I’ve had this three times this year and this bottle - although the youngest and hence “weakest” (others were rated 98 and 96 pts) - showed again, that the 2002 Comtes is slowly getting into the zone. The first tertiary aromas are emerging slowly and the wine gets rounder without losing its freshness and sharpness. My guess is, that it will take another 3-5 years until it hits is first maturity plateau. No shame in popping one today, though.
TN: Medium+ expressive nose with toffe, caramel, burnt sugar, citrus, apple and minerality. On the palate this is wonderfully fresh and light with the right amount of creaminess, a bit more intense and expressive than on the nose with lots of apple, citrus, lime, a beautiful minerality layer. Gets more expressive by the minute, gaining intensity. Could be a bit more layered which more cellar time will take care of.
Decanting: Not decanted, no extensive decanting necessary but a short 30 minutes in a Champagne decanter should help.
Tasted for the second time in a month with consistent performance (first bottle was a 95 pts wine). SHL Blanc continuous to be my favorite white Bordeaux (although I’ve never had the pleasure to cross path with the HB or LMHB Blanc). I love the fresh style, the very mineral-driven aroma profile and most likely the fact that there isn’t as much Semillon in the blend as in most other white Bordeauxs (only 5%). Maybe Semillion based whites are capable of showing more depth but I prefer the aromatic profile of Sauvignon Blanc and the extra freshness.
TN: Very expressive, intense spearmint, tropical and citrus fruit and lots of sea salt minerality on the nose and palate. On the palate this is super fresh, round and creamy with a perfectly round and integrated acidity. The same citrus and tropical fruit core with loads and loads of sea salt minerality and some more mint notes keeping the fruit in check and adding to the freshness of the wine. This is wonderful to drink today with good mid palate weight and a long finish. Could be more complex, yes, but it’s a great wine.
Decanting: Not decanted, followed over two hours. Improved with a bit of air. One hour in the decanter won’t hurt.
Tasted double blind. Studach certainly belongs to the best Swiss Pinot Noir producers and you can get good Premier Cru quality and in great vintages with the right age even Grand Cru quality for a fraction of the price you pay for Burgundy. This 2015 showed good substance but it is still very closed and muted and will need much more time to gain open up and gain more weight and depth (it has the structure to age gracefully). We had two more Burgundian-styled 2015 Pinots in the same flight. Winner was the German Fürst Hundsrück (96+ pts) which showed much more mature and complex than the others, ahead of the Charlopin Mazis Chambertin (rated 95) which showed promising and hyper precise but was - like the Studach - less open and ready. 92 pts today but the potential to reach 95 pts.
TN: Dark and smokey nose, with herbs and minerality. On the palate more expressive, with more red but still a big dark fruit component, herbs, minerality, smoke, herbs, some candied fruit with time. Still some edges and noticeable tannins but overall round and nice, fresh and with a good balance. Not yet that expressive, feminine and light.
Decanting: Decanted for 90 minutes. This would have needed a more air but better just 7-10 more years in the cellar.
Tasted double blind. We tasted this alongside two more Burgundian styled 2015s Pinots and the Fürst handily won the race thanks to the most mature aroma profile and roundness, ahead of the Charlopin Mazis Chambertin (rated 95) and the Swiss Pinot from Studach (rated 92) which both were less open and ready. The complexity of the wines is on a Grand Cru level without doubt and it also shows the finesse of a great Burgundy Pinot. The only slight concern is that at 6 years, it already shows considerable tertiary aromatics which might not be the best sign for long-term ageing potential.
TN: Very intense, expressive sexy red fruit, herbs, vegetal aromas, tobacco, stems on the nose and palate. Intense, precise, perfectly round and sexy. Very well structured with fine tannins, a high and perfectly integrated acidity, slightly creamy texture and weightless feel. Good, long finish full of red fruit and earthy notes. This is superbly balanced and harmonious.
Decanting: Doesn’t need extensive decanting. Good from the go.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
Tasted double blind. At first a bit muted, this opened up nicely in the glass. The highlight is the precision here which is superb. This is drinking on a 95+ pts level today but could improve with more time in the cellar, an even rounder structure and more tertiary complexity. We had two more Burgundian-styled 2015 Pinots in the same flight. Winner was the German Fürst Hundsrück (96+ pts) which showed much more mature and complex than the others. Third place goes to the Swiss Pinot from Studach (92 pts) which showed less complex and still rather closed.
TN: On the nose reductive, toasty oak, dark red strawberries, cherries. Medium intense only. So round and sweet and sexy on the palate. Some vegetal and herbal aromas, stems and a lot of fresh and pure fruit as well as a layer of minerality. Impeccable structured with fine tannins, medium+ acidity, no weight, nicely creamy, good balance, long finish - this is quite complete.
Decanting: This could probably have needed a bit more air, an hour or two in the decanter.
From a half bottle. This legendary vintage of Yquem showed amazing with the perfect sweetness/freshness combo, an already quite complex aroma profile which will only improve with more age and superb precision. This bottle didn’t show as complex as other bottles of this before but maybe we just had too much wine already or it would have needed a proper decant.
TN: Medium+ expressive nose full of saffron, spices, peach and citrus fruits. Intense and very precise and inviting. On the palate this is very impressive with a towering but perfectly round acidity, perfectly-integrated cutting through the rainbow of sweet fruit aromas from tropical to orchard fruit. Additional layers of saffron and minerality and citrus fruit. Perfect balance with the right amount of creaminess. Weightless feel.
Decanting: Not decanted. Needed a bit of air to start to shine. I would decant it for at least 1 hour.
2002 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 95 Points
France, Champagne
I’ve had this three times this year and this bottle - although the youngest and hence “weakest” (others were rated 98 and 96 pts) - showed again, that the 2002 Comtes is slowly getting into the zone. The first tertiary aromas are emerging slowly and the wine gets rounder without losing its freshness and sharpness. My guess is, that it will take another 3-5 years until it hits is first maturity plateau. No shame in popping one today, though.
TN: Medium+ expressive nose with toffe, caramel, burnt sugar, citrus, apple and minerality. On the palate this is wonderfully fresh and light with the right amount of creaminess, a bit more intense and expressive than on the nose with lots of apple, citrus, lime, a beautiful minerality layer. Gets more expressive by the minute, gaining intensity. Could be a bit more layered which more cellar time will take care of.
Decanting: Not decanted, no extensive decanting necessary but a short 30 minutes in a Champagne decanter should help.
Post a Comment / 3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2017 Château Smith Haut Lafitte Blanc 96 Points
France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan
Tasted for the second time in a month with consistent performance (first bottle was a 95 pts wine). SHL Blanc continuous to be my favorite white Bordeaux (although I’ve never had the pleasure to cross path with the HB or LMHB Blanc). I love the fresh style, the very mineral-driven aroma profile and most likely the fact that there isn’t as much Semillon in the blend as in most other white Bordeauxs (only 5%). Maybe Semillion based whites are capable of showing more depth but I prefer the aromatic profile of Sauvignon Blanc and the extra freshness.
TN: Very expressive, intense spearmint, tropical and citrus fruit and lots of sea salt minerality on the nose and palate. On the palate this is super fresh, round and creamy with a perfectly round and integrated acidity. The same citrus and tropical fruit core with loads and loads of sea salt minerality and some more mint notes keeping the fruit in check and adding to the freshness of the wine. This is wonderful to drink today with good mid palate weight and a long finish. Could be more complex, yes, but it’s a great wine.
Decanting: Not decanted, followed over two hours. Improved with a bit of air. One hour in the decanter won’t hurt.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2015 Thomas Studach Pinot Noir 92 Points
Switzerland, Eastern Switzerland, Graubünden, Malans
Tasted double blind. Studach certainly belongs to the best Swiss Pinot Noir producers and you can get good Premier Cru quality and in great vintages with the right age even Grand Cru quality for a fraction of the price you pay for Burgundy. This 2015 showed good substance but it is still very closed and muted and will need much more time to gain open up and gain more weight and depth (it has the structure to age gracefully). We had two more Burgundian-styled 2015 Pinots in the same flight. Winner was the German Fürst Hundsrück (96+ pts) which showed much more mature and complex than the others, ahead of the Charlopin Mazis Chambertin (rated 95) which showed promising and hyper precise but was - like the Studach - less open and ready. 92 pts today but the potential to reach 95 pts.
TN: Dark and smokey nose, with herbs and minerality. On the palate more expressive, with more red but still a big dark fruit component, herbs, minerality, smoke, herbs, some candied fruit with time. Still some edges and noticeable tannins but overall round and nice, fresh and with a good balance. Not yet that expressive, feminine and light.
Decanting: Decanted for 90 minutes. This would have needed a more air but better just 7-10 more years in the cellar.
Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2015 Rudolf Fürst Centgrafenberg Spätburgunder Großes Gewächs 96 Points
Germany, Franken
Tasted double blind. We tasted this alongside two more Burgundian styled 2015s Pinots and the Fürst handily won the race thanks to the most mature aroma profile and roundness, ahead of the Charlopin Mazis Chambertin (rated 95) and the Swiss Pinot from Studach (rated 92) which both were less open and ready. The complexity of the wines is on a Grand Cru level without doubt and it also shows the finesse of a great Burgundy Pinot. The only slight concern is that at 6 years, it already shows considerable tertiary aromatics which might not be the best sign for long-term ageing potential.
TN: Very intense, expressive sexy red fruit, herbs, vegetal aromas, tobacco, stems on the nose and palate. Intense, precise, perfectly round and sexy. Very well structured with fine tannins, a high and perfectly integrated acidity, slightly creamy texture and weightless feel. Good, long finish full of red fruit and earthy notes. This is superbly balanced and harmonious.
Decanting: Doesn’t need extensive decanting. Good from the go.
Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2015 Domaine Philippe Charlopin Mazis-Chambertin 95 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
Tasted double blind. At first a bit muted, this opened up nicely in the glass. The highlight is the precision here which is superb. This is drinking on a 95+ pts level today but could improve with more time in the cellar, an even rounder structure and more tertiary complexity. We had two more Burgundian-styled 2015 Pinots in the same flight. Winner was the German Fürst Hundsrück (96+ pts) which showed much more mature and complex than the others. Third place goes to the Swiss Pinot from Studach (92 pts) which showed less complex and still rather closed.
TN: On the nose reductive, toasty oak, dark red strawberries, cherries. Medium intense only. So round and sweet and sexy on the palate. Some vegetal and herbal aromas, stems and a lot of fresh and pure fruit as well as a layer of minerality. Impeccable structured with fine tannins, medium+ acidity, no weight, nicely creamy, good balance, long finish - this is quite complete.
Decanting: This could probably have needed a bit more air, an hour or two in the decanter.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2001 Château d'Yquem 97 Points
France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes
From a half bottle. This legendary vintage of Yquem showed amazing with the perfect sweetness/freshness combo, an already quite complex aroma profile which will only improve with more age and superb precision. This bottle didn’t show as complex as other bottles of this before but maybe we just had too much wine already or it would have needed a proper decant.
TN: Medium+ expressive nose full of saffron, spices, peach and citrus fruits. Intense and very precise and inviting. On the palate this is very impressive with a towering but perfectly round acidity, perfectly-integrated cutting through the rainbow of sweet fruit aromas from tropical to orchard fruit. Additional layers of saffron and minerality and citrus fruit. Perfect balance with the right amount of creaminess. Weightless feel.
Decanting: Not decanted. Needed a bit of air to start to shine. I would decant it for at least 1 hour.
Post a Comment / 3 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue