Very mature apples – on the verge of decaying, some honey and wax, nuts; long, intense and fresh, a bitter/metallic finish which is almost tannic. Over the top, but still enjoyable.
Served blind. A hint of spice, some honey, obviously a Riesling, some fresh apples; a hint of residual sugar, on the verge of being a Feinherb it seems, moderate acidity, some slight bitterness in the finish. However, a wine that is light on its toes. Guessed Kabinett, Mosel, 98 – pat my back.
Served blind. Obviously a chardonnay. Lime honey, very tight and structured, tight finish, long and intense, some minerality/smoke. Young. I liked this lot. Guessed central Burgundy.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Needed time to open up, left in the glass for an hour. Some acacia honey, a certain fatness mixed with fine acidity, some spice, good finish. Few who had this blind guessed Rhône.
Unclear, dark rosé; smells of a blend between piss, manure, fermentation, and red currants; in the mouth: more unfinished fermentation of currant juice. Extremely off-putting nose, a little better in the mouth. The winemaker has allegedly recently gone bankrupt, obviously the sulfur expences did not add to that.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
Served blind. Fairly long brim, some browning, not the darkest. Burgundy? Raw meat on the nose, with some animal fur; Fresh, with fine balance, spicy, some tendencies towards complexity – but still a bit rugged. I am not sure this will get any better.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
Not the best of fills, 4.5 cm, soaked and loose-fitting cork. Clear long brim, definite browning, lightish color; oxidized on nose with some prunes after a while. Much better in the mouth, there is a wonderful complexity and balance there, albeit overthrown by the oxidized/dried berries taste (no bullion). Bottles in better condition may be really wonderful.
Served blind. My first impression was aromatic wise ‘a pinot from overseas’: slightly furry, some spice. Fine start to the taste curve, then fades a bit, then again a fierce and structured finish with almost violent tannins. This, of course, should have kept me away from pinot.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Served blind. Powerful pinot, linear, and lacks a bit complexity, some furry elements. No one thought of 2004 (no greens here – in fact I haven’t detected much in my 2004s), no one of Charmes (quite rustic, but I often find that it does not live up to its feminine name).
Dark as a night, almost that is. At first (it was quite cold and popped and poured), almost shy, linear and elegant. After almost 1 hour it changed and became a much more powerful and complex wine. Again after 2-3 hours it changed once more; gained even more weight. Very clean fruit, long and balanced (not at all over extracted or over the top), structured, wonderful finish. WOTN
1979 de Venoge Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 88 Points
France, Champagne
Very mature apples – on the verge of decaying, some honey and wax, nuts; long, intense and fresh, a bitter/metallic finish which is almost tannic. Over the top, but still enjoyable.
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1998 Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett 89 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Served blind. A hint of spice, some honey, obviously a Riesling, some fresh apples; a hint of residual sugar, on the verge of being a Feinherb it seems, moderate acidity, some slight bitterness in the finish. However, a wine that is light on its toes. Guessed Kabinett, Mosel, 98 – pat my back.
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2010 Louis Jadot Fixin Clos Moreau Blanc 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Fixin
Served blind. Obviously a chardonnay. Lime honey, very tight and structured, tight finish, long and intense, some minerality/smoke. Young. I liked this lot. Guessed central Burgundy.
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2007 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 89 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Needed time to open up, left in the glass for an hour. Some acacia honey, a certain fatness mixed with fine acidity, some spice, good finish. Few who had this blind guessed Rhône.
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2010 Domaine Peyra Côtes d'Auvergne Vieilles Vignes 54 Points
France, Loire Valley, Côtes d'Auvergne
Unclear, dark rosé; smells of a blend between piss, manure, fermentation, and red currants; in the mouth: more unfinished fermentation of currant juice. Extremely off-putting nose, a little better in the mouth. The winemaker has allegedly recently gone bankrupt, obviously the sulfur expences did not add to that.
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2003 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Clos de la Roche 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
Served blind. Fairly long brim, some browning, not the darkest. Burgundy? Raw meat on the nose, with some animal fur; Fresh, with fine balance, spicy, some tendencies towards complexity – but still a bit rugged. I am not sure this will get any better.
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1969 Fernand Grivelet Romanée St. Vivant 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
Not the best of fills, 4.5 cm, soaked and loose-fitting cork. Clear long brim, definite browning, lightish color; oxidized on nose with some prunes after a while. Much better in the mouth, there is a wonderful complexity and balance there, albeit overthrown by the oxidized/dried berries taste (no bullion). Bottles in better condition may be really wonderful.
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1995 Enzo Boglietti Barolo Case Nere 90 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Served blind. My first impression was aromatic wise ‘a pinot from overseas’: slightly furry, some spice. Fine start to the taste curve, then fades a bit, then again a fierce and structured finish with almost violent tannins. This, of course, should have kept me away from pinot.
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1996 G.D. Vajra Langhe Freisa Kyè 81 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
Served blind. Dark, a bit unclear. Sappy, unremarkable, some tannins, meat juice and smoke. No idea what this could possibly be.
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2008 La Grancia Chianti Classico Le Terme 82 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG
Indescript, lots of acid, including tannins. OK, nothing more, actually.
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1976 Balthasar Ress Hattenheimer Engelmannsberg Riesling Beerenauslese 91 Points
Germany, Rheingau
Subdued nose, some acacia honey and Asian spices, moderate sweetness, fine acidity, a bit short for a BA, but lingering and enjoyable.
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2004 Domaine Rion Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes 89 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Served blind. Powerful pinot, linear, and lacks a bit complexity, some furry elements. No one thought of 2004 (no greens here – in fact I haven’t detected much in my 2004s), no one of Charmes (quite rustic, but I often find that it does not live up to its feminine name).
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1989 Château Lynch-Bages 95 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Dark as a night, almost that is. At first (it was quite cold and popped and poured), almost shy, linear and elegant. After almost 1 hour it changed and became a much more powerful and complex wine. Again after 2-3 hours it changed once more; gained even more weight. Very clean fruit, long and balanced (not at all over extracted or over the top), structured, wonderful finish. WOTN
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