A blend of 20 vineyards with an average age of 30 years, 60% aged in oak 25% of which is new, other 40% aged in tank to preserve freshness; quite rich and opulent off the bat, with more air this shows more restraint and nuance, lemon, butter, acacia, honey, mineral, peach blossom, oak is strong but confident it will integrate, talc and mineral, medium length finish; a delicious wine that contends with its other siblings so QPR is extremely high, this shows lots of luxurious hedonistic characteristics with the right amount of Burgundian precision.
Monopole from 4.4 acre vineyard of well drained soil primarily of limestone pebbles and small amounts of clay, raised in 3-5 year old barrels (no new oak); lovely nose, more understated than the somewhat flamboyant Tete de Cuvee, yogurt, plainer, leaning more towards Chablis in the Pouilly Fuisse spectrum, loads of mineral, cheese rind, slight rounding but the detail in the mineral and fresh acids carry this nicely; this seems quite accessible and transparent.
Single vineyard (now a Premier Cru) that sits adjacent to Le Clos, full southern exposure and sun- hence Brule or burned, steep and well drained, barrel fermentation, aged in 100% new oak; sizzling, exotic, intense, so much stuffing, tangerine, really serious, great oak spice, hazelnut, powerful rich and the right combination of hedonistic and serious like Batard Montrachet (QPR?), decadent which is not a bad thing.
Walled monopole (now Premier Cru) of Chateau Fuisse, dense clay and perfect south/southeastern exposure, average vine age of 45 years, barrel fermented and aged for 12 mos in 80% new oak; candied lemon, apricot, exotic, so much intensity, coiled up power, while it is approachable this wine's best is yet to come; crazy high QPR.
Chalky, nutty, lean mean and terroir driven, crackling acids, clearly extra brut, somewhat green edge to the acids/fruit which suggested 2011 to me, a fun mix of fruits with nice autolytic, lacks the polish of a bigger house which led me to call a smaller grower.
Classic, "reduction" (not positive this is reduction but I don't know how to describe it other than a youthful smell that distracts and somewhat dominates the flavors apparent on the nose) and pent up power, lots of richness, broad on the palate, lots of cream, some marzipan nuttiness, delicious but CdC at this age is not showing everything it has; followed up with the next day and it lost most of the "reduction", fruit more detailed- green apple and lemon with a touch of graphite and toasted almond, maybe not as penetrating acid and focus as the best years but this is quite tasty.
Pale green, steely; chalk, tidal pool, yogurt, very chalky and mineral, intense, so Chablis; herbal, green pepper, fruit comes out later, some exotic almost tropical in style but subtle if just focusing on the screaming mineral; really good, called '11 Fevre Les Clos but the fruit and mineral proportions probably would have been reversed.
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Maroon core with larger rim, lots of sediment; licorice, meaty, slightly volatile, blueberry, some pomegranate, kind of a cooked fruit quality, spicy, peppery mix, oak, bacon fat, raspberry, Rhone varietals, slight medicinal; in a good spot; a well rendered New World Syrah aging quite nicely, could go even longer.
See through ruby pale rim; age, peaking, funky, mushroom, wilted roses, tea, sour cherry, slight burnt orange, balsam, earth and terroir, a sweetness still, good mid palate but a bit shorter finish; called 2001 Burg; a lot of these 2008s feel like they're much older than they are.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Darker ruby; given 3+ hours of air and this is still impenetrable, flinty pencil eraser reduction and a somewhat chemical quality to this, very new, intense cherry and kirsch, raspberry galore, rhubarb, lots of spice, talc, mineral, a refinement and elegance with a Burgundian edge but so much power still at this stage; hold on to remaining bottles for at least 5 more years.
Cloudy crimson with orange rim; mushroom, red fruit, clay elegant, floral, iron mineral, white pepper, so balanced, textured but in a giving stage of its life, so much suggested Northern Rhone but the aged complexity and silkiness reminded me so much of a '99 Ponsot Clos de la Roche had a month ago; WOTN for sure.
Dark core magenta rim; silky, plush purple fruit, smoke, char, sexy tannin, crushed velvet, so young but seemingly accessible, more elegant and restrained domestic cabernet; finishing off the leftovers the next day this shows more depth and complexity pipe tobacco being my favorite part; really delicious, probably best to drink with 8-10 years.
Dark core with violet rim; big, plush, sweet fruit, tobacco, Cab blend?, complex mix of fruits, smoke, tar, round, hedonistic and somewhat tasty but stands out in this tasting.
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Pretty ruby with onion skin rim; very Burgundian, sexy red fruit, tart and sour cherry, mineral, so refined, a little cloudy at this point Barolo/Brunello; ah yes this makes sense.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
Aged pretty crimson maroon, larger brick rim; elegant nose, some reduction, young but showing some age, juicy, high toned notes, fresh juicy and delicious, definitely a beautiful drinkability with pretty spice floral and soft fruit notes but the weight of the wine isn't where you'd expect for a wine of this pedigree, weird bottle?, not sure how much longer it'll have just its looks to go off because it sure can't have a deep conversation.
Deep inky core with garnet rim; high toned, oak, blue and black fruit, toasted barrel, roasted fruit, young and fruity yet well structured; Left Bank?, needs time.
Black core with thin garnet rim; inky, vanilla bean, black fruit, eucalyptus, powerful and very full bodied; sticks out a bit in the tasting tonight but we've had a wide variety already.
Chocolate core with orange rim; less structure especially after previous wine, age, nutty, Burgundian of sorts, cedar, vanilla, faint dill, elegant; would have liked to have had this earlier to pick out more nuance; definitely liked it more than previous tasting.
A brief taste at the end of a very long evening, this shows plenty of age, cooked fruit, chocolate, tobacco, leather, fruit is somewhat less fresh than I expected, meaty and still good savoriness but probably needs more time and definitely a fresher palate to assess properly.
2019 Jean-Jacques Vincent Pouilly-Fuissé Château de Fuissé Tête de Cuvée
France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé
A blend of 20 vineyards with an average age of 30 years, 60% aged in oak 25% of which is new, other 40% aged in tank to preserve freshness; quite rich and opulent off the bat, with more air this shows more restraint and nuance, lemon, butter, acacia, honey, mineral, peach blossom, oak is strong but confident it will integrate, talc and mineral, medium length finish; a delicious wine that contends with its other siblings so QPR is extremely high, this shows lots of luxurious hedonistic characteristics with the right amount of Burgundian precision.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2019 Jean-Jacques Vincent Pouilly-Fuissé Les Combettes Château de Fuissé
France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé
Monopole from 4.4 acre vineyard of well drained soil primarily of limestone pebbles and small amounts of clay, raised in 3-5 year old barrels (no new oak); lovely nose, more understated than the somewhat flamboyant Tete de Cuvee, yogurt, plainer, leaning more towards Chablis in the Pouilly Fuisse spectrum, loads of mineral, cheese rind, slight rounding but the detail in the mineral and fresh acids carry this nicely; this seems quite accessible and transparent.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2019 Jean-Jacques Vincent Pouilly-Fuissé Les Brûles Château de Fuissé
France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé
Single vineyard (now a Premier Cru) that sits adjacent to Le Clos, full southern exposure and sun- hence Brule or burned, steep and well drained, barrel fermentation, aged in 100% new oak; sizzling, exotic, intense, so much stuffing, tangerine, really serious, great oak spice, hazelnut, powerful rich and the right combination of hedonistic and serious like Batard Montrachet (QPR?), decadent which is not a bad thing.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2019 Jean-Jacques Vincent Pouilly-Fuissé Le Clos Château de Fuissé
France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé
Walled monopole (now Premier Cru) of Chateau Fuisse, dense clay and perfect south/southeastern exposure, average vine age of 45 years, barrel fermented and aged for 12 mos in 80% new oak; candied lemon, apricot, exotic, so much intensity, coiled up power, while it is approachable this wine's best is yet to come; crazy high QPR.
Post a Comment / 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2011 Benoît Lahaye Champagne Grand Cru Brut Nature Le Jardin de la Grosse Pierre
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Chalky, nutty, lean mean and terroir driven, crackling acids, clearly extra brut, somewhat green edge to the acids/fruit which suggested 2011 to me, a fun mix of fruits with nice autolytic, lacks the polish of a bigger house which led me to call a smaller grower.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2007 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut
France, Champagne
Classic, "reduction" (not positive this is reduction but I don't know how to describe it other than a youthful smell that distracts and somewhat dominates the flavors apparent on the nose) and pent up power, lots of richness, broad on the palate, lots of cream, some marzipan nuttiness, delicious but CdC at this age is not showing everything it has; followed up with the next day and it lost most of the "reduction", fruit more detailed- green apple and lemon with a touch of graphite and toasted almond, maybe not as penetrating acid and focus as the best years but this is quite tasty.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2011 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte Bouguerots
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Pale green, steely; chalk, tidal pool, yogurt, very chalky and mineral, intense, so Chablis; herbal, green pepper, fruit comes out later, some exotic almost tropical in style but subtle if just focusing on the screaming mineral; really good, called '11 Fevre Les Clos but the fruit and mineral proportions probably would have been reversed.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2002 Torbreck The Factor
Australia, South Australia, Barossa, Barossa Valley
Maroon core with larger rim, lots of sediment; licorice, meaty, slightly volatile, blueberry, some pomegranate, kind of a cooked fruit quality, spicy, peppery mix, oak, bacon fat, raspberry, Rhone varietals, slight medicinal; in a good spot; a well rendered New World Syrah aging quite nicely, could go even longer.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2008 Domaine Marquis d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
See through ruby pale rim; age, peaking, funky, mushroom, wilted roses, tea, sour cherry, slight burnt orange, balsam, earth and terroir, a sweetness still, good mid palate but a bit shorter finish; called 2001 Burg; a lot of these 2008s feel like they're much older than they are.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2015 Rotem & Mounir Saouma Châteauneuf-du-Pape Arioso
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Darker ruby; given 3+ hours of air and this is still impenetrable, flinty pencil eraser reduction and a somewhat chemical quality to this, very new, intense cherry and kirsch, raspberry galore, rhubarb, lots of spice, talc, mineral, a refinement and elegance with a Burgundian edge but so much power still at this stage; hold on to remaining bottles for at least 5 more years.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
1998 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Cloudy crimson with orange rim; mushroom, red fruit, clay elegant, floral, iron mineral, white pepper, so balanced, textured but in a giving stage of its life, so much suggested Northern Rhone but the aged complexity and silkiness reminded me so much of a '99 Ponsot Clos de la Roche had a month ago; WOTN for sure.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2016 Corison Cabernet Sauvignon
USA, California, Napa Valley, St. Helena
Dark core magenta rim; silky, plush purple fruit, smoke, char, sexy tannin, crushed velvet, so young but seemingly accessible, more elegant and restrained domestic cabernet; finishing off the leftovers the next day this shows more depth and complexity pipe tobacco being my favorite part; really delicious, probably best to drink with 8-10 years.
Post a Comment / 4 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
NV Ruinart Champagne Brut Rosé
France, Champagne
From magnum; darker color, more refinement on the palate, medicinal cherry, creamy, fresh acids, a very nice intermission.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2019 Orin Swift Equinox Edition 14 - Initials
USA, California, Napa Valley
Dark core with violet rim; big, plush, sweet fruit, tobacco, Cab blend?, complex mix of fruits, smoke, tar, round, hedonistic and somewhat tasty but stands out in this tasting.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2015 Fattoria Poggio di Sotto Brunello di Montalcino
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Pretty ruby with onion skin rim; very Burgundian, sexy red fruit, tart and sour cherry, mineral, so refined, a little cloudy at this point Barolo/Brunello; ah yes this makes sense.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2010 Bouchard Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
Aged pretty crimson maroon, larger brick rim; elegant nose, some reduction, young but showing some age, juicy, high toned notes, fresh juicy and delicious, definitely a beautiful drinkability with pretty spice floral and soft fruit notes but the weight of the wine isn't where you'd expect for a wine of this pedigree, weird bottle?, not sure how much longer it'll have just its looks to go off because it sure can't have a deep conversation.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2015 Château Malescot St. Exupéry
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux
Deep inky core with garnet rim; high toned, oak, blue and black fruit, toasted barrel, roasted fruit, young and fruity yet well structured; Left Bank?, needs time.
Post a Comment / 5 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Report Issue
2010 Delectus Cuvée Julia
USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley
Black core with thin garnet rim; inky, vanilla bean, black fruit, eucalyptus, powerful and very full bodied; sticks out a bit in the tasting tonight but we've had a wide variety already.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2001 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva Especial
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Chocolate core with orange rim; less structure especially after previous wine, age, nutty, Burgundian of sorts, cedar, vanilla, faint dill, elegant; would have liked to have had this earlier to pick out more nuance; definitely liked it more than previous tasting.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
1993 Domaine de L'Arlot Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos des Forêts St. Georges
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
See through crimson with large orange rim; mushroom, age, mineral, clay, dusty, meaty, rich and unctuous but resolved, in a great spot.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue
2001 R. López de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Bosconia
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
A brief taste at the end of a very long evening, this shows plenty of age, cooked fruit, chocolate, tobacco, leather, fruit is somewhat less fresh than I expected, meaty and still good savoriness but probably needs more time and definitely a fresher palate to assess properly.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Report Issue