Tasting double blind. Simple, lean styled Pinot Noir, while also clearly New World. Tough to understand the combination of features until it was revealed this bottle was shipped to Chicago days earlier. Impossible to fairly assess, frankly disrespectful to both the wine and the tasters.
USA, California, San Francisco Bay, San Mateo County
Tasted double blind. Oddly disjointed with lots of alluring new oak spice but a strange combination of fat and lean attributes. Impossible to fairly assess or even understand until I realized this wine was just shipped to Chicago days earlier. Frankly disrespectful opening this wine...both to the wine and the tasters today.
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Tasting. I arrived too late to blind taste this wine, but I was told most of the blind tasting group thought this white Burgundy and I certainly understand making that mistake. Lots of new oak spice, but clearly showing the concentrated fruit aromas to balance that new oak, even if not yet fully integrated. Apple, some pear start-to-finish. Good balance, length and textures. Impressive.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Blind tasting. Leaner style wine, quite typically 2001, not very "roty" in style. Black cherry aromas and flavors, clearly lean and reasonably well textured. Slightly short finish, also slightly simple.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Served double blind to today's tasting group. Great spice start was the absolute highlight, featuring clove and licorice along with black cherry, making this easy to mistake for a wine from Vosne-Romanee. Good overall, just slightly less interesting on the palate, just slightly simple with a bit more acid than concentration.
Blind tasting. Clearly an old, Old World wine made in a classic, acid-driven style. Lean, elegant and shroomy, with great earth aromas and flavors with impressive textures. Bit of tar and dried herb elements throughout. Slightly drying on end, I correctly identified as from 1973 (when given 3 choices) given some similarities to a recent bottle of 1973 Heredia.
Double blind tasting. Lots of sweet black fruit. Plum and black cherry aromas and flavors with good vanilla and chocolate support. Forward and easy to enjoy. Much better than I recall from when last tasted a couple of years ago.
Tasted double blind. Lush with lots of big fruit. Served alongside a wine that was clearly from the Northern Rhone, I thought this was also very Rhone-like, clearly Syrah. Showed overall good balance, energy and textures on nose and palate. Very impressively styled. Upside from here. An impressive CA syrah at its age.
Tasted double blind. Floral start with huge black pepper, which immediately made me think this was Cote-Rotie. Meaty black fruit both on nose and palate with great spice flavors. Big fruit start-to-finish. great charm, clearly sensational with lots of upside potential from here.
2007 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
Tasting. lean and energetic style, even for a 2007 Chablis. All green apple and lemon with a verp finish. Open approx 3 hours before I tasted.
Read 3 Comments / Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
2011 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast
USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast
Tasting double blind. Simple, lean styled Pinot Noir, while also clearly New World. Tough to understand the combination of features until it was revealed this bottle was shipped to Chicago days earlier. Impossible to fairly assess, frankly disrespectful to both the wine and the tasters.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
2010 Rhys Pinot Noir Family Farm Vineyard
USA, California, San Francisco Bay, San Mateo County
Tasted double blind. Oddly disjointed with lots of alluring new oak spice but a strange combination of fat and lean attributes. Impossible to fairly assess or even understand until I realized this wine was just shipped to Chicago days earlier. Frankly disrespectful opening this wine...both to the wine and the tasters today.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2010 DuMOL Chardonnay Chloe 92 Points
USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley
Tasting. I arrived too late to blind taste this wine, but I was told most of the blind tasting group thought this white Burgundy and I certainly understand making that mistake. Lots of new oak spice, but clearly showing the concentrated fruit aromas to balance that new oak, even if not yet fully integrated. Apple, some pear start-to-finish. Good balance, length and textures. Impressive.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
2001 Domaine Joseph Roty Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Fontenys 87 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Blind tasting. Leaner style wine, quite typically 2001, not very "roty" in style. Black cherry aromas and flavors, clearly lean and reasonably well textured. Slightly short finish, also slightly simple.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
1994 Claude Dugat Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St. Jacques 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Served double blind to today's tasting group. Great spice start was the absolute highlight, featuring clove and licorice along with black cherry, making this easy to mistake for a wine from Vosne-Romanee. Good overall, just slightly less interesting on the palate, just slightly simple with a bit more acid than concentration.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
1973 C.V.N.E. (Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España) Rioja Viña Real Gran Reserva
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
Blind tasting. Clearly an old, Old World wine made in a classic, acid-driven style. Lean, elegant and shroomy, with great earth aromas and flavors with impressive textures. Bit of tar and dried herb elements throughout. Slightly drying on end, I correctly identified as from 1973 (when given 3 choices) given some similarities to a recent bottle of 1973 Heredia.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
1996 Château Calon-Ségur 90 Points
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe
Double blind tasting. Lots of sweet black fruit. Plum and black cherry aromas and flavors with good vanilla and chocolate support. Forward and easy to enjoy. Much better than I recall from when last tasted a couple of years ago.
Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No
2002 Château Cos d'Estournel Flawed
France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Saint-Estèphe
sadly corked.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2001 Lagier Meredith Syrah 90 Points
USA, California, Napa Valley, Mt. Veeder
Tasted double blind. Lush with lots of big fruit. Served alongside a wine that was clearly from the Northern Rhone, I thought this was also very Rhone-like, clearly Syrah. Showed overall good balance, energy and textures on nose and palate. Very impressively styled. Upside from here. An impressive CA syrah at its age.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No
2001 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 94 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
Tasted double blind. Floral start with huge black pepper, which immediately made me think this was Cote-Rotie. Meaty black fruit both on nose and palate with great spice flavors. Big fruit start-to-finish. great charm, clearly sensational with lots of upside potential from here.
Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No