Served double blind. A mild smidgen of green on the nose. On the palate, this is a simplistic, slightly watery wine that seems great for the summer. Easy to drink but hardly complex. There was a slight leesiness that made me call this Muscadet. I mentioned to someone that I'd pay $20-25 for it. Whoops.
2014 base, obviously, disgorged April 2018. One of my favourites of the Bouchard lineup. It's definitely on the racier side of things, but there is a really good richness and palate density overall. It doesn't feel overly sharp and acidic. I also picked up some orchard fruit and tart apples here.
Pretty impressive for its age and level. A little hint of green on the palate, but overall nice freshness and minerality. Not complex, but captures the essence of Chablis quite well.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Perhaps the most surprising bottle in overdelivering today. The nose is very potent, and there's definitely a hit of oak here. That oak is more prominent on the palate, but it's nicely balanced by the extract and acidity here. This is a bottle that seems to defy the vintage; it's got none of that shapelessness that I so dislike about 2006 white Burgundy.
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
A very bizarre expression of grenache -- definitely not what I would expect. Very pale in colour; this looks almost like kombucha. The nose shows some really crunchy fruits, but lacks some of the perfume I would have expected from a wine of that colour. On the palate, this is especially strange, as it definitely feels a little hot, and also has tons of tannin. A pretty interesting wine to try nonetheless.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Palate much better than the nose here -- this is really dirty and funky though a lot of swirling seemed to get rid of the poopy aromas. On the palate, this is surprisingly sweet, but most of the flavour profile is dominated by the "old wine" taste. Interesting to try, but not really one I'd care to drink at this point.
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills
Can't say I liked this; it seemed a little advanced and felt a little hot to me. For a second, I thought that there were some syrah spice flavours here too, oddly enough. A little older than I care for, with a slight bitterness on the finish.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Reasonably approachable for a 2005 red Burgundy. This isn't too dense and tannic, but it does have some nice earthy notes to supplement the predominantly black fruit here. Quite a few tannins, but nothing obtrusive.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
This clocks in at a hefty 15% abv, but it really doesn't feel like it at all. The nose is heady and potent, with a predominance of black fruit. On the palate, this is counterweighted by some surprising acidity, so the overall sense of this wine isn't ungainly at all. This is one of the three CdP cuvées that I give a damn about, and this bottle does not disappoint at all.
Glorious riesling. A very solid showing of this wine, though I'll admit my batch may be getting just slightly long in the tooth at this point. Everything about this wine is rich and opulent -- the nose, the palate, the texture. Despite the feeling of fatness here, there is really none of it; this is neatly cut and with fresh acidity balancing everything out. Powerful, profound wine.
2016 Aeris Wines Etna Bianco Superiore 85 Points
Italy, Sicily, Etna Bianco Superiore
Served double blind. A mild smidgen of green on the nose. On the palate, this is a simplistic, slightly watery wine that seems great for the summer. Easy to drink but hardly complex. There was a slight leesiness that made me call this Muscadet. I mentioned to someone that I'd pay $20-25 for it. Whoops.
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2014 Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Blanc de Noirs La Presle 93 Points
France, Champagne
2014 base, obviously, disgorged April 2018. One of my favourites of the Bouchard lineup. It's definitely on the racier side of things, but there is a really good richness and palate density overall. It doesn't feel overly sharp and acidic. I also picked up some orchard fruit and tart apples here.
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1976 Schloss Johannisberg Riesling Grünlack Spätlese
Germany, Rheingau
#06-77. The nose shows some really nice aged riesling notes, but unfortunately, the palate is mostly empty at this point.
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2004 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis
Pretty impressive for its age and level. A little hint of green on the palate, but overall nice freshness and minerality. Not complex, but captures the essence of Chablis quite well.
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2006 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Gouttes d'Or 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Perhaps the most surprising bottle in overdelivering today. The nose is very potent, and there's definitely a hit of oak here. That oak is more prominent on the palate, but it's nicely balanced by the extract and acidity here. This is a bottle that seems to defy the vintage; it's got none of that shapelessness that I so dislike about 2006 white Burgundy.
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2015 Sucette Grenache 88 Points
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
A very bizarre expression of grenache -- definitely not what I would expect. Very pale in colour; this looks almost like kombucha. The nose shows some really crunchy fruits, but lacks some of the perfume I would have expected from a wine of that colour. On the palate, this is especially strange, as it definitely feels a little hot, and also has tons of tannin. A pretty interesting wine to try nonetheless.
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1972 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 88 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Palate much better than the nose here -- this is really dirty and funky though a lot of swirling seemed to get rid of the poopy aromas. On the palate, this is surprisingly sweet, but most of the flavour profile is dominated by the "old wine" taste. Interesting to try, but not really one I'd care to drink at this point.
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2000 Cristom Pinot Noir Louise Vineyard 85 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills
Can't say I liked this; it seemed a little advanced and felt a little hot to me. For a second, I thought that there were some syrah spice flavours here too, oddly enough. A little older than I care for, with a slight bitterness on the finish.
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2005 Domaine de Montille Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Thorey 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Reasonably approachable for a 2005 red Burgundy. This isn't too dense and tannic, but it does have some nice earthy notes to supplement the predominantly black fruit here. Quite a few tannins, but nothing obtrusive.
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2012 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins 95 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
This clocks in at a hefty 15% abv, but it really doesn't feel like it at all. The nose is heady and potent, with a predominance of black fruit. On the palate, this is counterweighted by some surprising acidity, so the overall sense of this wine isn't ungainly at all. This is one of the three CdP cuvées that I give a damn about, and this bottle does not disappoint at all.
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1989 Trimbach Riesling Clos Ste. Hune Vendanges Tardives 95 Points
France, Alsace
Glorious riesling. A very solid showing of this wine, though I'll admit my batch may be getting just slightly long in the tooth at this point. Everything about this wine is rich and opulent -- the nose, the palate, the texture. Despite the feeling of fatness here, there is really none of it; this is neatly cut and with fresh acidity balancing everything out. Powerful, profound wine.
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