Saves me the trouble of popping one open come 2012. Liqueur-like nose, with notes of caramelized green apples, some brown spice notes, as well as faint bready aromas as well. There is a wealth of painfully concentrated green apple acidity. A hint of sweetness, as well as lovely yellow fruit flavours. Long, long, long. Like a grand cru Burgundy with a little bit of fizz (or, decant the fizz off and let it warm slightly). Simply delicious, and I can't wait for this to pick up some age.
Classic Burgundian nose. Rust, earth, mushrooms, and brown Asian spice on the nose. Slight hints of red raspberries as well. Somewhat austere on the palate, with lots of good acidity as well as a flavour profile consistent with the nose. Great balance. Resolved and softened tannins. Excellent, quintessential Burgundy.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
A nose completely dominated by rust, though there are some pretty red fruit notes as well. On the palate, there is some balance between the stemmy notes with incredible ripeness of fruit. Vanishing tannins, but a lively palate and a little lacking in structure. More of a hedonistic Burgundy, but sometimes, you just want something like Meo.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
No. Green stems. I'm aware of the vintage reputation here, and I am trying hard not to judge this wine based on it, but having it sit next to a bunch of other aged Burgundies, this pops out like a sore (green) thumb. Some mint and other green herbs on the nose. Can't even come close to describing the palate -- it's just vapid and green; has the acid I like in wine, but nothing to back it up. Maybe I have a bias knowing the reputation of the vintage, but again, the terrible quality of this wine as a whole is put in full view next to some '97 Meo and '96 Armand.
A slight tinge of green in colour. Slightly oaky nose, with some waxy ripeness as well. On the palate, this is quite rich, but slightly flabby due to a big amount of sweetness. Oak is quite modest, thankfully. A surprising, delicious California chardonnay. Just wish there was a little bit more of a vein of acidity.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Only some slight signs of bricking. Very perfumed nose, with notes of roses, raspberries, and definitely some aromas of toasted oak; very bright on the nose. Very fruity on the palate with some youthful tannins that are still unresolved. Seems like it still needs a bit of time to integrate together, with the fruit feeling slightly out of balance with the tough tannins. On the other hand, the metaphor of an iron fist in a velvet glove is certainly an apt descriptor of this bottle.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
Slight signs of bricking. Very spicy nose, with some confected red fruit notes and lots of floral aromas as well as a little bit of rust. A hit of sweetness on the palate, but otherwise, this is quite a monster of a wine, with tons of power and concentration. Some rust notes on the palate again, as well as some tart yet ripe red berry flavours. Quite good, but for a vineyard like Musigny, I'd expect for this to be even more of a powerhouse.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
Almost inky for a pinot noir. Aromatic, spicy, and complex nose. Hints of truffle, earth, and black cherry. On the palate, this is very concentrated in black fruit flavours, with softening tannins. Somewhat fruity and quite modern in style; missing a bit of rusticity and earthiness that I am more of a fan of in Burgundy. But there can be no denying the pedigree of this incredible bottle, and for the style, this must simply be among the top of the list. Brilliant.
1996 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 95 Points
France, Champagne
Saves me the trouble of popping one open come 2012. Liqueur-like nose, with notes of caramelized green apples, some brown spice notes, as well as faint bready aromas as well. There is a wealth of painfully concentrated green apple acidity. A hint of sweetness, as well as lovely yellow fruit flavours. Long, long, long. Like a grand cru Burgundy with a little bit of fizz (or, decant the fizz off and let it warm slightly). Simply delicious, and I can't wait for this to pick up some age.
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1996 Comte Armand Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux 95 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru
Classic Burgundian nose. Rust, earth, mushrooms, and brown Asian spice on the nose. Slight hints of red raspberries as well. Somewhat austere on the palate, with lots of good acidity as well as a flavour profile consistent with the nose. Great balance. Resolved and softened tannins. Excellent, quintessential Burgundy.
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1997 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Clos Vougeot 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
A nose completely dominated by rust, though there are some pretty red fruit notes as well. On the palate, there is some balance between the stemmy notes with incredible ripeness of fruit. Vanishing tannins, but a lively palate and a little lacking in structure. More of a hedonistic Burgundy, but sometimes, you just want something like Meo.
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2004 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes 60 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
No. Green stems. I'm aware of the vintage reputation here, and I am trying hard not to judge this wine based on it, but having it sit next to a bunch of other aged Burgundies, this pops out like a sore (green) thumb. Some mint and other green herbs on the nose. Can't even come close to describing the palate -- it's just vapid and green; has the acid I like in wine, but nothing to back it up. Maybe I have a bias knowing the reputation of the vintage, but again, the terrible quality of this wine as a whole is put in full view next to some '97 Meo and '96 Armand.
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2005 Peter Michael Chardonnay Belle Côte 90 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Knights Valley
A slight tinge of green in colour. Slightly oaky nose, with some waxy ripeness as well. On the palate, this is quite rich, but slightly flabby due to a big amount of sweetness. Oak is quite modest, thankfully. A surprising, delicious California chardonnay. Just wish there was a little bit more of a vein of acidity.
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1998 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Only some slight signs of bricking. Very perfumed nose, with notes of roses, raspberries, and definitely some aromas of toasted oak; very bright on the nose. Very fruity on the palate with some youthful tannins that are still unresolved. Seems like it still needs a bit of time to integrate together, with the fruit feeling slightly out of balance with the tough tannins. On the other hand, the metaphor of an iron fist in a velvet glove is certainly an apt descriptor of this bottle.
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1998 Domaine Jacques Prieur Musigny 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Musigny Grand Cru
Slight signs of bricking. Very spicy nose, with some confected red fruit notes and lots of floral aromas as well as a little bit of rust. A hit of sweetness on the palate, but otherwise, this is quite a monster of a wine, with tons of power and concentration. Some rust notes on the palate again, as well as some tart yet ripe red berry flavours. Quite good, but for a vineyard like Musigny, I'd expect for this to be even more of a powerhouse.
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2002 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche 95 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
Almost inky for a pinot noir. Aromatic, spicy, and complex nose. Hints of truffle, earth, and black cherry. On the palate, this is very concentrated in black fruit flavours, with softening tannins. Somewhat fruity and quite modern in style; missing a bit of rusticity and earthiness that I am more of a fan of in Burgundy. But there can be no denying the pedigree of this incredible bottle, and for the style, this must simply be among the top of the list. Brilliant.
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