Let breathe in the bottle for 4 hours. This was a big flashy modern styled effort. An extremely young wine with sporty ripe, spicy red fruit as well as menthol and freshly fallen pine needle on the nose. Feminine, but powerful. Really sexy in an almost Gothic manner. Silky forceful tannins with appealing acidity and alcohol balance. Rhubarb, dark Asian spice come through with a candied Twizzler play after more time open. Highly structured finish - excellent tannin management as a whole. A really nice medium to full bodied Nebbiolo.
Nose shows funky wet dog, cheese and some damp cotton. Light red and white pepper spice with a unique roasted tomato play. Menthol, green olives also show with more air and time in the decanter. The palate has a different sort of personality with more blue fruit. Some black licorice, anise and lots of barrique seasoning. An older sense - a gripping wine. Would work very well with food. Medium full body. Elegant. Really nice. Though I mentioned it seemed "older" there is still lots of life ahead for this bottling.
Fading, but still an elegant expression of Pinot Noir. The bottle said this was 85% Napa and 15% Sonoma. Cool. As I said, there's some oxidation notes, but they're enjoyable. Nice rustic fruit. Everyone at the table except for Kevin guessed it was an Old World Pinot. Some nice solid earth and funk on the nose. There's a woody essence - like an old dirt road. The palate is just as elegant as the nose and shows nice acidity. There's black compacted fruit with a fair dose of iron on the back end. Still a bit of life - but not more than a couple years. The wine faded pretty quick upon opening.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
We incidentally tasted this almost exactly one year ago at Knightsbridge. A nice heady perfume nose of feminine silky sweet and pruney fruit. Nice floral play of bright and vivid red rose petals. A little sappy, almost overly ripe fruit, but it works so well for me. Camphor, sweet spice - LOVELY spice even. Some cool fresh ground baking spice, violets and even a background ironwork and some gravelly aromas round out the complex nose. This wine is showing wonderfully right now. The palate is smooth and in perfect harmony. A light funk on the mid palate provides an excellent transition into a big finish showing some nice heat. You can sense the old vines used to produce this big boy. Really nice.
Old wine. Lots of oxidation and some sulfur on the nose as well. Muted fruit - hints of light cherry, rusty nail and iron. A touch turned. Not great, but good with a decent finish - just at the tail end of its life.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Definitely my WOTD. Beautiful vivid medium bright rose red. Nose of strawberry cobler with a solid dose of shrooms. Absolutely gorgeous aromatics. Totally feminine but with precision, power and finesse. Silky, damp forest floor, rhubarb, spicy red vegetation and some really light fennel. A touch of chemy sulfur play but it only adds complexity to the nose - YES! Awesome bright red fruit flavors, mossy trees, some pungent funky cheesy aromas that make this wine truly remarkable. The finish is completely in balance with great acidity but a lush opulent mouth feel that you can't help but smile with. An awesome buy at this price range, which is great for a solid Burg - the juice brings alot to the table.
Inky creme de cassis, vanilla and triple creme cheese aromas. A nicely balanced palate. Rustic and dry on the back end. Modern styling. Really sweet tannin structure - very much my style.
Huge dark chocolate aromas. Coffee, and dark clean pure fruit - lots of deep concord grape. Black olive, black tea, violets, cassis and a unique black Jelly Belly (licorice) play on the back end. Big fruit but not over done. Really nice wine.
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
A really nice Syrah. New World styling with driven Old World components. Unique rhubarb and light licorice. Black and blue fruit. Blueberries, graphite, lead pencil shavings. Loads of minerality - and fennel (second time today). A shame these vines were ripped out.
I loved this wine. Completely black color from the rim to the center. It's a bohemoth, blockbuster of an effort from this culty winery in Santa Ynez. Brooding masculine characteristics. Viscous but not showing the heat despite its 14.9%. Huge bell pepper action covered with bushels of black fruit. Lengthly and well structured. Black olive, black licorice. Really weighty wine but not at all overdone. With more air rich molasses and black flowers showed - eucalyptus and lilacs. An awesome finish - textured, velvety, and remarkably balanced.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Very very young wine. Funky oaky, dilly green vegetables. Some baking spice. Almost a little juicy. Some light balsamic play. Quite elegant. Robust with just a faint metallic flavor. Nice acidity with rich gripping tannins. Again, really young.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Popped and poured. Served at room temperature. Lychee, lime, pineapple, tropical fruit but quite tart. Some light yellow flowers. Waxy on the palate. Some wet slate and metallic sense. Pretty darn tasty. Love the body. Just the right weight. Medium full.
2005 La Spinetta (Rivetti) Barbaresco Vürsù Vigneto Starderi 94 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Let breathe in the bottle for 4 hours. This was a big flashy modern styled effort. An extremely young wine with sporty ripe, spicy red fruit as well as menthol and freshly fallen pine needle on the nose. Feminine, but powerful. Really sexy in an almost Gothic manner. Silky forceful tannins with appealing acidity and alcohol balance. Rhubarb, dark Asian spice come through with a candied Twizzler play after more time open. Highly structured finish - excellent tannin management as a whole. A really nice medium to full bodied Nebbiolo.
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1999 Fontodi Flaccianello della Pieve Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT 92 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Colli della Toscana Centrale IGT
Nose shows funky wet dog, cheese and some damp cotton. Light red and white pepper spice with a unique roasted tomato play.
Menthol, green olives also show with more air and time in the decanter. The palate has a different sort of personality with more blue fruit.
Some black licorice, anise and lots of barrique seasoning. An older sense - a gripping wine. Would work very well with food. Medium full body.
Elegant. Really nice. Though I mentioned it seemed "older" there is still lots of life ahead for this bottling.
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1990 Ferrari-Carano Pinot Noir Rhonda's Reserve 90 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley
Fading, but still an elegant expression of Pinot Noir. The bottle said this was 85% Napa and 15% Sonoma. Cool.
As I said, there's some oxidation notes, but they're enjoyable. Nice rustic fruit. Everyone at the table except for Kevin guessed it was an Old World Pinot.
Some nice solid earth and funk on the nose. There's a woody essence - like an old dirt road. The palate is just as elegant as the nose and shows nice acidity.
There's black compacted fruit with a fair dose of iron on the back end. Still a bit of life - but not more than a couple years. The wine faded pretty quick upon opening.
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2001 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 95 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
We incidentally tasted this almost exactly one year ago at Knightsbridge.
A nice heady perfume nose of feminine silky sweet and pruney fruit. Nice floral play of bright and vivid red rose petals.
A little sappy, almost overly ripe fruit, but it works so well for me.
Camphor, sweet spice - LOVELY spice even. Some cool fresh ground baking spice, violets and even a background ironwork and some gravelly aromas round out the complex nose.
This wine is showing wonderfully right now. The palate is smooth and in perfect harmony. A light funk on the mid palate provides an excellent transition into a big finish showing some nice heat.
You can sense the old vines used to produce this big boy. Really nice.
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1997 Castello di Monsanto Tinscvil Toscana IGT 87 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Toscana IGT
Old wine. Lots of oxidation and some sulfur on the nose as well. Muted fruit - hints of light cherry, rusty nail and iron.
A touch turned. Not great, but good with a decent finish - just at the tail end of its life.
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2003 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes 96 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Definitely my WOTD. Beautiful vivid medium bright rose red. Nose of strawberry cobler with a solid dose of shrooms. Absolutely gorgeous aromatics. Totally feminine but with precision, power and finesse. Silky, damp forest floor, rhubarb, spicy red vegetation and some really light fennel. A touch of chemy sulfur play but it only adds complexity to the nose - YES!
Awesome bright red fruit flavors, mossy trees, some pungent funky cheesy aromas that make this wine truly remarkable. The finish is completely in balance with great acidity but a lush opulent mouth feel that you can't help but smile with. An awesome buy at this price range, which is great for a solid Burg - the juice brings alot to the table.
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1995 Bodegas Alejandro Fernández Ribera del Duero Janus Gran Reserva Pesquera 94 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Inky creme de cassis, vanilla and triple creme cheese aromas. A nicely balanced palate. Rustic and dry on the back end.
Modern styling. Really sweet tannin structure - very much my style.
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1999 Clarendon Hills Shiraz Piggott Range Vineyard 93 Points
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu, Clarendon
Huge dark chocolate aromas. Coffee, and dark clean pure fruit - lots of deep concord grape.
Black olive, black tea, violets, cassis and a unique black Jelly Belly (licorice) play on the back end.
Big fruit but not over done. Really nice wine.
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1998 Paloma Syrah 92 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Spring Mountain District
A really nice Syrah. New World styling with driven Old World components.
Unique rhubarb and light licorice. Black and blue fruit. Blueberries, graphite, lead pencil shavings.
Loads of minerality - and fennel (second time today). A shame these vines were ripped out.
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2005 Jonata Winery La Sangre de Jonata 95 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Santa Ynez Valley
I loved this wine. Completely black color from the rim to the center. It's a bohemoth, blockbuster of an effort from this culty winery in Santa Ynez. Brooding masculine characteristics. Viscous but not showing the heat despite its 14.9%.
Huge bell pepper action covered with bushels of black fruit. Lengthly and well structured. Black olive, black licorice.
Really weighty wine but not at all overdone. With more air rich molasses and black flowers showed - eucalyptus and lilacs. An awesome finish - textured, velvety, and remarkably balanced.
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2003 Dominique Laurent Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes Vieilles Vignes 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Very very young wine. Funky oaky, dilly green vegetables. Some baking spice. Almost a little juicy.
Some light balsamic play. Quite elegant. Robust with just a faint metallic flavor. Nice acidity with rich gripping tannins. Again, really young.
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2008 Domaine du Pégau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Cuvée Réservée 91 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Popped and poured. Served at room temperature. Lychee, lime, pineapple, tropical fruit but quite tart.
Some light yellow flowers. Waxy on the palate. Some wet slate and metallic sense. Pretty darn tasty. Love the body. Just the right weight. Medium full.
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