This has come into wonderful balance. Rich start with lots of ripe apple and baked apple, then a gradual evolution towards a long, bright, minerally finish.
Small glass, tasted twice, brief note. Slightly floral start with ocean breeze behind apple and lemon curd. very good richness and concentration for 1er Cru with impressive weight and length. Good now, with upside.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Small glass from 375 ml bottle, brief note. Floral start with peach, apple, lemon, and lemon zest with very good weight, balance and weight. Perhaps ever-so-slightly less exciting vs the #L tasted last month, but tasty indeed right now.
Small glass, brief note. Obviously from a ripe vintage with lots of concentration, but nothing flabby here, this is shockingly bright and fresh for Sauv Blanc at this age.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
Small glass, brief note. Ripe red berry and cherry comes across as slightly candied to start, but very bright from middle forward with mineral textures to finish I really liked. Good now, but better in another few years.
Small glass from magnum, brief note. Black and red cherry with some earth and roasted game. Powerful and ripe, just still slightly backward and less accessible vs other times tasted from 750.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
Small glass, brief note. This had been opened several hours earlier with a quick double decant. More black vs red fruit with brawny structure and lots of tannins, albeit near-soft tannins. Overall, still backward and just hinting at its potential. 89 points for tonight, but clearly still hinting at 90+ point potential
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Opened 5 hours before tasting, with 2+ hours in a decanter. Dense black berries start-to-finish with lots of power throughout as well, yet simultaneously elegant. Very good now, with potential for plenty of longevity.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
In 08/09/10 vertical. Small glass, brief note. Least forthcoming, most backward of the trio. Lots of black fruit, some earth, faint spice hints, plenty of tannins that are still firm.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
In 08/09/10 vertical. Small glass, brief note. Great purity of black cherry and plum with spice and floral aromas. Great nose in general, good flavors are similar, just slightly less intense. One experienced taster thought there were some spritzy notes, but I found none.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
In 08/09/10 vertical. Small glass, brief note. Ripe black cherry and berry on nose and palate with spice, meat and espresso hints. Big and powerful but with a charming weightlessness that is rare with Gevrey, but makes this wine's greatness seem so effortless. Long, lingering finish. Best wine of the day. I have not tasted this since just after release, and it has completely lived up to my high expectations from 2013.
Small glass, brief note. Ultra, ultra, ultra ripe black fruit with is all that I find here, other than the underlying sweetness. But there is good weight.
Small glass, brief note. Also extremely ripe and rich, this also manages to convey a complex set of spice notes. Plus there is just enough structure in the near background to keep this (almost) bright and interesting, while clearly very yummy. I enjoyed this wine, but understand why others like this style of wine much more.
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Small taste from magnum, brief note. I adored this wine when young, and still enjoyed it last time tasted in 2014. But today the structure simply dominated the fruit and provided little pleasure. An off bottle?
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Small glass, brief note. Very ripe start, but silky structure surprisingly emerged from the middle forward. Good length, and certainly very good density. Better and more balanced vs another bottle from one year ago.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Small glass, brief note. Very rich black cherry and plum with sweet spice hints. Still reasonably fresh given its fairly modest energy and structure, which results in a tiring finish. Time to drink up. Others enjoyed this more.
Small glass, brief note. Charming combination of black and red cherry that comes across as ripe, but well balanced. Good length ending with an elegant finish. Good now, this will easily drink well for another decade+.
2006 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 93 Points
France, Champagne
Small glass, brief note. Lots of rich orchard fruit with toasted brioche. Good depth and weight.
Post a Comment / 3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2012 Dauvissat-Camus Chablis 1er Cru La Forest 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
This has come into wonderful balance. Rich start with lots of ripe apple and baked apple, then a gradual evolution towards a long, bright, minerally finish.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2017 Kirkland Signature Chablis 1er Cru 86 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
Small glass, brief note. Tasty enough, but somewhat simple and non-descript. Certainly wouldn't have thought 1er Cru Chablis from a top vintage.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2017 Domaine Servin Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
Small glass, tasted twice, brief note. Slightly floral start with ocean breeze behind apple and lemon curd. very good richness and concentration for 1er Cru with impressive weight and length. Good now, with upside.
Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2015 Domaine Servin Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 89 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Small glass, brief note. Very good weight and density, but slightly lacking in Grand Cru structure, so starting to get tired at this very early age.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2011 Lucien Le Moine Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Small glass, popped-and-poured. Reductive so tough to fairly asses. Lots of stuff here, so certainly good potential.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2014 Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Small glass from 375 ml bottle, brief note. Floral start with peach, apple, lemon, and lemon zest with very good weight, balance and weight. Perhaps ever-so-slightly less exciting vs the #L tasted last month, but tasty indeed right now.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2003 Didier Dagueneau Silex
France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé
Small glass, brief note. Obviously from a ripe vintage with lots of concentration, but nothing flabby here, this is shockingly bright and fresh for Sauv Blanc at this age.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2015 Jean-Claude Ramonet Bouzeron
France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Bouzeron
Small glass, brief note. Lemon and apple with good brightness, yet also good balance. Another very successful 2015 Aligote.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2000 Maison Leroy Bourgogne 87 Points
France, Burgundy, Bourgogne
Small glass, brief note. Red cherry and berry with earth. Good weight for Bourgogne with good balance as well. Good for now.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2015 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Vosne-Romanée Flawed
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Corked.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2015 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
Small glass, brief note. Ripe red berry and cherry comes across as slightly candied to start, but very bright from middle forward with mineral textures to finish I really liked. Good now, but better in another few years.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Grèves Vigne de L'Enfant Jesus 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
Small glass from magnum, brief note. Black and red cherry with some earth and roasted game. Powerful and ripe, just still slightly backward and less accessible vs other times tasted from 750.
Read 2 Comments / Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2008 Lucien Le Moine Corton-Renardes
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
Small glass, brief note. This had been opened several hours earlier with a quick double decant. More black vs red fruit with brawny structure and lots of tannins, albeit near-soft tannins. Overall, still backward and just hinting at its potential. 89 points for tonight, but clearly still hinting at 90+ point potential
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2006 Lucien Le Moine Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaut St. Jacques 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Opened 5 hours before tasting, with 2+ hours in a decanter. Dense black berries start-to-finish with lots of power throughout as well, yet simultaneously elegant. Very good now, with potential for plenty of longevity.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2008 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combe aux Moines Vieille Vigne 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
In 08/09/10 vertical. Small glass, brief note. Least forthcoming, most backward of the trio. Lots of black fruit, some earth, faint spice hints, plenty of tannins that are still firm.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2009 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combe aux Moines Vieille Vigne 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
In 08/09/10 vertical. Small glass, brief note. Great purity of black cherry and plum with spice and floral aromas. Great nose in general, good flavors are similar, just slightly less intense. One experienced taster thought there were some spritzy notes, but I found none.
Read 1 Comment / Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2010 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combe aux Moines Vieille Vigne 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
In 08/09/10 vertical. Small glass, brief note. Ripe black cherry and berry on nose and palate with spice, meat and espresso hints. Big and powerful but with a charming weightlessness that is rare with Gevrey, but makes this wine's greatness seem so effortless. Long, lingering finish. Best wine of the day. I have not tasted this since just after release, and it has completely lived up to my high expectations from 2013.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2008 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso Guardiola
Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC
Small glass, brief note. Very disappointing given the high level of tannins still protruding, given the remaining level of fruit.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2012 Sine Qua Non Syrah Stock
USA, California, Central Coast
Small glass, brief note. Ripe, rich and fleshy black fruit, seemingly less spice and nuance than I recall from previous bottles.
Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
1978 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
USA, California, Napa Valley
Small glass from magnum, brief note. Some thought slightly corked, but I thought just very, very tired.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2014 Saxum Broken Stones
USA, California, Central Coast, Paso Robles
Small glass, brief note. Ultra, ultra, ultra ripe black fruit with is all that I find here, other than the underlying sweetness. But there is good weight.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2001 Alban Vineyards Syrah Seymour's Vineyard
USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley
Small glass, brief note. Also extremely ripe and rich, this also manages to convey a complex set of spice notes. Plus there is just enough structure in the near background to keep this (almost) bright and interesting, while clearly very yummy. I enjoyed this wine, but understand why others like this style of wine much more.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1999 Château Pavie
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Small taste from magnum, brief note. I adored this wine when young, and still enjoyed it last time tasted in 2014. But today the structure simply dominated the fruit and provided little pleasure. An off bottle?
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2007 Clos Saint Jean Châteauneuf-du-Pape Deus-Ex Machina 89 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Small glass, brief note. Very ripe start, but silky structure surprisingly emerged from the middle forward. Good length, and certainly very good density. Better and more balanced vs another bottle from one year ago.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2008 G.D. Vajra Langhe Freisa Kyè
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
Small glass, brief note. Mature dark fruit with lots of very firm tannins. Not as good now vs when younger.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2007 Domaine Pierre Usseglio & Fils Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée de mon Aïeul
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Small glass, brief note. Well made, but in a style that accentuates the vintage ripeness so excessively that I found it unappealing.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2007 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Réservée
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Small glass, brief note. Very rich black cherry and plum with sweet spice hints. Still reasonably fresh given its fairly modest energy and structure, which results in a tiring finish. Time to drink up. Others enjoyed this more.
Post a Comment / 3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2009 Rhys Syrah Horseshoe Vineyard 90 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Small glass, brief note. Charming combination of black and red cherry that comes across as ripe, but well balanced. Good length ending with an elegant finish. Good now, this will easily drink well for another decade+.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue