France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Great nose of white summer flowers and rich, ripe stone fruit. Palate less forthcoming with more acid and minerality. Moderate length. Quite good in a vintage where I haven't enjoyed that many whites.
Nose shows very ripe fruit - apricot and melons along with lemon. Good floral elements in background. Spicy ripe fruit flavors - lemon, lemon zest, apricot. Bigger and more dense than I recall from prior vintages, perhaps a bit less racy.
Nose entirely primary with ripe black fruit, mostly blackberry. Not lots of spice or delicacy to this wine, it really hits you over the head with fruit and alcohol. Rich, unctuous texture that is fun, very simple finish. I liked this wine just wish there was more complexity. Seemed younger than 1999.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Decanted 6 hours before tasting. Luxurious and intense blackberry and blueberry. Lots of black pepper and some licorice. Very long and powerful with firm tannins. Hold to after 2010, and I'd expect this to drink well for decades.
Earthy nose with good floral elements. Spicy flavors with good balance of fruit and mushroom. Great balance and texture from beginning to end. Not the same length as the 89 Sori Tilden tonight.
Smoky, meaty aromas combine well with floral and leather aromatics. Black cherry flavors combine with emerging earthiness, well supported by lots of fine tannin and acidity. Decanted for an hour but that wasn't nearly enough time. I'd hold any more bottles until 2010 or probably 2015, but I don't have any more. This was the first bottle of wine for which I spent $100+, which I thought was absurdly expensive at the time, so alas just bought the one.
Decanted for 6-10 hours before serving. Massive wine in every wine. Blackberry and black cherry on nose, same on palate with a bit of a plum flavor as well. Dark spices of roasted meat also come through clearly. Incredible minerality and fruit intensity come through from middle to end. Incredible length and finish. This will probably not even be peaking at 2014, so hold for a long, long , long time.
Rather ripe fruit on the nose - plum, black cherry with nice traces of chocolate. Deep and intense fruit on the palate that closely continues the aromatic profile. Just barely on the right side of the ripe vs. over-ripe border (for me). Heat comes across rather prominently on the finish.
1990 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année 92 Points
France, Champagne
Great yeasty character. Intense flavors with great length. Bit of butterscotch and white fruit, then nice citrus elements on the finish. 92 points.
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1993 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon 89 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Great nose of white summer flowers and rich, ripe stone fruit. Palate less forthcoming with more acid and minerality. Moderate length. Quite good in a vintage where I haven't enjoyed that many whites.
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2004 Didier Dagueneau Pur Sang 91 Points
France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Pouilly-Fumé
Nose shows very ripe fruit - apricot and melons along with lemon. Good floral elements in background. Spicy ripe fruit flavors - lemon, lemon zest, apricot. Bigger and more dense than I recall from prior vintages, perhaps a bit less racy.
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1999 Kistler Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard 89 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Nose entirely primary with ripe black fruit, mostly blackberry. Not lots of spice or delicacy to this wine, it really hits you over the head with fruit and alcohol. Rich, unctuous texture that is fun, very simple finish. I liked this wine just wish there was more complexity. Seemed younger than 1999.
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2003 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 93 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Decanted 6 hours before tasting. Luxurious and intense blackberry and blueberry. Lots of black pepper and some licorice. Very long and powerful with firm tannins. Hold to after 2010, and I'd expect this to drink well for decades.
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1982 Gaja Barbaresco 92 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Earthy nose with good floral elements. Spicy flavors with good balance of fruit and mushroom. Great balance and texture from beginning to end. Not the same length as the 89 Sori Tilden tonight.
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1989 Gaja Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn 96 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Smoky, meaty aromas combine well with floral and leather aromatics. Black cherry flavors combine with emerging earthiness, well supported by lots of fine tannin and acidity. Decanted for an hour but that wasn't nearly enough time. I'd hold any more bottles until 2010 or probably 2015, but I don't have any more. This was the first bottle of wine for which I spent $100+, which I thought was absurdly expensive at the time, so alas just bought the one.
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1994 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 96 Points
Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero
Decanted for 6-10 hours before serving. Massive wine in every wine. Blackberry and black cherry on nose, same on palate with a bit of a plum flavor as well. Dark spices of roasted meat also come through clearly. Incredible minerality and fruit intensity come through from middle to end. Incredible length and finish. This will probably not even be peaking at 2014, so hold for a long, long , long time.
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2001 Shafer Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select 93 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Stags Leap District
Rather ripe fruit on the nose - plum, black cherry with nice traces of chocolate. Deep and intense fruit on the palate that closely continues the aromatic profile. Just barely on the right side of the ripe vs. over-ripe border (for me). Heat comes across rather prominently on the finish.
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