Light amber salmon skin color. Cherry and fino sherry on the nose. Medium body, wonderful sense of glycerine. Red fruit, citrus, even grilled nuts. Not as much tannin as the last time. Captivating stuff which tonight reminded me more of Heredia’s whites than their reds.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru
(4/18/2022)
Decanted for an hour first. Complex, rising perfume that includes wintergreen, fennel, and blackberry. Later on some spice. Medium weight but fairly lush and oaky. Deep black fruit that is rich but not overly ripe, plenty of cooler green tones, and substantial round tannins. Youthful and simple now, but it does have some grandeur in its power and depth. I imagine the wood will recede, but it is still too much for me at this point. Hard to see this as more than a middling Flagey Grand Cru.
Medium yellow. Explosive aromas of stone fruit and something tropical (papaya?). Medium weight, just on this side of Vendange Tardive texture. Moderately sweet peach and lemon with a smoky mineral edge that reminded me of some Rangen wines. It is all brought together by racy acidity. Exciting wine that should keep well. This must be one of the top 2012 Rieslings.
Decanted 4 hours before serving. Deep ruby to the rim. A blast of rich red berry fruit is quickly met by menthol and wintergreen which hold serve for the remainder of the bottle. Medium weight, ripe red fruit with complicating black licorice, but no trace of either alcoholic heat or surmaturité. Young still but already complex and interesting. I am extremely impressed that despite my misgivings, this wine did not come across as a high ABV bottling, a testament to its terrific balance. I’d love to taste it again 10 years down the road.
Light to medium yellow. Telltale baby powder aromas along with tropical fruit and the barest bit of petrol after being open for 2 1/2 hours. Light weight, off dry. Incredible mix of guava, citrus, herb, and slate with perfect acidity. This is an amazing Kabinett in amazing shape. I wouldn’t be surprised if it saw its 30th birthday in fine form, and I just can’t believe how slowly it has come along after last tasting it 11 years ago.
Opened and decanted 90 minutes prior to serving. Deep ruby but not opaque. Wow, what a nostril-filling combination of black olive and fennel to start. The green shifted to higher toned, less assertive menthol and was joined first by blackberry jam and later, some spice. Medium weight with an incredibly elegant, seamless feel and great clarity of the crisp, perfectly ripe blackberry fruit and creosote smokiness that are all Chave, even in this structured year. Slightly larger scaled than say a 1998, but not by much. Its energy and drive are provided more by perfectly integrated acidity than by tannins. This still has a good 10 years left until it peaks. A heroic wine.
Full yellow. First intense dried peach, then some petrol and citrus. Medium weight, not nearly as dense as many Smaragd wines. An initial suggestion of some residual sugar, but then it became more lean and tight, following the evolution of the nose. Excellent, energetic, complex, and nowhere near over the hill.
Opened 2 hours in advance and decanted at the table. Still even ruby throughout. All earth, tobacco, and mint on the nose at first. It took a while for it to breathe up and show dull red fruit. Light to medium weight, great acidity running through, but it never quite blossoms or achieves a fully ripe, seamless feel due to lingering grainy tannins. Over a few hours, it oscillates between its savory and fruit elements being in the foreground. I must say that we were spoiled by recently drinking a 2004 Rabaja, but the texture, depth, and perfectly ripe fruit in that wine were well ahead of what we found in the Rocche tonight. Excellent but a little disappointing.
France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru
(4/21/2022)
Half bottle. Deep amber. A beam of pure apricot, quince, and acacia honey. Full but not too sweet or unctuous. Clean tropical fruit, mouth watering acidity, great persistence and length. Superb dessert wine from an underated producer. In fact, this was the wine of the evening despite facing some stiff competition.
2008 R. López de Heredia Rioja Rosado Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
(4/18/2022)
Light amber salmon skin color. Cherry and fino sherry on the nose. Medium body, wonderful sense of glycerine. Red fruit, citrus, even grilled nuts. Not as much tannin as the last time. Captivating stuff which tonight reminded me more of Heredia’s whites than their reds.
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2015 Mongeard-Mugneret Grands-Echezeaux
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru
(4/18/2022)
Decanted for an hour first. Complex, rising perfume that includes wintergreen, fennel, and blackberry. Later on some spice. Medium weight but fairly lush and oaky. Deep black fruit that is rich but not overly ripe, plenty of cooler green tones, and substantial round tannins. Youthful and simple now, but it does have some grandeur in its power and depth. I imagine the wood will recede, but it is still too much for me at this point. Hard to see this as more than a middling Flagey Grand Cru.
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2012 Domaine Weinbach Riesling Schlossberg Cuvée Ste. Catherine L'Inédit!
France, Alsace, Alsace Grand Cru
(4/19/2022)
Medium yellow. Explosive aromas of stone fruit and something tropical (papaya?). Medium weight, just on this side of Vendange Tardive texture. Moderately sweet peach and lemon with a smoky mineral edge that reminded me of some Rangen wines. It is all brought together by racy acidity. Exciting wine that should keep well. This must be one of the top 2012 Rieslings.
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2010 Clos Erasmus Priorat
Spain, Catalunya, Priorat
(4/19/2022)
Decanted 4 hours before serving. Deep ruby to the rim. A blast of rich red berry fruit is quickly met by menthol and wintergreen which hold serve for the remainder of the bottle. Medium weight, ripe red fruit with complicating black licorice, but no trace of either alcoholic heat or surmaturité. Young still but already complex and interesting. I am extremely impressed that despite my misgivings, this wine did not come across as a high ABV bottling, a testament to its terrific balance. I’d love to taste it again 10 years down the road.
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2004 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
(4/20/2022)
Light to medium yellow. Telltale baby powder aromas along with tropical fruit and the barest bit of petrol after being open for 2 1/2 hours. Light weight, off dry. Incredible mix of guava, citrus, herb, and slate with perfect acidity. This is an amazing Kabinett in amazing shape. I wouldn’t be surprised if it saw its 30th birthday in fine form, and I just can’t believe how slowly it has come along after last tasting it 11 years ago.
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2005 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
(4/20/2022)
Opened and decanted 90 minutes prior to serving. Deep ruby but not opaque. Wow, what a nostril-filling combination of black olive and fennel to start. The green shifted to higher toned, less assertive menthol and was joined first by blackberry jam and later, some spice. Medium weight with an incredibly elegant, seamless feel and great clarity of the crisp, perfectly ripe blackberry fruit and creosote smokiness that are all Chave, even in this structured year. Slightly larger scaled than say a 1998, but not by much. Its energy and drive are provided more by perfectly integrated acidity than by tannins. This still has a good 10 years left until it peaks. A heroic wine.
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2004 Alzinger Riesling Smaragd Steinertal
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
(4/21/2022)
Full yellow. First intense dried peach, then some petrol and citrus. Medium weight, not nearly as dense as many Smaragd wines. An initial suggestion of some residual sugar, but then it became more lean and tight, following the evolution of the nose. Excellent, energetic, complex, and nowhere near over the hill.
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1999 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
(4/21/2022)
Opened 2 hours in advance and decanted at the table. Still even ruby throughout. All earth, tobacco, and mint on the nose at first. It took a while for it to breathe up and show dull red fruit. Light to medium weight, great acidity running through, but it never quite blossoms or achieves a fully ripe, seamless feel due to lingering grainy tannins. Over a few hours, it oscillates between its savory and fruit elements being in the foreground. I must say that we were spoiled by recently drinking a 2004 Rabaja, but the texture, depth, and perfectly ripe fruit in that wine were well ahead of what we found in the Rocche tonight. Excellent but a little disappointing.
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1996 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru
France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Quarts de Chaume Grand Cru
(4/21/2022)
Half bottle. Deep amber. A beam of pure apricot, quince, and acacia honey. Full but not too sweet or unctuous. Clean tropical fruit, mouth watering acidity, great persistence and length. Superb dessert wine from an underated producer. In fact, this was the wine of the evening despite facing some stiff competition.
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