East Bank / HDH Tasting

This was a very well run tasting offered to me by my storage facility. Thanks to them for putting on such a nice event.

• 2005 Domaine Amiot Guy et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

  To me this was not giving up a lot on the nose, mostly citrus aromas with some butter framing it. Ripe and round but medium bodied on the palate and with a great core of acidic structure providing a nice bite. More citrus flavors on a long and promising finish. Delectable and one that makes me want to explore a bottle over dinner.

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• 2004 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley

  Very ripe citrus aromas with a buttery/vanilla flavor slathered over it. Very ripe, round, and low in acid on the palate, with some oak flavor noticeable. Long finish with very rich butter/toast flavors and some heat showing up. Maybe this will improve with time, it is clearly a pretty well made wine, just not at all my style.

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• 2005 Gros Frère et Sœur Vosne-Romanée

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée

  Very open on the nose with dark cherry and leather (I returned after the bottle had been open an hour or so and some more spice was coming out). This is rather forward on the palate, lots of juicy fruit, and a light but well focused structure nicely integrated into the whole. Some very fine tannins show up on the finish. Some burg complexity on the finish. This has all its elements in place and should evolve well over the medium term, but its village status is clear from the lack of power and tension in the structure. Nevertheless a wine that will provide a lot of pleasure for those who open it now.

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• 2004 Domaine de Marcoux Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Very dark fruited nose of raisin and prune with some herbs in the background. Hugely ripe and flat tasting to my acid-loving palate. Finish of baked or stewed fruit, like strawberries. I see my notes are at odds with all the others on CT, so take mine with a grain of salt. CdP just doesn't much float my boat, and I disliked this wine.

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• 1995 Vieux Château Certan

  France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol

  Lots of dark fruits with a very distinct herbal/Franc notes. Some wet soil with air in the glass. Medium bodied with currant fruit, a bright, firm acidity and a frame of very smooth tannins. A long and somewhat firm finish.

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• 1988 Château Cos d'Estournel

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  Beautiful nose with sweet dark currant fruit, earth and leather. To me, however, the palate did not live up to the nose. Both on the palate and on the finish, the wine was rather austere, with the tannin eclipsing the fruit. I think it may have been a mistake to pour this after the Pomerol, as it was definitely a leaner wine and that was only accentuated by the order.

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• 2000 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

  A nice nose of cherries, leather and spice. The palate is very ripe with not as much acidity and backbone as I would like. Significant and slightly grainy tannins creep in on the back end and close off the finish for me. I also thought I detected some heat on the palate. Too ripe, too much for me.

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• 2004 Château Léoville Barton

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien

  Very dark cassis fruit on the nose. Plenty of fruit, fine acidity and just fantastic balance with the tannins. Very long, cedary finish. I'm not much of a Bordeaux drinker, but if this is representative of a more classic style, then I may find some I like after all. This wine is young and although fairly open, I liked it mostly for its potential to be wine of the weight and style I prefer. I would not open any now if I had any bottles.

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• 1993 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  The nose here was dominated by blackberry and oak. The fruit on the palate is big but simple and obvious. The finish is long but is too vanilla-laced for me. I got rid of this quickly so I could move on.

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• 1989 Château Climens

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Barsac

  Big botrytis notes of honey on the nose. Huge and too low in acid and too high in perceived sweetness for me. Super long finish of golden raisin. I can see that this is good, it just doesn't hit my stylistic sweet spot and I wouldn't want more than about 1oz of it in a single sitting.

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