This needed a little air to turn on. When it did, hello nurse! So much depth and elegance where I badly wish I had the bottle to myself with tones of strawberries, red cherries, cinnamon sticks, orange peels, citrus notes, meyer lemons, custard, pastry dough, rose petals, biscuits, and brioche wafting out of the glass. This was pure joy to smell while showing off a textured and lovely Medium bodied feel along with tart, high acidity. This is right in that gorgeous zone where the tones are moving past primary and into something more tertiary. There is a ways before this starts falling down the hill and it should really be enjoyed over the next few years because it is just that damned good.
This poured a light-gold color. From the first smell, this is very mature and a bit on the fading side for me. It is still very much alive, but the freshness of the youth is long gone and the tones have become more honeyed with caramel, honeydew, red apples, melons, hazelnuts, toast, yellow flowers, warm dough, and brioche. The Medium bodied feel is balance with well-integrated, medium+ acidity. I wouldn't say that there are oxidative qualities here as it doesn't lean that way, but it is clear that this is well into the drink 'em if you got 'em stage.
The nose shows off the upfront qualities of the vintage and with a clear maturity to it. It is balanced with custard, red apples, meringue, meyer lemons, quince, creamed peaches, poached pears, yellow flowers, and vanilla extract. The Medium/full bodied feel is textured with enough medium acidity to keep it from being too flabby. This is on the downslope of its life, but a pleasant surprise at how well it's still drinking.
The nose is extremely expressive and aromatic from the getgo as it fills the glass with apples, spiced pears, dark red berries, some strawberries, red flowers, toast, currants, brioche, warm dough, and some yeasty notes. There is excellent depth and style to this with a robustness to the tones. The Medium bodied feel is balanced and lengthy on the finish with racy, high acidity. The acidity has some bite and youth to it, but the feel is well texture and poised. This could use maybe a few years to fully harmonize, but this was absolutely lovely in all of the delicious ways that Mousse works with Meunier.
There is an upfront quality to the nose that is immediate and plush with sassafras, plums, red cherries, strawberries, sour red cherries, spice tones, peppery notes, violets, and some rose petals. The Medium/full bodied feel is plush and balanced with crisp, medium+ acidity and silky, medium tannins. I really like the upfront nature of this even nearly 17 years on. This is drinking beautifully and if its not mature now, then it never will be.
This was one of those moments with wine that I deeply love. You smell something that you've never smelled before and yet your mind wanders to where its from and imagine what it would be like to be there. Then you get zapped back to an outdoor top for 6 during a heatwave. This is a deep, savory, and passionate nose that is loaded with dark plum, black cherries, black raspberries, violets, cedar, smoke, toast, spices, and thyme. The Full bodied feel is a heavyweight that is still very nimble while carrying through all of the complexity and depth of the nose. The tart, medium+ acidity and chewy, medium+ tannins are resolving, though they are still making their presence known. I have no clue what kind of lifespan this will have. What I do know is that this is killer and I'm glad I had a chance to have it.
The nose was pretty open and very expressive with bright red cherries, raspberries, tar, coconut, juniper berries, strawberries, licorice, roasted herbs, violets, rose petals, and wild spices. There is excellent balance with good depth while the oak note does come through a bit when poured. The Full bodied feel is a little rough around the edges, but with good depth and length along with tart, high acidity and silky, high tannins. This probably could've benefitted from a decant, but c'est la vie. It still showed really well and though it has a good life ahead of it, there's no reason not to open one now.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
This wine is easily one of the most consistent great wines for me. It always delivers and it really scratches my CdP itch each and every time. This has a real dark and savory take to it with tones of black cherries, black raspberries, white pepper, licorice, leather, earth, funky notes, spices, and violets. This is the dirtier side of Chateauneuf and those wanting a cleaner wine should probably look somewhere else. The Medium/full bodied feel is well balanced and resolved with medium acidity and supporting, medium+ tannins. This has been in its window for a while now and it doesn't look to be closing any time soon.
This is just on the barely side of corked and its infuriating. The class is there as it does have succulent tones of nectarines, quince, straw, peaches, red apples, honeycomb, and pears, but they are a little stripped and the corky, mushroom note comes out when it warms up somewhat.
The nose is rich, deep, and well layered with peaches, red apples, honey, pears, nectarines, quince, yellow flowers, and ginger. There is a lushness to the nose that really draws you in with a sense of maturity and refinement. The Lighter bodied feel is deep, lush, and textured but with a deftness and lightness of being that is a delicious paradox. There is crisp, high acidity that cuts through the feel along with a lovely and long finish. This is a lovely, mature Auslese that has plenty of life ahead of it.
2004 Laurent-Perrier Champagne Grande Cuvée Rosé Alexandra 96 Points
France, Champagne
This needed a little air to turn on. When it did, hello nurse! So much depth and elegance where I badly wish I had the bottle to myself with tones of strawberries, red cherries, cinnamon sticks, orange peels, citrus notes, meyer lemons, custard, pastry dough, rose petals, biscuits, and brioche wafting out of the glass. This was pure joy to smell while showing off a textured and lovely Medium bodied feel along with tart, high acidity. This is right in that gorgeous zone where the tones are moving past primary and into something more tertiary. There is a ways before this starts falling down the hill and it should really be enjoyed over the next few years because it is just that damned good.
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1998 Pascal Doquet Champagne Premier Cru Blanc de Blancs Vertus 88 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
This poured a light-gold color. From the first smell, this is very mature and a bit on the fading side for me. It is still very much alive, but the freshness of the youth is long gone and the tones have become more honeyed with caramel, honeydew, red apples, melons, hazelnuts, toast, yellow flowers, warm dough, and brioche. The Medium bodied feel is balance with well-integrated, medium+ acidity. I wouldn't say that there are oxidative qualities here as it doesn't lean that way, but it is clear that this is well into the drink 'em if you got 'em stage.
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2003 Joseph Drouhin Meursault 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
The nose shows off the upfront qualities of the vintage and with a clear maturity to it. It is balanced with custard, red apples, meringue, meyer lemons, quince, creamed peaches, poached pears, yellow flowers, and vanilla extract. The Medium/full bodied feel is textured with enough medium acidity to keep it from being too flabby. This is on the downslope of its life, but a pleasant surprise at how well it's still drinking.
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2014 Famille Moussé Champagne Terre d'illite Blanc de Noirs 92 Points
France, Champagne
The nose is extremely expressive and aromatic from the getgo as it fills the glass with apples, spiced pears, dark red berries, some strawberries, red flowers, toast, currants, brioche, warm dough, and some yeasty notes. There is excellent depth and style to this with a robustness to the tones. The Medium bodied feel is balanced and lengthy on the finish with racy, high acidity. The acidity has some bite and youth to it, but the feel is well texture and poised. This could use maybe a few years to fully harmonize, but this was absolutely lovely in all of the delicious ways that Mousse works with Meunier.
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2004 The Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 91 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
There is an upfront quality to the nose that is immediate and plush with sassafras, plums, red cherries, strawberries, sour red cherries, spice tones, peppery notes, violets, and some rose petals. The Medium/full bodied feel is plush and balanced with crisp, medium+ acidity and silky, medium tannins. I really like the upfront nature of this even nearly 17 years on. This is drinking beautifully and if its not mature now, then it never will be.
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2000 Bressan Cru Pignol 95 Points
Italy, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Venezia Giulia IGT
This was one of those moments with wine that I deeply love. You smell something that you've never smelled before and yet your mind wanders to where its from and imagine what it would be like to be there. Then you get zapped back to an outdoor top for 6 during a heatwave. This is a deep, savory, and passionate nose that is loaded with dark plum, black cherries, black raspberries, violets, cedar, smoke, toast, spices, and thyme. The Full bodied feel is a heavyweight that is still very nimble while carrying through all of the complexity and depth of the nose. The tart, medium+ acidity and chewy, medium+ tannins are resolving, though they are still making their presence known. I have no clue what kind of lifespan this will have. What I do know is that this is killer and I'm glad I had a chance to have it.
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2006 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo 91 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
The nose was pretty open and very expressive with bright red cherries, raspberries, tar, coconut, juniper berries, strawberries, licorice, roasted herbs, violets, rose petals, and wild spices. There is excellent balance with good depth while the oak note does come through a bit when poured. The Full bodied feel is a little rough around the edges, but with good depth and length along with tart, high acidity and silky, high tannins. This probably could've benefitted from a decant, but c'est la vie. It still showed really well and though it has a good life ahead of it, there's no reason not to open one now.
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2001 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape 93 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
This wine is easily one of the most consistent great wines for me. It always delivers and it really scratches my CdP itch each and every time. This has a real dark and savory take to it with tones of black cherries, black raspberries, white pepper, licorice, leather, earth, funky notes, spices, and violets. This is the dirtier side of Chateauneuf and those wanting a cleaner wine should probably look somewhere else. The Medium/full bodied feel is well balanced and resolved with medium acidity and supporting, medium+ tannins. This has been in its window for a while now and it doesn't look to be closing any time soon.
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2005 Domaine Huet Vouvray Cuvée Constance Flawed
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
This is just on the barely side of corked and its infuriating. The class is there as it does have succulent tones of nectarines, quince, straw, peaches, red apples, honeycomb, and pears, but they are a little stripped and the corky, mushroom note comes out when it warms up somewhat.
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1995 Weingut Hermann Ludes Thörnicher Ritsch Riesling Auslese 93 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
The nose is rich, deep, and well layered with peaches, red apples, honey, pears, nectarines, quince, yellow flowers, and ginger. There is a lushness to the nose that really draws you in with a sense of maturity and refinement. The Lighter bodied feel is deep, lush, and textured but with a deftness and lightness of being that is a delicious paradox. There is crisp, high acidity that cuts through the feel along with a lovely and long finish. This is a lovely, mature Auslese that has plenty of life ahead of it.
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