4/25/2024 - ACellarCat wrote:

Medium yellow with aromatic scent of lime, grapefruit and straw. I tasted lime, flint and grapefruit —which gave it that slight bitter finishing. It has that signature salinity that is expected of a Chablis.

Medium bodied at 12.5% ABV (not excessive) with medium acidity and a medium finish. It leaves a clean palate after some time. In this regard, some may find this wine light, even watery, but I think it is a sign of its refinement, where there is an “end” with a nice soft finish.

Appellation-wise. this is not Grand Cru or Premier Cru but a third tier, village-level Chablis. It is ok taste-wise and I do not want to over-state this bottle. It is not peak level Chardonnay etc. Just a nice middle-of-the-road village-level Chablis.

4/25/2024 - Jason Wu Likes this wine:

Wow! Great acidity, intense flor, dry fig, rice cracker, almond, such a long, persistent, ever-changing finish with nutty, dry fruit, saline notes coming waves by waves. Love it!

4/24/2024 - comlaw Likes this wine:

Decanted for 30 minutes. Complex, well balanced pinot with dark and red fruit, moderate tannins and acidity. Medium bodied with long finish. Drinking very well right now.

4/25/2024 - Tabascobill wrote:

Actually better than I expected. Good fruit. It overly complex but a nice bottle.

4/25/2024 - mark_k Likes this wine:

This is in a great place. Waxy and quite full and round despite being low in alcohol. Fruit driven, with a bit of smoke, this ticks all the right boxes for a glass of meditation Riesling. Slight hint of petrol, plenty of limey fruit - this is not one of those super stony, slate dominant Rieslings, it's more a rounded fruity style. I think it will sit at this happy level for another 5 years easy.

4/25/2024 - Jason Wu wrote:

Fresh strawberry, medicinal, nutmeg and spices. Palate very much aligns with nose.

4/25/2024 - Jason Wu wrote:

Lifted herbal notes, rosemary, spicy, canned sugary pineapple, dry apricot, oak, honey and marzipan. very ripe and fuller in body.

4/25/2024 - Radegast12 Does not like this wine:

Vypito u nasich jak delali slavky, trochu sladsi, ale ok

4/24/2024 - David Paris (dbp) wrote:

Drank from magnum... no formal notes taken, but this was absolutely alive and thriving. It took about an hour of air to really start to come around and reveal its fruit; at first I feared it was gone, but it actually was the opposite... just needed air. A beautiful, complete Valpolicella Superiore, with integrated, but still present structure. Look forward to exploring the next bottle in more detail, but this fit the bill exactly for what you want it to be at this age.

4/25/2024 - Jason Wu Likes this wine:

Red cherry, star anise, toast, juicy, dry orange peel, sweet spice, close knit tannins, structured but fine. Great flavour intensity, particularly at mid palate, with balanced oak and fruits. Persistent finish. Very well made. Need time to develop.

4/25/2024 - Jason Wu wrote:

Candied fruit, rosemary, spicy. Tannins a bit coarse, punch on the face.

4/25/2024 - markjanes wrote:

similar note

4/24/2024 - Schiffy Likes this wine:

Sweet cherry and raspberry fruit with notes of tobacco and spice on the finish. Balanced and drinking very well right now…will benefit from a 30 minute decant.

4/25/2024 - Radegast12 Does not like this wine:

Vypito u nasich jak delali slavky - trochu sladke, noc moc

4/25/2024 - Jason Wu Likes this wine:

Medicinal, wet dirt, red plum, red currant. On the palate, complex flavors with savoury, gamy, red plum, tree bark. Juicy and delicious. Drink at its peak.

4/24/2024 - isbjoern wrote:

Lovely Chianti Classico. Bright cherry fruit, a hint balsamic, lively acidity, super elegant tannins and perfect oak integration, some spices and pepper, always juicy and mouthwatering with great energy and tension. I like it a lot. Good for drinking now, but will easily hold 5-10 years. - 91 points

4/25/2024 - Jason Wu Likes this wine:

Red plum, red currant, orange peel, great intensity but not overly done. Awesomely balanced with lifted acidity and red fruit intensity. Lingering finish with a touch of oak sweetness at the end, perfectly integrated. Still quite youthful and muted especially on the palate. Need time to shine.

4/25/2024 - Jason Wu Likes this wine:

Wet leaves, dirt, red plum, mushroom, medicinal, black tea. Fully developed on the nose, but the fruit is still present on the palate supported with spicy and red fruits. Delicious to drink now!

4/25/2024 - rogerr Likes this wine:

Probably should have cellared this but was curious. Drank over 3 days. A bit harsh on first taste but opens up nicely after about a half hour. On day 2 it peaked with flavors in balance. Enjoyable but not highly memorable. Day 3 still holding up but dropping a bit. Will buy it again if I find it at a decent price.

4/25/2024 - Jason Wu Likes this wine:

Toast, sour dough, unique ‘dirt’ note from Xarel.lo, lemon juice, not as high acidity as Champagne, rounder on the palate.

4/25/2024 - Jason Wu wrote:

Violet, vanilla, dark cherry, dark plum, heavily oaked, better than Toro.

4/25/2024 - Jason Wu Does not like this wine:

Vanilla, coconut, prune, dark fruit, mocha, too much heavily oaked, intense, typical Toro. Don’t like this type of wine.

4/25/2024 - Jason Wu Likes this wine:

Red plum, raspberry, strawberry, high acidity, juicy, subtle pepper and meaty note, very good with food.

4/24/2024 - HandmadeHomemade Likes this wine:

Pours a medium gold in the glass. Developing med + intensity aromas of honey, orange marmalade, lemon, white peach, yellow apple, quince, apricot, white fig, wet rocks, hazelnuts, toast, vanilla. In the mouth, the wine is dry, full body, med acid, high alcohol, med + palate intensity, med finish. Overall, good/very good. I feel like this wine is overdeveloped for being 5yrs old. The wine is very fleshy in the mouth, which is what I was expecting, alcohol is noticeable and stands out in front, I also wanted a bit more acid, longer finish, and expected a bit more intensity in both the nose and mouth.

I see that some compare this wine to Condrieu- there's no viognier in this wine, St. Joseph blanc is typically marsanne dominant with some roussanne, I feel like comparing the two throws expectations off from what either is or should be.

4/25/2024 - Bernt Olav wrote:

Strågul farge. Aroma med preg av gult eple, voks, sitrus og smør. Medium fyldig, bra intensitet, flott syre som gir ryggrad og friskhet. Sitter lenge. Nydelig vin som fremdeles har oppside. 92+p

4/25/2024 - Jason Wu Likes this wine:

Gooseberry, green apple, lemon, subtle creaminess. Very high acidity, some lovely flinty and salty lemon notes lingering.

4/25/2024 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

Really rich cabernet fruit character, and on the palate as well. Just opened and certainly all the stuffing is there, just needs to ease in.

4/24/2024 - ankitmehra Likes this wine:

Perhaps an imbibed decision to open this after a bottle of Morey-Saint-Denis at dinner, but after reading about the vinification changes Château Branaire-Ducru have undergone since the 1990s, I was eager to try a bottle from that period. Enjoying many of the bottles I've tried from the 1995 vintage, it was a no-brainer when I saw this bottle for sale and that confidence was rewarded after a 30 minute decant last night. The 1995 Château Branaire-Ducru opened up wonderfully, drinking younger than anticipated and boasting a lot of power over the course of two hours. The nose medlied lots of classic Bordeaux qualities as blackcurrants, cigar box, pencil shavings and a hint of smoke all came together. The fruit was singing as the upfront was packed with blackberries and even a hint of rhubarb before the mid-palate moved into a backbone of cedar wood, licorice and a hint of earthiness. The power of this bottle was well represented in the finish as notes of crème de cassis and meatiness came across an elongated finish that boasted racy acidity.

4/24/2024 - thelostverse wrote:

Notes of lemon oil and citrus. Drinking well.

4/19/2024 - lung2297 wrote:

A relatively deep colour rose. Cherry, cranberry, earthy, high acidity.

4/25/2024 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

Has a little bit of a touch of the green bean funky thing to it. But just opened so needs to freshen up a bit and get some oxygen. And a bit of a wooly oak character on the palate as well. But I assume that oxygen will smooth and broaden that out.

4/24/2024 - thelostverse wrote:

Last of the library purchased bottles. Similar notes as prior bottles and still drinking well.

4/24/2024 - ankitmehra Likes this wine:

This was a wine I thoroughly enjoyed tracking over the course of the night. My first experience with Gérard Raphet as a producer, I was eager to try this the day I got it, but waited a month until I opened this bottle up. The wine immediately came off a little thin, but I persevered and allowed it to slow oxidise for about two hours before dinner.

What a difference two hours makes.

The power of the wine began to emerge the moment we poured it into our glasses, boasting a nose consisting of blackberries, leather and tobacco. The palate opened up with an upfront that pushed a balance of raspberries and a funky sous bois note. The mid-palate continued on with that funk as a hint of blackcurrant medlied with a mossy / vegetal note that eventually became subdued. The finish was really powerful as notes of iron, leather and spices all medlied together across some well integrated acidity. This was a wine worth letting open up.

4/19/2024 - lung2297 Likes this wine:

Complex nose, toasty, apple. A good sparkling that on par to a champagne

4/25/2024 - EXPLORER 825 Likes this wine:

Light pale yellow color in the glass.
Aromas of nectarines, ripe pears, lemons and hint of honey.
On the palate, tart, light bodied mouthfeel with quite mild flavor notes.
Pleasant wine, but light on fruit flavors. Finish as expected.
Maybe better served nearer room temperature.

4/25/2024 - Ben Christiansen wrote:

Bold lemon curd character to the nose. Bold on the palate as well with fruit character and also with vibrancy. A little bit of a style change in 2020 with this wine - 7 months of barrel aged SB going into this because of folding in Georgia in that vintage.

4/25/2024 - huse Likes this wine:

Wonderful Kremstal Riesling grown on the loess-limestone soils of the small terraced ‘Moosburgerin’ vineyard (located in the village of Gedersdorf, about eight kilometers north-east of the city of Krems an der Donau). Maturation: the wine was aged on its fine lees for eight months. Color: beautiful pale green-yellow with silver reflections. Bouquet: truly inviting nose with notes of peach, apricot, meadow flowers and a hint of orange zest and flint. On the palate: a complex but extremely refined and well-balanced wine dominated by succulent citrus- and yellow stone fruit, with an impressive depth and a brilliant structure that is supported by a ripe but racy acidity. Finish: magnificent mineral aftertaste. An outstanding Riesling wine, already highly enjoyable now but also with an excellent aging potential.

Prachtige Riesling uit het Kremstal, geteeld op de löss-kalksteen bodems van de kleine geterrasseerde 'Moosburgerin' wijngaard (gelegen in het dorp Gedersdorf, ongeveer acht kilometer ten noordoosten van de stad Krems an der Donau). Rijping: acht maanden ‘sur lie’. Kleur: mooi bleek groengeel met zilveren schakeringen. Bouquet: verleidelijke neus met aroma’s van perzik, abrikoos, weidebloemen en ook een vleugje sinaasappelzeste en vuursteen. In de mond: een complexe maar uiterst verfijnde en evenwichtige wijn, gedomineerd door succulent citrus- en geel steenfruit, met een geweldige diepgang en een briljante structuur die wordt geschraagd door een rijpe maar pittige aciditeit. Finale: schitterende minerale afdronk. Een excellente Rieslingwijn, nu al heerlijk op dronk en met een uitstekend bewaarpotentieel.

4/24/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Two weeks in France; 4/12/2024-4/24/2024: By the glass at Montee. New-school style with explosive floral aromatics and juicy red fruit, but still had good structure. Good restraint from the cooler vintage. Big fan of what this producer is doing and think this is a step up from his 2017s, as he has evolved to a more red-fruited, less rustic style.

4/25/2024 - KayB Likes this wine:

Very good. Not a ton of MLF or oak taste which I prefer. Tropical fruits (guava?), peach, toast, citrus, minerals, and oak. Great balance among all this. Went really nicely with a rich fish dish. Had a pleasant med+ finish. Everyone enjoyed.

4/23/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Two weeks in France; 4/12/2024-4/24/2024: Off the list at Le Baratin for 51€. Similar to my previous bottle in Singapore but felt fresher - think that natural wines drunk in France have more energy, which made this fun and serious at the same time.

4/24/2024 - djpo wrote:

Salinity and acidity rounded out with just the right amount of sweetness.

4/23/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Two weeks in France; 4/12/2024-4/24/2024: Off the list at Caves Legrand for 217€, a little on the high side compared to some bargains on the list but I've been searching for this for some time. A filigreed, balanced champagne with precise red fruit. Started off round and rich with slightly oxidative and yeasty notes, but with time it gained elegance and became more vinous. A very contemplative champagne which I liked a lot.

4/22/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Two weeks in France; 4/12/2024-4/24/2024: Off the list at Tan Dinh. Fantastic selection but prices here were mostly marked to market, glad to have found this for 185€. Sweet, autumnal dark red fruit on both the nose and the palate; agree with a previous note that mentioned surmaturité. Oak and tannins quite resolved with delicate (but not tertiary) floral notes. Always a great feeling to drink a good Burgundy at its peak. On a side note, the owner was really friendly and said he has been collecting wine since 1968!

4/22/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Two weeks in France; 4/12/2024-4/24/2024: Lucky to take the last bottle of this at Bistro Volnay for 175€. Similar to the ‘17 Chaignots last week - started off dense and a little rustic, but with time the silky structure emerged. More refined than NSG but would benefit from more time.

4/22/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Two weeks in France; 4/12/2024-4/24/2024: Alas we were not done, I asked for the wine list and saw this and immediately asked for it - thankfully Hide was willing to let go of his last bottle. Barely any bubbles and didn’t feel like a saignée, in fact the fruit was so pure, fresh and weightless it reminded me the texture of the best Burgundies. Chiselled, precise and elegant, absolutely outstanding and the best champagne that I have drunk on this trip.

4/25/2024 - PowerPete wrote:

After a few hours of decanting. Smooth and lovely

4/22/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Two weeks in France; 4/12/2024-4/24/2024: This was shared alongside a 1930s Muscat (which was a generic negoce wine) to end off the dinner. I thought this was a Sauternes from the colour until the rest said that there wasn’t any Sauternes marker. Eventually, someone managed to impressively nail this as a sweet Mâcon white because of the white truffle note. Honey and apricot notes but with higher acidity than a Sauternes, this was very enjoyable. Not produced anymore, leaving Bongran as the other famous producer that still makes a sweet from this region. As for the older Muscat, it was completely brown but with still surprisingly vibrant fruit.

4/22/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Two weeks in France; 4/12/2024-4/24/2024: Bought a couple of cuvees from Vin d’Anges in Lyon for 30€ and wanted to share a bottle with Laurent who tipped me off about this producer. Cloudy in colour, lots of VA and acidity but not offensively so - think I could drink this as a casual, fun wine. Reminded me of the Overnoy that I’ve tried so I said we could just buy this, but was shocked at the current WS prices for the few bottles that are being sold.

4/25/2024 - mks83 Likes this wine:

Nothing much to add to the following tasting note by Mr. Satofumi Nakamoto (Sommelier). The only thing I would add is the massive primary layer of cantaloupe / melon. Went sublime with creamy seafood gratin.

—(Mr.Nakamoto’s note, from the brewery’s website)—-
The juicy fruit flavors in Japanese pears, lychee and white peaches and the ripe fruit flavors similar to coconut milk harmonize and give a gentle impression. The sweet scent of Wasanbon (powdered sugar candy), the white flowers such as honeysuckle, and the faint scent of Champinion are also strongly felt in the second half. Soft and delicate fresh taste. The smooth and elegant sweetness is also well balanced and adds a refreshing impression. There is a harmony with an extremely comfortable sweetness. It's a sweet impression like when you drink white peach soup.

4/22/2024 - melvinyeowq wrote:

Two weeks in France; 4/12/2024-4/24/2024: The higher alcohol on this made it an easy tell that this was a CDP instead of Burgundy, but had fresher red fruit compared to the Lafon. Still very much alive and kicking, and unrecognisable from the CDP of today. Think all of us preferred this to the Burgundy.