France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
From magnum. Very pale colour. The nose was classic Dujac -- spice and stems but pointed towards the red fruit direction. The palate was surprisingly austere, and still showing a bit of oak (but nothing overwhelming). This did a lot better with a decanter, but I imagine magnums of this still need a long, long time to rest.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru
I think the biggest surprise on this bottle was how much fruit there was -- and all of it ripe at that. The palate had the same juicy ripeness to it, but the acidity gave this a certain litheness. Very, very good now, but this definitely has the capability to last for another decade.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
This was a real interesting one. The nose was stemmy and there was a big whiff of oak, but in counterpoint to all that was some very pretty red fruit. The palate also had quite a bit of oak on it, but this was somehow very well-balanced at the same time. Quite good, but needs some time to smooth out the rough edges.
This is perhaps a bit of a poster child for what I worry about when I taste 2008 wines. The nose was pleasant, with the classical red fruit and stems, but the palate is starting to empty out, leaving a lot of structure and just not quite enough fruit. Will this be able to come back together? I hope so... but right now, this is quite archetypical for a well-made, middle-tier, 2008 red Burgundy.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Oi, this was a real bruiser. The inky colour gave that away already. Massively proportioned and framed on black fruit, this is nonetheless a very well-structured bottle of Burgundy that should really be sleeping right now. Much better with more air.
Immensely fruit forward right now, with almost a Beaujolais-like quantity of red fruit. But at the same time, on the palate, this holds together very well, with a lot of fresh acidity and the same juicy red fruit. You could probably lie and tell me it's Burgundy, and I'd probably believe you. Heaps of fun to try, consider me a fan.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
Is it really a surprise that this is a massive wine that's basically not showing anything right now. For a moment, perhaps, the beast reared its head to ask why it had been awoken from its slumber... there is tons of dark black fruit on the nose. But the palate isn't showing much of that, and in fact is just pretty much shut down right now, though there was definitely a good sense of structure. Let these sleep -- heed your own advice, Tooch!
Besides being very identifiable as a Bordeaux-based wine from the green bell pepper and pencil shavings, this was really not showing anything at all. The palate almost had no taste at all. I'm reserving judgement on this wine...
This was a real fun bottle of wine. There's some sort of weird cross-over stuff happening here: imagine the fruit of a fresh, young cru Beaujolais combined with the tannic structure of a young Barolo. Likely much better with food, I can see how the fresh cranberries and acidic lift would be able to make a roast chicken super interesting.
From magnum. Wow, holy spot-on Napa cabernet, Batman! Seriously, everything was in its place here. A mix of ripe currants and plums and a slight hint of menthol on the nose, followed by a palate that was so perfectly balanced between the sweet fruit, acidity, and tannic structure. Likely not improving anymore, this is drinking fantastically right now. Enjoy it while it lasts.
#13-07, 8% abv. The nose had a lot of apricot and citrus notes, and a very clear spice quality that I assume was the botrytis. The palate though suffers a little bit from being a bit lower in acidity than I'd like. However, there is plenty to make up for that in its richness and depth. This bottle comes off surprisingly spicy... a function of the botrytis-laden vintage, perhaps?
From magnum. This was a very apple-inflected Champagne with a good dose of both green and red apples on the nose. The palate is slightly austere but also has the same apple quality. A really easy-going bottle that ought to scratch the Champagne itch when it hits.
#03-14, 10% abv. From a frickin' magnum, hand-carried back to Chicago from the estate itself by a few intrepid adventurers. If there's such a thing as electricity in wine, this would be a whole 1.5 litres of it. Insanely racy acidity, with just a slight tinge of sweetness. This has a really good mineral cut along with the acid. Still, a bit dry for my tastes, I'll confess. Or maybe the super-high acidity is affecting my perception of the sweetness...
From half-bottle. Why can't more wines be like this? The nose of this is an absolute stunner, with a primary aroma of ripe peaches, surrounded by a kaleidoscopic array of pretty much everything else you could imagine. There's also a particularly prevalent spice note that permeates everything. The palate is similarly dense and powerful, with the same fruit and spice kaleidoscope. As expected, this is intensely sweet, but not cloying for a single second (though serving at cellar temperature is definitely a few degrees too high, and a bit of a chill will probably bring out more of a zing). Seriously, this stuff packs a punch that any over-extracted Californian 16.5% wine raised in 200% new oak could only wish for.
2007 Domaine Dujac Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
From magnum. Very pale colour. The nose was classic Dujac -- spice and stems but pointed towards the red fruit direction. The palate was surprisingly austere, and still showing a bit of oak (but nothing overwhelming). This did a lot better with a decanter, but I imagine magnums of this still need a long, long time to rest.
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2002 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru
I think the biggest surprise on this bottle was how much fruit there was -- and all of it ripe at that. The palate had the same juicy ripeness to it, but the acidity gave this a certain litheness. Very, very good now, but this definitely has the capability to last for another decade.
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2008 Cecile Tremblay Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Feusselottes 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
This was a real interesting one. The nose was stemmy and there was a big whiff of oak, but in counterpoint to all that was some very pretty red fruit. The palate also had quite a bit of oak on it, but this was somehow very well-balanced at the same time. Quite good, but needs some time to smooth out the rough edges.
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2008 Domaine Bernard & Thierry Glantenay Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
This is perhaps a bit of a poster child for what I worry about when I taste 2008 wines. The nose was pleasant, with the classical red fruit and stems, but the palate is starting to empty out, leaving a lot of structure and just not quite enough fruit. Will this be able to come back together? I hope so... but right now, this is quite archetypical for a well-made, middle-tier, 2008 red Burgundy.
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2005 Domaine Denis Bachelet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Corbeaux Vieilles Vignes 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Oi, this was a real bruiser. The inky colour gave that away already. Massively proportioned and framed on black fruit, this is nonetheless a very well-structured bottle of Burgundy that should really be sleeping right now. Much better with more air.
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2012 Cameron Pinot Noir Arley's Leap 90 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
Immensely fruit forward right now, with almost a Beaujolais-like quantity of red fruit. But at the same time, on the palate, this holds together very well, with a lot of fresh acidity and the same juicy red fruit. You could probably lie and tell me it's Burgundy, and I'd probably believe you. Heaps of fun to try, consider me a fan.
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2006 Louis Jadot Mazis-Chambertin 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
Is it really a surprise that this is a massive wine that's basically not showing anything right now. For a moment, perhaps, the beast reared its head to ask why it had been awoken from its slumber... there is tons of dark black fruit on the nose. But the palate isn't showing much of that, and in fact is just pretty much shut down right now, though there was definitely a good sense of structure. Let these sleep -- heed your own advice, Tooch!
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1995 Château Lafite Rothschild
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Besides being very identifiable as a Bordeaux-based wine from the green bell pepper and pencil shavings, this was really not showing anything at all. The palate almost had no taste at all. I'm reserving judgement on this wine...
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2013 Cruse Wine Company Valdiguié Rancho Chimiles 90 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
This was a real fun bottle of wine. There's some sort of weird cross-over stuff happening here: imagine the fruit of a fresh, young cru Beaujolais combined with the tannic structure of a young Barolo. Likely much better with food, I can see how the fresh cranberries and acidic lift would be able to make a roast chicken super interesting.
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1986 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve 93 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
From magnum. Wow, holy spot-on Napa cabernet, Batman! Seriously, everything was in its place here. A mix of ripe currants and plums and a slight hint of menthol on the nose, followed by a palate that was so perfectly balanced between the sweet fruit, acidity, and tannic structure. Likely not improving anymore, this is drinking fantastically right now. Enjoy it while it lasts.
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2006 Joh. Jos. Prüm Graacher Himmelreich Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel 93 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
#13-07, 8% abv. The nose had a lot of apricot and citrus notes, and a very clear spice quality that I assume was the botrytis. The palate though suffers a little bit from being a bit lower in acidity than I'd like. However, there is plenty to make up for that in its richness and depth. This bottle comes off surprisingly spicy... a function of the botrytis-laden vintage, perhaps?
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NV André Clouet Champagne Grande Réserve Brut 90 Points
France, Champagne
From magnum. This was a very apple-inflected Champagne with a good dose of both green and red apples on the nose. The palate is slightly austere but also has the same apple quality. A really easy-going bottle that ought to scratch the Champagne itch when it hits.
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2013 Hofgut Falkenstein Niedermenniger Herrenberg Riesling Spätlese feinherb 90 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
#03-14, 10% abv. From a frickin' magnum, hand-carried back to Chicago from the estate itself by a few intrepid adventurers. If there's such a thing as electricity in wine, this would be a whole 1.5 litres of it. Insanely racy acidity, with just a slight tinge of sweetness. This has a really good mineral cut along with the acid. Still, a bit dry for my tastes, I'll confess. Or maybe the super-high acidity is affecting my perception of the sweetness...
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2010 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Eiswein 98 Points
Germany, Nahe
From half-bottle. Why can't more wines be like this? The nose of this is an absolute stunner, with a primary aroma of ripe peaches, surrounded by a kaleidoscopic array of pretty much everything else you could imagine. There's also a particularly prevalent spice note that permeates everything. The palate is similarly dense and powerful, with the same fruit and spice kaleidoscope. As expected, this is intensely sweet, but not cloying for a single second (though serving at cellar temperature is definitely a few degrees too high, and a bit of a chill will probably bring out more of a zing). Seriously, this stuff packs a punch that any over-extracted Californian 16.5% wine raised in 200% new oak could only wish for.
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