France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Served double blind. Obviously white Burgundy, but I actually thought that this might have been a lower-level Moreau wine. Ripe fruit with a bit of a waxy texture, a hint of oak and present but modest reduction seemed to fit the bill very well.
Disgorged December 2021, 1 g/L dosage. Base 16. This reminds me a fair bit of Krug, with its oxidative tones and breadth on the palate. The difference here is that there is far more mushroom and heavier pinot character, as well as more of a leanness from the low dosage (though the amount of weight on the palate makes up for that). This is a grower that comes quite close to my own personal champagne preference; I should probably make an effort to taste a few more bottles of Egly.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru
Served double blind. A slight bit of botrytis here, perhaps? Sweet and ripe in a way that made me think of fruit that had aged a bit (perhaps there's a touch of Maillard here as well). A modest amount of oak, this shows some pretty good weight as well. Embarrassingly, I said that this didn't taste like a Jadot to me, perhaps on account of the more rounded nature of the wine.
Initially a bit musty and dirty on the nose, this got very good with air. No TCA here! Earthy and cedary, with some old plummy notes as well. Not dense on the palate, this certainly feels like it's on the downswing and that it's time to drink up. A bit herbal and thin, and with air, this developed a bit of a bloody/meaty note that was reminiscent of Northern Rhones.
A fantastic showing of this wine; no pyrazines but a bit of cedar and smoke here, supplemented by plenty of plummy fruit. Spicy and aromatically complex. The palate is a continuation of all of this; it's a little less obvious than the outstanding 1990, in that there are more nuances and flavours here. A very slight bit of funk comes into play here as well.
An absolutely wow wine. Admittedly a bit simplistic next to the 1989, but what it lacks in the nuance and complexity this makes up for in its singular clarity of fruit. Powerful and primary, with a clear black plum note on the nose and palate, with sweet fruit giving this a very broad texture on the palate. For my taste, this is drinking at an absolutely incredible spot right now, though there's no doubt that there's ample further aging potential here. Probably my favourite bottle tonight.
A huge change in style from the 1989 and 1990 (though that may just be the age difference). This is truly primary fruit (whereas the 1990 might just feel like it) in a juicy way. Ample acidity to keep this wine lifted despite all of the sweet fruit here. Unresolved tannins on the finish give this a bit of a burlier texture too. Some modest herbal notes emerge with air. A wine very much worth keeping an eye on.
It's quite possible that the bottles I had tasted previously were not totally sound (despite their sourcing directly from the estate), because this bottle tonight was pretty damn impressive. Next to the 2000 VCC, this was the surlier, darker neighbour. The fruit is quite intense and concentrated, and you get the sense that this was made with shot berries. Impressive concentration here, this will probably last longer than the more elegant and currently approachable VCC.
Absolutely lovely wine that I strongly preferred to the 2005. This is elegant and light, more red-fruited, perfumed, and lifted than many of the other wines tonight. Despite that, there's certainly plenty of palate weight here, but I do get the sense that this tapers off just slightly on the finish. For drinking now, I preferred this to the Evangile, but I think that the Evangile is the wine with the longer life expectancy.
A bit of an intractable wine, even though the quality was quite clear here. Next to the light and elegant 2000, this was more closed, especially due to a big dose of tannin on the finish. The fruit is present and fairly large-scaled, but it's the tannins here that push the fruit towards the background. Certainly more open than a 2005 red Burgundy, but I can't help but think that the vaunted 2005 vintage is a bit of a letdown. Maybe it'll come around? I'm not betting on it.
Of the young Pomerols tonight, this was far and away my favourite. Such a stunning showing of pure fruit without being marred by oak. Slightly herbal with a touch of mint, but the nose comes across more as perfume than smelling like wine. Despite that sort of wispiness, this is a powerhouse on the palate with copious amounts of fruit that are hiding the structure underneath. Very ripe but very much under control; the fruit doesn't for a second feel overdone. Truly impressive.
This is starting down the path of the anonymous international style a bit for me. A distinctive chocolatey note both in terms of the flavour and some textural creaminess as well. Quite sweet and ripe, with a slight bit of bitter oak tannin here. Drinking much better than a very disappointing 2010 Evangile alongside.
A huge disappointment after a string of fantastic wines from this producer. This is certainly of the modernist, international style. The thing that keeps this wine from dropping even lower is just the outrageously high quality of the fruit here. It's perfectly ripe, sweet, and balanced with the fruit tannins on the finish. But then you take that ideal wine, and throw oak all over it, giving you some of those burnt notes on the nose, vanilla and lactones on the palate, and most unforgivably the bitter tannins on the finish. What a waste.
A fine, serviceable wine of a somewhat anonymous, international style. You could have told me that this was made in California, or South America, or a multitude of places and I would have believed you. Intense, juicy fruit here, losing some of the distinct plummy notes that I want in Pomerol. The oak usage here isn't as egregious as it could be, but it's definitely enough to mar the finish with some bitterness. This may get better with time, but I also have a hard time believing that this will evolve into something like the Pomerols of the 30 years ago.
This bottle was in quite good condition despite the relatively lower fill. Oddly fruity for a wine with this amount of age; this probably was made from fairly ripe fruit, but time has dried out a lot of this wine. Shows a little tinny and metallic as some older wines are wont to do, but it's not an undrinkable wine either.
Served double blind. Not Pomerol. There's a bit of tomato leaf and pyrazine on the nose, but also bright red fruit and quite a bit of a herbal perfume here (to the point I thought this could have been a Margaux). High acid and relatively light, I had guessed this as much younger as well. A very surprising and excellent showing.
Served double blind. Not Pomerol. Weirdly high-toned aromatics, with a lactic and kirsch note simultaneously. On the palate, thinly flavoured and textured, with a very unpleasantly high amount of bitterness and alcohol on the finish. Not surprised on the reveal; it was pretty clear to me there were poor stylistic choices being made here.
Served double blind. Not Pomerol. Something off with this -- there was a bit of yeastiness and maybe some secondary fermentation going on here? In any case it didn't feel correct. But the herbal thing, and the age of the fruit actually led me to guess that this was mid 1990s Italian something or other. Go figure.
Served double blind. I guessed that this was Pomerol. Bright red fruit with just a mild herbal note and some clear tart plums as well. Outrageously fresh for a wine of this age (I actually guessed it was maybe a 2001), this bottle was obviously very well-cared for over the course of its life. Lifted and elegant, even if not too much weight on the palate at this point.
I admit to knowing very little about Marsala, but when I saw these come up for auction at a reasonable price, I bit anyway. This drinks to me like a bit of a less-intense madeira. It's got many of the same rancio and brown notes that Madeira has, but the acidity isn't as enamel-strippingly intense. The sweetness is modest and I'd peg this around the verdelho or terrantez level if forced to draw the analogue.
2012 Camille Giroud Meursault 1er Cru Charmes 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Served double blind. Obviously white Burgundy, but I actually thought that this might have been a lower-level Moreau wine. Ripe fruit with a bit of a waxy texture, a hint of oak and present but modest reduction seemed to fit the bill very well.
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NV Egly-Ouriet Champagne Grand Cru Brut 93 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Disgorged December 2021, 1 g/L dosage. Base 16. This reminds me a fair bit of Krug, with its oxidative tones and breadth on the palate. The difference here is that there is far more mushroom and heavier pinot character, as well as more of a leanness from the low dosage (though the amount of weight on the palate makes up for that). This is a grower that comes quite close to my own personal champagne preference; I should probably make an effort to taste a few more bottles of Egly.
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2017 Louis Jadot Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Guettes Blanc Domaine Gagey 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru
Served double blind. A slight bit of botrytis here, perhaps? Sweet and ripe in a way that made me think of fruit that had aged a bit (perhaps there's a touch of Maillard here as well). A modest amount of oak, this shows some pretty good weight as well. Embarrassingly, I said that this didn't taste like a Jadot to me, perhaps on account of the more rounded nature of the wine.
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1983 Vieux Château Certan 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Initially a bit musty and dirty on the nose, this got very good with air. No TCA here! Earthy and cedary, with some old plummy notes as well. Not dense on the palate, this certainly feels like it's on the downswing and that it's time to drink up. A bit herbal and thin, and with air, this developed a bit of a bloody/meaty note that was reminiscent of Northern Rhones.
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1989 Château L'Evangile 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
A fantastic showing of this wine; no pyrazines but a bit of cedar and smoke here, supplemented by plenty of plummy fruit. Spicy and aromatically complex. The palate is a continuation of all of this; it's a little less obvious than the outstanding 1990, in that there are more nuances and flavours here. A very slight bit of funk comes into play here as well.
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1990 Château L'Evangile 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
An absolutely wow wine. Admittedly a bit simplistic next to the 1989, but what it lacks in the nuance and complexity this makes up for in its singular clarity of fruit. Powerful and primary, with a clear black plum note on the nose and palate, with sweet fruit giving this a very broad texture on the palate. For my taste, this is drinking at an absolutely incredible spot right now, though there's no doubt that there's ample further aging potential here. Probably my favourite bottle tonight.
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1998 Château L'Evangile 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
A huge change in style from the 1989 and 1990 (though that may just be the age difference). This is truly primary fruit (whereas the 1990 might just feel like it) in a juicy way. Ample acidity to keep this wine lifted despite all of the sweet fruit here. Unresolved tannins on the finish give this a bit of a burlier texture too. Some modest herbal notes emerge with air. A wine very much worth keeping an eye on.
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2000 Château L'Evangile 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
It's quite possible that the bottles I had tasted previously were not totally sound (despite their sourcing directly from the estate), because this bottle tonight was pretty damn impressive. Next to the 2000 VCC, this was the surlier, darker neighbour. The fruit is quite intense and concentrated, and you get the sense that this was made with shot berries. Impressive concentration here, this will probably last longer than the more elegant and currently approachable VCC.
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2000 Vieux Château Certan 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Absolutely lovely wine that I strongly preferred to the 2005. This is elegant and light, more red-fruited, perfumed, and lifted than many of the other wines tonight. Despite that, there's certainly plenty of palate weight here, but I do get the sense that this tapers off just slightly on the finish. For drinking now, I preferred this to the Evangile, but I think that the Evangile is the wine with the longer life expectancy.
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2005 Vieux Château Certan 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
A bit of an intractable wine, even though the quality was quite clear here. Next to the light and elegant 2000, this was more closed, especially due to a big dose of tannin on the finish. The fruit is present and fairly large-scaled, but it's the tannins here that push the fruit towards the background. Certainly more open than a 2005 red Burgundy, but I can't help but think that the vaunted 2005 vintage is a bit of a letdown. Maybe it'll come around? I'm not betting on it.
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2009 Château La Conseillante 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Of the young Pomerols tonight, this was far and away my favourite. Such a stunning showing of pure fruit without being marred by oak. Slightly herbal with a touch of mint, but the nose comes across more as perfume than smelling like wine. Despite that sort of wispiness, this is a powerhouse on the palate with copious amounts of fruit that are hiding the structure underneath. Very ripe but very much under control; the fruit doesn't for a second feel overdone. Truly impressive.
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2010 Château Clinet 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
This is starting down the path of the anonymous international style a bit for me. A distinctive chocolatey note both in terms of the flavour and some textural creaminess as well. Quite sweet and ripe, with a slight bit of bitter oak tannin here. Drinking much better than a very disappointing 2010 Evangile alongside.
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2010 Château L'Evangile 85 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
A huge disappointment after a string of fantastic wines from this producer. This is certainly of the modernist, international style. The thing that keeps this wine from dropping even lower is just the outrageously high quality of the fruit here. It's perfectly ripe, sweet, and balanced with the fruit tannins on the finish. But then you take that ideal wine, and throw oak all over it, giving you some of those burnt notes on the nose, vanilla and lactones on the palate, and most unforgivably the bitter tannins on the finish. What a waste.
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2015 Château L'Eglise-Clinet 88 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
A fine, serviceable wine of a somewhat anonymous, international style. You could have told me that this was made in California, or South America, or a multitude of places and I would have believed you. Intense, juicy fruit here, losing some of the distinct plummy notes that I want in Pomerol. The oak usage here isn't as egregious as it could be, but it's definitely enough to mar the finish with some bitterness. This may get better with time, but I also have a hard time believing that this will evolve into something like the Pomerols of the 30 years ago.
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1970 Château Nenin 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
This bottle was in quite good condition despite the relatively lower fill. Oddly fruity for a wine with this amount of age; this probably was made from fairly ripe fruit, but time has dried out a lot of this wine. Shows a little tinny and metallic as some older wines are wont to do, but it's not an undrinkable wine either.
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1993 Matanzas Creek Winery Merlot Sonoma Valley 93 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Served double blind. Not Pomerol. There's a bit of tomato leaf and pyrazine on the nose, but also bright red fruit and quite a bit of a herbal perfume here (to the point I thought this could have been a Margaux). High acid and relatively light, I had guessed this as much younger as well. A very surprising and excellent showing.
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2003 Quilceda Creek Merlot 80 Points
USA, Washington
Served double blind. Not Pomerol. Weirdly high-toned aromatics, with a lactic and kirsch note simultaneously. On the palate, thinly flavoured and textured, with a very unpleasantly high amount of bitterness and alcohol on the finish. Not surprised on the reveal; it was pretty clear to me there were poor stylistic choices being made here.
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1998 Castello di Ama L'Apparita Toscana IGT Flawed
Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Served double blind. Not Pomerol. Something off with this -- there was a bit of yeastiness and maybe some secondary fermentation going on here? In any case it didn't feel correct. But the herbal thing, and the age of the fruit actually led me to guess that this was mid 1990s Italian something or other. Go figure.
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1974 Sterling Vineyards Merlot 90 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Served double blind. I guessed that this was Pomerol. Bright red fruit with just a mild herbal note and some clear tart plums as well. Outrageously fresh for a wine of this age (I actually guessed it was maybe a 2001), this bottle was obviously very well-cared for over the course of its life. Lifted and elegant, even if not too much weight on the palate at this point.
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1989 Cantine Florio Marsala Superiore Riserva Semisecco Aegusa 93 Points
Italy, Sicily, Marsala Superiore
I admit to knowing very little about Marsala, but when I saw these come up for auction at a reasonable price, I bit anyway. This drinks to me like a bit of a less-intense madeira. It's got many of the same rancio and brown notes that Madeira has, but the acidity isn't as enamel-strippingly intense. The sweetness is modest and I'd peg this around the verdelho or terrantez level if forced to draw the analogue.
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