| Wine Type | Vintage Name Variety Locale | Date Posted Score Helpful Comments More... |
|---|---|---|
| Red |
2006 Château Léoville Las CasesSt. Julien Red Bordeaux Blend more |
2/18/2024 - slaughterer Likes this wine: 97 pointsAfter a two hour decant, this was a very enjoyable off-vintage LLC that has nicely developed. Side by side with Chateau Latour (its first growth neighbour) I preferred the LLC. Tannins are very fine and do not get in the way. Acidity makes you want to come back for more. Just the right balance of juiciness, sweetness and underlying classic structure. Blackberries, dark cherries, cedar, some graphite, but also a tropical element often missing from LLC. Very nice. |
| White |
2018 von Winning Riesling MarmarPfalz more |
1/22/2024 - slaughterer Likes this wine: 95 pointsProbably the sweetest MarMar in the last 5 years. The residual sugar no doubt comes from the ripeness of the fruit in the long hot growing season of 2018. Impressive thick juicy concentration with notes of apple, quince, peach, and vanilla. Very persistent and long. Low acid. Integrated and ready to drink in 2023. |
| White |
2022 Miani ChardonnayFriuli Colli Orientali more |
1/22/2024 - slaughterer Likes this wine: 92 pointsThe wines of Miani have turned our attention directly to a dedicated and gifted loner--in this case, an engineer-turned-farmer-turned-winemaker perfecting the vineyards of his family. I don't think it's out of order to observe that bottles of Miani wines are almost impossible to get, either allocated on a single bottle basis (as this one was for me in a wine store in Como, Italy), or only accessible to premium or club members of individual retailers. In the spirit of generosity, even this base level Chardonnay is an admirable statement in an elegant Burgundy-esue dispensation towards a clean, refined Marc-Morey-Chassagne-type-style (this is actually even more elegant than a Marc Morey) with an almost clear colour and very recessed fragrances. The spicy wood tones leave the subtleties of the smokey white peach fruit core intact. This is not an easy style to handle, but this is where the soul of these grapes sits. Very elegant, light and ethereal. One would think, from the glorifying praise for Miani from the wine press, that this wine would be an enlightening synthesis of Western culture that stands above all competitors, but it is actually a very unique, understated expression of Chardonnay, maybe even easy to overlook. For connoisseurs not looking for power, but finesse. Too bad I was limited to only one bottle. |
| White |
2020 von Winning Riesling MarmarPfalz more |
12/23/2023 - slaughterer Likes this wine: 97 pointsSomewhat closed at beginning. After 30 Minutes the nose picks up white flowers, orange peel and fine herbs. Very fine, balanced MarMar, with a subtle persistence--not as extracted and powerful as the 2019 or 2021: elegant, precise, but still with some grip. Fruit medley of quince, apricot, ripe apple, some orange and lemon, not much other exotic fruit as other vintages. Very expressive and, IMO, fully approachable in 2023. |
| White |
2021 Weingut Carsten Saalwächter Weißer Burgunder Hoher FelsRheinhessen more |
12/23/2023 - slaughterer Likes this wine: 93 pointsVery exciting mix of flint, oyster shell, limestone, algae, green apricot, and barnyard in the nose. Persistent palate of citrus, pears (including the skin), lemon, herbs, and flint. Long, salty, absolutely focussed, cool finish. Improves with an hour in glass. Tend to think Saalwächter's white wines are less reductive than the reds from them. Or, at least, the reduction in this vintage was very well managed. In addition, the winemaker avoided the mistakes that were to be made in the 2021 German vintage. This is a very refined, persistent and balanced terroir wine for 2021. |
| Red |
2006 Château TrotanoyPomerol Red Bordeaux Blend more |
12/23/2023 - slaughterer Likes this wine: 95 pointsOpened up to its fullest expression after a two hour decant. Some bitterness surrounding the milk-chocolate-and-dark-cherry centre, which is like a fruit holograph in the background, slowly fading, giving way to clay-derived and leathery secondary and tertiary terroir elements. Wonderfully polished tannins, and elegant mouthfeel keeps you coming back for more. Just wish it was more rounded and less bitter. |
| Red |
2005 Château PavieSt. Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend more |
12/22/2023 - slaughterer wrote: flawedMadeirized to the hilt. Down the drain. Tons of sediment in this bottle as I watched it swirl away down to the sewer. |
| White |
2021 David Moret Saint-Romain BlancChardonnay more |
11/20/2023 - slaughterer Likes this wine: 91 pointsVery stone-driven with fine barrique notes that blow off after 30 Minutes. Somehow the cold vintage and this high-altitude vineyard plays well to David Moret's typically creamy style, adding freshness and vivacity. Lemon peel, grapefruit on the nose. Brioche on the tail end. Some exotic spice notes after some time in glass. A nice entry level wine. |
| Red |
2006 Château TrotanoyPomerol Red Bordeaux Blend more |
8/12/2023 - slaughterer Likes this wine: 94 pointsDecanted for 2 hours before serving. Some slight sediment. Refined mouthfeel with finely chiseled tannins, alcohol hardly noticeable. Somewhat faded fruit profile with sweet plums, sour cherries, chocolate, spices and herbs--absolutely no blackberry notes. I found this rather muted, gentle, reserved and not at all a full-throttle Trotanoy. Still, it is a well designed and very noble and pleasurable wine. |
| White |
2021 Agnès Paquet Bourgogne-Aligoté Le Clou et la Plumemore |
8/12/2023 - slaughterer wrote: 88 pointsFine nose of delicate citrus, white peach, flowers. Slim, energetic on palate with some hints of grapefruit and lemon grass added to the nose. Very chic and fresh and delicate, but not very rich as the grapes added from Meursault might indicate. Nice as an aperitif but I do not see how this will hold up with a main dish. Has class and pedigree, but on the lower level of the Agnes Paquet ranges. |
| White |
2021 Domaine Leflaive Mâcon-Verzé Les ChênesChardonnay more |
8/11/2023 - slaughterer Likes this wine: 91 pointsIntense aromas of peach, and ripe lemon on the nose, that later grip on the palate. Very exciting mouthfeel, yet somewhat light--like many 2021s, the wine dances on the palate. Juicy but with a fine mineral content. Very precise Chardonnay rich in finesse. Leflaive really knows how to do up a Macon wine, for sure. |
| White |
2020 Weingut Carsten Saalwächter Chardonnay ReserveRheinhessen more |
8/11/2023 - slaughterer Likes this wine: 95 pointsA reserve wine with very long elevage and yeast contact. On the nose: gunpowder, sliced apple, lemon, thyme, lemon balm, verbena, peach. Deep dark minerals. Palate of powerful, enormous concentration. Finely chiseled, mature acidity. Lots of grip and salty minerality. Reductive notes of rotten eggs and a bit of garlic, but these are very slight and disappear as the wine is exposed to air upon serving. As grandiose as a Puligny Montrachet premier. Great fun, but treat this with respect: drink after decanting, in large Montrachet stemware, at almost room temperature, like a big Burgundy wine |
| White |
2016 von Winning Deidesheimer Kalkofen Riesling Großes GewächsPfalz more |
2/9/2023 - slaughterer Likes this wine: 92 pointsFresh white peach skin and ripe gardenia pollen on nose. Green pepper, mirabelle, pineapple. apple and under-ripe peach on palate. Not as complex as the 2015, which has the edge in acid profile and fruit expansion. This is much more compact by comparison. Would be curious to see where this goes in 1-2 years though. |
| White |
2018 François Lumpp Givry 1er Cru Crausot BlancChardonnay more |
2/4/2023 - slaughterer wrote: 91 pointsNose of bread, mint, and orchard fruit. Medium bodied, satiny palate, with a vibrant core of white peach, passion fruit, melon, and some creamy caramel notes towards the end that interfere with the development of the mineral finish. I tend to find Lumpp's red wines much more dense, serious and powerful than the white wines. This 2018 Crausot Blanc is no exception. Still, it is a decent, neat, little food-friendly wine which shows no stylistic errors. |
| White |
2015 von Winning Deidesheimer Kalkofen Riesling Großes GewächsPfalz more |
2/4/2023 - slaughterer wrote: 95 pointsThe 2015 German vintage at 8 years still has a fecund concentration and bite--as proven here. Nose of pear, pineapple, maracuja, and some white peach. The fruit element of the nose is even more overflowing on the palate (yielding additional litchi and apple notes), with the extra element added by the barrique above and beyond creation, growth and nourishment, adding spice and some vanilla confection. The chalky mineral base reaches out after the initial attack of the acid recedes. A fulminant barrique-driven Riesling--in a modern Burgundy style. All parts fully integrated with one another--if at the cost of the tropical fruit explosion that this site shows initially after bottling. My suspicion is that the grapes of this site might be extracted even more to better survive the aging process, which for these von Winning 1st growths on the Deidesheim (not Forst) sites tends to round off the initial wildness in favor of more balance of component parts. |
| Red |
2006 Domaine Michel Noëllat Clos VougeotClos Vougeot Grand Cru Pinot Noir more |
1/30/2023 - slaughterer wrote: 89 pointsNot from my own cellar. Horrible cork which broke apart. Double decanted for two hours--which I highly recommend. Withdrawn nose of cherries and freshly moist soil. Brittle initial acidic attack which yields a hard palate of cherries, soil, and some autumn leaf decay. Medium weight. Tannins somewhat rustical. Not really up to Grand Cru level. |
| White |
2021 Château de Vaudieu Châteauneuf-du-Pape BlancWhite Rhone Blend more |
1/30/2023 - slaughterer wrote: 90 pointsFine nose with barrique vanilla and some exotic fruit. On the palate papaya, mango, orange zest, peach, jasmine, pineapple, maracuya, caramel. The heat from the alcohol cuts into what I imagine would be an otherwise creamy finale. Too much alcohol for my taste to be a truly elegant and balanced wine. |
| White |
2021 Julian Haart MoselRieslingMosel Saar Ruwer more |
12/30/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine: 90 pointsTight ripe acid, lemon zest, greenish citrus fruits, dark minerals, some salt. Nice dry extract, if a bit bitter at this stage. Elegant, light mouthfeel that dances in your palate. No doubt needs a few years to open further. |
| White |
2020 von Winning Forster Riesling U 500Pfalz more |
12/30/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine: 94 pointsPNP, which was a mistake. Very tight, and not opening up in Montrachet stemware even after a few hours. What was jutting out however was a high intensity, electric palate of pineapple, mango, volcanic minerals and 500L barrique notes. Still a baby. Puerile now but later no doubt will be a very hedonistic powerful Riesling. Best to wait another 2-3-5 years. |
| Red |
2018 Château Canon-la-Gaffelière Les Hauts de Canon-la-GaffeliereSt. Émilion Red Bordeaux Blend more |
12/29/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine: 90 pointsNeeds a three hour decant to open up. A miniature version of the first wine, made with younger vines. Modern St. Emilion palate of cherry, milk chocolate and some herbs. Heat throughout from the 14.5% ABV. The thin, brittle palate leaves you wanting the extra fruit substance of the first wine, which is of course much richer, but this second wine is still a good accompaniment with the right food. Its lightness does not only call out for red meat. |
| White |
2014 Domaine Jacques Prieur Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les CombettesChardonnay more |
12/18/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine: 95 pointsLight golden color, nose of flora, citrus fruits, marzipan. On the palate zesty Meyer lemon, lime, some pear, a little caramel, with a slight amount of bitter citrus acid in the end. Very precise and rich and elegant, very fresh and mineral with a long finish. Enchantingly alive for two hours in glass before fading. Perfect time to drink up. |
| White |
2017 Knipser Chardonnay ***Pfalz more |
12/12/2022 - slaughterer wrote: 88 pointsCould easily be mistaken for a low-mid Sonoma Chardonnay rather than a Pfälzer. Heavy oak on nose and palate with lots of alcohol legs. Nose of yellow apple peel and smoke. Crisp clear attack of peach, apple, caramel, vanilla, butter and bourbon barrel. Some lingering limestone in the decay, but overall very short. Needs food. |
| White |
2020 Château des Rontets Pouilly-Fuissé Clos VarambonChardonnay more |
12/4/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine: 93 pointsNose of white flowers, and green citrus fruits. Palate of quinine, pears, caramelized pineapple. With time in glass, add apples. Some salty minerals. Very balanced. Tightly wound but open. With substance. Lovely. |
| Red |
2019 Weingut Carsten Saalwächter Assmannshausen Pinot Noir HöllenbergRheingau more |
5/7/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine: 92 pointsPleasantly inviting, fine, almost salty bouquet of red berries. Very fresh, ripe blood orange, black cherry and blackberries on a light, juicy, charming palate, Tannins are fine and silky, and the alcohol hardly is sensed. This not a powerhouse Höllenberg loaded with blackberry and bacon fat, but a fine, extremely precise wine with a complex aromatic expression. Very much in style of a young modern Chambolle: elegant, ripe, clean. |
| White |
2020 von Winning Deidesheimer Paradiesgarten RieslingPfalz more |
1/18/2022 - slaughterer Likes this wine: 89 pointsThis 1st Growth from elevated vineyards near the woods surrounding Deidesheim is probably the most popular crowd-pleasing VW wine. While the 2019 is probably a 93 point wine for me because of its racyness and full fruit expression, the 2020 seems almost diluted in its withdrawn elegance. There is a pattern here: I am rating the same 2020 wines three or four points lower than the 2019s. No need for buyer's remorse if you went long 2019 Germany, whereas the 2020s are really not showing well enough by comparison to compete. That said, the 2020 is a warm, elegant wine with fine and exotic fruit. Light smoke notes on the nose. Pear, apple, some peach and orange zest, kumquat come forward on a thin, piquant palate. While the 2020 does not have the juicy fatness of the 2019, it is well made and has a long ending. |
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- Tasting notes: 330 notes on 271 wines
