Slightly tart red cherry aromas and flavors, both showing a bit of new oak protruding for now. Good textures, but a slight raw edge in the middle right now, which I expect will soften in a year or two.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Lean black cherry and boysenberry aromas with subtle spice hints. Similar black fruit flavors behind firm and assertive tannins for now. Long finish with persistent fruit that just needs a few years to soften and integrate further. Not a powerhouse wine, this should really drink well around its 10 year mark.
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Tasted double blind. Plum aromas with good spice and hints of cassis, espresso and cocoa. Very forward and rounded flavors, very pleasurable today. I was surprised to see this from 2000, finding it easier and more forward than I'd have expected.
Tasted double blind. Ripe stone and orchard fruit with some fresh ginger. Tough wine to figure out, I thought it was from white Rhone varietals given its intensity, slight sweetness and signs of heat. Others enjoyed this more than I did today.
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
Just shipped to Chicago this week, so perhaps a little shaken up. Slightly tropical fruit, very rich and spicy with some intriguing white pepper and clove. Served slightly too warm, several degrees above cellar temp, so this came across as slightly more alcoholic than if served cooler.
Tasted double blind. Black fruit aromas and flavors, very much like a modern styled Bordeaux to me. Sweet, lush and very easy to enjoy right now. Good concentration but slightly one dimensional.
Tasted double blind. Roasted and ultra ripe fruit. Very New World, clearly from a ripe vintage. Clearly well made, but lacking depth and structure for what I like in Cabernet-based wines.
Tasted double blind. Slightly musty start with good black fruit. Moderate intensity, but with the balance and textures that made me think this from Bordeaux when tasted blind.
Tasted double blind. Very fresh and balanced aromatic start with blackberry and plum aromas and good spice. Well textured and balanced throughout, but as Ken pointed out, this is very modern and tough to identify its "place." But a very successful 1999 Napa Cabernet.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
Tasted double blind. Very advanced tart cherry aromas with plenty of earth. Very lean start-to-finish with subtle spice hints. While I didn't find the 2004 "green" bitter elements here, I did find it to be too lean and advanced for such a young Rousseau Grand Cru. I've had mixed results with Rousseau 2004s, recalling good bottles of Chambertin and CSJ, but also disappointment a couple of times with Chambertin-Clos de Beze.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Tasted double blind. Advanced black fruit with some sweet spice on nose, then nothing sweet on palate. Black fruit, mostly mature, but behind firm tannins. Lean edge on finish. Don't see much upside.
Served double blind to the tasting group alongside the same wile from 1997. Very attractive spice start with slightly mature black fruit aromas. Very good power and depth, everything in excellent balance with great new oak contributions and integration. At its peak now, I would expect it to drink this well for at least several more years. Just as good 5 hours after opened vs when popped-and-poured.
Served double blind to the tasting group alongside the same wine from 2002. While the '02 was fresh and exciting, this was good but slightly tired. Mature (very ripe) black fruit aromas and flavors with as much earth. Spice seemed off center with new oak character that never perfectly integrated.
Tasted double blind, paired with the same wine from 1983. This wine was very elegant with very charming mushroom and first floor aromas. Slightly muted but nice enough balance. I preferred this to the 1983, which I found to be off balance, but most tasters today disagreed.
Tasted double blind alongside the same wine from 1969. Mostly earthy with some lingering fruit, but I found this unbalanced and slightly shrill. I preferred the more subtle and elegant 1969, but most other tasters today disagreed.
2011 Shea Wine Cellars Pinot Noir West Hill Shea Vineyard 88 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Slightly tart red cherry aromas and flavors, both showing a bit of new oak protruding for now. Good textures, but a slight raw edge in the middle right now, which I expect will soften in a year or two.
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2011 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Lean black cherry and boysenberry aromas with subtle spice hints. Similar black fruit flavors behind firm and assertive tannins for now. Long finish with persistent fruit that just needs a few years to soften and integrate further. Not a powerhouse wine, this should really drink well around its 10 year mark.
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1973 Anselme Marino Recioto della Valpolicella 79 Points
Italy, Veneto, Valpolicella, Recioto della Valpolicella
5 cm ullage. Tired and uninspiring, drinkable, just completely non-descript.
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2000 Château Beau-Séjour Bécot 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Tasted double blind. Plum aromas with good spice and hints of cassis, espresso and cocoa. Very forward and rounded flavors, very pleasurable today. I was surprised to see this from 2000, finding it easier and more forward than I'd have expected.
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2011 Carlisle The Derivative White 87 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County
Tasted double blind. Ripe stone and orchard fruit with some fresh ginger. Tough wine to figure out, I thought it was from white Rhone varietals given its intensity, slight sweetness and signs of heat. Others enjoyed this more than I did today.
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2011 Sine Qua Non The Moment 91 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
Just shipped to Chicago this week, so perhaps a little shaken up. Slightly tropical fruit, very rich and spicy with some intriguing white pepper and clove. Served slightly too warm, several degrees above cellar temp, so this came across as slightly more alcoholic than if served cooler.
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1999 Argiano Solengo Toscana IGT 90 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Tasted double blind. Black fruit aromas and flavors, very much like a modern styled Bordeaux to me. Sweet, lush and very easy to enjoy right now. Good concentration but slightly one dimensional.
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2002 Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 91 Points
USA, Washington
Tasted double blind. Very big black fruit with lots of power, length, intensity and structure. Lots everything here, but a little too hot on finish.
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2003 Colgin IX Estate 90 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Tasted double blind. Roasted and ultra ripe fruit. Very New World, clearly from a ripe vintage. Clearly well made, but lacking depth and structure for what I like in Cabernet-based wines.
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1998 Girard Winery Red Wine 89 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Tasted double blind. Slightly musty start with good black fruit. Moderate intensity, but with the balance and textures that made me think this from Bordeaux when tasted blind.
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1999 Herb Lamb Cabernet Sauvignon HL 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Tasted double blind. Very fresh and balanced aromatic start with blackberry and plum aromas and good spice. Well textured and balanced throughout, but as Ken pointed out, this is very modern and tough to identify its "place." But a very successful 1999 Napa Cabernet.
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2004 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Clos de la Roche 85 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
Tasted double blind. Very advanced tart cherry aromas with plenty of earth. Very lean start-to-finish with subtle spice hints. While I didn't find the 2004 "green" bitter elements here, I did find it to be too lean and advanced for such a young Rousseau Grand Cru. I've had mixed results with Rousseau 2004s, recalling good bottles of Chambertin and CSJ, but also disappointment a couple of times with Chambertin-Clos de Beze.
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2004 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques Domaine Louis Jadot 83 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Tasted double blind. Advanced black fruit with some sweet spice on nose, then nothing sweet on palate. Black fruit, mostly mature, but behind firm tannins. Lean edge on finish. Don't see much upside.
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2002 Archery Summit Pinot Noir Red Hills Estate 92 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Served double blind to the tasting group alongside the same wile from 1997. Very attractive spice start with slightly mature black fruit aromas. Very good power and depth, everything in excellent balance with great new oak contributions and integration. At its peak now, I would expect it to drink this well for at least several more years. Just as good 5 hours after opened vs when popped-and-poured.
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1997 Archery Summit Pinot Noir Red Hills Estate 87 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Served double blind to the tasting group alongside the same wine from 2002. While the '02 was fresh and exciting, this was good but slightly tired. Mature (very ripe) black fruit aromas and flavors with as much earth. Spice seemed off center with new oak character that never perfectly integrated.
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1969 M. Chapoutier Hermitage La Sizeranne 89 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Tasted double blind, paired with the same wine from 1983. This wine was very elegant with very charming mushroom and first floor aromas. Slightly muted but nice enough balance. I preferred this to the 1983, which I found to be off balance, but most tasters today disagreed.
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1983 M. Chapoutier Hermitage La Sizeranne 84 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Tasted double blind alongside the same wine from 1969. Mostly earthy with some lingering fruit, but I found this unbalanced and slightly shrill. I preferred the more subtle and elegant 1969, but most other tasters today disagreed.
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