Disgorged June 2019. From magnum. I liked this more than I expected for Savart -- this had a nice roundness to it, and even though it wasn't too complex, it had nice freshness, tart white fruit, and a minerally streak that all felt in nice balance.
Disgorged January 21, 2021; R18. From magnum. I didn't really love this -- it was archetypal for very low dosage (if any) champagne, causing the palate to miss out on any weight and gravitas. Plenty of acidity, this felt a little sharp overall.
Disgorgement unknown; grey label with Côte de Béchalin printed on the back over a map. Does anyone make labels as awful as Bouchard? Answer: no. Bouchard's labels are what Marcassin is to wine: absolute trash. Anyway, this bottle was really weird and yeasty on the palate, and also showed some TCA. /rant
Disgorged April 2011, V. 09. I would give this wine a 50 for its label if I could. They are different every year, and the same information is a hide-and-seek on every different bottle. The wine itself is starting to show some old Champagne notes on the nose and palate. Slightly yeasty, but also without the breadth to hold that kind of profile. Still hangs onto a bit of freshness, which is redeeming.
Relatively lean for an Emrich GG -- this seemed to feature more of the mineral density than anything else. It's not as fruit forward, and this very much has the same acid profile as a 2020 Mineral I had a few years ago on release. More potential than enjoyment right now for all the acid grip that this currently has.
Fantastic, opulent, fruit-forward riesling that drinks quite a bit like Keller, but not as oily and concentrated. Still a very rich and powerful wine with lots going on. More expressive than the 2020 Emrich Halenberg today, and for that reason more enjoyable today.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
There's just something about the Niellon oak profile that rubs me the wrong way these days. It feels really coarse and inelegant, and sticks out way too much, obscuring most everything chardonnay about this wine.
Served double blind. Kind of a toss-up between chardonnay and chenin, but the slight citrus on the acid made me pick the former. Surprisingly mature with a bit of a sweet corn profile that was kind of interesting; not quite as put-together as some other Guffens I've had. I guessed this was around 10 years older than it actually was.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru
Pretty solid chardonnay with good acidity and freshness, though reflecting on my prior note I may have been a little more enthusiastic about this in the past. Ticks all the boxes.
Served double blind. Oily and thick, with some unpleasant bitter notes on the finish immediately had me thinking Rhone white, but the acid profile was definitely more Chardonnay. Just not my cup of tea, no matter what.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Very elegant and somewhat lighter than I expected for a 2006. No geosmin or weird rot notes here, this is actually very clean with a lovely spice note and fruit that comes off more red than black. Feels just a little bit dilute, but the flavour profile is outstanding, especially for a rough vintage like 2006.
At this point, the American oak is too intense for me (and that's coming from a huge fan of American oak). This is vanilla and dill all the way, with thinness on the palate that doesn't quite help (a riper wine would have held that oak much better). Too high in acid, this feels imbalanced.
Ridge Monte Bello is the greatest American wine, and this bottle is no exception to that. Plenty of American oak (though nowhere as much as the 2001 LRA) but counterbalanced by black fruit, dust, and leather. This drinks comfortably in a secondary phase but there is clearly so much further aging potential right now.
Solid, if somewhat uninspiring Pomerol. Tastes a bit blocky and lacks the elegance of the appellation. More oak than it needs to have, and lots of very ripe fruit.
The label doesn't actually designate either Brune or Plessy, though the CellarTracker link points to the Brune... in any case, this is the old label with the red box with a guy riding a horse in it. Unmistakable Northern Rhone syrah, and really, what syrah ought to be like. Meaty and feral, with olives and saline, and not much fruit despite the vintage. Structural and tannic, but given that the profile is so savoury already, perhaps not the most interesting to hold further.
In the space of three days, three bottles of Kilburg, a new producer to me. This drinks a little more traditional as far Kabinett as concerned, with a pleasant roundness on the palate. Despite the relatively weaker(?) vintage, this was a whole lot better than the two 2021s I had two nights ago, more mineral cut, a good balance of fruit and acid, and enough presence on the palate as well.
Outstanding for the price; this was minerally in a volcanic way, with just the right amount of acidity. Almost chewy in that sense, with some saline qualities as well. Great stuff. I've loved the reds from Terre Nere, but these white wines are clearly no slouch either.
Served double blind. Fizzy red wine. Angular, with some natty-like qualities though none of the biological instability. Not pleasant with its astringency. Getting to some sort of weird Italian wine wasn't hard. The producer reveal was a bit of a disappointment.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Not a big fan of this -- it showed way too much oak right now which seemed to manage to cover up the fruit from an incredibly opulent vintage. Darker pinot character here.
For MSR, Busch's tendency to make opulent, bigger wines actually works very well for the GG style. This doesn't feel thin and emaciated as so many other MSR GGs can be; this has just a hint of sweetness with the minerality that I really like, though this doesn't quite have the same intensity as my favourite dry German wine producers.
A new producer to me. Very restrained and light on its feet, despite the dark and ripe fruit on full display. Reasonably mature at this point, and very nice minerality too. Impressive Napa cab that drinks in quite an old school way.
Not quite my cup of tea here. More opulent with a high-toned quality that I find slightly distracting. Dark fruit as well, and showing good maturity. A bit of oak pokes through here, but this is quite well put-together.
From the 2019 hop harvest; bottled January 31, 2020. Pretty clean with precise hop notes, but missing the acidity that I like in my beer. Perhaps better when this was fresher?
NV Savart Champagne Premier Cru L'Accomplie Extra Brut Vieilles Vignes 90 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
Disgorged June 2019. From magnum. I liked this more than I expected for Savart -- this had a nice roundness to it, and even though it wasn't too complex, it had nice freshness, tart white fruit, and a minerally streak that all felt in nice balance.
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NV Vouette et Sorbée Champagne Fidèle 88 Points
France, Champagne
Disgorged January 21, 2021; R18. From magnum. I didn't really love this -- it was archetypal for very low dosage (if any) champagne, causing the palate to miss out on any weight and gravitas. Plenty of acidity, this felt a little sharp overall.
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NV Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs La Parcelle Côte de Béchalin Flawed
France, Champagne
Disgorgement unknown; grey label with Côte de Béchalin printed on the back over a map. Does anyone make labels as awful as Bouchard? Answer: no. Bouchard's labels are what Marcassin is to wine: absolute trash. Anyway, this bottle was really weird and yeasty on the palate, and also showed some TCA. /rant
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2009 Roses de Jeanne / Cédric Bouchard Champagne Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs Côte de Val Vilaine 90 Points
France, Champagne
Disgorged April 2011, V. 09. I would give this wine a 50 for its label if I could. They are different every year, and the same information is a hide-and-seek on every different bottle. The wine itself is starting to show some old Champagne notes on the nose and palate. Slightly yeasty, but also without the breadth to hold that kind of profile. Still hangs onto a bit of freshness, which is redeeming.
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2020 Emrich-Schönleber Halenberg Riesling Großes Gewächs 93 Points
Germany, Nahe
Relatively lean for an Emrich GG -- this seemed to feature more of the mineral density than anything else. It's not as fruit forward, and this very much has the same acid profile as a 2020 Mineral I had a few years ago on release. More potential than enjoyment right now for all the acid grip that this currently has.
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2019 Wittmann Westhofener Morstein Riesling Großes Gewächs 93 Points
Germany, Rheinhessen
Fantastic, opulent, fruit-forward riesling that drinks quite a bit like Keller, but not as oily and concentrated. Still a very rich and powerful wine with lots going on. More expressive than the 2020 Emrich Halenberg today, and for that reason more enjoyable today.
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2014 Domaine Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos St. Jean 85 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
There's just something about the Niellon oak profile that rubs me the wrong way these days. It feels really coarse and inelegant, and sticks out way too much, obscuring most everything chardonnay about this wine.
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2014 Guffens-Heynen Mâcon-Pierreclos Tri de Chavigne 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Pierreclos
Served double blind. Kind of a toss-up between chardonnay and chenin, but the slight citrus on the acid made me pick the former. Surprisingly mature with a bit of a sweet corn profile that was kind of interesting; not quite as put-together as some other Guffens I've had. I guessed this was around 10 years older than it actually was.
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2019 Armand Heitz Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Combes au Sud 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru
Pretty solid chardonnay with good acidity and freshness, though reflecting on my prior note I may have been a little more enthusiastic about this in the past. Ticks all the boxes.
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2003 Aubert Chardonnay Quarry Vineyard 85 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County
Served double blind. Oily and thick, with some unpleasant bitter notes on the finish immediately had me thinking Rhone white, but the acid profile was definitely more Chardonnay. Just not my cup of tea, no matter what.
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2006 Joseph Drouhin Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Petits Monts 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Very elegant and somewhat lighter than I expected for a 2006. No geosmin or weird rot notes here, this is actually very clean with a lovely spice note and fruit that comes off more red than black. Feels just a little bit dilute, but the flavour profile is outstanding, especially for a rough vintage like 2006.
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2001 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904 88 Points
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
At this point, the American oak is too intense for me (and that's coming from a huge fan of American oak). This is vanilla and dill all the way, with thinness on the palate that doesn't quite help (a riper wine would have held that oak much better). Too high in acid, this feels imbalanced.
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1999 Ridge Monte Bello 95 Points
USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains
Ridge Monte Bello is the greatest American wine, and this bottle is no exception to that. Plenty of American oak (though nowhere as much as the 2001 LRA) but counterbalanced by black fruit, dust, and leather. This drinks comfortably in a secondary phase but there is clearly so much further aging potential right now.
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2015 Château Nenin 85 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, Pomerol
Solid, if somewhat uninspiring Pomerol. Tastes a bit blocky and lacks the elegance of the appellation. More oak than it needs to have, and lots of very ripe fruit.
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2005 Domaine Barge Côte-Rôtie Côte Brune 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
The label doesn't actually designate either Brune or Plessy, though the CellarTracker link points to the Brune... in any case, this is the old label with the red box with a guy riding a horse in it. Unmistakable Northern Rhone syrah, and really, what syrah ought to be like. Meaty and feral, with olives and saline, and not much fruit despite the vintage. Structural and tannic, but given that the profile is so savoury already, perhaps not the most interesting to hold further.
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1995 Marc Sorrel Hermitage Flawed
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Corked.
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2000 Marc Sorrel Hermitage 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Meaty and very classically Hermitage with enough density, even though the lightness of the vintage is on full display. Mature; drink now.
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2020 Kilburg Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett 93 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
In the space of three days, three bottles of Kilburg, a new producer to me. This drinks a little more traditional as far Kabinett as concerned, with a pleasant roundness on the palate. Despite the relatively weaker(?) vintage, this was a whole lot better than the two 2021s I had two nights ago, more mineral cut, a good balance of fruit and acid, and enough presence on the palate as well.
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2021 Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Bianco Cuvée delle Vigne Niche Montalto 93 Points
Italy, Sicily, Etna DOC
Outstanding for the price; this was minerally in a volcanic way, with just the right amount of acidity. Almost chewy in that sense, with some saline qualities as well. Great stuff. I've loved the reds from Terre Nere, but these white wines are clearly no slouch either.
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2014 Bartolo Mascarello Langhe Freisa 85 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
Served double blind. Fizzy red wine. Angular, with some natty-like qualities though none of the biological instability. Not pleasant with its astringency. Getting to some sort of weird Italian wine wasn't hard. The producer reveal was a bit of a disappointment.
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2015 Domaine Coquard Loison-Fleurot Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Not a big fan of this -- it showed way too much oak right now which seemed to manage to cover up the fruit from an incredibly opulent vintage. Darker pinot character here.
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2020 Weingut Clemens Busch Marienburg Fahrlay Riesling Großes Gewächs 90 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
For MSR, Busch's tendency to make opulent, bigger wines actually works very well for the GG style. This doesn't feel thin and emaciated as so many other MSR GGs can be; this has just a hint of sweetness with the minerality that I really like, though this doesn't quite have the same intensity as my favourite dry German wine producers.
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2003 Teachworth Cabernet Sauvignon Manzanita Hill Vineyard 90 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Diamond Mountain
A new producer to me. Very restrained and light on its feet, despite the dark and ripe fruit on full display. Reasonably mature at this point, and very nice minerality too. Impressive Napa cab that drinks in quite an old school way.
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2003 Etude Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford 88 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Rutherford
Not quite my cup of tea here. More opulent with a high-toned quality that I find slightly distracting. Dark fruit as well, and showing good maturity. A bit of oak pokes through here, but this is quite well put-together.
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NV Hill Farmstead Southern Cross
USA, Vermont
From the 2019 hop harvest; bottled January 31, 2020. Pretty clean with precise hop notes, but missing the acidity that I like in my beer. Perhaps better when this was fresher?
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