4/24/2024 - TZ58 Likes this wine:

Wow! What an awesome Viognier. Citrus flavors and so smooth. Great for a nice warm evening around the fire.

4/26/2024 - Mwc33 Likes this wine:

Tldr version: This is fabulous; rich and well-balanced with a lovely finish, and a marvelous food wine.

Pale gold in the glass, with brilliant clarity. The nose has robust aromas of vanilla, honeysuckle, beeswax, and yellow apple, along with lychee and a spice I could not place - things I’d normally associate more with riesling’s Alsatian stablemate, Gewurztraminer. The age of the wine really sparkles on the nose.

On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, with medium-plus acidity that is very well balanced. The oak influences, the strong aroma of vanilla, is really well-integrated on the palate. Wonderful structure and a delightful, medium-length finish. The flavors of the wine are unusually aligned with the various aromas.

We paired this with a “spring bolognese” - a cream- and wine-based sauce with ground lamb and lots of veggies, and the riesling proved a wonderful pairing. The acidity cut right through the heft of the cream and pasta, while something really nice happened between the flavors of the lamb and the oak influences on the riesling. What I would give for more bottles. . . .

4/26/2024 - JennBond Likes this wine:

Consistently my favourite Chardonnay. Dry. 12.7% ABV. Lemon, Apple.

4/26/2024 - gmbdds wrote:

Should he decanted for sediment if nothing else. Time has done well for this wine. A little funkiness blew off quickly leaving a balanced red fruited and finely spiced wine. Good acidity and integration. Might lack deep complexity but it is quite nice at this stage.

4/26/2024 - nzinkgraf wrote:

At the office…

4/26/2024 - nzinkgraf wrote:

At the office…

Later that evening. More astutely black fruit aromas and more concealed than the 2009 Palmer.

4/26/2024 - GilmoroDelToro Likes this wine:

Beautiful, balanced, delicious wine. Dark, dense, but medium weight and surprisingly supple. Fruit leather on the nose - plum, cassis, black cherry. Earth and wet granite. Taste is more of the same, with smooth tannins and a bright pop. Dark fruit flavors, with espresso, cedar, truffles, and dark chocolate. Brooding but also sprightly. Imagine it will last for many more years, but in a really good place now and hard to imagine it improving much.

4/26/2024 - nzinkgraf wrote:

At the office…

After half. The day open, this is just singing…red and black fruit aromas, mingled with emerging mature notes. A little earth, not too mineral. Much more harmony over the 2012, still relatively wound up. Here, almost the richness of coconut oil, but coming up short of it.

4/26/2024 - Tundra Bacchus wrote:

Very pale in color, almost clear. Nose of lemon, saline, and white flowers. Good acidity and citrusy finish.

4/26/2024 - Nutty08 Likes this wine:

Excellent ca Syrah. Ripe and plump but with a light peppery edge. Just delicious

4/26/2024 - HomeWoods wrote:

Past prime

4/26/2024 - mariusstrom Likes this wine:

Very odd. Tasted of movie theater buttered popcorn got lost in the bottle. We decided to let it sit out to experiment with in a few hours or a day, but our glasses went down the sink to be replaced by something… anything… else.

4/26/2024 - JJYoyo Likes this wine:

Fierce acidity, nice combination of oxidative and fleeting reduction notes. Nose has nice balance of tart and stalky elements. Palate is driven overwhelmingly by tart green apple, obliterating what promises to be more intriguing tastes underneath. Maybe a few years would mellow this out — Gigou wines can have a preternatural durability. For now:
Score: 88. Relative to expectations: 0.

4/26/2024 - ProbirR Likes this wine:

Beautiful deep, dark ruby wine that starts with a nose of tobacco, oak, vanilla, dark fruits - blackberry, black cherry. The initial taste is bold, with high acidity and medium to high tannins. Medium body. Long bold finish.

4/26/2024 - mattym19 Likes this wine:

By the bottle at Noreetuh in NYC. Decanted for about an hour. Nose is very ripe, cherries and violets and clay. Palate is really great; savory beef notes, hit of olive brine, blueberries and raspberries, long crisp finish. Great stuff, but maybe a bit more ripe and fruity than I have found in other vintages and enjoyed slightly more.

4/26/2024 - ingibingi@gmail.com Likes this wine:

Coravin - solid pour

4/26/2024 - Southkevin2 Likes this wine:

This is great. Green pepper, chocolate. Give it more years and these scores will keep rising. *chef’s kiss*

4/27/2024 - ggang wrote:

1

4/26/2024 - Matt Scott Likes this wine:

Such a beauty. Medium in body, with a long, flowing finish. Very pretty and not dense at all. Plums, cherries, sandal wood, mineral and white chocolate. Fine tannins and a polished middle. Unfolds with panache. Organically grown fruit. 85% Monastrell and 15% Garnacha. Wonderful value. Drink now - 2032.

4/25/2024 - MacDausend wrote:

WVWG meetup selection along with '21 Blue-Eyed Boy. Not as much character as the Mollydooker, but quite pleasant. Less complex.

4/26/2024 - ethanwade Likes this wine:

Unbelievable qpr. Elegantly, lightly sweet with uplifting acidity that keeps this so bright and fresh. Loads of citrus, apricot, pomegranate, linden, and a sleek mineral finish. Classic Dönnhoff, so chic and elegant. Delicious now but has enough sugar and acidity to last for decades.

4/26/2024 - tomoem wrote:

this is more of an old world Chardonnay than a new world chardonany. Oaked and buttery mid palette with a lingering bannana and apricot nut flavor.

4/26/2024 - Inthemoodforsleep wrote:

Feel great in my mouth

4/26/2024 - MacDausend wrote:

Decent, above average Cabernet. Not outstanding, though.

4/26/2024 - MH Amateur wrote:

Lemony, creamy. Bits of oak. Fairly high acid.

Enjoyable

4/26/2024 - rieslinghoarder Does not like this wine:

Opened a bottle after seeing Geoffreychambertin’s note and have to agree. This was pretty flat and uninteresting, quite surprising given the vintage.

4/26/2024 - juffer Likes this wine:

Cherry and tobacco nose. Fairly light weight in the mouth, but good concentration. Earthy still long and well lifted finish. Very nice and still drinking well.

4/26/2024 - JTAFcellar Likes this wine:

Tensile, cashew, tumeric, spiced oak, beautiful acid line, young but has great balance, exceptional length

4/26/2024 - Opineonwine wrote:

Laura had this when I was ill. Liked it

4/26/2024 - MacDausend wrote:

Drank w/ Steve L for WVWG meetup

4/26/2024 - pjhr Likes this wine:

As delicious as the last bottle!

4/14/2024 - MN Wine Junkie Likes this wine:

This was presented in a blind tasting of some high-end Champagnes:

1. NV Ulysse Collin Blanc de Blanc Enfers (Extra Brut)
2. 2015 Pol Roger Sir Winston Churchill
3. 2015 Cristal
4. 2012 Leclerc Briant Château d'Avize, Blanc de Blancs, Brut Zéro
5. NV Selosse Lieux-dits Extra Brut Ay La Côte Faron
6. 2007 Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Elisabeth
7. NV Selosse V.O.

2007 Billecart-Salmon Elisabeth - This was served double blind, and all I could tell is that it was a world class rose! I typically like Blanc de Blancs more than roses, but this was up to the task, even in this elite company. In retrospect, I should have guessed this from the classic salmon color of the rose, but alas, I did not! This was delicious though, with classic subtle red fruit (strawberry and raspberry) and loaded with chalky minerality. This kept getting better as it warmed in the glass. A classy rose that I wish I could have tasted against other rose, such as Krug, Dom, Cristal and Tat. 94+ to 95.

Note: I typically love a non-oxidative style more than the oxidative style when drinking them without food, but with salty foods (think caviar), I actually preferred the oxidative style which went remarkably well with the food!

4/26/2024 - Cote d'Or Likes this wine:

Tasted over 3 hrs
-med dark red mild bricking
-warm earth red fruit faint herbal/pepper sweet sous bois
-med/med+ acidity lifts the finish, med weight silky textured rather expansive on the palate almost heady but not heavy dollop of black raspberry liqueur with a hint of bitter earth and faintly oxidative note, well-integrated med/med- tannins
-this is excellent and fully mature now

4/26/2024 - BillsWine Likes this wine:

What a beautiful Pinot. Nuanced, layered and balanced. Spice box. Raspberry, strawberry, hint of rhubarb. Nice finish. Elegant. Wish I had more of these.

4/26/2024 - Wood is the Way wrote:

Did not like

4/26/2024 - Abner Likes this wine:

Fruit bomb. Well balanced and structured. Drinking well now.

4/26/2024 - lifeattable wrote:

Simple, straightforward, plummy. Drinkable. About what I expected for $12.

4/24/2024 - JohnMcIlwain Likes this wine:

All the appropriate elements are here but it’s way too early for my taste to be drinking now. Day three showed most coherently, but this needs time for everything to integrate. I’ll try to snag another couple bottles, but this was curiosity and impatience trumping good sense.

4/26/2024 - LMArcher wrote:

CGR
LMB. Pineapple, yellow herbs.

4/26/2024 - tomoem wrote:

Once again this wine is a tremendous effort. Not very aromatic with hard to locate fruits on the nose but i get apple slices and a steely background. In mouth there are pineapple and sweet lemon flavors. The wine has a fair amount of acidity. Finish is fairly well balanced between fruit and acidity.

4/25/2024 - ras2006 Likes this wine:

light/medium body, ruby color, easy drinking, held up well over 2 days

4/26/2024 - AlyssaRock12 wrote:

Nose: yellow apple, dough, almond, burnt caramel

Palate: funky, yellow apple, brioche, pear, green apple, almonds; long finish of almonds, yellow apple, pear, brioche; frothy bubbles; medium body; medium + acid

Overall: this is very funky and interesting, it almost has a finish similar to a sour beer. The bubbles are medium sized and frothy. Definitely very different and interesting!

4/26/2024 - JRockEsq Likes this wine:

Method: pop and pour; about 50 degrees; Glasvin Champagne glass; disg. 11.28.22

Look: light+ gold; strong streams of constant bubbles

Nose: unbaked sourdough, sourdough crust, lightly browned yellow apple, light almond

Palate: pear, brioche, sour green apple; medium+ finish of sour beer funk; dry; medium- body; high- strength pinpoint-ish bubbles; medium tart acidity

Overall thoughts: Kind of weird. Seems like a sparkling wine / sour beer hybrid. Tasty upfront, but a bit funkier and more tart than I want on the backend. I like the fine bubbles, but would appreciate if they were forceful. This is certainly interesting, but I'm not sure if the quality is commensurate with the price (especially on the secondard market). Good wine.

4/26/2024 - Jjthaeler Does not like this wine:

See vivino, overpriced.

4/26/2024 - SeattleKen wrote:

Honestly, this is a stupidly good killer value. 25+ years ago, I had the opportunity to buy a pre-phylloxera 1863 Malmsey for about double the price of this bottle (back then, Madeira producers were having trouble and started dumping their old holdings). This was its virtual clone (or maybe its junior brother). This is a wine to pour and keep in a decanter with a lid— and sip an ounce at a time after dinner over the course of a few days, a few weeks, or a month? That said, pointless aging it because it simply won’t change. That said, the cork is pretty short and crappy so if you don’t have humidity where you’re storing it, this wine could fall apart after a month or two. I think it could redefine what’s possible pairing chocolate and wine (short of cognac and champagne).

4/26/2024 - wmccone54 wrote:

I’ve been sitting on this for fifteen years; concerned that given the less than stellar vintage in 2003, this might be getting “long in the tooth”. PnP, and stood up prior to dinner. Shows a solid ruby core with garnet edges. Most likely in the early stages of maturity; definitely seeing some cooked and stewed red fruits. Highly perfumed, very intoxicating aromatics. Complex: worn leather, cigar tobacco, old wood furniture, savory red fruits, ground baking spices, slightly green underbrush, mixed herbal notes, and dried red earth. Completely integrated and balanced. Finishes strong. Enjoyed with pasta and meat sauce. Drink now or over the next 3+ years.

4/26/2024 - NMSteve Likes this wine:

Lots of roussanne character, with nuttiness and honeysuckle, no oxidative character. Not a hint of being over the hill, but I think it was a tiny bit brighter and more interesting three years ago. This is a wine to have with food now. Excellent, 4- (out of 5)

4/26/2024 - Mike Kopanski wrote:

Very nice fruit forward, easy on the palate smooth drinking white wine. The color is quite yellow that makes us think of peach, of which there is plenty. Continues with poached pear and sweet apricot. Very civilized acid leaves a cleansed bit rich feeling on the palate. The peach and other fruits linger softly on the satisfying finish. Very complete and tasty wine.

4/26/2024 - mcnalyn wrote:

Fantastic QPR. Very approachable with or without food. Softer Shiraz.

4/26/2024 - andyyoon Likes this wine:

Light flowery note with mid body.