3/20/2012 - Faryan wrote:

Has anyone had a bottle of this that comes close to the 92JM score? Is this another Sierra Carche style "bait and switch"? This is generic wine not worthy of anything more than 5-6 dollars a bottle. I'll use mine for cooking.

2/26/2012 - Faryan wrote:

I decanted this wine for about an hour, served with grilled salmon and followed it over several hours, as well as a small sampling the next day. The wine was a wonderful pairing with the fish.

The Dauvissat opened a bit flat and dumb but fleshed out with time decanting (definitely recommend giving it air at this juncture at least 90 minutes). Reticent but quite delicate notes of acacia flowers and honeysuckle. The name of the game for this wine is the palate's mouthfeel which is quite lovely in its ability to marry tell-tale minerality (seashell and slate stone really comes through) with a rounder supple feel. There is superb integration of the acidity and the fruit is really extremely impressive.

With all that said, there is a sense that the wine isn't quite in sync. There are many elements that are individually wonderfully balanced but the wine doesn't quite come together as I would hope. This is problematic given the price escalation of the wine. If I find this in the 40-45 dollar range, it is a wonderful buy. But with it now creeping closer to 60 dollars, I'd rather divest that capital into the 08 Fevre Clos which isn't dramatically more expensive. Nonetheless, I think this wine has tremendous upside.

2/21/2012 - Faryan wrote:

Double-decanted for sediment. The wine began to open up a bit more after 45 minutes, but not noticeably different. Cloudy (probably could have used a stand-up for a day or two), but at a near-plateau maturity. I agree with pifcho's note that the wine is more Tuscan than syrah; notes of bramble, red berry, cherry and loam aromas. It was a bit "one note" but still a very pleasant note. Great value.

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): perfectly enjoyable, but didn’t really leave an impression on me. (90-92)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): shut down on the nose but deep on the palate. Supple, but lacking the “baby yquem” qualities I associate with de Fargues, especially with regards to mouthfeel and weightlessness.

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): Less complex and intricate, the 09 Coutet still has a beautiful depth of fruit at a very reasonable price. The botrytis sings through but it lacks that nth degree of complexity and finish in the Climens. A value buy (93-95)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): A great Sauternes, but for whatever odd reason, I reach for the memory of the 2008 which made a better impression on me than this wine did. The 08, while less endowed, had a lift and a delicacy that was quite Germanic in many ways. It balanced tropic fruit with acidity and lift. The 2009 is much bigger and a bit more cumbersome at this phase (something that would likely be eased with age). The finish still shows why its Climens. It is precise, delicate and beautiful. The nose opens up as it comes to temperature with delicate crème brulee, coconut shavings. Still Barsac, but I crave 08 (94-97)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): Simple fruit, lacks depth and harmony. Cloaked with heavy oak. The finish confirms what the nose sleuths out. Not an impressive showing (86-89)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): Another top 3 for me even though I concede it as less “impressive” and “endowed” as some of its peers. This wine beckons to the glory days of Gruaud: the 80s (or 60s if you’re an old fart). Already the most complex nose of the night, with hallmark Cordier funk (sans Brett), superb red fruit, intermixed with secondary aromatics. The mouth is absolutely lovely and light on its feet. I recall old-timers talking about how fantastic and unheralded 1982 Pichon Lalande was in its youth. I think this wine may be similar; the rare Bordeaux that drinks fantastic throughout its lifespan. Back up the truck (95-98+)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): Excellent. The best way to describe this wine is complete. Structured and voluminous but not embryonic. Excellent mouthfeel even superseding the Langoa. Unfortunately, this bottle is pretty shut-down, especially on the nose which isn’t budging much. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a banner year for Barton (94-97+?)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): You know you’re at Barton when you begin to taste some backward wines. I think I can still taste the 08s, 06s and 05s from yesteryear UGC tastings. This Barton, while backward in comparison to some of its peers, is surprisingly rounded on the mouth. So delicious, satin, plush. Marries the structure with the mouthfeel. A superb success this vintage with approachability in the near-term (92-95)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): One of the most heralded wines at the tasting and you can see why; it’s structured similar to the 2003 with a bombastic and “winner take all” style, but unlike some other chateau, I think the fruit is sufficient to hold the oak treatment. The nose is beautiful red cassis with mocha bean espresso, but not excessive or drying. Superb balance with miles of fruit, but not a classic wine in its balance or composition. Very plush, very modern but I don’t sense that electricity, that nervosity, that freshness that I feel when I drink a 1990. Let’s see if this wine can evolve positively. (93-98)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): Nice, but has a burnt streak to it that seems to arise from the oak treatment. Will it integrate overtime? If so, it will be a nice wine (88-92)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): Too much. Too much oak, too much extraction. Vanillin, toast, drying fruit that smacks one in the mouth. I don’t understand why they build their wines this way (welp… the big points they garner). There is no elegance and restraint to their wines anymore. I think 05 was the last vintage that didn’t push this envelope too far. (NR)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): Maybe a small notch below the Clerc. Similar, but harsher on the nose with some drying wood tannins on the finish. (90-92)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): Not quite as impressive as the GPL, lacking some excitement. Clerc seems to nail a balance between classic Pauillac and modern fruit very well and the 09 is no different. Should be approachable younger than many of its peers. (91-93)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): One of my top three of the tasting, and it garners this title partly because one doesn’t have to crack a thousand dollars to buy a case of it. I’d love to line this wine up against a recent vintage Latour and serve them blind; it is that good. What the GPL has that many of the other Pauillacs tasted seemed to miss was the freshness and nervosity on the nose that I began in my preamble. Great lift and floral elements on the nose that is simply gorgeous. Far less backward than the 06 and 05 GPLs; this wine is not draped in imposing tannins like those vintages. It is subdued and elegant; qualities I think will make for better aging in a vintage that may have some risk-factor for long-term cellaring. Simply superb and a wine I will seek to buy. (94-98+)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): A regal wine, undoubtedly and a style Lynch Bages seems to project vintage in and out. A millionaire’s (not billionaire’s) Mouton so to speak. Rounded, supple nose with rhubarb and wonderful cassis. The cassis is the name of the game. A bit of vegetal/burnt rubber that blows off with some more swirling. The palate is clean, pure and in superb balance. Will it be the next 90 LB? Time will tell (94-97)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): Nose is a bit more reticent and shut down (could just be the amount of air this wine has gotten). Still has hints of the feminine floral lift one comes to expect from great Lalande, but this wine is big big big. The palate is simply lovely with world-class balance, fruit and composition. Beautiful, delineated fruit; so transparent. There is no makeup, there is no cloying/overt oak. Classic Lalande. Just give it time to add richness, depth, pitch and complexity. This wine will not disappoint. (94-98)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): A bit atypical on the nose. Far more feminine in its lovely floral lift. Like a precocious youth wowing you with his memorization skills. Reminiscent more so of the Lalande in many ways. Red fruit and cassis but far more backward than the 08 was at this stage. It is less transparent and classic in its expression, but more like a show horse. Stuffed to the gills with tannins and fruit. One doesn’t need to worry about the structure or over-treated oak as some of the other wines. I still haven’t been able to discern its Pauillac roots after sampling the wine for some time, but the big 09s are so embryonic and must be judged with a longer time horizon. (93-97)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): Cut from a similar cloth as the Chasse Spleen. All about red berry fruit, great energy and lift. Not a distance runner, but a beautiful wine to enjoy as you sit on your bigger wines. 91-93+

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): Really shows lovely. Wine has great lift, floral aromatic with unmistakable claret qualities. Projects very well in terms of its ability to progress beyond infancy. Fruit is the name of the game with this wine. It is a delicate dancer that has nothing to do with oak. It’s one of the most transparent wines at the tasting. Should be drinking immediately well and into the near future. 91-94+

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): The 05 is a sleeper and a favorite from that vintage for me (available at a fraction the cost of its elder peer and many of the other heralded Margaux…). I think the showing of 09 confirms my overall view of Margaux, as this 09 lacks some of the imprimatur of the appellation I look for in a “great” vintage. Simpler, a bit curt but rounded to deceive one into not prodding too much into its substance. Nice wine, but lacking the bells and whistles (90-92)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): More stuffing than CB, more structure but a bit more reticent. Much rounder on the finish. (90-92)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): Stylistic shift from Graves off the bat. This is less cabernet driven, a litter lighter and more spry on its feet. Good red berry fruit, but a bit drying oak treatment on the finish. A solid Margaux at a reasonable price point. (88-90)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): Rounder and sadly a bit of a letdown to taste after the Chevalier blanc. Lacks that grip, that bracing and shocking focus. More oak dominated on the nose and riper on the fruit, but still a fantastic graves blanc. Sadly, it’s a casuality of its compatriot D de. Chev Blanc. (91-94)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): Exotic, bombastic with a backbone of oak but again completely overshadowed by the Chevalier Blanc. (91-94)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): OMFG nose, blowing away everything else tonight. This wine is simply superb. While embryonic and very basic, it has extraordinary lift and balance; the most focused young white wine I can remember tasting. It’s like a hypothetical blend of Chablis Clos minerality, Chevalier-Monty focus and Graves tropic fruit/grape composition. The wine is pure, completely transparent with no hints of excessive oak (or any oak for that matter as the fruit is centerfold). Guayaba, pineapple, citrus, stone, chalk. Incredible intensity. Superb transparency. Buy buy buy. (97-99+)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): Cut from the same mold as the Pape Clement. Too rounded and “smoothed” over. The finish is a touch drying, but I just don’t vibe with this wine. The style is simply too formulaic for me. Caveat being, that if you enjoy the early consumption style, this is undeniably quality. (NR)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): Decidedly more modern than all of the wines tried prior. The creaminess on the palate smacks of vanilla toast oak rather than fruit and to me this is something I tend to avoid as it impairs the transformative gift that Bordeaux wines provide with patience and a cold cellar. To me, this wine shows like a California Cabernet that is aimed to please a buyer in its relative youth. Again, there is wonderful fruit and depth to it, but this is a stylistic choice Pape Clement made, effectively turning its back on what I loved about the Chateau from decades prior. (NR)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): basic, nice red berry aspect to the nose. Clearly less regal than the Haut Bailly. Still, it has beautiful fruit but some drying tannins on the finish butting in. If priced as LHB has been historically, this is a nice wine to keep, but I don’t think it has the class to justify a high price point. (88-92).

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): structured, backward and massive. To me, Haut Bailly shows very classic and backward in its youth. I distinctly remember many people fawning over the 05 when tasted at this event years back but I was struck by its reticence more than anything. Old guard indeed. Nonetheless, the nose is regal in its fruit. It has that unmistakable ability to hold both light/fresh delicacy on the nose, compared to the power and depth to the mouth. The classic velvet glove in the iron fist. I find wonderful nervosity in the nose and this is something I project as great potential. (91-95++)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): Last tasted a year ago almost to the day via barrel sample. The wine has “grown up” quite a bit. Before it was primordial, backward and embryonic. In this setting it has calmed down and begun to settle into infancy. The wine shows far more class on the nose compared to the prior Graves. More floral lift (almost Margauxesque) and a beautiful red berry element to the fruit. I can’t wait until the telltale smoke begins to develop with more time in bottle. D d Chevalier rouge seems to be nipping at the heel of the 2nd tier graves rouges. Excellent. (92-96)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): More traditional and “blocky” than the Haut Bergey. A bit more stodgy and oaky, but too young to really condemn the wine in terms of its balance. It clearly has the stuffing and depth that one wouldn’t expect from Carbonnieux, but as a rule, it is something to expect from the 09s. (88-91)

1/25/2012 - Faryan wrote:

UGC 2009 Bordeaux Tasting - NYC - 1.25.12 (New York City): Opulent, thick, a bit overt oak on the nose which is not symptomatic of the house (didn’t see this as much in the 08,06 or 05 at prior UGCs). Perhaps they thought the fruit ripeness could afford more oak, but to me it was a bit beyond what I would like in my Haut Bergey, perhaps sacrificing elegance. The wine is undoubtedly plush on the palate, but it doesn’t speak to Graves. We’ll see how it progresses. (90-93)

11/28/2011 - Faryan wrote:

86 Bored Oh: Opens with pomp, a lot more forward than some of the other wines. Very seductive and lush, with coaxing fruit elements. Lacks the depth and concentration of its 86 compatriot, but you can see the same floral and feminine qualities. On a plateau of maturity (not quite sure how it evolves, but a pleasure to pop now). 91-92

11/28/2011 - Faryan wrote:

86 Bored Oh: Double decanted for 2.5-3 hrs. Opened with a cork in crumbles, largely soaked. Upon decanting, the wine was reticent and shy, but after 30 minutes it began to open up. Probably the most regal in expression out of the stable of 86s. It has a polished and rounded feel that speaks to hierarchical bordeaux (what one expects to find from the big boys). To me, that is lovely, and it really shows off on the palate that is silky, but it lacked some of the unique/idiosyncratic qualities that I found in the GL, Ducru and Montrose. With more air, lovely toffee/coffee, dark cassis and hints of lead. This wine is continuing to evolve and has not reached climax.

11/28/2011 - Faryan wrote:

86 Bored Oh: Double decanted for 3-4 hours. This is another wine that continued to gain depth and complexity with time. The 86s will indeed be long lived, and I for one am not afraid of the fruit dying off before the tannins resolve (few cases where this may be the case...). Great balance, boardering between austere classic Bordeaux and an introductory maturity plateau. Lovely earthiness with deep red cassis/fruit. I kept going back to this wine. Upside.

11/28/2011 - Faryan wrote:

86 Bored Oh: Double decanted for probably 2-3 hours. Opens a bit hollow, like a sleeping mummy that needs air to resuscitate. Some feared it flawed, but I didn't quite pick up tca. Instead I sat patiently and watched this wine simply gain steam in glass. It kept picking up depth to its nose, effectively coming to life. Typical 80s Gruaud with a lovely melange of cordier funk, cassis and earth. This wine ended up being the most forward, fruit-packed and deep wine of the night. It showed even better than the last time I drank it (approx 2 years ago). Some were off put by the funk, but to me its a signature of this era of GL. My WOTN (a stylistic choice, as the 86s played in the same qualitative band).

11/28/2011 - Faryan wrote:

86 Bored Oh: Slow ox'd for a few hours then decanted for about 1 hr prior to pouring. Wow was this good. Floral, seductive but well knit. Lovely fruit but always light on its feet. It's a weird mix of classic bordeaux with opulence. Simply a great combo.

11/28/2011 - Faryan wrote:

86 Bored Oh: classic Pichon in an "off" vintage. Really nice leather, soft fruit, cedar and deep cassis. It lacks the completeness of the 86s but for immediate consumption (next few years) it represents a lovely example of quality aged bdx and symptomatic of the Baron stable.

11/28/2011 - Faryan wrote:

86 Bored Oh: good round and coating mouthfeel with a floral nose. S ome buttery pear, lychees and honeycomb. This needs time to flesh out and build weight but it doesn't have the hollowness in the midpalate that I noted when last tasting an 05 Blanc.

11/28/2011 - Faryan wrote:

86 Bored Oh: Lovely cut with citrus, light red fruit and supple mouthfeel. Good opener

12/25/2011 - Faryan wrote:

Fantastic showing after 3 hour double decant. Layers of sweet apricot and peaches with a delicacy and balance that is simply superb. It has a waxiness to it that reminds me of top-class Sauternes but it is unmistakably Tokaji. This has definite upside but is fantastic now. Represents top-class value.

12/25/2011 - Faryan wrote:

I just love mature BDX and this is exactly what it is. Bottle was perfect with a fill into the neck. Decanted for sediment and drank over dinner. Dark red color with no visible hint of heavy bricking. Nonetheless, the wine is fully mature but isn't in any risk of near-term decline. Quintessential graves with lovely restrained smoke, cherry tobacco and sweet cassis. This wine isn't about complexity or power, it is about feel and layering. If you're a claret fan, you'll love how Pape Clement dealt with the heat of this vintage.

12/24/2011 - Faryan wrote:

Out of 375mL. Double decanted for 5 hours and consumed over dinner. When I first decanted the wine the color was a touch advanced but it came to life with air. Really an outstanding showing after having a super tight bottle a year ago (popped and poured).

Lovely nose of creamy lychees with honeysuckle and lanolin. It is in superb balance but also has great slateyness which lets you know how the palate will show. On the mouth, it's razor sharp with reticent fruit which began to develop more with time in the glass. The wine has serious acidity and could likely use another 5 years of bottle age to begin to reach optimal drinking. A fantastic frederic emile.

12/24/2011 - Faryan wrote:

Another great showing of this wine. Paired with briney and sweet oysters, it did well but perhaps not as well as a strict brut from champagne. Lovely supple notes of pear, quince and honeycomb. It lacks some of the effervescenes of traditional champagne but that's to be expected from a loire petillant. Crisp on the palate with great acidity. The wine will continue to get better.

I find it served best a touch on the warm side (privdes a lot more complexity on the nose).

12/23/2011 - Faryan wrote:

Decanted for 30 minutes and drank over 2.5 hours. Really a lovely cote du rhone, beguiling all of the stereotypes of the region (quite symptomatic of the Rayas stable). The nose is quite simply Burgundian. Dark cherries, raspberries, red cassis. Delicate and understated; this wine coaxes you to drink more of it, never bludgeoning or overbearing.

On the palate, you have something more understandably rhone; lovely but subtle gaminess, supple, spicey fruit with lithe acidity. This wine is still in a primary phase of expressing its fruit, but quite accessible and not as "one note" as I had feared. With more air, it adds spicecake and additional layers of complexity. I can't wait to drink my other bottles in 5-10 years.

11/3/2011 - Faryan wrote:

I was a bit disappointed in the wine upon first opening, as I reminisced fondly of the pure expressiveness of the merlot in the 05 at a similar age. This bottle had a more obtuse oak treatment. Granted, it is old barrels and only a 6 month duration, the wine opened with some pretty poignant toast. With some time in the decanter, it integrated better, as the vintage characteristic really began to shine. The wine is opulent and heavily concentrated, but retains some very nice balance. What it tends to lack is the delicacy and complexity of the 05 which was simply a different stylistic interpretation of merlot. I think this wine has some definite upside potential, but as an indicator of the vintage, I think 09 will be simply too fruit forward for me. The question is how they will show with bottle age. I'm still quite happy to have purchased this because the class and quality in the juice punches well above its weight.

9/25/2011 - Faryan wrote:

Popped and slow oxed for about 30-45 minutes. Opened tight, with some steeliness and a bit of imbalance with the oak poking in and out. Over time, the wine begins to round into form, with lovely notes of caramel, toffee pear and meyer lemon. Even more lemon on the palate with great acidity that balances the supple roundness. Not much more you can ask for from Cali Chards. Give it time to really get the pieces together and add depth and complexity. Will hold on the rest of the 09s for several years.