4/14/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

I’ve had bottles in the past that were surprisingly tight. Last night’s was quite bold, and more typical of the vintage. It’s become a beautiful wine. Dense and creamy lime and orange, complex. Last night I sensed a hint of mint. Despite the richness, its lively and energetic. The bottle affirms Vilmart amongst my favorite growers.

4/12/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Generous and densely styled, and delicious. Orchard fruit including pear and apricot, crème brûlée, almond and caramel apple. A mineral and metallic note. Billecart Salmon excelled in 2002.

4/13/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Another excellent bottle of 2002 Piper-Heidsieck Cuvée Rare. Most of the bottles I’ve opened have been later disgorgements. This bottle had a red neck ring, signifying an earlier disgorgement. While I haven’t had them side by side, my feeling is the earlier disgorgements are showing a more oxidative nutty profile, while the later show more dense brioche.
Citrus and honey on the attack, giving way to tropical notes, pear, coffee and hazelnut. Really dense and creamy. Historically, 10 gm/l dosage is not high, but compared to contemporary extra-brut and non-dosed wines, the sweetness is quite prominent here. This shows better when kept in an ice bucket.

4/7/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

This is a lot of joy for the price. Fresh raspberries and other red fruit. Complex, with a perfect bead.

4/7/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Perfect pairing with paella. Lemon cream, apricot, with an oxidative nuttiness. Waxy texture. Improved with air. Excellent.

4/6/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Charity Wine Pairings for Hospice House Auction winners; 4/6/2024-4/7/2024 (Bellingham): Our nightcap or digestif. One of our guests wanted to try a rioja. Tobacco, sour cherry and dark berries, smokey leather, moist earth. While I think it's a great wine, it probably suffered by following a glass of port. Still, I think its best days are ahead. I'll never turn down a LdH Tondonia or Bosconia, Reserva or GR.

4/6/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Charity Wine Pairings for Hospice House Auction winners; 4/6/2024-4/7/2024 (Bellingham): Paired with a delicous stilton cheese. If this half bottle is indicative, Warré triumphed in 2000. Dark dark dark in the glass, but full of energy. Black fruits, dark chocolate, cassis. Balance and finessed.

4/6/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Charity Wine Pairings for Hospice House Auction winners; 4/6/2024-4/7/2024 (Bellingham): This was the anniversary year for two couples who had joined us. Decanted for a couple of hours. Served with Japanese seared A5 Waygu ribeyes. This was another bottle in which the color and sweet aromas defied its age. Far more ruby than amber, the age only suggested by the clear meniscus. More blackberry and cherry than tertiary forest floor, cedar. Fresh and lively, just delicious. Apparently, no one alerted this bottle that 1993 was an uncelebrated vintage.

4/6/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Charity Wine Pairings for Hospice House Auction winners; 4/6/2024-4/7/2024 (Bellingham): This was the birth year of one our guests who had generously donated at the Hospice House Auction to win this charity wine dinner.
I carefully double decanted this about four or five hours before serving. The color and nose were astounding considering the age. Paired with tagliatelle with fresh perigord truffles. Once served, it continues to freshen as it unfolded. There was far more fruit that one would expect at seventy-plus years. Dried and fresh cherries, balsamic, pipe tobacco, roses. Beautifully textured and clean. Had this be served to me blind, I'd have subtracted at least forty years off my guess. I'm lucky to open a lot of old Piedmont wines, many from the '50s. This bottle, from the unheralded '53 vintage, may have been the finest I've encountered. The last glass was the best; it could have used another several hour decant. No harm, as it was transcendent.

4/6/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Charity Wine Pairings for Hospice House Auction winners; 4/6/2024-4/7/2024 (Bellingham): I opened this as it was the anniversary year for two of our guests. From a half bottle, paired with mousse of foie gras. Fairly dark in color. Very rich, dominated by the botrytis character. It doesn't have the energy or complexity of the '89s or '01s, but it was solid and delicious.

4/6/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Charity Wine Pairings for Hospice House Auction winners; 4/6/2024-4/7/2024 (Bellingham): Our wine of the night, paired with ostetra caviar. I've been delaying trying the 2008, as I've found the vintage in general to be fantastic but late maturing. No regrets, this is in the zone, early in its drinking window. Opens with some flinty matchstick which I love, followed by a perfectly balance throng of flavors and textures. It has that Comtes creamy texture, but remains edgy; pure class. Lemon cream, white orchard fruit, lightly fragrant floral notes, honey, chalk, brioche. It lives up to the hype.

4/6/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Charity Wine Pairings for Hospice House Auction winners; 4/6/2024-4/7/2024 (Bellingham): We started the evening by sabering this bottle. Served cold after pop and pour (more of a whack and pour). It started out restrained and savory, dissimilar enough to my previous bottles that I pondered whether it was slightly corked. It simply needed alone time and warm air to blossom into the wine I know and love. Jubilent strawberry, cherry, orange peel. Some stony mineral notes. A delicious rosé with plenty of structure and material for longevity.

3/17/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Tasted blind a wine tasting. My bottle. The consensus Northern Rhône. It’s a beautiful rendition. Rich, with Pear and other white orchard fruit, an intense mineral edge, and brisk acidity.

3/20/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

My bottle was much better than the one mentioned below.
Unknown producer, but I took a flyer on two bottles, and I’m glad I did. Coravined a glass to serve with a prime ribeye steak. Very much alive, with great balance of elegance and rusticity, savory fruit and earth.

3/20/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Nice, but better times ahead. Fresh and crisp, with raspberries and strawberries, minerals. Bold yet elegant. There was a restrained quality to the wine. I’ll bury my last bottle for several years.

3/19/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Very rich, showing the warmth of the vintage. Very rich lemon, light pineapple and brioche. There was enough acidic cut to keep it energetic despite the density.

3/18/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Clearly a BdN; rich berries, sour apple, and an interesting bitterness. 2017 base, disgorged July 2022, 2 g/l dosage. This wasn’t bad at all. However, there are many other BdN’s I like as much or more that now cost less. When I want E-O, I’ll save my funds for the Rosé, VP, Les Vignes de Vrigny, and if I find a deal, Les Crayéres. .

3/15/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

I’m liking this champagne and producer more with each bottle I open. This producer was originally recommended to me by the sommelier at Granit in Paris a couple of years ago. It was later recommended by the maitre d' at Boutary. 1.5 gm dosage.

Lithe yet formidable. Very fresh, crisp and energetic. Creamy citrus and white orchard fruit, a little pastry note. It’s a fantastic BdB. We all loved it.

3/17/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

I liked my previous bottles a bit more. Last night, the opulence and density seemed the main feature. Still, good complexity and flavors/scents including apricot and other orchard fruit, intense brioche, and even a little tropical fruit. We all preferred the lithe Guiborat BdB from last night.
If you need a wine to stand up to a strongly flavored meal, this is a good choice.

3/2/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

"This unique cuvée is the memory of our house, with the union of 12 great vintages. 41% of this cuvée is vinified in barrels without malolactic fermentation with a balanced, elegant, powerful blend and carried by a beautiful freshness of 61% Chardonnay, 8% Meunier and 31% Pinot Noir.
40% 2013; 20% 2000, and the rest from reserves of 2012, 2011, 2004, 1999, 1996, 1995, 1990, 1988, 1983, 1982 and 1976."

Despite the old reserve wines, this bottle was incredibly fresh. In fact, I'd say it's a decade or more from its peak. Great complexity. Medium bodied, crisp. Pears and other white orchard fruit, sweet citrus, beeswax, almonds. this is a special wine that needs air, warmth, and some more time on its side.

3/2/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Charity wine pairings to benefit Whatcom Hospice House. (Samish Hill, Bellingham, WA): Smokey cherries come on strong, followed by sweet pipe tobacco, oak spice, licorice. Decades of life left in this one. Gorgeous wine.

3/2/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Charity wine pairings to benefit Whatcom Hospice House. (Samish Hill, Bellingham, WA): Elegant, restrained and delicious. I made the mistake of not decanting, so the last few pours were sediment-rich. In contrast to a vintage port, the sediment seemed innocuous. It’s a light, energetic Colheita with nuanced flavors and sweetness. Caramel, toffee and dried fruit. Love this, but sadly it’s my last.

3/2/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Charity wine pairings to benefit Whatcom Hospice House. (Samish Hill, Bellingham, WA): This was the best bottle of Pegau I’ve ever opened. There have been a lot, although it’s been a while.
Incredibly fresh and clean, especially for this producer.
Rich, but not overly so. Intoxicating aromas of dark berries, espresso, and a hint of garrigue and leather. This vintage is likely at its apogee; we caught it at a perfect time. It might be time to open some of the the CdP in the cellar. I’d pass them up in recent years after some jammy and excessively rustic or bretty bottles.

3/2/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Charity wine pairings to benefit Whatcom Hospice House. (Samish Hill, Bellingham, WA): Carefully decanted off all sediment 8 hours before serving. This nearly 54 year old bottle had the audacity to be more dark ruby colored than brown. Broad clear meniscus belied its age more than its color. Sure, there were a lot of rich earthy tertiary notes, balsamic, and tar, but also great freshness with black raspberries and cherries. An amazing bottle.

3/2/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Charity wine pairings to benefit Whatcom Hospice House. (Samish Hill, Bellingham, WA): My infatuation with the 2001 Suduiraut continues. Honeyed botritis on the nose. Orange marmalade, sweet brown spice, peach. Brisk and acidic despite the viscosity. Suduiraut slayed this vintage.

3/2/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Charity wine pairings to benefit Whatcom Hospice House. (Samish Hill, Bellingham, WA): Ol’ Faithful, the 2006 Comtes has never failed to impress since its release. Starts with some faint matchstick, then the creamy citrus, white fruit and brioche come though. Richly textured. I though I’d bought enough to last decades, but I underestimated its appeal as well as my lack of restraint.

3/2/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Charity wine pairings to benefit Whatcom Hospice House. (Samish Hill, Bellingham, WA): Sabered for the entertainment value. Light salmon colored. Strawberries, peaches come through. The sense of austerity may have been real, or perhaps it was a result of this bottle being sandwiched between the bold E-O VdV and ‘06 Taittinger Comtes.

3/2/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Charity wine pairings to benefit Whatcom Hospice House. (Samish Hill, Bellingham, WA): Another great bottle of E-O VdV. Richly hued with a pale apricot color. Lush on the palate but good grip. On the nose a palate, slight yeasty apricot, which I always find in the wine. Maybe it’s the power of suggestion of its color, but I think not. A faint almond nuttiness, tangerine.

2/10/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

Excellent, especially for the warm vintage. Lemon, lime, apricot, honey, vanilla. Generous and round on the palate.

2/2/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

I've never before seen a CT TN that was exactly as I would describe the wine, until I read JJCT's note below. "Bright red fruit, good acid, some mushrooms and forest floor. Subtle but balanced and fresh, classy. Nice savory finish. Drinking well, this bottle has aged nicely."
I'd only specify that for me, the red fruit was cranberry and raspberry, that the nose was more reticent than palate, and that there's plenty left in the tank to go another 5+ years.

1/27/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

I've always liked these, and last night's bottle was no exception. Lighter red fruited, elegant, with subtle spice. It's in a very good drinking window at the moment.

1/20/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

This is a wine to hide deep in the cellar for 5-10 years. Pure and clean but tightly coiled, especially on the nose. Lemon and orange, subtle floral notes. The lees have yet to show much influence, despite resting on them for 10 years. Similarly, the 10% oak barrels and ML weren't front and center. Extra brut, the 2gm dosage seemed just right. This came off as a regal old vine BdB, elegant and structured yet reserved, with extraordinary potential. Swayed by this bottle, I ordered more.

1/11/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

i found this more dense and full bodied than many of the CT TN's. This bottle, purchased on release, showed much younger than its 16+ years. Raspberry liqueur, mushrooms, asian spice. Biting; seemed to be a combination of the alcohol and acidity, but the dense fruit needed that. Not bad for their second vintage.

1/12/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

This was really good tonight. Crisp, linear, highly mineraled. Elegant; red berries, apricot, violet, cinnamon. Perfect balance of fruit, acid, stones and bead.

1/6/2024 - WST Likes this wine:

My favorite wine for small format. Ginger, lemon, warm bread and more.

12/29/2023 - WST Likes this wine:

Very ripe and dense. Quite the contrast to the previous night’s 2011 Thomas Pinot.
The Arley’s had strong notes of grenadine/pomegranate, black raspberries. A little heat. I’ll let my remaining bottles rest a while.

12/30/2023 - WST wrote:

Corked but drinkable

12/28/2023 - WST Likes this wine:

Translucent ruby. Light to medium bodied, energetic. Pretty red fruit and flowers. It’s in a perfect drinking window, and seems to have a decade or two left in the tank. This was a sublime bottle, a complete success in the vintage.

12/28/2023 - WST Likes this wine:

Outstanding from a magnum. Creamy, concentrated yet crisp. Peaches, apples and citrus with almond biscotti scents and flavors.

12/23/2023 - WST Likes this wine:

Our Annual Champagne Tasting: Doran's bottle. This came out too late in the tasting for me to give it proper attention or for it to make an impression

12/23/2023 - WST Likes this wine:

Our Annual Champagne Tasting: Jenise's bottle. Excellent wine, although I didn't rank it nearly has high in the tasting as she. Crisp green apply, tight yet bold; should age well.

12/23/2023 - WST Likes this wine:

Our Annual Champagne Tasting: Jenise's bottle. Crisp lemon, pear. Nicely mineraled. I liked it, but thought maybe a little more time in the bottle, or a little more dosage would have softened it's sharp edges or balanced it.

12/23/2023 - WST Likes this wine:

Our Annual Champagne Tasting: My bottle. Typical Bolly density, but still quite elegant. Strawberries and watermelon; vinous but lively.

12/23/2023 - WST Likes this wine:

Our Annual Champagne Tasting: My bottle. I opened this in the Meunier flight, then moved it to the rosé flight due to the color. Nothing listed from the importer or on the bottle suggests rosé, but I've never seen such a rosy champagne other than a blended, skin contact or saignée rosé.
Whatever it was, it's a fine wine. Vinous and clean. Old vine meunier, disgorged October 2018 with 2.2 gm dosage, barrel elevage.

12/23/2023 - WST Likes this wine:

Our Annual Champagne Tasting: Ann-Marie's bottle. Bling on the outside, but a serious wine in the bottle. I found more of a DP signature than a rosé signature, with the great matchstick minerality, in addition to creamy raspberry and strawberry. Great structure, built to age.

12/25/2023 - WST Likes this wine:

My bottle, and another winner in the rosé flight. Energetic. Citrus, mandarin, sandlewood. Love this

12/23/2023 - WST Likes this wine:

Our Annual Champagne Tasting: My bottle. We're now many bottles into the tasting, and I've abandoned my tasting notebook. This was the first of the rosé flight. Fresh ripe strawberry, cherry cream, hazelnut, orange peel, mineral. It drinks better young than any other vintage Vilmart wine, but has the structure to age.

12/23/2023 - WST Likes this wine:

Our Annual Champagne Tasting: My bottle. The darkest color of the flight. Creamsicle and apricot, with other pit and white fruit including pear. Honeyed but energetic. This bottle disgorged in November 2021, 1 gm dosage, 40 months on lees.

12/23/2023 - WST Likes this wine:

Our Annual Champagne Tasting: My bottle. The first wine of the Pinot Meunier flight, and a good start. Citrus, but lots of peach and white floral notes, mineraled. I liked this.
Franc de Pied Meunier from Merfy; disgorged May '21 with 3 gm dosage. Vinified in oak barrels

12/23/2023 - WST wrote:

Our Annual Champagne Tasting: My bottle. Lots of debate whether this was corked. I tend to think no, but agreed it was some flaw. Wet wool note was definitely out of place. I don't believe anyone finished their glass.