Farewell, Peter

Your generosity is much appreciated. Good luck in Europe!

• NV Jacquesson & Fils Champagne Cuvée No. 731 Brut 90 Points

  France, Champagne

  Showing a lot of maturity, but not over-the-hill. I enjoyed the nutty, slightly sherry-like notes. Well balanced with crisp acidity. Very good length. Very nice wine for those who who are not averse to those sherry notes.

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• 2002 Domaine des Malandes Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  This wine seemed slightly sour when first opened, however, this improved greatly with some air. Tart apples and crunchy minerality. Nice, palate-adhering length. Lean and svelte.

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• 1999 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Tough to believe this is 14 years old as the palate shows no sign of secondary flavors. The fruit is youthful and the structure is tightly wound. Good leesy richness, but well balanced by the acids. Excellent and full of life.

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• 2003 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  The more I went back to this wine, the more I enjoyed it. Started off slow, but steadily opened up throughout the night. Lovely, complex, high-toned; minty and seashell flavors complicate the fresh, light orchard fruit. This is cut like a diamond and really over-performs, considering the heat wave throughout Europe in 2003.

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• 2002 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc La Crau Flawed

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  An odd nose, with hints of varnish (excessive VA?). The palate was better than the nose, but this did seem like an off bottle.

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• 1989 Château de Puligny-Montrachet Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières Flawed

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru

  Badly corked... what a shame.

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• 2000 Domaine Marc Morey & Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

  So full of power, fruit and character. This was rich, sappy, leesy and creamy, but somehow this was not out-sized. Remarkable balancing structure. Long and luscious.

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• 1995 Château Rayas Côtes du Rhône Château de Fonsalette Reserve

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Côtes du Rhône

  An odd nose, that hinted at oxidation and maderization; the palate was better, but still a bit odd to me. The bottle was in excellent condition and showed no sign of abuse. Not rated.

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• 1994 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve 95 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Amazing how Rayas can still perform spectacularly in a so-called "lesser" year. This was smooth as silk, with dried red fruits, pepper and warm stones. Mature yet still seems to have some life, with elegant, very fine-grained, velvety tannins. I kept saying "Wow" to myself with this one. Drinking great at the moment.

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• 1994 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline 92 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  A lovely wine and not as oaky as I would have expected. Nice job achieving balance in a more challenging vintage. Floral, feminine and savory. A bit of sweet red fruit, olives and herbs.

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• 1997 Clusel-Roch Côte-Rôtie Les Grandes Places 94 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Old school in the best possible way; light and elegant but not wanting for flavor. This was smokey, floral, meaty and bacon-filled. Lovely aromatics and stunning length.

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• 1996 Patrick Jasmin Côte-Rôtie Flawed

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  This seemed a bit off. Milky and monolithic with overripe slightly sour fruit. Must be a flawed bottle.

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• 2008 Domaine Charvin Châteauneuf-du-Pape 91 Points

  France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

  Light, elegant, cool and refined. Still quite young and in need of some cellar time to gain complexity, but this had lovely, savory, silky fruit.

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• 1989 Pierre Gonon Saint-Joseph Les Oliviers 91 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Saint-Joseph

  Very mature tasting, with soil-dusted rocks, rust, leather and forest floor notes. Very smooth and light on the palate, almost like cashmere, but the fruit seems to be on a gentle down slope. Nice wine, but one to drink sooner rather than later.

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• 1991 Domaine de Vallouit Côte-Rôtie La Voniere 95 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  A wine that made me instantly wake up and take notice. So fragrant, so floral, so precise. Loads of raw meat, olives and herbs. Long and lingering with snappy, accessible, refined tannins. Superb.

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• 1998 Domaine de Vallouit Hermitage Cuvée Spéciale Les Greffières Flawed

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  While this seemed a bit corked, it was actually somewhat drinkable. Still, too many good wines on the table to spend much time on this.

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• 1988 Dunn Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain 89 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley, Howell Mountain

  Mature, dried fruit with nice earth and minerals on the palate. The flavors were wonderful, but the structure was a bit coarse (still!). I would opt to decant more or cellar a bit and hope the fruit holds on. Very nice, but needs food.

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• 1997 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie 96 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

  Wow... haunting fragrance of smoke, bacon, flowers and raw meat. A lot of power here but restrained and balanced. A memorable wine with such authority and length on the palate. This made me go out and search for some 2010 Jamet with the hope it turns into this with time. Just a thrilling sensory experience.

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• 1999 Noël Verset Cornas 96 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  This is textbook, old school Cornas. So savage and rich, yet regal and pure. A head-spinning cornucopia of flavors and fragrances. Sensory overload.

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• 1990 Robert Michel Cornas La Geynale 93 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Cornas

  A lovely wine that impresses with its sneaky depth. Seems so elegant on the palate that you forget the layers of flavors that unfold on the palate and linger (and linger). Stoney, mineraly and contemplative wine.

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• 1997 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 94 Points

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage

  Beautiful wine that appears to be at a great drinking phase, expertly balancing youthful exuberance, with mature complexity. Delicious.

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• 1995 Hubert Lignier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Baudes 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  A fine wine that has softened and feels almost "filigree" on the palate. The tannins of the 1995 vintage seem well resolved. Medium length, with a snappy acidity.

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• 1995 Domaine de Montille Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  Unlike the 1995 Hubert Lignier CM "Les Baudes" poured along side, this wine did indeed show the hard tannins of the vintage. Still quite drinkable, with strong stone and soil notes, but this never made you forget the tannins. A bit more sappy fruit would benefit this wine.

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