Two bottles opened, one good one and one dud. Here's the dud, much leaner and grassier with a melon fruit profile. Sweetish but nothing dynamic to the texture.
Two bottles opened together, and this was the good one, despite the cork crumbling into the bottle. Much thicker and a deeper, more honeyed fruit profile than the other one, with a tarter acidity that balances it out. More of everything and a tasty bottle.
Deep bronzing color, looks and tastes more advanced than I would have expected. I think I was craving more brightness and definition here, but it has some interesting material.
Poured next to the franc de pied version, and today this is the more interesting wine, albeit also more rugged owing to its thick tannin. It opens with a meaty, peppery scent that eventually segues to some of the candied fruitiness on the franc de pied. The peppery kick and taut acidity are what make the wine work today, and it's a great example of what's best about 2004 Chinon, tightly structured and not diluted or washed out like some. Vastly improved since two years ago.
Poured next to the standard Varennes du Grand Clos, this has a more primary, fruity scent that's even a little candied, but the tannin is much thinner and gentler. It has a similar energy to the standard Varennes and some people guessed (on a blind pour) they were different grapes. I might have guessed gamay on this one if I hadn't known what they were.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Beautifully scented, a great mix of sweet and savory with a caramelized, maply thing and a more animalistic funk. Pretty, pale red fruit with a focused, acidic spine. A beautiful Chambolle.
1979 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Kronenberg Riesling Auslese Nr. 13 76 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Two bottles opened, one good one and one dud. Here's the dud, much leaner and grassier with a melon fruit profile. Sweetish but nothing dynamic to the texture.
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1979 Karthäuserhof Eitelsbacher Karthäuserhofberg Kronenberg Riesling Auslese Nr. 13 87 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Two bottles opened together, and this was the good one, despite the cork crumbling into the bottle. Much thicker and a deeper, more honeyed fruit profile than the other one, with a tarter acidity that balances it out. More of everything and a tasty bottle.
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2001 Weingut Willi Bründlmayer Riesling Zöbinger Heiligenstein 84 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Kamptal
Deep bronzing color, looks and tastes more advanced than I would have expected. I think I was craving more brightness and definition here, but it has some interesting material.
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2005 Domaine Huet Vouvray Demi-Sec Le Mont 94 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
A great showing, with pure, cleansing fruit and a texture that's about as crunchy as you can achieve in a wine of this sweetness.
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2004 Charles Joguet Chinon Les Varennes du Grand Clos 92 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon
Poured next to the franc de pied version, and today this is the more interesting wine, albeit also more rugged owing to its thick tannin. It opens with a meaty, peppery scent that eventually segues to some of the candied fruitiness on the franc de pied. The peppery kick and taut acidity are what make the wine work today, and it's a great example of what's best about 2004 Chinon, tightly structured and not diluted or washed out like some. Vastly improved since two years ago.
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2004 Charles Joguet Chinon Franc de Pied Les Varennes du Grand Clos 90 Points
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon
Poured next to the standard Varennes du Grand Clos, this has a more primary, fruity scent that's even a little candied, but the tannin is much thinner and gentler. It has a similar energy to the standard Varennes and some people guessed (on a blind pour) they were different grapes. I might have guessed gamay on this one if I hadn't known what they were.
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2004 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Feusselottes 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Beautifully scented, a great mix of sweet and savory with a caramelized, maply thing and a more animalistic funk. Pretty, pale red fruit with a focused, acidic spine. A beautiful Chambolle.
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2003 La Dame de Montrose 80 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe
Totally boring.
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1995 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 87 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Pretty good, don't think I would have guessed Chateauneuf.
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1995 M. Chapoutier Côte-Rôtie La Mordorée 85 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Nice and drinkable, still lightly tannic with good fruit sweetness but not showing much in the way of Cote-Rotie character.
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1986 B.R. Cohn Cabernet Sauvignon Olive Hill Estate Vineyards 76 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Dark and very, very sweet-tasting, but nothing else going on.
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