Good richness and certainly impressive Grand Cru concentration. Plenty of orchard fruit throughout with good depth, best now through the next 5 (?) years. IF served blind, I would probably not have thought Chablis, but more likely top notch Cote de Beaune.
So rich and concentrated, I'd have thought this 10-15 yo Cali Chardonnay, not 20+ yo from a mediocre vintage. Still nicely powerful, but more earthy and mature than I'd prefer. Still very alive, even if I'd expect it was better a decade back.
Small glass, brief note from memory. Two bottles tasted, this 2nd bottle was much better and fresher with some rich and tropical character and very good weight.
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
Small glass, brief note from memory. Very ripe with moderate structure, giving it fleshy textures that are rich and nicely dense, just slightly lacking brightness. Drink up.
Small glass, brief note from memory. Lots of black fruit with a spice profile more savory vs sweet. Very rich and dense, slowly evolved with great charm. Perhaps not as great as it was a decade+ ago, but close. Thrilled to taste from a good bottle - the last three times tasted, we had corked bottles!
Small glass, brief note from memory. One of today's highlights. Dense black plum and currant with savory spice. Very good balance and depth. Excellent now, probably no upside.
Small glass, brief note from memory. Dense and ripe with great combination of sweet and savory spice. Rich but also excellent balance. Best I can ever recall for this wine.
Small glass, brief note from memory. So much here with plenty of powerful black cherry. Enjoyable, but still. It fully forthcoming, upside from here, 93+ point potential.
Magnum. Small glass, brief note from memory. Ripe black fruit with sweet baking spice. Starts out lush, then perfectly balancing structure brings this together in impressive harmony. Very good length. I preferred this over the Syrah.
Black cherry and berry with mostly sweet spice, dark chocolate and liqueur hints. Rich start stays big and burly, but wonderful balance comes through middle forward. Very good now, upside from here.
Small glass, brief note from memory. Very ripe and powerful, but still bright and near balanced. Very long and vibrant finish. So good now, also with upside. I haven't had this since shortly after release, and it continues to be impressive.
Small glass, brief note from memory. Lots of ripe black cherry with more sweet vs savory spice. Very good concentration and power, while still well balanced. Good now with plenty of upside and 93-94+ point potential.
Small glass, brief note from memory. I understand that some people enjoy this style of wine, but I find it rather monstrous and it's not for me at all. Both vintages.
Small glass, brief note from memory. I understand that some people enjoy this style of wine, but I find it rather monstrous and it's not for me at all. Both vintages.
Small glass, brief note from memory. Reductive start gave this the Alban touch that doesn't thrill me. Extremely ripe and fat without the requisite acidity and structure to make this come across as remotely balanced to me. Not my style of wine.
Small glass, brief note from memory. Also still painfully young and ripe, but with so much density and a near semblance of balance. I found it tough to completely enjoy right now, but liked it more vs 2 years ago, so am very optimistic for its future.
Small glass, brief note from memory. Even more painfully young than the 2013 Grenache, and also showing so much promise already. Long, bold, powerful, all with a sense of emerging balance, I have high hopes for a 95+ point wine 2021 forward.
Small glass, brief note from memory. Bright black berry aromas and flavors with Asian five spice and olive tapenade at the very end. Very balanced and elegant with very good+ weight, in a very traditional style I truly enjoyed. Great now, upside from here.
2011 Maison Albert Bichot Chablis Grand Cru Moutonne Domaine Long-Depaquit 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Good richness and certainly impressive Grand Cru concentration. Plenty of orchard fruit throughout with good depth, best now through the next 5 (?) years. IF served blind, I would probably not have thought Chablis, but more likely top notch Cote de Beaune.
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1998 Kongsgaard Chardonnay 89 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
So rich and concentrated, I'd have thought this 10-15 yo Cali Chardonnay, not 20+ yo from a mediocre vintage. Still nicely powerful, but more earthy and mature than I'd prefer. Still very alive, even if I'd expect it was better a decade back.
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2011 Mouzon-Leroux & Fils Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut L'Angélique 87 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
Non-vintage, but entirely from the 2011 vintage. Bright and lively, just moderate complexity or weight.
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2013 Sine Qua Non ...And An Eight Track 87 Points
USA, California, Central Coast
Enjoyable combination of apple and berry notes with good brightness and weight, even if on the simple side.
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1999 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc Flawed
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Two bottles tasted, this first bottle was moderately oxidized.
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1999 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage Blanc 90 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Small glass, brief note from memory. Two bottles tasted, this 2nd bottle was much better and fresher with some rich and tropical character and very good weight.
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2008 Sine Qua Non Kolibri 87 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Barbara County
Small glass, brief note from memory. Very ripe with moderate structure, giving it fleshy textures that are rich and nicely dense, just slightly lacking brightness. Drink up.
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2002 Sine Qua Non Syrah Just For the Love of It 94 Points
USA, California, Central Coast
Small glass, brief note from memory. Lots of black fruit with a spice profile more savory vs sweet. Very rich and dense, slowly evolved with great charm. Perhaps not as great as it was a decade+ ago, but close. Thrilled to taste from a good bottle - the last three times tasted, we had corked bottles!
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2005 Sine Qua Non Syrah Atlantis Fe2O3~1a, b & c Flawed
USA, California, Central Coast
Small glass, brief note from memory. Good fruit but I found too much volatile acidity here to really enjoy.
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2005 Sine Qua Non Grenache Atlantis Fe2O3~2a, b & c 94 Points
USA, California
Small glass, brief note from memory. One of today's highlights. Dense black plum and currant with savory spice. Very good balance and depth. Excellent now, probably no upside.
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2008 Sine Qua Non Syrah B 20 90 Points
USA, California, Central Coast
Small glass, brief note from memory. Seemed simple tonight, somewhat closed and flat. At an odd stage?
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2000 Sine Qua Non Syrah In Flagrante Flawed
USA, California, Central Coast
Small glass, brief note from memory. Lots and lots of great stuff here, but a little too much volatile acidity coming through.
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2002 Sine Qua Non Whisperin' E 89 Points
USA, California, Central Coast
Small glass, brief note from memory. Still showing lots of bright orchard fruit with good concentration, all still surprisingly bright and long.
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2007 Sine Qua Non Grenache Pictures 95 Points
USA, California
Small glass, brief note from memory. Dense and ripe with great combination of sweet and savory spice. Rich but also excellent balance. Best I can ever recall for this wine.
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1999 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Small glass, brief note from memory. So much here with plenty of powerful black cherry. Enjoyable, but still. It fully forthcoming, upside from here, 93+ point potential.
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2010 Sine Qua Non Syrah Five Shooter 92 Points
USA, California, Central Coast
Magnum. Small glass, brief note from memory. Black plum and cherry with meaty character. Rich and powerful, just less balanced vs the Grenache.
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2010 Sine Qua Non Grenache Five Shooter 93 Points
USA, California, Central Coast
Magnum. Small glass, brief note from memory. Ripe black fruit with sweet baking spice. Starts out lush, then perfectly balancing structure brings this together in impressive harmony. Very good length. I preferred this over the Syrah.
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2009 Sine Qua Non Syrah The Thrill of... 94 Points
USA, California, Central Coast
Black cherry and berry with mostly sweet spice, dark chocolate and liqueur hints. Rich start stays big and burly, but wonderful balance comes through middle forward. Very good now, upside from here.
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2009 Sine Qua Non Grenache Upside Down 94 Points
USA, California, Central Coast
Small glass, brief note from memory. Very ripe and powerful, but still bright and near balanced. Very long and vibrant finish. So good now, also with upside. I haven't had this since shortly after release, and it continues to be impressive.
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2012 Sine Qua Non Grenache Stein
USA, California, Central Coast
Small glass, brief note from memory. Lots of ripe black cherry with more sweet vs savory spice. Very good concentration and power, while still well balanced. Good now with plenty of upside and 93-94+ point potential.
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2005 Alban Vineyards Pandora
USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley
Small glass, brief note from memory. I understand that some people enjoy this style of wine, but I find it rather monstrous and it's not for me at all. Both vintages.
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2008 Alban Vineyards Pandora
USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley
Small glass, brief note from memory. I understand that some people enjoy this style of wine, but I find it rather monstrous and it's not for me at all. Both vintages.
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2003 Alban Vineyards Syrah Seymour's Vineyard
USA, California, Central Coast, Edna Valley
Small glass, brief note from memory. Reductive start gave this the Alban touch that doesn't thrill me. Extremely ripe and fat without the requisite acidity and structure to make this come across as remotely balanced to me. Not my style of wine.
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2013 Sine Qua Non Grenache ♀
USA, California, Central Coast
Small glass, brief note from memory. Also still painfully young and ripe, but with so much density and a near semblance of balance. I found it tough to completely enjoy right now, but liked it more vs 2 years ago, so am very optimistic for its future.
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2015 Sine Qua Non Syrah Trouver l'Arene
USA, California, Central Coast
Small glass, brief note from memory. Even more painfully young than the 2013 Grenache, and also showing so much promise already. Long, bold, powerful, all with a sense of emerging balance, I have high hopes for a 95+ point wine 2021 forward.
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2016 Domaine Vincent Paris Cornas La Geynale 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
Small glass, brief note from memory. Bright black berry aromas and flavors with Asian five spice and olive tapenade at the very end. Very balanced and elegant with very good+ weight, in a very traditional style I truly enjoyed. Great now, upside from here.
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