The most unicorny thing about this bottle is that it has a Premier Cru label on the back. Lots of browned apple, but not the bad kind. Sort of like a controlled oxidation. Very rich and intense, with time needed to integrate everything in the glass. Unmistakably Krug. Relatively speaking, a rounder expression. Love the concentration and complexity here.
As far as Napa goes, this is still hitting all the spots, but it is a tiring wine at age 40. Initially lovely green and herbal tones on the nose, as well as lots of black fruit. The palate is a bit weaker, and there's some signs that this is falling apart. Still, a more than pleasant drink.
Oddly enough, this is not reductive at all. There's a lot of sweet white fruit and perfume on the nose, as well as a great dose of spiciness. The palate has a touch of sweetness but the mineral and acidic structure here tell me this is still too young.
From magnum. Like the last one, preternaturally youthful -- more so than, say, the 1985 Krug. Fresh, herbal, and spicy, this developed more and more aged notes with air, but it never fell off the cliff.
A very clean showing of this wine, I didn't pick up many aged chardonnay elements here. In fact this was about as classic as it comes for 1996 -- the lean racy acidity is the most prominent feature. With some time, a bit of smokiness emerged, which was actually quite alluring. I'd prefer a slight bit more flesh on the bones though.
Quite nice for an older ZH. Clearly a wine that is of dessert level, with a generous amount of botrytis spice and sweet apricots and peaches. Well-balanced and not over the top at all.
Don't get me wrong -- I love the 2002 Dom (I just like the 2008 a little more). Anyway, this is really reductive and shows a bit of flint on the nose. The palate is rounded out and rich, but it seems like this will still need a bit more time to fully integrate.
I love this wine. I think the super generous dosage here rounds out the Selosse style and gives this flesh. It's definitely got the Selosse intensity and the oxidative elements, but the sweetness make this less bracing to drink. Honestly, this goes down really easily and I think represents a bit of an outlier as far as Selosse goes (don't get me wrong -- I still love all the other wines in the lineup).
Pretty much consistent with my previous notes, this is drinking very well right now. The fruit is sweet and there's a creaminess that makes this really enjoyable. Rounded, with just the right amount of acid to balance out the heft.
I really liked this. It's straightforward, honest chablis. Really bright fruit, with great minerality and lovely cut. Plenty of complexity on the back end too.
First off, I'm incredibly pleased I own these. However, this is nowhere near ready. The nose and palate are still incredibly primary, with the American oak poking through really strongly in the form of some coconut. The palate shows the oak too, but the intensity of the fruit here manages to carry it. Tannins are a little rough on the back end still. Give this time. I've no doubt this will be a worthy wine.
This bottle didn't suffer from the vagaries of the vintage -- it's incredibly clean, without any undue rot. Good minerality and cut, though this is a slight bit broader than I enjoy in chablis. And my befuddlement with Dauvissat begins again...
Fucking incredible. Supernatural freshness and complexity. 252 months in cask, but no oak tannin, no oxidation, just a ridiculous heap of stuffing. There's already so much on the nose, with waxy and earthy elements, and then air causing the fruit to pick up. The palate is silky, with no harshness from anything at all -- just the sort of secondary complexity that is borne with age. Great acidity here balances out that richness, and there's so much fruit to go around (you need to coax that out with air). One of the greatest dry white wines I've ever had the pleasure of opening.
I liked the 2000 P2 a little more than this; while this hit all the checkboxes, it never really seemed to get the oomph it needed to reach the next level. The 1998 P2 has been a wine I've had multiple times, but I've never found it particularly thrilling (or worth the tariff). Again, not as much reduction on the nose as I would expect for Dom. Good acidity and mineral cut, but there's something just not there for me.
Oh yeah, there's a reason why this is like the essence of apricots. The nose is incredible, but there's a clear alcoholic hit. Sweetness of the palate is a little less than I'd like, but this is overall very well balanced and quite delicious. The alcohol will poke through, but not to a terrible degree. Very nice, though I have trouble envisioning when I want a glass of this.
"Like someone mixed olive brine with coffee," but far less off-putting. Rustic and heady, with some really nice dark fruit on the nose, there's a very nice lightness on the palate at the same time thanks to a lively vein of acidity. Fully resolved and ready to go now. This is in my own personal Rhone sweet spot.
"La Chapelle is never ready." Yeah, pretty much the case here. All structure, no flesh. The nose is nice, with some black pepper and tart fruit, but the palate is all acid and tannin. A bit thin for a Hermitage.
Shows an inordinate amount of well-integrated American oak. This is really bizarre, because the grape is syrah, and yet it reminds me far more of Unico than anything else. Ah well, still a brilliant wine, with an intensity and concentration that I love. Plenty of fruit that never goes over the top. Good acidity on the back end as well -- this is in the prime drinking window for me.
Honestly, this was a little over the top for me. Way too nutty and earthy and mushroomy for me. The palate was too umami and rich, and while there was acidity, it wasn't bright enough to cut everything.
I had this the same night as the 2004 Unico. While I think in the long run the 2004 will be the better wine, the 1999 is in a much better position right now. It shows the same intense American oak, but an incredibly generous amount of black fruit as well. It's sweet but perfectly balanced on the palate. This is a suppler wine, and while the tannins are still a little prickly, this is more than open for business now. I need to find some of this.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
Pretty solid Burgundy here, with a nice hit of mushroom and fruit on the nose. However, the palate is a little more raw and chewy than I'd expect for the vintage. A fairly large-scaled wine that probably needs a lot more time to resolve (or is this just the old Faiveley regime being the old Faiveley regime?).
The nose has classic syrah aromas, but there's also a little bit here that comes off as green and stemmy (in a good way, but perhaps more than normal). Meaty and hefty on the palate, this has the heightened acidity you would expect in the leaner vintage. However, the palate presence isn't as rounded and powerful as the incredible 2004 (which I far prefer).
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
Really green and herbaceous on the nose, as one ought to expect. However, there's an equal amount of black fruit behind that. Very rich and potent on the palate, with the same intensity as a Dunn Howell Mountain, though with less chewiness and tannins. This is clearly a very ripe wine, but it's drinking in a restrained, enjoyable way. A true Napa cabernet.
210008. Absolutely solid bottle of Krug, especially with a generous amount of air. Pretty much the archetype of the house -- rich, oxidative notes, with plenty of minerality and acidity to give this wine a sense of direction. Really broad on the palate as well. It doesn't stand out in any particular dimension, but this is a really well-integrated package.
1985 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 95 Points
France, Champagne
The most unicorny thing about this bottle is that it has a Premier Cru label on the back. Lots of browned apple, but not the bad kind. Sort of like a controlled oxidation. Very rich and intense, with time needed to integrate everything in the glass. Unmistakably Krug. Relatively speaking, a rounder expression. Love the concentration and complexity here.
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2005 Château Doisy-Daëne L'Extravagant Flawed
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
From half bottle. Sadly corked.
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1978 Heitz Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Bella Oaks 90 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford
As far as Napa goes, this is still hitting all the spots, but it is a tiring wine at age 40. Initially lovely green and herbal tones on the nose, as well as lots of black fruit. The palate is a bit weaker, and there's some signs that this is falling apart. Still, a more than pleasant drink.
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2000 Dom Pérignon Champagne P2 93 Points
France, Champagne
Oddly enough, this is not reductive at all. There's a lot of sweet white fruit and perfume on the nose, as well as a great dose of spiciness. The palate has a touch of sweetness but the mineral and acidic structure here tell me this is still too young.
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1964 Delamotte Champagne "Collection" 93 Points
France, Champagne
From magnum. Like the last one, preternaturally youthful -- more so than, say, the 1985 Krug. Fresh, herbal, and spicy, this developed more and more aged notes with air, but it never fell off the cliff.
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1996 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 93 Points
France, Champagne
A very clean showing of this wine, I didn't pick up many aged chardonnay elements here. In fact this was about as classic as it comes for 1996 -- the lean racy acidity is the most prominent feature. With some time, a bit of smokiness emerged, which was actually quite alluring. I'd prefer a slight bit more flesh on the bones though.
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1998 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain Vendange Tardive 90 Points
France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru
Quite nice for an older ZH. Clearly a wine that is of dessert level, with a generous amount of botrytis spice and sweet apricots and peaches. Well-balanced and not over the top at all.
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2002 Dom Pérignon Champagne 95 Points
France, Champagne
Don't get me wrong -- I love the 2002 Dom (I just like the 2008 a little more). Anyway, this is really reductive and shows a bit of flint on the nose. The palate is rounded out and rich, but it seems like this will still need a bit more time to fully integrate.
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NV Jacques Selosse Champagne Exquise Sec 95 Points
France, Champagne
I love this wine. I think the super generous dosage here rounds out the Selosse style and gives this flesh. It's definitely got the Selosse intensity and the oxidative elements, but the sweetness make this less bracing to drink. Honestly, this goes down really easily and I think represents a bit of an outlier as far as Selosse goes (don't get me wrong -- I still love all the other wines in the lineup).
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2000 Louis Roederer Champagne Cristal Brut 93 Points
France, Champagne
Pretty much consistent with my previous notes, this is drinking very well right now. The fruit is sweet and there's a creaminess that makes this really enjoyable. Rounded, with just the right amount of acid to balance out the heft.
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2016 Domaine des Malandes Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
I really liked this. It's straightforward, honest chablis. Really bright fruit, with great minerality and lovely cut. Plenty of complexity on the back end too.
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2004 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 95 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
First off, I'm incredibly pleased I own these. However, this is nowhere near ready. The nose and palate are still incredibly primary, with the American oak poking through really strongly in the form of some coconut. The palate shows the oak too, but the intensity of the fruit here manages to carry it. Tannins are a little rough on the back end still. Give this time. I've no doubt this will be a worthy wine.
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2006 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru La Forest 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
This bottle didn't suffer from the vagaries of the vintage -- it's incredibly clean, without any undue rot. Good minerality and cut, though this is a slight bit broader than I enjoy in chablis. And my befuddlement with Dauvissat begins again...
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1986 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial Blanco 98 Points
Spain, La Rioja, Rioja
Fucking incredible. Supernatural freshness and complexity. 252 months in cask, but no oak tannin, no oxidation, just a ridiculous heap of stuffing. There's already so much on the nose, with waxy and earthy elements, and then air causing the fruit to pick up. The palate is silky, with no harshness from anything at all -- just the sort of secondary complexity that is borne with age. Great acidity here balances out that richness, and there's so much fruit to go around (you need to coax that out with air). One of the greatest dry white wines I've ever had the pleasure of opening.
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1998 Dom Pérignon Champagne P2 90 Points
France, Champagne
I liked the 2000 P2 a little more than this; while this hit all the checkboxes, it never really seemed to get the oomph it needed to reach the next level. The 1998 P2 has been a wine I've had multiple times, but I've never found it particularly thrilling (or worth the tariff). Again, not as much reduction on the nose as I would expect for Dom. Good acidity and mineral cut, but there's something just not there for me.
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NV Jean-Marc Roulot Liqueur d'Abricot du Roulot
France
Oh yeah, there's a reason why this is like the essence of apricots. The nose is incredible, but there's a clear alcoholic hit. Sweetness of the palate is a little less than I'd like, but this is overall very well balanced and quite delicious. The alcohol will poke through, but not to a terrible degree. Very nice, though I have trouble envisioning when I want a glass of this.
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2000 Domaine Auguste Clape Cornas 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
"Like someone mixed olive brine with coffee," but far less off-putting. Rustic and heady, with some really nice dark fruit on the nose, there's a very nice lightness on the palate at the same time thanks to a lively vein of acidity. Fully resolved and ready to go now. This is in my own personal Rhone sweet spot.
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1983 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle 88 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
"La Chapelle is never ready." Yeah, pretty much the case here. All structure, no flesh. The nose is nice, with some black pepper and tart fruit, but the palate is all acid and tannin. A bit thin for a Hermitage.
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1987 Penfolds Grange 93 Points
Australia, South Australia
Shows an inordinate amount of well-integrated American oak. This is really bizarre, because the grape is syrah, and yet it reminds me far more of Unico than anything else. Ah well, still a brilliant wine, with an intensity and concentration that I love. Plenty of fruit that never goes over the top. Good acidity on the back end as well -- this is in the prime drinking window for me.
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1998 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Clos des Goisses 85 Points
France, Champagne
Honestly, this was a little over the top for me. Way too nutty and earthy and mushroomy for me. The palate was too umami and rich, and while there was acidity, it wasn't bright enough to cut everything.
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1999 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 95 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
I had this the same night as the 2004 Unico. While I think in the long run the 2004 will be the better wine, the 1999 is in a much better position right now. It shows the same intense American oak, but an incredibly generous amount of black fruit as well. It's sweet but perfectly balanced on the palate. This is a suppler wine, and while the tannins are still a little prickly, this is more than open for business now. I need to find some of this.
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1999 Faiveley Chambertin-Clos de Bèze 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
Pretty solid Burgundy here, with a nice hit of mushroom and fruit on the nose. However, the palate is a little more raw and chewy than I'd expect for the vintage. A fairly large-scaled wine that probably needs a lot more time to resolve (or is this just the old Faiveley regime being the old Faiveley regime?).
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1989 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux Le Haut-Lieu Flawed
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
Corked.
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2001 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
The nose has classic syrah aromas, but there's also a little bit here that comes off as green and stemmy (in a good way, but perhaps more than normal). Meaty and hefty on the palate, this has the heightened acidity you would expect in the leaner vintage. However, the palate presence isn't as rounded and powerful as the incredible 2004 (which I far prefer).
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1994 Philip Togni Cabernet Sauvignon 93 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
Really green and herbaceous on the nose, as one ought to expect. However, there's an equal amount of black fruit behind that. Very rich and potent on the palate, with the same intensity as a Dunn Howell Mountain, though with less chewiness and tannins. This is clearly a very ripe wine, but it's drinking in a restrained, enjoyable way. A true Napa cabernet.
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2000 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 93 Points
France, Champagne
210008. Absolutely solid bottle of Krug, especially with a generous amount of air. Pretty much the archetype of the house -- rich, oxidative notes, with plenty of minerality and acidity to give this wine a sense of direction. Really broad on the palate as well. It doesn't stand out in any particular dimension, but this is a really well-integrated package.
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