Tinge of green. Tangy, ripe, and full-bodied, showing complex green banana and papaya flavors along with light chili spice. A very unusual flavor combination. Rich; dry on the finish with a creamy mouthfeel. Steadily improved in the glass. Delicious.
Aging much better than I would have thought. Big, ripe, and tropical, but not lacking for freshness. Classic Sonoma Chardonnay flavors. Some sweetness creeps up on the finish, but overall pretty well balanced.
Odd notes of vinyl on the initial nose that quickly blew off. So possibly not a representative bottle. Super-ripe, pruny fruit and vanilla Coke flavors, but less overtly sweet on the palate than the nose would suggest. Some earthy character on the midpalate. Long, rich finish. This isn't really my style.
Moderately sweet, expressive raspberry/cherry fruit, smoke, and spice, with nice underlying structure. The fruit is gorgeously pure, and deftly framed by acidity and oak. Tasty and only hinting at future development. Really impressive. One of the best Cali PNs I've had in a long time.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Wide open, expressive red fruit, flowers, tobacco, and pine needles. Nice texture; medium body and finish. Tasty and, to my palate, nearing its peak drinking window. Classy stuff; Dujac's 2000s are some of my favorites from this (modest, IMHO) vintage.
Cherry cough syrup and overwhelming alcohol. Terribly out of balance. Really awful, unpleasant stuff, and not just because most of the other wines at dinner were Burgs.
Way too young. In a strange, astringent phase at the moment, with complex spice and red fruit flavors that can just barely be coaxed out of hibernation. Promising but impossible to evaluate at present.
NV George Lacombe Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Prestige Brut 88 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Toasty green apple/citrus. Fresh and large-scaled, with decent acidity and good balance. Very good if not exactly thrilling.
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2002 Nigl Riesling Privat 92 Points
Austria, Niederösterreich, Kremstal
Tinge of green. Tangy, ripe, and full-bodied, showing complex green banana and papaya flavors along with light chili spice. A very unusual flavor combination. Rich; dry on the finish with a creamy mouthfeel. Steadily improved in the glass. Delicious.
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1998 Hanzell Chardonnay 88 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Aging much better than I would have thought. Big, ripe, and tropical, but not lacking for freshness. Classic Sonoma Chardonnay flavors. Some sweetness creeps up on the finish, but overall pretty well balanced.
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2002 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Beaune du Château 87 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
Light funk, some tart cherries and blocky oak. Ripe and a bit rustic on the palate.
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2004 Calera Pinot Noir Jensen Vineyard 85 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Mount Harlan
Odd notes of vinyl on the initial nose that quickly blew off. So possibly not a representative bottle. Super-ripe, pruny fruit and vanilla Coke flavors, but less overtly sweet on the palate than the nose would suggest. Some earthy character on the midpalate. Long, rich finish. This isn't really my style.
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2001 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Consistent with prior TNs. Smoky dark fruit, really well balanced and pure, with a long finish.
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2007 Copain Pinot Noir "En Haut" Kiser 93 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
Moderately sweet, expressive raspberry/cherry fruit, smoke, and spice, with nice underlying structure. The fruit is gorgeously pure, and deftly framed by acidity and oak. Tasty and only hinting at future development. Really impressive. One of the best Cali PNs I've had in a long time.
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2000 Domaine Dujac Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Gruenchers 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Wide open, expressive red fruit, flowers, tobacco, and pine needles. Nice texture; medium body and finish. Tasty and, to my palate, nearing its peak drinking window. Classy stuff; Dujac's 2000s are some of my favorites from this (modest, IMHO) vintage.
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2005 Radio-Coteau Pinot Noir Savoy Vineyard 70 Points
USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley
Cherry cough syrup and overwhelming alcohol. Terribly out of balance. Really awful, unpleasant stuff, and not just because most of the other wines at dinner were Burgs.
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2006 Domaine Marquis d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Champans
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Way too young. In a strange, astringent phase at the moment, with complex spice and red fruit flavors that can just barely be coaxed out of hibernation. Promising but impossible to evaluate at present.
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2004 Cakebread Cellars Pinot Noir 80 Points
USA, California, Napa / Sonoma, Carneros
Simple, candied red fruit. The palate is not bad, but the finish turns plastic and medicinal. Drink these soon if you have any.
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1998 M. Chapoutier Côte-Rôtie La Mordorée 90 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
A decent example of this. Nice nose. More herbal and light on the palate than previous bottles, but overall quite tasty and complex.
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