Popped and poured, light gold colour in the class, still showing lots of vigor. On the nose, lightly bruised apple, hazelnut, caramel, yeast, bread dough, earth, mushroom and lemon zest. On the palate, apple, pear, caramel, transitioning to that earthy truffle note on the mid-palate, to a long finish framed by a slight bitterness, akin to walnut skin. This is in an excellent spot right now.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Popped and poured, followed for approximately 45 minutes. Deep garnet in the glass with a moderate orange brick at the rim. On the nose, notes of red fruits, dried cherry, dried herbs, florals, earth, leather, iron and undergrowth, also a note that is a touch medicinal. On the palate, dried fruits, plum, herbs, earth with a light ashiness on the moderate length finish. Still a bit of tannic grip on the background, and sufficient acid to balance the sweet fruit. By the end of the 45 minutes, this was starting to fall off a bit in the glass.
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Popped and poured, followed for approximately 1 hour. Not much in the way of sediment in this wine, and showing a relatively deep garnet in the glass, with a slight brick. On the nose, raspberry puree, licorice, sour cherry, herbs, mushroom, vanilla, cedar, with a bit of unintegrated oak. On the palate, similar notes, with moderate tannin and tannin remaining. This drinks surprisingly young, and I would have blinded this as something much younger.
Decanted quickly for sediment, and served immediately. Ruby red in the glass with a light brick. On the nose, red fruits, plums, cured meat, mint, smoke, olive, game, fresh cut grass, crushed rocks, mushroom and decomposing leaves. On the palate, like notes, showing some moderate tannin and brisk acidity. Finish is moderate.
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Popped and poured, followed for approximately 2 hours. This was quite tight at first, but opened up a bit, showing dark cherry, plums, licorice, earth, heavy spice, and a touch of mushroom. On the palate, this was equally tough to assess; still quite a bit of tannin, with some moderate acidity. Finishes long, however the finish is accented by what I perceive to be a bit of heat, which is also present on the nose. Hopefully some more time in the cellar will round this one out, but today, a touch disappointing given the vintage, producer and critical acclaim.
Popped and poured, followed for about 1.5 hours. This bottle was opened up as we waited for the Troplong Mondot to come around, however this was quite tight as well. The nose eventually revealed some sour cherry, beeswax, spice, light floral and tar. On the palate, like notes, met with quite a bit of structure. Moderate finish.
1995 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon 94 Points
France, Champagne
Popped and poured, light gold colour in the class, still showing lots of vigor. On the nose, lightly bruised apple, hazelnut, caramel, yeast, bread dough, earth, mushroom and lemon zest. On the palate, apple, pear, caramel, transitioning to that earthy truffle note on the mid-palate, to a long finish framed by a slight bitterness, akin to walnut skin. This is in an excellent spot right now.
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1978 Domaine Chante Cigale Châteauneuf-du-Pape 92 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Popped and poured, followed for approximately 45 minutes. Deep garnet in the glass with a moderate orange brick at the rim. On the nose, notes of red fruits, dried cherry, dried herbs, florals, earth, leather, iron and undergrowth, also a note that is a touch medicinal. On the palate, dried fruits, plum, herbs, earth with a light ashiness on the moderate length finish. Still a bit of tannic grip on the background, and sufficient acid to balance the sweet fruit. By the end of the 45 minutes, this was starting to fall off a bit in the glass.
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1989 Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée des Cadettes 91 Points
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Popped and poured, followed for approximately 1 hour. Not much in the way of sediment in this wine, and showing a relatively deep garnet in the glass, with a slight brick. On the nose, raspberry puree, licorice, sour cherry, herbs, mushroom, vanilla, cedar, with a bit of unintegrated oak. On the palate, similar notes, with moderate tannin and tannin remaining. This drinks surprisingly young, and I would have blinded this as something much younger.
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1994 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 93 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Decanted quickly for sediment, and served immediately. Ruby red in the glass with a light brick. On the nose, red fruits, plums, cured meat, mint, smoke, olive, game, fresh cut grass, crushed rocks, mushroom and decomposing leaves. On the palate, like notes, showing some moderate tannin and brisk acidity. Finish is moderate.
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1989 Château Troplong Mondot 92 Points
France, Bordeaux, Libournais, St. Émilion Grand Cru
Popped and poured, followed for approximately 2 hours. This was quite tight at first, but opened up a bit, showing dark cherry, plums, licorice, earth, heavy spice, and a touch of mushroom. On the palate, this was equally tough to assess; still quite a bit of tannin, with some moderate acidity. Finishes long, however the finish is accented by what I perceive to be a bit of heat, which is also present on the nose. Hopefully some more time in the cellar will round this one out, but today, a touch disappointing given the vintage, producer and critical acclaim.
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1993 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto 89 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Popped and poured, followed for about 1.5 hours. This bottle was opened up as we waited for the Troplong Mondot to come around, however this was quite tight as well. The nose eventually revealed some sour cherry, beeswax, spice, light floral and tar. On the palate, like notes, met with quite a bit of structure. Moderate finish.
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