From magnum. Indeed, a great year. This shows just a little bit of aged funk (what I always jokingly call TCA -- it's not -- it's more like a musky scent that old champagne develops) on the nose, but the palate is where this really shines. It's incredibly fresh and vibrant, with plenty of autolytic notes, but the acidity here enlivens everything.
France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie
Not a fan of this at all. Fairly oily with some nutty and waxy qualities on the palate. High-toned, with some Sharpie marker/organic solvent tones, and the alcohol seems like it pokes through a little bit on the finish.
Pretty consistent with my other notes, and with this wine in general. The telltale aromas and flavours of dried longans are here in spades. It's got a nice mineral cut here, and some smokiness too. Overall there's some interesting and atypical material here. I'm not sure there's much upside in aging this further.
#09-96. Absolutely brilliant nose with a broadness here that is a little unexpected. Faint aromas of petrol, as well as a slightly funky cheese note behind the drying fruit. The sweetness on the palate comes through pretty much immediately, but then is washed away by the acids. Nothing is loud or out of balance here; this is a nicely restrained bottle. Probably still has plenty of life, but to me definitely ready to drink.
#28-82. We were all surprised at how sweet this bottle was, especially given the level and the age. But there it was, a nice dose of immediate sweetness. Unfortunately, I don't think this bottle was in the greatest shape, as everything seemed to fall off pretty rapidly after the attack. There were all the expected elements from a bottle of Prüm, but they seemed overall attenuated. Nonetheless, there's still plenty to like here.
#05-89 (I think; my handwriting is terrible), 8% abv. There's some of the classic stony minerality in this wine, and surprisingly this is a little less sweet than the 81 Prüm Kabinett I had alongside. A hint of green, this is overall a fairly lean example of this wine. Lots of slate and minerality, with a sensation akin to biting into a lime peel (not as much overt acid, however). Feels a little thin and underwhelming; perhaps expectations weren't set properly.
Not sure what makes this chaotic. Sweet and fairly simple; not unpleasant, but there is that classic saccharine quality that gamay has. Some red fruit, but this definitely pales in comparison to the 2007 3.14 alongside.
For gamay, this is pretty decent. It's a headier wine, with quite a bit of ripeness and fruit on display. The usual candied quality isn't as much on display here, and in fact, this is relatively broad-shouldered. Pretty good, as far as gamay goes, but you know, tallest midget and all that.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
There's actually a lot to like about this wine. The nose shows a bit of polish and oak, but underneath is some fairly crystalline red fruit, as is typical for the vintage. The palate initially has some vibrant ripe red fruit elements, as well as a mild hit of brown spice, but then you get to the finish, which seems to be marred by oak, leaving a mild bitter astringency.
At least tonight, this was far superior to the 2007 version. Heaps of black fruit and a mild pepperiness, with heft that is more reminiscent of Hermitage than St. Joseph. I love the density and power in this wine, and while it comes off as a touch austere right now, I feel like the fruit elements are there if you look for them. It's more brooding than the relatively open-knit 2007, and overall, I get the sense there's more stuffing here.
If we were drinking this individually, I probably wouldn't come off so negative about this wine. It's certainly a good bottle of syrah, but to my palate, it is far weaker than the 2006. There's some juicy red fruit here, and a sweetness that seems to give this a bit of a softer disposition. Clearly a less potent wine than the brooding 2006. Not much tannin here, this feels far closer to ready than the 2006.
Easily the wine of the night for me, and in the top three for almost everyone in the group. This is why we drink syrah. The nose has that classic silky Allemand perfume, with a hint of meat, olive brine, and black pepper, but also supplemented by a nice amount of fruit. There's a saline earthiness that seems to me to be a product of age. The palate is pretty much the same as the nose, and it straddles the balance of being polished and rustic at the same time. I love the svelte acidity here. This wine is, to my palate, at peak.
The difference between this and the 2000 Chaillot is incredibly stark. This is significantly darker in the glass, and clearly riper on the nose and palate. To be sure, the fruit is far more at the forefront, and many of the more mature elements that I like haven't emerged yet. It's obviously quite young, and the fruit still comes off as a bit burly, but the elegance is still here. An easy candidate for further aging.
France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny
I think overall others at the table liked this more than I did. The nose on this was stunning. Yes, there were the classic notes of green peppers, but there's also a really lovely ripe red fruit aroma that goes along with it. The nose is intense and perfumed, and it's quite powerful too. The palate is weaker than that explosive nose; while it has many of the same elements (the pyrazine, the red fruit, etc.) the concentration doesn't really feel like it's there. Think of this like a watercolour painting, where all the elements are there and the colours are varied, but overall there's a subdued impression.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
If more CdP tasted like this, I would probably drink more CdP. Yes, it's a big and brash wine, with broad shoulders and chock full of flavour, but it's also real flavour, not like that high-fructose corn syrup garbage that Parker passes off as Chateauneuf. There is a varied array of fruit here, from tart cranberries to ripe plums, and that assortment adds plenty of complexity to this wine. Surprisingly on the palate, this is incredibly tannic -- this could easily rival the nebbiolos in terms of tannin.
Initially a little stinky, but that blew off right away. This is a pretty old school bottle of claret, with its graphite and leather. I think overall I liked this more than many others at the table, and I liked it more than I thought I would too. It's a pretty brawny wine, and while the fruit isn't on full display anymore, there's still some pretty nice elements overall.
The nose on this shows some really pretty red fruit, as well as some mild floral elements. It's not something that immediately screams out to me as nebbiolo, at least, until you taste it. There, you definitely get the tannic structure, but also much of the same red fruit and florals on the nose. A hint of earthiness here also adds interest.
There's no doubt in my mind that this wine will improve with time, but it is in such a bad state for drinking right now. Juicy and ripe, with some cough syrup notes and a whole lot of tannin. Unfortunately not much else. I think there's clearly some serious stuff lurking underneath, but it's not on display now and a lot of time will be needed to coax it out.
I'm a true idiot for not buying more Rinaldi before the prices blew up. This was a stunning bottle of nebbiolo and one of my favourite wines of the evening (and showing inordinately better than the Bartolo). Crystalline red fruit, with a sweet perfume to go alongside it. The palate is definitely heady and ripe, and the alcohol shows, but there is still really good balance here and this never actually feels hot. The fruit is a little sweet, but I think it exemplifies the vintage in this case.
From half-bottle. It's clearly late harvest riesling from the fruit profile and acidity, but the floral elements on this wine are completely off the charts. This is definitely dessert-level sweetness too, and there's the requisite acidity to balance it out. There's a slightly different flavour profile than I'm used to (mostly it's the florals), but this could probably hold its own against its fair share of Mosel producers.
#21-09, 7% abv. From half-bottle. Syrupy and thick, much more so than I would expect from a Dönnhoff eiswein. Lots and lots of sweetness, with the decade of age showing a little bit of a rounding off of the bright acids that I'm accustomed to. As usual, kaleidoscopic in its array of flavours, so I'm not going to bother to try to describe it. Long finish, with a slight spicy tinge, and also a delicious pile of sweet stone fruit.
1996 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année 93 Points
France, Champagne
From magnum. Indeed, a great year. This shows just a little bit of aged funk (what I always jokingly call TCA -- it's not -- it's more like a musky scent that old champagne develops) on the nose, but the palate is where this really shines. It's incredibly fresh and vibrant, with plenty of autolytic notes, but the acidity here enlivens everything.
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2002 Domaine Luneau-Papin Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie "L" d’Or 85 Points
France, Loire Valley, Pays Nantais, Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine sur lie
Not a fan of this at all. Fairly oily with some nutty and waxy qualities on the palate. High-toned, with some Sharpie marker/organic solvent tones, and the alcohol seems like it pokes through a little bit on the finish.
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1984 Peter Lauer Saar Riesling Brut Reserve 88 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Pretty consistent with my other notes, and with this wine in general. The telltale aromas and flavours of dried longans are here in spades. It's got a nice mineral cut here, and some smokiness too. Overall there's some interesting and atypical material here. I'm not sure there's much upside in aging this further.
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1995 Willi Schaefer Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese 95 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
#09-96. Absolutely brilliant nose with a broadness here that is a little unexpected. Faint aromas of petrol, as well as a slightly funky cheese note behind the drying fruit. The sweetness on the palate comes through pretty much immediately, but then is washed away by the acids. Nothing is loud or out of balance here; this is a nicely restrained bottle. Probably still has plenty of life, but to me definitely ready to drink.
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1981 Joh. Jos. Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett 90 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
#28-82. We were all surprised at how sweet this bottle was, especially given the level and the age. But there it was, a nice dose of immediate sweetness. Unfortunately, I don't think this bottle was in the greatest shape, as everything seemed to fall off pretty rapidly after the attack. There were all the expected elements from a bottle of Prüm, but they seemed overall attenuated. Nonetheless, there's still plenty to like here.
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1983 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese 90 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
#05-89 (I think; my handwriting is terrible), 8% abv. There's some of the classic stony minerality in this wine, and surprisingly this is a little less sweet than the 81 Prüm Kabinett I had alongside. A hint of green, this is overall a fairly lean example of this wine. Lots of slate and minerality, with a sensation akin to biting into a lime peel (not as much overt acid, however). Feels a little thin and underwhelming; perhaps expectations weren't set properly.
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2014 Yann Bertrand Fleurie Cuvée du Chaos 85 Points
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Fleurie
Not sure what makes this chaotic. Sweet and fairly simple; not unpleasant, but there is that classic saccharine quality that gamay has. Some red fruit, but this definitely pales in comparison to the 2007 3.14 alongside.
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2007 Jean Foillard Morgon Cuvée 3.14 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon
For gamay, this is pretty decent. It's a headier wine, with quite a bit of ripeness and fruit on display. The usual candied quality isn't as much on display here, and in fact, this is relatively broad-shouldered. Pretty good, as far as gamay goes, but you know, tallest midget and all that.
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2002 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains Flawed
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Something not quite right here; not entirely sure what though. Seemed a bit heat-damaged, perhaps?
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2008 Domaine Perrot-Minot Mazis-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
There's actually a lot to like about this wine. The nose shows a bit of polish and oak, but underneath is some fairly crystalline red fruit, as is typical for the vintage. The palate initially has some vibrant ripe red fruit elements, as well as a mild hit of brown spice, but then you get to the finish, which seems to be marred by oak, leaving a mild bitter astringency.
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2006 Pierre Gonon St. Joseph Vieilles Vignes 95 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph
At least tonight, this was far superior to the 2007 version. Heaps of black fruit and a mild pepperiness, with heft that is more reminiscent of Hermitage than St. Joseph. I love the density and power in this wine, and while it comes off as a touch austere right now, I feel like the fruit elements are there if you look for them. It's more brooding than the relatively open-knit 2007, and overall, I get the sense there's more stuffing here.
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2007 Pierre Gonon St. Joseph Vieilles Vignes 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, St. Joseph
If we were drinking this individually, I probably wouldn't come off so negative about this wine. It's certainly a good bottle of syrah, but to my palate, it is far weaker than the 2006. There's some juicy red fruit here, and a sweetness that seems to give this a bit of a softer disposition. Clearly a less potent wine than the brooding 2006. Not much tannin here, this feels far closer to ready than the 2006.
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2000 Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot 98 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
Easily the wine of the night for me, and in the top three for almost everyone in the group. This is why we drink syrah. The nose has that classic silky Allemand perfume, with a hint of meat, olive brine, and black pepper, but also supplemented by a nice amount of fruit. There's a saline earthiness that seems to me to be a product of age. The palate is pretty much the same as the nose, and it straddles the balance of being polished and rustic at the same time. I love the svelte acidity here. This wine is, to my palate, at peak.
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2000 Thierry Allemand Cornas Reynard Flawed
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
Muddy. Likely heat-damaged. A shame, as it would have been really educational to compare a mature Reynard and Chaillot side by side.
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2009 Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
The difference between this and the 2000 Chaillot is incredibly stark. This is significantly darker in the glass, and clearly riper on the nose and palate. To be sure, the fruit is far more at the forefront, and many of the more mature elements that I like haven't emerged yet. It's obviously quite young, and the fruit still comes off as a bit burly, but the elegance is still here. An easy candidate for further aging.
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2002 Clos Rougeard (Foucault) Saumur-Champigny Les Poyeux 93 Points
France, Loire Valley, Anjou-Saumur, Saumur-Champigny
I think overall others at the table liked this more than I did. The nose on this was stunning. Yes, there were the classic notes of green peppers, but there's also a really lovely ripe red fruit aroma that goes along with it. The nose is intense and perfumed, and it's quite powerful too. The palate is weaker than that explosive nose; while it has many of the same elements (the pyrazine, the red fruit, etc.) the concentration doesn't really feel like it's there. Think of this like a watercolour painting, where all the elements are there and the colours are varied, but overall there's a subdued impression.
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1981 Domaine du Vieux Lazaret Châteauneuf-du-Pape Flawed
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Corked.
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2013 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Marie Beurrier 93 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
If more CdP tasted like this, I would probably drink more CdP. Yes, it's a big and brash wine, with broad shoulders and chock full of flavour, but it's also real flavour, not like that high-fructose corn syrup garbage that Parker passes off as Chateauneuf. There is a varied array of fruit here, from tart cranberries to ripe plums, and that assortment adds plenty of complexity to this wine. Surprisingly on the palate, this is incredibly tannic -- this could easily rival the nebbiolos in terms of tannin.
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1970 Château Mouton Rothschild 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Initially a little stinky, but that blew off right away. This is a pretty old school bottle of claret, with its graphite and leather. I think overall I liked this more than many others at the table, and I liked it more than I thought I would too. It's a pretty brawny wine, and while the fruit isn't on full display anymore, there's still some pretty nice elements overall.
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1999 Giuseppe E Figlio Mascarello Barolo Monprivato 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
The nose on this shows some really pretty red fruit, as well as some mild floral elements. It's not something that immediately screams out to me as nebbiolo, at least, until you taste it. There, you definitely get the tannic structure, but also much of the same red fruit and florals on the nose. A hint of earthiness here also adds interest.
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2007 Bartolo Mascarello Barolo 90 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
There's no doubt in my mind that this wine will improve with time, but it is in such a bad state for drinking right now. Juicy and ripe, with some cough syrup notes and a whole lot of tannin. Unfortunately not much else. I think there's clearly some serious stuff lurking underneath, but it's not on display now and a lot of time will be needed to coax it out.
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2007 Giuseppe Rinaldi Barolo Cannubi San Lorenzo Ravera 95 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
I'm a true idiot for not buying more Rinaldi before the prices blew up. This was a stunning bottle of nebbiolo and one of my favourite wines of the evening (and showing inordinately better than the Bartolo). Crystalline red fruit, with a sweet perfume to go alongside it. The palate is definitely heady and ripe, and the alcohol shows, but there is still really good balance here and this never actually feels hot. The fruit is a little sweet, but I think it exemplifies the vintage in this case.
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2016 Seifried Riesling Sweet Agnes Winemakers Collection 88 Points
New Zealand, South Island, Nelson
From half-bottle. It's clearly late harvest riesling from the fruit profile and acidity, but the floral elements on this wine are completely off the charts. This is definitely dessert-level sweetness too, and there's the requisite acidity to balance it out. There's a slightly different flavour profile than I'm used to (mostly it's the florals), but this could probably hold its own against its fair share of Mosel producers.
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2008 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Eiswein 95 Points
Germany, Nahe
#21-09, 7% abv. From half-bottle. Syrupy and thick, much more so than I would expect from a Dönnhoff eiswein. Lots and lots of sweetness, with the decade of age showing a little bit of a rounding off of the bright acids that I'm accustomed to. As usual, kaleidoscopic in its array of flavours, so I'm not going to bother to try to describe it. Long finish, with a slight spicy tinge, and also a delicious pile of sweet stone fruit.
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