| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| Red |
1971 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-ContiRomanée-Conti Grand Cru Pinot Noir more |
3/6/2020 - ricardito Likes this wine: 100 pointsServed out of magnum at La Paulee Legends dinner in New York with Aubert de Villaine in attendance. RC in Magnums sourced directly from DRC-cork indicated reconditioned at Domaine in 2012. Very light rouge in glass with a sensational perfumed mix of mild black truffles and classic rose petals on the nose. Palate of lapins cherries slapped with sun dried cranberries-explosively complex out the lengthy backend where a killer peacock tail filled the olfaction with hints of bergamot and kirsch on the endless finish. Note that a 1971 La Tache (out of 750 ml) was on the table (Domaine sourced) at the same time, and the RC |
| Red |
1993 Domaine Leroy RichebourgRichebourg Grand Cru Pinot Noir more |
12/31/2021 - ricardito Likes this wine: 100 pointsMedium ruby with a massive essence of cranberry and tayberry nose. Take a brambleberry pie and slam it into a Spiegelau burg glass, whip it up- and you start to understand how intense these 93's from Lalou are-enveloping the palate for at least 10 minutes in essence of red Burgundy! When we barrel tasted these in the mid 90's, they were so big, I wondered if someone had slipped some Cornas into the glass, but alas it was sacred pinot from the revered court of Richebourg ! Finish of smoky Vosne spices, exploding out the backend, and the olfactory persistence that dreams are made of. Best Burgundy ever-opened at peak, more concentrated and ethereal than any other pinot produced on the planet......maybe! Best now-2055. Very glad to have more! |
| Red |
1990 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Ermitage Cuvée CathelinHermitage Syrah more |
5/14/2022 - ricardito Likes this wine: 100 pointsPart of a horizontal of 1990 red Hermitage. Back in the 80’s and 90’s I was fortunate enough to visit the sacred Chave cellars in Mauves on multiple occasions.. I met Gérard three times and happened to be there when Jean-Louis returned from his educational sojourn at Hartford and UC Davis. After tasting the bottled 1989 Rouge and the constituents of the 1990 Chave Hermitage Rouge, I was hooked on these wines, and subsequently went deep in the 1990 vintage- buying whatever was available. I have been lucky to follow the development of their prodigious 1990 reds, having enjoyed the Rouge 13 times since the early 90’s, and the fabled Cuvée Cathelin 5 times. The Cathelin Ermitage bottling first appeared in 1990 to commemorate a special painting made for the Chaves by a family friend-a local artist Bernard Cathelin. According to JL, the only difference between this and the “Regular” bottling, is that the cepage is almost exclusively from grapes originating in les Bessards vineyards on the hill of Hermitage, with a boatload of granite in the soil. In the decanter the Cathelin is darker than the regular 1990 Rouge, with an explosive nose of bramble berries and truffe noire, as if served in our 1915 woodshed in Sweden with loads of complexity from old wood and leather saddles . Huge palatal presence with sun dried Somerset black cherries and Bündnerfleisch, with a sprinkle of granite and an endless finish feathered with subtle pink peppercorns and cocoa, not unlike a Peacock’s tail that we witness rarely in Burgundy. Mamma mia, red wine does not get better than this! Best now-2060. |
| Red |
1990 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave HermitageSyrah more |
5/14/2022 - ricardito Likes this wine: 99 pointsPart of a Horizontal tasting of 1990 Red Hermitage. Back in the 80’s and 90’s I was fortunate enough to visit the sacred Chave cellars in Mauves on multiple occasions.. I met Gérard three times and happened to be there when Jean-Louis returned from his educational sojourn at Hartford and UC Davis. After tasting the bottled 1989 Rouge and the constituents of the 1990 Chave Hermitage Rouge, I was hooked on these wines, and subsequently went deep in the 1990 vintage- buying whatever was available. I have been lucky to follow the development of their prodigious 1990 reds, having enjoyed the Rouge 13 times since the early 90’s, and the fabled Cuvée Cathelin 5 times. These Rouge Chave wines have a very singularly unique Syrah tasting profile, and quite deservedly are legendary wines that seem to demand ever increasing prices. This 1990 Chave Rouge was opened and placed into a decanter for 30 minutes, as were all of these 750 ml bottles in this 1990 Hermitage horizontal tasting. This bottle- dark ruby core with minimal lightening and Madeira coloring at the rim. Explosive nose of Blackberries whipped with bridle leather and Rada barnboards, streaming into a kaleidoscope of salty sun dried Kordia cherries slapped with a whiff of hickory smoked wild boar. Palate long with a light feathering of Asian spices and white pepper on the finish. Impressive now but has the kahuna's to last. Wow, Red Hermitage at peak does not get better than this!. Best now to 2050. |
| Red |
1990 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La ChapelleSyrah more |
5/14/2022 - ricardito Likes this wine: 99 pointsPart of a Horizontal of 1990 red Hermitage tasting. Back in the early 90’s, virtually all the wine writers were going gaga over this wine, and thus I was compelled to arrange a visit at Jaboulet to separate fact from fiction. We had a fabulous visit at Jaboulet with Gérard Jaboulet, and easily determined that this wine was possibly the most concentrated and intense wine on the planet. Purchased a tanker full of this wine and have tasted it 22 times, in 375 and 750 bottlings. Served this wine blind to 5 knowledgeable wine weenies in 1995, and 4 of them thought I was pulling a fast one on them and serving black ink. Today this wine in the decanter for 30 minutes then poured into large Spiegelau burg glasses. Black to the rim with no sign of age and a nose of blenderized choke cherries and truffles. Huge palatal presence of viscous blackberries, mesquite smoked beef ribs, and a shake of black peppercorns on a long whacking finish, that lingers for over 2 minutes. Following the 61 and the 78 La Chapelle over the years, it is evident that this monster is no where close to prime-time drinking. It is fun to read tasting notes on this wine, which go from condemning the wine to not understanding what this wine is all about... What’s the hype all about? Buy as much as you can now, because in 20 years this wine will be a revelation in the glass. Way too young, as all of my other 21 tasting notes have confirmed. If you want to drink this now, can you decant it well in advance to taste the magic? Experimented from one hour to 48 hours decant time and this goliath does not budge in a favourable way. My advice-don’t open one yet as the magic will come to those who wait……Best 2035-2070. |
| Red |
2002 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La TâcheLa Tâche Grand Cru Pinot Noir more |
10/14/2022 - ricardito Likes this wine: 98 pointsWines of the Gods (House of AC and JC): Component of DRC Echezeaux and Grands Echezeaux vertical. This was listed as a 2002 DRC Echezeaux, but oh no! A corked Ech was replaced with a 2002 La Tache. Say what? No complaints from the gallery! Thanks to AC and JC ! Dark ruby with crushed Blackberries and cherry smoke on the palate, morphing into a huge savoury vine ripened raspberry and mineral shake-finishing with a peacock tail of cinnamon, cloves and Da Hong Pao tea. Classic LT that defines red burgundy at its finest! Alot of gas left in this tank! Best 2032-2072. |
| White |
2008 Marcassin Chardonnay Marcassin VineyardSonoma Coast more |
3/23/2022 - ricardito Likes this wine: 98 pointsBottle purchased on release from Marcassin and stored at sub 10 degrees Celsius since delivery. Bright yellow with nose of intense ripe Saturn peach and lemon curd. Explosive Ataulfo mango and Ambrosia apple on the palate with a slap of lemon at the lengthy back end. The nose and palatal presence is off the charts, but the most impressive feature of this wine is the incredible viscosity, reminiscent of most DRC Montrachet vintages at a similar age-Wow! To put this in perspective, I have been purchasing from the Aubert Chardonnay mailing list since 2004, and this bottle slays any of those many bottlings, which is no small feat ! This is my new gold standard for New World Chardonnay and the best I have ever had to date! |
| Red |
2015 Thomas Pinot Noir Dundee Hillsmore |
4/21/2018 - ricardito Likes this wine: 98 pointsLegends of the Spring 2018 (Portland, Oregon house of TW and AW): A stellar year for Pinot in Dundee Hills and this medium ruby wine with a satin violet nose of bright cranberries lives up to and beyond the vintage character. The sweet, structured quartz boysenberry palate morphs seamlessly into what great young Pinot Noir dreams are made of. Still very primary with a stupidly long finish, that befits easily- the most potential for any red wine from the 2015 vintage in Oregon that this taster has broached. - Wishing there were five cases of this future legend having a prolonged snooze in my cellar ! (2032-2052) |
| Red - Fortified |
1937 Antonio Jose da Silva Porto VintagePort Blend more |
11/6/2021 - ricardito Likes this wine: 98 pointsRenamed Quinta da Noval in 1973,and indeed one of the top port houses in Portugal currently .This bottle opened during dinner service and found to have a phenomenal nose of caramel and cashews. Golden brown colour with palate of bing cherries soaked in Brandy. Finish impossibly long - of crème caramel plastered with an assortment of nuts expanding on the back end and lasting until the following day. An outstanding tawny "look a like" and a delicious and exhilarating conclusion to the dinner of the ages! |
| White |
1992 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les PerrièresChardonnay more |
10/15/2019 - ricardito Likes this wine: 98 pointsPurchased on release. Light bronze colour with subtle mineral butterscotch nose. Thick, viscous pour with caramel lemon palate that lingers for 3 minutes and became a sensational bon marriage with the accompanying King Crab. Magnificent white burgundy that dreams are made of. A terrific bottle that I would drink now to breach the escalator to white burgundy Elysium |
| Red |
1996 Thomas Pinot Noir Willamette Valleymore |
4/21/2018 - ricardito Likes this wine: 98 pointsLegends of the Spring 2018 (Portland, Oregon house of TW and AW): A less than stellar year in Oregon, paradoxically this wine knocking it out of the park! Medium red with dried strawberries and rose petal palate, expanding like the oft talked about Peacock tail on the back end, delivering a smattering of Pecan wood shavings up the nose. A wow wine in Spades!! (now-2037) |
| White - Sparkling |
2005 Bollinger Champagne Vieilles Vignes FrançaisesPinot Noir more |
10/14/2022 - ricardito Likes this wine: 98 pointsWines of the Gods (House of AC and JC): Light yellow with smoky brioche nose. Intense peach stones with bright rose grapefruit on the deep palate, which effervesces into a complex triad of vanilla, hazelnut and bergamot on the long finish. A very dry champagne , masterly crafted from those unusual seeded pinot vines, that are rare indeed and come with a justifiably steep price that slays almost all competitors in the bubbly pantheon. |
| Red |
2005 Thibault Liger-Belair RichebourgRichebourg Grand Cru Pinot Noir more |
7/23/2020 - ricardito Likes this wine: 98 pointsIn a Galaxy Far, Far Away - Richebourg ! (Vancouver, BC, Canada): Very deep burgundy colour in glass with a sensational primary nose of blackberries and lingonberry. At a comparative tasting of Meo-Camuzet and DRC Richebourgs with this TLB more mid-palatal grip than the Meo’s, but substantially less than the DRC. None of the herbal garrigue characters that come with whole cluster fermentation as evidenced in the DRC, as this seems to be more opulent at this stage than the Meo’s, with so much silky fruit-that it was almost California like in the finish. Consistent with the geographic location in les Richebourg, at 15 years acting as a gorgeous big boy with the killer nose and no where near ready to test drive for another 10 years. 2 people found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (2) |
| White - Sweet/Dessert |
1986 Château d'YquemSauternes Sémillon-Sauvignon Blanc Blend more |
11/6/2021 - ricardito Likes this wine: 98 pointsTropical fruit nose on opening 9 hours prior to table service ...at that time deep yellow with caramelized peaches pummeling the olfactory senses. The 9 hour decant turned this into a thick viscous candied pineapple bomb with an S and M whip of botrytis and a 12 minute finish of ripe mango and honeysuckle. Probably better in 2050, but a force to be reckoned with now-the ultimate dessert wine that always delivers !!At release the greatest wine store in Seattle (McCarthy and Shiering) offered me 30% off if I bought 3 cases-happy to oblige and smart move in retrospect 33 years later. |
| Red |
1978 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti RichebourgRichebourg Grand Cru Pinot Noir more |
11/6/2021 - ricardito Likes this wine: 98 pointsVery light red in the glass with an expansive mix of crushed strawberries, subtle rose petals and faint saddle leather on the nose. A killer bourgogne rouge extraordinaire with impressive midpalate of sweet dried cranberries. Classic so-called “Peacock Tail” finish slamming the olfactory senses on the back end that draws well heeled Burg lovers from other planets (Venus comes to mind) to the table for a sniff and a sip of the greatest there ever was! The DRC big three (RC, LT and Rich) invariably rule the waves in the wine sea, as they seem to peak in 30-60 years, when these sweet strawberries and rose petals surface as the arguably pleasant stemminess ameliorates. Easy choice for bottle of the year….and 2nd best 78 ever served to me, with the best being a 1978 DRC RC-served by you know who (D and L) on December 12th , 2011. |
| Red |
2005 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti RichebourgRichebourg Grand Cru Pinot Noir more |
7/23/2020 - ricardito Likes this wine: 98 pointsIn a Galaxy Far, Far Away - Richebourg ! (Vancouver, BC, Canada): Medium red colour with nose mute at first. After 2 hours and aerial acrobatics with the glass, a Scentimental Rose fragrance appeared with star anise and blueberries. Thundering mid-palatal grip with Tayberries and intense structured Arctic Cranberries and no evidence of stems as so described in countless recent tasting notes. One wonders about the storage or authenticity of bottles so tasted, as this original purchase bottling clearly demonstrates that these stems as part of the whole cluster fermentation were perfectly mature-or the fruit was so massive that any “stemminess” was easily sidelined by the caliber of the fruit in this celebrated vintage. Ethereal finish of Montmorency cherries with a hint of Saishikomi soy. Closed now but wish I had 3 cases of this impressive elixir to enjoy in 15 years, when it’s open for business, with my son Thor who was born in 2005. |
| Red |
1993 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils ChambertinChambertin Grand Cru Pinot Noir more |
2/1/2022 - ricardito Likes this wine: 98 pointsPurchased on release for under 100 CDN. Started with 9 in the cellar, opened 4 of my own bottles, tasted this wine 13 times..... and have followed this for 27 years. The 1993 started to open 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comments (1) |
| Red |
2002 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti RichebourgRichebourg Grand Cru Pinot Noir more |
7/23/2020 - ricardito Likes this wine: 97 pointsIn a Galaxy Far, Far Away - Richebourg ! (Vancouver, BC, Canada): Light ruby with resplendent Earl Grey tea, mandarin orange peel and red currants on the nose. Balanced mulberries and modest pungent herbs on the very long grippy flavour, with a palate staining finish of lapins cherries and Usukuchi soy. Enjoyable now due to the well integrated modest tannins, but better juice in 10 years when the whole cluster acerb dissipates - leaving powerful free and clear structured les Richebourg joy. After the 2005-my easy second favourite of this DRC Richebourg flight-and one to seek out! |
| Red |
1999 Domaine René Engel Clos VougeotClos Vougeot Grand Cru Pinot Noir more |
12/27/2021 - ricardito Likes this wine: 97 pointsStored in cool Whistler cellar less than 45 degrees F and part of a vertical tasting of Engel Clos Vougeot.. Medium dark red with tart Queen Anne cherries on the nose. Solid big boy balanced palate of bumbleberries and sweet cranberries. A full bodied grippy palate lingering on the back end with a slap of Asian spices, expanding like a great Vosne Romanee Grand Cru, clearly indicating that Engel’s Vougeot’s are a step above the crowded Vougeot field. Very consistent nose and palate stylistically, from vintage to vintage. Best 2030-2050. |
| Red |
2003 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La TâcheLa Tâche Grand Cru Pinot Noir more |
10/14/2022 - ricardito Likes this wine: 97 pointsWines of the Gods (House of AC and JC): Component of DRC Echezeaux and Grands Echezeaux vertical. This was meant to be a 2003 Echezeaux, but it was corked, so our stupendous hosts wandered down to the cellar and brought this up as a replacement. Crazy move, but no complaints from the participants....we love our hosts-AC and JC! Dark ruby with ripe black currants on the nose. Massive sweet blueberries and strawberries on the complex smoke slapped palate. Atypical California grip but expands on the backend, with some savoury elements and Asian spices just like a great Vosne slayer of just about any wine on the planet ! Not really a classic La Tache, but so huge I imagine this wine will be at peak for my 16 year old on his 50th birthday. Best now to 2065. |
| Red |
1996 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils ChambertinChambertin Grand Cru Pinot Noir more |
2/1/2021 - ricardito Likes this wine: 97 pointsPurchased on release for 110 CDN and have followed this for 24 years. Part of the triad of 93,95and 96 that have taken their sweet time to open up. Another birthday wine served with smoked hickory rack of lamb. Medium ruby with explosive arctic tundra flowers and cranberries on the nose. Still tart Montmorency cherry palate, almost on the verge of opening, with big boy grip in spades and a strong finish of smoked cocoa. Best 2030-2055. |
| Red |
1971 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands-EchezeauxGrands-Echezeaux Grand Cru Pinot Noir more |
10/14/2022 - ricardito Likes this wine: 97 pointsWines of the Gods (House of AC and JC): Component of DRC Echezeaux and Grands Echezeaux vertical. Light ruby with mild rim bricking. Floral sous bois and Rada barn board nose. |
| White |
1996 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les PerrièresChardonnay more |
3/26/2022 - ricardito Likes this wine: 97 pointsMedium yellow with nutty vanilla nose. Initial powerhouse lemon mineral whack that after 2 hours morphed into a creamy stone fruit mid palate with a long subtle hazelnut finish. Paired fantastically with a Halibut Hollandaise emulsion prepared for a family birthday dinner. A bon marriage of Halibut and a killer Meursault, currently at the top of its game. Best now to 2030. |
| Red |
1985 Henri Jayer EchezeauxEchezeaux Grand Cru Pinot Noir more |
10/14/2022 - ricardito Likes this wine: 97 pointsWines of the Gods (House of AC and JC): Component of DRC Echezeaux and Grands Echezeaux vertical. Light ruby with explosive 5 spice and Kordia cherry nose. Gamey, saddle leather, sun dried strawberries on the palate with leather, lavender and Astorp barn boards on the very ethereal finish. Henri Jayer was a living legend in his own life, extolling the purity of fruit, and sometimes throwing a tad too much oak into some of his bottles....this bottle fantastic and easily silences any Jayer critics! Best now-2035. |
| Red |
1994 Thomas Pinot Noir Willamette Valleymore |
4/21/2018 - ricardito Likes this wine: 97 pointsLegends of the Spring 2018 (Portland, Oregon house of TW and AW): Light red with ethereal nose of frangipani and roses showering the olfaction. Fading structure giving way to secondary balanced, sweet red current compote, expanding exponentially like a never-ending rainbow of sun-dried rose hips. In a word-terrific and clearly worth the price of admission! (now-2034) |
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- Tasting notes: 158 notes on 154 wines
