A bit of reduction on the nose. Sulfur and matchstick aromas, but the palate was all Chablis, with lemons, flint and sea shells. Lean and svelte, but a nice bit of sneaky sappiness in the middle.
Viognier can be a bit of a crap shoot for me as I sometimes find them overwhelming in floral perfume. This, however, walked the line nicely between flamboyance and refinement. The tell tale florals are there, but in check. The fruit is nicely subdued. A lovely chalky/mineral tang in the finish. Lovely wine.
The wonderful thing about this wine was how it evolved throughout the night; bit reserved at first, but slowly unveiling itself. An almost crunchy/tart cranberry and strawberry palate complictated by dried rose petals. Later in the night this revealed a spicey note, almost like anise. A savory, high-toned and intriguing wine with loads of character.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Ripe (but not over-ripe) black fruits, stones and herbs. Textbook CdP that hold promise for the future, but a bit grippy at the present. The balance is there, but this begs for cellar time.
A new experience for me and a pleasant surprise. Complex and mature nose of dried, pressed flowers, cool red fruits, spice and hints of warm earth. Elegant, uplifting and mouthwatering. I would love to have this with a meal.
Well, this was a nice slap in the face to wake up the senses. Bold, meaty, savage and powerful, but with poise. This was surprisingly open (the double decanting obviously helped). This has that carnal Northern Rhone character, but with great freshness and no funk (not that there's anything wrong with a little funk). Very easy to drink without tiring. The structure is there, but oh so fine-grained. Very impressive.
It's been twelve years since I last had this wine and it seems to still have quite a bit of life to it. Although mature, this had great body and thrust. Grilled meats, iron shavings, herbs and bacon fat. This just dripped with savory flavors. A wonderful, thrilling wine.
This could be the oldest Chianti I've tasted. Obvious mature, autumnal flavors. Dried leaves, earth, tea, wood spice. While this might have been more better a few years ago when there was more overt fruit, this still manages to impress with its complexity and liveliness. Still quite a little energetic firecracker of a Chianti at 40 years of age!
Italy, Trentino Alto-Adige / Veneto, Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT
This blew me away two years ago, but alas this was tight and hard tonight. There was some red fruits, spice and leather on the palate, but not overly generous and giving at present. I took the bottle home and will revisit on day 2. UPDATE This did unwind a bit on day 2, with some black fruit and spice starting to emerge, but the structure is still a bit forbidding. This needs cellaring.
With all the elegant, subtle wines opened this night, this unfortunately suffered with its size, ripe fruit and noticable oak treatment. I detected some positive elements in the quality fruit, but this was just too big for present enjoyment. I sure hope this integrates over time. Not rated.
Powerful, concentrated and brooding. A sleeping giant. This will be amazing when it opens for business, but a bit too shut down at present. To be fair, I do not think this was decanted at all.
A fantastic wine and much more giving than the 2000 Pichon Baron opened up next to it. Lovely cassis, stones, cedary wood, graphite and earth. Complex and mouthfilling with an almost creamy texture. Fine tannins and a lenghty finish. Superb Bordeaux.
It's so hard not to enjoy aged Riesling. This was sourced directly from the estate and recently shipped. Lovely orange-gold color. Mature flavors, dried tropical fruits, tea and sultana raisins. Not much diesel, but its there. This really expands, coats and clings to the palate. The 21 years of aging has melted away a good deal of the sweetness to the point where this is now more of a rich table wine. Still quite fresh. Give me a bit more acidity and this would have been outstanding.
2005 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
A bit of reduction on the nose. Sulfur and matchstick aromas, but the palate was all Chablis, with lemons, flint and sea shells. Lean and svelte, but a nice bit of sneaky sappiness in the middle.
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2004 André Perret Condrieu Chery 91 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu
Viognier can be a bit of a crap shoot for me as I sometimes find them overwhelming in floral perfume. This, however, walked the line nicely between flamboyance and refinement. The tell tale florals are there, but in check. The fruit is nicely subdued. A lovely chalky/mineral tang in the finish. Lovely wine.
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2008 Les Chais du Vieux Bourg Pinot Noir Côtes du Jura 92 Points
France, Jura, Côtes du Jura
The wonderful thing about this wine was how it evolved throughout the night; bit reserved at first, but slowly unveiling itself. An almost crunchy/tart cranberry and strawberry palate complictated by dried rose petals. Later in the night this revealed a spicey note, almost like anise. A savory, high-toned and intriguing wine with loads of character.
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2001 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 91 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Ripe (but not over-ripe) black fruits, stones and herbs. Textbook CdP that hold promise for the future, but a bit grippy at the present. The balance is there, but this begs for cellar time.
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1999 Ferrando Carema White Label (Etichetta Bianca) 91 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Carema
A new experience for me and a pleasant surprise. Complex and mature nose of dried, pressed flowers, cool red fruits, spice and hints of warm earth. Elegant, uplifting and mouthwatering. I would love to have this with a meal.
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2007 Thierry Allemand Cornas Chaillot 95 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas
Well, this was a nice slap in the face to wake up the senses. Bold, meaty, savage and powerful, but with poise. This was surprisingly open (the double decanting obviously helped). This has that carnal Northern Rhone character, but with great freshness and no funk (not that there's anything wrong with a little funk). Very easy to drink without tiring. The structure is there, but oh so fine-grained. Very impressive.
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1990 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Crozes-Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert 94 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Crozes-Hermitage
It's been twelve years since I last had this wine and it seems to still have quite a bit of life to it. Although mature, this had great body and thrust. Grilled meats, iron shavings, herbs and bacon fat. This just dripped with savory flavors. A wonderful, thrilling wine.
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1971 Castell'in Villa Chianti Classico Riserva 93 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Chianti, Chianti Classico DOCG
This could be the oldest Chianti I've tasted. Obvious mature, autumnal flavors. Dried leaves, earth, tea, wood spice. While this might have been more better a few years ago when there was more overt fruit, this still manages to impress with its complexity and liveliness. Still quite a little energetic firecracker of a Chianti at 40 years of age!
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1999 Foradori Granato 90 Points
Italy, Trentino Alto-Adige / Veneto, Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT
This blew me away two years ago, but alas this was tight and hard tonight. There was some red fruits, spice and leather on the palate, but not overly generous and giving at present. I took the bottle home and will revisit on day 2. UPDATE This did unwind a bit on day 2, with some black fruit and spice starting to emerge, but the structure is still a bit forbidding. This needs cellaring.
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1998 Alvaro Palacios Priorat L'Ermita
Spain, Catalunya, Priorat
With all the elegant, subtle wines opened this night, this unfortunately suffered with its size, ripe fruit and noticable oak treatment. I detected some positive elements in the quality fruit, but this was just too big for present enjoyment. I sure hope this integrates over time. Not rated.
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2000 Château Pichon-Longueville Baron 93 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Powerful, concentrated and brooding. A sleeping giant. This will be amazing when it opens for business, but a bit too shut down at present. To be fair, I do not think this was decanted at all.
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2000 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou 94 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Julien
A fantastic wine and much more giving than the 2000 Pichon Baron opened up next to it. Lovely cassis, stones, cedary wood, graphite and earth. Complex and mouthfilling with an almost creamy texture. Fine tannins and a lenghty finish. Superb Bordeaux.
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1990 Schloss Schönborn Hattenheimer Nussbrunnen Riesling Auslese 93 Points
Germany, Rheingau
It's so hard not to enjoy aged Riesling. This was sourced directly from the estate and recently shipped. Lovely orange-gold color. Mature flavors, dried tropical fruits, tea and sultana raisins. Not much diesel, but its there. This really expands, coats and clings to the palate. The 21 years of aging has melted away a good deal of the sweetness to the point where this is now more of a rich table wine. Still quite fresh. Give me a bit more acidity and this would have been outstanding.
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