From a 375ml with some age on it, this was a rather pleasing NV. It had a nice nose, quite developed, with a whiff of Comte cheese, some yeasty accents, along with aromas of slightly browned apples, earth and umami. The palate was really dry, with a rich attack thinning out a bit into a fresh lemon and minerally midpalate. A bit short on the finish, but there was a nice sense of focus and definition, and it did have a a little stony linger at the end to go with it spike of fresh acidity. A bit austere and simple at first, but this actually did lengthen out and open up with some time and when paired with some nuts and dried fruit,show a nice minerally tail with a touch of white fruit. Nothing special, but it was very decent.
Last bottle, and this was back on form, especially when chilled to slightly lower than Singapore's balmy room temperature and given a bit of air. This had a very pretty nose, with almost preserved cranberry and strawberry notes along with rose and violet petals and a twist of herbal, garrigue aromas - almost like juniper berries. Nice. The palate was still a bit tight, with a little layer of fine tannins and a lovely mouthwatering bit of acidity that gave a firm sense of structure to an otherwise deliciously sappy mouthful of slightly candied strawberry and raspberry notes. There was just that tiniest hint of bubblegum at the edges. All this was chased by a really balanced, well-structured and finely detailed, rather minerally finish. When it warmed up more, it took on a very savoury earthy, meat and preserved sour plum note. Very good. This has more depth and hidden complexity than you would expect from a regular Morgon. With time, a good mouthful of garrigue and herbs started floating out as well, almost like a Cote du Rhone on that count. While drinking nicely now, this really deserves another 3 to 4 years in the bottle at least, and will probably continue growing and developing for a long time beyond that. I enjoyed this very much. A great wine for lazy Saturday night.
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Way, way too young. Half an hour in the decanter barely chipped away at its monolithic character. It was rather big too, so that it came across as a bit "too much" in its youth. This had a huge nose, with layers of savoury undergrowth, meat, dark fruit, dried herbs and wood spice aromas rushing out of the glass from the first pour along with a generous lashing of woody oak notes. Woah. A bit over-intense. This clearly needs time to tame it somewhat. The palate was way too young as well, showing in very primary flavours of cherries and sour plums touched with some oak notes. Ripe, a bit sweet and really big. Some wood spice and woody tannins puckered the finish somewhat before a little lift of acidity set in. This needs tons of time yet. It is a bit difficult to drink now. Huge. Tons of power, oodles of stuffing, swaths of fresh 2001 acidity, but it is still not very together - 10 years at least before I would recommend broaching it again.
NV A. R. Lenoble Champagne Cuvée Intense Brut 89 Points
France, Champagne
From a 375ml with some age on it, this was a rather pleasing NV. It had a nice nose, quite developed, with a whiff of Comte cheese, some yeasty accents, along with aromas of slightly browned apples, earth and umami. The palate was really dry, with a rich attack thinning out a bit into a fresh lemon and minerally midpalate. A bit short on the finish, but there was a nice sense of focus and definition, and it did have a a little stony linger at the end to go with it spike of fresh acidity. A bit austere and simple at first, but this actually did lengthen out and open up with some time and when paired with some nuts and dried fruit,show a nice minerally tail with a touch of white fruit. Nothing special, but it was very decent.
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2009 Domaine J. Chamonard Morgon Le Clos de Lys 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon
Last bottle, and this was back on form, especially when chilled to slightly lower than Singapore's balmy room temperature and given a bit of air. This had a very pretty nose, with almost preserved cranberry and strawberry notes along with rose and violet petals and a twist of herbal, garrigue aromas - almost like juniper berries. Nice. The palate was still a bit tight, with a little layer of fine tannins and a lovely mouthwatering bit of acidity that gave a firm sense of structure to an otherwise deliciously sappy mouthful of slightly candied strawberry and raspberry notes. There was just that tiniest hint of bubblegum at the edges. All this was chased by a really balanced, well-structured and finely detailed, rather minerally finish. When it warmed up more, it took on a very savoury earthy, meat and preserved sour plum note. Very good. This has more depth and hidden complexity than you would expect from a regular Morgon. With time, a good mouthful of garrigue and herbs started floating out as well, almost like a Cote du Rhone on that count. While drinking nicely now, this really deserves another 3 to 4 years in the bottle at least, and will probably continue growing and developing for a long time beyond that. I enjoyed this very much. A great wine for lazy Saturday night.
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2001 Tenute Silvio Nardi Brunello di Montalcino 88 Points
Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino
Way, way too young. Half an hour in the decanter barely chipped away at its monolithic character. It was rather big too, so that it came across as a bit "too much" in its youth. This had a huge nose, with layers of savoury undergrowth, meat, dark fruit, dried herbs and wood spice aromas rushing out of the glass from the first pour along with a generous lashing of woody oak notes. Woah. A bit over-intense. This clearly needs time to tame it somewhat. The palate was way too young as well, showing in very primary flavours of cherries and sour plums touched with some oak notes. Ripe, a bit sweet and really big. Some wood spice and woody tannins puckered the finish somewhat before a little lift of acidity set in. This needs tons of time yet. It is a bit difficult to drink now. Huge. Tons of power, oodles of stuffing, swaths of fresh 2001 acidity, but it is still not very together - 10 years at least before I would recommend broaching it again.
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