6/5/2023 - ubercuvee wrote:

Coravin glass from a 375: nose full of sulfur stinky notes which obscured the wine.
The palate shows a lot of stem notes with a much more bracing acidity/freshness than most 2019 BDX. It's hard to tell if this will develop the cigar/tobacco notes the best Pessacs do after 25-30 years. Nice wine, but not sure I understand the hype: I can see why in a blind tasting of a lot of tannic, extracted wines, the freshness and refreshing nature of the Carmes winemaking would be a joyous relief to tasters, but does that make Carmes "better"?

9/14/2021 - psi wrote:

Great Champagne to celebrate my 50th Birthday. Have had better bottles but still a pleasure

4/20/2022 - apple1813 Likes this wine:

2012 Friedrich Becker Sankt Paul Spätburgunder was expressive, evolving and mineral-driven. The developing Pfalz Pinot Noir was clear and medium ruby in colour with traces of sediments. Freshly uncorked, it revealed expressive aromas of ripe dark cherry, bramble, rose and juniper. Underneath were menthol, sweet vanilla, pepper and liquorice spices. Over three hours of in-bottle aeration, the obvious oak artefact dissipated, and complexities of tilted soil and smoked game emerged.

The mouthfeel was dry and medium-bodied, with a medium level of finely grained tannin and a medium-high level of balancing acidity. There were unparalleled concentration and a sense of salinity on the mid-palate. Refined flavours of hawthorn and raspberry transitioned to tobacco and earth in a long gently spiced finish. That was a genuine, classy Pinot Noir that could rival the great growths of Burgundy. The alcohol level was at 13.5%. The empty bottle weighed 850 grams. The wine was certified as Grosse Lage by VDP.

There is a funny sticker on the wine label, because it is a wine crafted by a German winemaker, from fruits grown on French (Alsatian) soil. The authority bans any mentions of specific vineyard sites in French territory, claiming that it would confuse the customers. Alas, bureaucrats are never praised for their pragmatism and adaptability.

The plot Sankt Paul is named after a monastery's former outpost. The vines are cultivated on a south-facing limestone rock, with a thin layer of clay topsoil. The grapes are completely destemmed, and fermented in open-top oak vats for two to three weeks. The wine is raised in small oak barrels for eighteen months, bottled unfiltered and unfined. 3951 bottles are filled in the 2012 vintage.

6/21/2021 - Song103 wrote:

This is the first time I’ve such a big discrepancy with the CT score, with no improvement over 3 hours. Everything was just compact, from the nose to the finish. Some red fruit encased by a lot of oak. May be it was going through a numb stage, or may be just a damaged bottle.