No formal notes. From magnum. Opened and served right away. A recent purchase by the host. Youthful, fresh and crisp with citrus notes and hints of bread. Great acidity and minerality. With 3-5 years in the cellar these mags should be excellent. Very good. 89+
Opened and served right away. Nice petrol nose with pineapple and sweet lemon notes. On the palate it’s fairly rich with sweet yet tart lemon flavours and solid acidity. This is a really nice middle-aged Riesling that’s drinking very well but could easily go another decade just depending on how much development you like. Excellent.
Opened and served one hour later. Youthful nose of sweeter red and dark pinot fruit with cherry, rhubarb and tart raspberries flavours. Tight on the backend with fine yet sturdy tannins. Great acidity and liveliness. Well balanced. I’ll try another bottle in 2015. Very good. 89+
Opened and served right away. Richer on the palate than the ’05 Guyon with more depth and concentration. Definitely more open too. Pure cherry and raspberry flavours with a rich and sappy finish. At this stage doesn’t show a ton of Volnay typicity. There's solid acidity here and very fine tannins. Drinking beautifully in a youthful way and fun to try but needs at least 3-5 years. Excellent. 90+
Opened and consumed 4 hours later. This showed a ton of Pauillac character with notes cassis, bell pepper/stalks, pencil shavings and nice poopy funk. Perfectly resolved on the palate with fine acidity and medium weight. Drinking very well now and I don’t see this getting any better. Excellent.
Opened and served right away. This was a nice pairing with the ’97 Pontet-Canet. At first this was quite dusty and stuffy but that blew off leaving mature red fruits, cedar and leathery funk on the nose with resolved structure and nice length on the finish. Not quite as brilliant as previous bottles (in 2009 and 2007) but still nice to taste again. At peak and drinking well. Excellent.
Opened and served 2 hours later. Youthful nose, a little shy at first but opened up beautifully after 15min in the glass with notes of meat, savoury red fruits and hints of floral. A leaner style on the palate with really nice peppery notes on the finish. A beautiful bottle of Cote Rotie that seems like it’s just entering its drinking window. Excellent. 91+
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Opened and served right away. After reading salil’s note below (11/30/2012), I don’t have much to add as he pretty much nailed it. Pretty, pure and polished with floral notes and sappy red fruits. Medium weight with fine tannins and drinking well in a youthful way. A long life ahead but no shame in opening one now. Excellent. 92+
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru
Opened and served right away. This showed loads of vintage character with sweet and ripe dark red pinot fruit with a rich and silky palate. The structure is hidden by the gobs of fruit so I think this can age for a good while longer. Forward and big but a little too ripe for my tastes at this point. A delicious and tasty wine nonetheless, but I think 5-7 years will do this wine some good. Very good. 89+
No formal notes. Opened and served 30min later. This was shockingly very good. Classic claret profile, a bit hard on the palate but very enjoyable. Very good.
Tasted blind – sweet nose with blackberry, currant and cinnamon notes with ripe sweet red fruit on the palate. Showing very youthfully. Guesses ranged from Grahams to Taylors and everywhere from 1985 to 1997. Decades if development ahead. Excellent. 90+
NV Gaston Chiquet Champagne Premier Cru Tradition Brut 89 Points
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
No formal notes. From magnum. Opened and served right away. A recent purchase by the host. Youthful, fresh and crisp with citrus notes and hints of bread. Great acidity and minerality. With 3-5 years in the cellar these mags should be excellent. Very good. 89+
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1994 Theo Schmitz-Schwaab Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Spätlese #3 90 Points
Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer
Opened and served right away. Nice petrol nose with pineapple and sweet lemon notes. On the palate it’s fairly rich with sweet yet tart lemon flavours and solid acidity. This is a really nice middle-aged Riesling that’s drinking very well but could easily go another decade just depending on how much development you like. Excellent.
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2005 Antonin Guyon Beaune Clos de la Chaume Gaufriot 89 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune
Opened and served one hour later. Youthful nose of sweeter red and dark pinot fruit with cherry, rhubarb and tart raspberries flavours. Tight on the backend with fine yet sturdy tannins. Great acidity and liveliness. Well balanced. I’ll try another bottle in 2015. Very good. 89+
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2007 Domaine Louis Boillot et Fils Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Opened and served right away. Richer on the palate than the ’05 Guyon with more depth and concentration. Definitely more open too. Pure cherry and raspberry flavours with a rich and sappy finish. At this stage doesn’t show a ton of Volnay typicity. There's solid acidity here and very fine tannins. Drinking beautifully in a youthful way and fun to try but needs at least 3-5 years. Excellent. 90+
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1997 Château Pontet-Canet 91 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
Opened and consumed 4 hours later. This showed a ton of Pauillac character with notes cassis, bell pepper/stalks, pencil shavings and nice poopy funk. Perfectly resolved on the palate with fine acidity and medium weight. Drinking very well now and I don’t see this getting any better. Excellent.
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1982 Château La Lagune 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc
Opened and served right away. This was a nice pairing with the ’97 Pontet-Canet. At first this was quite dusty and stuffy but that blew off leaving mature red fruits, cedar and leathery funk on the nose with resolved structure and nice length on the finish. Not quite as brilliant as previous bottles (in 2009 and 2007) but still nice to taste again. At peak and drinking well. Excellent.
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1995 Patrick Jasmin Côte-Rôtie 91 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
Opened and served 2 hours later. Youthful nose, a little shy at first but opened up beautifully after 15min in the glass with notes of meat, savoury red fruits and hints of floral. A leaner style on the palate with really nice peppery notes on the finish. A beautiful bottle of Cote Rotie that seems like it’s just entering its drinking window. Excellent. 91+
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2002 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St. Jacques 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Opened and served right away. After reading salil’s note below (11/30/2012), I don’t have much to add as he pretty much nailed it. Pretty, pure and polished with floral notes and sappy red fruits. Medium weight with fine tannins and drinking well in a youthful way. A long life ahead but no shame in opening one now. Excellent. 92+
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2003 Domaine René Leclerc Griotte-Chambertin 89 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru
Opened and served right away. This showed loads of vintage character with sweet and ripe dark red pinot fruit with a rich and silky palate. The structure is hidden by the gobs of fruit so I think this can age for a good while longer. Forward and big but a little too ripe for my tastes at this point. A delicious and tasty wine nonetheless, but I think 5-7 years will do this wine some good. Very good. 89+
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1986 Château Bel-Air Lagrave 89 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Moulis en Médoc
No formal notes. Opened and served 30min later. This was shockingly very good. Classic claret profile, a bit hard on the palate but very enjoyable. Very good.
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2008 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 89 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
Consistent with previous note (3/3/2012). Drink or hold. Very good.
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1980 Gould Campbell Porto Vintage 90 Points
Portugal, Douro, Porto
Tasted blind – sweet nose with blackberry, currant and cinnamon notes with ripe sweet red fruit on the palate. Showing very youthfully. Guesses ranged from Grahams to Taylors and everywhere from 1985 to 1997. Decades if development ahead. Excellent. 90+
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