Medium straw colour. Complex nose with yeast, toast, lemon cream and baked apple. Tart citrus on the entry with a soft and rich mouth feel. There’s good acidity but this doesn’t have much freshness. Drinking surprisingly quite maturely. An excellent bottle of bubble but seems to be more advanced than other 98s I’ve had. Based on this bottle this is drinking well now and should continue to do so for 5 years. Excellent.
Tasted blind. Ripe nose with orchard fruits on the nose and a hint of floral. Some residual sugar on the palate and the mouthfeel (along with the floral notes) has me thinking there’s maybe some viognier in this. There’s some nice ripe fruit and a feeling of some sweetness on the palate. Perhaps riesling or gewurztraminer? A nice summer sipper. Good.
Tasted blind. Medium gold colour. Beautiful nose with petrol, stone fruits and citrus. Weighty in the mouth with medium acidity and nice length. Rich flavours of soft citrus and a hint of minerality on the finish along with some sweetness. Excellent.
Tasted blind. This had a new world pinot red fruit nose with a sour/sweet tone to it (reminded me of sweaty socks, but in a pleasant way) that added some nice character/funk to it. Riper red fruit on the entry with a warm mouthfeel and some heat coming through on the finish. The nose here is nice, but the fruit on the palate is slightly overripe for my tastes. Others enjoyed this more than I did. Good.
Tasted blind. Not much to add to Blair’s note. This was very ripe and roasted on the nose with loads of acidity on the palate that gave it some much needed freshness. It’s drinkable.
Tasted blind. Mature nose with hints of olive tapenade then opens up revealing floral, dark fruits and herbal aromas. Resolved oh the palate with mature flavours and an elegant mouthfeel. Drinking well but no rush. Excellent.
Youthful nose with ripe red fruits, herbs and loads of pepper. Almost has a lightness to it on the palate but the red fruit flavours are far from weak with a silky and fresh profile. Nice minerality with powdery tannins. Drinks well now and should improve over the short term but I’m not sure how long this will age. Very good.
Tasted blind. Deep colour. Dark syrah nose with peppery and darker fruits notes. Quite sweet on the palate with a weighty mouthfeel that has me thinking Australian. The aromatics could be French but the palate definitely says new world to me. Good.
Tasted blind. Medium gold colour. This had an unreal nose. Saffron, orange peel with a hint of wax. This was rich in the mouth but with fantastic acidity and saffron and orange marmalade flavours. Long finish. This paired just about perfectly with the seared foie gras. Excellent.
Tasted blind. This was a really nice, well-aged and perfectly mature cabernet. Right from first sniff most people guessed Cali cab with notes of mature red fruits and hints of leather. Well balanced with good acidity and resolved tannins. Drinking very well right now. Very good.
Tasted blind. Dill on the nose with maturing dark red fruits and hints of earth. Soft tannins and fairly retrained in the mouth although the nose indicated a more lush and concentrated style. Blend of cab sauv/merlot/petit verdot. Very good.
Tasted blind. Nice nose that I had me thinking European. Last wine of the lunch so didn’t write much down. A really nice wine but one doesn't scream pinot noir to me. Very good.
1998 Billecart-Salmon Champagne Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart 90 Points
France, Champagne
Medium straw colour. Complex nose with yeast, toast, lemon cream and baked apple. Tart citrus on the entry with a soft and rich mouth feel. There’s good acidity but this doesn’t have much freshness. Drinking surprisingly quite maturely. An excellent bottle of bubble but seems to be more advanced than other 98s I’ve had. Based on this bottle this is drinking well now and should continue to do so for 5 years. Excellent.
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2010 Hermann J. Wiemer Dry Riesling 85 Points
USA, New York, Finger Lakes
Tasted blind. Ripe nose with orchard fruits on the nose and a hint of floral. Some residual sugar on the palate and the mouthfeel (along with the floral notes) has me thinking there’s maybe some viognier in this. There’s some nice ripe fruit and a feeling of some sweetness on the palate. Perhaps riesling or gewurztraminer? A nice summer sipper. Good.
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2000 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Herrenweg de Turckheim 90 Points
France, Alsace
Tasted blind. Medium gold colour. Beautiful nose with petrol, stone fruits and citrus. Weighty in the mouth with medium acidity and nice length. Rich flavours of soft citrus and a hint of minerality on the finish along with some sweetness. Excellent.
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2006 Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Southing 85 Points
USA, California, Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills
Tasted blind. This had a new world pinot red fruit nose with a sour/sweet tone to it (reminded me of sweaty socks, but in a pleasant way) that added some nice character/funk to it. Riper red fruit on the entry with a warm mouthfeel and some heat coming through on the finish. The nose here is nice, but the fruit on the palate is slightly overripe for my tastes. Others enjoyed this more than I did. Good.
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2000 Braida (Giacomo Bologna) Barbera d'Asti Ai Suma 79 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Asti, Barbera d'Asti
Tasted blind. Not much to add to Blair’s note. This was very ripe and roasted on the nose with loads of acidity on the palate that gave it some much needed freshness. It’s drinkable.
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1997 M. Chapoutier Côte-Rôtie La Mordorée 90 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Tasted blind. Mature nose with hints of olive tapenade then opens up revealing floral, dark fruits and herbal aromas. Resolved oh the palate with mature flavours and an elegant mouthfeel. Drinking well but no rush. Excellent.
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NV Elegie Côte-Rôtie 88 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Youthful nose with ripe red fruits, herbs and loads of pepper. Almost has a lightness to it on the palate but the red fruit flavours are far from weak with a silky and fresh profile. Nice minerality with powdery tannins. Drinks well now and should improve over the short term but I’m not sure how long this will age. Very good.
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2005 Bunnell Family Cellars Syrah Boushey-McPherson Vineyards 87 Points
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley
Tasted blind. Deep colour. Dark syrah nose with peppery and darker fruits notes. Quite sweet on the palate with a weighty mouthfeel that has me thinking Australian. The aromatics could be French but the palate definitely says new world to me. Good.
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1990 Domaine du Haut Montlong Monbazillac Cuvée Tradition 92 Points
France, Southwest France, Dordogne, Monbazillac
Tasted blind. Medium gold colour. This had an unreal nose. Saffron, orange peel with a hint of wax. This was rich in the mouth but with fantastic acidity and saffron and orange marmalade flavours. Long finish. This paired just about perfectly with the seared foie gras. Excellent.
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2006 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Télégramme Flawed
France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Tasted blind. This must have been an off bottle as it was all alcohol on both the nose and palate with no fruit and completely hallow in the middle.
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1995 Kenwood Cabernet Sauvignon Jack London Vineyard 89 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley
Tasted blind. This was a really nice, well-aged and perfectly mature cabernet. Right from first sniff most people guessed Cali cab with notes of mature red fruits and hints of leather. Well balanced with good acidity and resolved tannins. Drinking very well right now. Very good.
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1999 Rosemount Estate Traditional 88 Points
Australia, South Australia, Fleurieu
Tasted blind. Dill on the nose with maturing dark red fruits and hints of earth. Soft tannins and fairly retrained in the mouth although the nose indicated a more lush and concentrated style. Blend of cab sauv/merlot/petit verdot. Very good.
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1993 Fratelli Seghesio Barolo Vigneto la Villa Flawed
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Tasted blind. Corked.
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2002 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Anden 89 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
Tasted blind. Nice nose that I had me thinking European. Last wine of the lunch so didn’t write much down. A really nice wine but one doesn't scream pinot noir to me. Very good.
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