The nose is wide open and giving with Raspberries, cinnamon sticks, rose petals, peaches, red apples, quince, toast, biscuits, herbs, and red flowers. The Medium bodied feel is well balanced with excellent definition on the tones along with racy, high acidity. This is lovely right now and there is plenty of room to grow over the next 5+ years.
The nose is pristine and fragrant with Saline, peaches, green apples, biscuits, toast, white fruits, lemon peels, toast, and dough. The Medium bodied feel is linear while the racy, high acidity shows off excellent cut without being too harsh. This is a real fun Blanc de Blancs that can handle the zero dosage.
This is showing some age to the nose, but I also feel like my palate has well shifted away from aged champagne. It shows off good depth with buttered toast, bruised apples, cinnamon, biscuits, dough, spiced pears, quince, nougat, vanilla, and some oxidative notes. The Medium bodied feel is balanced but also leans into the more aged aspects of the nose while there is still ample, high acidity that has integrated very well. For me, this may be slightly past it’s peak. For those that want something with more age on it, it’s right in that zone. It’s a choose your own adventure here.
The nose is deep and refined with luscious tones of Petrol, quince, nectarine, peach, minerals, meyer lemons, saline, apples, white flowers, and custard. The light bodied feel is beautifully balanced and deft with racy, high acidity. This is clearly a baby and will absolutely get better with another 5+ years of aging. The petrol note is distinctive right now, but everything else isn’t in full harmony just yet
This is very generous and certainly benefitted from air as it was utterly classic Chablis with oyster shells, lemon curds, pears, saline, apples, flint, white fruits, vanilla beans, and crushed rocks. The Medium bodied feel is polished and shows off excellent depth along with tart, high acidity. This is crisp and lovely with a bit of density and length that really take this to another level. This will certainly improve with at least another 3 years and in reality, 5+.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
The nose really benefitted from the several hours of air that was given as it was just jumping from the glass with Peaches, quince, toast, matchstick, herbs, lemon curds, red apples, candied pears, vanilla, and acacia flowers. The Medium bodied feel shows off the energy of the nose along with crisp, medium+ acidity. This certainly needs at least 3 years to settle down. I’m conflicted on its full age range as I think it would be a mistake to miss out on the energy this brings, but it could develop into something more balanced and elegant with time.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet
This shows off more immediacy than I expect from Ramonet, but with it still dialed in along with tones of buttered bread, peaches, red apples, quince, pears, yellow flowers, jasmine, and mineral tones. The Medium bodied feel is plush, but refined with tart, medium+ acidity. This feels like it needs a few more years to shed some baby fat. But, this is a lot of fun right now and well worth popping.
The nose is exuberant and tropical as it jumps out of the glass with tones of Papaya, peaches, grapefruit, crushed rocks, saline, gun flint, green apples, acacia flowers, and mineral notes. The Medium bodied feel shows off loads of class and poise with razor sharp, high acidity. This does lack slightly on the palate, but that feels more down to extreme youth. This can certainly use at least another 3 years and in reality, 5+ before it starts to really show itself.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru
This is a bit tight at first and also shows some oak notes as well (though far from dominating) while showing excellent depth and class with tones of dark red fruits, cranberries, dark red cherries, herbs, licorice, spice notes, earth, tobacco, and sour red fruits. There is a ton going on the nose as it shows off great depth and class. The Medium bodied feel is deep and balanced with crisp, medium+ acidity and youthful, medium+ tannins. This clearly needs more time and likely another 5+ years before settling into a long window. The class of the wine is here, it’s just not fully harmonized yet.
This was open for business right away as it leaned into a more lush style (clearly the vintage playing through) with roasted herbs, bright red Cherries, raspberries, strawberries, licorice, spices, and some fresh picked roses. The Medium/full bodied feel is plush and balanced with silky, high tannins and tart, high acidity. This feels like it should be enjoyed on the younger side. Everything is well balanced, but it does lack some depth across the nose and palate.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
This was a pop and pour and it really could’ve used a long decant. Even with it being opened right away it showed off deep and rich tones of Hot stones, mesquite, black cherries, licorice, liqueur, herbs, raspberries, violets, and roses. The Full bodied feel is deep and silky with medium acidity and chewy, medium+ tannins. This is still mostly promise. This has a lot of runway to improve and it’ll need at least another 4+ years before it gets there.
The nose is well balanced and on the richer side with petrol, red apples, quince, pears, jasmine, honeysuckle, and mineral notes. The Full bodied feel is larger scaled, but well balanced with crisp, medium+ acidity. This is drinking beautifully and feels like it’s in a perfect spot.
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley
This is what it's all about! Shiraz showing it's elegant side and I'm completely here for it. The nose is sumptuous and layered with mint, dark red cherries, cranberries, currants, raspberries, licorice, tobacco, and some spice notes. There is so much depth and balance here that it's just a joy to smell. The Full bodied feel shows off a refined sense to its heavyweight nature with medium acidity and resolved, medium tannins. This is just wonderful and I'm happy to have experienced it.
This was a pop and pour and with a bunch of people. It would've been nice to really be able to spend more time with it. Still, this is deep and with pure Napa fruit of red cherries, cranberries, blueberries, menthol, licorice, kirsch, crushed roses, sweet tobacco, and creme de cassis. The Full bodied feel is what really makes this wine right now. Even at this young stage, it's plush and deep with silky, medium+ tannins and medium acidity. I would love to try this with less people and it getting more air as it's gorgeous and hedonistic in the way that only a great Napa wine can be.
2012 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année Rosé 94 Points
France, Champagne
The nose is wide open and giving with Raspberries, cinnamon sticks, rose petals, peaches, red apples, quince, toast, biscuits, herbs, and red flowers. The Medium bodied feel is well balanced with excellent definition on the tones along with racy, high acidity. This is lovely right now and there is plenty of room to grow over the next 5+ years.
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NV Waris-Hubert Champagne Grand Cru Lilyale Blanc de Blanc Zero Dosage 90 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
The nose is pristine and fragrant with Saline, peaches, green apples, biscuits, toast, white fruits, lemon peels, toast, and dough. The Medium bodied feel is linear while the racy, high acidity shows off excellent cut without being too harsh. This is a real fun Blanc de Blancs that can handle the zero dosage.
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1998 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon Rosé 92 Points
France, Champagne
This is showing some age to the nose, but I also feel like my palate has well shifted away from aged champagne. It shows off good depth with buttered toast, bruised apples, cinnamon, biscuits, dough, spiced pears, quince, nougat, vanilla, and some oxidative notes. The Medium bodied feel is balanced but also leans into the more aged aspects of the nose while there is still ample, high acidity that has integrated very well. For me, this may be slightly past it’s peak. For those that want something with more age on it, it’s right in that zone. It’s a choose your own adventure here.
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2018 Kruger-Rumpf Im Pitterberg Riesling Spätlese Goldkapsel 92 Points
Germany, Nahe
The nose is deep and refined with luscious tones of Petrol, quince, nectarine, peach, minerals, meyer lemons, saline, apples, white flowers, and custard. The light bodied feel is beautifully balanced and deft with racy, high acidity. This is clearly a baby and will absolutely get better with another 5+ years of aging. The petrol note is distinctive right now, but everything else isn’t in full harmony just yet
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2019 Patrick Piuze Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
This is very generous and certainly benefitted from air as it was utterly classic Chablis with oyster shells, lemon curds, pears, saline, apples, flint, white fruits, vanilla beans, and crushed rocks. The Medium bodied feel is polished and shows off excellent depth along with tart, high acidity. This is crisp and lovely with a bit of density and length that really take this to another level. This will certainly improve with at least another 3 years and in reality, 5+.
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2018 Hubert Lamy Puligny-Montrachet Les Tremblots Vieilles Vignes 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
The nose really benefitted from the several hours of air that was given as it was just jumping from the glass with Peaches, quince, toast, matchstick, herbs, lemon curds, red apples, candied pears, vanilla, and acacia flowers. The Medium bodied feel shows off the energy of the nose along with crisp, medium+ acidity. This certainly needs at least 3 years to settle down. I’m conflicted on its full age range as I think it would be a mistake to miss out on the energy this brings, but it could develop into something more balanced and elegant with time.
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2018 Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet
This shows off more immediacy than I expect from Ramonet, but with it still dialed in along with tones of buttered bread, peaches, red apples, quince, pears, yellow flowers, jasmine, and mineral tones. The Medium bodied feel is plush, but refined with tart, medium+ acidity. This feels like it needs a few more years to shed some baby fat. But, this is a lot of fun right now and well worth popping.
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2019 Van Volxem Bockstein Riesling GG 92 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
The nose is exuberant and tropical as it jumps out of the glass with tones of Papaya, peaches, grapefruit, crushed rocks, saline, gun flint, green apples, acacia flowers, and mineral notes. The Medium bodied feel shows off loads of class and poise with razor sharp, high acidity. This does lack slightly on the palate, but that feels more down to extreme youth. This can certainly use at least another 3 years and in reality, 5+ before it starts to really show itself.
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2012 Mongeard-Mugneret Grands-Echezeaux 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru
This is a bit tight at first and also shows some oak notes as well (though far from dominating) while showing excellent depth and class with tones of dark red fruits, cranberries, dark red cherries, herbs, licorice, spice notes, earth, tobacco, and sour red fruits. There is a ton going on the nose as it shows off great depth and class. The Medium bodied feel is deep and balanced with crisp, medium+ acidity and youthful, medium+ tannins. This clearly needs more time and likely another 5+ years before settling into a long window. The class of the wine is here, it’s just not fully harmonized yet.
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2011 Giacomo Borgogno & Figli Barolo 90 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
This was open for business right away as it leaned into a more lush style (clearly the vintage playing through) with roasted herbs, bright red Cherries, raspberries, strawberries, licorice, spices, and some fresh picked roses. The Medium/full bodied feel is plush and balanced with silky, high tannins and tart, high acidity. This feels like it should be enjoyed on the younger side. Everything is well balanced, but it does lack some depth across the nose and palate.
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2016 Domaine de la Janasse Châteauneuf-du-Pape Vieilles Vignes 93 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
This was a pop and pour and it really could’ve used a long decant. Even with it being opened right away it showed off deep and rich tones of Hot stones, mesquite, black cherries, licorice, liqueur, herbs, raspberries, violets, and roses. The Full bodied feel is deep and silky with medium acidity and chewy, medium+ tannins. This is still mostly promise. This has a lot of runway to improve and it’ll need at least another 4+ years before it gets there.
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2014 Weingut Knoll Riesling Federspiel Loibner 91 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Wachau
The nose is well balanced and on the richer side with petrol, red apples, quince, pears, jasmine, honeysuckle, and mineral notes. The Full bodied feel is larger scaled, but well balanced with crisp, medium+ acidity. This is drinking beautifully and feels like it’s in a perfect spot.
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1996 Wendouree Shiraz 95 Points
Australia, South Australia, Mount Lofty Ranges, Clare Valley
This is what it's all about! Shiraz showing it's elegant side and I'm completely here for it. The nose is sumptuous and layered with mint, dark red cherries, cranberries, currants, raspberries, licorice, tobacco, and some spice notes. There is so much depth and balance here that it's just a joy to smell. The Full bodied feel shows off a refined sense to its heavyweight nature with medium acidity and resolved, medium tannins. This is just wonderful and I'm happy to have experienced it.
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2014 Continuum Proprietary Red 94 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
This was a pop and pour and with a bunch of people. It would've been nice to really be able to spend more time with it. Still, this is deep and with pure Napa fruit of red cherries, cranberries, blueberries, menthol, licorice, kirsch, crushed roses, sweet tobacco, and creme de cassis. The Full bodied feel is what really makes this wine right now. Even at this young stage, it's plush and deep with silky, medium+ tannins and medium acidity. I would love to try this with less people and it getting more air as it's gorgeous and hedonistic in the way that only a great Napa wine can be.
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