This certainly has the opulence of Yquem -- coconut, marmalade, stone fruit -- it's almost sweet because of it but obviously it's not. There's generally good weight here as well, and this has a bit of a thicker, viscous texture to counterweight the grassy elements. I don't know the cepage on this offhand, but I think both grapes show their expected characteristics here. Overall I think the 2004 had a little more character than this.
This showed a little more of everything in comparison to the 2014 -- the grassier elements were more prominent here, and the oak pokes out here more too. The texture is slightly waxy but there's adequate acidity and sauvignon blanc greenness to cut it. This picked up freshness when chilled further but also became a little nondescript.
Served double blind. I was told this was white burgundy but it seemed incredibly phenolic, like it had some skin contact, so I actually thought it was one of those weird NSG blancs. Well at least I nailed the Côte de Nuits part. There's a touch of dirt here and overall the acidity is relatively weak here. I think there's definitely an upswing in quality with respect to Dujac whites in the last few years.
This was a bit clamped down and was mostly ornery tonight. The nose shows a bit of the Volnay perfume alongside a mild hint of red fruit and some dusty earth elements. The palate is a bit more of a slog in the sense that it's a lot of acid and tannin right now. I think there's a good material here but it's not out for show yet.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru
I haven't had a chance to taste this for a few years now so it was like going back to see an old friend. This is classic 2002 and classic Lambrays. There's a pile of fleshy fruit here, coupled with a lovely spice note and some nascent secondary mulchy tones. The palate shows the same broad array of fruit but it's not a wine that has lost its structure. There's still some acidity and the red fruit is the classic crunchy Lambrays style. This has been developing very well and has plenty of life.
I think I liked this more than most at the table. Granted it's certainly an autumnal wine but there aren't any unpleasant soy notes here. It's a little bit of perfume still, and some really nice earth tones. The fruit still imparts a bit of sweetness but those autumnal elements are what dominates. I'd be inclined to drink up.
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Some concerns about the regime change here prompted me to open this bottle. It's under the new label and with a wax capsule. The nose definitely has a bit of the Cerbaiona volatility, but it's not high like the 2008. There's lots of fruit here and overall this comes off as a pretty ripe edition of the wine. The sangiovese character shows more on the nose than the palate -- the palate is a bit blocky and dense, without the distinctive herbal notes or much else besides tons of fruit. There was a lot of this bottle left over, so I'll be able to track how this evolves over the next day.
From half-bottle. Truly the kind of chenin blanc that lives in my wheelhouse. It's got a slightly wooly nose with an exotic note of cantaloupe, as well as a hint of orange peel and slight brown spice. The palate is sweet but not overly so, and this is the sort of very pleasant dessert wine that doesn't go over the top. Great complexity; this will easily age for many more years.
2014 Y de Yquem 90 Points
France, Bordeaux
This certainly has the opulence of Yquem -- coconut, marmalade, stone fruit -- it's almost sweet because of it but obviously it's not. There's generally good weight here as well, and this has a bit of a thicker, viscous texture to counterweight the grassy elements. I don't know the cepage on this offhand, but I think both grapes show their expected characteristics here. Overall I think the 2004 had a little more character than this.
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2004 Y de Yquem 90 Points
France, Bordeaux
This showed a little more of everything in comparison to the 2014 -- the grassier elements were more prominent here, and the oak pokes out here more too. The texture is slightly waxy but there's adequate acidity and sauvignon blanc greenness to cut it. This picked up freshness when chilled further but also became a little nondescript.
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2006 Domaine Dujac Morey St. Denis Blanc 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis
Served double blind. I was told this was white burgundy but it seemed incredibly phenolic, like it had some skin contact, so I actually thought it was one of those weird NSG blancs. Well at least I nailed the Côte de Nuits part. There's a touch of dirt here and overall the acidity is relatively weak here. I think there's definitely an upswing in quality with respect to Dujac whites in the last few years.
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1995 Domaine Marquis d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
This was a bit clamped down and was mostly ornery tonight. The nose shows a bit of the Volnay perfume alongside a mild hint of red fruit and some dusty earth elements. The palate is a bit more of a slog in the sense that it's a lot of acid and tannin right now. I think there's a good material here but it's not out for show yet.
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2002 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays 95 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru
I haven't had a chance to taste this for a few years now so it was like going back to see an old friend. This is classic 2002 and classic Lambrays. There's a pile of fleshy fruit here, coupled with a lovely spice note and some nascent secondary mulchy tones. The palate shows the same broad array of fruit but it's not a wine that has lost its structure. There's still some acidity and the red fruit is the classic crunchy Lambrays style. This has been developing very well and has plenty of life.
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1970 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco Riserva Moccagatta 90 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
I think I liked this more than most at the table. Granted it's certainly an autumnal wine but there aren't any unpleasant soy notes here. It's a little bit of perfume still, and some really nice earth tones. The fruit still imparts a bit of sweetness but those autumnal elements are what dominates. I'd be inclined to drink up.
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2011 Cerbaiona (Molinari) Brunello di Montalcino 90 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Some concerns about the regime change here prompted me to open this bottle. It's under the new label and with a wax capsule. The nose definitely has a bit of the Cerbaiona volatility, but it's not high like the 2008. There's lots of fruit here and overall this comes off as a pretty ripe edition of the wine. The sangiovese character shows more on the nose than the palate -- the palate is a bit blocky and dense, without the distinctive herbal notes or much else besides tons of fruit. There was a lot of this bottle left over, so I'll be able to track how this evolves over the next day.
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1997 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Clos du Bourg 93 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
From half-bottle. Truly the kind of chenin blanc that lives in my wheelhouse. It's got a slightly wooly nose with an exotic note of cantaloupe, as well as a hint of orange peel and slight brown spice. The palate is sweet but not overly so, and this is the sort of very pleasant dessert wine that doesn't go over the top. Great complexity; this will easily age for many more years.
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