Disgorged October 2013, 5.5 g/L dosage. Perhaps this was served too warm, but I didn't get much out of this wine -- I certainly expected a bit more from this wine. On the nose, I thought I picked up a very slight touch of TCA, but most others at the table didn't agree with me; the palate was certainly still good, showing some bracing acidity and crisp minerality.

Although this was certainly a richer, broader style of champagne, and especially given the bigger vintage, I thought this was admirably restrained. Yes, there's plenty of extract, ripe sweet yellow fruits, and perhaps a smidgen of oxidative character, but this still has a nice cut of acid running through it. A very well-made 2009; I'd love to see this wine in a vintage like 2008.

Next to the 2010, I thought this was the weaker one. There's something a little bit odd from the immense acidity and fat fruit character here. It shows a touch of orange peel and a little bit of greasiness on the palate too, and coupled with that super acidity, this feels a little less of an integrated wine than the 2010.

A brilliant example of this wine, and it is especially apparent when tasted next to the slightly clumsier 2008. This had tons of acidity, with that white-hot element that I adore so much in the best white Burgundies. There's a touch of grassiness here that I found added a bit of interest as well, though I must say there wasn't too much fruit character here.

Disgorged May 11, 2015, with an illegible amount of dosage. Though this didn't have the biggest or fullest palate presence, there was still quite a bit to like here, with its bright acidity. There's some stone fruit on the palate, though it seems to be mostly eclipsed by the acidity here, and you have to look for it. A lot of chalky minerality as well -- this is good already, and given how new the producer is, I expect there's definite room for improvement.

This is the kind of chardonnay that I like to drink. Matchstick and sulphur, reduced to high heaven, and extended air time didn't do anything to blow it off -- if anything, I think I ought to have decanted this the night before! Crazy amounts of acid here, with quite a full palate presence. Not too much fruit -- I always say I love these wines now, but you have to wonder what happens to them with age (and they're not going to oxidize ever given the amount of sulphur here).

There's plenty to love here on the nose, with pronounced olive aromatics and just a touch of the feral qualities that you're going to experience on the palate. This is a red-tinted syrah, lighter in style than I'd expect from Levet (likely a function of the vintage), but this delivers everything you'd expect. There palate shows an astounding amount of gaminess, and to be honest, a bit more fruit and stuffing would have played much better with it. Although not as good as the 2006 I had a week or so ago, there is still plenty to like in this wine.

I don't know what it is with me and the Gerin Grandes Places, but this and the 2004 I had a few months back were quite underwhelming wines (and in similar ways). The nose on this is much, much better than the palate, with tons of olives and an alluring spice note. But it all falls apart when you taste it -- the wine is really disjointed and it's mostly marred by a random streak of acidity that doesn't really do anything. On top of that, this is just a bit thin and stemmy, and there's not much meat on the bones.

#349. What a great bottle of wine. The nose is very heady, and there's almost a slightly Port-like element to it, with its dark fruit and almost a touch of spirit. The palate is incredibly wooly and sappy at the same time, and it's pretty intriguing how it can manage that. Obviously, the tannins here are fully unresolved and coarse, but it serves to perpetuate that animal ferociousness here. On the flip side, there's this sweet and jammy fruit character that balances that out so well. I can't even tell this is a full 15% abv.

Given the reputation of this wine as a modern Rioja, I admit I approached this with more than a little bit of trepidation. But lo and behold, all that anxiety was unnecessary. Somehow, there's something still quite Riojan (is that the adjective?) about this wine. Despite the slick polish, you can still find a bit of that earthiness here. Sure, there's plenty of sweet black fruit, but it's very neatly counterbalanced by sufficient acidity and dustiness. I won't be running out to put these in my cellar, but this is certainly not the boogeyman I thought it would be.

This is a really, really nice example of sangiovese. Perhaps one of the best examples I've had in a while. Despite its youth, it's drinking beautifully now, with its accessibly pretty red fruit and dusty earth. There's a bit of licorice and other herbs on the palate as well, that add interest to it, but it's really the bright red fruit and pleasant acids that stand out for me in this bottle. I had originally bought a bottle to try, but now that I don't have to open mine, I plan on letting mine rest for a few years.

Double-decanted 12 hours before service. An incredible example of Bordeaux. While this wine languished on the table for most of the night, I was stunned by how well it was showing. It's about as classic as you can get from Bordeaux -- a bit of green pepper, a touch of leather, some black fruit. It's earthy, with plenty of tannin and acidity as well. Obviously young, this is on the cusp of developing some secondary characteristics. This is serious stuff firing on all cylinders right now. Not to be overlooked -- this was my only bottle, but I'm starting to think about putting a few in my cellar.

I was expecting quite a bit from this wine given its pedigree, but it never quite delivered it for me. The nose seemed to be marred by quite a bit of volatile acidity which never really did go away. The palate was thick and rich, and although you know this is high-octane stuff, it never really feels that way. There's lots of stuffing here, but it seemed very closed at the moment. And perhaps because I drink more Recioto than Amarone, I somehow thought that this would have been better with a touch more sugar. Go figure.