems relatively simple. There seems to be a light touch of oak here as well (or is that the Vosne spice?). Not entirely convincing.
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2015 Forey Père et Fils Vosne-Romanée 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. A weird tomato note on the nose in combination with a bit of reduction. There's nice sweetness and fruit on the palate, but despite that, the finish doesn't feel quite complete and you get a bit of tartness from the acidity. Lots of tannin in this somewhat gangly, angular showing.
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2015 Domaine Coquard Loison-Fleurot Vosne-Romanée 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. Raw oak on the nose -- lots of it -- but fortunately it is held in check and nicely counterbalanced by the relatively high amount of stuffing here. There's enough intensity and fruit on the palate that handles the oak properly. Somehow, despite all of this, there's a lightness here (perhaps from the focus on red fruit and the bright acidity) that gives this wine lift. Very nice, if a touch modern.
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2015 Domaine Bruno Clair Vosne-Romanée Les Champs Perdrix 95 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. Super light in colour -- this is like a dark rose. Beautiful, just beautiful. So much pretty red fruit, with hints of red cherry, and most dominantly, strawberry juice. The palate is racy and mineral, with a juiciness and freshness that the other wines at the table couldn't deliver today. Powerful, elegant, and complex. I love the freshness and crunchy fruit here. Delicious and exciting.
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2015 Emmanuel Rouget Vosne-Romanée Flawed
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. Reduced and muted on the nose, though it's almost certain this is a big wine. Muted on the palate as well, only showing some acid and alcohol. There was some debate as to whether this was corked -- the consensus originally was no, but after a few hours (and the reveal and the following shock), some wet dishrag started to show up.
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2015 Domaine Gille Vosne-Romanée 80 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. The clear runt of the litter. Nailpolish and chemically nose. Weak and watery, with astringency and acidity. Huge pass.
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2015 Joseph Drouhin Vosne-Romanée 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. This has a very similar profile to the Clair. It's a bright, red-fruited, and elegant wine, but the fruit veers a little further towards being candied. The palate is quite similar, but the tannins are coarse. It's a less refined wine than the Clair, but still very good.
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2015 Jean-Marie Fourrier Vosne-Romanée Aux Réas Vieille Vigne 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Served single blind in a flight of 2015 Vosne-Romanée AC. There's nothing exciting here, but this is still a very nice and approachable bottle of wine. On the denser and richer side of things, with a good amount of fruit concentration and a great dose of spice. On the other hand, this does come off a little simple on the palate.
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2016 Willi Schaefer Graacher Domprobst Riesling Spätlese #5 95 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
#05-17, 7.5% abv. What a change from the barrel sample. I will say I wasn't thrilled with the Himmelreich samples that I tasted at Rieslingfeier this year, but this wine is definitely the estate doing some great work. (Mind you, I think that the Domprobst wines are almost always better than the Himmelreich wines here.) The nose is quintessential Schaefer, with its touch of herbs, its intense Haribo pineapple gummi bear quality, and an intense mineral tone that carries through to the palate. Sweet, but balanced, with a crystalline purity here that doesn't feel modernist and polished (like Schloss Lieser). Moderately complex, with those herbal and mineral notes providing most of the complexity. Just mouthwatering and delicious.
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